A sample text widget
Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
|
by KC2RIY, on May 23rd, 2011 ( Boree, Fiji, Tahina, True Companions) Our final approach to Savusavu, Fiji could not have been much better. Granted, it was misty and a little wet at times but the wind was just about spot on. The wind angle wasn’t quite right as we approached Lesiatheva Point so we went wing on wing for about 15 minutes to build a better angle. We then went back to a broad reach and rounded the point instantly receiving calm waters. Even though we were now behind the hills we had a brisk close haul to Savusavu dropping the sails just a few minutes out of the creek.
By then Paul and Helen had set the lines so we could attach to a mooring ball. We’d already decided we wanted to be on one of the white balls of the Copra Shed concession as this was a ‘yachtie’ hangout and we wanted use of their dinghy dock. As we passed by the Copra Shed (before 2pm) many of our friends were already sharing beers and gave us a cheer. We’d heard some of their stories indirectly and although our passage was nowhere near as bad we’d had our trials and tribulations. To be welcomed in thus was immensely uplifting.
We were guided to a free mooring ball by a local in a skiff which turned out to be less than good as we almost fell back onto another boat. We moved to another and secured ourselves. The chap in the skiff said he was off to fetch the officials. I asked to be given a little time as I wanted to attend to our shaft seal leak first and then tidy up (ie, put a few boxes away) before we were boarded.
INSERT_MAP
A few of our friends popped by to give us the rundown on how to greet the officials. It all confirmed the ‘intelligence’ we’d gained while in the yard in Whangarei. We put on our best clothes, made everything nice and waited in the sweltering heat for them to arrive. They took a while so we cracked open a beer each and savoured the pleasure of first post-passage quaff. You have to have traveled a thousand+ miles of wild ocean to understand the pleasure.
First came the quarantine guy along with a medical student just about to graduate from 5 years study at the local hospital. The paperwork was a formality and the student performed the ‘inspection’. In reality this was his way of getting to see passage making boats and we were more than happy to let him look around as well as take pictures with us in the boat.
Next came customs and environmental. They were incredibly friendly but had a mountain of forms to fill in. We declared the legal limit of booze as well as respecifying absolutely everything on the boat that we had declared in our prearrival forms sent a month earlier. The environmental guy had a quick check around the boat and informed Helen of what we were to do with our overseas food – ie, eat it on the boat – and our rubbish (where to dispose – not to eat).
After much wrist ache from all the form filling we were done. The skiff took some time to arrive so we begged their leave to get changed into our scruffs so we could work on getting the dinghy in the water. The health official chipped in and soon we had the kayak off the davits, the dinghy in the water and the motor on. It started first time. The environmental guy said this was an excellent omen for our stay in Fiji.
Their skiff came just before we were able to take them in ourselves so we bade them farewell. We were soon in our dinghy and heading to shore. We’d already agreed to eat out with True Companions. We passed them by and borrowed some local currency (repaid later in the evening) had our quick chat then headed ashore to be welcomed by the crowd in the bar. Hugs and shakes all round we were soon into passage stories. It was riotous. We had a brief downpour and all headed inside for shelter. This was good news for us as it meant the salt was being washed off Dignity.
After a few very cheap beers, consensus eventually coagulated and were off to a surf and turf with the True Companions, Tahinas and Borees. It was one of the more expensive restaurants in town but the meal and drinks for three of us came in under US$40. Most of the other joints in town are, we were told, far cheaper and noone bothers to cook for a few days after arrival. We’re looking forward to trying some of these out.
After the meal we all headed back to Copra Shed and our dinghies and partied company. Despite our growing fatigue we cracked open the best bottle of brandy from our NZ duty frees and shared a glass together to celebrate our passage.
Paul has been an excellent crew member. He was competent with the boat but was quick to ask questions when there was uncertainty. There was no false bravado. We felt safe with him on watch and when working as a team on some of the more challenging moments. Above all he was great company.
After a very, very long day we retired. It was cruisers midnight. 9pm.
None of us remember putting our heads down. Sleep was upon us in an instant and we all slept a solid nights sleep.
We’re now ready for a brand new day in Paradise.
by steve, on May 6th, 2011 ( Blue Penguin, Boree, Callisto, Curious, Imagine, New Zealand, Paleides, Passages, True Companions) Another forecast. Another decision. Our general plan of leaving NZ is simply to get out of Dodge when we can, make some distance north and east then take each day as it comes. Even if we have to sit there for a day or two. As long as it’s safe to do so.
So here’s today’s local forecast.
Squall warning. Waves may rise rapidly during squalls. Friday: Northeast 20 knots rising to 25 knots gusting 35 knots this morning. Changing northwest 20 knots this afternoon, then easing to 15 knots this evening and to 10 knots tonight. Squalls of 45 knots possible until evening. Moderate sea becoming rough for a time this morning, then becoming slight this evening. Poor visibility in rain, with some heavy and thundery falls until evening.
If we were out at sea and had no choice and this came down on us we could deal with it. We wouldn’t like it but we’ve done it before. Does it make sense to leave land with this happening? Easy answer. No. In all good conscience I cannot set sail into possibly dangerous weather while we are close to shore.
So we probably won’t leave today. We’ve got to let this one pass. We had planned to fuel up and check out early morning. I will at least delay this until we get a longer read on today’s weather but as I said, chances are we won’t leave today.
Looking out to tomorrow it’s not looking so good either. The low pressure system to our SW is now projected to come a little further north than yesterday’s forecasts were suggesting. This puts a more northerly component into the winds we can expect over the next couple of days. We would have to sail extremely close to the wind to make some decent northing. Yesterday the seas were flat. We know this from the folks who motored up from anchorages on the coast. I don’t mind sailing close hauled on flat seas but not those kicked up by squally weather. So, if tomorrow’s winds remain just west of north (as they are currently predicted to be) tomorrow won’t look good either.
But this is all on a hair trigger which is this low to the SW. If it stays a little further to the south that is all we need to kick us up northwards. So now it’s a waiting game.
That was the weather. Now the news. I’ll summarize.
Customs were notified of our probable departure today. Paul arrived. We borrowed a car from Phil and drove to Opua for lunch and fresh food collection. In the evening we went ashore for dinner at the yacht club. A few more of the puddle jumpers have arrived. Two new comers to Opua were Callisto and Boree. Nice to see them. Everyone was talking about the weather of course and possible plans for leaving. There were many opinions and all were good to listen to. Also there were Imagine, Passages, Paleides, True Companions, Blue Penguin, Avante, Curious and many others. I totally violated my no drinking night before passage rule. It doesn’t seem to have mattered.
by KC2RIY, on April 19th, 2011 ( Albatross III, Attitude, Blue Penguin, Boree, Callisto, Division II, El Regalo, Imagine, Jackster, Leu Cat, Marquesa, New Zealand, Proximity, Sail Away, Scream, Sea Mist, Sidewinder, Tahina, True Companions, Zephyrus) What a day. We started the day with one last wash. The genset started ok but not with the zest we know it can with a good power supply. It’s battery was getting tired. A quick decision was made and it was off to the battery store to buy and then install a new battery. When I moved the original battery I tucked it way out of the way which meant pulling loads of stuff out of the generator compartment and then squeezing myself into a very tight place to work. Glad we did that as the genset starts perfectly now.
Next task was to head for Opua to sell the car back to Phil from Cars for Cruisers. I had an agreement with Rob and Ruth from Albatross III to head up to Opua too and give me a ride back. Just before leaving we bumped into a young lady from the NE US whose on a traveling trip and was looking for passage up to Fiji. We offered to take her up to Opua and back to investigate things there and learn a bit more about making what she was trying to do work.
On arriving in Opua I let Lauren off to explore the area and agreed to meet up at the Fish and Chip shop at noon where I’d promised to buy lunch for everyone for helping out. The deal with Phil went through smoothly and soon I was walking away with a cashable check.
While waiting for Lauren to show up I bumped into Andy from Zephyrus which was a pleasant surprise. We chatted for a while and I asked about people looking for crew. He had a good lead and shared it with Lauren when she found us. About 12:30 Rob and Ruth turned up having seen some friends. Unfortunately the Fish and Chip shop in Opua had closed down so we headed off to Pahia for the banks and shops there. Half way there I realize I’d left my GPS unit somewhere so we headed back finding it with Phil.
Leaving the others to look around I first went to Westpac to cash the check using my passport to prove my identity. She had to call Phil to verify the check was ok to cash and he approved with the caveat I owed him a GPS unit. She found the explanation of his remark quite funny. My next stop was the ANZ bank to deposit most the cash keeping enough to pay for our new kayak.
With all the financials handled I found the others and bought all Fish and Chips on the waterfront which turned out to be overfilling but delicious.
Rob took us north out of Pahia for a different route back to Whangarei. A few miles out of town I realized I didn’t have our folder containing our boat papers and passports. Not again. So back into town we went. I checked first at the Westpac. The teller grinned hugely and went to the safe to retrieve my passport. I found the folder in the ANZ where I’d left it. Where was my head???? I checked to make sure it was still in the right place physically. I think my brain had already set sail.
No more mishaps beset us as we traveled back to Whangarei. Rob helped me collect the kayak which we placed on the boat. Helen had spent the day making a clean boat immaculate for the evening’s party. By now there was not much time left. I performed a few small jobs around the boat before showering and soon after folks began to show.
All in all we had the pleasure of welcoming the crew from Albatross III, Attitude, Blue Penguin, Boree, Callisto, Clara Katherine, Division II, El Regalo, Imagine, Jackster, Leu Cat, Marquesa, Proximity, Sail Away, Scream, Sea Mist, Sidewinder, Stray Kitty, Tahina, True Companions and Tyee along with one or two marina neighbours. That was about forty people at once. It was a great test of our through hulls as we were down about 6-9 inches in the water. We didn’t sink.
This morning we woke fairly early and after doing last minute internetty things we dropped of our key to the shower block and headed out. As we headed down the river the winds were light and behind us. And cold. We motored on batteries alone for about 30 mins before turning on the generator. Near the river mouth we caught sight of True Companions ahead of us and called them on the radio to greet them.
As we rounded the heads we hit a dead patch and used the opportunity to raise the new main. We crossed our fingers hoping for wind as we really wanted to see how our new sails would perform. We didn’t have to wait too long and soon we were in winds that were to vary between 10-20 knots as we headed up the coast. We were gobsmacked by the improved boat performance. Before the boat speed would fade below about 12 knots under main and jib. Now she was achieving above 1/2 wind speed all the way down to 9 knots on the beam. We’ve never seen it so good.
We have found a couple of issues. The reef points on the new main are higher up than before and now the 1st reef only has a turn of spare line at the winch which is not enough to reef on the fly. We also have new modes of vibration on the luff of the main which we need to figure out how to handle. Apart from that everything seems to be in amazing shape. It feels like we have a new boat.
Our original plan had us making our way up the coast in smaller steps. With reduced wind tomorrow and nasty northeasterlies forecast for Friday we’re aiming to cover as much distance as we can today and complete the trip to the Bay of Islands tomorrow where we can find shelter from any type of wind. Our goal for today is the Whangamumu Bay which we visited last November.
We’ve now settled into a pleasant sail up the coast putting on and taking off our warm clothes as the sun goes in and out. We have about a knot of counter current but we’re doing well against it. We even have a line out for fish but nothing caught yet. We’ve shed the land life and are back on the water.
by steve, on April 8th, 2011 ( Attitude, Boree, Callisto, El Regalo, Imagine, Leu Cat, New Zealand, Proximity, Scream, Tahina) The weather this week has been very alternating. Every other day we have variable weather and on the alternate days we have a consistently good day. Yesterday was a consistently good day. Confused? Because we had an afternoon event planned we had a shortened work day but we still made progress :
- Sanded all the gelcoat touch ups
- Replaced temporary split pin at top of mast
- Added a layer of varnish to the shower sill
- Picked up new code zero halyard
- Replaced old main halyard (which was in the code zero halyard’s position) with new code zero halyard
- Assembled gooseneck twice. First time I thought I had it on the boom upside down but I discovered I was wrong about this after removing it.
- Installed new main sheet
- Reattached sail bag
- 80% inflated dinghy (which was returned from having handle/rollock reattached)
- Filed off ridges from inside boom in order to install new sheave for outhaul/third reef
On the external projects more progress was made than anticipated. The dinghy arrived. The anchor roller strengthening is now complete. The chain chute is complete. The props / shafts were returned from having a hole drilled and pin inserted. The new sheave was cut. Our window inserts are now expected early next week and I postponed the forestay work to Monday.
I actually had a little time to study a few Euler problems and have now developed a strategy to solve one of them which I’ll implement over the weekend. It’s interesting going back to them as at first they all look far too complicated to solve but sooner or later dormant brain cells wake up from their slumber and go to work.
Around 2:30pm we broke for the day and cleaned up for our afternoon out. The town of Whangarei was putting on a farewell seminar/show for the cruisers who’ve spent time (and presumably quite a lot of money) here in the town – particularly on services to their ocean battered boats. First was a very impressive traditional Maori challenge, far better than the one we saw at the Maori experience in Rotorua.
Next we had a half hour lecture by weather guru Bob McDavitt. For those that don’t know him, he puts out an excellent cruising forecast each Sunday that makes a relevant read every Sunday. As such he practically received a heroes welcome by the cruisers as a result of this service. He does offer professional guidance / route planning to those that wish it. His half hour brief was very informative. He confirmed the weather scenario for leaving north that I’m now already anticipating. More importantly he helped us understand the broader context for the weather patterns and their near term impact. We’re in what’s called a declining La Nina situation which historically extends the cyclone season. Thus the general recommendation is not to leave until May. This fits our general plan which was to be ready by the third week in April and to take the first available weather window. That window should now appear early May. This extra time allows us the opportunity to flex our new wings (once installed) with a sail, perhaps, up to Opua before we leave.
Next was the BBQ which was a fine feast. I thought I was taking a little of everything but my plate ended up piled high. Having had a light and early lunch I was famished and polished off the lot.
Finally we were given a cultural Maori performance by a national competition winning local singing group. Again – far better than the ones we’ve seen at tourist attractions. We are lucky to have the opportunity in our lives to go cruising and further privileged to be given such joyful, harmonious and passionate performances.
We were not alone for this farewell presentation. We sat amongst old friends from the ‘class of ’10’ puddle jumpers : Attitude, Boree, Callisto, El Regallo, Imagine, Leu Cat, Proximity, Scream & Tahina. There were plenty of others there too and the sad thing is was our need to catch up with old friends prevented us from really making any new.
Being in the company of so many friends and having the Polynesian dancing and singing going on made most, if not all, of us keen to start our crossing and get back out into the wonders of the South Pacific. Just got to get the boat work finished !!!!!
We finished the evening by inviting Frank and Karen over to a messy Dignity to share a bottle of wine. Almost like being back out on the water. Except for the gentle rocking. The slapping of waves. The warm nights. The beautiful beaches. The great snorkeling. No yard dust. Not having to pee in a bucket. Ok – so not quite so similar but we’re on our way soon.
ADDED LATER: All too easy. Euler problem nailed. Off to work.
As I think back on yesterday I can’t figure out what order things happened in so again I’ll just list the events in semi random order.
We had a couple of visits from outside contractors. The stainless steel guys came by to measure up the bowsprit for the anchor protector. While they were with us we discussed an improvement to the anchor locker which will prevent pile ups of the anchor chain.
We were also visited by the engineering firm to examine our gooseneck/boom and our rudder bearings. They came back with rather a large quote later in the day, mostly for the rudder bearings. In discussion with the yard manager, Peter, he came up with a better and cheaper solution to address the wear on the bearings.
The sanding continued all morning. We occupied this time by washing and conditioning our jib sheets and old furling line. I was interrupted in this task (although I can’t remember what by) and the lines are still sitting in the bucket to be finished today. We also visited the chandlers to pick up replacement nipples/through hull, a large tub of rust remover, some flares (our current ones are out of date), a grab bag for our emergency supplies if we have to abandon ship (better late than never) and a few other sundry items. We also picked up a cheap blow heater as it was freezing cold yesterday morning (though not so bad today). We finally found Arthur’s Emporium, a fantastic store filled with all sorts of things. We didn’t have much time and will have to go back but we did manage to pick up a replacement hammock which we’ve been scouring town for.
When the sanding had finished we were loaned the power wash to wash down the boat. The blue dust was every where and it took 2-3 hours to clean the boat top to bottom. At the end of this we scraped and sanded all the through hulls and I gave them all a second thorough inspection for any pitting – there was none.
At some point in the day I verified we had the latest s/w for our two Garmin GPSs and Helen created a list for the grab bag contents. We have most of it at hand but we want to do a proper job with the contents.
We received a call from the rigger who’s finished the splicing and will drop them by this morning and perform a rigging inspection. We also received a call from the upholster who’s finished the back of our seat which I can collect today.
During the day we had the pleasure of bumping into Ingi from Boree in the yard (and in one of the stores) and also Stuart from Imagine swung by to say hello. We got to know Rod from our neighbouring boat Proximity. He seems to know everyone we know but somehow we missed hooking up along the way. It was of course impossible not to bump into John working hard on Sea Mist from time to time.
We were pooped after all of this so we had a takeaway pizza for dinner and finished the day with a movie.
|