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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Getting Sorted in Paradise

Its Wednesday over here, and another holiday for some reason that I haven't worked out, but then I suppose every day is a holiday for me! Yesterday I caught the Bus into the centre of Papeete which is a modern pretty big city. I had to check in with the Port Authority which monitors all boats coming and going, I had to check with Customs to pay my Bond, and I had a rough address for a sailmaker to find. I visited the supermarket first and bought pastries and a new hat and some juice. ( I VE cake and Pastries and sweet stuff like that) I visited the tourist bureau and then went looking for the sail maker. Something amazing happened - after trudging through various industrial waterfront streets in afternoon heat I couldn't find the sail maker so asked a bloke on a push bike - he didn't speak English so took me to a nearby wholesale supplier of marine equipment where he said there was a guy who spoke English. I met him and he didn't know where a sail maker might be so spoke in French to the woman at the computer - she looked on the internet and was then starting to give me instructions on where it was when a third person appeared - he was the Boss and enquired what was going on - but he spoke English and once he knew said in English to me, " I will take you there" - so he did - and this is the amazing bit - he was the brother of the Gendarme I met in Tubuai, a really friendly "Big Guy" with whom I had enjoyed quite a good chat when arriving there! So this guy whose name was Ramo, was a business man, struggling a bit it seemed from what he was telling me but an equally friendly and warm hearted man - and after the sailmaker he ran me into town and so we had a really nice chat. Such a small world - and walking along the docks what did I spy but "Tuhaa pae" the interisland freighter I had made way for in Tubuai!. I am feeling part of this place already! AND who wouldn't want to be - its fabulous. Ive noticed the combination of French style and Tahitian Polynesian beauty makes for some wondrous looking women!

The Harbormaster guy was straightforward, but Customs ! You speak to this guy through a window on the outside of the little shed his office is in by the waterfront, like buying a ticket to a movie - but he said first I had to pay the bond at the Bank. So I found a bank - wrong one - has to be Socredo - so I found that, queued for half an hour- - wrong Branch - has to be the Main One so found that, queued for an HOUR - wrong queue - queued for another 20 minutes - and they wouldn't accept my Credit Card unless I had a PIN and wouldn't accept signature even though I had my Passport with me - they wouldn't even accept Cash! So back to the man in the window - he gave me the card of an Agent - I rang three times,- after finding a shop to buy Phone Card then Public Phone- the Agent was on out, then on another call, then I was asked to ring the mobile - engaged! So by then I was a bit fed up, and of course the next day was a holiday so nothing was going to happen for a couple of days anyway - the Customs guy didn't seem distressed about that so I decided I would Phone my Bank in Australia - there's a number on the back of your Gold VISA for international help - and asked them to send me a PIN which they will but it will take a few days - whatever! Bugger the idea of paying an Agent to do paperwork for me because they don't accept my signature or even Cash! I am smiling about all this today - it seemed mad yesterday but that's just the way it happens here, what the hell I'm on Holiday!

Today, I woke early and took the main off the mast in readiness for it being picked up tomorrow at the marina - and then installed the Shade Awnings made for Sapphire in Opua. I will post photos when I get a chance but today it kept the intense heat of the sun off the boat much of the time and kept it a bit cooler inside. I also dived into the water a few times and a had a swim - the water is wonderfully clear and warm - it was very refreshing. I also have done my Laundry and right now I'm at one of the Marina Café Bars and having a Beer as I write in the late afternoon. I cooked some steak at breakfast time - it wouldn't have kept in the heat - and will have that with salad and crusty French bread and margarine when I head back to the boat shortly. So tomorrow, the Sailmaker comes and after that I shall start thinking about some Touristy things to do while waiting for the sail to get fixed. I don't plan on any other repairs in Papeete - the Prop shaft seal seems to have fixed itself and the leaks are not life threatening.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

3 Oceans at Tubuai


Tini

Jeanette ad Don

Farewell Tubuai
I dropped anchor opposite Marina Taina  right on noon. It had been a much quicker trip than I  was expecting, and it felt great to be in Tahiti. But there had been plenty to keep me occupied over the previous night. I woke near midnight and the boat seemed to be heeled over  a lot more than usual and when i checked  we were doing 7.3 knots in 28 knots. I rolled away the headsail and noticed the sky was all black except for a tiny rim of stars in the east - and slowly, as I waited to see what would happen next, more stars appeared as the cloud moved away and the wind settled - so I let the headsail out again and went back for more sleeps. As dawn broke Tahiti was  in front and to the right its massive bulk sloping up into dense cloud, and the sun rose behind .

Deep valleys carved into the interior of Tahiti
The most surprising sight though was off the opposite side of the boat, further ahead the amlazing silhouette of Moorea, another Island a days sail away from Tahiti. A more remarkable profile I cant imagine it was a profile straight out of the Hobbit.

The amazing profile of Moorea from the south

We sailed steadily, at 6 knots around and up the western side of Tahiti and eventually into its wind shadow, so I dropped all sail and motored the last 8nm in through Pass Taapuna and to an achorage near the Marina. It was really hot, but to get ashore I had to inflate the dinghy, lower the outboard back oto it, and then had in. I found the Marina Office and I can use their Laundry and showers, Ive ound ashopping centre and had some munch and after this will get a little shopping and head back to the boat. Tomorrow I will have to gt the sails off for repairs.

Monday, June 27, 2011

getting somewhere

The wind and the sea remained remarkably steady all last night and for most of today, so we made good progress towards Tahiti. There was nothing much for me to do, so I sat in the cockpit and felt miserable and wondered why. I had deliberately had a good - well filling - breakfast - that muesli which I really am sick of now - and strong coffee and then tidied up everything and brushed my teeth thinking that might make me feel better. I tried reading the Hobbit a bit more to take my mind off things - I was becoming paranoid about every splash on to the boat - and that didn't help. I tried going into the cabin and sleeping but couldn't. I thought maybe I should release the Hunter in me and kill something and that might help me feel better - so I threw the bright pink lure I had been given, over the stern and watched it whiz through the water after us but till now, nothing.. Lastly I tried to take my mind off the splashes and the leaks and the creaks and groans, and the crap food, the now inedible remnants of the baguette, my sore back - and try to think about The Big Picture. What seemed to make sense to me was firstly as my wonderful friends Hilton and Melva suggested in their email yesterday, I was missing the warmth and human contact so freely and lovingly given to me in Tubuai. That was true. But also it occurred to me that getting to Tubuai had been the Big Thing on my Agenda for about a year, and everything was focused on that -The Big Challenge had been to cross the South Pacific -- and now I had done it. So what was left to do? Everything after Tubuai was sort of anticlimactic, I didn't really have a plan or a vision of what I was really going to do, or why, after Tubuai, other than a list of names of Islands,. So that is my challenge once I get to Tahiti, to set some new goals and objectives for the next two months.

Later, midway through the afternoon while I was waiting for a kill, mother nature tried to help out by messing with the wind and the waves. Firstly, the wind dropped significantly, and I could see my anticipated arrival in daylight tomorrow becoming an annoying wait over the next night as I would not be entering any passage in any reef in the dark. My heart was set on getting there in daylight tomorrow, so good had the progress been - and so I took out the reef in the main to try and keep us moving - whereupon the wind picked up dramatically and eventually, after an hour or so of wild fluctuations in wind strength , it settled around 18 knots and Sapphire was making over 7 knots at times - and so I put the reef back in! Right now we are only 70nm from the nearest bit of Tahiti but where I am going is 83nm way. We are back on track for a daytime arrival I would say, especially if this wind continues as it is. But who knows?

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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Nothing gruesome

"Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable , palpitating , and even gruesome, may make a good tale and, and take a deal of telling anyway"
This is a quote form the book I am reading, The Hobbit - at long last - and it's appropriate for today because it has been a good day of steady sailing, steady winds ( 8 to 12 knots from the east) and sunny skies, with nothing uncomfortable , palpitating , and even gruesome, to report, except perhaps my mood, which is a bit flat and I am wondering why. The boat is dry, I have had plenty of sleep and have been eating my baguette with fresh lettuce and tomato and cheese rather than my "gunk". I hadnt realized how quickly a baguette gets stale, compared with a loaf of bread. Ive also noticed the absence of bird life at these latitudes which is a pity, as they were always mesmerizing to watch further south. Its just on 24 hours since I left Tubuai and I am 120 nm closer to Tahiti so thats been better than I had hoped. This steady wind looks as if it will continue for a while yet, so perhaps landafll will be early Tuesday rather than wednesday - it feels quite amazing to be sailing to Tahiti!

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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Back at Sea

The wind settled at around 8 to 10 knots from ESE, so by 1500hrs I was ready to go. I had been back to the Hospital and said goodbye to Maeva and Tini, I went to see Jeanette and Don to say goodbye, I bought some of Meres food for my lunch to be eaten later, , and once back on board I dried and cleaned out the dinghy then rolled it up and put it away. The French guy came across to give me back a memory stick I had given him in the morning with some photos I had taken og his boat in the sunset. I had also bought them a fresh baguette. He told me a lot about various places that would be good to visit - he's already sailed extensively in these parts - and after he left I pulled up the anchor. 45 minutes later I was back in the ocean, the motor weas off and we were sailing for Tahiti. I have to admit I had a lump in my throat and a tear or two as I turned the boat out of the channel and Tubuai was behind me. I almost wondered if I was leaving too soon, but later I felt I might have stayed too long, as sailing seemed a bit foreign to me, strange as that may sound. I will have to readjust my rhythms again, to the roll of the boat, the lifting of swells, the rising and falling of the breeze, and to wearing a tether again. I really had a wonderfully special time in Tubuai and I'm so glad I went there. At present the breeze is light - around 10 knots - and there is a low swell and we are making 4.5 to 5 knots in a vey comfortable fashion and heading straight for Tahiti, almost exactly due North, 340nm away. I am thinking I might be there by Wednesday our time - Thursday in NZ and Australia - as the winds are not expected to be strong, maybe 10 to 15 tomorrow. All will be revealed in good time. Au revoir

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Light winds again

Tuhaa pae Arriving
I am still here but  there is a little breeze springing up so maybe this will be my last >Internet Post with photos till I get to Tahiti. A yacht turned up yesterday, a ketch about "_ feet long with  a french couple and their teenage daughter aboard. Remarkably, I had seen this boat and the crew while Sapphire  was out of the water in Opua. This boat, 3 Oceans, was also out of the water and the dad was  doing extensive upgrades and upkeep  by himself. I  think their budget must have been really stretched because several times I saw them go together into the "wheelchair access" shower in the mens shower block, taking with them a load of washing, and emerging eventually all cleaned up. I think they  came to NZ from New Caledonia. They told me yesterday they left NZ on May 26th, 8 days after me, but then they also were headed by the easterlies but with no where to go, tacked north and south  getting nowhere for several days and hence their trip was 27 days.

I said goodbnye to the hospital staff yesterday, not promising to leave immediately but saying it was possible. I gave Maeva  big hug and some cash and headed for the boat but before I left the shore, two people came from the hospital to say Maeva was very upset and crying, and I gathered I ought to go back - I imagined somehow I had committed a  major social blunder. I wne back after sorting out the boat and seeing there was no wind and no chance of leaving in the next 12 hours, and went back to explain everything to Maeva. She seemed quite cheerful so I stayed at her house one more night.

This Internet connection seems to be about to give up the ghost so I cant upload any more pics, and will sign off before I lose everything. Au revoir.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Busy doing not much

Yesterday I planned to hike up Mt Taitaa in the morning and shift the boat in the afternoon, but because it was raining in the morning, I did everything in reverse order. Moving the boat was interesting because as you can see in the photo I had managed the ordinarily impossible feat of threading the point of the anchor under a  tiny wire loop set in a lump of concrete on the sea floor. It  had been a small mooring and long ropes were still attached. I thought I was hauling up a  lump of coral, and used the main winch to bring it to the surface - I dont have a  windlass, and it  was much too heavy for my arms and back. Naturally, once it came close enough to the boat, the ropes entangled themselves round the propellor shaft and I could not motor forwrds any longer - I quickly lashed the concrete to the pulpit, as we drifted towards coral outcrops, lowered the anchor so it fell out of the wire loop and then anchored the boat right there. Next I dived under the boat, freed the rope from the propellor shaft, pulled in my anchor again and motored to a  permanenet anchorage, dropping the Rocna once more and resetting it, then letting the concrete go after attching an empty container to one of its ropes so that I can let someone onshore know theres  a little mooring available if they want it.

And so after lunch I hiked up Mt Taitaa, the highest point on the island, at 1200 feet. It was a vigorous walk along an overgrown and muddy track, and clouds enveloped the summit just as I got there and remained untiol I left! Wonderful! I could have retraced my steps back to where I had left Maevas bicycle but instead continued down the opposite side, then walked back to town along the beach as the sun set.I called in to see Don and Jeanette to ask for a lift the remining 5 km back to the bike, which they were only too happy to do, and plied  me with cake on the way. I then had an exhilerating ride  on the bike in the pitch black down the deserted  concrete road back to town in the cool evening air. It was  fun but I was worn out!

The Summit of Mt Taitaa

Flag and Stick at the top

The Motus out on the reef edge

Amazing calm and beauty

Brilliant sunset colours prehaps caused by ash from Chile?
I am moving back to the boat today hoping the wind will pick up in the next 48 hours so I can leave for Tahiti.  It has been  lovley to stay on land but its time to move on.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

My host, Maeva
Mere selling food from the back of her car, outside the Hospital
I've moved again
And will have to move again when the Freighter returns
Line these up then head into the Lagoon


The leaky Stern tube thingy !


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Images

Here are some photos at last. They are best viewed full size by clicking on them. It takes for ever to upload these but I will  put up more tomorrow.

Sailing East at Sunrise
Big Sea
Sapphire is the Dot bottom left with arrow pointing between Rimatara and Rurutu. Tubuai on Right, out of reach!
Rurutu in the morning, 10th June
Just anchored in Baie d'Avera, Rurutu
Sapphire at  Anchor
Avera village
Sapphire off the reef at Avera
Cool Kids
Main Rd, Avera
Map on wall of Post Office in Moerai
Mates
Entrance to artificial harbour, Moerai
Tubuai at Dawn
Tubuai

Monday, June 20, 2011

First time in a Long Time

Going to church that is. Being Sunday I agreed to go with Maeva and another Nurse, Tini, to the Catholic Service at 0830. I was up at 0630 again and went to le Magasin for more croissants and pastry, and had coffee before Maeva was up. We went in her friends little car to the church, a couple of miles up the road, multiple greetings of course , saw many of the people from the party yesterday - and was quite - well entertained may not be exactly the right word - perhaps surprised - by the service which was in French with lots of singing which at times was very enthusiastic and melodic and of course a long sermon. I wasnt bored - in fact having not been a believer for such a long time I almost felt as if I was seeing the christian/catholic rituals and iconography for the first time. It all seemed a little strange, holding aloft that Book with reverence, the communion wafers, robes and symbols, the elegant but covertly gruesome image of the man with nails through hands and feet suspended from the cross, the Virgin...yes it was an interesting experience.

AFterwards, we three went to a small restaurant for a special lunch as it was fathers day! We had more croissants and pastries, coffee and Tahitian food - the delicious Poisson Cru, Taro, coconut dishes, banana and so on.

For the rest of the day I will rest and read the magazine I bought before leaving Australia - theres a long article in it about Julian Assange which I have been looking forward to reading. I will also visit the boat to send thse emails, see if that crossword survived the damp because I still havent done it, and sort out some photos to send tomorrow. I shall start looking at weather again soon but would like to stay here at least another two or 3 days. Au Revoir.

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

(no subject)

Sorry about the photos - its is the weekend and the Bureau de Poste will reopen on Monday - and THEN i shall post a few pics.


The woman at the hospital couldnt raise the owners of possible accommodation for me, so one of the nurse, Maeva invited me to stay at her place. She is a Tahitian woman who has a grown up daughter, but she now lives alone in a small 3 room house ina sort of compound with 8 or 9 other similar ones, just behind the main store and 2 minutes walk from the hospital. She told me her lifge is now devoted to Jesus. I accepted of course, so after lunch, I collected my now washed laundry and we went to her place to hang it out on the line bhind her house. After that I went with her in a friends car to the airport but the person she was expecting didnt turn up so she drove me round the entire island. This took about 20 minutes. Back at her place I passed the rest of the day reading and chatting and went to bed early. I had a reasonable sleep but kept listening to the wind and worrying about the boat, so at first light I crept out of the house and hurried back up the road to check she as all OK. And she was. So I bought a croissant and a pastry at the Store, and then called in to see another hospital worker, Jeanette and her husband Don, who called to me as I walked by. Don is an American who sailed here 35 odd years ago, on his way to NZ but instead met and married Jeanette, a local lass, when she was 19. Hes been here ever since. Hes made a living from fishing and more recently from a Photography business, producing and selling postcards and the like. He has kept a book in which visiting yachties write and record their details and impressions, and it made fascinating reading. The fastest Bay of Islands to Tubuai recorded in Dons book - and there were many - was 8 days by Steve and Linda Dashew who wrote in Dons book and left a picture of their amazing yacht. The Dashews are well known American sailors and writers - Steve designs and sells these monstrous steel yachts that look more like military Patrol Boats with masts, and the sail fast! I didn't spy any Solo sailors but many journeys took 18 to 22 days, one was 24 days and all the boats were longer than Sapphire except one 30 foot boat sailed here in the early 90"s. I will make my entry into his book tomorrow probably. This afternoon I went to a Birthday Party - Maevas neighbor turned 70 - she is a lovely french woman formerly from Algeria but has lived here for many years, and is obviously hugely popular on the island as there were dozens and dozens of guests, a Marquee and live Band, tons of food, champagne, dignitaries and kids, lots of dancing and laughter - wonderful! Every woman greeted me with the two cheek thing, and every man shook my hand. One french couple had identical shirts covered in Australian Aboriginal animal designs, and the man was wearing an Akubra so I chatted - with difficulty - with them for a while. They are Rugby fans as well, and are coming to NZ in September for the Rugby World Cup. Go the All Blacks!

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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Clean Up

I am starting to love this place! I had  a good sleep last night, depite the damp, but woke at 4am when the interisland  transport ship arrived  at the  wharf beside me. I  watched for a while then went back to sleep. This morning I came back to the Police to complete entry formalities at 9am as requested - yesterday they wanted a document I had not brought ashore, but it  was all OK this morning so I am now legally in French Polynesia. I also brought all my dirty laundry and clean clothes because I hqd decided I would like to spend a night or two ashore and  was hoping I could find some accomodation  - this possibility hazd been mentioned yesterday by one of the nurses, so I went to the hospital to   ask her for more details. Once there, everyone greeted  me with a kiss on each cheek, and one took hold of my laundry and indicated she would do it for me! And then another offered me the use of a shower, a hot shower, in the hospital and next I knew I was having  my first proper clean up in over a month. That shower had to be the Best Shower Ever - it was such therapy, I could have stayed there all day.

Subsequently, all clean and deodorised, in clean dry clothes, I wandered past the school where pupils were outside enthusiastically practicing a sort of Haka, some sort of traditional dance, and thence to the Bureau de Poste to send my Arrival Documentation to Papeete. And here in a corner, I spied an Internet Kiosk- from  where I am writing this Blog Post. I have yet to find out about accomodation but  will return to the Hospital for my promised Tour later, and get  my Laundry. I will also return to Sapphire to check her out, visit le magasin for supplies, and go for a wander. I might get a haircut sometime as well.Things are looking up. Tomorrow I will come back to the Internet and load some Photos for you. Au Revoir for now.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Tubuai : Finally!

Well here we are at last : Tubuai, safe and sound! What a grueling marathon that turned out to be - getting here from NZ I mean, not from Rurutu - that went pretty smoothly, the decks remained dry the whole time and we dropped anchor at about 9.30 am local time. The sunset last night, and sunrise this morning were spectacular. Coming in through the passage in the reef was heart in mouth stuff for me - they say you're supposed to have someone at the bow looking for coral, and be doing it with the sun behind you and Polaroid glasses…the Cruising Guide talked about "threading" your way through the coral outcrops to find an anchorage …I made a "mud map" yesterday to help me, and that was it! There were of course markers and buoys to guide you and I stuck to the middle of the route, went really slowly - like 2 knots- and there were no problems. (A mud map is a map you hand draw with the basics features on it to remind you what to look out for and where) I've shifted anchorage twice - the first because I wasn't sure we were holding and the second time to a more sheltered spot in the lee of the concrete wharf structure - Sapphire was rolling like crazy at the other spot, it was almost impossible to do anything on board, and after I'd been for a walk and sussed out the other side of this wharf decided to move there and its heaps better.

Yes I went ashore almost dead on my feet, to look for Customs. By the time I got to the Police Station it was closed for lunch so I wandered half dead along the road and saw a lady selling food from the back of her little car. Whatever it was I was having some - It was Poisson Cru again (raw fish) and baguette and a can of juice for 1000XPF. Other women there asked me to come into the shade of their building to sit and eat, which I did, and then realized I was sitting in the courtyard of their very tiny Hospital, and the women buying food were three nurses.. They said there is no Doctor on the island and I said yes there is! So then they became even more helpful and one , seeing how tired I was asked if I would like to rest in the clinic room while waiting for the Police, so I laid on their bed and went to sleep! I woke after 20 minutes and left to see the Police, but not before agreeing to come back tomorrow so they could show me round the Hospital!

Tubuai is a very small and obviously very friendly place. Its striking to look at from the sea, as there are two mountain peaks with a wide smooth valley drooping down from one to the other. The southern peaks are like the comb of a rooster, 3 massive vertical rocky crags thrusting up from the steep flanks of the mountain. The northern mountain is equally high but less spectacular. Surrounding the two mountains is a flat rim of land, where all the settlements are, then a sandy palm fringed beach with traditional canoes scattered along, the lagoon - bright blue - and then well out a white rim of crashing surf at the edge of the reef. It is not a tourist destination as far as I can tell - there are no facilities for visitors, there are no other yachts here, it is very quiet.

My plan is to stay a few days here and get some rest. This morning, walking along that road I felt utterly exhausted, physically and emotionally, and I felt the full weight of the challenge of being a solo sailor. What I am missing the most at present is company, the language difficulties mean I can hardly have anything but the most superficial of chats to all the friendly people I meet, and that doesn't really satisfy. I am also missing a really dry bed and pillow.

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Moon was Full and Nothing Happened

We are about 45 nm from Tubuai and the sun will set in 90 minutes, so it looks like I wont see the Island tonight, from a distance, but will have to wait till first light. By then we will be close and probably just taking it easy waiting for good light so we can get into the lagoon and drop anchor. Today has been a steady one with a lightish wind behind us - about 10 to 12 knots - and we have been doing easily what was literally impossible a week ago - heading east to Tubuai, presently at about 4.5 knots. Theres also been lots of sun - I think Ive had too much because I have a headache - and god alone knows how many bananas Ive eaten. So this will be a short Post as all is well and I'm going to have an early dinner and catch up on sleep I lost last night when the winds were very light and fluky and the boat was refusing to go anywhere in particular for a long time - it was a very light night, the moon is full again, but a light haze obscured most of the stars. Au Revoir

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Last day in Rurutu - I think

Today it was cloudy most of the time. I had scrambled eggs and coffee for breakfast and did a few chores then took the dinghy into the beach. Larger swells have started arriving so I was a little worried about how my tiny RIB would handle them at the narrowest part of the gap in the reef - the gap between the braking waves on one side and the reef on the other was only about 15 metres and the water in between a bit rough - but I managed to get there between a set of waves and it was straightforward. Onshore I repaid the man in Le Magasin and then set off for Moerai again. It took an hour and was I steaming hot by the time I got down the other side. The sea looked less wild than it did the other time I went across, I found the Fuses I needed and posted a few cards at the Bureau dePoste, had lunch of some deep fried seafood bits and rice in a chinese restaurant - well there were a couple of chinese lanterns decorating the interior which was very spare - then walked back again, this time getting a lift from near the top back to Avera. I said Bonjour to Natalie, the woman running the little snack bar near the wharf and had some Coke, and we "chatted" about I dont know what for a while and then I returned to Sapphire. Natalie waved me off and gave me a hand of bananas and two Pomplemoose I think they are - like large grapefruit - thats what they look like - I havent tried one yet but the bananas are small and delicious. The wind was light but just after getting aboard a breeze arrived from the north, just a light one and it settled after a while but I thought to myself - Ah here it is at last, the predicted northerly. I then decided that I didnt want to stay where I was close to the reef with bigger swells arriving and a northerly wind perhaps picking up during the night, so I retrieved and stowed the Dinghy, and pulled up the anchor. I had been dreading getting the anchor up, having seen how it was well hooked over substantial rock, and indeed it was a little tricky - but having seen where it was lying with my own eyes the other day I had already worked out a strategy - basically motoring forward and to the starboard side - and after a couple of hefty clunks and jerks we were free. I was greatly relieved - and noticed the shaft of the anchor was bent slightly to that side when I pulled it on board!. I think that further out this breeze may be a bit stronger - its only 4 knots here in the bay and we are drifting slowly seaward as I write this. So soon I shall probably hoist sail and start heading to Tubuai. I really wanted to go in the morning, but I was feeling uncomfortable with the changing seas and wind. I'd be happy to drift all night if the wind doesnt pick up. WE shall see what happens...Au Revoir

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

My Swim

Today was the nicest day we've had here so far, with quite a lot of sun in the morning and light winds - around 5-8 knots but still from the east. I took everything out into the sun, all the sheets and all the cushions and covers . I also opened all the storage compartments and let the breeze blow through all day, trying to get the boat aired and less musty inside. I also went for a brief swim, with flippers and goggles to inspect the hull and the anchor. The water was warm enough, and of course very clear so it was easy to see the bottom and note what a good grip the anchor had over a lump of coral. I was surprised to find several barnacles attached to the hull - and removed them.

After lunch I went ashore hoping to find the little store open but though its Monday, it appeared to be some sort of holiday as the kids weren't at school and the grown ups weren't at work. I watched young men in their outrigger canoes, modern lightweight fiberglass ones that were very fast - I think they might be training for races sometime soon. There were also a number of younger boys, around 10 or 12 years I would guess who had small roosters on a leash and they were getting them to fight.

The reason I was hoping the store would be open was to repay the guy who changed my money last Saturday, but also to see if he sold fuses. During the evening before, just after I sent the last Blog post, I realized that my Xantrex battery monitor was doing weird stuff, and then I realized that the Air Breeze wind generator was malfunctioning. It looked as if we were on the verge of an electrical breakdown - and me on the edge of a nervous one again! My initial reaction was of despair, knowing that I am ignorant of things electrical, and I decided I would have to conserve what Battery was left, maybe recharge with the motor, and add that to the list of things to fix in Papeete. I just felt so depressed and burdened with it all and sat there in the dark trying to talk myself into believing it wasn't all that important a problem - but it felt big to me. I finally decided to at least just look at the wiring, about which I knew almost nothing, and I started at the Batteries. I found a loose connection and hopefully tightened it up but nothing changed. I found some moist wiring at the back of the Switch Panel and dried that off and gave it a squirt of CRC - nothing changed. I dried wires everywhere and still nothing changed. But then I found a small box, about twice the size of a matchbox half hidden under the quarter birth, not fixed to a panel but dangling from a whole lot of wires that went into and out of it.. I didn't know what it was but when I pulled its little plastic cover off, I noticed fuses, and they were all immersed in a thick gloop of seawater and fibres and silty muck. And the fuses were labeled Amp Meter, Solar, Wind…and the Wind fuse was corroded and collapsed. After cleaning all the muck out I shifted the good solar fuse into the Wind Fuse spot - and Hey, the Wind Generator was working again. And when I put it in the Amp Meter spot - the Xantrex worked perfectly too!: Problems solved : that made me feel good! All I need to do is get a few fuses, and if not in Avera there will surely be some in Moerai, so I may be revisiting Moerai tomorrow. The GRIBS look OK for departure for Tubuai on Wednesday - which is Thursday in NZ and Australia -or possibly the day after. It will be nice to be in a lagoon and not anchored in the ocean so I shall be pleased to get moving again. I remain an illegal immigrant.

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Monday, June 13, 2011

The Other side

A quiet night , but showers prevented me from going ashore as early as intended and when I finally got there it was about 11am and no sign of the guys from yesterday. In fact Avera seemed closed, it was so quiet, there was nobody on the streets and no sounds of church music or any sort of human activity, truly a day of rest. So I walked over to the other side of the island, to the main centre, Moerai., about 4 or 5 km away. The road was concrete with striations marked across to give traction to vehicles as it was very steep, up to the backbone of the island and down the other side, and went through tropical forest that was very quiet and beautifully lush but hardly any bird noises. It was sweaty work. The wind was strong on that side of the island and the sea on the western side, at Moerai was really rough. The tiny harbor, a space blasted out of the reef about the size of two footy fields with a narrow entrance between thick concrete barricades, was in turmoil as waves broke right across the entrance to it. There were no vessels in there and it would have been a nightmare even being in there, let alone trying to get in. The town was quite a lot larger than Avera, but not dissimilar.

I chanced across the Bank, and to my amazement there was an ATM, and even more amazing, it gave me money! And next I came across a tiny very simple restaurant, a sort of covered in verandah on a house close to the street facing the sea, and had a meal of raw fish with salad and rice - I think that was all that was on offer but it was the hugest meal Ive eaten in weeks. There were 3 other diners, and I took my time. It all cost 2300 XPF (special Pacific French Francs - about $25)

I then set off for Avera but was offered a lift by a man his wife and 3 kids in 4WD heading that way. They were Mormons. I got back to the boat at 4 and all was well.

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

On Dry Land

This morning, I finally stepped onto dry land, and the first people I spoke to were the kids lining the narrow concrete wharf, watching me cautiously approach in my Quicksilver RIB and tiny Mercury outboard. They called out in French of course and all I could say in reply was "Bonjour, Bonjour"

The day wasn't as sunny as the evening sky had suggested it might be, and there were one or two light showers but there was still lots of sun and the gusts were less than 10 knots. After breakfast and a tidy up of boat and passenger, it took 45 minutes to haul the Roll-Up out of the forward hatch, unroll and inflate and launch it, and attach the outboard. I took my passport and Certificate of Clearance from NZ, as well as some snacks and some money, my camera and French Phrase book and set off. The entrance through the reef is shallow and narrow with small waves breaking either side, but having watched several locals paddle their outrigger canoes in, it was apparent that the best approach was quite close to the reef on the northern side of the pass, and that is what I did. There were no problems and I steered to a launching ramp, cut the motor and stepped out into the shallows. The kids crowded round chattering but I couldn't converse with them, just took my stuff up onto the grass, then the outboard and then the dinghy, carrying it up on my back.

There were actually dozens and dozens of people watching me! They had arrived and set up a big tent by the wharf earlier in the morning, were broadcasting recorded music through powerful speakers, and had beach volleyball nets set up. Under the tent women sat weaving hats and making other handicraft, and families sat along the water front under trees with kids playing in the sand nearby. I gathered it was some sort of Fete. They had a surprising number of huge octopus just caught from the reef, and were tenderizing them by smashing them on rocks by the wharf.

I didn't find the Police or Customs so have spent a day as an illegal immigrant in French Polynesia. Many people in their attempts at conversing with me, guessed I was from "le bateau" (the boat) but no one seemed that interested in legalities of Entry so I stopped asking for "le gendarme" and eventually wandered off to explore the town. It was far bigger than the impression I had from the boat. There were several clean concrete streets parallel to the shoreline and some cross streets, so perhaps 60 or more houses. They were all pretty neat and tidy, small, tin roofs, low walls with sliding gates, and most with fruit and coconut trees all round. Some were obviously abandoned, a few had neatly tended graves in the lawn and there were a few tiny cars, small 4WD 's and motor scooters. It was all very quiet. Dogs wandered about, as did lots of chooks and there were numerous pigs, each tied by a short leash to a nearby tree. I found a tiny store that was crammed with wares, selling everything from beer to tinned food and T shirts but there were no fresh vegetables or fruit - I would imagine everyone grows there own, such is the lushness of the place - but there was some bread! At first the shopkeeper was reluctant to accept foreign money, but a woman came in who spoke better English than he did and eventually he took my ten Aussie dollars and gave me the bread and some change. A second lady came, there was another discussion about me, and he then gave me more change - 500 Francs. I think he was over generous actually, because I have since checked the rate and its about 85 to the dollar, so tomorrow if I go back I'll return some of it. Everyone was very friendly but not over inquisitive.

Later, after wandering through their very tidy Cemetery, high on the hillside, I sat and chatted with 4 guys who offered me beer and marijuana, as they sat drinking and smoking outside what looked like a closed warehouse building. They said it was "le magasin" - the Shop- and would open later .I declined their offers but we had a nice interaction, and I think arranged to meet again tomorrow. One of them wants to give me some bananas and some coconuts - well that's what I got out of the conversation, shall see what actually happens tomorrow!

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Saturday, June 11, 2011

Transit Lounge

I feel like I'm stuck in a Transit Lounge. You know, its amazing to be in another country and you can see it beckoning to you from outside the windows, but you are stuck there waiting for hours on end, restless and itching to get going. You are sick of the food, you've read the magazines, you'd just love to get out there, stretch your legs, meet some "Foreigners" taste some exotic food…anything …The problem here in Rurutu is the dreadful weather - heavy rain all day and the squally winds spiraling down mean theres no chance of going ashore yet.. At times I couldn't see land, so heavy was the rain, and a wide brown stain has fanned out from where the little creek runs into the middle of the bay, as the flood of rain washes lots of debris and numerous branches and a couple of small logs out to sea. Forecast for tomorrow is easing wind and the end of the rain which started last night. I had managed by then to get most of the essential things pretty close to dry as the wind is warm even though we didn't see much sun yesterday. Today there has been none so I have been confined to my room like a naughty boy. Ive done my "Rounds" and fitted some reinforced plastic hose over the snubber rope as chafe protection., cleaned and rearranged everything in the Galley ( Kitchen) and I found something! (It was the old jar but only ¼ used!)

Ive also written a few emails, watched a few slide shows of My Photos - eg of my travels last year - practiced my 4 Ukelele chords , and listened to the local Radio station. I heard the first News Report for nearly a month but unfortunately being in French I didn't understand a word of it, except that at one point they mentioned Nicholas Sarkozy! I also recognized the word "Nadal" and guessed they would be mentioning it because some French tennis player beat him - but that seems unlikely on the basis of his form a month ago when I last new anything current! Strange to have no idea about what's happening in the world. Same with the announcements and talk, French or the local Polynesian language which sounds so like NZ Maori - but there's lots of nice Polynesian style music - yes Ukelele features lots, and occasional songs in English - Ive heard BeeGees, Tom Jones, an early Police number, some Reggae and a groovy Rap number, Cher plus quite a lot of that sort of music that comes on after a plane touches down - just to stick with that Airport metaphor - sort of light instrumental tedium ( that would be the French stuff ) The other thing that's quite fun is whenever I see something moving on shore I take a photo on maximum zoom then zoom in on the image on the LCD screen on the camera and its amazing what detail you can see - a vague figure on the beach turned out to be a fat Rurutuan man with no shirt on, carrying a bucket. And wearing a watch ( and no I couldn't read the time - its NASA that can do that from their Spy Satellites), Later when I snapped him again, he had his shirt and a yellow cap on.. Hey ! They'll be watching me too for sure, and talking about me in the Store, wondering who this visitor is camped on their boundary fence.

And hey again, good news - as I have been writing this the sun shone briefly through a gap in the clouds close to the western horizon - sunsets in about an hour - and then looking up I saw clear sky, and a half moon! Theres still low heavy cloud clinging to the island but perhaps we are seeing the end of this ghastly long miserable easterly onslaught and return of some decent weather. So far its been most untropical. Things always get better I've been told. Au Revoir!

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Friday, June 10, 2011

The Post I Always wanted to write

Well I'm here! In Baie d"Avera on the western side of a French Polynesian island most if not all of us had never heard of till quite recently : Rurutu.. Last night, as mentioned in the last blog I motorsailed in till I was 3 miles off then dropped all sail - well I had the doubly reefed main up all day - and let the boat drift - I tried heaving-to and this produced a nice calm environment in the boat but we were edging forwards at about a knot and I figured by morning we would be half way back to where we started from - didn't want that - so we drifted. The lights of the tiny village of Avera seemed tantalizingly close, and I saw headlights sweep across the bay, and wondered if anyone had seen mine - but I had to bide my time, one more night in my soggy little cabin. I couldnt sleep, the pillow was moist, the sheet was damp, there was land nearby - the night dragged on. The one nice thing was to have the cabin quiet and all cosy and warm having had the motor running all day. As soon as there was light, after a cup of instant chicken noodle soup - I motored for the Bay, again managing 2 knots, but this increased as we got closer in.. We were 6 miles out by then and still partly in the lee of the Island but even so it was the usual 26 knots and rising seas. 24 days out there had been enough - there was no way I wanted to go back out into it - I felt dread at the prospect the anchorages may be unsuited and I would have no choice

As we drew closer I was excited by the sight of what I thought were masts of two other yachts but it turned out they were tall pale trunks of skinny trees at a clearing behind the village. I saw a fisherman in a little speedboat moving along the edge of the reef, and closer in still a man fishing from a more traditional outrigger craft. The sea grew quieter and quieter and the wind reduced to 18 then 15 knots, and suddenly the depth sounder started working - it could reach the sea floor for the first time in weeks. I went forward and prepared the anchor, then slowly approached the reef in front of the town till I was in 4 meters - I then went out and round a bit looking at the bottom and the line of the reef and eventually, 156 meters from the reef according to the GPS , finally and at long bloody last, dropped the anchor. It struck immediately, and I lowered the Anchor Buddy down the anchor chain and sat at the bow waiting and watching but mostly just feeling incredible and utter and completely wonderful relief!

There was a very tiny swell and a warm gusty breeze coming over the saddle behind the village in front of me. Sapphire was quiet and calm at last. The sky was still overcast but lightly and the sun has since made several bright appearances, illuminating and giving rich colour to the steep bush and palm covered hills round the bay. The village itself is barely visible but is tiny - a handful of buildings, most only partly visible through trees - the largest with a red roof a Temple according to Charlies Charts - a couple of 4WD vehicles moving past, a man with a bucket picking his way along the reef, wisps of smoke rising from homes hidden by palms - I remembered, seeing it that I had smelled this smoke yesterday miles out at sea - faint hints suddenly in the lulls. But it was all quiet, I heard no sound other than waves on the reef .

So I just sat there and looked at everything on shore, every little beautiful wonderful thing.

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Not yet but soon,,

A quick update with wet everything. Am now hove to 8nm from Rurutu. Th3e sun has just set - apparently - none seen all day. Have motorsailed with Hand steering the last 12 hours - it was impossible to sail here such was the strength of wind - mostly 26 -28 knots and gusts to 32 plus seep seas coming straight at us, Only option: Motor. And this produced a forward velocity of 2 knots. Hence its taken 12 hours to get 24 miles closer but obviously its now dark and I cannot go in to anchor in the dark - hence holding position over night - will move closer to calmer water after this - and anchorage at last, first light tomorrow. Its been wonderful to see land again, a vague distant blur slowly emerged into long grey silhouette - no detail in this weather.

Hope to catch up on emails tomorrow too - thanks all.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Free Boat

I'm not really feeling like writing today. I'd prefer to curl up in a corner and have a big sleep, then wake up and its all over. Nothing much has changed with the boat today, or the sea state - the usual waves crashing now and again and soaking the cockpit, the usual leaks - well except that I traced the source of one leak to the transducer for the depth gauge. This is a thru-hull fitting reinstalled in Sydney in the centerline of the boat forward of the mast - in the floor of the V-Berth. A steady leak, almost just an ooze of water only, but seeing it left me shaking. Literally. The other event that left me shaking was to see another tear in the main sail, another of those slider attachments has torn through the front edge of the sail, After taking in these two further problems I concluded I must have been pushing the boat too hard and decided to have a slow and quiet day today, so reduced sail and have been trying to keep moving forward at not much more than three knots. This is in 25 knots of wind often, and with a rough 1-2metre swell. Consequently there has been less need to do mopping up - small mercies!

Another reason to go slowly is that I wish to arrive at Rurutu in the morning not in the middle of the night which may have happened if we had been making our usual 5 or so knots.

The plan remains as described yesterday, to check this anchorage out and hopefully rest up there for a while. If it is unsuitable I am at a loss to think how I am going to cope with the stress of sailing any further. I think I am discovering the limits of what I am capable of putting myself through. The weather reports continue to be unfavorable, and I am struggling to maintain faith in the integrity of the boat - Sapphire is 30 years old and clearly not all is right within.

I swear, if I can find a man in Rurutu who would like this boat, I will give it to him, and catch the next plane home.

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Daily Rounds

My days have become a succession of "Rounds". "Time to do my rounds" I say to myself and getting the bucket and mop, soak up from the bilges the accumulated seawater that's made its way in via numerous small leaks along the port side. I do this about every 4 hours and get a bucket full each time - not much but without removing, it would soon enough spill out onto the cabin floor and make conditions even more grotty. The leak into the storage locker high up on the port side is more abundant, and I mop up a saucepan full every hour - left to collect it would soon spill onto the cushions of the settee which are already damp but can still be sat upon.. So when I get up in the morning I mop it out, have my breakfast and mop it out, then I make my coffee and mop it out, I check the sea state and the speed of the boat and conditions "out there" generally - and then I mop it out…and so it goes….

Conditions continue to be rough and heavy going, wind usually 22 to 24 knots and rough sea though swells are not more than 2m. WE are hammering our way along with water all over the boat, the cockpit often awash, and the odd crash as we run off a steep wave or another one belts us in the side - but I am starting to see this all as par for the course, unpleasant, bruising, jarring and tiring but what one must expect sailing the wide ocean, It would be wonderful to only ever have smooth seas and fair winds, but that doesn't happen even for the most cautious day sailor. Par for the course out here but that doesn't mean you have to love it..

At this moment Tubuai is 206nm away, almost exactly due east of me but as I explained yesterday I cannot just sail straight at it, because that's roughly where the wind is from. In fact to get there in this wind I will need to sail about 450 more miles, a giant upside down V shape. However, almost directly north of me, less than 70 miles away is an Island called Rimatara, one of the other of the Austral Isles, of which Tubuai is also one. Sadly, there are no ports or anchorages there, though it is inhabited. The better news however is that another of the Austral Isles, called Rurutu, is 140miles dead in front of me, and there is a sheltered safe ocean anchorage on the western side, according to "Charlies Charts of Polynesia" which is a cruising guide to Polynesia. Rurutu is a mere 115 miles from Tubuai. This raises the possibility of Rurutu becoming my first port of call in French Polynesia, perhaps on Thursday, a safe sheltered anchorage where if conditions are as implied in the guide, I could stay at anchor till the weather is right for a nice sail across to Tubuai, maybe next week sometime. I could get cleaned up, the boat dried out and tidied, have plenty of rest and get my head together again, and arrive finally at my intended destination in Pristine Condition....! Now that would be nice.

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Monday, June 6, 2011

THe Long Way Round

Well I cant sail direct to the island as I am too far north to get the angle I need. Instead I am going to have to sail the two sides of ther triangle between here, Tubuai and some point northwest of Tubuai, so I have a greater distance to go and will need a couple of extra days, What a bloody pain. These strong winds are continuing and wont go away for a few days yet so we just slog it out trying to go as east as possible, as close to the wind as possible and keep a reasonable speed on but not hammer the boat and myself too much. Because there's so much water over the boat the drips are continually needing attention and I cant sit outside as even there its wet. Meanwhile we sit in the cabin and well yes I guess it must be cabin fever, staring at the second hand on the clock that seems to have forgotten how to move.

I went to the bow of the boat this morning - to relieve the boredom of course - in 22 knots and rough seas - to tie down the storm jib which had somehow escaped from its bag and was flapping about like a demented emu. I decided to leave the "Foulies" in the cabin as I knew I was going to be utterly soaked by wave after wave leaping down at me off the bow - and sure enough I seemed to be underwater lots of the time, grimly hanging on with bare feet hands and teeth and the tethers, it was like being at one end of a huge and violent see-saw that for whatever reason someone built under a waterfall.. The water was surprisingly warm but the strong wind made me cold, so, job done I retreated to the cockpit and took everything off and left it out there. It was lovely to hold the warm kettle against my stomach and chest like a "hottie", rub myself down and get in to warm dry clothes, my first clean up since leaving NZ.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

About Yesterday

This morning things were more settled but we were further north than I was happy with. I wanted to be further east in case the wind went east a it is want to do in these parts, because then I would have a reasonable angle to sail direct if an easterly did turn up. Being too far north would mean tacking into the easterly to get to Tubuai, which would take longer as well as most likely be less than pleasant sailing. As it is with a SAE wind we are having to sail close to the wind to keep on track. I decided to push hard today accepting there would be more mopping up of leaks to do, and there has!

Yesterday was an experience I cant forget. It was beyond anything I had experienced before and I was at the edge of my ability to cope with it - the waves seemed huge though by no means were they mountainous - maybe 20 feet high on occasion and often remarkably steep with foam at their crests, There was foam everywhere, even the tiniest ripples in the wake were having their r tops stripped off by the wind, and there was so much noise - from waves , wind, rigging and sails. I was immobilized by the sight of the sea in this state, no longer an ocean but a landscape of steep valleys, hollows and hillocks all seething and leaping and crashing about the boat. Remarkably, as I sat there doing nothing, the boat rode its way across the valleys and troughs, rising falling and bucking about but never once doing anything other than maintaining a resolute path across streaky cacophonous seascape. I had decided if things got worse I would heave to, and rest but managing to raise the storm jib and tack across the wind in those seas seemed like an impossible task - my theory and academic knowledge seemed pointless. Thankfully my theory was not put to the test as finally , after watching every wave and every movement of the wind gauge for hours it seemed looking for a sign of abatement, it finally happened after a couple of false dawns. I was finally able to go below to rest having hardly eaten a thing all day - but such was he state of my nerves by then sleep seemed impossible..

To so many kind people who have emailed in the last couple of days, I apologize but right now individual replies will have to wait till things settle down a bit. Please do keep writing if you have time..

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Still going

I'm OK. There was an easing off overnight, not huge but sufficient to be reassuring, but I slept badly. Today the sea is still big and the winds around 22 knots mostly, from S and SE. I am trying to progress NE rather than go with the swells so it's a very rolly and bumpy ride, every little movement requires enormous effort - and care with timing.. Waves douse the cockpit regularly and gust continue to 26 knots. There is a little sun. I had to retighten the Hydrovane bolts this morning. I am 445 nm from Tubuai - hopefully landfall Friday 10th. Cant come soon enough - its such hard work!

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Saturday, June 4, 2011

Worst ever

Horrendous seas and winds to 35 knots since early this morning., mostly round 26 -28 knots, swells huge… No sign of let up yet - I wish it would come soon as I am terrified, really scared. Boat dry and everything working. Running downwind with sea and swell., main has 3rd reef in. . Supposd to reduce to 20 knots by tonight. Please please...

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Friday, June 3, 2011

Listen Up

Last night we sailed with just the main up, and it had two reefs in it. The wind was from the starboard quarter and the swells were from the south making the boat roll quite dramatically at times, with things clanking back and forth in lockers and in the sink. I altered our course slightly more to the north and the rolling settled, and so did I.

This morning as always I get up as soon as there's any light - at about 5am NZ time - and have a cup of tea and a bikkie. I was prepared to put up with rolling again so altered our course back to where I preferred it - heading east - and as I waited I realized the wind was slowly settling from gusts of 22 and 23 knots to gusts of 18 and less so I unrolled the headsail in dribs and drabs till eventually, after a couple of hours it was all out and we were making 6.5 knots and the rolling was minimal. And so it has continued all day, though as the wind dropped further I took one of the reefs out of the main.

Its been an especially good day really as the sun came right out and has been warming and drying and recharging everything on the boat, and I was able to take off my santa suit and relax in shorts and tea shirt - and the "never leave home without it " tether and harness.

Now I do need to remind people that I am not there yet. Many seem to think that now I've gone past half way, its just a matter of waiting for Sapphire to pull up at the Taxi stand in Tubuai! Well I still have over 600 miles of open ocean to get across, there are still some interesting weather predictions to deal with, and the work of keeping everything in order is undiminished as far as I am concerned. My experience of ocean sailing to date is that there is precious little opportunity for deep personal introspection and philosophical musing about ones identity and destiny - for me so far at least its been about sleeping feeding and worrying about whats happened or happening or about to happen! I do of course spend some hours every day wedged into a corner somewhere reading or just staring out into the ocean, and then I do turn over some of those more esoteric matters but I haven't found that being 1000 miles from the nearest bit of civilization and another human face seems to provide any special insight into my own predicament. Well not yet anyway. Shall keep you posted.

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

The 16th Day

I'm not sure what's the matter with me today but I've felt tense and nervous the whole time. I think it's because of the angles we're trying to sail, with the wind still from nearly behind us and Sapphire wanting to go this way and that rather than settle on a nice steady line. It hasn't been helped by the wind fluctuating from 8 to 14 or 15 knots throughout, 8 being just enough to get us moving and 15 more than enough - this means its hard to know exactly how to set the sails, and where to ask the Hydrovane to steer to. This was the same situation last night as I recall and I ended up with two reefs in the main and a small headsail but still we wandered, though not to the point of accidental jybes, more the other way so the headsail would flap and tug at the sheets angrily. So I didn't sleep all that well either, and that never improves things. Nevertheless we are sailing well and this morning our 24 hour run was 108nm, the best we have recorded for a while.

While reefing the main last night I noticed a small tear , near the mast at one of the slider fittings that holds the sail onto the mast track. That bit of sail was gathered by the reef so didn't need attention immediately, but this morning I found my sail repair kit which included a leather sewing "palm", needles and waxed thread and fixed it. I was secured to the mast by two tethers and it took most of an hour. The slider is not well attached even now but my main concern was to prevent the tear extending. It was only about 2 inches long. Apart from that all is well with dry bilges and lockers. However there has been only a little direct sunshine today, and the southerly wind is not warm so I am wearing my overtrousers again. (spell checker wants to put overt rousers !)

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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

That was Better

Well the rain has finally stopped, the wind has gone round to the south and picked up to a steady 10 to 15 knots - that happened around midnight last night - and I have even seen the sun today but not much of it. And like a good housewife I have scurried round mopping up and cleaning and putting damp bedding out into the breeze - where the only wave to come on board today drenched it just after lunch when I was feeling so pleased with how dry it was all getting. With washing on a clothes line at least you get a bit of a warning of an impending shower, but not out here of an impeding splash. Also today we are seeing nice big southern ocean swells moving our way , getting in behind and giving us a little push every now and then. These pushes from the starboard quarter, along wirth the gust from the same direction would often have Sapphire trying to take a right hand turn, but I found after much fiddling that the best way to settle that issue was to reduce the headsail somewhat, but I am afraid I am going to have to put up with a bit of rolling and twisting for a while. If the wind went a bit to the east that would be perfect - I am never satisfied am I?

I decided to have my main meal at lunch time today - I had a Watties Big Eat - a tin of Rogan Josh - called "Gunk" by one of my kids who reckons I should be catching fish - and some rice of course, then an orange which was really juicy for once - and some chocolate. And yes, just after that I was outside reading my book when that damned wave came from nowhere and slopped a few gallons into the cockpit.

So its two weeks solitary confinement completed now and I guess another week and a bit to go. We only made 68nm in the direction of Tubuai in the 24hrs till this morning, because of those long spells of inactivity, and I think averages are closer to 85 than the 100 I was hoping for. Many cruisers opt to motor through lulls in wind - they leave port with jerry cans of diesel lined up along the decks - but without wanting to make a virtue of a necessity - my thinking was to avoid doing that if possible, and instead take the lulls as a chance to rest and recuperate and enjoy being out here without the worry of sailing to a deadline - to accept the rhythms of the ocean and the weather cycle. This was one of the reasons I wasn't so keen on joining a Rally, as the conditions of joining include being prepared to motor when winds are light to keep up with the group. Obviously I would change my tune if I got caught in some rotten weather that I could have avoided by getting a move on at an earlier stage of the trip - I think this is what motivates most motoring.But in this little boat its hard to escape the sound of the engine and the jouney is transformed by noise into an unpleasant endurance test. For me at least.

Sapphire I am sure has never been tested like this before, and neither have I. All the leaks seem to have been revealed now, and no undiscovered issues have surfaced yet but I daresay there's still plenty of time.

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