The following is the Sailsblog that was written from sv Julia Max during our Cruise through the South Pacific in 2009. It begins a month before leaving Mexico, and finishes in New Zealand.
19°17.00'N:104°50.00'W
2009-02-24 17:06Z
On the Hook
Bahia Tenacatita, MX
Having left Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta for a couple weeks, we are testing our systems away from the dock. With engine running, solar panels and wind generator, we have 13.6 volts in our house batteries now. This shows the new Combiner for our batteries is doing its job. I found that my wiring for the wind generator amp meter was reversed, and having switched it we can read the amps being generated. Yesterday we were sailing for four hours in 12-knot winds going 6.5 to 7 knots! The new hull paint job is smooth as silk. Now for some relaxation in Tenacatita, a paradise bay if there ever was one.
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19°11.00'N:104°40.00'W
2009-03-03 00:00Z
Farthest South on our Conditioning Trip
Barra de Navidad, MX
We went down the Mexican coastline as far south as Barra de Navidad, testing our electrical systems including engine alternator, solar panels, and wind generator.
The 'piece de la resistance' in Barra is the 'French Baker'. Croissants, Baguettes, breakfast rolls of various descriptions made us think of what French Polynesia must be like. Then back in Tenacatita we practiced 'Man-Overboard-Drills' including picking up Sue who had jumped in the water as we were sailing along. Fun and games! She was back in the boat in 5-6 minutes, and happy to be back on the boat.
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20°45.00'N:105°30.00'W
2009-03-14 00:00Z
Leaving Mexico
Punta de Mita, MX
Sue and I left Paradise Village Marina, Nuevo Vallarta at Noon, March 14th. We sailed in W 12 knot winds to Punta de Mita, an anchorage at the NW corner of Banderas Bay. Anchoring for the night, I donned snorkel gear, and cleaned the propeller and upper part of the bottom paint. Barnacles had tried to gain a foothold in various places, but the propeller was in reasonably good shape. Tomorrow morning we set sail for the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. We are expectant and confident in our preparations. Love to all!
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19°30.30'N:107°20.60'W
2009-03-16 00:00Z
After 1st Day, 110 miles
Off Cabo Corrientes, MX 75 miles
After leaving the anchorage at Punta de Mita, we motored about 3 hours to get out of the Bay and into some wind. Wind was light, 0-12 knots. Our boat speed was anywhere from 0 to 7 knots. Night wind was steady, and the boat made 4.5-5.5 knots. Beautiful moonrise at midnight! One ship passed. sv Molinga -another Puddle Jump boat- is nearby. Our steering windvane does better in moderate to heavy
wind, instead of light wind. Lots of hand steering. Considering everything we are pleased with 110 miles for the first day.
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18°32.70'N:109°08.70'W
2009-03-17 00:00Z
2nd Full Day 120 miles
200 Miles off Mexico
The surprise regarding wind is that it has been steady all night, and then when the sun comes up, it goes light and variable. Fifty Spotted Dolphins treated us to a visit around the boat. They were feeding, and schools of flying fish were bursting from the water in an effort to get away. This morning we saw several Masked Boobies investigating our wake for food that has been stirred up. This morning we ran the engine in light air, to charge the batteries, run the watermaker (6+ gallons), and recharge the batteries. We're trying to help the Puddle Jump Radio Net choose a frequency that will serve us all. One of the issues is as the fleet spreads out we can't all use the same radio frequency due to the time of day and propagation. About ten boats are communicating at 1500Z on 8.188 mgz and 4.146 mgz afterward. Love to all!
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17°48.00'N:110°06.00'W
2009-03-18 16:40Z
3rd Day 3/18 7am
17d48mN/110d06mW
Manna from heaven is walking the decks and finding a flying fish in the cockpit. We had him for breakfast! along with eggs, papaya, muffins, and coffee. Our radio net has 11 boats checking in, and sharing location and weather. Stars at night twinkle so brightly in the dark, dark night before the moon rises. Then with the moon, all things brighten up, and you can inspect the horizon for ships. We have seen two that were either fishing or Mexican navy. The wind was very light to non-existent for the last 12 hours. We are using a whisker pole to hold our genoa foresail out to catch the wind. Listened to Sirius radio this morning to catch some news.
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16°52.00'N:111°46.00'W
2009-03-19 15:00Z
5th Day Out
16d52mN/111d46mW
Wednesday, 3/18 had fair winds. With winds N 12-15 knots we were doing 5-6.5 knots boat speed. We sailed 130 miles with those winds. We're finding that 'we go where the wind blows'. Particularly using our wind vane for steering, it meanders on either side of the chosen course. But this comes with the territory. Sometimes we wish we had a rooster-tail behind us. Speaking of roosters, bird sightings include beautiful adult and juvenile Masked Boobies: white birds with distinctive black markings including a mask on the face. In addition elegant Tropic Birds have come by with their wisp of a long white tail feather. Our radio net with eleven boats has decided to stick with
8.188 mgz at 1500Z.
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16°06.00'N:113°42.00'W
2009-03-20 16:59Z
Another Day at Work
16d06mN/113d42mW
Light winds in the morning, means a slow start. Winds pick up in the afternoon, expecting 15-18 - nice sailing. Worked with the whisker pole yesterday. Currently using it for the genoa, nice to have in light air. Batteries are kept up by the solar panels, the wind generator, and the engine alternator. We've run the engine 13 hours so far in the last 6 days. The refrigerator is keeping cool. We haven't experienced the equatorial heat yet. Plenty of water. But the watermaker 'eats amps for lunch', so we have only run it once so far. The radio nets our always enjoyable, particularly seeing where all the boats are located. We have a position chart that we keep track of relative positions of 11 boats. Three boats are approaching the equator in the next two days! It will still be awhile for us.
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14°43.00'N:115°40.00'W
2009-03-21 22:14Z
In the Trades
14d43mN/115d40mW
Hi Y'all! Yes, the winds are between 15 and 20 knots, and we think they qualify as "The Trades", that is, trade winds driven by the
Pacific High Pressure off of North America during this time of year. The requisite result of winds is seas, and they are 5-6' and scuffed up with white caps. We heard another boat having a broken Monitor wind vane, and having to hand steer. We are grateful that our AutoHelm wind vane is 'on the job'. We call her Mabel because she's Able. Also we heard the first two boats that left Puerto Vallarta have crossed the Equator already. They did leave ahead of us, but it will be at least another week before we get close. But we are on our 7th Day, and a quarter of the way to the Marquesas. Sue has done a wonderful job provisioning, and still has fresh fruits and produce that we are enjoying. Banana muffins yesterday were a great hit! We are sailing wing-on-wing, the first time we have done this for an extended time, using a double reefed Mainsail, and a single reefed genoa Headsail.
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13°51.00'N:116°52.00'W
2009-03-22 19:19Z
8th Day - Confused Seas, Ugh!
13d51mN/116d52mW
We were happy to see the sun this morning. Neither of us could sleep very much last night due to the extreme rocking of the boat from side to side with the sea state. George's attempt to make scrambled eggs for breakfast was valiant, especially since the whipped eggs landed first all over the counter and later on the floor while attempting to pour them into the frying pan. Fortunately we have plenty of eggs to make up for accidents. Changing heading from west to south smoothed our way. It's noon as I write this and the winds are beginning to abate from 20-24 knots all night long to 18-20 knots. A Boobie landed or rather, fell into our cockpit after breakfast and stayed long enough for another photo session but left his mark before leaving. Saltwater cleans it up nicely.
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11°55.00'N:117°53.00'W
2009-03-23 20:13Z
Day 9
11d55mN/117d53mW
The sea state is still NE 8-10' with occasional waves to 15'. 'Julia Max' gets pushed around so that the ride is raucous. The disappointing aspect is how difficult it is to do the easiest of tasks, like pouring a glass of C-Lite drink, or mixing eggs for breakfast. Talk about food on the ceiling! But we're moving along: 146 miles yesterday that means an average of 6 knots per hour. The wind is fine, if only the waves would be more cooperative. This morning the deck had 1 5"-squid, 1 8"-flying fish, and 4 minnow flying fish. On days like this it's helpful to focus on 'the goal': being in the South Pacific islands, enjoying them, enjoying new cruising friends, shopping, and relaxing.
Oh, we opened an aft cabin portal for more fresh air circulation, and SPLASH, a wave came and half of the aft bed...was soaked! Oh well, experience is the better part of valor... or something like that.
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10°15.00'N:118°23.00'W
2009-03-24 21:05Z
Day 10 - Fish Breakfast
10d15mN/118d23mW
Manna from heaven: five flying fish landed on the boat, and two squid (which we threw back). A little flour and egg batter and French onion curls, and voila, la piece de la resistance! Notice how the closer you get to French Polynesia, the more French you remember. We are running south quickly to get into some lighter sea state, and promised lighter winds. Hope to be in lighter seas tomorrow. Last night we had a great flank steak stew with tomatoes, green beans, carrots, and onion. Yum!
On the radio net this morning we had 18 boats check in, with four boats past the equator! The boat having Monitor wind vane problems got them repaired. One other boat had a repair of their mast/main boom connection. Lots of moral support given by all to all! Cheers!
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09°10.00'N:120°06.00'W
2009-03-25 18:05Z
Day 10, 1200 miles
09d10mN/120d06mW
Mabel is able: She's making it so easy for us in these rough seas. We named our wind steering vane, Mabel, after the nursery rhyme that goes: "Mabel, Mabel, strong and able. Get your elbows off the table!" Well, she is working hard for us, enabling us to play Cribbage and 5
Crowns in the afternoon and stay inside the cabin during the night except for peaking outside for traffic and checking on the wind, speed, and direction instruments.
George spends an hour each morning moderating the Pacific Puddle Jump Net on the SSB radio. Today we had 20 boats participating.
Besides giving their position and reporting how many miles they have traveled in the past 24 hours, boats report light winds around the
Equator, and squalls and lightning between the Equator and us! George never gives up hope that there will be a mermaid sighting, especially from s/v Lucy who is way ahead of us.
We still have lots of fresh food left after 10 days. s/v Flashback, at 07 degrees north reported catching a nice Dorado yesterday. We hope some will be left for the rest of us when we get to the Marquesas.
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09°12.00'N:122°22.00'W
2009-03-27 00:01Z
12th Day - The Morning After
09d12mN/122d22mW
'The Morning After' was a song from the movie called The Poseidon Adventure. After a horrific experience, the song speaks of the morning afterward and how peaceful and calm it is. Last night we were taking waves on the boat into the center cockpit. Winds were NE 22-26 with Gusts to 31. We had a triple reefed genoa, and another yeoman's job by Mabel our wind vane steering. Today after the radio net we turned on a course of 210T, sailing wing-on-wing. Going six knots, the waves rock the boat occasionally. We anticipate calmer seas as we approach the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In fact there are doldrums, but the change will be wonderful.
One boat in the Marquesas reports fuel is about $5US per gallon, and it takes about a week to get a duty-free load of fuel that would be about half price. It's a one-time purchase of duty-free fuel. We may do it in Papeete instead of Nuka Hiva.
One of the boats in our radio net, sv Bravado will be making land fall in Hiva Oa tomorrow afternoon. Julia Max is half way there. We left about five days later, but Bravado is a fast boat.
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07°27.00'N:123°42.00'W
2009-03-27 22:52Z
Day 13 - The Night from Hell
07d27mN/123d42mW
Catchy title? It started with being hit with a 'sneaker' wave from behind while on watch in the cockpit. You know the type: like Gatorade on the winning football coach moments before the end of the game...but he had to know it was coming. Then running the engine to charge the batteries, the seas were sloppy enough where all fuel microbes came to the filters and clogged things up...three times. It was raining, the humidity in the cabin would have supported orchid growing, and walking around in a red-lit washing machine was not fun!
Now the engine is happy again. I beat Sue in Scrabble. And there is actually wind to sail closer to the Equator. Today, we were discussing the March 20 Equinox, and how the sun is overhead at noon on the Equator. And although its the 27th, it is still directly overhead. The first boat of our fleet arrived in Hiva Oa, Marquesas last night, and mentioned on the radio net being able to smell the flowers out to sea before seeing land. Awesome!
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08.00'N:124°45.00'W
2009-03-29 01:12Z
Day 14 - Alternator Replaced with Spare
06d08mN/124d45mW
Our engine alternator failed to make amps for our battery banks. I think what happened is we had an antifreeze slow leak that was throwing a mist in the forward engine compartment, falling on the alternator. We had fixed the leak by tightening hose clamps to our fresh water system on the engine. But it was too late for the alternator. The new alternator is pumping amps back into the batteries, and monitoring our needs very well. All is good here in paradise. As you know, cruising is doing boat projects in paradise!
While I worked in the tool room access to the engine, changing out the alternator, Sue sailed the boat NW. Wrong direction!!! The 4-5 knot winds came from the SE this morning and we had the jib poled out on the port side. Wrong side for sailing south! So we didn't make very much progress today until the alternator had been replaced and the engine pushed us along at about 5 knots SW. Rain drenched us around noon. Water saved in a bucket was used for the afternoon laundry. Winds are so light now we'll motor until we get 8-10 knots. Nice break from the rough seas.
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04°47.00'N:125°42.00'W
2009-03-29 21:54Z
Day 15 - Motoring through the Doldrums
04d47mN/125d42mW
From a few days ago when raucous, boisterous seas were the foe, now there is no wind and we motor if we are to advance. Since changing out the alternator, the batteries have nicely recharged showing 13.85V charge from the engine and solar panels combined. There is nothing like solar energy on sunny days. You don't think of cloud cover, but as squalls build up and let off their steam, sometimes you have
100% cloud cover that doesn't help the solar panel production. And without wind, there is no wind generator production. So fossil fuels are the fall back position for keeping batteries happy. We started with 170 gallons of diesel. We have used 56 gallons, leaving 114 gallons for use. We use 1 gallon an hour (5 knots of speed). So we have a strategy to motor through the doldrums, take advantage of any winds that are 7 knots or better by sailing without the motor. And maintain a reserve for any eventualities. We are much better off than many of the boats regarding fuel on board. We ran the watermaker today and made 20 gallons of water in 57 minutes! Now the batteries need to be recharged.
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03°13.00'N:126°54.00'W
2009-03-30 22:17Z
Smooth Sailing
04d47mN/125d42mW
At 3:00 this morning George woke me to say that the wind had come up and that we would be sailing, cutting off the engine that had been running for 36 hours. Winds picked up during the night and stayed at 15 nights all day with calm seas. Since the winds now come from the East or SE, we are sailing on a close reach , cutting diagonally across the wind waves. It's very comfortable, the boat heeling at 5-10 degrees. As I write, we will soon cross the 2 degrees north latitude line. Equator, here we come! We'll have our eyes peeled for mermaids, King Neptune, and any other sea hazards. The North Star is quickly sinking towards the horizon at night now with the Big Dipper upside down higher in the night sky.
We are delighted to be able to sail again so soon. The doldrums only lasted 2 days instead of the expected 4 days. We only hope to keep this wind with us all the way to the Marquesas. Reports of very light air ahead make us wonder if it's just too good to be true, but we're seeing conditions change daily as people report their conditions daily on our Puddle Jump Net.
With 20 new gallons of water in our tanks and batteries fully charging with our spare alternator, we are in fine shape as we come close to the last leg of our passage.
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00°23.08'S:129°03.16'W
2009-04-01 03:25Z
Crossed the Equator
00d23mS 129d03mW
King Neptune got another treat around 2:00 this afternoon as Julia Max crossed the Equator at longitude 129 degrees, 40 minutes west.
After pouring some bubbly into the ocean, we commenced our Shellback Ceremony where George served up a disgusting liquid for my oral refreshment, then plastered my face and hair with shaving cream. Ending with a water pistol fight and buckets of water dashed all over,
Sue is no longer a pollywog and is now officially a Shellback, having crossed the Equator in a boat and ceremoniously entered into the ranks of the initiated. Sue prepared a pineapple upside down cake complete with whipped cream to celebrate being "down under."
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02°01.80'S:130°16.46'W
2009-04-02 01:46Z
Day 18 - 686 miles to go as the Albatross flies
02d01.8S 130d16.4W
Day 18 was an unordinary day. Mechanical problem challenges resolved to mechanical successes! Among the issues were bad fuel, RACOR filter changes, and bleeding air from the fuel lines. Then what turned out to be an electrical "Combiner" failure was replaced by an older technology battery bank "isolator". Didn't quite do an all-nighter like in college, but it was close. All is well: engine is running, fuel is clear, and alternator is charging away! Life is good.
By the way, Albatross flight patterns are variable, as is our path of sailing. But 686 miles to go sounds like we have completed 80% of our trip.
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03°50.90'S:132°23.47'W
2009-04-03 08:23Z
Spinnaker, Day #19
03d51sSouth, 132d23.5dWest
Light winds 6-8 knots. Julia Max cruised along under our new light air spinnaker yesterday, pulling us along at 3-4 knots. Found that using the GPS compass scale, keeping it at 120 degrees, the sail would stay full and on the starboard side of the boat instead of swinging back and forth from side to side, swaying the boat with it. Most annoying. It was very hot in the cockpit since we couldn't use the bimini when we needed to watch the sails (something that is extremely important with flying a spinnaker). The electric autopilot also did very well keeping us on course. We continue to learn how best to keep the boat moving under sail with so many new variables such as a sloppy
sea-state sailing downwind, can we use the mainsail, can we set the wind steering vane (not in these light conditions), will the wind let us steer in the direction we really want to go?
Went chasing after rain clouds in hopes of getting a fresh water washdown but the storm cells moved away from us as fast as we could motor towards them. At least we got close enough to get a sprinkle.
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05°25.72'S:134°13.28'W
2009-04-04 09:18Z
Sailing, Sailing
05d26minS;134d13minW
It's been a great day of sailing since 7:30 this morning. Around noon we managed to get into the squall line that lined most of the southern sky. We turned and went with it, seeing 7.3 knots on the knotmeter regularly, skimming along on a beam reach, double reefed genoa, single reefed main. Whoopee, what a ride! We also have a little current with us, so our mileage for this day should be one of the highest.
Checking the chart around dinnertime we had about 430 miles left to go. We should be there on Tuesday. It's 2:00 in the morning PDT.
We just pulled down the mainsail and double reefed the genoa. 20 knots of wind and waves are breaking over the side. Now it's a gentle ride, swaying a little from side to side, 6 knots boatspeed and our course holding steady with "Mabel" our wind vane steering.
Sue got out the buckets and gathered water from the reefed mainsail when the rain blew over us, enabling us to do 2 full loads of laundry.
When the mainsail is reefed, there is a large fold of sail at the bottom, tied up around the boom. When the rain washes down the sail, it accumulates in this fold and becomes available as it runs out the end, in this case into Sue's bucket. It’s a lot of work to do the laundry by hand!
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07°37.00'S:136°20.00'W
2009-04-05 17:52Z
Day 22 - Light Winds, but Squall Clouds around
07d37minS;136d20minW
Light winds are hard to deal with in any kind of a rolling sea. The sails 'slat' back and forth, banging on the batten hardware on the sails, chafing the sail material, and making a racket. We had to replace a batten pocket yesterday because the threaded stud holding it to the mast had stripped the 'high-grade plastic' of the batten pocket. We had a replacement, and it took an hour to replace (just before dark, and dinner). We have kept our boat clocks on Pacific Daylight Time, but will be switching to the local time in the Marquesas that is -9.5Z or 2 hours and 30 minutes back of Pacific Daylight Time. The moon has been a wonderful street light at night for us, making it easier to see the horizon for ship contacts, and for general boat awareness.
Without local neighbors, Sue has been hanging hand laundry out to dry on the lifelines. Three weeks of travel uses up available clean clothing, and she has taken the job to heart, chasing after squalls for soft rainwater to use in laundering.
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05°52.00'S:134°24.00'W
2009-04-04 17:32Z
Day 21 - A normal day
05d52minS; 134d24minW
Today included breakfast, running the Pacific Puddle Jump radio net, sailing all day with various 'sail plans' (combinations), motoring in the evening after a wonderful dinner prepared by the local chef. Boats are sighting more ships particularly at night, so we are keeping a more vigilant watch at night. Ran the watermaker for 20 minutes, and made 5-6 gallons. As the boat rocks and rolls, the watermaker gets air in the seawater intake, and cavitates reducing the product flow. But the shorter running time doesn't overheat the alternator. So this is good. We played Scrabble and Cribbage for afternoon entertainment.
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09°03.00'S:138°06.00'W
2009-04-06 22:44Z
Day 22 - Within 200 Miles
09d03minS; 138d06minW
Watermaker has been running for 15-20 minutes last two days. The engine has been run to keep batteries up, and to give additional speed. We have 'Barn Fever', and want to get there badly! It looks like there may be as many as 30 boats by the end of the week in the small anchorage in Hiva Oa. Everyone is using two anchors, one from the bow and one from the stern, to hold the boat from rotating around and bumping into other boats. From not seeing any boats for 22+ days, having boats 30' away will be a shocker.
We have been spending our time reading cruising guides that explain entry procedures, sites to see, and places to eat, etc. Once we are there we will have our quarantine flag up until we are cleared by customs. Then we will check out the various facilities. More so, we will meet the other boat crews that we have been chatting with for the last 22 days on the radio. Love to all!
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08°48.23'S:139°01.88'W
2009-04-08 02:27Z
Land Ho! April 6, 2009
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
After the morning net we realized we had only 70 miles to go. We had motored all night and had plenty of fuel to motor at 7 knots the rest of the day, arriving just around sundown. And that's what we did! Around 2:00 in the afternoon we could see land in the mist of clouds, but it disappeared again until about 4:00. We rounded a point of land at 5:00 and entered the anchorage to the cheers of several boats at 6:15 p.m. There are 22 boats here in a very small anchorage behind a wonderful breakwater. We managed to squeeze our way between the boats and set a bow and stern anchor in 22 feet of muddy sand, 23 days from our departure from Bandaras Bay, Mexico.
Glad to see land again, green hillsides with little houses, Tahitians with their tattoos, rain. After a wonderful, calm night's sleep, we woke to clear blue skies, green rocky-mountains all around, and lots of sailboats anchored close together in a little cove. We walked to town with other cruisers, stopped into most of the little stores, and purchased a few fresh vegetables and other delights. Checking in was actually very easy. The Customs official spoke English, but the locals spoke French. Sue wishes she could remember her French better.
We've met a number of the cruisers here, several from European countries. One couple invited us over for dinner tonight. We are both very tired. Temperatures are in the 90s. Not enough breeze was blowing in the anchorage. No wonder everyone takes a siesta in the afternoon.
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09°48.00'S:139°01.00'W
2009-04-09 07:56Z
April 8th
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
Yesterday we checked in with the local gendarme for customs and port of entry. Terrific news: we did not need to buy a bond for traveling in the country. A bond exemption was given this year to all boats coming on the Puddle Jump. This was a savings of $2500+ which we would get back when leaving the country, however we didn't need to put cash out front.
We toured town, bought fresh groceries, and schmoosed with fellow cruisers.
Today we went on an all-day tour to the opposite side of the island to see a Tiki and an important ceremonial platform (Marea) for the early people. Lunch and dinner were local meals with local food preparation. We also stopped and picked up a bunch of green bananas, pomplomouse, and bread fruit. The island is extremely green, and smells rich in dirt and flowers. It rained when we returned to the boat in a couple downpours.
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09°48.00'S:139°01.00'W
2009-04-09 07:56Z
April 10 - Monsoon!
Hiva Oa, Marquesas
April 10 was supposed to be water replenishment day. Careful what you ask for! It rained off and on all day. We collected rainwater from tarps on board the boat. And we collected water at a hose bib on shore. Probably 150 gallons in all were taken in. But the fun started after a social gathering on board another boat sv Thumbs Up. When we left, we were motoring back to Julia Max. And the wind was picking up. We had a bow and stern anchor set. The strong winds were coming from the stern, weaker anchor, and we were slowly dragging the stern anchor. After dropping Sue off at Julia Max, for the next three hours, I was in the dinghy with our 8-hp Mercury resetting stern anchors for us and another boat, using the dinghy as a tug pushing the mother boats around, and realigning boats. The man in the boat next to us was in my dinghy helping and directing what we should do next. This was all in a constant downpour for three hours. Now that's a freshwater washdown! What brought the weather on (naturally) was Sue was trying to do laundry on board, drying clothes on the life lines. Didn't happen!
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09°54.00'S:139°06.00'W
2009-04-14 02:39Z
Snorkeling
Tahuata, Marquesas
Snorkeling with 50 ft visibility makes fish sightings much easier! We spent an hour near a rock wall with occasional coral heads, and saw our favorite species. A Moorish Idol, the yellow Long-nose Butterfly fish, the Hawaiian Humuhumunukuapoaha, surgeon fish, parrotfish, convict tangs, Achilles tang, and...you get the picture.
We are anchored in a bay on the island south of Hiva Oa that is reputed to be one of the prettiest in the South Pacific. Tan sand beach, palm trees, rough volcanic island topography, blue skies, strong and refreshing winds, and crystal clear water. Sue said, "this is what we came for" and then she jumped into the 90-degree water.
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09°54.00'S:139°06.00'W
2009-04-16 05:34Z
April 15th - Dinner Ashore at local home
Tahuata, Marquesas
Today we took on board two Americans, Katie and Lee, who crewed for an American boat on the Puddle Jump, left that boat, and are making their way through the Marquises (French spelling) to Tahiti. Both have made bold efforts to help us with anything at all, as we move on to a few of the islands. Katie needed to deliver some letters to a few locals who were family members of people in Hiva Oa. We were invited to dinner. They spoke French. Katie spoke French well. Sue piped in, and I understood much of what was being spoken. Dinner was Marquesan local fare: poisson cru, fish, rice, and bananas, and citron water. Sue and Katie had baked cupcakes with coconut frosting for dessert. It was a charming dinner in the home of this grandmother who was living alone. The Bay that we were in today was volcanic and green with intermittent heavy showers. In some respects the land looked like the Columbia River Gorge in the height of its beauty.
Tomorrow we will motor to the southern-most island called Fatu Hiva.
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10°27.00'S:138°40.00'W
2009-04-17 00:00Z
Drifting at Sea
Fatu Hiva, Les Marquises
Well, we learned something more about the engine. When it overheats, it could be a multitude of things. We overheated on the way to
Fatu Hiva, the southeastern most island in Les Marquises, and possibly the most beautiful! So we checked the raw water strainer for fish or jellies or whatever...no; we checked the flow from the raw water thru-hull...no; we checked the raw water pump impeller...perfect, no cracks; the exhaust water flow was ...normal. So the raw water system didn't appear to be the problem. We removed the thermostat (and were able to motor the last three miles without wind into the anchorage), boiled it, saw that it opened at 180F as designed, no corrosion, so placed it back in the engine. From helpful fellow cruisers, I learned that I must take the radiator cap off to check for fluid level. Just adding water/antifreeze to the reservoir is not sufficient. This is all I ever did. I ended up adding a liter of antifreeze in the cap while running the engine up to temperature; zillions of air bubbles were released, and more when the thermostat opened at 180F. No more air is in the system, and the engine is no longer overheating!!!!
While doing this work, we were drifting with sails up waiting for wind. Through the night, still no wind other than a passing gust.
Finally we arrived at 10am the next morning after a 40-mile crossing from Tahuata. What an ordeal! But Fatu Hiva is awesome!
###
10°27.00'S:138°40.00'W
2009-04-18 00:00Z
Hike to the WaterFalls on Fatu Hiva
Fatu Hiva, Les Marquises
This anchorage at Fatu Hiva is the windiest we have ever been in! Regularly blowing 10-15, it is gusting to 25 knots. Our wind-generator loves it, producing amps galore. The waterfall hike from Hanavave Bay lasted 90 minutes. The rain had been pouring down, and the waterfall was gushing with water and sediment. It was so blustery at the base of the falls that we couldn't swim to it, and we couldn't even stay in the area long because the air was filled with heavy spray. In many ways the hike was like a Columbia River Gorge hike with the volcanic rocks, the vibrant green vegetation, some spectacular views. Seeing mangos, papayas, bananas, limes growing along the way was definitely unique! The people are very friendly. We traded for two local fresh fish this morning, giving them canned salmon in exchange :)
###
09°50.00'S:139°03.00'W
2009-04-21 17:59Z
Back to Hiva Oa for Fuel and Provisions
Hiva Oa, Les Marquises
We had a wonderful trip to Fatu Hiva, spent last night again in Tahuata, snorkeling and changing zincs on the prop and shaft. (The zincs lasted 2.5 months - not bad!) Now back in Hiva Oa to provision, fuel, use ATM, use Internet, extend our Visa for the full 90 days in French Polynesia, then head Northwest to a couple other islands including Nuka Hiva. Interesting, the cruising boats say provisioning, fuel, etc. is better in Hiva Oa than in Nuka Hiva, the capital?!
###
09°21.00'S:140°06.00'W
2009-04-27 00:00Z
Rent-a-Car Trip
Nuku Hiva, Les Marquises
We drove to the Northwest corner of Nuku Hiva, and saw the largest Taboo that we have seen. This living center was easily two soccer fields in size. Two large ceremonial platforms were surrounded by 15 smaller living centers. Four maintenance men had gas weed whackers, going over the entire center. We saw petroglyphs, wood and stone carvings, and square symmetry with rock everywhere. As we drove on, we saw several small communities and bays. Taking on a hitchhiker, Sue practiced her French while he practiced his English. Driving then to the west, our poor map failed us, and we ended up driving to the airport in the northwest corner of the island, through torrential rain and wheel-rim deep mud...thank heaven for 4X4. We finished the day in town driving to the market for provisions, and helping a friend get to the fuel dock and back. Having air-conditioning and a CD close at hand enriched our day!
###
08°56.00'S:140°09.00'W
2009-04-30 16:37Z
Location of 'Survival' Episode
Daniel's Bay, Nuku Hiva, Les Marquises
One of the early TV episodes of 'Survival' was filmed in Daniel's Bay. The steep canyon walls, tropical vegetation, and lack of civilization make for an appropriate backdrop for filming. Today we will go up to a tall waterfall claimed to be the third highest in the world! Reportedly the mosquitoes enjoy you along the way. Hard hats are available near the base of the falls in case rocks fall from the waterfalls turbulence.
The walk to the falls will be two hours long.
###
08°55.00'S:140°06.00'W
2009-05-04 05:25Z
Light Winds Preventing Us Going Forward
Nuku Hiva, Les Marquises
We returned to the village in Taiohae Bay on Nuku Hiva from Daniel's Bay for more fresh provisions, WiFi, and fuel. Expecting to leave four or five days ago for the Tuamotos, the wind machine died. Several other boats like us are waiting, wanting to sail a portion if not all of the 500 miles to our next destination. Two fronts stalled over Tahiti affecting the winds in our area. Trade Winds are supposed to be steady this time of year, but we are learning that local fronts do affect them. In the meantime, we read, we work on boat projects, and we play cribbage and double solitaire and Scrabble and Mexican Train. But we would rather be snorkeling and diving in the atolls of the Tuamotos!
###
09°42.79'S:140°49.05'W
2009-05-05 11:38Z
Heading to Tuamotus
40 miles SW of Nuka Hiva
What a beautiful night. After departing at 3:00 this afternoon, the sun went down in clear skies and 10 knots of wind. Sailing these light winds we managed 5.5 knots for a while until the wind died around midnight. With a half moon, the brightest stars come out twinkling. By midnight, Scorpius was completely visible with its twisting tail. Looked like the Biblical dragon or maybe a hammerhead shark looming up over the horizon. All is well and we hope to arrive in the Tuamotus late Friday or early Saturday, 5 days from now. We're soooo glad to be moving once again. Seas are calm so the boat rocks gently along.
###
11°14.64'S:142°25.70'W
2009-05-06 09:53Z
Puddle Jumper Lost at Sea?
280 miles NW of Manihi, Tuomotus
This is a second entry for today with news that has been on our minds all day.
Yesterday morning we heard shocking news on our radio net. A boat that came across from Mexico with a single man on board has been lost just a few miles out of Nuka Hiva. Someone found his boat Sunday morning on its side with a big hole in it, the man or his dinghy nowhere in sight. Authorities dove the wreck today and we hope to hear more news. S/v "Emily Pearl" with Billy on board had participated in George's radio net the last week or so of our crossing and we met him at the dock when we first arrived at the island of Nuka Hiva. A jolly older fellow, probably around 70 years old, we admired his pluck and ability to come so far on his own. Apparently family was coming to Papeete to see him soon. We hope he was at least found alive since the boat wasn't very far off shore. Speculation by our friends on
"Thumbs Up" who saw him depart the harbor Sunday morning was that he fell overboard and the boat drifted ashore, pounding a hole in it as it hit rocks. Winds that day were 10-12 knots between the islands. Another young single-handing fellow on his own boat s/v "Sidekick" had been buddy-boating with him but stayed behind in the harbor that day. Everyone is shocked!
###
11°14.64'S:142°25.70'W
2009-05-06 09:53Z
Flat Calm
280 miles NW of Manihi, Tuomotus
It's midnight. The full moon is so bright that not many stars are out on this clear night. After studying George's astronomy book, "Turn Left at Orion", I find that Scorpius, the Southern Cross, the False Cross, and the Big Dipper are the only recognizable constellations although I did see Orion on my last watch. It has already sunk below the northwestern horizon. S/v "Thumbs Up" has been visible motoring ahead of us for 24 hours now. We're slowly catching up with them and pulling ahead. Originally from England, they lived in San Francisco before heading on the Puddle Jump to New Zealand with their daughter and her best friend from college. They are delightful people we've come to know since the Baja Ha-Ha, so we're on the radio occasionally throughout each day, watching for shipping traffic.
###
12°54.25'S:144°17.71'W
2009-05-07 10:31Z
Still Motoring
132 miles NW of Manihi, Tuomotus
It’s another calm day and night on the open seas.
On our morning Coconut Radio Net we learned nothing new about the missing man whose boat was found holed and leaning over on its side. One person reported that a friend of the victim had gone out to inspect the wreck and found the lifeline broken plus a bag of personal stuff and a laptop computer floating nearby. So the missing man obviously ditched his boat. Why he didn't stay with his boat is the big mystery. French authorities have not been able to find him or his dinghy. The boat was found on the west side of Nuka Hiva, a remote side with no villages along the shore. It could take days for a person to find the only road that is at the top of the mountains in heavily wooded and rugged terrain. We don't understand why he would have left his boat. You are supposed to stay with your boat, your life raft tied to it until it disappears under the surface. Lots of people checked into the radio net yesterday in hopes of learning more. Maybe today there will be news.
###
14°06.70'S:145°37.70'W
2009-05-08 11:24Z
Sailing, Sailing
30 Miles from Manihi
Winds from the NW filled in this morning around 10:30 so we turned off the engine and have been sailing all day, doing 4-5 knots in 10 knots of wind. We were ahead of schedule (not wanting to arrive in the dark) so we hove to around dinnertime to barbeque the chicken, eat dinner and play a few rounds of Double Solitaire. Having drifted a little too far back, we're now pressing forward with every square inch of sail canvas we can muster, wanting to get to the passage inside the atoll before 8:00 this morning. A guide will be there at 7:00 to show us the way through the coral. The shallowest part is only 8' deep with 4' depths close on either side. Fortunately it's only a very short distance, much like threading through the passages into anchorages in Alaska.
###
14°25.00'S:146°03.00'W
2009-05-10 18:43Z
Manihi at Last
We arrived at the entrance to the pass here at Manihi at 9:00 a.m. Friday morning, May 8th, which worked out well with s/v "Thumbs Up".
They were about an hour ahead of us and were led into the pass first. Fernando, the local chieftan and guide led us in soon after we arrived. So glad we hired him to do this as the current ran out of the bay just like the rapids in Desolation Sound. With the engine at full throttle, we managed to maneuver around the whirlpools and past the rapids doing about a half a knot, 7 knots through the water. We passed over the 8' deep area and then motored over to where everyone else was anchored in front of the hotel in 35' of beautiful turquoise water and coral heads for snorkeling nearby.
It felt like setting up camp in a State Park thereafter, putting up our big awning that easily catches rainwater for us, getting the dinghy and kayak into the water, setting up the wind socks to bring a nice breeze into the cabin, and finally fixing lunch. Fernando gave us a couple of loaves of bread and a fresh grouper fish and arranged for us to go with him on a tour of a pearl farm that afternoon. George and I each received one very nice black pearl while at the farm. Mine was perfect, George's had a little bump on it, but still nice.
We've been enjoying the Black Pearl Resort at Manihi while here, using the pool and Wifi, buying lunch and dinner. Tomorrow we have arranged to go SCUBA diving with a dive master. Others have told us how there are thousands of fish just outside the pass where we will go. All the fish wait there while the tide washes nutrients out of the lagoon. Some of the fish are quite large and we could see some small sharks.
Mother's Day we went to the Mormon Church service, enjoying the many families in attendance and singing hymns along with everyone. Apparently the elder who led the service said a prayer in French for us boaters who had come to visit them, praying for good weather.
There was also a short sermon on the importance of family. Fernando, being one of the pillars of the church had invited us to come. We took Katie and Lee with us as the boat they are currently crewing on is staying here for a while. It was nice to finally catch up with them again. We'll take them with us to Papeete if they are nearby when we go at the end of the month.
A little rain today washed down Julia Max finally. Wished we had had the gusher that fell on the little town on the other side of the lagoon. No place ashore to get water here.
###
14°50.31'S:147°14.75'W
2009-05-17 13:25Z
Heading to Rangaroa
Fernando at Manihi enjoyed lots of business with s/v "Thumbs Up" and us. And yes, we had a wonderful time drift snorkeling through the pass and picnicking on shore. Demonstrations included cutting and eating Heart of Palm, coconut bread, poison cru (yummy raw fish with raw vegetables and salad dressing), capturing a huge Coconut Crab that lives in the palm trees and eats the coconuts, and cooking reef fish over an open fire. Fernando took us to the northwest end of the lagoon to find lots of seashells another day. We ended up buying black pearls from his pearl farm at wholesale prices. They will have to be drilled and strung when we return to the States. Today he helped us get our anchors free from coral heads as the wind shifted to the west once again, and he delighted in seeing us finally set sail after exiting through the pass into the open ocean this afternoon. A wonderful man who thoroughly enjoys people and serving cruisers in any way he can. His friend, Alma, a young man who was just laid off his job at the resort accompanied us most of the time too, helping us unwrap our anchor chain when it was time to leave.
We've been sailing along all night in 13-15 knots of wind on a close reach and smooth seas, expecting to arrive at Rangaroa by 7:00 a.m. with plenty of daylight to enter the pass and find a place to anchor.
###
14°58.06'S:147°38.31'W
2009-06-02 04:59Z
Fun in Rangaroa
We've been in Rangaroa for 2 weeks now, anchored in front of a beautiful Tahitian Resort with cabins perched over the water and along the shore. Running the watermaker here in the anchorage locked up our 2nd alternator using too much amperage. Our starter battery had run completely dry, so we turned off the refrigerator and hunkered down until we could get a new alternator from the States as well as find out why we were having such serious electrical problems.
Meanwhile, we're here in one of Earth's gorgeous South Pacific islands with the prettiest blue water you can imagine, palm trees swaying in the breeze on the shores of white sand beaches, fish swimming around the boat and in the shallows along the shore. We went SCUBA diving 4 times and snorkeling whenever we felt like it along a little motu island just inside the pass. No current there and lots of fish to watch. Saw sharks on all our dives in the pass, Hawksbill Turtles, and swam with dolphins that magically appeared on our first dive and swam right up to us, as curious about us as we were about them. We could hear the dolphins squeaking as they bounded up to us close to the surface. They wouldn't let us touch them, but they came within arm's reach. What a thrill!
During this time, boats we knew came and went. We were never without people to talk to and visit, people concerned about our electrical issues and wanting to help. S/V "Thumbs Up" with Ivan, Cheryl, and Devon Orgee and Carlee on board left for Papeete so they could get our alternator from Portland rerouted to Rangaroa after it arrived in Papeete. Ivan and Cheryl speak French fluently and could go through all the necessary hoops for us without the language barrier. (Sue speaks enough French to get by, but understands only about half of what she hears, enough to get into trouble probably.)
With the new alternator installed as of today, the refrigerator turned back on, and batteries at full charge from lots of wind and solar generation, we're ready to depart tomorrow morning, June 2nd for Papeete. Should be a nice sail in 15-20 knot winds.
###
17°35.00'S:149°37.00'W
2009-06-09 08:04Z
Meet You in Tahiti
Papeete, Tahiti
Arrived in Papeete on June 4th to find out how difficult it is to find a good anchorage. Mooring balls were occupied. We had very little chain out because we were so close to other boats. And on Saturday morning when winds were calm we went to get haircuts and groceries. When we returned the wind had come up to 25 knots, and Julia Max had drug anchor. She miraculously did not hit any other boats, and people from five other boats helped start her engine and move her to a safe point to anchor with two anchors. Wow! We are sooo grateful to all that helped out. Subsequently we moved to another area farther away from the marina and near the airport -- less desirable but safe! Heavy winds 25-30 knots are expected in a couple days!
Having our watermaker looked at, repairing a couple alternators, getting water and provisions, and handling a few other projects in the meantime.
Days are warm and humid! But nights are down around 76F. Very comfortable!
###
17°30.00'S:149°51.00'W
2009-06-22 17:15Z
Sailing Rendezvous, June 19-21
Opunohu Bay, Moorea
Latitude 38, a San Francisco Sailing Magazine, sponsored a sailing rendezvous from June 19-21 between Tahiti and Moorea.
On the 19th we converged on Papeete, Tahiti harbor quay for registration, instructions, and sponsor contact. Polynesian dress, music, and drums added local color to the day.
On the 20th we sailed with 38 other boats into light winds on the nose. Boat speeds were from 0-4 knots. We sailed into a hole where there was no wind, and most boats were luffing around waiting for a merciful puff to keep us going. The race was shortened considering the light winds. As we lost to some friends, we were ahead of others, and that's always a fun event! That evening we had a salmon dinner at the Hilton Hotel.
On the 21st at Moorea we raced 6-man Outrigger Canoes. Four cruisers joined two Tahitians skimming over the water in a 200-meter sprint. Teams competed in other Tahitian events like stone lifting (we passed), fruit-carrying running race, coconut husking, and so forth.
After prizes for all, we enjoyed a finale of Polynesian dancers performing for us.
The Sailing Rendezvous was the culmination of our Crossing effort as a group, and now we will be off to our own destinations.
###
16°41.00'S:151°29.17'W
2009-07-04 15:19Z
Reitea and Tahaa
Opunohu Bay, Moorea
High winds and a heavy sea state kept us in Moorea for another week, finally calming down for our overnight passage from Moorea to
Raitea on July 2nd. During our wait George installed the Little Wonder watermaker brought back from Portland by Sue. Removing the old watermaker and finding the right placement for the new one took some creativity. George got 2'of hose from another cruiser and all the rest thankfully came with the unit or from inventory that we had on board. Finding parts and hardware of any kind for your boat is very difficult in foreign countries. The Little Wonder now makes 11 gallons an hour while we charge our batteries with the engine each morning.
While waiting out the weather we went SCUBA diving in Moorea, observed lots of sharks (black-tipped reef sharks, white-tipped reef sharks, and lemon sharks) and the usual multitude of colorful reef fish. We had to skip the island of Huahine where Craig and Barbara Johnston from Portland had recommended a lovely anchorage. But we found a nice place just north of Raitea on the more remote island of Tahaa. 3-4 moorings were available in front of an empty pension open for drinks and conversation with other cruisers on the beach each evening. We finally got away from the crowded anchorages we've experienced here in the Society Islands.
Today we went SCUBA diving on a wreck inside the harbor of Raitea, a 3-masted steel ship that ran aground in 1900. The fish were huge down 90' and the wreck dark and gloomy.
###
16°29.00'S:151°45.00'W
2009-07-13 19:37Z
Last Stop in French Polynesia
Bora Bora Yacht Club
Currently in Bora Bora, we have been enjoying local festivities leading up to Bastille Day on July 14th. We have attended two song and dance performances by local communities on Bora Bora. The dancing particularly catches the eye with colorful costumes, and fast hip movements! Their stamina amazes us. These dances are for the locals, not the tourists, and community pride is obvious.
In addition a couple of reef dives have delighted us with multitudes of reef fish, a few sharks for stimulation, and visibility to 100'.
We are on island time, meaning a two hour wait for pizza for dinner.... It still is difficult to wait that long. We will be heading on in a few days to the Cook Islands.
###
17°55.75'S:153°56.94'W
2009-07-20 18:45Z
Sailing to Raratonga
Having departed Bora Bora yesterday on Sunday morning for the Southern Cook Islands, we have been sailing along nicely in 10-15 knot winds, doing 5-6.5 knots steadily. Swells continue to rock the boat sideways coming from our forward quarter, winds on the beam. We reefed down the genoa one notch, but using full genoa and main during the day. Although we can't see other sailboats, there are 3 of us traveling towards Raratonga and Aitutaki. We can talk with Thumbs Up by VHF radio. Having done 145 miles in the first 24 hours, we expect to arrive in Raratonga sometime Wednesday, July 24th ahead of heavier winds expected at the end of the week.
###
19°25.77'S:156°01.66'W
2009-07-21 19:38Z
Squalls
On the way between Bora Bora and Raratonga
Some squalls can be light wind and rain, and some can be strong and demanding close attention. Today they are light, and they started at about 0400. With 100% cloud cover, you see the variations of gray to determine which ones are thinking of raining, which ones are about to rain, and which ones are raining. We double-reefed the main, and have set the pole for doing wing-and-wing since we need to go direct downwind. When it started sprinkling, we decided to head down below to have breakfast. We're currently running the engine to charge the batteries, and are motor-sailing using the autopilot.
We are buddy boating with sv Thumbs Up, and are currently 18 miles apart. We check into the Coconut Net in the morning, and the
Pacific Seafarer's Net at night, and also are on the radio a couple times a day to check and see how the other boat is doing.
Raratonga has a very small harbor, and we have some concern whether there will be enough room for us at the pier. They 'Med-Moor' which means boats tie perpendicular to the pier. A north wind will be blowing through for part of a day, and this can be a problem for this harbor since the harbor is open to the north. All is well!
###
20°23.11'S:157°39.92'W
2009-07-22 18:28Z
The Pacific Maytag Washer
120 Miles East of Rarotonga
Currently in the wash cycle of the Pacific Maytag Washer, we wondered why the chart didn't tell us that the Washer was near. Leading into the front coming through, we were sailing on a broad reach double reefed in E20-25 G32. Then it slowed a bit to allow us to do wing-on-wing with a 2nd reefed main and a poled-out 80% jib. Then in a flash the wind was coming from the West, so we took the pole down, and were close reached with reduced sail. Then at midnight the wind was on our nose and raining cats and dogs, so we did what seemed best and turned the engine on (charging the batteries), and furled the jib, and used the auto-pilot to go into the throat of the storm!! Arrr, the life of a sailor! Sue says, 'it has been a three-ring circus in the last 24 hours!' It’s only 120 miles to go to Rarotonga, South Cooks.
###
20°48.61'S:162°14.23'W
2009-08-04 20:43Z
From Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Niue
On route to Niue
The Rarotonga Harbor proved difficult to get Sailmail. Conditions in the Harbor are very treacherous in a north wind and sea, since there is no jetty to protect moored boats. We were Med-moored perpendicular to the seawall. At first our anchor dragged in the middle of the night. We tied to a very large catamaran (Blaze II from Seattle) for a few days, set two anchors, and had a spider web of lines from the stern, the amidships, and the bow.
We enjoyed the Island: 1. a Gospel Celebration of the 186th anniversary of Christianity coming to the Cook Islands including singing from seven island churches; 2. a rugby match with play-by-play from Ivan on sv Thumbs Up; and 3. the Saturday Market was an experience as they all are. Sue hiked across the Island on a 3-1/2 hour ordeal up and down slippery trails covered by roots. She had some grand views.
We snorkeled and took in two scuba dives. Still enjoying spotting new reef fish. These dives were on a cloudy day though so the coral was not as colorful as it could have been.
This harbor was extremely hard on our mooring lines. The concrete pier and tidal change abraded the lines even though we tried to place chafe protection on them.
Now we are on our way to Niue (pronounced Nu-way), 580 miles west of Rarotonga.
###
20°23.61'S:164°20.92'W
2009-08-05 18:52Z
Flying Fish
On route to Niue
We had no idea that flying fish would be everywhere on our South Pacific route. One flew on board yesterday, one flew on board (with a thud) this early morning (always at night).
The difficulty today is that the wind is directly behind us. We shook the double reef out of the main so that we could go faster. The lumpy seas tend to rock and roll the boat making living, sleeping, moving about the boat difficult. We have talked about poling out the jib wing-on-wing, but the winds are still 15-20 knots and the seas rolling. We'll see. We have gone 275 miles, and have 305 miles to go to Niue.
The full moon makes night watches a pleasure. You can see the horizon, and so much more.
###
19°45.24'S:166°48.62'W
2009-08-06 18:37Z
Winds decreasing
On route to Niue
The first three days crossing to Niue were steady SW20-25 knot trade winds. Today the winds have decreased to SE 10-15, and we are motor-sailing to charge the batteries, heat the cabin (outside temperature 65F), heating water for showers, and keeping our boat speed up so that we can make Niue by Friday afternoon in time for customs, etc.
The agitated sea state is always an issue. Last night in the galley, food was flying! Ugh. A calm anchorage is always better. At least no one was hurt.
Two other boats are having problems: 'Thumbs Up' has alternator problems, and 'Dosia' lost their dinghy and outboard as it floated away at night while they were at anchor off Beveridge Reef (out in the middle of the ocean). It's like losing your only car! Everyone will keep an eye out for it, as it is floating towards Niue. (Editorial Note: the dinghy was found in Tonga about three weeks later!!)
###
19°15.03'S:169°44.96'W
2009-08-07 20:00Z
Fish and Chips
On route to Niue
As we approach land, we get cravings! This time we hope to have fish and chips at the Niue Yacht Club. We can see the island now, and it is flat unlike the volcanic outlines of French Polynesia's Society Islands. They call it, "The Rock", as it is a rock of coral -- a large rock of coral.
The winds are decreasing to 10 knots, and the seas similarly are settling down thankfully. With another 600 miles completed of our journey we look forward to a little R&R ashore. Another approaching boat has just seen humpback whales following them. So we will keep a keen eye out for whales.
###
19°03.32'S:169°55.51'W
2009-08-08 01:13Z
A Decimated Island
On Niue
When cyclone Hera hit Niue in 2004, the Island was hit with 180 mph winds and a 200-foot sea from the west. This resulted in devastation to the island’s forests and plant life, and to the concrete homes on the rim of the west side of the island. The island's highest point is 63 meters, so the storm waves created havoc with the village dwellings. It seems that well over 50% of the homes are destroyed and left, some roofs torn off, windows gone, some walls blown out. Your heart cries out to those who lost everything.
A drive around the Island showed an Island with fewer than 1000 people left, little tax base to keep roads, services going. And there is little commercial activity, no idea where the Island produces income, and the little tourism proves to be New Zealanders coming to a warmer environment during the winter months.
Although it's been raining the two days we have been here, we have taken in some of the short walks, sites, and look forward to scuba diving, whale watching, and catching up on some rest.
###
18°51.38'S:171°50.18'W
2009-08-16 18:03Z
Fun in Niue
Here in Niue we rented a van with 2 other boats and explored the caves and tide pools around the island. Good thing to do in the rain.
Yes, weather has been cooler and wetter than in French Polynesia, but it's warmer here than in Raratonga. George went SCUBA diving in two caves one day with the local dive operation. Sue enjoyed snorkeling along the outside of the reefs that were quite close to shore.
Instead of beaches, they have tide pools, swimming holes and underwater canyons. The reef fish swim in these shallows and the water is so clear that you can see them nicely while swimming.
Friday morning is market day in Niue. About a dozen older women had spinach, bananas, taro root, and handmade crafts for sale. We bought spinach and bananas much to the delight of the locals. We also purchased a basket made by one of the women there. With a triangular design all along the sides, it reminded us of sails and thought it would be a nice memory of our sailing adventure. The locals were quite excited that we made this purchase and spent quite a bit of time talking with us, others hoping to sell one of their round table mats (a local specialty we've seen at the resort). We took a photo of the woman who made my basket, to her great surprise and pleasure. She wore a wreath of palm leaves and marigolds in her hair along with a huge fresh hibiscus bloom behind her ear. We wonder and doubt if these local arts will be carried on by the next generation.
###
18°00.00'S:176°31.00'W
2009-09-05 20:19Z
'On the road again'
Leaving Vava’u on Passage to Fiji
Having left Neiafu, Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga after 18 days of R&R in the scenic islands, we are now underway to Savusavu, Fiji. The winds were SE 15-18 the first day, and eased up overnight. Now we are going 5.5 knots and are half-way to the easterly islands of the Fiji
Group. Fiji includes nearly 300 islands. Once we reach the easterly islands it will take us another 24 hours to reach our Port of Entry,
Savusavu.
Scuba diving and snorkeling have been fascinating, rewarding, and memorable! In Vava'u the dives took us on underwater tours of caves, tunnels, cracks, and valleys. The soft and hard corals were alive and colorful. We have continued to identify species of reef fish that we have never seen before. The clown anenomefish delight us! Fiji's dive spots are even better supposedly! We'll see.
###
17°22.00'S:179°08.00'W
2009-09-06 23:38Z
Easy Passage
In Fijian Waters
Sue feels that this passage from Vava'u to Fiji was the easiest one so far. Good sailing the first day, SE 15-20 with single reefed main and genoa. At night it slowed down to where we motor-sailed which the batteries always love. The second day rained, and hasn't stopped.
We double-reefed the main last night, and then turned on the engine as the wind died down.
The passage through the eastern Fijian islands was at least ten miles wide, and is used by small watercraft like us. Today we will make
our way through the heart of Fiji to the northern Port of Entry: Savusavu on the north big island of Vanua Levu.
Somebody could turn off the faucet! This rain is the most solid display of 'pea soup' on this trip!
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16°46.63'S:179°20.06'E
2009-09-19 23:35Z
Garden Island Resort, Taveuni, Fiji
One of the pleasures of cruising is to get off the boat, and stay at a resort for a few days. Taveuni is the third largest island in Fiji, and is known as the Garden Island.
The Garden Island Resort was in mint condition, having just been retrofitted with new furniture, paint, etc., etc. The meals were first rate, and the employees from the front desk, dive shop, waitresses, maids, and so forth were as friendly as family. The soft bed, hot showers, and DVDs made the stay a memorable one!
The scuba diving literature raves about the Rainbow Reef nearby which offers twenty dives which include soft and hard corals, tunnels, walls, and bommies (coral heads), and a gazillion reef fish, turtles, and a shark or two. We took in a three tank dive day and saw the famous 'Great White Wall' which is a wall covered with soft coral for a hundred feet in all directions. The 'Zoo' heralded barracuda, shark, and reef fish. 'Blue Ribbon' included a meadow of garden eels, and a special Blue Ribbon Eel made the dive!
We visited a Marine Preserve and snorkeled around coral that had been preserved for eleven years, abounding with reef fish. A walk to a local waterfall was also a highlight.
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17°34.40'S:178°39.40'E
2009-09-25 05:16Z
SCUBA in Fiji
Naingani Island, Fiji
After 2 weeks in Savusavu, we sailed on a lovely, windy day for Macongai Island. One other boat was in the harbor headed north. The next day found us at Naigani (pronounced Naingani), all alone by a lovely sandy beach. We dove with the resort on the other side of the island and found the fish and corals to be fantastic. We'll have to come back here to share the wonders of these underwater gardens.
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17°46.22'S:177°11.30'E
2009-10-02 20:25Z
Safe after the Tsunami
In Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji
September 30, 2009 an 8.3 magnitude earthquake shook Samoa. By 8:00 a.m. Suva, Fiji was expecting a 5' tsunami. It was right at that time of day that we heard about it. Located on the west side of Viti Levu in Fiji, we never saw any draw out or rise in the water level for the next 2 hours. At 9:00 that morning we entered the Customs Office to check into Lautoka. No one was the least bit concerned. They had the TV on which covered the devastation in Western and American Samoa and soon went on to other world news. We were certainly amazed that an earthquake of that magnitude wouldn't have sent a huge tsunami southwest as well as north. Apparently the West Coast of the US was on high alert and experienced a small wave. We received an e-mail from a Portland friend with the National Weather Report with specific times and warnings of the tsunami for countries all over the Pacific Ocean including Oregon, Washington and Canada.
We experienced high winds yesterday and so never left the boat. The radio waves and e-mail lines were jammed all day making it impossible for us to send/receive e-mail until late in the day. We are grateful for the concern of those who have communicated with us, alerting us to their concern for our safety. We heard on the radio last night that some of the cruisers are taking supplies to remote islands in Tonga that were hit by the tsunami. The reef markers near the coasts got washed out. We'll hear more as time goes on.
Meanwhile, we're enjoying Musket Cove on Malolo Lailai Island, 12 miles west of Viti Levu. The island has many resorts here with lovely lawns and low buildings and lots of palm trees and tropical plants everywhere. SCUBA diving is popular here. We saw lots of very large reef fish including the Clown Triggerfish on our first dives, more to come.
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17°36.76'S:177°24.81'E
2009-10-08 19:45Z
Musket Cove, Fiji
Vacation Land, Fiji, a place for Australians and New Zealanders to have fun in the sun during Spring Break. Things were pretty quiet there last week but this week the kayakers and beginning sailboarders were out at 7:30 in the morning. Couples chartered little sailboats for the day while others went surfing or snorkeling with the resort boats. Jet skis came roaring into the cove in numbers, having crossed the distance from Nadi, about 12 miles. They didn't stay and were on their way back before long. Out in the anchorage things were pretty quiet. We signed up for 14 SCUBA dives and thoroughly enjoyed easier, shallower diving where we could go slowly and peer into all the cracks and crevices for little fish or nudibranchs (slug-like creatures but delightfully colorful). Fish were numerous and larger, probably due to less fishing in this area. We loved watching everyone having a wonderful time in the sun, digging in the sand, playing beach volleyball or swimming in the pool. Sue enjoyed walking around the island to see the little birds indigenous to this part of the world. There are resorts on every one of the numerous islands here on the dry, sunny side of Fiji, a wonderful place to return to some day.
Having checked out of Lautoka on October 8, "Julia Max" heads for Suva to catch up with s/v "Thumbs Up" before heading for New
Zealand. A flotilla of sailboats left Tonga for New Zealand 7 days ago and are currently hitting 30-35 knot winds as they approach New
Zealand with waves reaching 15 feet. Weather gurus forecast the strong winds to move quickly from northerly to southerly to southeasterlies within 24 hours, lessening in strength as they veer.
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18°04.00'S:177°15.00'E
2009-10-09 00:50Z
Tsunamis
Underway to Suva, Fiji
On September 30th there were two earthquake caused tsunamis, one in Sumatra and one in American Samoa. Both were in excess of
8.0 Richter scale. Yachties helped take supplies to a devastated north island in Tonga. Even 500 kg of food, toiletries, etc were helpful.
Then a flight from Vava'u brought more supplies donated by yachties. Neither tsunami reached Fiji where we are with 'Julia Max'.
Yesterday, October 8th there was another earthquake in Vanuatu, 8.7 on the Richter scale. These are significant events! But again Fiji did not feel any effect from the tsunami. Fiji braced for a wave; coastal resorts vacated their clients to higher ground, taking appropriate precautions. Thankfully, nothing happened.
It sounds like the local tectonic plate is shifting and releasing its tension in these various locations.
Thanks for everyone's concern! We are safe and sound.
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20°06.00'S:177°37.00'E
2009-10-14 21:51Z
Commanders' Weather
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
We enlisted the professional weather help of Commanders' Weather to forecast the weather for our crossing from Fiji to New Zealand.
There is a weather-window for the first five days that has SE20 knot winds lessening on the third or fourth day. And so far we are seeing the SE20 winds, and have been going from 6.0-7.6 knots. The seas are 6-9' and rough at times. But we are on our way! This is the last leg of our South Pacific Journey.
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22°14.00'S:177°05.00'E
2009-10-15 18:15Z
Light Winds on High Pressure Ridge
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
This Friday morning has us motor sailing at 6.6 knots. Winds are SE 8 knots; seas are SE 3'. Sun is shining, and life is good. We are requesting an updated weather forecast from Commanders' Weather. We are less than 800 miles to go to Opua, New Zealand. Enjoying Sue's chocolate chip cookies!
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24°31.00'S:176°01.00'E
2009-10-16 18:58Z
Spaghetti Dinner
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
Last night was spaghetti dinner night with green salad and homemade chocolate chip cookies! Yum. We made a course change to the west of the rhumb line in anticipation of SW winds in a couple days, requiring us to shift to a starboard tack to the SE. Commanders' Weather has us crossing the ridge of high pressure today, Saturday. Winds will be light, and will back from the SE to the NW by nighttime. Yesterday had light winds, but we were able to still do 6.5 knots or better. Morning is our time to run the engine to charge our batteries, and today with lighter winds we will continue to motor-sail and make some water with our watermaker. Cheers!
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28°32.00'S:174°30.00'E
2009-10-18 19:05Z
399 miles to go!
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
The winds have shifted from the NW to the SW and S. Julia Max has a 95-degree arc through which she cannot sail without bearing off further. Currently the winds are coming at us within that 95-degree arc forcing us to sail at least 20 degrees east of our rhumbline to Opua, so we have been motor sailing. This means 5.0 knots at best, if the winds (and seas) stay light and moderate. Occasionally we try a different sail plan, but getting there as quickly as possible is our priority. It's sunny with some early morning clouds. We had oatmeal for breakfast. Spirits are high!
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30°54.00'S:175°44.00'E
2009-10-20 03:57Z
265 miles to go, but...
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
One weather fact that is now apparent is that the winds are constantly shifting, as you get closer to the north island of New Zealand. We are not able to sail the rhumb line straight to our destination. We have been off as much as 60 degrees to the east. Currently we are doing better. Winds have dropped by 5 to SW 14. The seas have lessened to SW 5-7'. We are hoping that we will be able to motor tonight to go directly to our destination. Winds appear to be shifting towards the west as forecasted (which would really help). We are about three days away looking at a Friday, Oct 23 arrival time.
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32°25.00'S:175°42.00'E
2009-10-21 06:48Z
Easing of the Current Weather
Underway to Opua, New Zealand
Today was difficult with SSW 18-22 knot winds on the nose. We made little or no progress towards Opua, but did work our way further south. At dinner time the engine came on again, and we were moving along at 5.0-5.3 knots towards Opua. We have 180 miles left to go.
A New Zealand Air Force plane flew over us, hailed us on the VHF 16, and asked Port of Entry and ETA. It was a cool contact!
Also, we saw our first albatross on our South Pacific trip: a yellow-headed albatross. As I was wearing my yellow foul weather gear, he gave me an extra look. I had a yellow hat on, so he may have thought I was family.
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35°18.00'S:174°07.00'E
2009-10-23 01:48Z
Ah, New Zealand!
Arrived in Opua, New Zealand
We arrived safely in Opua, New Zealand at 0930, Friday, October 23rd. The morning light as we entered the Bay of Islands was memorable. Numerous sea birds were flying around the boat: a new one for us is the Australasian Gannet: a large white bird with a blond-colored head and throat, very similar to a Booby.
Upon arrival into a new country, you go through Customs and an Agricultural Inspection. The little sugar ants that came aboard in French Polynesia will be going through World War 3 tomorrow, as we fumigate the boat. We are now tied up to a slip in Opua Marina for the next few days while we get ourselves familiarized with the local services.
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35°15.00'S:174°08.00'E
2009-10-31 21:41Z
Gunkholing in Bay of Islands
Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Having arrived in Opua, New Zealand, we passed through Customs, and enjoyed the New Zealand landfall. Enjoying a land tour to the west side of the North Island, two Maori guides drove us to the largest Kauri tree which reminded us of the Redwoods in the States. The guide introduced us to the tree through a song/chant, sharing the closeness to nature that the Maori's have. In addition we visited a unique valley that had basalt boulders with unusually deep grooves caused by the acidic Kauri tree sap.
After several Kiwi meals ashore (meat pies, corn fritters, rack of lamb, etc), a few marine chandlery stops for good measure, filling the water tanks, using 220V for heating the boat in the 55F nights, we focused on moving the boat into the Bay of Islands that you hear so much about.
The islands are in a tighter geographic area than the San Juan Islands in Washington State. But they are beautiful, having rocky shores, oysters at the tide line, shore birds and pelagic birds including a beautiful cormorant with white breast and yellow beak, the Australasian Gannet, the small red-billed gull, the large black-backed gull, and others. We hope to see the local penguin (about 12" tall)! The water is 55F, similar to the San Juan Islands.
Yesterday we were in Russell, and took in the local museum that told the historical significance of the area. Today we moved to another bay, out of the SW winds that are picking up. The area is windy, having seen 25-30 knots at the dock in Opua for a few days. So we will choose our anchorages to stay out of the wind! The sunshine is brilliant! My barber referred to the Ozone Hole, and how New Zealand has more skin cancer problems than any other area in the world....
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35°17.00'S:174°17.00'E
2009-11-02 19:38Z
Dinner Invitation Ashore
Taupiri Bay, New Zealand
New Zealander Robin Tanner and guest Bob Neville from the USA invited us ashore for dinner, just after 'Julia Max' anchored within the small-protected harbor just south of Cape Brett. It was a delightful evening, including lobster, fish, and salad...and chocolate ice cream and cake, and conversation about backgrounds, cruising, and plans going forward. Robin is part of the Backpackers network in New Zealand that invites visitors to stay in their homes for a modest sum and enjoy the local faire and fellowship. The evening was an unexpected treat that happened because we anchored our boat in their front yard!
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35°40.00'S:174°37.00'E
2009-11-15 00:36Z
Home for the Holidays
Portland, Oregon
On November 15 we flew home to Portland, Oregon for the holidays to enjoy the family and friends. Flying by Air New Zealand from
Auckland to San Francisco to Portland took a total of 12 hours -- not bad, but still knocking our bio-clocks to smithereens!
While in the States, we are having sv Julia Max being worked on. This includes teak deck replacement, painting of hull and topsides, replacing the refrigeration insulation, and repairing the windlass, the chain, the furler, and a few shrouds and turnbuckles. Arrrrr! Matey, if it isn't one thing it's twenty!
Best to everyone at this holiday time!
Cheers!
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35°40.00'S:174°37.00'E
2009-11-04 00:36Z
Putting on Weight!
Portland, Oregon
I had forgotten how easy it is to put on weight during the holidays! My CPA and his wife told me their secret to losing weight was to eat reduced portions. Hmm? Land projects are progressing: tax preparation, dental appointments, all of those fun things are moving ahead.
We had a great Thanksgiving with our daughter and son's families in Sun River, Oregon. Our condo in Friday Harbor, Washington needed attending to as there was some water damage from a leak coming from the unit above us. Christmas present lists are being managed.
Meanwhile sv Julia Max is getting a face-lift. The teak decks have been re-done, and look great according to photos. The preparation for the painting of the topsides is ready for the primer coat. The refrigeration insulation project is moving forward. The 220v isolation transformer is being installed. And all is on schedule for a mid-January completion.
Merry Christmas to all!
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