Speedwell of Hong Kong

Great Barrier Island

Author: Shirlz

23^rd October 2020

I left the comfortable anchorage in the Hatea River where I had spent nearly 3 months since relaunching. I had hoped to leave sooner but got caught up in the complexities of applying for a visa extension. If it is granted I will be able to stay in New Zealand until June next year by which time it might be possible to continue voyaging. Uncertainty reigns.

Anchored off Limestone Island

My first stop was all of 2.5 nm from where I started, at a convenient anchorage on the north coast of Limestone Island. It was a Sunday and the area was busy with local boats. Not much movement as most were just drifting with sails up, waiting for some wind. It came eventually and the little flotilla moved off in a cloud of pointy white sails.

I rowed ashore at low tide

The tide was falling and the coastal path that circles the small island was soon sufficiently exposed to allow an exploratory ramble. I rowed ashore and followed the coastline. The island is a sanctuary for Kiwi fledglings but I saw no evidence of them. Not much chance really, as they are nocturnal creatures. Variegated Oystercatchers were gathered en masse on an old jetty making a lot of raucous noise. I’d never seen so many together in one place before. It was quite an uneven rocky shore and I had to watch where I put my feet. Steep limestone cliffs showed where the abandoned quarry had been.

Sheep in the shade

I was able to get a good look at the anchorage on the opposite shore to where I had stopped with Speedwell. It would give better protection in a northerly wind and was a bit more remote from the activity around the club at Onerahi. But two other boats were already anchored there and I was happy to stay where I was. The path led through the ruins of the old limestone factory and a small flock of woolly sheep observed me ruminatively from the shade of an enormous tree. Oystercatchers continued their piercing cries. The next day I dutifully took the higher path which was quite interesting and gave magnificent views of the river.

View from the top

An easterly wind was forecast for the next few days, so I decided to head down to The Nook in Parua Bay to wait for the right weather for the next leg of my trip. I was able to sail the short distance with the ebbing tide helping me along and found a perfect spot to shelter from the coming wind. The Nook is a popular spot for boats in transit up or down the river providing a well-sheltered place to wait for a favourable tide. I needed a good wind to help me on the way to Great Barrier Island about 45 miles to the SE. Unfortunately the wind seemed determined to blow strongly from that very direction and, not being in any sort of hurry I was content to just wait.

Parua mud flats

After a few days of unrelenting south easterly winds my supplies were starting to run low and I moved around to the inner bay where I thought I might be able to get ashore and do some shopping. I rowed as far as possible towards the shallow eastern end of the bay. It was low tide and the mud flats extended a long way. I soon had to abandon the dinghy, tied to the root of a tree at a rocky spot on the southern shore, and then walked the rest of the way. It was a very muddy experience. Luckily I happened upon a convenient fresh water hose on an open lawn area. Not sure if I was trespassing or if this was a public park, I very gratefully rinsed the mud off my shoes, feet and legs up to the knees and headed along an interesting path to the village of Parua where there is a small supermarket. By the time I got back to the dinghy the wind had picked up from the east and I had an exciting and very fast downwind row back to Speedwell, taking great care not to get blown past my little yellow boat.

Smugglers Bay

I still had about 7 miles to sail to Whangarei Heads and the open sea, so as soon as the weather improved I moved down to Urquharts Bay where I would be well placed to start the trip to Great Barrier. Nancy and Tim were there on their boat, ‘Larus’ and picked me up to go for a walk ashore. Another very good trail with a mixture of great sea views and rolling green hills dotted with black cattle busily converting grass to beef.

At last the weather seemed possible for heading out and I left early the next morning. Of course, now the wind was just too light and I was forced to motor sail most of the way to get in before dark. But the sun was out and the batteries got a good charge. Although it wasn’t able to do much with the lack of wind, the sail looked very good with its straight and shiny new battens. At about six I dropped anchor in Nagle Cove and realized that I was in a totally different sort of place to busy Whangarei.

One of the suspension bridges

Next day, after a leisurely breakfast I hauled up 4 panels and had a delightful downwind sail to Kaiarara Bay where I anchored near to the start of a trail that goes up to Mount Hobson, the highest point on the island. This must be one of the most beautiful trails around. A well maintained path with raised causeways in places to protect the nesting areas of local birds. Whenever a stream needed to be crossed there was either a wooden bridge or an exciting suspension bridge. No need to scramble all the way down, boulder hop or wade across and then scramble all the way back up. Luxury hiking indeed. I had been warned that reaching the top involved many, many steps and this was no exaggeration. But they were much appreciated, as I don’t think I would have made it to the top without their help. The view from the summit was spectacular.

View from the top of Mount Hobson

At low tide I became aware of the extensive mud flats at the head of the bay. I was closer than I had realized when dropping the anchor but it was well dug in and the weather was mild. I had a wonderful view of the birds foraging for food in the shallows. At one point I saw a pair of brown teal, three white faced herons, numerous oyster catchers, two caspian terns, a pied shag, some gannets, a sprinkling of bright kingfishers and the usual seagulls. There must have been plenty of life in that mud to have kept them all interested.

Bush laundromat

I needed a day of rest to recover from all that exertion and then moved on to Smokehouse Bay where I am now. The big attraction here is a fresh water supply and a wonderful bush laundromat complete with mangles. I really needed to get some washing done and it was fun using the old mangles. There is also a proper bath and a boiler where you can light a fire and heat the water. Maybe tomorrow..

October 24th, 2020  |  Posted in Cruising, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand  |  1 Comment »

Hatea River, Whangarei

Author: Shirlz

Friday, 17th July 2020

It’s raining and dark clouds cover the sun. Speedwell is back in the water, anchored in the Hatea River a little way down from the boatyard.

Another grey day on the river

After nearly four months on the hard, connected to shore power, I suddenly find myself dependent on solar panels to keep the ship’s batteries charged. I have one approximately 40 watt panel mounted above the stern which does the job happily on long sunny days, but at this time of the year in New Zealand, the days are short and not very sunny. To complicate matters, the boat swings with the tidal current and/or the wind which means that unless I keep a careful watch and manually adjust the angle of the panel to the sun it is often directed away from the energy-giving rays.

Annie and the informal JRA once more to the rescue. A stack of old panels resides in Annie’s boatshed and I was invited to take my pick. I couldn’t imagine where to mount either of the large, rigid ones but there were also two promising-looking flexible panels. After testing with a multimeter we found one that had an open circuit voltage of over 17V. Great! I hooked it up in parrallel to my existing one and voila! Of course, this is not a perfect world and now that I am seriously in need of the extra amps I have discovered that as the two panels are of very different efficiency, there is a need for bypass diodes in the circuit. Fortunately my little charge controller gives a clear indication of whether or not current is actually flowing in the direction of the battery and as soon as this stops, I jump up and disconnect the big flexible panel which is the culprit that is dragging down the voltage. Like magic the controller is happy again. My energy needs are very low so I’m content to put up with this less than ideal arrangement. Having the extra input when conditions allow, makes a big difference to the hours that I can indulge in using my laptop. I just have to be careful not to become mesmerised as I gaze bemusedly at the flashing led that indicates the charging status of the system. If all else fails, I can always resort to the brutal solution of running the engine to revitalize things.

Boats that dragged in the storm

The anchorage is very well protected from all wind directions and the muddy bottom provides good holding. A fact I was very grateful for two nights ago when a cold front passed through bringing heavy rain and gale force winds. It struck after dark, as these things do, and interrupted my dinner preparations. After being warned of other boats dragging, I hastily struggled into full foul-weather gear and ventured on deck to pay out another 20m of chain. The wind raged on but as there is no fetch in the river the water was relatively calm. I was able to finish my dinner (a rather good kumara, onion and garlic frittata) but spent a restless night keeping anchor watch. By morning enough rain had fallen to refill all my water tanks.

About a week before relaunching, while Speedwell was still cradled ashore a tornado swept through the boatyard creating some shocking devastation. I was very lucky and Speedwell was not directly in it’s path and was only a little roughly shaken but other boats were lifted or blown over with a lot of chaotic damage.

The Morning After

Annie was incredibly fortunate that her boat shed was spared. Another shed a few feet away was demolished. Annie describes it all very well in her blog.

My last few weeks in the boatyard were spent refurbishing the dinghy. It had been getting more and more difficult for me to lift it out of the water and stow it on deck. Either the dinghy was getting heavier or geriatric decrepitude was taking it’s toll. Not much I could do about the personal aging problem so I decided to try to lighten the dinghy by stripping off the multiple layers of paint that had accumulated over nearly 20 years. It was a messy job.

Working on the dinghy

I carefully collected all the old paint scrapings in a bag and it weighed in at over 3kg by the time I was finished. Some had to be added back with a new coat of epoxy and paint, but the difference is very noticeable and I feel quite encouraged about my remaining lifting ability.

By the time launch-day arrived I had managed to tick off most of the items on my job list. A major achievement was being able to lower the mast, repaint it and check all the masthead fittings. We had been through some rough times and it was reassuring to see that all seemed well. I replaced the lazy jacks with new dyneema line which I covered with water hose to protect both lines and sail from chafe. I patched and restitched most of the sail and one fine day, Marcus arrived to help to raise the mast and settle it back in the tabernacle.

Annie and Gordon deliver the sail bundle

Now it was my job to reassemble the sail. I had smartened up the boom and yard with new paint and fendering and it was a pleasure to insert the shiny new aluminium battens. This was all done in the boat shed lean-to and then Annie and Gordon helped by transporting the sail bundle on the roof rack of Annie’s car to a convenient spot next to Speedwell from where I was able to winch it aboard and complete the rerigging exercise.

Almost there

The launch proceeded smoothly with only one delay caused by an airlock in the new cooling water intake hose that I’d installed in the engine. David who was directing the proceedings, very ably fixed the problem and showed we what to do if it should ever happen again. Once floating, there was space for Speedwell to be warped around in the channel so that we could chug out to the river without having to manage an awkward reversing procedure. Many thanks to the Norsand Team!

July 17th, 2020  |  Posted in Cruising, New Zealand  |  3 Comments »

Life Locked Down on the Hard

Author: Shirlz

29th April 2020

Yesterday New Zealand relaxed into a level 3 lockdown and the boatyard has come alive once more. After 5 weeks of ghostly quiet, with the birds becoming bolder and bolder, the gates have been unchained and the workers are back on the job, albeit keeping the mandatory 2m social distance. Not always easy.

Speedwell is secured in a cradle at the edge of the slipway which gives me a good view of the water and the boats being hauled out or relaunched. There had been no movement during the level 4 stage of our lockdown, but now the slipway is open again and I have something to watch while I sit in the cockpit having a coffee break.

Colourful fishing boat being hauled out

It has been a fairly productive month. I find it much easier to get things done in the cooler weather without being plagued by my glasses fogging up and sweat running into my eyes as I battle to reach into unreachable spaces with a screwdriver or spanner.

The first job was to sand down the underwater part of the hull to get rid of all the flaky old antifouling paint. I had invested in a battery powered orbital sander and a bargain-priced vacuum cleaner which could be attached to it so that no noxious, toxic dust could make it’s way into the atmosphere. The system worked well but the vacuum cleaner wasn’t quite up to the heavy industrial-type demand. It needed some coaxing to keep it going till the job was done, after which it quietly expired.

Mast lowered

The mast had been lowered with help from Julie just before the gates closed which has meant that I’ve been able to properly repair the chafed patches caused by the parrels rubbing against the corners. When I set up the rigging this time I’m going to try using webbing at the mast which might help to prevent this happening again. It might also overcome the problem of the parrels jamming up on themselves as the sail is raised. We shall see.

Annie has been a wonderful help, generously giving me access to her impressive collection of tools. We share a ‘bubble’ so are allowed to visit each other and many a convivial evening has been spent discussing world affairs over the odd glass of rum. Sometimes, for a treat, we sit in the exquisite interior of her almost-finished boat, Fanshi, two crazy old bats sipping bubbly from crystal glasses.

All set for a cozy evening

I spent about a week repairing and patching my hard-working sail using her heavy-duty sewing machine. All the webbing loops for attaching the sail to the battens were looking very thread bare and have been replaced. Now all looks good for the next 10,000 nm providing, of course, that we will ever be allowed to freely roam the seas again. The day before the lockdown began I was able to take delivery of five lengths of 50mm o.d. aluminium tubing to be made into a new set of battens for the sail. The old ones were 35mm and I have been told by those who should know, that there will be no need to reinforce the new ones with glass and epoxy. It certainly makes things easier.

Battens – old and new

The weather has been turning wintry with some cold, wet and windy days. Time for inside jobs. The electrical wiring on Speedwell had become a bit of a rats nest over the years with rather too many unidentifiable loose ends and dodgy connections. It seemed like a good time to tackle the problem. Annie to the rescue again with the loan of her professional-grade wire crimper for replacing the connectors, along with a kind donation of heat shrink insulation from one of the other boatyard inmates, making the job relatively easy. Some nightmarish bits of almost chafed-through wire were discovered and replaced, redundant wires removed, all corroded connectors renewed and every single wire labelled. I felt quite proud. I’m even thinking about drawing up a wiring diagram.

Badly chafed ground wire

The engine came next. I thought that all it really needed was a bit of a clean-up. Maybe a wipe down with an oily rag, as I’ve been told one should do on a regular basis. I set to with a will. Hmm.. there seemed to be quite a lot of water in the bilge. Surely I had dried it all out just the other day? Oh, dear. The culprit was a steady drip coming from the raw water intake pump allowing all the old water still in the system to find it’s way into the bilge. So, the pump was removed, not without difficulty, and to my great relief I was put in touch with an engineer who has done a great job of repairing it. How different to the agonisingly difficult time I had trying to get the same thing done in Annapolis a few years ago.

Kingfisher on mooring post

In these quite extraordinary times, I count myself very lucky to have landed up in one of the safest places I could hope for.

May 2nd, 2020  |  Posted in Cruising, New Zealand  |  5 Comments »

Down the coast to a Whangarei lockdown

Author: Shirlz

26th March 2020

I left the Bay of Islands in mid-January and made a leisurely passage to Whangarei with some interesting stops along the way.

Deep Water Cove and the path leading to the Cape Brett Trail

A very slow start in light winds saw me making my first anchorage of the voyage at Deep Water Cove, a mere 10 miles from my starting point and the last possible anchorage before leaving the Bay of Islands area. The cove lives up to its name and I had to approach far closer to the rocky shore than I would normally choose to do, but the weather was settled and I felt it safe enough. One reason for choosing to stop here was that there is a small rocky beach from which a path gives access to the Cape Brett Trail. The full trail takes a day each way with an overnight stop in a hut at the point, but from Deep Water Cove its possible to do a round trip to the light house and back in less than a day.

The view towards Cape Brett

I set off early and the trail was quite hard-going but spectacular. Some stretches of the path were along a narrow ridge with vertiginous drops either side. The anchorage was well sheltered from the west wind that was blowing and I only realized how strong it was when I was exposed to it on the ridge. I was almost tempted to drop to all-fours, but carried on bravely vertical.

The path and Piercy Island

The lighthouse is situated high up on the ridge, but the hut is back down at the waters edge. Of course I had to get down there, and found a table to sit at and enjoy my sandwich for lunch. I didn’t want to spend too long relaxing as I was a little anxious about the safety of Speedwell in the rocky cove. A long slog back up to the top and soon enough I was safely back on board. Pretty tired after a really great walk.

The Light house

Next day it was an interesting sail around Cape Brett and I got to see the lighthouse and Piercy Island from a sea-level perspective. Tourist boats were taking sight-seers through the hole in the island.

A sea level perspective

The wind was light and fluky so I decided to stop at the nearby Whangamumu harbour where there is an old whaling station and access to some other good walks. My shoes had rather fallen apart on the hard Cape Brett trail and I spent a while stitching the uppers back to the soles with my handy-stitcher, an invaluable tool.

I found a good stick

The next day I had another good walk (wearing my repaired shoes) to Te Toroa Bay. It was also quite tough with many steep ups and downs. I found a good stick along the way which helped to stabilize me on the steep parts. When the trail reached Te Toroa I was delighted to find a small beach with a tidal pool. There was no one around and I had a quick refreshing skinny dip. Big waves were crashing on the rocks nearby. Quite a dramatic place.

Whangamumu harbour

I spent another day or two at Whangamumu enjoying the calm, clear water and doing some more exploring. The waterfall where I had hoped to get some fresh water for the boat had practically dried up as there hadn’t been any rain for some time. Linda and Bryan on Fantail were also there and we had a good walk together to Tangatapu with lunch on Fantail afterwards.

When I eventually left, I had a really good sail down the coast with a NE wind giving the junk sail a chance to do what it does best. I reached the entrance to the recommended anchorage at Whangaruru about lunchtime, but decided to carry on to Tutukaka as we were doing so well. The entrance to Tutukaka was quite narrow with waves crashing on rocks either side. I would have loved to take some photos but was fully occupied in just getting safely through.

The spot that I chose to anchor in when I first arrived started to seem alarmingly shallow as the tide began to fall and, unsure of what the bottom might be like, I prudently moved to a deeper place while it was still possible.

Next morning I left early at slack water and motored most of the way to the entrance to Whangarei. The wind I had hoped for never materialized, but I enjoyed watching enormous flocks of seabirds (prions, petrels, shearwaters) sitting on the water, comfortably riding the swells. They seemed unsure of us as we approached and would take off at the last moment and land again a short, what they considered safe, distance away.

Whangarei Heads

I was able to reach the entrance to the bay at Whangarei with the tide in our favour and had a fast trip up to Parua Bay where I anchored in the Nook for the night. A lovely peaceful spot. The next day I waited until 14:30 for the tide to start coming in and had an easy trip up to the anchorage off Norsand Boatyard. Fairly shallow but a soft muddy bottom so not too much of a problem if we touched.

Once I was settled in I contacted Annie Hill who is building herself a boat at the yard. She kindly invited me over to join her for dinner at her boat-shed. Annie’s boatbuilding deserves a separate post and you should have a look at her blog. She has been wonderfully helpful in showing me arround and providing transport for serious shopping trips.

My Dinghy tied to the dock at low tide.

I spent a few weeks anchored in the rather muddy waters of the Hatea River having to plan my trips ashore very carefully. There is a strong tidal current with a nearly 3m tidal range. The bottom is very soft mud and walking and dragging the dinghy through the mud at low tide was not a good option. Timing was of the essence.

Speedwell being hauled out at Norsand Boatyard

I had planned to haul Speedwell out of the water at the beginning of May and fly to the UK for a few months to be able to extend my visitors visa, but now the coronavirus has made that impossible and I find myself ‘locked down’ aboard on the hard at Norsand Boatyard. No excuses now not to get really stuck in to all those long-outstanding boat jobs. A pity that all the hardware shops and chandleries will be closed, but I did manage to get a just-in-time delivery of 5 new aluminium battens. So, on we go.

March 26th, 2020  |  Posted in Cruising, New Zealand, South Pacific  |  No Comments »

Bay of Islands

Author: Shirlz

January, 2020

Soon after arriving I found a nicely sheltered anchorage within reasonable rowing distance of the small town of Russell. The Russell Boating Club generously allows visiting dinghies to tie to their dock from where it is a short walk to the centre of town. It was quite a culture shock to suddenly find myself in a first-world tourist town. Nothing ramshackle here. Proper pedestrian pavements, no feral pigs and dogs. Real supermarkets. I restocked with as much as I could carry back to the dinghy and picked up some information about walks in the area. After a few weeks at sea I was keen to get some exercise.

Russel Boating Club

There is a great variety of well-maintained footpaths to choose from. My first short walk was a path leading up from a nearby beach to the road. Not very exciting you may think, but it was quite magnificent. My first taste of the wonderful tree ferns that seem to be everywhere. Also my first sighting of the delightful fantail bird. It was steep and I was aware of how unfit I had become. I made an instant decision to make these walks a regular thing.

Tree ferns

A more ambitious walk, the ‘Bay of Islands Coastal Walkway’ took more than the advertised 5 hours to complete. Starting from the ferry dock at Russell for the crossing to the bigger town of Pahia on the opposite shore. The path follows very close to the water’s edge and unfortunately I hadn’t done my homework and the state of the tide put the path underwater. But the overland alternative was interesting enough and soon rejoined the coastal trail. The Pahia beachfront was busy with holiday-makers but I seemed to be the only one doing the walk.

along the water’s edge

There were beautiful views across the bay, although, what I really enjoyed the most was when the trail entered deeply wooded areas. Usually with steep ups and downs. The dense tree-ferns creating a wonderful green lacy groin vault cathedral ceiling. Birdsong was everywhere, but I found it very difficult to spot them in the dense greenery. I was thrilled to see my first tui, which is a fairly big honey-eater, easily identified by two white tufts of feathers under its chin. They are wonderful songbirds and create an amazing variety of sounds. The one that I kept hearing, before eventually spotting, it made a loud screeching double-squawk followed by two most beautifully liquid notes.

Low tide with mangroves and mudflats

Once clear of the trees the path came out at the head of a shallow bay and I could see Speedwell anchored not all that far off. A long boardwalk takes you over the muddy mangrove swamps. At low tide the mud seems to stretch for miles and the farmed oyster beds are exposed. If you stop for a while mud crabs emerge cautiously from their holes.

By the time I arrived back at my starting point, which was the dinghy dock at the boat club, I was pretty tired, hot and thirsty. Luckily for me it was a Friday, one of the 3 days of the week that the club bar is open. That icy cold beer was wonderful. After a 17km walk I felt I’d earned it.

Just another beautiful place to anchor

Of course, I have also found myself in one of the most beautiful sailing grounds one could possibly hope for. At first I was quite content to stay comfortably anchored and just relax after the long passage from Tonga, but soon enough I felt compelled to see what lay around the corner. I started sailing about, exploring a few of the other anchorages, always with a possible shoreside walk in mind. Distances between the various small islands and bays are short making it possible to easily move to better protection if the wind should suddenly change.

A beach on Moturua

There were plenty of other boats around enjoying the holidays but it always seemed possible to find a less crowded spot to anchor. I really enjoyed a walk on Moturua Island which is very popular. It was another fairly long trail all the way around the island with plenty of ups and downs. Magical views as you come down to the coast every now and then to find an exquisite small bay with sandy beach. On one of the beaches, quite a long one, I stopped to watch a big black oystercatcher making its way along the waterline, foraging in the sand with its strong red beak. It was steadily approaching me. I kept still, wondering how close it would get before it saw me and flew away. I was charmed to realize that it had me in sight all along and as it reached a point about 10m away, it kept a beady eye on me while circling to seaward, still walking, keeping exactly the same distance away until it felt it had safely passed, and then continuing along in its normal way. How considerate! How polite! I followed its example and continued on my way.

Tall Ships Regatta

On Saturday I was lucky enough to be given a place on Gordon Gregg’s ‘Tystie’ which was taking part in the annual Tall Ships Regatta, a major Bay of Islands event. I was a little disappointed to see that there were no actual tall ships taking part, but something like 10 junks were there and it was a very colourful event. I refrained from entering Speedwell as I have no experience of racing and, with no third-party insurance, the thought of jockeying for position at the start or tight manoevering round the buoys frightened me more than any ocean crossing.

January 12th, 2020  |  Posted in Cruising, New Zealand, South Pacific  |  3 Comments »

On to New Zealand

Author: Shirlz

Vava’u, Tonga

31 October 2019

I was ready to go. A bad chest cold that had been bothering me had cleared up, but now a strong southerly wind was blowing, not ideal. I decided to wait another day and went for a last walk on the wild and windy side of the Island. Sheri came round in the evening with a bag of surprises to be opened at sea. What a lovely thought.

Friday, 1 November 2019

The forecast was too good to miss so I decided to leave despite the fact that it is Friday, normally considered a taboo day for starting a voyage. The dateline takes an artificial kink around Tonga, so I felt justified in putting superstition aside.

Last view of my little beach

A slightly slow start with not enough wind to sail off the mooring had me motoring for a short while. The engine didn’t sound too happy and died after a few minutes, but we were underway at last and I decided to keep going. I suspected that the problem was just due to an airbubble caused by a recent filter change. We had a lovely sail down through the maze of little islands and soon enough we were in the open sea. I started to feel a little queasy. I had spent too long in flat, protected water.

By the evening I was feeling better and we were sailing smoothly along with 2 reefs in the sail doing a comfortable 4 knots. I had a sundowner beer followed by a some lentils and rice for dinner.

The restored Navik wind-vane was working well with a bit of help from the famous green bungee to compensate for weather helm. I was very glad that I had moved the table over to the port side so that I could use the starboard bunk. With the wind from the east It looks like we could be spending a lot of time on a port tack. I unearthed a derelict old cell phone which has a good loud alarm and used it to wake me every twenty minutes.

At about 2am I spotted the lights of a ship about 2 or 3 miles off, heading north. No AIS warning. We passed safely.

2 November 2019

A reasonably comfortable night, sleeping well between the 20 minute wake-ups.

Kao with Tofua in the background

In the morning the volcanic island of Kao rose steeply out of the haze ahead. Quite a surprise. We passed safely about 5 miles off. In the evening, Tofua, its flatter sister was still in sight to port. The wind had dropped a little so I was using the full sail. Before dark I dropped one panel.

3 November 2019

Wind a lot stronger and heading us. I hastily reefed down to 3 panels. Now the area of volcanic activity which I was hoping to pass east of lay directly in our path. I eased off on the sheets to pass more comfortably to the west. The sea now very rough and we were just plugging along at 1 to 2 knots, but laying a reasonable course. I had been reading about volcanic islands suddenly erupting about here and was anxious to get clear of the area. The sea seemed very bumpy. Maybe something was brewing down in the depths. No choice but to carry on.

4th November 2019

The day started out with a squall. Grey skies, wind up and down. After lunch the sun came out. Things always look better when the sky and sea are blue.

5pm and 1000 miles to go.

5 November 2019

A big ship passed one mile off during the night. I first spotted a faint glimmer of lights on the horizon. A struggle to see with the binoculars. Switched on the AIS and waited for it to get a GPS signal. Still nothing. Now I can definitely see its a ship and coming our way. Get out the hand held compass and take a bearing. Ahh..the AIS has woken up at last, loud alarm to warn that the closest point of approach will be 1.5 miles. A bit close for comfort but safe enough. I sat out in the moonlit cockpit and waited for it to pass. Then back to my bunk after first checking that the battery had plenty of life and deciding to leave the AIS on.

6 November 2019

After an easy night with a beautiful half moon and no more ships we had an idyllic day on a smooth sea doing a steady 4 knots, wind just abaft the beam.

7 November 2019

Wind really picked up this morning from the NE. Now racing along under just 2 panels.

8 November 2019

Fast sailing all night. We’re out of the tropics now and it’s starting to get chilly. The Navik still performing perfectly. What a relief.

racing along with just one panel

I noticed that one of the lashings at the end of a lower reefed batten had come adrift. Hove-to to fix it. Must have happened when the top sheet span got caught under the reefed bundle.

Moving fast.
Noon position showed our best days run so far. Just over 100 nm.

Later down to the top panel only. A bit less wild.

9 November, 2019

Wind still F6. Making good progress but not very comfortable. Crossed the 180 meridian so now we are East instead of West.

The wind picked up to F7 later with scary streaks of foam on the water and rather big waves. I decided to gybe and head more to the west where the weather fax indicated better conditions.

Just before dark I hove-to as it was getting really rough. Too much water on deck and in the cockpit. The odd one reaching the chart table. Massive waves.

After about 2 hours of drifting northwards I packed it in, decided it wasn’t really all that bad and started sailing again.
10 November, 2019

Made it through the night. Still on a WSW course. A bit of rain this morning and sun occasionally breaking through.

No dolphins, flying fish or birds. A lonely sea.

11 November, 2019

Working slowly to windward.

Navik working well with help from the green bungee

A bit of a rainy patch this morning but now lovely sunshine. I had been taking a lot of care not to let myself get wet when going outside, always putting on a waterproof jacket and taking off my long pants. As the sun came out, I became careless and of course, one of those little rogue waves leapt into the cockpit just as I was adjusting the Navik and soaked my warm jersey. I had to scratch around to find something else warm to wear.

Saw an albatross.

12 November 2019

Still very windy and rough this morning. During the night the Navik vane got blown about 30 deg out of alignment which set us rather off course. Too far east. Not good. Well, that’s another thing I must remember to check hourly. Now back on track but what a waste.

13 November 2019

Spent many hours in the cockpit last night trying to get the sail working properly on the port tack. Adjustment of the sheet seems critical when close-hauled. The wind had gone light and the sea was still lumpy which didn’t help. It was pleasant enough, with a nearly full moon. I had put on my heavy duty off shore gear to keep warm. No more bare arse and light jacket. The duvet is on the bunk and it still feels chilly at night. You know you’ve left the tropics when the coconut oil solidifies.

We eventually settled on a reasonably steady course, jogging along at about 2 knots, clawing our way westward.

This morning I noticed that the parrel on the second batten from the top had almost completely chafed through. All those days of running downwind, deeply reefed. I found a suitable length of line to replace it, hove-to and we were soon on our way again. A beautiful day. I made some sweetcorn fritters for breakfast as the muesli and fruit juice was becoming boring.

A pair of Kermadec petrels came over to check us out. Yesterday I spotted an albatross. Too far off for exact identification but thrilling to see.

After the noon position-taking ritual I tacked to work back to the rhumb line. Exceedingly slow and frustrating. The sail definitely works better on the port tack, but we were heading too far east and something had to be done. We hung in there, determinedly. Reading Pratchett.

14 November 2019

We had been going along quite nicely and things were looking up. I was getting a few hours sleep, when I was rudely awoken by bumpy seas and loud thunder. OK, a cold front had been shown on the weather fax. This must be it. I lowered a panel, although the wind didn’t seem very strong. Heavy rain. As the squall passed, the wind direction changed and now was heading us again. End of comfortable progress. I tried for the best possible course and went back to bed till morning.

15 November 2019

When the sun came up the wind had died completely. Time to get the engine going. What a pain. It ran for about 20 minutes and then totally died. Oh dear. Not too difficult to check things out on a nice flat sea and it seemed that the problem must be fuel starvation. Something wrong with that filter I’d put on before leaving. Luckily I had another spare and it was easily installed. We were on our way again.

No wind

I dressed up warmly and sat in the cockpit hand steering. Slow progress. With much careful adjustment of bungees, engine revs, chain position on tiller and angle of wind vane, I managed to get the Navik to hold us reasonably well on track. Not good enough to just leave and go below, but no longer necessary to have a hand constantly on the tiller. Progress indeed.

I missed the 1pm weather fax but then noticed fine high cirrus in the sky, which doesn’t normally bode well. I managed to pick up a clear chart at 3pm which gives the 72hour forecast. No storms looming. No wind either. Big high pressure system. It would be a doddle if the electric autopilot was working and I had a few more litres of diesel.

Some beautiful petrels soared and skimmed nearby. Maybe our wake kicks up little edible creatures.

Switched off the engine at midnight to get a few hours sleep.

16 November, 2019

Motoring on a flat sea

Sea flat calm. Not a breath of wind which means the Navik is no use at all, but the bungee is coping well enough to hold us on course with the engine running.

It was warm and sunny and I grabbed the opportunity to have a rather overdue shower in the cockpit using the garden sprayer. Feels good to be clean and fresh again.

17 November 2019

A really good day. After a decent night’s sleep I woke to find there was enough wind to really start sailing again. A smooth 1-2 knots and as the wind gradually freshened the Navik was able to take over the steering. What bliss after 26 hours of noisy motoring.

And then a pack of about 30 dolphins appeared on the scene, circling and making multiple passes. I did my usual demented singing thing which they seem to appreciate. Before leaving, a big one surfaced right near the boat and gave me a friendly, if slightly curious, look in the eye.

The weather is sunny and warm and I can sit in the cockpit without getting drenched by every passing wave. Only 140 miles to go now, and the 48hr forecast looks fair.

18 November, 2019

The wind picked up quite strongly overnight and I had to reef to 3 panels. Now moving at 4-5 knots on a steady course.

By noon we had covered just over 100 miles. Amazing. It started to look as though the end was in sight.

It had become quite hazy with visibility limited to about 1 mile. During the day I don’t have the AIS on as I spend a lot of time looking out, but because we were almost there, I was busy filling in the multitude of forms needed to clear in and hadn’t had a look out for some time. When I belatedly stuck my head out a massive container ship was just looming out of the murk. Far too close for comfort and on an obvious collision course. As they say, ‘the show ain’t over till…’ I quickly switched on the AIS to get an accurate assessment and tried calling them on the radio. But couldn’t waste too much time as it was obvious that I would have to get out of the way, and smartly. With the sail far out and deeply reefed, I was worried about gybing and causing a fan-up. But I would have to turn more downwind to pass safely. My luck held and although we were forced to sail by the lee the sail stayed firmly in place. What a wonderful rig. The ship passed with half a mile to spare and we were soon back on course again.

Just before dark a black squall loomed over us. Thunder and lightning. Wind going crazy. When it settled down about 2 hours later, the best course I could manage was hard on the wind and about 20deg W of the course. Still nearly 40 miles to go. Looks like we wont get there today.

19th November, 2019

The wind held steady all night and we made slow progress. I managed to get a few hours sleep in 20 minute snatches. At about 5am it was just light enough to see ahead and to my amazement the land was visible. Still about 8 miles off but the timing was good as now we were reasonably sure of arriving in daylight. I managed to light the primus and made a mug of coffee.

Land just visible on the horizon

Then the wind dropped again and I was able to shake out all those reefs and soon decided that the engine would be a good idea. As the day brightened, a welcoming committee of three dolphins and two gannets came to greet us. Just perfect. A big catamaran approached from astern and soon passed us. Also on the way in. A bit later there was another mega yacht motor sailing past.

The land was still a grey silhouette on the horizon, but as we got closer colours started to fill in. A very interesting scattering of rocky islands.

Soon enough I was in the thick of ferries, small sailing boats, a para-sailor, a plethora of small motor boats out fishing. It was a struggle to stay awake and keep my wits about me. I was delighted by a flotilla of small penguins who hurried to get underwater and swim rapidly away as we approached. At last, there was the customs dock at Opua. I managed to tie up alongside and the officials took over. The bottom of the hull was checked for marine growth by using a video camera on a long stick. I held my breath, worried that they might find the odd determined barnacle, but we passed the test. Passport stamped, contents of lockers inspected and we were free to go. Whew.

Safely anchored, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

I moved around to a quiet little anchorage for the night and cracked the bottle of bubbly.

November 21st, 2019  |  Posted in Cruising, New Zealand, South Pacific  |  10 Comments »

Visa Run to Fiji and a Quick Haulout in Vava’u

Author: Shirlz

27^th June 2019

In April I left Speedwell on a safe mooring and caught the weekly plane from Vava’u to Fiji.My 6-month visitor’s visa for Tonga was about to expire and I needed to leave the country so that I could return and make a fresh start. It was strange travelling like a normal tourist, unaccompanied by all my floating home-comforts.

Not my normal mode of transport

Arriving in Nadi airport on Viti Levu, the main island of the Fiji group I was a little surprised to see how big it was. Not the small island airfield I had half expected.

When I was still in the dreaming stage of longing to go cruising I met a couple who were passing through Cape Town after crossing the Indian Ocean on their circumnavigation. She sold me a rather lovely shell necklace that she had made and told me that the shells had been collected in Fiji. It sounded faraway and very romantic. I imagined an unspoiled tropical island paradise and dreamed of sailing there myself one day. Now here I was. In an international airport. Hoping to find transport into a bustling town. Very different to my imaginings.

The Downtown Hotel offered a free shuttle and soon enough I was booked into a very convenient budget hotel right where I wanted to be. There was hardly any point in me choosing to stay at a waterside resort hotel out of town, as for me, the novelty was to get away from the palm trees and water for a while. And the price was right. Now I just had to amuse myself for a week before catching the next flight back to Tonga.

Sri Suva Subramaniya Hindu Temple

The next day was a Sunday with nearly all shops closed, but just a few blocks away was the colourful Sri Suva Subramaniya Hindu Temple. It was pouring with rain, but fortunately I had my trusty brolly with me and I went sightseeing. Shoes had to be removed before entering and I was given a colourful wrap to cover myself from waist to ankles. Family groups were burning incense, scattering flowers and offering platters of food at the various shrines. I walked around and then found a place to sit and just enjoyed the peaceful scene.

Nadi is quite a small town and I soon became familiar with the layout. I was looking for some new burners for my old Primus stove and decided to catch a bus to Lautoka, a bigger town about an hour away. The buses are very cheap and easy to catch, although you have to buy a prepaid card as the driver doesn’t take cash. After a bit of confused wandering about the busy streets of Lautoka I was quite thrilled to find a box of assorted bits and pieces for kerosene stoves in a small Indian shop, crammed with every imaginable item, from false eyelashes to miniature Hindu God statues. I only bought two burners as I wasn’t certain that they would be an exact match. Now, back on Speedwell and having tested them out, I really wish I’d bought more as they are perfect.

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Sigatoka Pavement market

I did some more exploring, travelling by bus to the pretty town of Sigatoka. I wandered around the very good open market and bought some fruit for a picnic lunch. The town is in a lush, green valley and fresh produce comes in directly from the growers. Hardly a plastic bag in sight.

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On the open bus

For the return trip I caught one of the open buses which took an interesting winding route along the coast, stopping at small villages along the way. Everyone seemed to know each other and the bus would stop and wait or back up if someone was late.

View from Mt Talau, Vava’u

It was good to get back to Vava’u and know that I now have the option to stay until I’m ready to leave for New Zealand. Next project was to apply for the necessary visa that South Africans now need to visit that country. I was able to do this online although some of the options were very confusing. My friend Annie Hill in Whangerei, kindly interrupted her busy boat-building schedule to make some inquiries for me and the problems were sorted out. After paying the required fee I had to deliver my passport to the nearest NZ immigration office for processing. It appeared, from the email that was sent to me acknowledging receipt of my application, that the passport would be forwarded to Beijing for consideration before being returned to me, hopefully with visa granted. It seemed a rather dubious procedure and I was very anxious about losing control of my passport. The nearest NZ immigration office is in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga on the main island of Tongatapu about 150 nm away. There is a new fast ferry that runs twice a week so I opted to deliver the passport personally and hopefully speak to someone about how they were planning to return it to me. Imagine my relief when I was told that the procedure had changed and all they had to do was scan the passport and the rest would be achieved electronically and emailed to me. I spent the rest of the day happily wandering about the streets of Nuku’alofa stocking up on a few things that are not available in Vava’u (basmati rice, hearing aid batteries). I also bought some snacks for the ferry. On the way down I had assumed there would be some sort of cafetaria aboard as the trip takes 12 hours. In fact the only refreshments available were water, nescafe, milo and instant noodles. Not all that exciting.

I relaxed for a few weeks back in my favourite anchorage near Tapana island. The weather much cooler now and the cyclone season just a memory. Lovely walks at low tide and weekly trips to town for coffee and shopping. But the hull still needed a new coat of antifouling, the rudder had developed a rather unnerving wobble and the Navik still had to be re-installed.

Hauling out at the Boatyard

So, I sailed around to an anchorage near to the Boatyard slipway and the next day, when the tide was right, Speedwell was hauled ashore. I cleaned and painted the hull myself and Ken, of ‘Friendly Island Fabrication’ did a great job of sorting out the rudder. I also took the opportunity to remount the Navik. It has been practically rebuilt and looks almost as good as new. Ten days after hauling out we were back in the water. A new record for me.

Rudder looking good

June 27th, 2019  |  Posted in Cruising, South Pacific  |  2 Comments »

Waiting out the cyclone season

Author: Shirlz

1 April 2019

For the past few months Speedwell and I have been securely moored in a sheltered bay keeping a wary eye on a selection of internet weather forecasts. I have always made a serious effort to be away from areas that are affected by hurricanes, or cyclones as they are referred to here, in the summer months so this is a new experience for me.

A neighbouring boat during one of the storms

So far we have had three potential storms, two of which were classified as actual cyclones albeit in the fairly benign categories of one and two. There was a lot of torrential rain and some very strong squalls, but so far (touch wood) no damage. The sail had been taken down for repairs which helped to reduce windage, but has meant that I’ve been rather reluctant to venture out and explore other anchorages. Sod’s Law dictates that as soon as I get the sail back on a dreaded ‘bad one’ will strike. So I patiently hang on until the official end of the cyclone season.

The anchorage on a good day

In the meantime I have managed to complete a myriad of fiddly repair jobs which needed doing. Too many and probably just too trivial to be mentioned here. The weather, of course, has been very hot and humid but daily swims in the crystal clear water help. The hull needs regular scrubbing to keep the weed and barnacles under control and this gives me plenty of opportunity to get familiar with the hoards of tiny fish which have opportunistically colonised this friendly floating reef. Sometimes bigger ones also make an appearance.  I have been told that they are good for eating but would feel just too traitorous to be sitting there with a hook on the end of a line trying to catch one.

Bigger fish going after some stale bread

Whenever there is a calm day I venture out on my inflatable kayak and explore the neighbouring islands. The water is so clear that gently floating over the shallows, just inches from the colourful coral is almost as good as snorkelling. Tiny, psychedelicly-patterned fish go quietly about their business. A pair of clownfish looking like something out of a Pixar movie frequent a nearby purple anemone.  There are sea snakes around but so far I haven’t encountered any. Apparently their mouths are very small which makes it unlikely that they could inflict a bite.

Mela and Lisa of Café Tropicana

The highlight of the week is a trip into town with Larry and Sheri who have a truck parked ashore. First stop is always the ‘Tropicana’ for a mug of Greg’s superb coffee and a chocolate brownie for breakfast. Then it’s on to the open market to hopefully find something green and leafy to eat. This is not the best time of the year for fresh produce. I have discovered many delicious ways of cooking plantains and sometimes I might find a good avocado. The pineapple season is over, mangos made a very brief appearance and don’t even think ‘lettuce and tomatoes’. Of course there are always bananas.

Downtown Neiafu

Next, a browse through the many small grocery stores that line the main street. Most of the shopkeepers are Chinese and they all seem to stock the same basic essentials. Nothing is cheap unless you can find a bargain bin of cans and packages that have passed their sell-by date. For light relief we cruise the flea-markets with their piles of cheap, colourful clothing. Mostly priced at about $2 so I sometimes indulge. Despite the heat the rule here is to dress conservatively which, for the ladies, means no bare shoulders, knees or wanton cleavages. So one sweats.

A beautiful day for a walk

Yesterday there was a conveniently-timed low tide at about 10 in the morning and Sheri and I took advantage of the opportunity and went for a long walk on the exposed outer shore of the island. It was quite magnificent with a view of the outlying islands on one side and green jungle down to the coral.on the other. Now and then a small white beach.

Sheri looking at the ancient cut slabs

Some way along there is a big area of flat coral. In ancient times massive rectangular slabs were cut here and transported overland to be used in the construction of royal tombs called ‘langi’. Old pottery has also been found in the area. All from many centuries before the first European ‘discoverers’. We lingered a while, marvelling over the effort that must have been involved, before continuing on our way and eventually back along a jungle track which came down to the beach about a mile from the anchorage. The tide had been creeping in and we had an almost waist-high wade to get back to the dinghy. High adventure.

A few weeks ago I realized that my 6-month visa would expire before the end of April and I needed to leave the country for a short while in order to get it renewed. Fortunately there is a weekly flight to Fiji, so on Saturday I will be flying out for a week which will give me a quick preview of my next cruising destination.

April 1st, 2019  |  Posted in Cruising, South Pacific  |  1 Comment »

Tonga

Author: Shirlz

The anchorage at Neiafu, the main town of Vava’u, is well protected from all winds and crowded with moorings. There seemed no alternative but to pick one up or anchor way out in water about 30m deep.

The mooring field at Neiafu

I used the time there to do some shopping at the really good open market where it was evident that pineapples were in season. Very sweet and deliciously juicy.

Pineapples at the market

Walking around the outskirts of town I was amazed at the number of pigs and piglets wandering freely about. I found out later that many of them are feral and are a bit of a nuisance. Although, I thought the tiny piglets were rather cute, always keeping within safe proximity to their own personal milkbar and protector.

Street Pigs

On one of my walks, to have a look at a small cave, I was viciously attacked by a pack of 5 or 6 dogs. It was a terrifying experience. Luckily I was rescued before too much damage was done. The local hospital gave me a tetanus shot but no stitches were required. I’ve been advised to carry a stone on my walks so that I can threaten to throw it at any worrisome dogs, as they are generally known to be a bit of a problem.

After paying for a week on a mooring I decided to try to find a less crowded place to anchor. I had managed to get a copy of a chartlet showing the recommended anchoring spots and set off to start exploring.

Anchorages in Vava’u

After a short (5 miles) sail I found a place in the beautiful bay of Port Morelle. Not really a port as such, just a lovely small white beach at the head of a bay surrounded by forest. It was wonderful to be away from the throng with only 2 or 3 other boats in the anchorage. A strong east wind had been blowing ever since I first arrived but here it was relatively calm with crystal clear water making snorkelling irresistible. After a few days the wind finally dropped and I paddled across to the reefs that line the shore.

A boat called ‘Love’ in Port Morelle

Inevitably, after about a week, the wind came round to north west which is the only direction to which the bay is open. It kicked up a nasty swell – time to move on. So another five miles of magical sailing to the island of Nua Lapu where I picked up a free mooring in the lee of a small village. Dogs eyed me from the shore and I was quite happy to stay on board..

The sun came out at last

Next day the sun was out at last and I snorkeled among brightly iridescent turquoise and indigo fish. But supplies were running low and I sailed back to Neiafu for a quick shopping trip.

While having a coffee break, I met Sheri and Larry who told me about a good long-term anchorage near Tapana Island. They have a small catamaran and have been living there for the past 20 years, weathering many cyclones. It sounded like a plan.

I sailed there the next day really enjoying the clear, flat water, gentle breeze and exquisite surroundings. What a change to be sailing for the sheer pleasure of it.

Kayaking around Tapana Island on a beautiful day

The Tapana Island anchorage is everyone’s dream of the South Pacific. A really lovely place to relax and unwind. Calm enough to be able to do many of the jobs needed on Speedwell. I have the use of a very secure mooring and plan to stay here for as much as possible of the cyclone season rather than spending months in the Boatyard. Hopefully hauling out only just before I leave to do the usual antifouling.

Black Noddy on Bokkom the dinghy

A flock of Black Noddies have adopted Speedwell as the perfect place to perch and watch the water for their next fishy snack to swim past. They squawk and dive and flutter back. Sometimes the water is alive with bigger fish. A pair of tropic birds have a nest ashore and a small blue heron patrols the beach in the evenings. What a wonderful place. If only it wasn’t for those cyclones….

November 22nd, 2018  |  Posted in Cruising, South Pacific  |  4 Comments »