Speedwell of Hong Kong

Waiting out the cyclone season

Monday, April 1st, 2019

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.

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Tonga

Thursday, November 22nd, 2018

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….

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On to Tonga

Thursday, October 18th, 2018

I spent eight days in Raiatea moored off a friendly boatyard. I was relieved to find that it was possible to restitch the sail in situ as it would have taken far longer if I’d had to remove the sail completely. A few other small repairs to the rigging were needed and the usual attempts at repairing the Navik. The main town of Uturoa was a long walk away along a busy road. No public transport but I was usually able to get a lift, at least for the heavily-laden return trip. I was surprised to meet up with Robert and Connie on their yacht, ‘Andiamo’. I had last seen them in 2003 in Mar del Plata when I was with Pete Hill on China Moon. They had access to a car and helped me to transport two jerry cans of diesel which I will use if necessary on the next leg of the trip.

 

Douglas, Erwin and Jay

 

After a week of hard work and expensive shopping for provisions I had a good break on Sunday when I joined Jay, Erwin, Douglas and John from other boats in the anchorage to go on a hike to the top of the island. It was quite a stiff walk at times and I felt the effects of all those months at sea with little exercise for my legs.

The next day, Monday 24^th September, the weather looked good and after making my farewells I headed out through a comfortable pass through the reef. It was slow and roly at first in the lee of the island but soon enough we were speeding along at 5 knots.

For three days we made wonderful progress making good nearly 100 nm each day. The sail looked fine and with a steady wind and reasonable seas the Navik was managing very well. As the wind got a little lighter on the 4^th day out I cautiously raised the bottom panel with the repaired batten. It showed no signs of stress and I was able to use it whenever necessary for the rest of the trip. I started working on a hand-stitched courtesy flag for Tonga.

 

Repaired batten back in action

 

Of course it couldn’t last. On the 28^th the wind switched to South and strengthened with a series of heavy rain squalls and black clouds. I quickly reefed right down and we were able to keep going with the wind on the beam. The Navik had to be refastened a few times. I was happy that I had been able to replace the broken zip on my rain jacket. I tried to pick up a weather fax but the daytime reception is very poor and there was nothing intelligible. Later at 3 in the morning I was able to get a very smudgy weather fax but there was enough to show that the outlook was not too grim. The pressure stays constant. I was able to get a few hours sleep.

We were passing fairly close to Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands, and I had thought I might stop there for a break and get get some weather information, but we were moving well, now with 4 panels up, and I preferred to keep going.

Next day we were down to 2 panels and a very rough sea. I didn’t feel like making all the effort required for cooking a proper meal and made do with a big bowl of popcorn.

 

Speeding along on top panel only

 

A few days later we were approaching Palmerston Island. Another possible place to stop and regroup, but the weather was so nasty that I doubted if the anchorage, which is outside the reef, would be tenable. That night I hove-to again and brought the Navik below to replace the washer which had effected such a good repair previously but had now fallen off. The epoxy takes 6 hours to cure so with some luck we should be on our way again in the morning.

2^nd October 2018

Moving on with just the top panel. Still many problems with the Navik which needs regular intervention to stay on course. During the night we gybed twice and I eventually realised that the string I was using to tie the vane and hold it at the correct angle to the wind was too thick and at a particular angle as the vane swung on its axis it was jamming against the string. I found some thinner string and it was easily fixed. But when I had a good look at the paddle I was aghast to see that it had developed a serious bend. In it came again and I wondered how I was going to straighten it.

 

Bent Navik paddle

 

While at Panamarina I had watched the beefy welder clamp the steel shaft in a vice and nonchalantly and seemingly effortlessly, bend it straight for me. I had no big vice on board so I clamped it as well as I could between my feet and bounced my full body weight on the bent section. It worked! Soon it was remounted and back in action, for the moment. Only 560 nm to go.

4^th October

I woke up this morning to good sailing conditions again. Hauled up another panel of the sail and we are running dead downwind at about 4 knots, nicely on track. I was able to brew up a pot of real coffee after 3 days of instant. Spent the afternoon putting the finishing touches to the Tongan flag.

 

Tongan courtesy flag

 

Over the next couple of days the wind died completely and we wallowed about on a satin smooth sea. I was grateful for the diesel I had bought in Raiatea and wantonly fired up the engine and attached the electric autopilot to the tiller. What bliss to sit back and let technology do its thing. Of course I couldn’t allow myself to get completely carried away as I only had a total of 30 litres of diesel on board and needed to keep some in reserve for the final approach to Neiafu. We had a favourable current helping us along and by keeping the revs just at the point where the engine ran smoothly with no vibrations we managed 4 knots. After 24 hours there was just enough of a gentle breeze to hold the sail out and I have to admit it was more peaceful without the racket of the engine.

8^th October

Wind blowing strongly again but we are moving comfortably along. The sky is a messy confusion of scratchy cirrus clouds which is not a good sign. I hope we get in before the bad weather arrives.

Wednesday, 10^th October 2018

Arrived 10 miles NE of Vava’u at 3am. Still pitch dark with strong wind and rough sea. An accidental gybe convinced me that it was time to heave-to for a couple of hours, get some sleep and wait for sunrise. A ship in the distance showed up on the AIS. The first traffic I had spotted since leaving Raiatea.

 

Vava’u coastline

 

We started sailing again at first light along the west coast of the island. It was quite spectacular with steep cliffs and wooded slopes. The sea much flatter in the lee of the island. The entrance to the sheltered waters was outstandingly beautiful with small scattered islands leading up to the narrow channel through to the main harbour. Once through the narrow section, I lowered the sail and put out some fenders and ropes as one has to tie up to the customs dock on arrival. When I got closer I saw to my dismay that the dock was very high and very rough and I doubted if I could even reach the top to tie off a rope. Luckily there was a medium sized wooden fishing boat at the dock and they agreed to let me raft up alongside them and helped me with the lines and fenders. I was very grateful.

The yellow quarantine flag was hoisted and soon enough the full contingent of customs, agriculture, health and immigration officials arrived with reams of forms to be completed. All managed to clamber across the fishing boat and negotiate the rather awkward access to Speedwell. It was certainly easier for me than having to track down all the various departments ashore as I have had to do many times before.

After clearing in was completed I moved away from the dock and was obliged to pick up a mooring as there is no anchoring allowed in the sheltered bay. I plan to spend a few days on the mooring and then hope to explore the rest of the island group.

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Stormy weather

Wednesday, September 19th, 2018

The Gambier Archipelago is the sort of place where I could happily spend a few months but it was not to be and after picking up a last Passage Weather forecast and dumping my garbage I rowed over to Otter II to say goodbye. I may meet up with them again in New Zealand.

The usual hard work getting the anchor up from 27m below and we motored carefully through the well-marked reef. The wind was quite fresh SW. I wondered if I should be waiting another day. It took 3 hours to cross to the island of Taravai where I planned to spend the night. I tried the Navik and it seems to be OK. The anchorage at Taravai is surrounded by reef and a rather shallow patch has to be crossed to get in. The tide was going out and the light was bad with the sun in my eyes. Second thoughts about going in but I didn’t feel ready to go to sea and wanted a good night’s sleep so I pressed on. The Navionics chart bore little resemblance to reality. At one point I bounced off the bottom where the chart showed 9m.

Taravai anchorage

I carefully explored the area and eventually put the anchor down in 15m close in to beach and shallows but with plenty of swinging room. Overnight the wind picked up a bit but we were comfortable enough. It poured with rain. The primus burner developed a startling leak. I hope I can find a replacement in the morning. Just managed to finish cooking my dinner with help from the emergency gas stove.

25 August

I had to wait until midday for conditions to ease enough for me to venture through the rather unnerving reef. Then it was strong wind and big seas for the first 2 days which had us racing along under the top panel only with the Navik holding us faithfully on course. The wind was from the SE and I used it to get a bit further N where the forecast shows better weather.

Now the wind has dropped a bit and backed to NE. We are moving comfortably and have been doing nearly 90 nm per day.

30 August

A slow slog to windward followed until we came up to a solid bank of cloud and the wind did a sudden 100° shift to the SW. Very gusty and unsettled. Calms and squalls. Very heavy rain. I came up on a port tack and it looked promising for a while but by sundown the wind had strengthened so much that I decided it would be best to heave to for the night. This turned out to be a good decision and I had a reasonably comfortable night’s sleep while we drifted slowly on course. Just two panels up. A dark night with no moon.

31 August

In the morning the wind was still about F7 but now I could at least see what was going on. By 11 the wind had dropped a little and I eased the sail out and set up the Navik to hold the wind on the aft quarter, moving along reasonably easily doing just under 4 knots, but not for long and soon we had to heave-to once again.

1 September

Slight improvement in the weather this morning the pressure is still very high. Waves still too big for me to try sailing again.

Hove-to

After lunch I checked the Navik thinking that we might be able to get going again soonish. The lashing I had tied to hold the paddle on its worn down pivoting pin had broken the steel loop and the paddle was flapping helplessly about. Always something. I managed to get it out of the water and down below. My son, Pete’s wonderfully sharp knife was used to cut the lashing. The problem is that the cone shaped notch that the pivoting pin fits into has worn away and is now too big so the pin keeps slipping out. The lashing had been holding it together but now I no longer had that option. What to do? I decided to try using some steel epoxy gunge to glue two washers over the enlarged hole to make it a better fit for the pin. Now I’ll have to wait 6 hours for it to cure before I can test it. Maybe in the morning the weather will be OK.

I’ve decided to head for Raiatea which is half the distance to Rarotonga. Still in French Polynesia so I’ll have to keep a low profile.

2 September

Weather still too bad to start sailing again. We are slowly moving N which takes us closer to Raiatea and hopefully towards better weather. 4 days hove-to is becoming boring. At times I despair of the weather ever changing and imagine the boat slowly giving up the battle and falling gradually apart. Being overwhelmed by the huge seas and raging wind. On the long passage from Panama there had also been bad times but I had a bottle of champagne in the booze locker and planned to go down sipping the bubbly. Now all I had was rum.

Sail showing fatigue

Quite a lot of water getting into the bilge because of the breaking seas swamping us every now and then. I rigged up the hose so that I can have it ready for pumping without having to remove the engine cover each time. All these small problems start to snowball.

4 September

Tried again this morning to start sailing but still too rough. I need to reinstall the Navik paddle and can’t do it in this sort of sea. So we stay hove-to. Pouring with rain. Every now and then a big wave sweeps us and water pours below. The sliding companionway hatch does little to prevent it. My bunk is sodden. I doze off and cold water splashes me rudely awake. The little bilge pump keeps things under control but will flatten the battery if we don’t get some sun soon.

The primus has been soaked and now is impossible to light. I’ve used up nearly all the alcohol I have for preheating in futile attempts to get it alight. I really need my caffeine fix in the morning so made instant iced coffee with nescafe. Don’t normally have it on board but bought it for the line handlers when we transited the canal. Not too bad actually. Yesterday I discovered that couscous will soak up cold water quite well so I’ll have couscous and canned vegetable salads for a few days. The bananas and almonds that I was given in Mangareva are good for snacking. A trail of banana skins in our wake.

5 September

About 10 in the morning the weather was starting to look reasonable again. Heavy rain seems to flatten the seas a bit but inbetween the rain showers the wind gusted strongly. It was still impossible to perch on the stern and try to install the Navik. I wasn’t happy with my chances if I was washed overboard hooked on with my safety line. Too many things around the stern for it to get caught on and I’d be trapped unable to loosen it and unable to climb back on board. So wait until things calm down a bit more and trust in my ability to hang on.

As soon as the waves lost their overwhelmingly mountainous aspect I loosened the tiller and set up my faithful bungee and rope arrangement to do the steering. It worked pretty well and we were on our way again at last! Wind still strong enough to only need two panels.

I’m getting used to cold coffee but wish I could cook a hot meal. Dried beans, pasta, rice need cooking. When I get desperate enough I’ll mine the storage in the forepeak which is now full of stuff, to find a spare burner. I never throw one away so I have a big collection of old carboned-up ones. Some old stoves too. But it’s a fiddly job and can wait till conditions are easier. Thank goodness for bananas and nuts.

6 September

The wind died completely last night and I hove-to once again this time to stop the sail flopping about. What wind there was moved us ever so slowly in the right direction. Probably a bit of favourable current.

As soon as it was light and I had primed myself with a cold caffeine fix, I was able to re-install the Navik paddle. My repair seems to be working and now we are really sailing again. The wind has backed to N and we are moving happily with it just forward of the beam.

8 September

This morning the wind had dropped and I raised all except the bottom panel. I don’t really trust my repair job and don’t want to hassle with a broken batten again. Wind still forcing us north but I’m hoping it will back more easterly soon.

I took the opportunity to start drying things out and put on fresh clothes. After a bit of a battle I managed to light the primus. Looking forward to a hot meal tonight.

When I checked the Navik I saw that the smaller washer I’d epoxied on had come adrift but the big one is holding and seems to be able to keep the paddle in place.

Went forward to secure the fortress anchor which was coming loose. How much easier everything is in gentle weather.

I’m still hoping to be able to spend some time at Raiatea fixing the sail, etc and stocking up with more food. Not sure if I’m going to make NZ this year.

9 September

Flat calm all day. A chance to start drying things out. Got the primus working again. Made a raisin bread. Had a lovely fresh water wash in the cockpit. Reading Emma.

10 September

First thing in the morning I was able to start sailing again. Dead downwind doing 2 knots. The sea was flat and things were looking up.

Sitting dozing in the cockpit I was suddenly startled by the incredibly loud noise of a plane making a low fly-past just above the mast. I waved thinking it might be sightseers taking a look at us but then it circled and came over again and I read ‘Marine Aircraft’ on its side. Went down to switch the radio on and they called ‘Yellow Sailing Ship….etc’ Their transmission was very clear and their English good. I was able to manage without my hearing aids. They wanted my name and the boat name and asked if I had seen a sailing boat that they were searching for. I didn’t catch the name of the boat, but of course I had seen nothing. They thanked me and flew off. Bit of excitement. I wonder if the boat they were looking for had also been caught in the gale.

11 September

After a frustrating morning of alternating calms and heavy rain showers the wind strengthened a little and we made some progress at last. So wonderful when the weather gives us a break. There was even a bit of sunshine.

Too good to last of course and by sundown the wind had dropped again and was only just able to hold the sail out. I cooked up a tasty brown rice concoction in the pressure cooker and had a proper meal for a change.

The top section of the Navik has started to wobble about and I have had to tie it down with a piece of string to stabilize it. The poor thing really seems ready for retirement.

14 September

Three days of perfect sailing weather took us past Tahiti and Moorea. Only about 5 miles off the craggy coast of Tahiti, it looked quite dramatic. Friendly Tahiti Petrels greeted us and I even spotted some dolphins. A small fishing boat passed close by and waved.

Approaching Raiatea in the morning

We had a fast run all night and arrived at the pass through the reef at Raiatea at 10:30 in the morning. Fast downwind through and then the magical calm of protected water. Quite beautiful. The anchorage off the marina was very deep and all the boats there on moorings. Picked up a free one reasonably close to the marina but found that it was a private one. Richard, from a nearby boat advised me to stay as the owners might not be back for a while.

Started cleaning things up and drying out. Wonderful view across to Bora Bora only a few miles away.

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Short stop in the Gambier Islands

Sunday, August 19th, 2018

When I arrived in the anchorage at Rikitea, the beautiful sailing ship ‘Picton Castle” was there. What a romantic sight. As soon as I had settled in they sent over a launch with a big bag of very welcome fruit. They planned to leave the next day but when I told them about my problem with the self-steering gear they had me bring it over and did a great job of fixing the broken bit. So wonderful!

The Picton Castle anchored at Rikitia

The little town stretches along a single coastal road and I had no problem finding the Gendarmerie to clear in. Unfortunately I did not have the necessary visa for French Polynesia and was only granted 15 days. Rather a pity but it would be enough time to sort out the batten, put the Navik together again and restock with food and water. Not the cheapest place to reprovision but the little shop had a good selection of imported French delicacies and I went a bit wild with good cheeses and other treats. Local Rum was a shocking $30 a bottle.

The short stay was probably a blessing as after my slow passage from Panama I needed to keep moving if I wanted to reach New Zealand before the start of the cyclone season. My worst job was cleaning the hull. The bright yellow top sides had become almost completely covered in black and green algae which was very difficult to scrub off. Then I had to tackle the goose barnacle forest on the underwater part of the hull. I had been colonised by a group of voracious remora fish but they seemed to have no appetite for barnacles.

Eventually the boat was starting to look presentable again and I spent a few days repairing the batten between rain showers. Luckily I still had a good supply of fibreglass cloth and epoxy and was able to line the batten up reasonably straight and fashion a sleeve of many layers of glass which seems to be holding it together. When there was a calm day I raised the poor tired sail and used contact glue to stick patches over the chafed area and moved the bottom batten, which looked like a good one, into the slot vacated by the broken one. The repaired batten went down to the bottom panel which will only really be needed in light winds.

Not much chance for sightseeing but the anchorage itself is quite beautiful and I was happy to just be there. People were very friendly and I was showered with gifts of local fruit – pomelos, oranges, bananas, papayas, breadfruit and coconuts. Absolute bliss after weeks of tinned stuff.

There is an enormous church in the village – the result of madly over-zealous missionary activity in the old days. The elaborate altar is entirely decorated with shells. Rather different to the overpowering gold decoration in many South American churches.

As my allotted 15 days is for the whole of French Polynesia I am planning to make my next stop at Rarotonga in The Cook Islands, about 1350nm further along.

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Slow trip to the Gambier Islands

Friday, August 10th, 2018

As soon as the food lockers, water and fuel tanks were full I left the Flamenca anchorage and headed for the Perlas Islands. My first stop was Contadora. It was my final opportunity to use the internet and I was able to settle the last of the outstanding problems I’d been having with my rental property in Hout Bay. A pretty island with an exquisite powdery white sand beach. On 8th May, which happened to be my 70th birthday, Debbie and Bob arrived on the yacht ‘Dakini’ which they are delivering to Australia. The owner, Renata, was with them for the first leg of the trip and I spent the evening with them in their luxurious cockpit.

The beach at Contadora

Then I moved on to a few more beautiful spots among the small islands spending my last night at the southern most tip in a sheltered bay at Punta Cocos.

On 15th May I started the voyage to the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. 3800 miles to go. I did not plan to stop at the Galapagos Islands but wanted to pass north of them so I headed off in that direction. Winds were variable with calms and squalls. A strong current slowed us down. After a few very slow and uncomfortable days, I changed my tactics and turned south hoping to encounter more favourable winds. This was a good move and we made encouraging progress to the south before turning west again. I had been able to pick up the occasional weather fax using my SSB receiver and the app on my tablet. It showed SW winds until a little south of the equator.

I pressed on, slow and uncomfortable. After nearly a month we were approaching the Galapagos. I stuck to my plan to pass north of them. There was an amazing number of birds in the area. Many boobies, masked and red-footed. The red footed variety decided that Speedwell made an excellent roosting place and at times I had as many as 10 or 12 birds squabbling over the best places to perch. One actually got down below. A big bird. I had to lift him up and put him outside as he was very clumsy with his enormous wings in the confined space down below.

A very persistent booby

I kept heading West for a few more hundred miles and crossed the equator at 95° W. Now I could turn and head directly for the Gambier archipelago. For some days we had really good weather and I thought it was going to be an easy ride. Not so. The weather became very fickle with many days of intermittent squalls and calms. Then there would be a spell of strong NE which I took full advantage of. Unfortunately during one strong blow I heard a loud ‘crack’, which must really have been loud as I wasn’t using my hearing aids and it still startled me. I looked around to see what could have caused it and saw that the second batten from the top had snapped neatly in two about a third of the way from the leech.

I hove to and lowered the sail so that I could reach the broken batten and managed to lash it snugly to the next one down. I left the sail reefed as the wind had strengthened and the sea was quite rough. We carried on like that for a few more days until the weather moderated again and I raised the remaining panels. It looked alright and was not going to be a major problem.

Broken batten lashed to the next one down

But, I had been struggling all along to get the Navik to steer accurately and it wasn’t doing a very good job. There seemed to be a lot of play at the supporting rod and it was wobbling about. Wear and tear I thought. I hung over the stern to get a proper look at it and saw to my horror that the linkage to the paddle had broken off leaving it flopping helplessly about. It was a part that I had had repaired by a welder in Puerto Lindo. I lifted the paddle assembly in and stowed it safely below. I couldn’t see how I could fix it with the tools I have on board so I would have to reconcile myself to managing without it.

Just under 2000 nm to go and mostly dead downwind. I searched around and managed to find a suitable length of sturdy bungee cord which I looped around the tiller and tied off to a handy cleat on the side of the cockpit. Then a rope to the opposite side made it possible to fix the helm in position and balance the sail to hold us on a steady course with the wind roughly on the beam. The sail needed to be sheeted quite tightly in to maintain a reliable heading so we were not sailing very efficiently but it was a workable compromise and freed me from having to sit permanently afixed to the tiller. I had not taken in the wind vane part of the Navik and it made a very useful indicator of our attitude towards the wind which I could see from down below.

Jury rigged self-steering

Day followed interminable day. When we strayed too far off the rhumb line I would gybe and have to spend a while getting the steering settled again. I had plenty of reading material and became addicted to a killer sudoku app. I kept a detailed log and found plenty of small maintenance jobs to do. I had enough water and was managing quite happily on 1.5 liters per day. Using sea water for washing and some of the cooking water. I baked bread and crunchies and tried out new recipes using the pressure cooker on my primus stove. On the good days I was happy to just sit in the cockpit enjoying the endless view of the ocean.

Once past the Galapagos the birds virtually disappeared except for an occasional shearwater or petrel swooping and soaring elegantly about us before disappearing in the distance. I had seen a small group of dolphins soon after leaving Las Perlas but no more for the rest of the trip. A group of Mahi-mahi or dolphin fish stayed companionably with us all the way. They were about a meter long and brilliantly coloured with an iridescent blue body and bright yellow fins. Quite spectacular at night as I had a bright cockpit light which they seemed to be attracted to.

After some weeks the broken batten started to cause problems with the sail and as soon as there was a calm day I hove to and was able to remove it completely and stow the pieces safely below. The sail was chafing badly where it rubbed against the lazy jacks despite having covered them with plastic hose.

All along I had resisted using the engine as it would have not been much help against the awkward currents approaching the Galapagos and I don’t carry enough fuel to do long distances. However, as we were nearing the point where we only had 1000 miles left to go the wind dropped completely and I decided to motor for a few miles just to cross this important psychological threshold. It started easily but, oh dear, no water coming out of the exhaust. The cooling water inlet must have become overgrown with barnacles. I shut it down quickly to avoid overheating. I considered going over the side and trying to clear it but was not brave enough. So we waited for the wind.

I became so accustomed to the leisurely pace of life on board that I was not particularly anxious to arrive but I realised that people might be starting to wonder what had happened to me. With only 50 miles to go we had two days of bad weather which stopped us in our tracks but at last when it cleared I was able to see the islands. A tropic bird flew by. It seemed we had almost arrived.

Land at last!

At 4pm on 4th August I turned in to clear the entrance through the reef. There was just enough wind to keep us moving. Dark comes quickly after sunset in the tropics and we still had about 10 miles to go before the first possible anchorage. Fortunately the Navionics charts on the app I was using are very accurate and I decided to carry on putting my faith in the GPS. The water in the lagoon is deep with coral heads scattered about. Now it was pitch dark and the wind was dying. At last we reached a designated anchorage area where I found depths of just under 20m and decided to stop right there. Dropped the anchor, popped the bubbly and celebrated life.

Early the next morning I found my mask and snorkel and went over the side to clear the cooling water intake and check the prop for barnacles. Got the engine running and we motored the remaining 10 miles to the anchorage at Rikitea.

Posted in Birds, Cruising, South Pacific | 5 Comments »

Up and down the Amador Causeway

Monday, May 7th, 2018

It was nearly dark before I was able to leave the Balboa yacht club area where the advisor and line handlers were picked up. I wasted no time in motoring down to the anchorage at Playita.

Playita anchorage – spot the yellow boat

My guidebook recommended it as the better anchorage during the dry season as it is protected from northerly winds. This is true. Unfortunately there is no protection from the frequent high speed ferry traffic which shuttles back and forth between Playita and the small island of Taboga about 5 miles away.

The Causeway

The Amador Causeway was created using rock from the canal excavations. It links 4 small islands on the Pacific side of the canal and provides a breakwater for the canal entrance. The Metrobus runs fairly frequently from Flamenco island at the far end to the big shopping mall and bus terminal at Albrook.

Flamenco anchorage with Panama City skyscrapers

After suffering the ferry boat traffic for a few days I moved round to the other side of the causeway where there is another free anchorage. Here it was much more comfortable but the free dinghy dock was very crowded. There is a 5 meter tidal range which makes an easy floating dock quite a challenge. The dock belongs to the navy and there was always a strong contingent of camouflage-uniformed officials. Wearing a life jacket in the dinghy is obligatory and enforced. Luckily someone had given me one of these things some years ago so I could comply with the regulations. (Thank you Neal).

The dinghy dock with resident Great Egret watchbird

Now I had to do some serious shopping to reduce the risk of starvation on the long voyage to the Gambier Islands. I’m not planning to stop at the Galapagos and need to cater for up to 60 days at sea. Could be more of course.

Part of my can collection

Water is also quite important. I split the shopping into manageable loads for the dinghy as it was quite a long row to where I was anchored and there were fairly frequent rain squalls which made rowing quite exciting. On one particularly nasty occasion I had to resort to a tow.

Part of my water bottle collection firmly anchored between the bunks

My main water tanks hold about 100 liters and I have a vast collection of bottles ranging in size from 1.5 to 10 liters giving me all together a total of 200 liters. At 3 liters per day this should give me a bit more than 60 days.

Crushed cranberry juice bottles

My collection of 1.5 liter bottles was given to me by Hutch in Carriacou who keeps his empty Cranberry juice bottles, rinses and squashes them flat for easy storage. If you have strong lungs they can be reinflated and are great for water as they can be tucked in to any available small nooks and crannies.

Recycled

I loaded up some cans of beer to take up the slack and felt I’d done my best. Just grateful that I was only catering for one.

It’s a pleasant walk along the causeway with wonderful views on either side. I loved watching the never-ending stream of massive container ships, either having just passed through the canal or about to start their transit. I wonder how those precipitously stacked containers would have fared had they been forced to go around Cape Horn.

On the opposite side was a panoramic view of the skyscrapers of Panama City  and all the boats, Speedwell among them, anchored in the sheltered waters.

Bridge of the Americas and Eco Museum seen from the causeway

At last I had done all the provisioning that there was room for on board and the last of my ongoing property nightmares back in South Africa were almost resolved. I cleared out of Panama on Friday, 5th May and after a very last quick shopping spree on Saturday, set off early on Sunday morning heading for the Perlas Islands about 35nm away.

On the way out of the anchorage I passed the Sea Shepherd boat looking quite ferocious and wondered what current campaign it was fighting.

The Sea Shepherd Boat

For most of the morning we enjoyed a light Northerly F3. Pretty much downwind and we were moving nicely. It was lovely to be sailing again. But then the wind slowly and irrevocably faded and soon we were down to a depressing 0.5 knots at best. No way of making it in before dark so as it was going to be a dark moonless night and I wasn’t sure if there would be lights at the island of Contadora where we were heading and I didn’t feel like making a no-sleep overnighter, (all these excuses) I fired up the engine and arrived at Contadora just before dark.

Endless strings of pelicans heading home

Also heading home to roost were many hundreds of seabirds. Mainly pelicans and cormorants with the occasional brown booby.

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Canal Transit

Thursday, April 19th, 2018

My transit was scheduled for Tuesday,  17th April and I had to provide food and water for the 4 line handlers plus the advisor,  all of whom, I had been warned, had hearty appetites. Quite a challenge given my minimalist galley and absence of refrigeration. I decided to cook up a big chicken casserole in the pressure cooker the night before,  to be served with rice. Bringing the cooker back up to pressure before serving it the next day would kill any possible microbes. I also had to provide them with drinking water for two days which had to be in sealed plastic bottles  this rather went against the grain given the current concern with plastic pollution and the fact that the water in my tanks is filtered and perfectly drinkable.

All fendered and ready to go

The long lines needed for locking plus 8 enormous fenders were delivered to the boat the day before while I was out doing the food shopping.

At 1pm on Tuesday the line handlers boarded Speedwell and arranged themselves about the deck as we motored out to the Flats anchorage where the advisor was to join us at 4pm. It was hard going against a strong wind and a choppy sea with the unaccustomed weight on board. We anchored and I was told that they would like their lunch! So I fired up the Primus and dished up 4 hearty servings of chicken and rice which I watched them eat as we waited for the advisor.

New bridge under construction

He arrived at 5 and we motored up to the waiting area before the first set of locks where we rafted up to ‘Little Fish’ a beautiful and anything but ‘little’, Amel 55.  Lots of very big fenders were put to use and we were securely tied together.

Being nested up to a bigger boat meant that all the lines holding us in position in the lock chambers were sent to the big boat and my line handlers had an easy time of it.

Big fenders between the boats

It was dark by the time we moved into the first lock chamber and thin messenger lines with heavy monkey fist knots on the end were thrown across to be attached to the strong mooring lines. The boats are then walked along to their position and tied off to wait for the water to flow in as the gates are opened. The line handlers have to keep the lines tensioned as the water level rises

Approaching Gatun Locks

It was an other-worldly scene with the lights reflecting on the water and showing the strong current making whorls and eddies in the water as it rushed in.

Whirlpools as water rushes in

Once the water has risen all the way up the gates ahead are opened and we were walked into the next chamber for another step up. Gatun Lock has 3 chambers raising the canal a total of 26 meters.

Lock doors closing

Now we separated from ‘Big Fish’ and motored about 2 nm to an enormous mooring buoy where we tied up for the night. A launch came to pick up the advisor who would return in the morning at 8:30. I did my thing with the pressure cooker and rice again and kept everyone fueled up. Had a warm beer myself. The others had to stick to bottled water.

Big Mooring buoy in Gatun Lake

It was not a very comfortable night as there simply is not enough space on Speedwell for 5 people to sleep comfortably. But morning arrived, as it usually does, and with it a new advisor for the next leg of the trip.

We now had to cross Gatun Lake which was formed by damming the Chagres River and provides the water to operate the locks. For the first hour or more we had torrential rain with very limited visibility. The line handlers sheltered below. I had to stay carefully out of the way of the big ship traffic by sticking to the edge of the channel. At one point an enormous barge passed us setting up a big wake which created havoc with the passengers down below. Speedwell was easily able to maintain the required minimum speed of 5.5 knots. The good following wind helped us along and the advisor often had to tell me to slow down!

Miraflores Lock with cruise ship

At last the rain stopped and it was a beautiful day. We motored through the narrow and winding Gaillard cut which is about 7nm long and arrived at the Pedro Miguel Lock. Now the water level had to go down,  so water rushes out of the lock chamber and eventually into the Pacific. Before entering the lock we again rafted up to ‘Little Fish’.

The last gates opening to the Pacific Ocean

There was some concern about the strength of the current rushing out of the chamber and possibly overpowering the engine, but this could be avoided by getting the mooring lines properly attached before the gates were opened. We had no problems.

Soon enough we were through and on our own again motoring towards the Bridge of the Americas.

I had to make a stop at the Balboa Yacht Club to wait for a launch to pick up the advisor and another small boat to take the line handlers, fenders and lines off.

Approaching the Bridge of the Americas

Now I was in the Pacific and alone again at last. I carried on motoring past the yacht club and anchored at Playita a sheltered little bay protected from the prevailing North wind. Time to crack the bottle of bubbly.

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Getting ready for the Canal

Thursday, April 12th, 2018

I left the sheltered bay at Panamarina early on a windy morning. Waves were breaking on the surrounding reefs but the channel is well marked and it was no problem. Then a fast downwind run to Portobelo. While moored at the marina I had taken the sail off and restitched all the batten attachment patches to strengthen them and done a bit of maintenance work on the battens where corrosion of the aluminium poles was showing here and there. Everything held together nicely in the strong wind and the sail was setting well. It had been quite a challenge to re-rig it in the fresh breeze that had blown for days on the mooring, so it was good to have a meaningful shake-down cruise.

Portobelo fishermen in the early morning light

The wind was still blowing hard when I reached Portobelo but I found a good place to anchor on the North side of the bay near to the old fort. With the strong wind from the NE it was quite comfortable but it would be a long row to get across to the village. I had no real need to go ashore so spent the weekend, which I discovered was in fact the long Easter weekend, happily on board doing some of the many jobs still to be done and watching life going on around me.

Ships at sunset waiting for the canal

On Monday I sailed on for another 11nm to a very attractive anchorage behind a small island called Naranjo Abajo (Lower Orange Tree). It was one of a pair and with a long section of reef extending from its southern point formed a beautifully sheltered place to stop. I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to reach the busy harbour at Colon so I spent another peaceful night. Looking out to sea at sunset I was amazed to see how many big ships were anchored off waiting for their chance to transit the canal. I felt quite proud to be part of the impressive fleet.

Speedwell in Shelter Bay Marina

Next day it was time to face reality and I reached the entrance to the harbour at about 10am and prudently motor-sailed the last stretch through the anchored ships and in to Shelter Bay Marina. I hadn’t originally planned on going into the marina which is rather costly, but I had decided to use an agent to organize the canal transit for me and he insisted that I go in there to get measured. He warned me of all the crime and gangs in the town. I listened attentively and thought of the many times I have walked through the town between the supermarket and the bus terminal without any problems. So into the marina. Not my favourite habitat. Surrounded by shiny super yachts and lots of people, many of whom had never seen anything like my little boat before with its strange mast and sail. I found myself doing a lot of explaining about how the junk rig worked. I doubt if I have made any converts.

The admeasurer arrived as promised the next day and I filled in a stack of forms and paid out a stack of money and was given a date for doing the canal. It was to be Tuesday, 17^th April.

Rio Chagres

With nearly two weeks to wait I decided to save some cash and move a further 10 miles along the coast to the Rio Chagres where one can anchor in the river surrounded by virgin rainforest. The Eric Bauhaus charts provided details of the entrance and I had no problems finding my way in. There is a patch of reef and a bit of a sand bar at the mouth of the river but I never experienced less than 4m. Once inside, the river is quite deep and I anchored in a peaceful spot a little way past a small dock. It is possible so sail all the way up to the dam which was built to form the Gatun Lake which supplies water to the locks of the canal. Before the canal was built ships used to go up the river to get as far inland as possible before using the railway to Balboa.

If you look carefully you may see my blue butterfly

I rowed ashore early one morning and walked along the track to have a look at the ruins of the big fort guarding the entrance to the river. As I approached the small beach 3 army guys in camouflage gear came down to meet me and showed me where to tie up the dinghy. Then it was a lovely walk along the road through the jungle. My favourite blue morpho butterflies fluttered by and I managed to actually get a shot of one which is just visible as a blue fleck in the photo.

Entrance to Castillo San Lorenzo

The fort itself, Castillo de San Lorenzo, is well maintained with lots of information posters in Spanish and English detailing its history. Many attacks by marauding famous-name pirates such as Francis Drake and Henry Morgan, caused it to be repeatedly rebuilt. Now it is a good photo-op for tourists and provides a wonderful view of the river. I pottered about happily until the crowds started to arrive and then made it back to Speedwell. I had hoped to get a Wi-Fi signal from the top of the hill but no luck. It would have been good to get a weather forecast as I had been warned that if there was a very big swell the entrance becomes a bit hazardous. I couldn’t afford to miss my canal date.

Chagres River with Speedwell just visible in the distance

I decided to sail back to Portobelo and wait there until nearer to the date. Leaving early the next morning I got the sail up and motored past the sand bar and reef. Once I was in the open sea I switched off the engine and tried to sail. The wind was very light and coming from exactly the direction I was hoping to go. It was about 26 miles to Portobelo and at 1.5 knots it was going to take some time. Having to tack all the way would probably double the distance. I decided to fire up the engine again and use it to help us along. Oh dear. When I turned the key there was only a sad little click and no hearty roar of my 13HP engine starting up. No panic, this had happened before and I had been shown how to give the solenoid a tap which caused whatever was stuck to get moving again. It worked last time, but not today. I had a look at all the connections I could see but everything looked OK. I tried tapping the solenoid again. It wasn’t going to work this time. Well it was a lovely day and the Navik could handle the steering so we sailed slowly along.

By the time we reached the entrance to Colon harbour it was already 14:30 and I thought it might be a better idea to make my way back to Shelter Bay and get things sorted out there. I had managed to pick up a Wi-Fi signal as we neared civilization and the forecast was for less wind not more. I didn’t fancy being becalmed off Portobelo with no engine. Once I was able to turn towards the harbour entrance I had the wind behind me and we sailed gracefully through and up to the entrance to the marina where I anchored off and rowed in to try and organise a tow for the last little bit. I was definitely not brave enough to try tacking in between all the shiny boats.

Now I had to solve the starter motor problem as quickly as possible. Eventually, after two days of groping about getting greasy and checking out connections and getting advice from helpful people the fault was found by Greg, the resident mechanic. It was a tiny connector hidden behind the alternator which only became accessible once I had removed the obstructive alternator. Once identified, it took a few minutes to replace the connector and we were back in business. I had contacted the canal agent to say I might have to delay my transit, but luckily my date for the 17^th is still available so now all I have to do is get the boat organized to accommodate the four required line handlers. Its going to be a tight squeeze finding a place for them to sleep on board if we have to anchor overnight in the lake.

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