Speedwell of Hong Kong

On to New Zealand

Thursday, November 21st, 2019

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

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

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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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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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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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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..

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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

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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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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 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.

Posted in Cruising, South Pacific | 4 Comments »

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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 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.

 

 

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).

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

Posted in Cruising, Panama | 5 Comments »