Arrived in Noumea Sunday night, stayed with my friend Jean-Yves near the airport. Monday morning off to Port du Sud to see our boat. All good, neat and tidy.
Spent most of Monday chasing down the SSB radio shipment from DHL. It has arrived, but not cleared, you come back. Go back we need your papers for the tax free import, back again. Phone call, this is not your name on the papers...and on and on...eventually at the end of the day I got the box !
Tuesday, spent most of the day installing the radio, tuner and pactor modem. After identifying the cables (ground and antenna) the biggest issue was routing the cables ..it was tight, but manageable. Anyway by 1500 we were all installed and bolted down and ready to test.
Bingo ! it works ! sailmails sent and received without issue...that's got to be a first !
Wednesday May 1 is a holiday here and I have to leave Port du Sud. So, up at 0600 and off the dock by 0700 before the wind gets up...the bow thruster makes life easy.
Out of the heads and into the lagoon, head to wind, unfurl the main, no problem, bear off a bit, unfurl the genoa and we're off at about 060 to the apparent we're going well. Harden up a bit and it seems with that genoa it will go to about 050 before it luffs. No problem, furl it up and out with the stay sail, no we approach 045....Its getting a bit lump out here, so turn and reach off back towards Port Moselle.
Furled the staysail in on its manual furler, easy. Furled the main on its powered furler not so easy....it has a lot to do with main sheet tension, the boom needs to be at right angles to the mast, in to wind an wound in with tension on the outhaul, not too much or it won't furl, too little and the sail gets caught in the mast groove...anyway, I think its figured out now.
Call Port Moselle, the berth is not ready, wait until 1400. So, anchored off and did washing in the washing machine !
Came time to go to Port Moselle, parked perfectly.
Took the Pickup back to Jean-Yves yesterday evening and spent a quiet night at Nassandou.
This morning Jean-Yves will drop me at Port Moselle and I start tracking down an authorised translator to have the Act de Francisation translated for the UK registration. I also need a Survey of Tonnage and Measurement. I got in to Bureau Veritas and he was to call back but he hasn't yet, so ONWARDS. !
Spent most of Monday chasing down the SSB radio shipment from DHL. It has arrived, but not cleared, you come back. Go back we need your papers for the tax free import, back again. Phone call, this is not your name on the papers...and on and on...eventually at the end of the day I got the box !
Tuesday, spent most of the day installing the radio, tuner and pactor modem. After identifying the cables (ground and antenna) the biggest issue was routing the cables ..it was tight, but manageable. Anyway by 1500 we were all installed and bolted down and ready to test.
Bingo ! it works ! sailmails sent and received without issue...that's got to be a first !
Wednesday May 1 is a holiday here and I have to leave Port du Sud. So, up at 0600 and off the dock by 0700 before the wind gets up...the bow thruster makes life easy.
Out of the heads and into the lagoon, head to wind, unfurl the main, no problem, bear off a bit, unfurl the genoa and we're off at about 060 to the apparent we're going well. Harden up a bit and it seems with that genoa it will go to about 050 before it luffs. No problem, furl it up and out with the stay sail, no we approach 045....Its getting a bit lump out here, so turn and reach off back towards Port Moselle.
Furled the staysail in on its manual furler, easy. Furled the main on its powered furler not so easy....it has a lot to do with main sheet tension, the boom needs to be at right angles to the mast, in to wind an wound in with tension on the outhaul, not too much or it won't furl, too little and the sail gets caught in the mast groove...anyway, I think its figured out now.
Call Port Moselle, the berth is not ready, wait until 1400. So, anchored off and did washing in the washing machine !
Came time to go to Port Moselle, parked perfectly.
Took the Pickup back to Jean-Yves yesterday evening and spent a quiet night at Nassandou.
This morning Jean-Yves will drop me at Port Moselle and I start tracking down an authorised translator to have the Act de Francisation translated for the UK registration. I also need a Survey of Tonnage and Measurement. I got in to Bureau Veritas and he was to call back but he hasn't yet, so ONWARDS. !