Wednesday 16th
October
Off the mooring at Port Vila at 0445, having a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea as I motor out through the other boats and turn left in front of Nambawan café. All is calm. Quite the opposite of what is to come.
Finished the cereal and tea, turn to port into wind and get the sails out. Main first , requires good combination of finger operations with the mast furler and the outhaul to get the sail out without bunching in the mast and
not too tight on the outhaul. Only takes about 5 seconds and its out to the #1 reef position. The forecast is for 20 knots SE.
That done we can carry on motoring out from Port Vila. A fishing boat comes in belching black smoke from its vertical funnel. The AIS doesn’t
pick him up. I know it works, so he must have his transmitter turned off…it’s not infallible!
Still motoring at 7 knots (what a difference clean prop makes!) as we approach Pango point, the southern point of Mele Bay which is Port Vila.
Rounding the point, the breeze starts to come in and it’s strong. Out with the genoa, also to #1 reef position and we’re off. Engine shutdown and
we’re sailing. There’s a lot of S in this SE and its difficult make better than
165M heading, so that puts the route calculations off…and in the end it’s the time that suffers. This boat doesn’t go to windward like DIVA, nothing like as close to the wind due to the sheets being outboard of the shrouds which are on the gunwales rather than inside as on DIVA, among other
things.
Anyway, on we bash. Midmorning and the sea is starting to get quite big…remember Charlie, you’re in the South Pacific Ocean now, and it’s rarely as pacific as Magellan thought.
Approaching my first waypoint, well actually quite a bit to the west of it, decide to tack. Now the trick is to roll in the genoa quite a bit, then put the wheel over and as it turns wind the genoa in more to clear the inner forestay, then let it out again on the stbd side as we go through the wind….well…didn’t work did it? Ended up being sort of hove-to. So what do you do to get out of hove –to, well, you turn the wheel the other way and the wind will blow you out…so we ended up doing a 270 degree gybe to get on the opposite tack and away we go again.
This tack is worse from a number of points of view. It takes us away from our destination and the angle of the swell is harder to drive through.
Anyway, such is life and on we go. It’s mid-afternoon now and I’m beginning to fade. I have few naps in the cockpit and think about making something to eat but I can’t face it. On we bash.
Before the next waypoint I decide I’ve had enough, the boat slams harshly into every second wave and when it shudders, I shudder, hoping that nothing is going to break. But these boats have an excellent reputation. They’re no Bavarias when it comes to construction, they’re
solid.
Anyway, go tack off again, and I can see the same thing happening, and it does. Oh well, so be it and around we go…it’s actually quite a calm way to do it.
Back on Southing, still hard going, but much less than the other tack. Wind has actually dropped a bit. Decide to put out the mizzen. No motors here, all manual; a winch for the outhaul and a crank for the furler. Off we wind in two contrary directions at ninety degrees - like a madman hurling knives
at an imaginary target.
It’s actually quite easy and the mizzen is out. I try to tighten the mizzen sheet, but in my tiredness I wind the wrong winch (didn’t realise at the time) and later, the tie that holds the clew of the mizzen to the outhaul
line eventually breaks. I was having a nap when it happened. The mizzen is
flapping, so I furl it in and stow it. Can see the outhaul line hanging off the
boom, but at this stage, it’s getting dark and it’s not worth it to try and fix
it now.
On we press under genoa and main towards the next waypoint which is a tack over to head for Dillons Bay on the island of Erromango.
This time the tack works, maybe because the sea has dropped off a bit? It’s about 1900 now and black, but with a full moon.
I check the state of the power supply – batteries 82%. OK time to put the genset on. Well, it starts but doesn’t stay going..the light flashes…7
times..7 times..I count it…no raw water flow is what it’s saying…oh dear..I hope that’s not too serious.
The main seems to be flapping a bit so I let the sheet off and furl it in a bit to tighten the foot. Then wind the sheet back on…that all looks better. Time for another nap.
You guessed it, awoken by a bang and the sound of flapping sails.
The outhaul line for the main has come adrift…bugger !
Oh well, this tack is still too north to make Dillons Bay, so blow it, on with the motor , furl in the genoa to spitfire jib size and drive directly at Dillons Bay. The motor is doing 2400 rpm and we’re charging into it at 6.5 knots – thank goodness for 100 horses.
Running the motor like this will certainly charge the batteries – there’s a 175Amp alternator on that 100hp engine.
Approaching Erromango, turn on the radar and overlay the chart plotter with it – marvellous. The radar reflections show that the chart is out a
bit – the land is a bit too far west and south. So, with confidence in the radar we approach the bay. Looks like there’s another yacht in here. Turn the speed down on approach, anchoring is supposedly in 10 m, but the sounder persists in showing 100, and then suddenly when abreast of the other yacht, it goes to 15 then 10, 10, 10.
Anchor down and snugged up…2300…time for a cup of tea and a jam
sandwich ….. I have three while doing the sailmail back and forth. Eventually pile into the bunk at 0030…buggered.
Thursday 17th October
Wake at 0600 to a sunny morning. My neighbour is a sloop..about 60ft…from Bikini…is that a registration of convenience maybe ??
So think about what to do.
I know, bacon and eggs for breakfast – I deserve it, since I had such a hard day yesterday and little to eat – any excuse really!
Right, breakfast out of the way, what’s first? Sails of course, we don’t go far without them.
Mizzen first…looks easy, it’s the binding between the line and the outhaul car..ok, we can do that. Main, it’s the same ! except the loop on the end of the line has come apart. So, fix the main first and then the mizzen…good…time for another cup of tea.
My neighbour from Bikini has weighed anchor and is off, heading
for points north.
Let’s try out these repairs, Main outhaul car seems a bit sticky..a spray with INOX on the track, and we’re away. Mizzen works like a charm, I need to remember, the outhaul is on the left winch and the sheet on the right. It doesn’t help that ALL the lines for the mizzen are the same colour – blue ! But that’s an excuse for my failure, not a reason.
Next, genset…what does the book say…water flow error = impellor.
So, into the engine room, off with the impeller front plate. Yup sure enough the impeller only has about three working blades ! It comes out easily, replacement goes in easily and all back together. Now to find the missing blades. Off with the hose to the heat exchanger and there they all are…now on the engine room floor…clean the hose through with a cloth on a long screwdriver to make sure there’s no more..nope..check the heat exchanger inlet – all clear - all back on, start it up and it runs…good..a few leaks, cured by tightening hose clips and we’re going again.
Ah, well done, deserves another cup of tea…and its only 0930 !
Spent the rest of the morning planning waypoints for tomorrow’s trip to Port Resolution on Tanna Island, checking the chart (I have some waypoints for the approach and inside Port Resolution and it’s clear the chart is off a bit). So plan is to leave at about 0400 to be sure of getting there while it is still light.
A young man rows up in a pirogue and says hello. We have a chat about all sorts of things. He thinks the boat is beautiful. He is very well spoken and clearly quite bright. He tells me they have solar panels for charging
batteries so they can have light at night, but some of the older boys have been shooting birds with stones and a slingshot and some of the panels are broken. They are very expensive and too easily broken. I suggest that the boys should use their slingshots away from the panels. He agrees.
He asks me if I’m afraid, sailing the boat on my own. I tell him no, not anymore. I’m sure when you were younger you were afraid to paddle a
pirogue out in the bay..he nods his head..but now it’s normal for you… so as you get older and you learn more things, you’re not afraid. He agrees. After about 5 minutes he decides he has to go… he’s been fishing, but he lost his line. Mathieu is his name, nice chap.
Just started doing sailmail again, when there’s a deep “Hello” from outside. The man in the pirogue introduces himself as David and asks me where I’m from etc etc. Then he tells me about the yacht club he is building….you can see a modern 2 story uncompleted building just back from the shore. Seems he has a small business running with visiting yachts, offering
accommodation on shore, hiking tours etc etc…we do some trade..papaya etc for tins of corned beef. I ask him what he needs – he tells me kitchen tools..pots pans, implements. I tell him when I come back next time I’ll bring him some..this stuff is so cheap for us and they can’t get it at all.
So note to me for Erromango , next time – maybe next year
David needs pots, pans and kitchen implements, canned foods
Mathieu needs fishing line, hooks, sinkers etc
Friday 18th October
In view of the long trip from Vila and the underestimation of the
time it would take, I’m up at 0345 to get started.
Cup of tea going, engine started, anchor up, we’re off, in the dark. There’s a full moon but it doesn’t shed much light due to the 100% cloud cover.
Easy motoring out of Dillons Bay, there’s no wind, so it’s easy to set the sails and get ready for it when we go around the corner. And sure enough, here it comes 20+ knots directly from the SE and a decent swell running
more or less E to W. With the 20+ knots of wind there are some good size waves on top of that swell which makes beating into it a bit tough.
I’ve got 3 reefs in the main and the same on the genoa and with the engine running at 2000 rpm we’re able to make 6 knots at a reasonable angle
to the wind. I’ve got a waypoint set about 30 miles south based on the previous experience where a course of about 165M was the best we could manage. After 4 hours we’re doing quite well and actually aiming a bit east of the waypoint.
As we approach it, I think again about how to tack. This time I wind the genoa right in and power through the eye with the motor, unfurl to the
same position on the port side, and off we go again. This tack is a lot harder because of the swell direction and by 1100 the wind is up to nearly 30 knots true.
It’s really hard going now, the best we can make is about 055M and the white water coming over the deck is phenomenal. The occasional rogue
breaks over the gunwale and just into the cockpit, but we’re still dry…for the time being.
Bashing and crashing along, we’re doing 6.5 - 7 knots which is probably a bit too fast for these conditions when I see a particularly high one racing towards us with white curly stuff all over the top…BANG and it’s in the
cockpit, water everywhere, but I’m still dry !! Thank goodness for a hard
dodger
An hour or so later, same thing again, only this one is bigger…BANG it hits the dodger and the hull, makes its way through the gaps in the dodger windscreen to soak me from in front, climbs up over the gunwale into the cockpit and then bounces off the floor all over my back ! I’m soaked! So much for a hard dodger !
Anyway, it’s only water as someone I once knew used to say, and par for the course. No damage done and I’m actually laughing at how funny that
must have looked !
The water drains away quickly and a check of our course shows that we’re actually making northing a bit away from waypoint #2. A bit of hasty
recalculation shows we could possibly make Enangian in the NW tip of Tanna Island if we tack in about an hour or so.
So same deal, power tack – it works. BUT unfurling the genoa I can see about two panels down a tear in the stitching, it’s not very big, but if
left like that it will rip across the whole sail. So, furl it all in and keep on
course with reefed main and motor…it’s actually a bit more comfortable.
The next few hours are fairly uneventful as with increased revs (2400) we motor sail our way towards the waypoint outside Port Resolution. We’re
making good time and should be there by 1600 or so.
Just past Enangian and it starts raining, visibility is nil. The chart shows an obstruction halfway down the E side of Tanna, doesn’t describe it, no depth indication, we’ll keep well clear of it anyway. BUT how to know?
These charts are out quite a bit in places. The best thing is to use radar. Then one can see where the radar echoes from the land show in relation to where the plotter tells us the land is.
The radar shows us that the chart for Tanna is indeed out by nearly half a mile in latitude and about a quarter of a mile in longitude. Knowing that, we can accurately place this obstruction and avoid it easily. (BTW this WE is me and the boat)
The sea is still high and rugged as we approach the entrance to Port Resolution. The rain has backed off somewhat but the heavy dark clouds that hang over Tanna like a black cloak give a sense of foreboding on approaching this small bay surrounded by coral reefs.
As we turn towards the approach waypoint, in the distance I can see, just, occasionally, through the murk, and when we ride up on the swell, a white mast. Ah ha another boat ! The radar confirms the waypoint to be exactly
where it should be given what we can see – white plumes of water climb skyward on both port and starboard bow, as the heavy sea launches itself at the reefs; white spires on either side with the white mast right in the
centre.
We reach the approach waypoint and turn to aim for the second one, we are now lined up directly with the white mast – radar confirms it, we
must be right – check again – yup, we’re on it (reminds me of once going into Tutukaka in a big easterly with bubbling white foam on either side aiming for the leading lights and heart in mouth!).
Approaching the second waypoint, the wind suddenly drops and the dark heavy sea gives way to pale green like a furrowed field covered with some
strange vegetable– it’s not very deep here !! Past the reefs on either side with the spume flying behind us now, slow the engine and motor slowly into Port Resolution, where it’s quite the antithesis of outside – calm with a small residual swell.
I can clearly see the boat with the white mast now, it looks like an Ovni, but it’s too big, maybe it’s one of those Italian boats, can’t remember
the name.
Approaching the third waypoint, the depth is 5 metres. The cruising notes said it is 5 m or so all over with no obstructions, so anchor anywhere near the middle in good holding.
We proceed past the other boat towards the middle and drop anchor in 5m. It holds first bite and it’s solid. Time ? 1600
Look at the plotter and sure enough it shows us anchored on the land !
So get out of these wet clothes – have a hot shower – oohh that’s good ! and, of course, cup of tea!
Just realised I forgot to have breakfast this morning! So, a bowl of muesli, papaya and yoghurt went down very well.
Tomorrow, we’ll have to deal with that genoa and a few other things that happened on the way – the wind generator mount is loose, the flag pole on the stern is loose etc etc….1900 bed time – I finish off Hemmingway’s
Old Man and the Sea and then sleep, wonderful sleep.
Saturday 19th October
What a sleep !...woke at 0400 but went back to sleep until 0700.
Received a sailmail from my best mate in New Zealand with some experiences to pass on about boats with power winches, sails etc- good advice as usual, and some things that I knew but didn’t put into practice.
It’s too windy this morning to take the genoa down and on advice, I think I’ll leave it there furled up and use the staysail.
The rain has eased off and it seems to be lightening up when suddenly one of those big black clouds come over and it hoses down for about an hour.
Meanwhile, the other boat ,“Furioso” (I’m pretty sure it is one of those Italian jobs), departs for points north.
I get all the small things done, run the genset and have a cup of coffee !
Port Resolution is at the SE tip of Tanna and at the foot of Mt Yasur, the very active volano. The overcast over the land is so heavy that Mt Yasur is barely visible today. The volcano is the nambawan attraction on Tanna
and it receives hundreds of visitors every year. Guided tours to the volcano rim are pretty much the only income for the village down here.
Tomorrow we'll set of for Anetyium (Anatom) the southernmost isle of the Vanuatu group. I'll clear customs there for Noumea.
Cheers
Alan & Elyse
At 19/10/2013 12:55 AM (utc) our position was 19°31.60'S 169°29.73'E
Think about having lunch. I’ve been existing on papaya and yoghurt the last couple of days.
Decide to make a kind of seafood salad. I got out some frozen seafood yesterday to have for dinner, but I really didn’t feel like it then and put it in the frig.
So, old bread, chopped up finely to make croutons, fried in olive oil with crushed garlic, put aside. Seafood (squid, mussels, prawns, baby octopus) fried in olive oil and crushed garlic with the breadcrumb dust from the croutons, put aside. Chopped up some white and red cabbage, added chopped tomato, sundried tomato, capers all mixed together with a little mustard mayonnaise. Tip seafood over, drizzle with a little “olio extravergine di olive aromatizzo al tartufo” add croutons and with a glass of Pierre de Prunet Mont Baudile aromatic white wine, voila, lunch !
While all this is happening I see a yacht appearing coming from the north. They must have left early to be arriving at this time ! The sails are furled as they approach and I realise it’s Furioso from this morning. What happened? Breakdown? Too tough? Just gone fishing perhaps…we’ll probably never
know.
Well lunch over, it’s time for sieste…jolie reves….
But, hola, just as I’m emptying the coffee pot over the side, I see there’s a pirogue arriving with two men in it…oops, better put some shorts on..
“Hello !..I’m Tom this my friend Darro…Alan…where you from?….Australia…you come from Vila? …yes and Erromango, I’m going to Noumea…we have some foods, you want to trade?…I have too much food…you have bananas, papaya?…yes and breadfruit, chokos, lemons, tomatoes, cabbage…oh ok..so you don’t want anything?…I don’t need anything, sorry, why don’t you try that other boat, they were here yesterday and left this morning but came back, maybe they need something…OK my friend, have a good trip …. Thank you”
and off they paddled in their pirogue held together with bits of string and plastic bags, singing…well I suppose they call it singing….
Later in the day two more yachts arrive, one from the north, one from the south. The one from the north is another aluminium sloop, like Furioso,
bit shorter, maybe 50 ft ?, with Japanese symbols on the bow and an eye, but a Swiss flag….this boat looks familiar..I think I saw it in Vuda Pt last year or the year before with Japanese crew. These folk clearly aren’t Japanese, and shortly after anchoring they’re off in the dink to meet up with the couple that came in from the south on a “look-a-like” Lidgard 42…but I don’t think it is, flying a French Flag.
So that’s all the ‘goss from Port Resolution !
Up early again tomorrow to head for Anetyium, or Anyetium or Anatom…I’ve seen all spellings…who knows what’s right…I mean, it’s like Fiji and NZ, these people never had a written language so anything written in
English either has to be phonetic or it’s pretence…..a why spell it Nadi, when its pronounced Nandi…just like Whangarei…why would the early settlers have spelt it Wh (as in where) if it sounded like F ? (as they would have us believe it is pronounced).
Waiting for the South Pacific MSLP fax from NZ Met, and then its bedtime.
Sunday 20th October
0500 setting off from Port Resolution. It certainly looks a lot quieter this morning. Staysail is all rigged ready to go and the main is out to #2 reef. Turn to stbd and head down the coast of Tanna. As we approach the
southern end, the wind really starts to come in, 20 knots.
The staysail is out and doing really well, time to wind out the mizzen. Wound out to #2 reef position, we gain a knot in speed and we’re humming
at 7 knots. The breeze is a bit more E today (thanks Pete) so we’re able to
make a better course..156M instead of 165M.
About 1030 the breeze dies away completely and we’re left washing
around in the sea. OK, Staysail in and on with the motor…for about 30 minutes and then the breeze comes back..and after another 30 minutes we’re doing 8 knots closehauled!
We’re going so well I decided to go past our waypoint and tack later, but I didn’t count on the effect of being on the lee side of Anetyium. Even though we’re miles away from it, the wind dies again and with it the sea
when we’re about 2 miles south of the waypoint.
No point continuing in this direction if there’s no wind, so on with the motor again and drive towards Anetyium. Then the wind comes again, now
we’re on stbd tack, so out with the staysail and mizzen, of with the motor, and off we go again. Pleasant sailing now, not so much sea.
Heading towards the NW corner of Anetyium, time to tack. THIS time, we’re doing 7 knots and with the staysail it’s easy. Over we go to port and only lost 3 knots. Carry on ! But then, of course, the wind died…again…had
enough of this, we’re only 3 miles from Anelghowat Bay on the SW tip of
Anetyium, so start the engine, stow the staysail and mizzen and motor directly to the bearing line for the entrance to the bay.
The small scale chart is spot on, everything is where it should be and we motor into the anchorage in calm seas. Anchor in 10m opposite the village. There’s a German boat in here, another aluminium job.
Anchor down and tidy up the lines…the cockpit is awash with sheets, runners, furling lines…
Just started to write this when there’s a big “HELLO” from outside..it’s a large gentleman in a skiff with VANUATU POLICE on the side.
He comes over, ties up, gets on board “RICHARD GEORGE is my name,
everybody know RICHARD GEORGE” he booms. I introduce myself, shake hands and tell him I need to clear out for Noumea.
NO PROBLEM booms RICHARD GEORGE. He sits himself down in the cockpit, opens the letter from Port Vila Customs that tells him to clear me for Noumea and proceeds to slowly, very slowly, fill in the Vanuatu Customs Clearance form…he just asks me for the information and
writes it down. He doesn’t want to see my port fees receipt or immigration
clearance…nothing
He tells me there’s a cruise ship arriving tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure they fly immigration staff down from Vila to deal with that.
It’s all finished pretty quickly and with the official seal of approval and about 6 rubber stamps…they love rubber stamps !... he’s off to see the Germans.
So, I don’t need to get the dink down and fight with the pesky
outboard…great !
I can hear RICHARD GEORGE laughing from the German boat…man he’s
a loud fella.
It’s quite windy now, the boat is pulling at the anchor chain, the holding is good here they say, and certainly when the anchor bit, it was solid.
Monday 21st October
Woke up to see a giant cruise ship in the entrance to the bay….orange and white launches ferrying passengers to and from the beach on the nearby reef look like some sort of giant sea insects.
The locals are pouring over to the reef by the boat load no doubt
stocked up with the usual wares to seel to the hapless tourists.
It’s too far away to see exactly what is going in but there are a lot of people on the beach and someone kite surfing.
The little boats continue back and forth, some of them taking
tourists to visit the village….that’s always an uplifting
experience!
No doubt there are fees for all this ……no doubt at all.
Tuesday 22nd October
Calculations to get le Canal de la Havannah at or just after low tide…..
The course from Anetyium is 228˚T (well to Isle Mare at least)
The wind is forecast to be from 111˚T
So the True Wind Angle (TWA) to the boat is 117˚
The True Wind Speed (TWS) is forecast to be 15-20 knots
The Amel VPP (Velocity Prediction Polar) graph shows we can expect 8.2 – 8.8 knots under those conditions.
The distance is 200 miles. So it should take 23 – 24 hours
Well I think that speed is a bit high considering we’ll only be flying white sails. So let’s say 7 -7.5 knots … 27-28.5 hours
So Low tide at Noumea is 16:38 tomorrow, Goro ,at the Canal entrance is 1 hour before, so the low tide we’re aiming for is 15:30 roughly
So to arrive there at 1600 tomorrow say, we have to leave at 1200.
Done.
OK, let’s get ready … nothing to do really..let’s have a cup of tea instead!
1200, anchors aweigh and we’re off.
Starts off fairly light, but sure builds up once away from the island; we have three reefs in the main and in the genoa, trying to keep the speed down!...we’re doing 7-8 knots.
Through the night the sea builds and the wind gets strong …25-35
knots TWS.
But with 3 reefs in and no mizzen, we’re well shut down and nothing much can happen at this wind angle.
I’ve been snoozing on and off all afternoon with occasional cups of tea and that continues through the night. I know I’ve been sleeping as I
remember having strange dreams! Sleeping only for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, I never thought I could do that.
By 0600 were at Isle Mare..only 60 miles to go !! too fast, or left to early ! Well we know now that in those conditions 8 knots is well manageable and without a coloured sail in sight…good to know for future reckoning.
So by my calculation it’s only just over 8 hours to get to Goro lighthouse, so we have a couple of hours to kill. I know, we’ll north up and head to the west side of Isle Mare, heave to and have breakfast.
That all works !...this boat heaves to quite well (with 3 reefs in the main and genoa!), I’m surprised. So, muesli, yoghurt and papaya for breakfast ! Only I discover that my once was lovely, green papaya is yellow at one end and growing a silver and black beard at the other – over the side with
him!
So after a simplified, but still enjoyable breakfast, and a wee rest, we get out of the hove to position, just unlock the wheel, turn the opposite way, the wind takes us out and we’re on the way again at 0800.
Easy sailing, this trade wind stuff, just set it up and go, read a book, have a cup of tea..magic!
The weather has become excessively cloudy and it starts to rain.
Visibility nil for a while – the New Cal forecast mentioned this yesterday. At
least it will wash the salt off everything !
As we approach the entrance to the canal I can just make out Goro
lighthouse to stbd and the little hairy island that looks like a hedgehog on
port…so we’re in the right spot…the plotter and the GPS and the radar tell us that too, but it’s nice to be able to actually “see” where we are.
As we are abeam of Goro lighthouse the clock ticks over 1600 – parfait!!
From then on, it’s just a matter of following the beacons through the channel to get to Isle Ouen and into Bay Ire where we’ll anchor for the
night.
As we progress westwards, it’s obvious that the tide has turned.
When we entered the canal our speed over the ground (SOG) was just a little more than the boat speed through the water.
After an hour the SOG is considerably more…2 knots +, so that’s the effect of the incoming tide. I looked earlier at the tide graphs when the
tide was running out and the max flow today was 4.6 knots, so you can imagine with 4.6 knots of current going out and 30 knots of wind coming in over a seabed that goes from 350m to about 15 in less than a mile, what the sea would be like !
That’s why it’s important to arrive here at low tide or on theflood, and to leave AT low tide…to avoid the sort of mayhem that could ensue with those contrary conditions adding up to “proceeding with difficulty”!
Anyway back to the travelogue….
It’s still raining on and off and difficult to see anything. I spot a white shape ahead that looks like a big house on the water but it can’t be. Just as I’m reaching for the binoculars, the AIS alarm goes off, I select the target on the plotter and it’s the Pacific Endeavour, 142m long etc etc doing 9.6 knots…we're doing 7.7 so it doesn’t take long for him to pass
By the time we get to Isle Ouen, another two AIS targets show up, again, big boats ! There’s a newly opened mine in the Baie du Prony (most of
which is an environment protected zone – you can’t even walk there! Funny how mining has its own special rules!) a joint venture between Xstrata and the New Cal co SLN….it must be in full production judging by all this activity.
By 1800 we’re firmly anchored in Bay Ire on the N side of Isle Ouen. I’ve had a hot shower, shave and having a cold beer while writing this. I’ll sleep well tonight !
Good sailing all-round the last 30 odd hours…great stuff
Thursday 24th October
Left Bay Ire about 1000 and motored all the way to Noumea.
Called on Ch67, no space, sorry, you have to anchor and then dinghy in.
So..OK...dinghy off, outboard down, papers all together and in we go to Port Moselle.
As I head for the dinghy dock, I notice that there's about half a dozen empty berths...hmmm... On arrival at the office, I question that...seems they are doing maintenance on the marina and constantly moving boats around, however, there may be a space tomorrow.
In the meantime, fill in the quarantine form, the immigration forms, the customs forms, the marina forms, the forms !!!!
Quarantine ?..usually they come to the boat...we'll phone they
say...she wants to talk to you..OK..its the Chinese woman I can tell !Do you
have onions, garlic, vegetables, fruit, meat or meat products....no to
everything...maize...maize?...yes, popcorn, she says...no I don't have any.
Eggs ?.. yes I have two eggs, but I could eat them..OK, then you bring me the shells tomorrow.
She's not kidding, this girl is serious when it comes to garlic
and egg shells...I mean I could completely destroy the whole agricultural basis
of New Caledonia with a clove of garlic and two egg shells
!!
So tomorrow I visit the Capitainnerie at Port Moselle to see if
there is any hope of a berth and to check if the customs have sent back the IDF
(the form that gets one tax free services for the boat). Then downtown to
Immigration to get the passport stamped, then to see my friend at the
Quarantine office with my egg shells, and if necessary la Douane to get the IDF
form.
NEXT on the list is to find a sailmaker... the one I phoned today
just rang out ... maybe he was making sails?...we've got a leechline that needs
replacing on the #2 and a tear in the #1 that needs repairing..I'm not so
concerned about that...especially as it’s a Hydranet sail..ie it has carbon
fibre strands inside kevlar panels and I don't know how that is
repaired...other than temporarily with a big Dacron patch sewn through....that
sail is really too big for up wind ocean work. The #2 is a heavier Dacron sail,
and for me it works just fine.
BUT the really big deal is FINDING CREW
!!!
I don't have any ! There's a couple of notices on the board at
the Capitainnerie and I'll put one up as well, but otherwise there's nothing in
the horizon.
So if ANYONE knows of ANYBODY that has a bit of experience and
can do watches who could be interested in sailing from New Caledonia to New
Zealand on a luxurious safe yacht, sometime in the next 2 weeks...I would LOVE
to hear from you !!!
So come on all you sailors out there....jiffy someone up for me
!!
Tell them to look at http://sveleyse.weebly .com for info about
the boat.
Cheers from
Noumea
Alan & Elyse
-----
At 24/10/2013 8:08 AM (utc) our position was 22°16.89'S
166°25.86'E
October
Off the mooring at Port Vila at 0445, having a bowl of cereal and a cup of tea as I motor out through the other boats and turn left in front of Nambawan café. All is calm. Quite the opposite of what is to come.
Finished the cereal and tea, turn to port into wind and get the sails out. Main first , requires good combination of finger operations with the mast furler and the outhaul to get the sail out without bunching in the mast and
not too tight on the outhaul. Only takes about 5 seconds and its out to the #1 reef position. The forecast is for 20 knots SE.
That done we can carry on motoring out from Port Vila. A fishing boat comes in belching black smoke from its vertical funnel. The AIS doesn’t
pick him up. I know it works, so he must have his transmitter turned off…it’s not infallible!
Still motoring at 7 knots (what a difference clean prop makes!) as we approach Pango point, the southern point of Mele Bay which is Port Vila.
Rounding the point, the breeze starts to come in and it’s strong. Out with the genoa, also to #1 reef position and we’re off. Engine shutdown and
we’re sailing. There’s a lot of S in this SE and its difficult make better than
165M heading, so that puts the route calculations off…and in the end it’s the time that suffers. This boat doesn’t go to windward like DIVA, nothing like as close to the wind due to the sheets being outboard of the shrouds which are on the gunwales rather than inside as on DIVA, among other
things.
Anyway, on we bash. Midmorning and the sea is starting to get quite big…remember Charlie, you’re in the South Pacific Ocean now, and it’s rarely as pacific as Magellan thought.
Approaching my first waypoint, well actually quite a bit to the west of it, decide to tack. Now the trick is to roll in the genoa quite a bit, then put the wheel over and as it turns wind the genoa in more to clear the inner forestay, then let it out again on the stbd side as we go through the wind….well…didn’t work did it? Ended up being sort of hove-to. So what do you do to get out of hove –to, well, you turn the wheel the other way and the wind will blow you out…so we ended up doing a 270 degree gybe to get on the opposite tack and away we go again.
This tack is worse from a number of points of view. It takes us away from our destination and the angle of the swell is harder to drive through.
Anyway, such is life and on we go. It’s mid-afternoon now and I’m beginning to fade. I have few naps in the cockpit and think about making something to eat but I can’t face it. On we bash.
Before the next waypoint I decide I’ve had enough, the boat slams harshly into every second wave and when it shudders, I shudder, hoping that nothing is going to break. But these boats have an excellent reputation. They’re no Bavarias when it comes to construction, they’re
solid.
Anyway, go tack off again, and I can see the same thing happening, and it does. Oh well, so be it and around we go…it’s actually quite a calm way to do it.
Back on Southing, still hard going, but much less than the other tack. Wind has actually dropped a bit. Decide to put out the mizzen. No motors here, all manual; a winch for the outhaul and a crank for the furler. Off we wind in two contrary directions at ninety degrees - like a madman hurling knives
at an imaginary target.
It’s actually quite easy and the mizzen is out. I try to tighten the mizzen sheet, but in my tiredness I wind the wrong winch (didn’t realise at the time) and later, the tie that holds the clew of the mizzen to the outhaul
line eventually breaks. I was having a nap when it happened. The mizzen is
flapping, so I furl it in and stow it. Can see the outhaul line hanging off the
boom, but at this stage, it’s getting dark and it’s not worth it to try and fix
it now.
On we press under genoa and main towards the next waypoint which is a tack over to head for Dillons Bay on the island of Erromango.
This time the tack works, maybe because the sea has dropped off a bit? It’s about 1900 now and black, but with a full moon.
I check the state of the power supply – batteries 82%. OK time to put the genset on. Well, it starts but doesn’t stay going..the light flashes…7
times..7 times..I count it…no raw water flow is what it’s saying…oh dear..I hope that’s not too serious.
The main seems to be flapping a bit so I let the sheet off and furl it in a bit to tighten the foot. Then wind the sheet back on…that all looks better. Time for another nap.
You guessed it, awoken by a bang and the sound of flapping sails.
The outhaul line for the main has come adrift…bugger !
Oh well, this tack is still too north to make Dillons Bay, so blow it, on with the motor , furl in the genoa to spitfire jib size and drive directly at Dillons Bay. The motor is doing 2400 rpm and we’re charging into it at 6.5 knots – thank goodness for 100 horses.
Running the motor like this will certainly charge the batteries – there’s a 175Amp alternator on that 100hp engine.
Approaching Erromango, turn on the radar and overlay the chart plotter with it – marvellous. The radar reflections show that the chart is out a
bit – the land is a bit too far west and south. So, with confidence in the radar we approach the bay. Looks like there’s another yacht in here. Turn the speed down on approach, anchoring is supposedly in 10 m, but the sounder persists in showing 100, and then suddenly when abreast of the other yacht, it goes to 15 then 10, 10, 10.
Anchor down and snugged up…2300…time for a cup of tea and a jam
sandwich ….. I have three while doing the sailmail back and forth. Eventually pile into the bunk at 0030…buggered.
Thursday 17th October
Wake at 0600 to a sunny morning. My neighbour is a sloop..about 60ft…from Bikini…is that a registration of convenience maybe ??
So think about what to do.
I know, bacon and eggs for breakfast – I deserve it, since I had such a hard day yesterday and little to eat – any excuse really!
Right, breakfast out of the way, what’s first? Sails of course, we don’t go far without them.
Mizzen first…looks easy, it’s the binding between the line and the outhaul car..ok, we can do that. Main, it’s the same ! except the loop on the end of the line has come apart. So, fix the main first and then the mizzen…good…time for another cup of tea.
My neighbour from Bikini has weighed anchor and is off, heading
for points north.
Let’s try out these repairs, Main outhaul car seems a bit sticky..a spray with INOX on the track, and we’re away. Mizzen works like a charm, I need to remember, the outhaul is on the left winch and the sheet on the right. It doesn’t help that ALL the lines for the mizzen are the same colour – blue ! But that’s an excuse for my failure, not a reason.
Next, genset…what does the book say…water flow error = impellor.
So, into the engine room, off with the impeller front plate. Yup sure enough the impeller only has about three working blades ! It comes out easily, replacement goes in easily and all back together. Now to find the missing blades. Off with the hose to the heat exchanger and there they all are…now on the engine room floor…clean the hose through with a cloth on a long screwdriver to make sure there’s no more..nope..check the heat exchanger inlet – all clear - all back on, start it up and it runs…good..a few leaks, cured by tightening hose clips and we’re going again.
Ah, well done, deserves another cup of tea…and its only 0930 !
Spent the rest of the morning planning waypoints for tomorrow’s trip to Port Resolution on Tanna Island, checking the chart (I have some waypoints for the approach and inside Port Resolution and it’s clear the chart is off a bit). So plan is to leave at about 0400 to be sure of getting there while it is still light.
A young man rows up in a pirogue and says hello. We have a chat about all sorts of things. He thinks the boat is beautiful. He is very well spoken and clearly quite bright. He tells me they have solar panels for charging
batteries so they can have light at night, but some of the older boys have been shooting birds with stones and a slingshot and some of the panels are broken. They are very expensive and too easily broken. I suggest that the boys should use their slingshots away from the panels. He agrees.
He asks me if I’m afraid, sailing the boat on my own. I tell him no, not anymore. I’m sure when you were younger you were afraid to paddle a
pirogue out in the bay..he nods his head..but now it’s normal for you… so as you get older and you learn more things, you’re not afraid. He agrees. After about 5 minutes he decides he has to go… he’s been fishing, but he lost his line. Mathieu is his name, nice chap.
Just started doing sailmail again, when there’s a deep “Hello” from outside. The man in the pirogue introduces himself as David and asks me where I’m from etc etc. Then he tells me about the yacht club he is building….you can see a modern 2 story uncompleted building just back from the shore. Seems he has a small business running with visiting yachts, offering
accommodation on shore, hiking tours etc etc…we do some trade..papaya etc for tins of corned beef. I ask him what he needs – he tells me kitchen tools..pots pans, implements. I tell him when I come back next time I’ll bring him some..this stuff is so cheap for us and they can’t get it at all.
So note to me for Erromango , next time – maybe next year
David needs pots, pans and kitchen implements, canned foods
Mathieu needs fishing line, hooks, sinkers etc
Friday 18th October
In view of the long trip from Vila and the underestimation of the
time it would take, I’m up at 0345 to get started.
Cup of tea going, engine started, anchor up, we’re off, in the dark. There’s a full moon but it doesn’t shed much light due to the 100% cloud cover.
Easy motoring out of Dillons Bay, there’s no wind, so it’s easy to set the sails and get ready for it when we go around the corner. And sure enough, here it comes 20+ knots directly from the SE and a decent swell running
more or less E to W. With the 20+ knots of wind there are some good size waves on top of that swell which makes beating into it a bit tough.
I’ve got 3 reefs in the main and the same on the genoa and with the engine running at 2000 rpm we’re able to make 6 knots at a reasonable angle
to the wind. I’ve got a waypoint set about 30 miles south based on the previous experience where a course of about 165M was the best we could manage. After 4 hours we’re doing quite well and actually aiming a bit east of the waypoint.
As we approach it, I think again about how to tack. This time I wind the genoa right in and power through the eye with the motor, unfurl to the
same position on the port side, and off we go again. This tack is a lot harder because of the swell direction and by 1100 the wind is up to nearly 30 knots true.
It’s really hard going now, the best we can make is about 055M and the white water coming over the deck is phenomenal. The occasional rogue
breaks over the gunwale and just into the cockpit, but we’re still dry…for the time being.
Bashing and crashing along, we’re doing 6.5 - 7 knots which is probably a bit too fast for these conditions when I see a particularly high one racing towards us with white curly stuff all over the top…BANG and it’s in the
cockpit, water everywhere, but I’m still dry !! Thank goodness for a hard
dodger
An hour or so later, same thing again, only this one is bigger…BANG it hits the dodger and the hull, makes its way through the gaps in the dodger windscreen to soak me from in front, climbs up over the gunwale into the cockpit and then bounces off the floor all over my back ! I’m soaked! So much for a hard dodger !
Anyway, it’s only water as someone I once knew used to say, and par for the course. No damage done and I’m actually laughing at how funny that
must have looked !
The water drains away quickly and a check of our course shows that we’re actually making northing a bit away from waypoint #2. A bit of hasty
recalculation shows we could possibly make Enangian in the NW tip of Tanna Island if we tack in about an hour or so.
So same deal, power tack – it works. BUT unfurling the genoa I can see about two panels down a tear in the stitching, it’s not very big, but if
left like that it will rip across the whole sail. So, furl it all in and keep on
course with reefed main and motor…it’s actually a bit more comfortable.
The next few hours are fairly uneventful as with increased revs (2400) we motor sail our way towards the waypoint outside Port Resolution. We’re
making good time and should be there by 1600 or so.
Just past Enangian and it starts raining, visibility is nil. The chart shows an obstruction halfway down the E side of Tanna, doesn’t describe it, no depth indication, we’ll keep well clear of it anyway. BUT how to know?
These charts are out quite a bit in places. The best thing is to use radar. Then one can see where the radar echoes from the land show in relation to where the plotter tells us the land is.
The radar shows us that the chart for Tanna is indeed out by nearly half a mile in latitude and about a quarter of a mile in longitude. Knowing that, we can accurately place this obstruction and avoid it easily. (BTW this WE is me and the boat)
The sea is still high and rugged as we approach the entrance to Port Resolution. The rain has backed off somewhat but the heavy dark clouds that hang over Tanna like a black cloak give a sense of foreboding on approaching this small bay surrounded by coral reefs.
As we turn towards the approach waypoint, in the distance I can see, just, occasionally, through the murk, and when we ride up on the swell, a white mast. Ah ha another boat ! The radar confirms the waypoint to be exactly
where it should be given what we can see – white plumes of water climb skyward on both port and starboard bow, as the heavy sea launches itself at the reefs; white spires on either side with the white mast right in the
centre.
We reach the approach waypoint and turn to aim for the second one, we are now lined up directly with the white mast – radar confirms it, we
must be right – check again – yup, we’re on it (reminds me of once going into Tutukaka in a big easterly with bubbling white foam on either side aiming for the leading lights and heart in mouth!).
Approaching the second waypoint, the wind suddenly drops and the dark heavy sea gives way to pale green like a furrowed field covered with some
strange vegetable– it’s not very deep here !! Past the reefs on either side with the spume flying behind us now, slow the engine and motor slowly into Port Resolution, where it’s quite the antithesis of outside – calm with a small residual swell.
I can clearly see the boat with the white mast now, it looks like an Ovni, but it’s too big, maybe it’s one of those Italian boats, can’t remember
the name.
Approaching the third waypoint, the depth is 5 metres. The cruising notes said it is 5 m or so all over with no obstructions, so anchor anywhere near the middle in good holding.
We proceed past the other boat towards the middle and drop anchor in 5m. It holds first bite and it’s solid. Time ? 1600
Look at the plotter and sure enough it shows us anchored on the land !
So get out of these wet clothes – have a hot shower – oohh that’s good ! and, of course, cup of tea!
Just realised I forgot to have breakfast this morning! So, a bowl of muesli, papaya and yoghurt went down very well.
Tomorrow, we’ll have to deal with that genoa and a few other things that happened on the way – the wind generator mount is loose, the flag pole on the stern is loose etc etc….1900 bed time – I finish off Hemmingway’s
Old Man and the Sea and then sleep, wonderful sleep.
Saturday 19th October
What a sleep !...woke at 0400 but went back to sleep until 0700.
Received a sailmail from my best mate in New Zealand with some experiences to pass on about boats with power winches, sails etc- good advice as usual, and some things that I knew but didn’t put into practice.
It’s too windy this morning to take the genoa down and on advice, I think I’ll leave it there furled up and use the staysail.
The rain has eased off and it seems to be lightening up when suddenly one of those big black clouds come over and it hoses down for about an hour.
Meanwhile, the other boat ,“Furioso” (I’m pretty sure it is one of those Italian jobs), departs for points north.
I get all the small things done, run the genset and have a cup of coffee !
Port Resolution is at the SE tip of Tanna and at the foot of Mt Yasur, the very active volano. The overcast over the land is so heavy that Mt Yasur is barely visible today. The volcano is the nambawan attraction on Tanna
and it receives hundreds of visitors every year. Guided tours to the volcano rim are pretty much the only income for the village down here.
Tomorrow we'll set of for Anetyium (Anatom) the southernmost isle of the Vanuatu group. I'll clear customs there for Noumea.
Cheers
Alan & Elyse
At 19/10/2013 12:55 AM (utc) our position was 19°31.60'S 169°29.73'E
Think about having lunch. I’ve been existing on papaya and yoghurt the last couple of days.
Decide to make a kind of seafood salad. I got out some frozen seafood yesterday to have for dinner, but I really didn’t feel like it then and put it in the frig.
So, old bread, chopped up finely to make croutons, fried in olive oil with crushed garlic, put aside. Seafood (squid, mussels, prawns, baby octopus) fried in olive oil and crushed garlic with the breadcrumb dust from the croutons, put aside. Chopped up some white and red cabbage, added chopped tomato, sundried tomato, capers all mixed together with a little mustard mayonnaise. Tip seafood over, drizzle with a little “olio extravergine di olive aromatizzo al tartufo” add croutons and with a glass of Pierre de Prunet Mont Baudile aromatic white wine, voila, lunch !
While all this is happening I see a yacht appearing coming from the north. They must have left early to be arriving at this time ! The sails are furled as they approach and I realise it’s Furioso from this morning. What happened? Breakdown? Too tough? Just gone fishing perhaps…we’ll probably never
know.
Well lunch over, it’s time for sieste…jolie reves….
But, hola, just as I’m emptying the coffee pot over the side, I see there’s a pirogue arriving with two men in it…oops, better put some shorts on..
“Hello !..I’m Tom this my friend Darro…Alan…where you from?….Australia…you come from Vila? …yes and Erromango, I’m going to Noumea…we have some foods, you want to trade?…I have too much food…you have bananas, papaya?…yes and breadfruit, chokos, lemons, tomatoes, cabbage…oh ok..so you don’t want anything?…I don’t need anything, sorry, why don’t you try that other boat, they were here yesterday and left this morning but came back, maybe they need something…OK my friend, have a good trip …. Thank you”
and off they paddled in their pirogue held together with bits of string and plastic bags, singing…well I suppose they call it singing….
Later in the day two more yachts arrive, one from the north, one from the south. The one from the north is another aluminium sloop, like Furioso,
bit shorter, maybe 50 ft ?, with Japanese symbols on the bow and an eye, but a Swiss flag….this boat looks familiar..I think I saw it in Vuda Pt last year or the year before with Japanese crew. These folk clearly aren’t Japanese, and shortly after anchoring they’re off in the dink to meet up with the couple that came in from the south on a “look-a-like” Lidgard 42…but I don’t think it is, flying a French Flag.
So that’s all the ‘goss from Port Resolution !
Up early again tomorrow to head for Anetyium, or Anyetium or Anatom…I’ve seen all spellings…who knows what’s right…I mean, it’s like Fiji and NZ, these people never had a written language so anything written in
English either has to be phonetic or it’s pretence…..a why spell it Nadi, when its pronounced Nandi…just like Whangarei…why would the early settlers have spelt it Wh (as in where) if it sounded like F ? (as they would have us believe it is pronounced).
Waiting for the South Pacific MSLP fax from NZ Met, and then its bedtime.
Sunday 20th October
0500 setting off from Port Resolution. It certainly looks a lot quieter this morning. Staysail is all rigged ready to go and the main is out to #2 reef. Turn to stbd and head down the coast of Tanna. As we approach the
southern end, the wind really starts to come in, 20 knots.
The staysail is out and doing really well, time to wind out the mizzen. Wound out to #2 reef position, we gain a knot in speed and we’re humming
at 7 knots. The breeze is a bit more E today (thanks Pete) so we’re able to
make a better course..156M instead of 165M.
About 1030 the breeze dies away completely and we’re left washing
around in the sea. OK, Staysail in and on with the motor…for about 30 minutes and then the breeze comes back..and after another 30 minutes we’re doing 8 knots closehauled!
We’re going so well I decided to go past our waypoint and tack later, but I didn’t count on the effect of being on the lee side of Anetyium. Even though we’re miles away from it, the wind dies again and with it the sea
when we’re about 2 miles south of the waypoint.
No point continuing in this direction if there’s no wind, so on with the motor again and drive towards Anetyium. Then the wind comes again, now
we’re on stbd tack, so out with the staysail and mizzen, of with the motor, and off we go again. Pleasant sailing now, not so much sea.
Heading towards the NW corner of Anetyium, time to tack. THIS time, we’re doing 7 knots and with the staysail it’s easy. Over we go to port and only lost 3 knots. Carry on ! But then, of course, the wind died…again…had
enough of this, we’re only 3 miles from Anelghowat Bay on the SW tip of
Anetyium, so start the engine, stow the staysail and mizzen and motor directly to the bearing line for the entrance to the bay.
The small scale chart is spot on, everything is where it should be and we motor into the anchorage in calm seas. Anchor in 10m opposite the village. There’s a German boat in here, another aluminium job.
Anchor down and tidy up the lines…the cockpit is awash with sheets, runners, furling lines…
Just started to write this when there’s a big “HELLO” from outside..it’s a large gentleman in a skiff with VANUATU POLICE on the side.
He comes over, ties up, gets on board “RICHARD GEORGE is my name,
everybody know RICHARD GEORGE” he booms. I introduce myself, shake hands and tell him I need to clear out for Noumea.
NO PROBLEM booms RICHARD GEORGE. He sits himself down in the cockpit, opens the letter from Port Vila Customs that tells him to clear me for Noumea and proceeds to slowly, very slowly, fill in the Vanuatu Customs Clearance form…he just asks me for the information and
writes it down. He doesn’t want to see my port fees receipt or immigration
clearance…nothing
He tells me there’s a cruise ship arriving tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure they fly immigration staff down from Vila to deal with that.
It’s all finished pretty quickly and with the official seal of approval and about 6 rubber stamps…they love rubber stamps !... he’s off to see the Germans.
So, I don’t need to get the dink down and fight with the pesky
outboard…great !
I can hear RICHARD GEORGE laughing from the German boat…man he’s
a loud fella.
It’s quite windy now, the boat is pulling at the anchor chain, the holding is good here they say, and certainly when the anchor bit, it was solid.
Monday 21st October
Woke up to see a giant cruise ship in the entrance to the bay….orange and white launches ferrying passengers to and from the beach on the nearby reef look like some sort of giant sea insects.
The locals are pouring over to the reef by the boat load no doubt
stocked up with the usual wares to seel to the hapless tourists.
It’s too far away to see exactly what is going in but there are a lot of people on the beach and someone kite surfing.
The little boats continue back and forth, some of them taking
tourists to visit the village….that’s always an uplifting
experience!
No doubt there are fees for all this ……no doubt at all.
Tuesday 22nd October
Calculations to get le Canal de la Havannah at or just after low tide…..
The course from Anetyium is 228˚T (well to Isle Mare at least)
The wind is forecast to be from 111˚T
So the True Wind Angle (TWA) to the boat is 117˚
The True Wind Speed (TWS) is forecast to be 15-20 knots
The Amel VPP (Velocity Prediction Polar) graph shows we can expect 8.2 – 8.8 knots under those conditions.
The distance is 200 miles. So it should take 23 – 24 hours
Well I think that speed is a bit high considering we’ll only be flying white sails. So let’s say 7 -7.5 knots … 27-28.5 hours
So Low tide at Noumea is 16:38 tomorrow, Goro ,at the Canal entrance is 1 hour before, so the low tide we’re aiming for is 15:30 roughly
So to arrive there at 1600 tomorrow say, we have to leave at 1200.
Done.
OK, let’s get ready … nothing to do really..let’s have a cup of tea instead!
1200, anchors aweigh and we’re off.
Starts off fairly light, but sure builds up once away from the island; we have three reefs in the main and in the genoa, trying to keep the speed down!...we’re doing 7-8 knots.
Through the night the sea builds and the wind gets strong …25-35
knots TWS.
But with 3 reefs in and no mizzen, we’re well shut down and nothing much can happen at this wind angle.
I’ve been snoozing on and off all afternoon with occasional cups of tea and that continues through the night. I know I’ve been sleeping as I
remember having strange dreams! Sleeping only for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, I never thought I could do that.
By 0600 were at Isle Mare..only 60 miles to go !! too fast, or left to early ! Well we know now that in those conditions 8 knots is well manageable and without a coloured sail in sight…good to know for future reckoning.
So by my calculation it’s only just over 8 hours to get to Goro lighthouse, so we have a couple of hours to kill. I know, we’ll north up and head to the west side of Isle Mare, heave to and have breakfast.
That all works !...this boat heaves to quite well (with 3 reefs in the main and genoa!), I’m surprised. So, muesli, yoghurt and papaya for breakfast ! Only I discover that my once was lovely, green papaya is yellow at one end and growing a silver and black beard at the other – over the side with
him!
So after a simplified, but still enjoyable breakfast, and a wee rest, we get out of the hove to position, just unlock the wheel, turn the opposite way, the wind takes us out and we’re on the way again at 0800.
Easy sailing, this trade wind stuff, just set it up and go, read a book, have a cup of tea..magic!
The weather has become excessively cloudy and it starts to rain.
Visibility nil for a while – the New Cal forecast mentioned this yesterday. At
least it will wash the salt off everything !
As we approach the entrance to the canal I can just make out Goro
lighthouse to stbd and the little hairy island that looks like a hedgehog on
port…so we’re in the right spot…the plotter and the GPS and the radar tell us that too, but it’s nice to be able to actually “see” where we are.
As we are abeam of Goro lighthouse the clock ticks over 1600 – parfait!!
From then on, it’s just a matter of following the beacons through the channel to get to Isle Ouen and into Bay Ire where we’ll anchor for the
night.
As we progress westwards, it’s obvious that the tide has turned.
When we entered the canal our speed over the ground (SOG) was just a little more than the boat speed through the water.
After an hour the SOG is considerably more…2 knots +, so that’s the effect of the incoming tide. I looked earlier at the tide graphs when the
tide was running out and the max flow today was 4.6 knots, so you can imagine with 4.6 knots of current going out and 30 knots of wind coming in over a seabed that goes from 350m to about 15 in less than a mile, what the sea would be like !
That’s why it’s important to arrive here at low tide or on theflood, and to leave AT low tide…to avoid the sort of mayhem that could ensue with those contrary conditions adding up to “proceeding with difficulty”!
Anyway back to the travelogue….
It’s still raining on and off and difficult to see anything. I spot a white shape ahead that looks like a big house on the water but it can’t be. Just as I’m reaching for the binoculars, the AIS alarm goes off, I select the target on the plotter and it’s the Pacific Endeavour, 142m long etc etc doing 9.6 knots…we're doing 7.7 so it doesn’t take long for him to pass
By the time we get to Isle Ouen, another two AIS targets show up, again, big boats ! There’s a newly opened mine in the Baie du Prony (most of
which is an environment protected zone – you can’t even walk there! Funny how mining has its own special rules!) a joint venture between Xstrata and the New Cal co SLN….it must be in full production judging by all this activity.
By 1800 we’re firmly anchored in Bay Ire on the N side of Isle Ouen. I’ve had a hot shower, shave and having a cold beer while writing this. I’ll sleep well tonight !
Good sailing all-round the last 30 odd hours…great stuff
Thursday 24th October
Left Bay Ire about 1000 and motored all the way to Noumea.
Called on Ch67, no space, sorry, you have to anchor and then dinghy in.
So..OK...dinghy off, outboard down, papers all together and in we go to Port Moselle.
As I head for the dinghy dock, I notice that there's about half a dozen empty berths...hmmm... On arrival at the office, I question that...seems they are doing maintenance on the marina and constantly moving boats around, however, there may be a space tomorrow.
In the meantime, fill in the quarantine form, the immigration forms, the customs forms, the marina forms, the forms !!!!
Quarantine ?..usually they come to the boat...we'll phone they
say...she wants to talk to you..OK..its the Chinese woman I can tell !Do you
have onions, garlic, vegetables, fruit, meat or meat products....no to
everything...maize...maize?...yes, popcorn, she says...no I don't have any.
Eggs ?.. yes I have two eggs, but I could eat them..OK, then you bring me the shells tomorrow.
She's not kidding, this girl is serious when it comes to garlic
and egg shells...I mean I could completely destroy the whole agricultural basis
of New Caledonia with a clove of garlic and two egg shells
!!
So tomorrow I visit the Capitainnerie at Port Moselle to see if
there is any hope of a berth and to check if the customs have sent back the IDF
(the form that gets one tax free services for the boat). Then downtown to
Immigration to get the passport stamped, then to see my friend at the
Quarantine office with my egg shells, and if necessary la Douane to get the IDF
form.
NEXT on the list is to find a sailmaker... the one I phoned today
just rang out ... maybe he was making sails?...we've got a leechline that needs
replacing on the #2 and a tear in the #1 that needs repairing..I'm not so
concerned about that...especially as it’s a Hydranet sail..ie it has carbon
fibre strands inside kevlar panels and I don't know how that is
repaired...other than temporarily with a big Dacron patch sewn through....that
sail is really too big for up wind ocean work. The #2 is a heavier Dacron sail,
and for me it works just fine.
BUT the really big deal is FINDING CREW
!!!
I don't have any ! There's a couple of notices on the board at
the Capitainnerie and I'll put one up as well, but otherwise there's nothing in
the horizon.
So if ANYONE knows of ANYBODY that has a bit of experience and
can do watches who could be interested in sailing from New Caledonia to New
Zealand on a luxurious safe yacht, sometime in the next 2 weeks...I would LOVE
to hear from you !!!
So come on all you sailors out there....jiffy someone up for me
!!
Tell them to look at http://sveleyse.weebly .com for info about
the boat.
Cheers from
Noumea
Alan & Elyse
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At 24/10/2013 8:08 AM (utc) our position was 22°16.89'S
166°25.86'E