The weather lows and highs in the Southern Pacific Ocean and Tasman are what you watch for when planning the passage from NZ to Fiji. You wait until a low passes over NZ and ride it out – and then the high kicks in and gives you good sailing direction and you hope that another low won't get in your way! We had two good fast days to start. The seas were more raucous than we would have liked – but we made good speed in the right direction.
Day three was slow – 83 miles covered and we started the engine for two hours to charge batteries, make water and give us 12 miles forward! Then the wind picked up enough to sail, albeit slowly. Seas also remained very confused so we rolled back and forth and up and down.
Day four we noticed one of those nasty lows building – right on our track towards Fiji. It wasn't a low low (not below 1000 hectare pascals) but it looked to hold 30 knots of wind and 3 meter seas. We decided to make a detour and head more west to try catch the back end of this weather system instead of getting into smack in the middle. We thought this would limit the exposure time-wise we'd have in it, and the winds would be more favorable on that side of the storm. So we headed on a more westerly heading and we made good speed. We got 100 miles off our course line. But it wasn't quite enough to avoid the storm. It was cloudy, rainy and windy all day – but the direction was still okay.
We thought we had passed through the low – winds were in the mid 20 knot range and it was very squally – wind fluctuation, gusty and raining hard. But no...we were just getting the leading bands.
Day Five: Around midnight, we hit the big stuff (how come they never happen in daylight?) Winds grew to a steady 30 plus knots and gusts to 45. We had the boat ready – only flying a small handkerchief of a mainsail. We had pulled the reefed headsail in earlier when the winds hit 25. The rain was sideways and the waves were crashing and coming from all directions. But Astarte sailed smartly through it – hitting a speed of 8.6 at one point! Michael went below in the storm to download an updated weather file off the SSB to see which way we should head to get out of the system as quickly as possible. We headed north and three hours later we started to see starry sky ahead. The winds settled for awhile as we went through the center and then we we got the other side which was windy – but only in the low 20s. We made it through and everything held together – including us. We were tired but we were past it. The rest of the day we started to head back towards our course line – now heading northeast – but we had good winds to do that...and the skies were clear.
Day Six (today): It is lovely sunny day with a steady 10-15 knot southwesterly breeze and we continue to make our way back towards the course line. We are now passed latitude 24S and it is finally getting warmer (though we are still layer up). We covered 134nm in 24 hours noon to noon. The weather forecast has us heading right into a high with NO wind. We will ride the wind as long as we can and get as many miles under the keel towards our destination. We are more than halfway there – with less than 450 miles to go. If the seas are flat, we won't mind drifting for a day or so and we can do a good check on the decks, the rig and sails to make sure there was no damage. We also need to tidy up below decks as things did fly around a bit as we changed tacks and everything was battened down on one side of the boat … new loose stuff was discovered on the new tack.
The highs and lows of passage making – the weather systems are just one of them. As we heard on the radio net the other morning, some friends Mark and Ann on "Blue Rodeo" (also heading in the same direction as us at the same time – but a faster boat) said, "we just gave each other that look and then reminded ourselves that this is what we have to pay to get to see paradise." That's how we feel. The passage making has not been great for us for the last several trips...but we are getting to Fiji!
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Gettin' the ol' Sea Legs Back
Destination Fiji – Day Two.
After six months anchored in protected bays or tied up in marinas, it was time to head out again. Our NZ immigration was up on May 8th. The weather was changing daily with big systems showing up on the weather files one day and not being there the next. Weather was the topic of the marina with "pow-wows" regularly held on someone's boat to try to decipher the conditions. We had told customs we would leave on Wednesday the 8th because on the 7th it looked good. But the morning of the 8th provided a whole new weather picture with two systems connecting right on our path. We didn't want to be in another squash zone after last years Tonga to NZ experience. So we called immigration and got an additional 24 hours. We would look again in the morning. By afternoon, one of those two systems wasn't even on the charts! We told customs we would leave Thursday the 9th.
The 9th arrived and the weather charts still looked like it was a good day to go so we cleared out with customs and headed out just before noon. After 30 minutes to get away from the dock and past the car ferries, the sails went up and the engine went off. We were sailing!
The winds were 15 to 20 from the west-southwest and we were really trucking along. A clean bottom and a new mainsail probably helped us reach record speeds for Astarte. The sea was quite rolly though and so the "Astarte weight loss program" was in affect. No one was hungry – even with lots of prepared treats aboard. Moving around was difficult not having our sea legs quite yet and getting back into the three-hour watch system was tiring. It was difficult toy" sleep as the roll would send you from one side of the bunk to the other. The good news was the boat was much less "squeaky" after the rig got tuned up. Should have done that sooner! Also, with the extra time we had waiting for weather, Astarte was better prepared for offshore than ever. The fact that we've now done this enough also probably helps as we get things better stored and tied down now.
We were scooting along – averaging around 6.5 knots for the first 48 hours. Day one we did 153nm and day two 141nm noon to noon. The "Drifters" radio net is going so we check in twice daily and we have a few boats out here with us. Blue Rodeo, a speedy 50 foot Deerfoot is well ahead of us and Panta Rhei a 55 foot Roberts is also ahead though still in VHF radio distance. Our friends on Gypsea Heart decided to wait for the next weather window and we know Gaku, our Japanese friends are also out here but they do not have an SSB radio.
Yesterday, the Orion, a New Zealand Air Force plane buzzed us and then called us on the radio. They really do keep their borders patrolled. They probably had the list of boats that cleared out and were making sure we really did leave. They were very polite and it was nice to chat with an airplane above.
Today the winds have calmed, as did the seas – (thus a log entry) – and we've slowed to 4.5 knots. We hope we can maintain at least a 10 knot breeze to keep the sails filled.
We are a quarter of the way there – only 850 miles or so left!
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After six months anchored in protected bays or tied up in marinas, it was time to head out again. Our NZ immigration was up on May 8th. The weather was changing daily with big systems showing up on the weather files one day and not being there the next. Weather was the topic of the marina with "pow-wows" regularly held on someone's boat to try to decipher the conditions. We had told customs we would leave on Wednesday the 8th because on the 7th it looked good. But the morning of the 8th provided a whole new weather picture with two systems connecting right on our path. We didn't want to be in another squash zone after last years Tonga to NZ experience. So we called immigration and got an additional 24 hours. We would look again in the morning. By afternoon, one of those two systems wasn't even on the charts! We told customs we would leave Thursday the 9th.
The 9th arrived and the weather charts still looked like it was a good day to go so we cleared out with customs and headed out just before noon. After 30 minutes to get away from the dock and past the car ferries, the sails went up and the engine went off. We were sailing!
The winds were 15 to 20 from the west-southwest and we were really trucking along. A clean bottom and a new mainsail probably helped us reach record speeds for Astarte. The sea was quite rolly though and so the "Astarte weight loss program" was in affect. No one was hungry – even with lots of prepared treats aboard. Moving around was difficult not having our sea legs quite yet and getting back into the three-hour watch system was tiring. It was difficult toy" sleep as the roll would send you from one side of the bunk to the other. The good news was the boat was much less "squeaky" after the rig got tuned up. Should have done that sooner! Also, with the extra time we had waiting for weather, Astarte was better prepared for offshore than ever. The fact that we've now done this enough also probably helps as we get things better stored and tied down now.
We were scooting along – averaging around 6.5 knots for the first 48 hours. Day one we did 153nm and day two 141nm noon to noon. The "Drifters" radio net is going so we check in twice daily and we have a few boats out here with us. Blue Rodeo, a speedy 50 foot Deerfoot is well ahead of us and Panta Rhei a 55 foot Roberts is also ahead though still in VHF radio distance. Our friends on Gypsea Heart decided to wait for the next weather window and we know Gaku, our Japanese friends are also out here but they do not have an SSB radio.
Yesterday, the Orion, a New Zealand Air Force plane buzzed us and then called us on the radio. They really do keep their borders patrolled. They probably had the list of boats that cleared out and were making sure we really did leave. They were very polite and it was nice to chat with an airplane above.
Today the winds have calmed, as did the seas – (thus a log entry) – and we've slowed to 4.5 knots. We hope we can maintain at least a 10 knot breeze to keep the sails filled.
We are a quarter of the way there – only 850 miles or so left!
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Wednesday, May 8, 2013
FIJI BOUND
Watch this space for progress reports. We leave lovely NZ in about an hour and hope the weather holds for the 1150 mile passage to Savusavu, Fiji. Keep good thoughts going for us – we need a good passage!
We'll hopefully post "where are we updates" and log entries...if the radio and all the equipment continues to work.
Cheers!
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We'll hopefully post "where are we updates" and log entries...if the radio and all the equipment continues to work.
Cheers!
----------
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Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Purr of the Perkins
The Perkins 4108 (known as "Carl" aboard Astarte), is purring like a contented kitten. It is back up and running, and after its first two hour test run, not leaking oil! That is great news and means we are now officially looking at a weather window to head to Fiji. The "solent" stay is also installed (this is a spare "moveable" stay so we can fly our storm jib). Now hopefully we will never need it! The mechanics bill was paid (ouch), the rigging bill is paid (ouch) and a last provisioning run was made. Now the wait for the best leave date (before our immigration expires).
Our friends of Superted V and Victory have had a rough passage – Matt and Jean had 50 knots of wind and big seas. They are getting close to Fiji and for their sake, we hope they arrive in a day or so. They did the trip in 8 days which is quite impressive – though because they are so fast, they hit a very low low that had formed near Tonga.
We are hoping for a Monday leave date. Chapter 2 left this past Monday and are having a good trip so far.
So now we wait for weather and continue to tidy, store stuff and get the boat (and us) ready for the passage to Fiji. Barbara is cooking and baking for offshore meals and snacks. Michael is completing all kinds of checks of wires, hatches etc. The "Drifters" radio net has already officially begun and Michael is net controller for several days. So we are getting in the passage mode.
Still to finish – laundry!
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Our friends of Superted V and Victory have had a rough passage – Matt and Jean had 50 knots of wind and big seas. They are getting close to Fiji and for their sake, we hope they arrive in a day or so. They did the trip in 8 days which is quite impressive – though because they are so fast, they hit a very low low that had formed near Tonga.
We are hoping for a Monday leave date. Chapter 2 left this past Monday and are having a good trip so far.
So now we wait for weather and continue to tidy, store stuff and get the boat (and us) ready for the passage to Fiji. Barbara is cooking and baking for offshore meals and snacks. Michael is completing all kinds of checks of wires, hatches etc. The "Drifters" radio net has already officially begun and Michael is net controller for several days. So we are getting in the passage mode.
Still to finish – laundry!
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Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Countdown to Fiji
New photos on the site...check 'em out.
We survived the low from the Tasman and had an enjoyable few days in Orakawa following the storm. Our friends, Jean and Matt from "Superted" were nearby and we enjoyed a few nights of social time. One night it was "curry night" aboard SuperTed V with Monique and JanBart from "Victory." We all got to admire the newly remodeled galley on SuperTed – very nice! Everyone contributed to the feast and we had lots of laughs.
JanBart and Michael went fishing one rainy afternoon, Matt worked on his battery calculations and Monique, Jean and Barbara played MahJong. "Victory" left the next day in some stormy weather. It was a cold and rainy day – perfect for chilli and homemade bread – so we invited the SuperTed crew over for an early evening chow before what would be another windy night at anchor. After a day, the weather settled a bit and Michael and Matt went fishing (scoring some nice snappers) and Jean and Barbara played MahJong (along with invisible partners "Mini Jean" and "Mini Barbara"). Michael is getting a bit nervous about these "invisible" friends who are adopting their own personalities! It is kind of sad that we have to make up friends just to play MahJong.
Then, Mike and Karen aboard "Chapter Two" arrived in the anchorage and it was time to celebrate Mike's (of C2) birthday – he joined the "sexy 60" club. Astarte hosted a feast and the party went on well past Cruiser's Midnight (and even the real midnight)...with way too much wine, chocolate cake and dinner consumed. It was a very fun evening but everyone felt a tad "fragile" the next morning.
Off we went the next morning, back to Opua! We are now back at the marina and our new mainsail has been picked up by the sailmaker for a re-fit. The fit wasn't perfect – so it is back at the loft. Plus, the oil leak in the old Perkins still needs to be solved – so a new set of gaskets were ordered and, this time, all six of the gaskets will be changed, not just five. And something always seems to break or wear out – and that was our propane "sniffer." We ordered a new one and Michael has already got that installed as well. Better that it broke down here rather than Fiji!
On Saturday night, we had a big cruiser potluck and birthday party for 7 year old Natalie from "LaFiesta." It was a fun evening with lots of folks.
The last provisioning needs to be completed along with some "pre-cooking" of offshore meals. Then, its waiting for the best weather window to leave. There is a good one this week it looks like, but we won't be quite ready as the sail won't be back until late in the week. The meat order will be picked up from "Central Butcher" in Kawakawa on Tuesday morning (all packed, labeled and frozen); and, hopefully a last big provisioning run will also be made this week. We keep getting more info about what is and isn't available in Fiji. Luckily some of our friends still have their cars here – so we are hitching rides whenever someone goes to one of the nearby towns.
It feels like we still have a bit to do – but much of it can't be done until the last minute (eggs, bread and fresh fruits and veggies). But we still need to pick up some additional staples.
But stay tuned – a new country soon!
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We survived the low from the Tasman and had an enjoyable few days in Orakawa following the storm. Our friends, Jean and Matt from "Superted" were nearby and we enjoyed a few nights of social time. One night it was "curry night" aboard SuperTed V with Monique and JanBart from "Victory." We all got to admire the newly remodeled galley on SuperTed – very nice! Everyone contributed to the feast and we had lots of laughs.
JanBart and Michael went fishing one rainy afternoon, Matt worked on his battery calculations and Monique, Jean and Barbara played MahJong. "Victory" left the next day in some stormy weather. It was a cold and rainy day – perfect for chilli and homemade bread – so we invited the SuperTed crew over for an early evening chow before what would be another windy night at anchor. After a day, the weather settled a bit and Michael and Matt went fishing (scoring some nice snappers) and Jean and Barbara played MahJong (along with invisible partners "Mini Jean" and "Mini Barbara"). Michael is getting a bit nervous about these "invisible" friends who are adopting their own personalities! It is kind of sad that we have to make up friends just to play MahJong.
Then, Mike and Karen aboard "Chapter Two" arrived in the anchorage and it was time to celebrate Mike's (of C2) birthday – he joined the "sexy 60" club. Astarte hosted a feast and the party went on well past Cruiser's Midnight (and even the real midnight)...with way too much wine, chocolate cake and dinner consumed. It was a very fun evening but everyone felt a tad "fragile" the next morning.
Off we went the next morning, back to Opua! We are now back at the marina and our new mainsail has been picked up by the sailmaker for a re-fit. The fit wasn't perfect – so it is back at the loft. Plus, the oil leak in the old Perkins still needs to be solved – so a new set of gaskets were ordered and, this time, all six of the gaskets will be changed, not just five. And something always seems to break or wear out – and that was our propane "sniffer." We ordered a new one and Michael has already got that installed as well. Better that it broke down here rather than Fiji!
On Saturday night, we had a big cruiser potluck and birthday party for 7 year old Natalie from "LaFiesta." It was a fun evening with lots of folks.
The last provisioning needs to be completed along with some "pre-cooking" of offshore meals. Then, its waiting for the best weather window to leave. There is a good one this week it looks like, but we won't be quite ready as the sail won't be back until late in the week. The meat order will be picked up from "Central Butcher" in Kawakawa on Tuesday morning (all packed, labeled and frozen); and, hopefully a last big provisioning run will also be made this week. We keep getting more info about what is and isn't available in Fiji. Luckily some of our friends still have their cars here – so we are hitching rides whenever someone goes to one of the nearby towns.
It feels like we still have a bit to do – but much of it can't be done until the last minute (eggs, bread and fresh fruits and veggies). But we still need to pick up some additional staples.
But stay tuned – a new country soon!
----------
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Monday, April 15, 2013
A Low from the Tasman Sea
At anchor now in Orakawa where we decided to hide out from the predicted storms. Forecasts, due to a deep low crossing New Zealand from the Tasman Sea, were predicting winds of 40 knots with gusts to 50 knots! Eeeeck. The winds were supposed to be from the northeast at first and slowly shift towards the west over a several day period. We had been watching the barometer drop steadily in the last day – from 1020hPa to 1010hPa.
Last night, it blew. And blew. And rained. And blew some more. It was gusty and Astarte was dancing on her 125 feet of chain and snubber in 20 feet of water. The holding is good here and there were eight sailboats in the bay along with one power yacht and a giant overnight tour boat. Around 2200 (10 pm), the gusts got stronger and we did drag probably 50 feet and re-held. We still had good room around us from other boats. The wind continued and we determined we should put all our chain out (it wasn't doing any good in the anchor locker) – so we figured out a plan to do it safely. Michael motored up as Barbara let out more chain. Then, as we got close to the end of the chain, we switched positions and Barbara took the helm and Michael went forward to let out some rode (rope) and tie it all off. Now we have 225 feet of anchor chain/rode out in 20 feet of water! We also prepared a second anchor, ready to deploy if needed. This entailed getting the Danforth anchor off the stern mount and carrying it up to the bow along with the chain and rode. This sounds easy, but remember it is blowing 40 knots and raining non-stop...oh, and dark! The barometer was now reading 1001.2 (and still dropping).
We did anchor watches all night. Everyone in the anchorage had anchor lights on and other boats had to re-anchor. There was a "Mayday" call on the radio – a 60 foot catamaran broke away from its mooring in Pahia and didn't have engine power to handle the wind. It ended up, luckily, on a sandy beach at low tide. It at least kept us awake with something to listen to. It all ended up well – as he safely sat on a sandy beach all night. This morning, lots of radio chatter as they are organizing a tow to get him off the beach at the high tide around 1130. He is 60 feet, aluminum and weighs 25 tons – so not a small feat in shallow water.
The wind has settled a bit this morning though we are still in gale warnings and it is supposed to be coming and going all day. A day of naps, perhaps bread making to keep the cabin warm!
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Last night, it blew. And blew. And rained. And blew some more. It was gusty and Astarte was dancing on her 125 feet of chain and snubber in 20 feet of water. The holding is good here and there were eight sailboats in the bay along with one power yacht and a giant overnight tour boat. Around 2200 (10 pm), the gusts got stronger and we did drag probably 50 feet and re-held. We still had good room around us from other boats. The wind continued and we determined we should put all our chain out (it wasn't doing any good in the anchor locker) – so we figured out a plan to do it safely. Michael motored up as Barbara let out more chain. Then, as we got close to the end of the chain, we switched positions and Barbara took the helm and Michael went forward to let out some rode (rope) and tie it all off. Now we have 225 feet of anchor chain/rode out in 20 feet of water! We also prepared a second anchor, ready to deploy if needed. This entailed getting the Danforth anchor off the stern mount and carrying it up to the bow along with the chain and rode. This sounds easy, but remember it is blowing 40 knots and raining non-stop...oh, and dark! The barometer was now reading 1001.2 (and still dropping).
We did anchor watches all night. Everyone in the anchorage had anchor lights on and other boats had to re-anchor. There was a "Mayday" call on the radio – a 60 foot catamaran broke away from its mooring in Pahia and didn't have engine power to handle the wind. It ended up, luckily, on a sandy beach at low tide. It at least kept us awake with something to listen to. It all ended up well – as he safely sat on a sandy beach all night. This morning, lots of radio chatter as they are organizing a tow to get him off the beach at the high tide around 1130. He is 60 feet, aluminum and weighs 25 tons – so not a small feat in shallow water.
The wind has settled a bit this morning though we are still in gale warnings and it is supposed to be coming and going all day. A day of naps, perhaps bread making to keep the cabin warm!
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Thursday, April 11, 2013
From Paradise Way to Paradise Bay
50 months ago we left Paradise Way in St. Petersburg, Florida. Today we are anchored in Paradise Bay on Urupukapuka Island, Bay of Islands, New Zealand,. That's a lot of sea miles under the keel.
Paradise Bay is a really lovely bay deserving of its name. There is a long sandy beach, rocky ledges, lots of trees and hillsides and a beautiful clear bay with a sandy/muddy bottom providing good holding. It is protected from any easterly component winds, though we've had pretty sunny, mild days since we've dropped the hook here.
We continue to tackle our interior varnishing project and see an end in sight. We will have completed the main salon/chart table area / galley and entryway by week's end. We still have a few more coats of gloss on a few areas that gets lots of wear and then we'll call it done for now. We'll tackle other areas after we leave New Zealand. The next project is getting the boat ready and checked out for the passage to Fiji. We have started to do a lot more "homework" on Fiji – reading cruising guides and getting paperwork in order for entry into the country. It sounds like a fascinating culture and we're looking forward to seeing it. Plus we can't wait to get back in the water to snorkel again!
But for now we are enjoying cruising the Bay of Islands. Today, after a morning of sanding and varnishing, we rowed to shore and took a hike on Urupukapuka Island. It was nice to get off the boat and move around and we were rewarded with lots of incredible views and musical entertainment from the birds. It seems the Tui (a black bird known as the Parson Bird) is a karaoke machine – filled with a variety of musical scores – all quite different and interesting. We kept thinking it was a bunch of different birds – but to our surprise – all the sounds were coming from the few Tuis we were watching.
It is getting chillier here as the days turn to autumn in the southern hemisphere. More cruising boats are heading back to the BOI area and Opua to prepare, like us, for the next leg of their journeys. It's been fun to start reconnecting with old friends. We enjoyed time with our Dutch friends JanBart and Monique from the sailboat "Victory." They provided a lovely snapper dinner one night – fish that JanBart had caught. This was followed by a good game of Mexican Train dominoes and a Barbara apple pie. Another great night.
50 months – still enjoying the adventure – well maybe not all the boat projects and varnishing.
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Paradise Bay is a really lovely bay deserving of its name. There is a long sandy beach, rocky ledges, lots of trees and hillsides and a beautiful clear bay with a sandy/muddy bottom providing good holding. It is protected from any easterly component winds, though we've had pretty sunny, mild days since we've dropped the hook here.
We continue to tackle our interior varnishing project and see an end in sight. We will have completed the main salon/chart table area / galley and entryway by week's end. We still have a few more coats of gloss on a few areas that gets lots of wear and then we'll call it done for now. We'll tackle other areas after we leave New Zealand. The next project is getting the boat ready and checked out for the passage to Fiji. We have started to do a lot more "homework" on Fiji – reading cruising guides and getting paperwork in order for entry into the country. It sounds like a fascinating culture and we're looking forward to seeing it. Plus we can't wait to get back in the water to snorkel again!
But for now we are enjoying cruising the Bay of Islands. Today, after a morning of sanding and varnishing, we rowed to shore and took a hike on Urupukapuka Island. It was nice to get off the boat and move around and we were rewarded with lots of incredible views and musical entertainment from the birds. It seems the Tui (a black bird known as the Parson Bird) is a karaoke machine – filled with a variety of musical scores – all quite different and interesting. We kept thinking it was a bunch of different birds – but to our surprise – all the sounds were coming from the few Tuis we were watching.
It is getting chillier here as the days turn to autumn in the southern hemisphere. More cruising boats are heading back to the BOI area and Opua to prepare, like us, for the next leg of their journeys. It's been fun to start reconnecting with old friends. We enjoyed time with our Dutch friends JanBart and Monique from the sailboat "Victory." They provided a lovely snapper dinner one night – fish that JanBart had caught. This was followed by a good game of Mexican Train dominoes and a Barbara apple pie. Another great night.
50 months – still enjoying the adventure – well maybe not all the boat projects and varnishing.
----------
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