Huahine to Niue- Passage into the “Dangerous Middle”
Day 1, May 24th:
Finally left Huahine after a few false starts. Trying to get so much done onboard I failed to realize the Post Office closed early on Friday afternoons so we had to stay the weekend so we could post the last bits of mail. Then Monday, packing away the dingy, Steve tweaked his back. Seeing it was already lunch time we deferred departure so he could rest for the afternoon, no sense in heading out already hurting. At 1000 we crawled through the reef break at Fare under sail and found a little wind and a confused sea waiting for us outside. Steve took the first watch (perfectly in sync with our regular watch schedule) and I went below to rest only to smell diesel. We thought perhaps the tank fitting leaked a little after our topping up in Tahiti (this has happened before) so I pumped the bilge and thought it best to spray so degreaser around just to sop up the rest. What a bad idea-it made the smell even worse. Both unable to stand it any longer I poured two gallons of fresh water into the bilge at 0200 then scrubbed and pumped it out again. Seems to be better. We have been unable to steer our direct course all day as it is directly down wind and winds are rather light at the moment. So we are tacking to keep close to the rhumb line. It is a little rolly until we can get clear of Raiatea and get out into the open water, until then the headsail is popping occasionally making it a little noisy for the person trying to rest below. As a result of all this we are a little weary already. We had to run the engine this afternoon to make power but also ended up turning the fridges off half way through the night as well. I hope this is not a trend.
Day 2, May 25th:
Not much sleep last night. We are sailing on a broad reach with the boom paid almost all the way out to port. With light winds and this sloppy sea it is making for some very loud crashing and banging now and then. Had to run the engine for and hour this morning; not enough wind for Twirly (the wind generator) to keep up with both of the fridges and all the instruments over night. I had to clean the bilges again today, still a lingering diesel smell down below. By Steve’s afternoon watch we finally discovered that it was not, in fact, the main tank that was leaking (thank goodness!!) but one of the older style jerry cans in the lazarette. It had a faulty air vent and was seeping fuel. The lazzarette drains into the bilge. So, at 1730, just as the light was fading and in true Kate fashion, the entire contents of the lazarette were strewn about the cockpit. I held everything from rolling around (jerry jugs full of diesel, propane tanks, snorkel gear, dingy anchor, box full of miscellaneous solvents, you get the idea) as Steve scrubbed the laz free of diesel. After packing everything away we pumped the bilge again. The smell has almost disappeared. However, the patch job on the heat exchanger did not hold so the engine bed was full of water. This would also account for some of the water in the bilge and the smell too. Topped the header tank back up and tried to run the engine this afternoon but with the fuel tank on the starboard side, us on a starboard tack and the boat rolling around so much the fuel pick up kept sucking air. Maybe if we add some fuel to the tank when it settles down a bit. Until then we’ll just have to turn off the fridges again tonight. By the time we cooked dinner, ate, did the dishes and I had a quick shower to rinse away the day I was starting to feel poorly from all the fumes and uneasy motion of the boat. I was needing a rest, too bad it would be another rolly night.
P.S. Dinner was vegetable curry for the third day in a row; I apparently thought we had a crew of 6 hungry men with us for this trip when I was cooking a few days ago.
Day 3, May 26th:
Low winds and overcast skies are keeping the batteries low. We tried to run the engine again but still rolling around too much. Steve decided to put 22 litres in the tank but thought it would be too difficult to lift the jerry can and pour it into the deck fill in this sea without spilling too much. So he used the hose from the dinghy tank fuel line, using the bulb to pump diesel from the jerry can into the tank-what a great problem solver!!! Unfortunately as soon as the tank fill on deck was opened we rolled hard and dipped the rail, fortunately only a little water found its way into the tank. Unbelievably the decks were dry all day (it was of course 1700 when we decided to do all this). I sent Steve for a shower (his third day of smelling like diesel, he’s over it) and started dinner, foregoing trying to make bannock on the stove top we had a nice homemade batch of baked beans instead. We both needed a good hot meal. And after all this we couldn’t even be bothered to listen to the engine! We dropped the main and poled out the headsail this afternoon so we’ve been sailing in the right direction, all be it slowly. The wind picked up at dinner time and lasted until about 0100. We are both sleeping fitfully with the boat wallowing and rolling in this sea. When the wind drops and the boat speed dips below 4kts we roll even worse. Thankfully our SOG=VMG so every inch forward is directly to Niue. Also with the wind this evening came power generated by Twirly so the fridges remained on most of the night. The 48 hour forecast remains the same: 10-15kts East, 2M seas.
SOG- Speed Over Ground: the speed the vessel is traveling over the surface of the earth, taking into account currents, waves, tides etc…
VMG-Velocity Made Good: the speed the vessel is traveling towards a certain target, which is not necessarily the same direction that the vessel is actually heading. Calculated by vectors (a magic number that shows up on the chart plotter).
Day 4, May 27th:
The wind eased at 0100 so we had to turn the fridges off again. Checked the freezer today, everything is still frozen, good. I finally got some sleep between 0200-0600, the first two consecutive hours so far this trip. It was a VERY rolly morning, the headsail poled out adds to the pendulum effect, sometimes when you get a wave just right it really gets swinging. The new Crew T-shirts will read: (front) Gunnel to Gunnel (back) Thats how WE roll! It is a nice bright sunny day so the solar panels are doing their thing but the battery voltage is slow to come up. We are seeing a difference in the out put of the solar panels with the low winter sun, it never quite gets directly over head where they are most efficient. Steve bled the engine again today and since we are now on a port tack we were able to run the engine for an hour late this afternoon and lend a hand to the batteries. And, this tack is a much smoother ride meaning we both got a little rest this afternoon and we are also directly back on our rhumb line again, so everything is happy! We averaged 4kts today, it feels really slow, so it looks like it might be a 12 day trip. NOAA forecast is unchanged for the next 72 hours.
Day 5, May 28th:
I managed a few hours sleep in the vee berth last night, haven’t slept there underway in over a year, it is usually Steve’s hide out. The wind is clocking ESE-SE so we’ve got a little more heel, which makes sleeping a little easier, you don’t feel like you’ll be rolled out of bed so easily. Fairly quiet and consistent day- SOG edging into the 5-5.5kt range…finally! We’re in the groove now; not feeling so worn down and finally adjusted to our sleep/watch schedules. That took a little longer than normal. Besides a freighter off Raiatea we have had no other boat traffic out here. The sky is incredibly clear tonight, brilliant stars and the most vivid meteorites I’ve seen yet, so bright that they make you turn your head when you catch them out of the corner of your eye. One flashed so bright and lasted so long I thought it was lightening at first.
Day 6, May 29th:
Tried trolling a BIG lure today, a real chugger and jumper, but still no bites. It seems like we haven’t caught a fish in forever!! But we haven’t seen much marine life this trip, the odd flying fish and one spectacular show of spinner dolphins a few days ago-boy they can leap! The wind has filled in and we are doing 20nm in a four hour watch again, broke 120nm in 24hours as well. We officially passed the half way mark today; 550NM in 5.5 days, not bad but not great. Compared to our passage last year from the Galapagos to the Marquesas this trip seems so slow. A real tortoise and the hare story. A little rain this morning but a clear sunny day after that. Our SPOT is still not working…they said a few hundred miles from Tahiti it should turn on, it would be nice if it worked soon then I wouldn’t have to drag the satellite phone out into the cockpit to send a position report, you never know when you might get splashed.
Day 7, May 30th:
Population Rolly Town: 2
It feels like we are the proverbial cork in a bathtub today. Just not enough wind to keep us wallowing in this small but annoying swell. 25 degrees roll to port and starboard are the norm. We are both tired today; tempers short and the day long. I have been sleeping on the floor again, the only place that you can “relax”, that is to say, not feel like you’re going to fall when the boat rocks, but as a result I am very sore this morning. The vee berth is too hot during the day and of course if you opened the hatch some rogue wave or splash would surely invite themselves in. Besides, the headsail pops and snaps when we roll, despite it being furled tight against the pole. We are making just barely 100nm a day. If the GPS wasn’t telling me that we were moving you’d swear we weren’t-everything looks the same; the sky, the sea, everything is still. If this was your first open ocean passage you’d probably wonder what all the fuss was about.
Day 8, May 31st:
Quiet day; not much wind & by afternoon not much swell. Less that 400nm to Niue. Heard this on a Sinead O’Conner album while on watch tonite:
“Grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can, and
The wisdom to know the difference”
I Must remember that.
Day 9, June 1st:
Had a very low day yesterday-sleepless, annoyed and the inability to change our windless situation boiled down to almost no pleasant conversation and bare minimum, necessary activities. But this morning brought a new bright sunny day and with it a new attitude. Since we’ve been chasing our tails trying to keep the batteries charged since we left Huahine, Steve decided to do a mega charge with both the engine and the generator to try and equalize the house bank. Seemed to have worked but then the voltage dropped signifigantly within an hour of turning off the generator. Looks like we might have a bad battery that is stealing power. Will try another super charge tomorrow and see what happens. The wind dropped even more today pushing our SOG under 3kts, but at least the seas have flattened out as well so it is a comfortable, slow ride. While we sat and enjoyed the melodious hum of the generator this afternoon we shared a cold beer and a bowl of spicy popcorn together-what a difference a day makes! Cooked the last of the eggplant today-that leaves us with a few carrots, a cabbage, 4 onions and 5lbs of potatoes (white and sweet) for fresh veggies. It is looking like we might spend the weekend out here, we will consider it a romantic get away!
Day 10, June 2nd:
Such and incredible sunrise this morning- as it slowly hoisted itself over the horizon it brought the most spectacular rainbow of colours. For a few brief moments the ocean to starboard was a magnificent shade of pink. I didn’t bother to take a photograph, it would never look as beautiful on film-you could never see the colours in the air like I did-all that light!! The sky has been full of whisps and mackerel clouds all day, looks like we might find that fickle wind yet again. There wasn’t a cloud overhead all day or night yesterday save for a few cotton ball puffs at the horizon. If you were on holiday somewhere this would be the weather you would be wishing for. The second super charge looks like it did the trick, the batteries are happy once again. At 1900 we doused the pole and were able to carry the headsail fully unfurled. Almost in the blink of an eye the wind and seas picked up and it was back to sleeping on the floor again. Poor Steve isn’t getting much rest, he hates the floor. Glad the boat is moving again, 200nm to Niue.
Day 11, June 3rd:
The wind and seas went from good to too good overnight and by my 0600 watch we were running with a 3m swell, a steady 25kts of wind, gusting 30kt and a third of the headsail furled away. We surfed down a big wave and got hit with a string gust all at the same time, burying the starboard rail by a foot. She popped up right a way but all that water had to go somewhere and so it got dumped into the cockpit. Unfortunately I was in the path and so got soaked to the bone. Pulled some of the headsail in and she was much happier. It was a wet, sloppy ride. Steve got up and made me a hot bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup and a mug if earl grey tea, just what I needed! By evening it was a steady 30kts, gusting to 35-40kts with 4M seas. It is back to eat, sleep, sail: lather, rinse, repeat. With this much wind we have reduced the headsail even more so are only doing 5-6kts, sometimes surfing up to 8 or 9, but still on course. Looks like another day or so to Niue. Forecast is for 15kts out of the east for today and tomorrow.
Day 12, June 4th:
Longest. Day. Ever.
The wind did not abate, even though at dawn it seemed to threaten so. By my morning watch we had 70nm to Niue- we stupidly started racing the clock. On Steve’s watch we took a mega wave on the port quarter, it flooded the cockpit so Steve was standing mid calf in warm ocean water. Although we had all the boards in some also streamed down the companion way into the cabin and behind the stairs. What a horrible bang those big waves made when you are down below! Everything seemed ok…at first. We made landfall at dusk and rounding the southern tip at 1900 the GPS dropped out, along with the wind instruments. The wind instruments came back on line but not the GPS (a connection got wet fromt eh mega wave, we have since sorted it out and are up and running again). Steve navigated by radar and I went down below to boot up the computer with out backup GPS navigation software. By 2200 we decided since we were tired and the harbour range lights had not been replaced since they were taken out by a hurricane in 2004 that we would hove to for the night, get a little rest and make our approach at first light. We hoisted the main with the second reef tucked into it and hove to but were still doing 1kt or so towards land. After few hours we headed back out to sea and this time when gybed to hove to again the main ripped leech to luff, just below the third reef points. We quickly pull it down and I tie it best I could to the boom, we are both disappointed, tired and frustrated. It is now 0400. At 0500 the rain start so I sent Steve to get a few hours rest, he’s been up since morning, and standing watch, literally, hopping around trying to stay warm and alert. My wet weather gear is aptly named and my tea is cold but the wind seems to be dropping off. At 0815 we start up the engine and unsuccessfully motor into what is now 30kts on the nose. We pull out half the headsail to sail in but with out the main we cannot point to windward very well. Instead we sail in as close to the island as we dare in the pouring rain and although we are further south than we’d like we find we are suddenly in the lee of land and protected from the wind. We motor the remaining 2 miles to the mooring field. I have never been so happy to tie a line around the bow cleats. We are safely bobbing on the mooring by 1000-12 days exactly from when we left.
