Current Position: 12 14.324’S 122 58.918’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 0.4 kt (from current); COG: 0; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 98 Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: With 20+ kt winds, there are surprisingly large waves in the lagoon with whitecaps! I am not going to even try to launch the dinghy until Thursday. It will also be impossible to work on the hull or the prop until then. I will focus on doing things in and on the boat. The ABF told me something interesting … that all of the birds have moved their nests from the other two islands to the West Island because a couple of cyclones had wiped out the other islands. I can see the Middle Island. Unlike the West Island, it is barren. They also reiterated what I had read before, that the sea snakes have been gone since 2000. They did not know why, whether it was warming or maybe because of human activity. They said fishing should be great because no one ever fishes here. I am having a cocktail about an hour before sunset, and I am watching the waves crash over the barrier reef in the distance. It is truly amazing how coral has created this ecosystem. With the bleaching of the coral, largely due to global climate change, it won’t be just the sea snakes that disappear. At 4:00, I put out a string of “sparklers”‘to see if I can catch some baitfish overnight. I’d like to catch a grouper or sea bass. With more than 10,000 miles, I retired the boat’s “Oden’s Raven” flag this afternoon. I will write something in it and send it to one of the grandkids, perhaps Lilly since it is her birthday today. I celebrated with some white wine and a curry. Just before dusk, I chased a bird off the bow pulpit and noticed I had rigged the bouy wrong. I usually put the bridle in and an independent trip line that I use when releasing the bouy. This way I have redundant attachments to the bouy’s pendant. I had mistakenly run the trip line through the bridle instead of the pendant. The wind was blowing hard, so I couldn’t pull the boat towards the bouy to correct the problem, so I moved the bias forward with the engine. Singe I had little control of the boat, running back and forth between the cockpit and the bow, I simple snagged a redundant pendant in the bouy and rigged a temporary third line (really on two). I sort this out on Thursday when I can launch the dinghy. Unfortunately, I ran over my sparkler line and cut it, so had to set another one. That is something else I will need to do for the prop, cut away the line. The line was out about 10m and something big took it … 20’ of line was pulled out and then broke. I am guessing there was bait fish on the line and something bigger ate it. Sunrise was about 6:00. High tide was at 4:23 (I am in 49’ of water … there should be a 5’ difference for low tide at 12:32), and it appears the tide is nearly slack (SOG 0.1 kt). The wind is 18 from 86 and is gusting in the 20’s. There are short-steep wind-driven waves and the boat is pitching. The length is the lagoon is about 10 nm E to W. The wind is blowing from the E and I am moored on the W side, so there is plenty of fetch for these waves to build. These conditions are expected to continue until Thursday when the winds will drop to 11-13 (about half) without gusts. These conditions wind is expected to gradually decrease until Sunday (5-10), when the winds will move to the SE (perhaps shortening the fetch). Monday morning high/slack tide will be at 9:55 with winds of 6-13, and may be a good time to leave the lagoon. A front and high wind will begin moving in from off the W coast of Australia diagonally to the NE, providing strong winds. Weather routing shows all the courses to be the same, basically due E, covering the 1150 nm in about 8-9 days. While Monday will be a little lighter winds, the effects of the front would arrive Tuesday, giving me 15 kt winds gusting to low 20s from the SE basically the whole way … perfect conditions. I will keep an eye on the forecast and time my departure accordingly. Today is going to be a light day of rest … cooking, fishing, cleaning, and making a list of what needs to be done before the passage. I have been in contact with PYI about the MaxProp and they are puzzled by the symptoms. I need to dive on it and make sure it is turning freely. But, it is too dangerous to do that until the boat is not pitching … later this week. Something that occurred to me is the transmission cable might have slipped … so I need to check that too. The ABF vessel was moored at Ashborn this morning, but by the time I came up to the cockpit after making breakfast, about 7:30, it was gone. They mentioned that they patrol the area. I suspect they were here just to meet me yesterday and now are in their way. The plan to catch bait fish with the sparklers is a failure. For the second time something just bit through the line. I suspect whenever I hook a small fish something bigger eats it. I put a squid jig out, thinking the current and the pitching of the boat might provide enough action to draw attention. A black noddy took great interest in my fishing rod, hovering in the wind and pecking at the tip of the rod as I put the line out. I also put out another sparkler, but this time just below the boat, thinking smaller fish might be using it for shelter. I noticed the ABF ship out behind West Island. They must be making the rounds. A large passenger ship, the Heritage Adventurer, arrived at 10:00. I imagine I will soon be inundated with RIBs. It is 12:32, low tide, and the boat is in 45’ of water, 4’ difference from high tide this morning. After deploying a dozen RIBs (and me having to wave a dozen time), the tenders returned to the ship and it departed at 13:30, after less than 4h.
Comments: With 20+ kt winds, there are surprisingly large waves in the lagoon with whitecaps! I am not going to even try to launch the dinghy until Thursday. It will also be impossible to work on the hull or the prop until then. I will focus on doing things in and on the boat. The ABF told me something interesting … that all of the birds have moved their nests from the other two islands to the West Island because a couple of cyclones had wiped out the other islands. I can see the Middle Island. Unlike the West Island, it is barren. They also reiterated what I had read before, that the sea snakes have been gone since 2000. They did not know why, whether it was warming or maybe because of human activity. They said fishing should be great because no one ever fishes here. I am having a cocktail about an hour before sunset, and I am watching the waves crash over the barrier reef in the distance. It is truly amazing how coral has created this ecosystem. With the bleaching of the coral, largely due to global climate change, it won’t be just the sea snakes that disappear. At 4:00, I put out a string of “sparklers”‘to see if I can catch some baitfish overnight. I’d like to catch a grouper or sea bass. With more than 10,000 miles, I retired the boat’s “Oden’s Raven” flag this afternoon. I will write something in it and send it to one of the grandkids, perhaps Lilly since it is her birthday today. I celebrated with some white wine and a curry. Just before dusk, I chased a bird off the bow pulpit and noticed I had rigged the bouy wrong. I usually put the bridle in and an independent trip line that I use when releasing the bouy. This way I have redundant attachments to the bouy’s pendant. I had mistakenly run the trip line through the bridle instead of the pendant. The wind was blowing hard, so I couldn’t pull the boat towards the bouy to correct the problem, so I moved the bias forward with the engine. Singe I had little control of the boat, running back and forth between the cockpit and the bow, I simple snagged a redundant pendant in the bouy and rigged a temporary third line (really on two). I sort this out on Thursday when I can launch the dinghy. Unfortunately, I ran over my sparkler line and cut it, so had to set another one. That is something else I will need to do for the prop, cut away the line. The line was out about 10m and something big took it … 20’ of line was pulled out and then broke. I am guessing there was bait fish on the line and something bigger ate it. Sunrise was about 6:00. High tide was at 4:23 (I am in 49’ of water … there should be a 5’ difference for low tide at 12:32), and it appears the tide is nearly slack (SOG 0.1 kt). The wind is 18 from 86 and is gusting in the 20’s. There are short-steep wind-driven waves and the boat is pitching. The length is the lagoon is about 10 nm E to W. The wind is blowing from the E and I am moored on the W side, so there is plenty of fetch for these waves to build. These conditions are expected to continue until Thursday when the winds will drop to 11-13 (about half) without gusts. These conditions wind is expected to gradually decrease until Sunday (5-10), when the winds will move to the SE (perhaps shortening the fetch). Monday morning high/slack tide will be at 9:55 with winds of 6-13, and may be a good time to leave the lagoon. A front and high wind will begin moving in from off the W coast of Australia diagonally to the NE, providing strong winds. Weather routing shows all the courses to be the same, basically due E, covering the 1150 nm in about 8-9 days. While Monday will be a little lighter winds, the effects of the front would arrive Tuesday, giving me 15 kt winds gusting to low 20s from the SE basically the whole way … perfect conditions. I will keep an eye on the forecast and time my departure accordingly. Today is going to be a light day of rest … cooking, fishing, cleaning, and making a list of what needs to be done before the passage. I have been in contact with PYI about the MaxProp and they are puzzled by the symptoms. I need to dive on it and make sure it is turning freely. But, it is too dangerous to do that until the boat is not pitching … later this week. Something that occurred to me is the transmission cable might have slipped … so I need to check that too. The ABF vessel was moored at Ashborn this morning, but by the time I came up to the cockpit after making breakfast, about 7:30, it was gone. They mentioned that they patrol the area. I suspect they were here just to meet me yesterday and now are in their way. The plan to catch bait fish with the sparklers is a failure. For the second time something just bit through the line. I suspect whenever I hook a small fish something bigger eats it. I put a squid jig out, thinking the current and the pitching of the boat might provide enough action to draw attention. A black noddy took great interest in my fishing rod, hovering in the wind and pecking at the tip of the rod as I put the line out. I also put out another sparkler, but this time just below the boat, thinking smaller fish might be using it for shelter. I noticed the ABF ship out behind West Island. They must be making the rounds. A large passenger ship, the Heritage Adventurer, arrived at 10:00. I imagine I will soon be inundated with RIBs. It is 12:32, low tide, and the boat is in 45’ of water, 4’ difference from high tide this morning. After deploying a dozen RIBs (and me having to wave a dozen time), the tenders returned to the ship and it departed at 13:30, after less than 4h.