Current Position: 17 39.075’S 165 33.441’E; Local Timezone: UTC+21; SOG: 6.4 kt COG: 270; TWS: 25 kt; TWD: 132; Distance to Waypoint (R1, Raine Passage, 272): 1296; Total Miles Sailed: 7107 nm; Engine Hours: 166.3 Estimate Fuel: 60+14+50
Comments: After a tumultuous start yesterday, it was nice to settle into some good sailing. The wind vane works well with its new Dyneema control lines. The lines have less friction and the wind vane seems more responsive. I forgot to put hose clamps on the cracked tubes before I left. I don’t think there is much chance of them failing, but I will reinforce them first chance I get. Sunset was about 17:25. Efata was still visible, barely. There were scattered clouds, some appearing to produce light rain, but nothing threatening. I was averaging close to 6 kt about 10 degrees S of the waypoint, so I left the sail configuration as it was overnight, a double-reefed main and 3/4 Yankee. New Caledonia was about 240 nm to my SW, but on my heading I should pass at least 50 nm N of it. However, there is an atoll N of New Caledonia that is a problem. This is one reason the PW route has me jibbing N in 175 nm, the other reasons are to correct for the latitude I am loosing and the fact there may be more wind N by Monday. The jibe also corresponds to a backing (and weakening) of the wind by Monday. I set alarm intervals of 2h and did not have to make any adjustments to the sails or windvane until I was awaken at 4:20 because the boat was heeled over too much. The wind was blowing 23 kt and had veered to 135. There was no evidence this was a weather disturbance (I could see stars). In fact, this was predicted and the timing was about right. I was about 3.5h ahead of schedule (PW always underestimates my speed at night) and about 15 nm further N (I am usually able to sail closer to a run). I had averaged 6.2 kt overnight. The first 60 nm was at a bearing of 263, but the last 32 at 274. I had averaged 5.8 kt since leaving Efata. I woke up about an hour before sunrise. I got 9h of sleep. Despite the periodic interruptions to check the status of the boat, I tend to sleep well while underwater. As soon as it was light enough, I went to the foredeck to take care of a few things. I had remembered in the middle of the night that I had left a mooring line there, a “wick-release” line that I use when I am leaving a mooring ball single-handed. Fortunately, it was still there, precariously attached to the Sampson post. I also tracked down the sound of a rope rapping against metal … it was the first reefing line that needed to be tightened. Finally, I heard the traveler move last night and sure enough the preventer had come loose. Sunrise was about 6:20. The GRIB was 25h old. I logged into the Iridium system and was having trouble connecting. The DataHub had not been collecting tracking data. I rebooted it and restarted the Iridium GO and it started working again, although it took several attempts before I was able to download the GRIB. Not much has changed. It looks like the wind will lighten up in the middle of the week. My ability to point the boat further N than predicted has made it unnecessary to jibe until tomorrow. It is dark and stormy today. The cockpit is wet and uninviting. Nothing like yesterday. But, there is strong wind driving me towards the waypoint. A large, menacing squall passed behind me at 7:30, causing 30 kt winds to veer to 140 and the boat to round up and heel severely while surfing at 8 kt. I had to secure my breakfast and steer by hand. Waves soaked me … a rude start of the day. The storms looked like they were unyielding … we’ll see. Atoll de Huon is about 195 nm to my E. The charts suggest the shallowest part is 16’, but I wouldn’t want to take the chance. It looks like I will pass N of it. If not, I will jibe. In any case, that should be an issues for tomorrow afternoon. It is 7:45 and the first sunshine appears from behind the storm that just passed behind me. I went down for a nap and was awaken by the alarm at 9:00 to sunshine. The nastiness had been blown away by the 30 kt wind and the boat was doing hull speed directly for the waypoint. By 9:30, the skies were getting dark again as another storm arrived windward. This was to be expected the rest of the day. However, I welcomed the storms as the wind was driving the boat near hull speed and the ride was not particularly uncomfortable. I have begun studying the charts through the GBR. It is complicated. At the entrance to the Raine Passage is the Great Detached Reef, which is horseshoe-shaped. Circling around to the back of it, it is possible to anchor in 50’ of water. If it looks like I am going to arrive at night, I will slow down. If the end of daylight, I will seek shelter in the Great Detached Reef until morning. From there, it is about 80 nm across the reef and to the shipping lanes. I will probably want to find a second anchorage somewhere in the reef that I can spend the night, so I can travel the rest of the way across the reef in daylight hours. It looks like Collette Reef, about 50 nm from the GDR would be a good choice. Once in the shipping lane, I can travel at night. I have looked at some of the tidal changes across the reef and they can be 10’ or more, which will make anchoring challenging. The total nm sailed since leaving the harbor yesterday is 7107-6941=166 nm (average speed 166/27=6.2 kt). The distance sailed on 1455-1296=159 nm. It has been a productive 27h.
Comments: After a tumultuous start yesterday, it was nice to settle into some good sailing. The wind vane works well with its new Dyneema control lines. The lines have less friction and the wind vane seems more responsive. I forgot to put hose clamps on the cracked tubes before I left. I don’t think there is much chance of them failing, but I will reinforce them first chance I get. Sunset was about 17:25. Efata was still visible, barely. There were scattered clouds, some appearing to produce light rain, but nothing threatening. I was averaging close to 6 kt about 10 degrees S of the waypoint, so I left the sail configuration as it was overnight, a double-reefed main and 3/4 Yankee. New Caledonia was about 240 nm to my SW, but on my heading I should pass at least 50 nm N of it. However, there is an atoll N of New Caledonia that is a problem. This is one reason the PW route has me jibbing N in 175 nm, the other reasons are to correct for the latitude I am loosing and the fact there may be more wind N by Monday. The jibe also corresponds to a backing (and weakening) of the wind by Monday. I set alarm intervals of 2h and did not have to make any adjustments to the sails or windvane until I was awaken at 4:20 because the boat was heeled over too much. The wind was blowing 23 kt and had veered to 135. There was no evidence this was a weather disturbance (I could see stars). In fact, this was predicted and the timing was about right. I was about 3.5h ahead of schedule (PW always underestimates my speed at night) and about 15 nm further N (I am usually able to sail closer to a run). I had averaged 6.2 kt overnight. The first 60 nm was at a bearing of 263, but the last 32 at 274. I had averaged 5.8 kt since leaving Efata. I woke up about an hour before sunrise. I got 9h of sleep. Despite the periodic interruptions to check the status of the boat, I tend to sleep well while underwater. As soon as it was light enough, I went to the foredeck to take care of a few things. I had remembered in the middle of the night that I had left a mooring line there, a “wick-release” line that I use when I am leaving a mooring ball single-handed. Fortunately, it was still there, precariously attached to the Sampson post. I also tracked down the sound of a rope rapping against metal … it was the first reefing line that needed to be tightened. Finally, I heard the traveler move last night and sure enough the preventer had come loose. Sunrise was about 6:20. The GRIB was 25h old. I logged into the Iridium system and was having trouble connecting. The DataHub had not been collecting tracking data. I rebooted it and restarted the Iridium GO and it started working again, although it took several attempts before I was able to download the GRIB. Not much has changed. It looks like the wind will lighten up in the middle of the week. My ability to point the boat further N than predicted has made it unnecessary to jibe until tomorrow. It is dark and stormy today. The cockpit is wet and uninviting. Nothing like yesterday. But, there is strong wind driving me towards the waypoint. A large, menacing squall passed behind me at 7:30, causing 30 kt winds to veer to 140 and the boat to round up and heel severely while surfing at 8 kt. I had to secure my breakfast and steer by hand. Waves soaked me … a rude start of the day. The storms looked like they were unyielding … we’ll see. Atoll de Huon is about 195 nm to my E. The charts suggest the shallowest part is 16’, but I wouldn’t want to take the chance. It looks like I will pass N of it. If not, I will jibe. In any case, that should be an issues for tomorrow afternoon. It is 7:45 and the first sunshine appears from behind the storm that just passed behind me. I went down for a nap and was awaken by the alarm at 9:00 to sunshine. The nastiness had been blown away by the 30 kt wind and the boat was doing hull speed directly for the waypoint. By 9:30, the skies were getting dark again as another storm arrived windward. This was to be expected the rest of the day. However, I welcomed the storms as the wind was driving the boat near hull speed and the ride was not particularly uncomfortable. I have begun studying the charts through the GBR. It is complicated. At the entrance to the Raine Passage is the Great Detached Reef, which is horseshoe-shaped. Circling around to the back of it, it is possible to anchor in 50’ of water. If it looks like I am going to arrive at night, I will slow down. If the end of daylight, I will seek shelter in the Great Detached Reef until morning. From there, it is about 80 nm across the reef and to the shipping lanes. I will probably want to find a second anchorage somewhere in the reef that I can spend the night, so I can travel the rest of the way across the reef in daylight hours. It looks like Collette Reef, about 50 nm from the GDR would be a good choice. Once in the shipping lane, I can travel at night. I have looked at some of the tidal changes across the reef and they can be 10’ or more, which will make anchoring challenging. The total nm sailed since leaving the harbor yesterday is 7107-6941=166 nm (average speed 166/27=6.2 kt). The distance sailed on 1455-1296=159 nm. It has been a productive 27h.