Author: mtashby

Current Position: 12 14.324’S 122 58.918’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 0 kt; COG: 0; TWS: 3 kt; TWD: 120; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: when I took the dinghy to the West Island the outboard stopped. The fuel line to the external tank was leaking. It was not the hose but the proprietary connector to the engine. I rowed back to the boat and replaced the line with a backup. Low tide will be at 15:43. I plan to go snorkeling starting about 14:30. I have completed my punch list for Ashmore, so I will spend the morning prepping the boat for the passage. I woke at 5:45. The ABFC Thaiyak had returned sometime during the night (I first noticed its anchor light about 4:00). Sunrise was 5:57. The wind was lighter than it had been since my arrival, 5 kt from 112. Because the wind was so light, it was unusually quiet except for the sound of waves hitting the barrier reef, which now sounded more like the roar of a jet engine. It is 8:00. Interesting … without a E/SE wind, the swells are coming from the N, rocking the boat. One of the challenges I have been facing are my eyeglasses. The plastic lens and coatings do not hold up well to the saltwater environment. I started out with two new regular pairs with photochromic lenses and two new pairs of sunglasses (that I almost never wear). I also had 3-4 pairs of old glasses in various states of disrepair. I had to retire one of the new pairs today because I could no longer see out them. I have been saving the other new pair for only when I am at anchor/shore. I had to Frankenstein and everyday pair out of old pairs today. I picked lenses that were relatively clear, but the left lens does have a deep scratch across it. I spent about an hour processing trash this morning. This involves cutting it up into small pieces with industrial scissors and packing jt into a 5L plastic bottle. I can usually get a couple of months of trash into one bottle. I have started cooking for the passage. I purchased a very large ham hock in Darwin to make soup. I didn’t realize it wouldn’t fit in the pressure cooker. I had to cut it in half with a sharp knife and a hammer. I was just going to make the broth for a 12 bean soup, but ended up completing the soup, which I will have for dinner. In the meantime, I tried to go snorkeling about 15:00. Low tide was going to be 17:17. I dove for about 15m, but the current was still strong and it did not feel safe. I will try again tomorrow, closer to slack tide (17:53) and will run a safety line. I would go at high tide, but the tidal range is 12’ and I would not have access to some of the interesting things I saw today … a lot of live hard and soft coral and an incredible array of fish. It is 16:00. A Loggerhead Turtle just swam by. There appears to almost no current in the deeper water were the boat is moored … not sure about the shallow water I was diving at.

Current Position: 12 14.324’S 122 58.918’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 0 kt; COG: 0; TWS: 8 kt; TWD: 123; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: I was visited by an ABF RIB about 14:00 and I was contacted by an ABF aircraft at 19:00 with the usual questions. I have been watching the tide go out for the past several hours, exposing the various sandbars. Birds occupy the sandbars once they are exposed, no doubt looking for something to eat. Sunset was at 17:47. I have come to learn that the ABF vessel that is stationed here is called the ABFC Thaiyak. It left at 11:00, presumably to do a patrol like it did on Tuesday. I have noted that the waves are always particularly big around high tide, which is not surprising of course because the barrier reef is less effective. The boat was still bouncing around too much to work in the prop. Near low/slack tide, about 14:30, the waves had calmed down and I dove on the prop. There was still a fairly strong current there were indeed barnacles interfering with the prop. I scrapped them off and the prop now freely feathers. Since I was already wet, I decided to take another trip to West Island. I brought my diving gear and the anchor for the dinghy this time. I went into the shallow water slowly to try not to scare off any marine life. I saw a huge ray. Not sure what species, but it moved very fast. I discovered a shipwreck, only a skeleton now, but complete with an engine that was little more than a block of iron. When I returned to the dinghy, the tide had gone even further out than the first time I was at the island. I had to drag the dinghy over sand about 300’ and then over shallow water for a quarter of a mile. Sunset was at 17:44. The ABF ship still has not returned.

Current Position: 12 14.324’S 122 58.918’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 0 kt; COG: 0; TWS: 14 kt; TWD: 95; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: I had an interesting tapas-like meal last night. I opened up my 5 lb keg of Greek olives and a can of dolmades from Trader Joe’s. The olives were fantastic and the dolmades were surprisingly good. I enjoyed them with some Australian Chardonnay. For dessert, I have been needing some pears, and one was perfectly ripe, so I enjoyed it with an Australian Merlot. It is not often on this trip that I enjoy such extravagances. After 36h without hit in my fishing line, the drag lets loose. I try to reel it in and the line was cut. I figure it is a parrot fish or something. Tomorrow I am going to build a new sparkler that has steel braid at the hooks. The sky tonight is the most spectacular that I have ever seen. I have to admit that I was uncertain that I had made good choice to stop here, especially after having to spend several days onboard because of the wind. But what I have seen today has convinced me that this is a very special place. I sorted out the mooring lines this morning so it is set up with a “trip line” for when I am ready to leave. I checked the weather forecast about 9:00 and learned there were still going to be gusts in the 20s. I tried to work on the prop, but just managed to get cut up by barnacles by the pitching boat. Will have to wait for a calmer day. I was able to determine the at the prop is not moving freely. It may be due to barnacles. They need to be scrapped off. Because of the crocodiles, I have not been able to clean the hull/prop since Vanuatu. I caught a small Trevally (using my steel wire rig), but let it go. Looking for something a bit bigger. The only task left in my list for today is tying a line to the blade of the watervane to allow it to be lifted. I put one on in Tonga, but it did not last. I’d like to use Dyneema, but the hole is small. I managed to put a Dyneema pendant on the blade. It has an eye splice on one end and an EStar Stopper Knot on the other. I will tie a piece of double-braid on the pendant. The Dyneema should last longer and the double-braid will be easier to tie off in the transom pulpit rails when I have raised the blade. I got banged up again trying to work from the dinghy by the waves, so I eventually worked by hanging off the windvane frame. It is noon. The only item left on my punch list for today is sending a PAR to the ABF at Christmas Island, which I just completed.
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Current Position: 12 14.324’S 122 58.918’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 0.4 kt (from current); COG: 0; TWS: 14 kt; TWD: 121 Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: I noticed that none of the passengers on the RIBs from the cruise ship disembarked when they visited West Island. Although it is allowed to visit the NE beach, I am guessing it has not been touched in some time. I am looking forward to visiting, perhaps Thursday. Some clouds rolled in during the afternoon. Have not seen any since the front bright in these strong winds. I made pizza for dinner, but the pre-made crusts had gone off. The pepperoni didn’t look good, I didn’t use it. I ate about half of it before giving up. Still have the taste in my mouth. I have two more pizza kits left. I will save the sauce, cans of olives and mushrooms, but toss the crusts. I have the ingredients for pizza dough, but the oven just does not get hot enough to make it from scratch. It is 16:00 and the ABF vessel is returning from its patrols. After a day of relaxation, it is back to work tomorrow … paperwork for the next port, halve a look at the transmission, clean up the cabin, etc. Sunset was at 17:40 and was unusually soft. There must have been a lot of humidity/haze in the air. When is was very dark, before the moonrise, the stars were unusually bright, which was surprising after what I saw with the sunset. The Milky Way was overhead and the only man-made light was my anchor light at the top of my mast and a similar light on the ABF vessel. I woke up at 5:22, about 40m before sunrise, and it was already quite light. I downloaded the weather. Not much has changed. Today’s wind will be much like the last few days … 16-18 with low 29 gusts. Tomorrow will be 12-16 (including the gusts). Friday-Sunday I will start seeing some single-digit winds. Tomorrow may be a good day to launch the dinghy and explore the island. Friday and Saturday may be good days to look at the prop and try to clean the hull. I also need to replace the line on the watervane that is used to raise is (with some Dyneema because nothing else holds up). Finally, I need to sort out the mooring lines … a real mess … so I am ready to leave. I am think g now that will either be Sunday or Monday. It might be nice to leave a day before it starts to really blow. I started the day by checking out the transmission. There was no evidence that the cable was loose. It seemed to shift cleanly. I am now thinking it is the prop. Perhaps it needs to be cleaned or maybe there is something wrapped around it that makes feathering/reversing more difficult. While in the engine room, I transferred/polished fuel from the main to the day tank. I still like to monitor the Racor filter to make sure there is no water, but I have not seen any since the vent line was rerouted almost a month ago. In the meantime, I have transferred perhaps 30 gal of fuel. I measured the tension on all the stays and shrouds …
Backstay (starboard) – 5/16”, 25, 11.5% Backstay (port) – not measured (SSB ant.) Lower (aft, starboard) – 5/16”, 23, 11.5% Lower (aft, port) – 5/16”, 23.5, 11.5% Upper (starboard) – 3/8”, 42, 14% Upper (port) – 3/8”, 43, 14% Lower (forward, starboard) -5/16”, 26, 12% Lower (forward, port) – 5/16”, 26, 12% Inner Forestay – 5/16” 11-15 (because of pitching of boat) my, 5% Forestay – not measured (furler)
These may be compare to the measurements on April 27, near the beginning of the trip …
Backstay (starboard) – 5/16”, 25, 11.5% Lower (aft, starboard) – 5/16”, 23, 11.5% Lower (aft, port) – 5/16”, 23, 11.5% Upper (starboard) – 3/8”, 42, 14% Upper (port) – 3/8”, 43, 14% Lower (forward, starboard) -5/16”, 26, 12% Lower (forward, port) – 5/16”, 26, 12% Inner Forestay – 5/16” 13, 5%
There is no evidence the tensions have changed in the last four months. None of the tensions warranted adjustment. The port spreader flag line was replaced and the boat’s Oden’s Raven flag was retired after 10.003 nm. I went around and checked all the nuts, bolts, and screws topside, and nothing but a few of the wood screws were loose. The repair to the boom vang and gooseneck I made in Tonga are holding. I checked the solar panel frame and the straps I put on in Vanuatu seem to be holding everything together. I made sure the InReach was fully charged. The mobile VHF radio has been missing for some time. I am not sure what happened to it. I do not believe it is any longer on the boat. Except for cleaning and processing trash, I am finished with my punch list topside. Everything else needs to be done in the water. It is 10:30 and the wind/waves do not seem as bad today … currently 15 … and the water is clearer. I got in the water briefly. I am in less than 50’ of water but cannot see the bottom. The hull had some growth, but it is not as bad as I thought … mostly around the waterline. When it is calmer, I will make one pass around the parameter and clean just below the waterline. High tide is about 8:00 tomorrow. Low tide is about 2:45. About 14:30, near low tide, the wind had dropped to 14 and shifted to the SE. the weather I was waiting for had arrived. I launched the dinghy and took a quick trip to West Island. it is truly one of the barren places that is full of life that I have ever seen. I saw nests for Loggerhead Turtles and dozens of species of birds. On my way back I saw a half dozen Loggerhead Turtles under the water, swimming incredibly fast. It is a magical place. I am going to try to do some snorkeling too around low tide … midafternoon.

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.

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: 117; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 10003 nm; Engine Hours: 236; Estimate Fuel: 55+10+50;
Comments: I was thinking Seabourn Pursuit might be the ABF vessel that is supposed to be at Ashmore Reef. But when I downloaded new PW files, I see it is on it way back at 15:00, after spending less then 24h at the reef. At 16:00 I jibed to 315, a point well S of the reef, 30 nm away, figuring I can more easily make adjustments N later on than the other way around. I also furled in about 25% of the jib for two reasons, so slow me down a bit, and to make it easier to heave to later. Seabourn Pursuit passed me starboard to starboard at a distance of 6 nm 30m later. She’s a 564’ passenger ship, so certainly not the ABF vessel. It is 18:00, I have furled in half the Yankee and have two reefs in the main and the boat is still going over 5 kt. All week I have struggled to get the boat to move, and now I can’t seem to slow her down. I would drop the main all together, but I would be worried about rocking and I need this sail plan to make my was to the backside of the reef and to heave to. An ABF aircraft contacted me as I was writing this with the usual questions. I am only 20 nm from the W side of Ashmore. At this rate I will be there in 4h, about 22:00. I will make my way to the leeward NW side and see what the seas are like for heaving to. Could be a long night. At 19:00 I decide I need to get some sleep before I get too close to the reef so set three alarms at 30m intervals. It is 22:00. I am about 7 nm SW of the West Island (and the same distance to Ash01), making my way around to the NW end of the reef. I have sustained 25 kt winds and the seas are pretty big after 36h of the wind. I am hoping the seas settle down on the leeward side. Of course, the reef is not going shadow any of the wind, but it will be a lot easier to heave to for 5h in calmer water. The forecast was for the winds to decrease to 16 (still gusts to 26) between now and dawn … hopefully sooner rather than later. The sea seems to become somewhat calmer as I rounded the W end. The boat also slowed down and is almost in irons. It is 23:30 and I am on the E side of the reef, about 3 nm to the Ash01 waypoint, the southern-most point of the channel leading to the lagoon, although it does not matter. The wind is still blowing 25. It is midnight and I am 2 nm due E of Ash01, doing 3 kt on a course of about 30. The wind direction is 100 and I assume the waves are coming from the same direction. I am going to continue for another mile of so and heave to. It is 00:30, I went forward to remove the preventer, and I sheeted the main as best I could (against the wind). I am about 4 nm from the reef. I would get better protection if I were closer, but don’t want to take the chance, so I heave to and begin monitoring my drift. I am doing almost 3 kt on a course of 150, which is a problem both in speed and direction as it would send me close to the reef. I relax the main sheet a bit and adjust the windvane to neutralize the watervane and this seems to help a bit. I am still doing 2.5 kt but the course is now close to 170, which may still be a problem. Part of the problem is a 1 kt current in the same direction. I’m going to wait a bit and see if the current wraps around the reef. I played this came in Tahiti when I arrived at night and had to heave to in a current. I will have to periodically move until morning. It is 1:00 and I am getting too close to the reef, so I set sail again, against the current. I also reduced the jib even more. I am only showing 20% if the jib and still going 3.5 kt due N, against the current. I will sail around in circles for the next 4-5h, ending up where I am now in time to motor in to the mooring. Hopefully the wind will die down a bit … it is currently 27 kt. It is 3:30 and I have sailed about 5 nm due N. The wind is blowing 18-21 from 77 and the current is flowing away from the reef. I tried to heave to again, and again the boat is traveling 2.5 kt on a course of 163, essentially directly at Ash01, which is 4.8 nm away. Sunrise is expected to be at 6:00, but it will start getting light about 5:00. I am going to drop the main to see if the boat slows down. Dropping the main slowed the boat down considerably, to about 1 kt. The course is influenced more by the current now, and it is about 200, away from the reef. Since it is 4:00, it should not be necessary to do anything else but furl the last of the jib, which I will do after the ship is motoring. There is no rush. My plan is to take one off the outer bouys because they are easier to get to (no coral boomies to deal with) and because it is supposed to be very windy the next two days, and the idea of navigating around the coral heads in 25 kt wind does not appeal to me. Wednesday morning is supposed to be 14-17, and I can wait until 10:00 so I have good light to spot the coral. I will spend today and tomorrow cleaning the boat, surveying for damage, and cooking. It’s 4:30 and the wind is back up in the mid-twenties. The little bit of Yankee that is out and turned inside-out is enough to drive the boat 2 kt with the help of the current, which is fine because it should put me exactly where I need to be at sunrise (Ash01). I was drifting further W than I want to be, so at 5:30 I started the engine, furled the rest of the jib, and set out for Ash01, which was 3 nm. Ash01 is not the channel into the lagoon but one extreme in a 5-mile-wide cone that visitors are allowed to navigate into the reef (the rest is protected). Ash01 is still 3.5 nm from the reef, so I began motoring 6.5 nm from the reef. The sea conditions were terrible… the reef offering no protection that far away. The waves were short and steep, and I was headed right into them. The bow was burying itself with each wave, making for a lot of pitching and rolling … and very slow going. The wind was still blowing 18 from the E, the direction I was motoring, so there was plenty of spray. I passed Ash01 about 6:30. The sea conditions were somewhat better, but still rough and wet as I was still 3.5 nm from the reef. 3 nm out, the depth sounder started reading … 180m. At 6:45 I spotted West Island in the distance. The depth 2 nm out was 60n. There is either a ship or some sort of structure ahead. The depth 1 nm out was also 60m. The channel through the reef starts out half a mile wide, so it is hard to miss. There were substantial waves well inside the channel. I was hailed by the ABF vessel on station as I came in. They asked me where I intended to moor and recommended the inner mooring new West Island. They also pointed out the channel markers, green on port are red on starboard. There were about a dozen markers that took me to the mooring field in front of the island. There were three vessels already there, two older power boats and a lifeboat of the sort you might find on a large ship. While lining the boat up with one of the mooring balls, I discovered my feathering prop did not go into reverse. The boat continued to move forward when ai put it in reverse. It may need to be greased. After I grabbed one of the mooring balls, I took a 2h nap. When I woke ABF was arriving in their RIB. One was David, the man you had hailed me when I came in. We discussed the rules briefly. They said they had only arrived yesterday and would be here three weeks before being replaced. They said they patrolled the area so might not always be here. They also said I was the only person here besides themselves, and the other boats were just “extras” in case someone needed a boat. The wind is going to continue to howl for the next couple of days. It looks like Thursday-Sunday may very nice for snorkeling, greasing the prop, etc. Note: I sail I would retire my Oden’s Raven flag every 10,000 nm, so I will retire the one that is flying now.

Current Position: 12 38.763’S 123 16.524’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 4.8; COG: 280; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 125; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef, 321): 34; Total Miles Sailed: 9950 nm; Engine Hours: 232; Estimate Fuel: 55+14+50;
Comments: It is 14:00 and I am about 30 nm from the southern no-sail boundary of the oil platform Montara Venture. I imagine I will reach it around midnight. The disadvantage of doing it before is I would need to stay awake until I was well-clear of the rig (3-4h). The downside of after is I have a fleet of trawlers just S of the platform. I just download fresh long-range AIS and the fishing fleet has moved fur to er away from the platform, so I am opting for after. The other advantage of after is the wind angle is usually more acute later at night, making it more ideal for a starboard tack. The latest forecast has strong wind them for the rest of the passage. With the tacks, I probably have 150 nm to go. I’d want to reach the entrance of the channel into the reef’s lagoon no later than noon, so I need to average 159/46=3.5 kt. To put that in perspective, I believe yesterday was my best day, and I only made 74 nm on. The point is I am going to have to push hard to make it by even Monday. It is 15:00 and during the past 7h I have averaged over 5 kt, which is the best I’ve seen the past 5d. I passed the closest point to the platform about 20:30, about 3 nm S of the platform. I waited another 2 nm, then I jibed N (starboard tack) and set a course of 295. The wind was still blowing 22 from due E, having backed like it has been in the evening. I am about 55 nm from Cartier Island and about 100 nm to the waypoint. I am going to have to jibe either before or after the island. There are shoals N of the island, which are not dangerous, but are likely to lead to more turbulent water. Overnight, the winds are going to continue to back, eventually reaching 70 around midnight, then will start to veer, reaching 90 just after sunrise. It is 21:00 and sunrise will be about 6:00, 9h from now. The winds are going to lighten after midnight, so it is unlikely I will average more than 5 kt, so I may go 5×9=45 nm before sunrise. It seems jibing around dawn may be appropriate. At 23:00 the wind direction was 72, making it possible to head S of the waypoint, even on the starboard tack. At 1:00, the wind speed is down to 18 from 75, making it more difficult to head E. At 4:30 the wind was down to 14 and gusting to 18 from 75. Cartier is 24 nm away and Ash01 is 68 nm. I have done 35 nm on since 21:00, when I jibed around the platform (35/7.5=4.7 nm/g), which is not too bad considering I have been in a bear run). There is no way I will make Ash01 in time to moor before dark, especially as I must sail around the reef to the NW side to access the passage. My plan is still to push hard, past Cartier to the S and position myself to enter the reef tomorrow morning. Somehow I have managed to stay the course directly at Cartier all night, so I won’t have to deviate very far S to miss it. Going to wait until the wind veers this morning. Sunrise was about 6:00 … another cloudless day. The wind is blowing from 80. Except for the front that blew through a few days ago, have not had any clouds. AIS shows a passenger vessel (Seabourn Pursuit) about 40 nm ahead of me and headed for Ashborn Reef. At 7:00, 14 nm ENE of Cartier, I tacked to a new heading of 236 in 15 kt of wind from 85. This course should bring me to within a couple of nm of the island. It is 55 nm to Ash01. I put a fishing line out after trimming the sails. There was a clanging noise last night that seemed to be outside and near the head when I was sleeping. I got up twice with the headlamp to try to figure out what it was, but no luck. While moving the preventer, I saw the pelican clamp on the lifeline across the dive platform had come undone and the metal clamp was dangling overboard and banging against the hull. It has happened before. The sheet for the jib sometimes slaps the lifeline releasing the clamp. However, I apparently only hear it banging on a starboard tack, which is relativelyrare in the Southern Hemisphere. I reconnected it, but it got slapped right back off, so I lashed it. It’s 7:30 and the wind is 90 … I timed the tack well. After I clear Cartier, I will tack again, probably the last time before reaching Ashmore, which is now at 289 degrees, a course that should be easy to keep with the projected wind direction. At 10:30, I finally saw Cartier Island when I was 3.5 nm due S of it. At 11:00 I was clear of the reef. Ash01 is at 302 and the wind is at 112. About the best I can do is 260 on the port tack. I could jibe, but the TWA would be about the same and I would need to tack again as I wouldn’t clear the S side of Ashmore. I have a good current on the present port tack, so will stick with it. The distance sailed towards Ashmore Reef in the last 25h was 127-34=93 nm. The total distance sailed was 9959-9848=111 nm (111/25=4.4 kt avg.). This is by far the most distance I have covered on this passage, because for the first time I was not bewinded in the early morning hours. Because I need to sail deep W before I can tack towards the SW side of Ashmore, because I need to give the eeef a wide berth, and because I need to sail about 5 nm offshore W of Ashmore to heave to, my best guess is I have about 50 nm to go. It is 15:00. If I average 4 kt, it will take me 12th, which means I will need to heave to 3:30-5:00, when it will be light enough to begins to approach the channel. I am thinking now that Seabourn Pursuit may be the ABF vessel that is normally on site.

Current Position: 12 33.633’S 125 03.045’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 5.0; COG: 255; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 115; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef, 278): 127; Total Miles Sailed: 9848 nm; Engine Hours: 230; Estimate Fuel: 60+10+50;
Comments: About 16:00 I started seeing gusts over 20. I already have two reefs in the main and the jib is rolled one turn (to reduce wear and tear on the leach tape). I am not expecting winds over 25. The forecast suggests I may arrive at Ashmore Reef late in the day on Sunday (48 h from now), probably not enough time to safely navigate to the moorings, so depending on how many miles I make in the next 24h, I will pace myself the next 24/36h, arriving at the entrance to the channel by 14:00 on Sunday or slowing down to go in Monday morning. The wind is slowly backing. It is currently 115 and in 4h probably 90 on its way to 70. When 90, I will tack. At 17:00, near sunset, I was seeing sustained 20 kt winds with gusts of 25 that were overwhelming the windvane. I furled in 25% of the jib to better balance the sails with the double-reefed main, and this solved the problem with the boat rounding up. At 19:00, the wind had backed to about 100. However, I am not as far S as PW predicted. It may be close to midnight than 20:00 before I need to tack. But, the wind is supposed to die down then until dawn, and if it dies, it may not be necessary to tack until morning. At 21:00 it was blowing 20 from 95 and the speed was aided by a 1 kt current, so it was not a good time to tack. The current would eventually rotate clockwise in the direction of the tack. I was still only two-thirds as far S as the course recommended by PW. By 23:00, the wind had decreased to 16 and backed to 70 as predicted, so I jibed to a new heading of 285 (waypoint 272). The current would rotate to that course soon. A Brown Booby was on the solar panels and none too happy to be scooted off when the boom swung across them. While resetting the preventer, there was a general call for assistance for a “vessel in distress” from a shore radio, but the coordinates were too distant for me to be of help. By 1:00, the wind speed had dropped to 10, as predicted. By 3:00, the wind was in single digits and the windvane was struggling, so I switched to the TillerPilot. Sailing against a current, the SOG was less than 2. The wind direction was 78. Around dawn it will have veered to almost 100 and it will be time to tack again. It is 5:40, 10m to sunrise. I tacked and cleaned the bird poop off the solar panels. I unfurled the jib but left the main double-reefed. There is 4 kt of wind and an opposing current, so I am effectively standing still. I downloaded new GRIBs. PW now says I will arrive Tomorrow midday, but I believe that is optimistic. For example, it thinks I should be doing 5 kt now. I am planning to push as hard as I can, but only so I am certain to be in place Monday morning for the passage into the lagoon. Besides the Cartier Island, there is an oil platform (Montara Venture) I need to avoid. The latter shows up on AIS. At present, there is a group of a half dozen fishing trawlers just S of the oil platform. The sun has come up. It is hazy, almost foggy. There was a fog warning on an earlier forecast, but not the present one. As expected, with the sun comes a breeze, 6 kt at first, but enough to drive the boat 1.5 kt against the current. 30m after sunrise, there were double-digit winds, as expected, driving the boat 2-3 kt against a cross current. I grow weary of the shallow waters and temperamental winds. Des wrote ai should expect more typical sailing conditions from Ashmore to Christmas Island. I put a fishing line in the water at 6:30. At 7:00 I started getting gusts of 15 and SOG of 4. At 11:30 the wind picked up to 22 and I went to the cockpit to adjust the windvane when I noticed I had a fish on the line. It looked like a small long-tail tuna. Just as I got it on the deck it flipped off and overboard. The Coral Night, a cargo ship that was anchored at the oil platform for the past 24h, will pass about 4 nm off my port about 1:30. About 12:50, I caught a second one of the same fish, about the same size, and was raising it out of the water when it flipped off the hook. In between hooking the two fish, I ate some leftover pasta, so called it a day and did not put the line out a third time. I will try again tomorrow. The distance sailed towards Ashmore Reef in the last 24h was 201-127=74 nm. The total distance sailed was 9848-9777=71 nm (71/24=3.0 kt avg.). Note this discrepancy is due to the current.

Current Position: 12 19.999’S 126 19.986’E; Local Timezone: UTC+8 SOG: 4.0; COG: 240; TWS: 6 17 kt; TWD: 124; Distance to Waypoint (Ashmore Reef, 270): 201; Total Miles Sailed: 9777 nm; Engine Hours: 230; Estimate Fuel: 60+10+50;
Comments: About 16:00, I finally started to see some sustained double-digit winds (10-11 kt) that veered from 90 to 120, as predicted, so I changed to a heading of 250. At 17:15, just before sunset (in 10m), I noticed rain clouds forming upwind. The CAPE is very low. It would be nice to get some rain to wash the salt off the boat. The wind was still 10 kt from 115, but the boat was doing less than 2 kt because it was running against a 1 kt current. As the clouds approached it started to look and feel more like a front as the wind veered to 135, as predicted by the forecast. I was able to change my heading to 255. As the front blew through the wind picked up to 15 (as predicted) and there were isolated rain showers. The ABF contacted me again about 18:00 … the fourth time in 24h. I went to sleep at 19:30 and set an alarm for 2h. When I woke the boat was doing nearly 5 kt in 11 kt wind aided by a favorable current. The wind veered, allowing me to set a course for the waypoint at 271. I set a 90m alarm. By 23:00 the wind had slowed to 6 kt as predicted and was coming from the S. If the forecast holds, wind will return in the morning. I set a 90m alarm. At 2:00 I was awaken by the TillerPilot alarm because there was no wind to steer. There was a tug 8 nm away and heading towards me, but it was going cross the stern by several nm.2. This decrease in wind was predicted. The wind is supposed to increase in about 2h. I set a wind alarm to alert me. I downloaded new GRIBs at 3:00. Now they are suggesting there will be no wind until midmorning. I looked at the long-range AIS … nothing but the tug that was about to pass me … so I set an alarm and went back to sleep 2h. The alarm briefly went off at 4:30, but there was not stable wind, so I went back to sleep. Sunrise should be about 5:55. At 5:15, on queue with the orange glow on the horizon, the wind alarm went off. The wind had stabilized direction at 3-6 kt and I set a course for 290. I was only making 1 kt against a partial current, but at least I was moving forward. I had drifted backwards 2 nm since 2:00. I was enjoying my tea in the cockpit when the sun rose at 5:52. The wind was barely blowing hard enough to maintain the course, but it was expected to increase in a couple of hours. I ate the last banana yesterday and had to throw out the last of the bread, which had gone moldy … it never lasts more than five days. I also finished off yesterday the last of the meals I had prepared for the passage. I am going to eat the last of the yogurt for breakfast this morning. I will be switching to my usual staples … oatmeal, eggs, pasta, and the like. It might also be time to drop a line in the water, if the boat can manage enough speed later to tow a lure. It is 6:05 and the morning breeze has already petered out. The boat speed is 0.0. It is supposed to pick up in a couple of hours. By 7:00 I had steady 7 kt wind from the S, as predicted, and the boat was making 2.5 kt towards the waypoint and I dropped a line in the water. Around noon, I am supposed to see gusts of 20, so I won’t try to launch the asymm today. By 8:00 I started to see wind speeds of 10 and SOG over 4, so was able to switch to the windvane. It feels good not to hear the motor of the TillerPilot, only the sounds of the water. It is time to begin thinking about the approach to Ashborn. PW route generally have me approaching the W side from the N, but I do not have a chart for that and I know there is some sort of reef there from the low-resolution Navionics. I have a chart for a SE approach. I looked through my other charts to see if I by chance had one of this area, but I do not, so I will approach from the SW while avoiding Cartier Island. It is unclear at this point whether I will clear Cartier to the N or S. To the N are shallow banks, but they appear to be non-threatening except for one spot that is 9’. By 9:30 I had sustained 10-11 kt winds, as predicted, and the SOG was over 5. The ABF tried to reach me at 10:00, but the transmission was unclear. At the same time the wind started to veer and the velocity increased to 14-15, as expected, so I adjusted the windvane. The distance sailed towards Ashmore Reef in the last 24h was 256-201=56 nm. The total distance sailed was 9777-9738=39 nm (39/24=1.6 kt avg.). Note this discrepancy is due to the current.