Sailing to Oz 2012: London, England

Well, after I jumped ship in Pago Pago and flew back to London, the owner flew out from Oz intending to complete the final leg to Fremantle - about 4000 miles - in one go….. easy right?

I had an email from the Captain 10 days later saying that they had diverted to the Islands of Vanuatu. After just a few days at sea the owner couldn’t stand the motion of the boat either! I don’t feel quite so much of a wimp now!

Apparently he (the owner) booked straight into a hotel on docking at Port Vila on the island of Afife. His bank card wouldn’t work in the ATM’s, a problem we also encountered in some places … we got over this by using a credit card - at great expense I might add – to withdraw cash.

So, the owner flew back to Oz and two crew members were recruited and flew in and they set off on the 13^th August. They reached Darwin after another eventful trip, I must add, they pulled in here against the wishes of the owners!

The gas solenoid gave up the ghost as it got corroded with all the sea water washing over the decks and getting into the gas locker.  No gas to cook with.

A jubilee clip on the water pipes gave way so all the fresh water in the tanks flowed silently into the bilges …. No water to make that vital cuppa…..

The generator began playing up again……. No electricity….

How the owners could even suggest that the captain and crew continued on without stopping for repairs, gas and water is just beyond belief! But hey, having endured 5 months of the same, I’m not really surprised!

The auto pilot went off at one point and they nearly ended up on a reef! There are lots of those in that area around the north passage!

When they docked at Darwin the Customs officials went over the boat with a fine tooth comb and then the Quarantine people took away most of their food supplies.

So they set sail on 8^th September on the last leg round the top of Oz to Fremantle. They should arrive in the next week or so.

…..And I was hoping that I had taken the ‘Hex’ with me when I got off the boat!!!  I wouldn’t have missed the experience for the world, met some wonderful people and visited some amazing places, but I am so pleased to be back on dry land…. 

London, England

Well, I decided to jump ship and flew home from Pago Pago. After all the problems with the boat and the screwy motion of the sea making my stomach turn over, I’m sorry to say that I could not face another 6 weeks or so of it. Along with all the stress, I was having nightmares about what would happen next, so I’m back home in London.

It took two days to fly back via Honolulu and JFK – lots of waiting around in the airports between flights.  It’s been quite difficult adjusting to the change in time zones. It took 5 months to go through 10 zones and 48 hours to come back!

I’m ploughing through the masses of correspondence, both paper and email, which has accumulated over the 5 months while I was away.

The owner flew out to join the Captain on the boat and they are now under way on the final leg of the journey to Oz, some 4000 miles. Will let you know the outcome of the trip as it unfolds.

Update:

I’ve been researching those silvery things which were attached to the dolphins we saw and find that they are called Remoras, also known as Shark Suckers. They attach themselves with suckers and must be irritating to the poor hosts, and, I understand, can leave lesions when they finally let go.  

Pago Pago, US Samoa

We arrived in American Samoa on 13^th July after setting out from Nuku Hiva on Friday 29^th June and are on anchor in the harbour of Pago Pago.



The anchorage at Pago Pago



The winds were very strong at times, up to force 6, and there were 4-5 metre cross swells coming from three directions so it was most uncomfortable being tossed from side to side with that screwy motion again. I have never suffered from seasickness but the Pacific is something else!

For the last few days we only had about a quarter of the genoa out and half the mizzen and we were still being tossed around at speeds of 7-8 knots in a force 5-6. The water and fuel tanks are above the water line so that doesn’t help at all.

There was a lot of rain too. It seems there is a belt of nasty weather which runs from the south east to the north west of the Pacific at this time of year. On a particularly stormy night a huge wave came over with such force that one of the radar reflectors, which is quite high up the stays, ended up facing the wrong way.

Seven days out the generator packed up again and, after changing all the usual filters, oil, fuel, air etc, we discovered that the impeller was shattered and the fuel pump also gave up the ghost. As we need to run it every day to provide power for the autopilot and house batteries, the Captain rigged up a way of feeding fuel to it by a gravity feed system.

This entails a fuel can with hoses to and from the generator. This can needs filling with diesel every day - not an easy task in the turbulent seas we had. There was a bit of spillage as the boat would suddenly lurch at an inopportune moment during the process. More diesel fumes to endure!

      * These photos were taken while on the hook, you can see that the procedure would be very tricky whilst underway!!

At one point the auto pilot switched itself off …. Don’t know why. There didn’t seem to be any reason for it as it worked fine when it was switched back on. Then a few days later the Foruno chart plotter had a fit and decided that we were travelling at 212 knots and then righted itself. The Gremlins are back!!!

One evening, as dusk approached, we were visited by a lot of booby birds all trying to hitch a ride. One managed to land on the top of the forward mast. Even blasts with the fog-horn wouldn’t deter him from his perch. Of course there are navigation instruments on the top of the mast and we were concerned that he might damage them. Luckily all was well and he flew off at dawn.

We saw some a huge pod of dolphins on the way - they were really having fun!  The filming is a bit wobbley as there were so many I didn't know where to point the camera !!

The island is very beautiful and surrounded by reefs over which the surf breaks with that lovely turquoise colour in the waves. The local buses are similar to those you find in India; personalised, lights all over and underpowered. The Samoans are big people, we were in one the other day and a load of people got on and the driver had to tell some to get off as the suspension was going.



The harbour entrance to Pago Pago from the shore




The Rain Maker Mountain



This is an example of the local style of building



There is a fish canning factory on one side of the bay – we heard that the big fishing boats which catch the tuna hadn’t been out to sea for over a week because the sea was too rough!

The Canning factory and huge fishing boats which service it

I’ve been having serious nightmares about it all and so have decided to jump ship and fly home. Initially the plan was to get the boat to Oz in three months – had all gone smoothly we should have been there at the end of May.  But, as you know, there seems to have been one thing after another going wrong. It’s been a great experience but I am in need of some calm and de-stressing after five months of it.

Oh, and a long soak in the bath would be wonderful too!

The journey to Nuku Hiva

We left the anchorage at Las Brisas, Panama on 17^th May and arrived at the island of Nuku Hiva on 23^rd June after 35 days at sea. It’s almost 4000 miles from Panama. There was a lot of floating debris in the waters off Panama, some of them as big as trees! I spotted a row of 4 pelicans sitting on a log!

We had hardly any wind at first and got becalmed off the north coast of the Galapagos islands. The sails had been slatting and the foresail seam came undone so we had to change sails and repair the ripped one. However, when we opened up the sail bag we found that the small, 70%, genoa had been attacked by mice or moths and had holes in it, so we had to patch them with tape. Doesn’t look too bad as they are all in a row!

We have seen some dramatic sunsets and sunrises.


An amazing cloud formation at sunset



A beautiful sunrise

Just off the Galapagos there were some very strange ripples on the water we guessed it was where strong currents met. The water almost looked as if it was boiling!



The Asymetric up



We put up the Asymetric sail when the winds were light. Though when they strengthen it is the devil to get down! Had to put some sail tape on this one too as the seams were coming apart. When there was wind it wasn’t too strong, about a force 4-5, but if it came from a different direction to the swell, it caused huge cross swells which resulted in a sort of screwy, really uncomfortable motion. Sometimes from three different directions! It really makes me feel queasy. The last couple of days we motored as the sea was actually quite calm round the islands.  

 

At one point the engine died as the fuel tank was low and so Jim had to pump some fuel across from the other tank and bleed the engine plugs to get it started again.  We had a leak in the hydraulic steering system so had to top up the levels – not an easy task when the boat is pitching and rolling!

The boom support crashed onto the deck as the holding pin had become dislodged so we had to put a new split pin in it.

A Booby bird decided that the mizzen masthead was a good place to perch one night and left us presents on deck when he flew off the next morning. 

Another larger bird, a bit like an albatross, landed on the pilot house roof one evening and stayed until he was booted unceremoniously off at a sail change! Had to scrub the decks to clean the mess he left too!

We saw pilot whales, which are black and about 12 ft long, a whole group of them lollopped slowly past the bow. Totally disinterested in the boat and us!

Our first encounter with dolphins was amazing – and very sad too!  There was a huge pod of them leaping and diving, smacking the water really hard. As we got closer we saw why!  There was some sort of large, silvery parasites on most of them which obviously irritated them and they were trying to break them free by their frenetic jumping and leaping.

A very pretty fish, about 2 feet long, stayed with us one day. We think it might have been a barracuda. It’s back was vivid blue and the fin tips and tail were yellowish.

We also saw the blow-spout of a whale about a mile or so off and then just by it, quite suddenly, a dolphin flew up into the air. Whether it was thrown or leapt we can’t be sure. Maybe the whale was chasing it or was playing with it before it killed it.  It was some distance away. 

Just as we approached the point at which were about to cross the equator we came across several groups of fishermen in small, colourful boats with fishing lines strung out across our bow. They came charging up to warn us and had huge swordfish on board.

We did get a line caught round the keel and they just cut the line. Not at all as worried as we were! They seemed very pleased to have helped and wanted us to buy some of the fish….. yukk. So we tossed some beers across. Another fishing boat saw that something was going on and quickly motored over and so we gave them a pack of cigarettes and they were well pleased!

We’ve been trying to conserve water and have been washing-up in sea water and even cooking with it in small amounts. But…. there is a natural rain-catcher on board. The mainsail is on an in-boom reefing system and the rain-water pours out of it where it meets the mast. A bucket tied under this fills up in no time! 



Goose necked barnacles on the waterline caption



When we arrived here we found that there were ‘goose-necked barnacles’ growing all around the water line. Jim had cleaned the hull before we left Panama, to avoid drag, so they must have attached themselves en route. It was hard work scraping them off but he’s done a great job.



 

There are sharks in the harbour too!

Can you see the shark's fin?

Not big ones but definitely sharks. One of the boats we met in Shelter Bay is here and invited us over for drinks and nibbles the other evening and on the way I saw a shark about 5ft long leap out of the water right by one of the boats at anchor! Scarey… see the fin!!

The dinghy dock here requires a real leap of faith! It’s a solid concrete wall with four or five rungs screwed in it, depending on the height of the tide, going vertically with nothing to hold on to at the top! 

                                                  Elle Bo on the hook at Nuku Hiva

Jellyfish at Las Brisas Panama

Jelly fish floating by the boat at anchorage.

Sloths at La Playita, Panama

Sloths at La Playita, Panama..... see the baby on mum's tummy???

Wildlife at Las Brisas, Panama

May 2012 Las Brisas Anchorage, Panama

The Egret