Crossing the Pacific - Mexico to French Polynesia

This is a copy of the blog posts we entered on our predict wind tracker - on the Pacific crossing, from La Cruz, west Coast of Mexico (near Puerto Vallarta) to Hiva Oa, which was the most windward island we arrived at in French Polynesia. 

Day one - We're off.... 

Sunday 26th March 2023 09.30 

We left the La Cruz  anchorage at 09.30 this morning. Approximately 3000nm to go to French Polynesia which is probably around 3-4 weeks of saling. 

Full main and Genoa up, straight away and cruising along at 5.2knots - so far - soooo gorgeous. xx

Day 3  of .... who knows?  All going well......

    Tue Mar 28 2023

    The first night we had fairly big winds - ended up with two reefs in the main and also reefed the Genoa.

    Still - we got around 7 knots which is fast for us very cautious geriatric sailors!

    Yesterday and today the wind is slowing right down and we're doing around 4 knots. However-we are in no rush and it's a very comfortable sail.

    Our wind pilot is working really well, I'm on my 3rd book, we're both sleeping great on our 4 on/4 off shift pattern and the weather is glorious!

    We're about halfway to the Mexican island of Clarion where we will turn left/south/downwind - to hopefully pick up the trade winds which should take us across the equator to French Polynesia. We probably won't stop at Clarion unless we need to fix something. It's a Mexican naval station and

    we can't get off the boat so ideally will keep going.

    We've still got a great signal on the Starlink - it's weird having t'internet this far out.

    Not seen any dolphins or whales yet but a few dead flying fish on deck yesterday

    More tomorrow E+ C xxxx

    Day 4 - Slow going... but loving it! 

    Wed Mar 29 2023

    Normally we do around 150nm (nm= nautical miles - pretty much the same as mph) in 24 hours. This last 24h we've only done around 60. There's hardly any wind - we knew this would happen before we left, and normally, on a shorter

    journey we would put the engine on and motor for a while.

    We've probably only got about 4 or 5 days of fuel, so, on a trip this long we need to conserve our diesel.

    It's been a different approach, for us, and we've enjoyed the flat sea, the flat boat, the opportunity to cook, and pee without wedging yourself against a fixed surface ( for non sailors - when the boat is heeled, or being chucked about, you can imagine how difficult cooking/pee'ing/doing anything is...)

    Anyway we're expecting more wind again tonight so I had better put things away before bottles/food/,fruit/books etc start flying around the cabin.

    (Kate H if you're reading this - memories of a similar scenario in the Solent with half made cheese/pickle sandwiches landing (branston pickle side down) on my jeans! 

    This morning I noticed a terrible smell around the boat - I couldn't find the source and I was beginning to think maybe one of us had a nasty infection.

    Luckily, Crawford later found the source- a dead ( presumably a few days dead) flying fish, wedged under the spray hood. Phew!

    No other news to report - all is good. Round about 200nm to Clarion and then we turn downwind

    Thanks for reading - More tomorrow xxxx

    PS in other news - if you're reading - Happy Birthday young

    Joseph Elding ❤️

    Day 5 - Thursday - We've got wind -yay 

    Thu Mar 30 2023

    I suspected the wind had picked up early this morning when I was rudely woken from my sleep to be nearly thrown out of my bed.

    When I got up, my husband was beaming - so happy to see the sails filled again!

    Last night was, in the end, quite painful, with the boat wobbling about all over the place and the sails flogging noisily - all the while, travelling at the grand speed of 1- 1.5 knots. 

    Anyway-we're off again now- we've got the wind on the port quarter and just the foresail out, doing between 5-7 knots.Happy days!

    If you've noticed our track is a little bit wobbly, it's not - as Jill Warn said, because either Crawford has been asleep and left me in charge of steering, or we've both been on the beers - the absolute cheek of the girl!

    We have this very clever device called a wind pilot, attached to the back of the boat, which, using the wind and the sea, with a series of ropes/ pulleys, attaches to our helm and steers the boat for us. Thank you very much!

    The alternative to this would be to hand steer, or to use an electric autopilot. We do have an autopilot but it uses a lot of power. Our power comes from 3x solar panels, a wind generator ( big fan type contraption on the back of the boat

    which converts wind energy into power) and we also have a towed water generator ( big food blender type thing on a stick which we tow off the back of the boat and it converts water energy into power) 

    All of these put energy in our batteries and we then use the power for things like AIS ( Like a satnav on the sea which also identifies other boats and signals us if anyone is within striking distance, lights (navigation lights and inside

    lights) the satellite dish (Starlink) then just the usual phones/laptops etc.

    We can also charge the batteries with the engine but if we put the engine on we use fuel which we do not have an endless supply of.

    So anyway - the wind pilot - because it uses wind and water to power it, there are sometimes fluctuations in the steering.

    We don't really notice this but clearly, our track reveals all!

    So that is the reason for this wobbly track. Not beer.

    Mind you, I did see the skipper adjust our course today to

    allow the sun out from behind the sails so he could sit in the sunshine. 😎

    Some of our friends who left before us are nearly at the equator where the weather gets really unusual and there is a big area of very still seas - the doldrums. The idea is that you pick the shortest distance to cross so that you don't run out of wind for too long, Very exciting- we'll be there probably this time next week. Watch this space!

    All going well -round about 100nm to Clarion. Xxx

    Day 6 -Friday 31st March 2023

    Not much to report today - all good. The wind has been consistently around 12-20knots and we're doing between 5 - 7 knots.

    This morning we poled out our foresail - the wind is from behind us now ( perfect trade wind sailing) so securing the flappy foresail with a pole stops it collapsing and keeps the sail full.

    Very smooth sailing mostly going on here with the occasional big wave.

    It's sunny, it's getting a bit warmer and we're getting ramped up for a big weekend. 😎

    We've just put the fishing line out so hopefully we'll catch some dinner.

    Speaking of dinner - we have eaten all our fresh meat now and we're onto the supply of meals we prepared before we left - vacuum packed curries etc etc and around 30 mason jars of various meats and fish. Hmmm. I'm not massively excited.

    Luckily we also have loads of spam that I cannot wait to make spam fritters with!

    We have a fairly small fridge ( no freezer) so food becomes quite inventive on a long passage - think "ready steady cook" in terms of ingredients- with food prep like standing on a washing machine, a tiny work surface, two gas rings and a small oven.

    Last night I was just getting excited about going off for my 4 hour sleep break when Crawford suddenly said "I'm really tired - I need a quick power nap" I left him to it, and 5 hours later he emerged from the fore cabin looking a bit shocked.

    Some power nap! He had obviously 'hit the wall' Luckily no maritime emergencies on Nauplios during this period of unconsciousness.Bless!

    Our tracking line on predict wind looks really very strange - not sure what's going on there.

    We've just passed Clarion island and heading west/southwest now.

    This part of the Pacific is the bluest water I have seen for

    ages - our water maker is loving it. The water maker pulls up sea water, filters it and makes it fit for drinking/using - we get about 20-25 lites per hour and we use around 30 litres a day.

    When we're out here - because the water is so clear, the filter is flying!

    Anyway the Skipper has just put his headphones on to listen to the radio and I've got an appointment with the Archers omnibus. The glamour and excitement of life on the high seas😂 More tomorrow xxxx

    Day 7 - Saturday 1st April

    Sat Apr 01 2023

    The wind and sea state have picked up a bit today - it's all good though and we were expecting it. We've got around 20/25 knots of wind and around 3m waves.

    As usual in the Sneddon school of cautious sailing (Love it!) we have reefed and we're now sailing with a scrap of poled out Genoa.

    I love it when the boat is over pressed and we reduce a load of sail - afterwards we almost always end up doing exactly the same speed but it's so much more comfortable.

    Anyway, all is good and it feels really safe/comfortable. Things set to calm down tomorrow.

    The boat is still very bouncy - which is ok when you're sitting in the cockpit looking out ( and holding onto something so you don't fall off your seat) but as soon as you go downstairs, it's easy to get thrown around. This means any cooking has to be simple to prepare and

    quick to cook. Otherwise it's too dangerous. For that reason I have decided against the boeuf en croute tonight and will stick with pre prepared/vacuum packed chicken curry.

    Around 800 miles down and we've probably got about 2000 to go to our destination- Nuku Hiva. We'll probably be somewhere near the ITCZ ( the area

    around the equator / the doldrums/ the horse latitudes!) in around 4/5 days which is the next big excitement on Nauplios’s horizon

    Speaking of excitement - ( ours, not his - poor guy!) we did help out a fellow sailor today by meeting him mid ocean to give him a can of fuel. Him  (Travis) and his family left a week or two before us, and very unfortunately their boat was dismasted in big weather. They put out a Mayday call, his wife and 3 young children were rescued by a big cargo vessel.

    He, however, elected to stay on the boat to try to motor it back to Clarion Island. He has been very short on fuel and various boats have been stopping by to give him fuel.

    One boat ( SV Midnight Breeze) even sent him a hot dinner over! ( along with fuel) Amazing effort!

    How to transfer the fuel/stuff in the middle of the ocean was an interesting (again - for me, not him!) experience.

    Most yachts put their dinghy's away for long passages as they get in the way, and anyway the dinghy in this big sea wouldn't work. Taking our boat directly alongside his also wasn't an option on this big sea either - too bouncy, too much risk of boat damage.

    So in order to transfer the diesel, he trailed a line ( or a rope - in non nautical speak) off the back of his boat with a fender on it. Crawford manoeuvred Nauplios alongside the fender, we ( I 💪) picked up the fender out of the water, tied on the jerry can and threw it back in the water while Crawford controlled the boat.  (All those MOB drills worked)

    Travis then pulled in the Jerry can.

    We are really hoping this is enough fuel for him to get back to Clarion.

    This has been a massive effort organised by some very very generous hearted people in La Cruz called PV Sailing. From what I have heard, I think more people are sailing out to Clarion to bring fuel and help him get his boat back to La Cruz.

    My heart goes out to this family - the poor mum leaving her husband in the middle of the night on a very disabled looking yacht with no mast, no sails and not enough fuel to get back to safety.

    She was taken on the cargo ship to Hawaii with her three young children- their youngest baby is only four months old.

    Apparently the crew on the cargo vessel looked after them all beautifully- even fashioning babies nappies from various nautical stuff. 

    This is all very humbling.

    Anyway chicken curry is calling. More tomorrow xxxx

     

    Day8 -Sunday 

    Mon Apr 03 2023

    The main news for the day was that SV Niniwahuni ( the dismasted yacht) managed to motor back - on fumes of diesel to Clarion Island and get anchored.

    The Mexican Navy met him there and have agreed to help him get his boat back to the mainland.

    It was all a bit touch and go as to whether he would make it to Clarion - and if he had ran out of fuel before he got there, he would have drifted downwind, potentially quite a long way before the next boat coming out could get to him with fuel.

    His wife was boarding a flight from Hawaii with their children at the time and didn't know whether he was going to make it -it was all very tense, and of course, with social media, we were able to follow it every step of the way.

    We then got a message to say he had anchored, she then got on the what's app saying she had purchased in flight wifi to find out he was safe! It was a fantastic, tear jerking, goose bumpy couple of hours.

    A lot of cruising boats now have starlink and this is the first passage we've had wifi available offshore. I do feel that Starlink contributed massively ( if not totally) in the combined effort to help this family.

    The stories are now coming out on the group WhatsApp about what's been happening - one of the couples who took some fuel to Niniwahuni ended up with the fuel transfer line wrapped around their prop.

    Poor Chris and Michelle (Beleza) Chris had to dive under their boat to cut the line away. I definitely wouldn't fancy that - mid Pacific in the big seas we had yesterday. So brave and massive respect to all the boats who delivered fuel, fuel filters, food etc - Michelle (Beleza) was in touch with Shawna ( mum) and managed to print off and deliver (with fuel and rum!) some drawings the children had sent to their dad.  I cannot believe these acts of kindness, when they are mid Pacific as double handers, these acts of kindness. How absolutely lovely and a fantastic outcome for a very horrible, unlucky event. That poor family.

    In other news 2 little sea birds come to hang out on our bow for a couple of days- I could hear Crawford shouting "f**k off" really loudly at them every now and again

    (#birdshitlikecementonyerdeck) but they weren't boverred and just chilled out. I loved it. Apparently seabirds angle themselves into wind when they are on a vessel to stabilise themselves. This meant, very conveniently, their little bird bottoms were over the edge of the boat!

    All else is good - another few miles down, weather all good, Nauplios on top form

    More tomorrow XxXx

    Day 9 - Monday 

    Mon Apr 03 2023

    I have to say I didn't have the Monday morning blues today! 😎

    We're making good progress- it's nice and sunny, the wind is steady - we're still sailing between 5- 7 knots and although it's a bit wobbly, it's fairly comfortable.

    We've still just got a poled out headsail which is occasionally reefed if the wind blows up a bit, with the wind coming from the starboard quarter.

    Tonight the wind has whipped up to around 20-25 knots and we're bouncing around - It's a bit like being on the waltzer - is that even still a thing?

    Crawford has just gone for his first sleep and I'm on deck listening ( with half a headphone- the other ear is for the AIS alarm, the radio, the wind, the sails, the wind pilot etc...)

    Anyway, hilariously, I am listening to Matt Lucas (who I love) narrate Great Expectations. I've been trying to read that book for, basically, ever but it's so dry and dull. Matt Lucas is making it absolutely hilarious (I don't think he knows how hilarious he is) with his various voices of Dickens characters- and I am chuckling away, on deck, on my own, in the dark, in the middle of the Pacific. What a funny night!

    Yesterday we had 3 bites on the fishing line - the line always goes out if we've got room in the fridge for a fish and we do usually get at least one fish a day.

    We were lucky enough last year to get some brilliant advice from 2 fishing professionals-  If you're reading this - Thankyou- team Belgium - Jan and his nephew Bram of SV Hemma. (They were rubbish at UNO however 😂)

    Their advice is top secret but basically involves using the finger of a bright pink marigold rubber glove on the end of a fishing line/ hook - the fish love it - and we have never looked back.

    Yesterday, however, we weren't so lucky - 3 bites, the line starts reeling out noisily - giving us both a coronry (as they say on coronation st), Crawford thinks he should be catching the supper, but I also like reeling in a fish so there is usually a scrap to see who can get to the line first. We then slow the boat down, get all excited about what the fish is, how we're gonna cook it, and reel it in. This can take up to an hour if it's a biggun.

    Yesterday we did this three times and each time the fish escaped/"slipped the hook" as they say. Most disappointing!

    Today however - we had a bite and Crawford reeled it in quickly - it was a little mahi mahi. It's in the fridge now waiting to be turned into fish fingers tomorrow. Can't wait.

    More tomorrow xx

     

     

    Day 11 - Wednesday 

    Wed Apr 05 2023

    Sorry I completely forgot to do this yesterday- my sister (Alison) has just reminded me - it's nice to know people are reading. We've turned left/ South towards the ITCZ ( intertropical convergent zone)  That means the wind is all on the left beam = wobble central!

    The idea is to cross the ITCZ over the shortest distance possible.

    There are lots of technical explanations about why this area is tricky on Wikipedia - but essentially pressure changes and wind shifts between the north and south hemisphere cause all sorts of problems to sailors. We'll be approaching it over the next 24h or so and apparently it's lots of squally winds/rain storms, followed by no wind - aka the doldrums.

    So that's what we were doing yesterday- looking at all the different weather models and trying to decide the best place to cross.

    My husband has safely navigated us half way across the world on Nauplios so hopefully we'll have more of the same. Thankyou Snedder (🙏)

    The ITCZ isn't so much dangerous- we just don't want to be on a 300 nm stretch of doldrums and run out of fuel.

    We've seen advice from 2 different weather routers (weather experts who advise a specific route) giving completely conflicting ( up to date) opinions on where to cross - so we'll just keep looking at the weather and keep our options open.  We'll be down there soon so watch this space.

    On the chart the ITCZ is the blue area ( the area we are heading for)

    Some people get in the water and swim over the equator and there are also traditions about having an alcoholic drink, saying a few words/a ceremony,  giving Neptune a drink ( pouring some alcohol in the water)

    Not sure yet, but I would hazard a guess that we won't be swimming across the equator. Re Neptune- I did try to buy some champagne in Mexico

    before we left - for this reason- but it was £60 for your cheapest bottle of Moët. No Thankyou!

    We may share a can of Tekate - ( Crawfords favourite Mexican lager) just for tradition. I feel sure Neptune will like Tekate.

    In the night we got the latest weather update and decided to change our course - this involved bringing in sails/poles etc on the port side of the boat and putting the genoa out on the starboard side. This was when the "wobble" started - consequently, we are both a bit jaded today.

    Meanwhile - more of the same -it's glorious sunshine but not too hot, we're doing around 5-7 knots in 12-20 knots of wind. Nauplios seems happy.

    I reckon we're about half way to Nuku Hiva.

    In other news - our eggs have gone mouldy!! Nooo!!! They still sink and there is no smell but I'm a bit reluctant.

    Crawford was brave, however and ate one - he said it was fine! 

    More tomorrow xxX

     

    Day 12 of?

    Thu Apr 06 2023

    Nauplios seems to be loving this long passage - and I have to say it's very relaxing!

    There's not much to report today - we're still heading south towards the ITCZ, the weather is still glorious, the wind is still good - around 20-25 from the NE - and, most importantly, after the mouldy egg situation on Nauplios,nobody has developed salmonella as yet

    This is how our day generally looks- Essentially one of us is 'on watch' all the time -  but - as the sails are set, the wind pilot is working to steer/ keep us on course (usually) and the solar panels, water generator/ wind generator are making our energy - there is not actually that much to do

    So being 'on watch' involves, basically keeping an eye out, doing an hourly log which takes about 2 minutes ( or more if there is a problem) - check and log the course, log the wind speed and direction, check the sails, check the AIS for any nearby boats to monitor their position, check the bilge for any leaks, get any weather updates, check the barometer for any big shifts which could indicate bad weather, if we're motoring- check the engine temp, and have a look at the engine for any leaks.

    If anything is changing or one of us is concerned about anything then we will wake up the other person.

    Because sleep is so precious and obviously vital, particularly on a long passage like this, we will work really hard to protect each others sleep. 

    Poor Crawford though - in our early days of sailing, I was rubbish and used to wake him up a lot. I once woke him because I was scared of the waves. 

    He just looked at me - !! and obviously has never ever taken the p**s about this ( 😂)

    So the day usually starts late morning when we have both finished sleeping. There is a lot of coffee and waking up to be done!

    If we need to do any course change with sail changes etc, we'll try and do it then - when we're both rested - unless it's urgent- then obviously we do what needs to be done at the time.

    Being up on deck in the middle of the night when we're tired is a recipe for disaster so we try never to do that if we can. If we ( when I say we... it's usually Crawford on deck) are outside the cockpit we always wear a safety harness and clip on.

    One of the things I love about this boat is the safety net on the guard rails- the previous owner put these in for his kids and we planned to take them down, (because they do look a bit minging) but soon realised how useful they are - they have prevented a load of stuff from falling overboard (including us!)

    The updated weather forecast comes in at 1pm so we'll check this and see whether we need to make anv course adjustments. After that more chill time

    This is the time of year to head west with the trade winds towards French Polynesia- and in Puerto Vallarta where we left Mexico from, there were loads of boats ready to 'step off' 'make the jump' or 'puddle jump' at the same time as us.

    PV sailing ( a sailing club in La Cruz/Puerto Vallarta) organised a rota and some very kind sailors put their time aside each day to coordinate everyone's position

    and email it to all the boats making the journey. This means we all know where we are and who is close by. So at some point in the day we'll get an email with the

    positions of all the other boats in the fleet sailing to FP.

    That's a highlight of the day to see where people are, which route they took etc etc.

    When we did the ARC ( Atlantic rally for cruisers) we all left at the same time and it most definitely felt like a race, so we were always desperate to see where our friends were, and what course they were taking. We're not racing this time but it's always good to see where the other boats are, and obviously whether you can overtake, whoops sorry, catch them up. So that's another hour or so of the day gone.

    In the afternoon we usually take it in turns to catch more sleep in preparation for that night. I'll usually check all the food and see what needs to be eaten or cooked and we'll eat around 6 or 7pm.

    Unfortunately no booze when we're sailing-too risky. Unless you're crossing the equator and then it's obviously ok.

    Neptune says.

    After dinner, it's time for hot chocolate and dementia tablets  (multivitamins really)

    We'll make sure the sails are good for overnight- quite often the wind whips up in the late afternoon/ evening so we'll bring some sail in - this, not only keeps the boat more steady/stable and allows us to sleep but also prevents us needing to go on deck overnight. After that one of us will start the night sleep rota while the other does the watch.

    That's it! Our day - as you can probably work out, there is a lot of chill time to be had - but to be honest I feel we need that, and it's one of the things I really love about doing a long passage. It's been so different this time having Wi-Fi but still very relaxing.

    We're expecting to hit a patch of unsettled weather overnight with rain showers and squally winds - boo!

    Anyway I'Il stop blathering on

    More tomorrow xx

    Day 13 - wet wet wet!

    Fri Apr 07 2023

    The expected rain appeared overnight and with it, everything is damp, including our moods!

    We're just hiding out downstairs and going up to check

    every now and again.

    I think we've got this for the next 24 hours or so - hmmm!

    The boat has been more wobbly than ever and we've had a few things flying around the cabin - my coffee (luckily not too hot) flew off the table all over me and the sofa. I heard Crawfords big coffee jug take a massive tumble this morning off the cockpit table - strangely it landed in a bucket so that's one good thing.

    Around this time, a wave made its way into my cabin while I was trying to sleep ( the window is on the inside wall facing onto the cockpit so v unlikely this would happen) Gave me a bit of a shock - I screamed, Crawford came into the cabin, the boat wobbled, he fell onto a metal coat hook - with his head.

    So basically the sofa is wet, the bed is wet, all the bedding is wet, it's wet in the cockpit, we're wet, it's raining, it's really hot and Crawford has a head injurv (not reallv)

    But apart from that we're having a lovely time. 😩

    We should be at the equator in the next couple of days, which will feel like we are really making headway. Am looking forward  to Neptune's pint of lager

    From a wet, soggy boat somewhere around

    06' 34 N

    123' 58 W

    Speak tomorrow xxxX

    Day 14 -things look a lot better now the rain has stopped! (for now) 🤞

    Sat Apr 08 2023

    Intermittent squalls/ mini storms with big seas and heavy downpours made last night quite busy. ( massive understatement)

    We tried to stay dry, downstairs, as much as we could, but inevitably we were upstairs on deck - in the pouring rain, bringing in sails, letting sails out, bringing in the genoa, putting out the stay sail - etc etc, rinse  (- actually 'soak' is more like it) and repeat... all night.

    On a positive note however, the rain was warm and it was nice to get a good wash. In the middle of all of that, we managed to get a couple of hours sleep each, but on one of my hourly checks, I noticed there was a lot of wter in the bilge - around 5 litres (it is normally completely dry) For non sailors, the bilge is the bottom of the boat inbetween the outside wall (the hull) and the internal floor. 

    Reluctantly, I had to wake the skipper, but reassuringly, he just turned over and said "mmm keep an eye on it...." 

    He thought it was just water comining in from the heavy rainfall we were having. It seemed a lot to me. 

    So we, (I) just mopped it out every hour or so with a big sponge and bucket (the glamorous cruising life) and as the rain slowed down, so did the water ingress. 

    If we didnt check the bilge every hour, I think we would have had a bit of a shock at the amount of water coming in, and it makes me feel happy about the hourly checks we do. 

    Doing the hourly boat checks sounds like a bit of a pain, but for both of us, with backgrounds in aviation and medicine, we have been indoctrinated/brainwashed/grown up with checks, checks, checks and more checks - plus I do love the routine/structure of it. 

    Because of this routine we have, in the past, picked up problems early on - like the time we had a big oil leak from the engine - in the middle of a cross channel. Luckily a pencil jammed in the rubber hose saved the day that time, but if we hadnt been checking, and the engine had completely emptied itself of oil, we could have had a kaput engine on our hands. Not a nice thought. 

    Its all very exciting. I think Crawford takes it all in his stride (and actually thrives on it!) Whereas I am just pretty much wetting myself when anything like this happens. 

    Anyway, all is good today, and caffeine abuse, will no doubt save the day, until we can catch up on some sleep. 

    In other matters- after a bit of discussion, regarding the mouldy eggs ( Thankyou everyone for your comments on FB - really helpful) - we hard boiled a few - sat and looked at them/ smelt them/ licked them - and then iust decided not to take the risk.

    Last night was enough of a shit show without adding in actual diarrhoea!

    What a shame - we love eggs and throwing 50 over the side was heartbreaking! Oh well.

    We heard that Niniwahuni is still on Clarion Island waiting for more fuel to be delivered from boats leaving for FP from La Cruz. ( That poor guy has been on his own on that boat all that time!) I don't think it's been a good weather window for boats to leave Ia Cruz for FP until now.

    PV sailing ( La Cruz) are, again, amazingly and thanklessly coordinating this next step of the rescue.

    There is a boat called Sea Leopard  with a big social media presence. I think they do sea conservation/oceanography/photography etc - they, and a few other boats are about to leave La Cruz and take Travis more fuel and some crew to help him motor her back. (it's about 4-5 days)

    It seems I cant add the link on this page, but you can google Sea Leapord on facebook and see where they are up to with delivering fuel. 

     

    Anyway- looks like we're well and truly in the ITCZ and hopefully (🤞) through the wet bit - Next stop the equator- we're currently at 5' (degrees)  North heading south to 0’ - each degree is  60nmiles so 300 miles to go. Yayy!

    On our boat 300nm would normally be 2 days but may be longer now because we have v slack winds ( doldrums).

    On a brighter note, I've just remembered we have 2 big jars of pickled eggs that I made before we left. Hallelujah. Who would have though pickled eggs could bring that much joy? Happy days

    More tomorrow xxxx

    Ps Crawford's head is fine xx

    Day 15 - Easter Sunday

    Sun Apr 09 2023

    All good here - We're at 3 degrees North now so we should be at the equator tomorrow at some point.

    We've got pretty much perfect sailing weather currently- 15knots of wind, doing around 6.5 knots, wind off the Port beam with a full genoa. The best news is the sea state which is fairly flat - making it all v. v. Comfortable.

    I feel sure this will all change ( specially now I've said this)

    We've not had any fish the last few days - the sea has been too rough to get the line out but we've just put the line out now- so here's hoping! ( 🙏)

    All our fresh food has now gone and the next stage of the gourmet cuisine on Nauplios is to eat all the cured/synthetically preserved products - sausages/chorizo/bacon/ wieners - we've got 2 x massive packs of bacon which, once we open, we'll need to use up. 

    I only know of carbonara and Mac Cheese with bacon ! Thankyou Caroline! ( Midnight Breeze)

    Any other ideas to use bacon in meals gratefully received- please put on my FB or WhatsApp me. ( we've got no eggs either 🥲)

    If I can't think of any other options I may have to make some bread and have bacon butties every day for a few days.

    Hmm this is sounding v tempting!

    All of our food waste goes overboard and I cannot believe how little waste we have. In 15 days all our waste is currently scrunched up in an empty plastic coffee mate container (400g)  I find this unbelievable - !

    I was always the one sneaking about - putting illegal waste in the wrong bin because I had too much for my XXXL bin! (I do hope Surrey Mafiosa, whoops, sorry, I mean binmen are not reading this)

    I guess - as well as food peelings etc going overboard, we did decant all the plastic/cardboard before we left, and the absence of empty beer cans is probably quite a big factor.

    One of our friends on another boat ahead of us ( Paul of Susimi) was quietly going about his day when he was rudely hit/slapped in the face by a flying fish ( and not by his girlfriend- but the fish itself) - how hilarious. That's almost lucky, I would say - like when you step in dog s**t and people tell you that you are going to win the pools!

    I got hit in the face today by a hot teabag my husband threw over the side - unfortunately it ricocheted off the Bimini and flew back into my face. Bit of a hot shock!!! Another sailing injury!

    Anyway hope everyone reading this is having a lovely Easter Sunday. I am craving chocolate at the moment. It may be time to make a chocolate cake! Unfortunately we don't have any Easter eggs in the fridge.

    Just heard the fishing line whizz out - wooohoooo - false call or actual fish for supper???

    Find out here tomorrow xxxxxx

    Day 16 - Easter Monday

    Apr 11 2023

    We are so lucky with this weather - steady winds of around 12-18 knots, and we’ve been doing a very comfortable 6-7 knots on a close reach for most of the day.
    We’ve got the full main and genoa up on the starboard side, the sea state is calm - and at last, this feels like the Pacific should feel!
    Long may this last…. ( please)
    Unfortunately no fish yesterday! It was another false call on the line. I wonder if it’s too deep here? We’ve had the line out all day today and nada 

    The days seem really short, but also at the same time really long - I think because sleep is in 2 or 3 phases, it’s hard to remember what was this morning and what was yesterday. I wonder if this is what dementia is like?

    We made contact with another boat today - some young Aussies who are on their way back home. 
    We noticed them on the AIS the other night in the middle of that big squall.
    Apart from Travis and a dive boat around Soccoro, this is the first boat we have seen since we left.
    Interestingly, the Australian boat left La Cruz the same time as us, and we look to have been on a very similar course. Quite a coincidence in this very massive ocean! We picked their brains about Australia and they picked our brains about the weather - it was good to talk.

    More sad news this morning about Niniwahuni unfortunately-
    Travis left Clarion Island with a load of fuel and a guy who had come out to crew for him. Unfortunately, last night, this guy had a fall on the boat and it looks like he has broken his hip. They were 30miles east of Socorro island so Travis was going to drop him at Socorro where he could be airlifted back to the mainland. No doubt there will be more updates over the next few days.
    How awful - not only to think you have broken your hip and very likely in a lot of pain, but to then have 30 miles ( or around 5 hours) of motoring before you can get help. From what I’ve heard also, motoring on a yacht with no mast is really uncomfortable - so this poor guy! My heart goes out to him.

    One of the things we have had to come to terms with is the risk of not getting to hospital if we have an accident or an illness on board. It’s a bit of a sobering thought but what can you do? I still think this lifestyle is worth the risk and long may it continue.
    It’s always tricky doing the first aid kit - luckily all of our drugs apart from the very odd thing go out of date before we can use them- but each time I stock up our first aid kit I get a few more things and keep my fingers crossed we won’t have to use them.
    Crawfords left index finger had a collision with an angle grinder a few months ago and he needed stitches.
    I really didn’t want to take responsibility for him, but realistically we were in a totally remote spot, and I just had to get on with it.
    It was a case of out of date local anaesthetic, ( which worked well) out of date sutures (which worked well) coupled with an out of practice doctor who is more used to suturing perineums than fingers ! But his finger healed amazingly- he was so grateful - and so was I!

    I made some bread for the bacon butties today - it literally lasted about 5 minutes. We are both feeling a little bit bloated! Let’s hope no storms tonight.
    Plus - I’m still looking for bacon/ meal ideas.

    Anyway it’s coming up for sunset time here on Nauplios - unfortunately no sundowners here due to the dry boat policy - but we may treat ourselves to a can of diet root beer ( which is basically dandelion and burdock!!)
    Happy days - more tomorrow from the South Pacific- woohoo!!!

     

    Day 17 - Tuesday

    Wed Apr 12 2023

    Whenever i start writing these few words I think “ I’ve got nothing to say”  And then, as soon as I start writing, I manage to find quite a lot to waffle on about ( Is it waffle or woffle? )
    Day 17 - it’s been busy with…… ?
    I actually have no idea what it’s been busy with. These days are passing so quickly and today, before we knew it, it was 5pm.
    We’ve had more of the same weather - the wind has dropped a little, but for now we still have enough wind to keep us moving at around 5knots.
    2 of our 3 solar panels have broken so we’re a bit short on power - when the wind strength is on the lower side, we get less power from the wind generator and so with the new drop in solars, we have been having to put our generator on for a couple of hours at night to top up the batteries. Little bit annoying that our solars choose to break as we are heading to one of the most expensive places in the world.
    Oh well - whatcanyerdo?
    We have been in touch with the chandlery in Nuku Hiva and they can order us a couple of panels.
    The first time I emailed the chandlery, I didn’t get a reply, then I remembered it is a French speaking country - so I did a Google translate English to French email and got an answer straight away.
    Solar panels- for future reference are panneaux solaires according to Google translate. That sounds more like a cake to me.
    In my experience you do have to be very careful with Google translate. Just before we left Mexico, I was in a little shop using my best Spanish/google translate, trying to buy some dates - the shopkeeper, and several of her friends/customers in the shop were all just looking blankly at me.
    .She was really trying, and so was I - eventually she showed me some numbers on her till, which turned out to be that days date and I realised I had asked her for the date.

    Imagine! There was I - patiently queuing up in a little Mexican shop where nobody speaks a word of English- to then ask the shopkeeper the date. Omg
    In the end, I showed her a picture of some dates. She laughed and so did everyone else in the shop. I went red!
    Anyway, after all that, they didn’t have any dates.
    An even more embarrassing/ funnier Google translate/ misinterpretation story which I really must tell, came from my friend who complimented her Greek mother in law on her hair - saying it looked nice - apparently the table went quiet as my friend’s husband hissed “you’ve just told my mother she has nice pubic hair”
    Such an excellent story!!
    I’m just about getting to grips with Spanish so now trying to speak French is going to be quite a challenge!
    Anyway, we’ll order the panneaux solaires (hopefully) and, as Mike Bibby once said about their circumnavigation - ‘it’s basically just getting to fix your boat in exotic locations!’

    Today - really early this morning we crossed the equator - we sailed from the north to the south hemisphere. The lines of latitude that we log every hour, were gradually decreasing as we headed south - until, at around 06.00 this morning, the reading was
    0 00’N
    125 26’W
    Straight after that, the reading went to 0 001S
    I have to say it was a bit spooky.
    Crawford was sleeping during this time and I was anxiously scanning the water looking around to see if anything weird would happen - It was a beautiful morning and I did a little video, just in case - but nothing did happen - it was just very quiet and serene, and I could hear Crawford snoring from the port cabin. Hmmm.
    So that’s that - here we are in the South Pacific!!

    We had a little Neptune celebration this afternoon.
    I started reading some of the nautical traditions surrounding the crossing of the equator and there is a lot of pomp and ceremony, mainly with Naval vessels - some of it is massively gruesome.
    Tradition holds, that, on the day you sail across the equator, you take an alcoholic drink and pour some in the water for Neptune. We haven’t had any booze now for the duration of this passage ( roughly 17 days) and that can of cold lager was so very lovely! 
    We were both reluctant to give any to Neptune, but it’s tradition - plus we don’t want any bad juju.

    When we crossed the Atlantic in 2019, we celebrated our half way mark by me making a date and walnut cake ( not sure why ) 
    Crawford seemed to think that crossing the equator = date and walnut cake.
    So I made a date and walnut cake - and it was amazing!
    I had to do a quick Google search of date and walnut cakes with no eggs ( because of course Neptune has all our eggs ) and it took me ages to find an egg free date and walnut cake that wasn’t one of those healthy versions ( eg no sugar etc etc) I know it would probably have been better for us, but if you’re gonna have cake, you’re gonna have cake!!
    It was a delicious one - the dates we eventually managed to buy in Mexico were steeped in hot milk and it tasted more like sticky toffee pudding! Yes it was gorgeous. Neptune didn’t want any of that.
    The wind is forecast to settle overnight so we’ve got a quiet couple of days ahead. It’s really hot now but still breezy and comfortable.

    More tomorrow xxxxx

     

    Day 18 ~Wednesday 

     Apr 13 2023

    Today has been a big old wet grey day!
    Started with a bang when I was woken by my smart watch buzzing, just as I was finishing the 03.00-07.00 night watch.
    I never plan to sleep on night watch but sometimes I drift off - and for that reason my watch is set to alarm every 15 minutes.
    So, I was very suddenly, very much awake and realised it was raining- a lot! And I was soaking wet - and I hadn’t noticed!
    Crawford was sleeping, so I ran around the boat closing windows and stowing any loose items, thinking “shit shit shit there’s gonna be a squall”

    Within about 15 seconds the boat was heeled right over as the wind whipped up from around 12 knots to 25+
    Crawford shot up out of bed, and jumped on deck - we quickly brought the big sail down and reduced the foresail to a little scrap.
    Everything settled down quickly with the reduced sail, the boat was safe, we were safe but what a shock, what a rude start to the day.
    The rest of the day has been intermittently very wet with the odd squall , no sunshine, no fish and lots of water in the bilges again. Living the dream. 
    In between the squalls there is no wind, so we have had the engine on all day.
    All of this weather was predicted and the forecast is saying that later tomorrow we should be picking up the South Pacific trade winds which will hopefully take us all the way to Nuku Hiva.
    That’s why we’re not too worried about using the engine for 24 hours at the moment (Fingers crossed emoji which I cant seem to find on this keyboard) 
    There is enough fuel for about 4-5 days motoring so have to be really careful with it at this stage - We always need to motor at the beginning and the end of a passage when coming in/ or leaving an anchorage or a berth.
    When Crawford and his mates were doing their yacht master exams in the Solent, they used to practice sailing on to a mooring, or sailing onto or off an anchor. This is all good fun (apparently) in the Solent with a full nights sleep, a good responsive crew and a familiar place. It’s not really what we (I) want to be doing in a strange country, sleep deprived for 3 weeks, with a not so responsive crew ( me)
    Our friends just arrived in FP after 3000 miles and, right at the end of their passage, their engine failed them on the way into the anchorage!!
    Luckily Starlink ( Elon musk’s satellite Wi-Fi dish) was working, their friends were in the anchorage, they managed to make contact and their friends dinghied out to guide/ tow them to anchor. Not really the entrance they had planned - what a shame!
    Lots of high drama about today - I just saw on FB one of our other friends who are a couple of days ahead of us in the passage (so probably 300-400 miles ahead) have gone to help out another cruising boat who put out a distress call tonight - saying they have lost their rudder and were planning to abandon ship.
    How awful -if they have lost their rudder - this effectively means they can’t steer their boat and could be dangerous. Our friends are in the near vicinity and will go and rescue them.
    I’m not sure yet what happened to their rudder - maybe they hit a whale? All will be revealed in the next instalment….
    Speaking of whales ( there are loads around here) Crawford was single handed sailing up to the northern sea of Cortez one night a year or two ago, and he heard this enormous bang, he looked over and saw a huge floating, bloated dead whale.
    Obviously, or maybe it’s not obvious- This can be hugely dangerous - eg put a hole in the boat ( not good) break a rudder off ( no steerage= also not good)
    Luckily with an aluminium boat the whale just glanced off and was on his way. Thankyou Nauplios!
    So tonight it looks like this boat put out a distress call after realising they had lost their rudder. This was then posted onto Facebook, which alerted any sailors in the vicinity and a rescue operation is on progress.
    Much as we all hate Facebook ( and simultaneously spend at least an hour a day on it) it literally is a game changer in a situation like this.
    This is the first year Starlink has been in use, and so far, we have had pretty much full strength Wi-Fi all the way.
    Rumour has it that it works all the way to FP. We will see.

    I heard an update on Travis, Niniwahuni and the guy who had fallen with a ? hip fracture. Travis motored into Socorro island, where a Mexican Naval Medic assessed the guy. Apparently it was felt there was no fracture and the Medics suggested he stay on Niniwahuni to motor back to La Cruz for further investigation etc.
    On vessel finder, it looks like they are around 6 hours out of La Cruz. (Interestingly there is only one boat called Niniwahuni on vessel finder!!)
    When we saw Travis, he said he would see us over in FP - I wonder whether that was just a figure of speech or whether they still plan to cross after getting their rig fixed/replaced. Somehow I don’t think that will be a quick job here in Mexico. Or should I say, there in Mexico.
    Anyway my eyes are closing - more tomorrow xxxxxx

     

    Day 19 - Thursday 13th April (835nm to go… we think about another +/- week )

    Fri Apr 14 2023

    There is a Simpsons episode where Homer is in hospital playing on a reclining bed , saying “ bed goes up, bed goes down, bed goes up, bed goes down……”
    If you have seen it, you will know it’s quite funny. That sort of has been us today, only with the sails -“Sail goes up, sail goes down, sail goes up, sail goes down… “
    From about 4pm today, the wind has been having a right old laugh with us - the wind comes out, we put the sails up, the wind drops, we bring the sails in, the wind comes out, we put the sails back up, the wind drops…… bla bla bla
    I can see why people do go mad in the doldrums.

    We currently have both sails up and we’re doing 2 whole knots - that’s around 2 mph. Hmmmm. I suppose we are, at least moving- our friends said they went backwards in the same weather yesterday.
    No other major sailing news really until we get some wind - which is forecast for any time now…

    We heard today that Travis and Niniwahuni - 3 weeks after being dismasted, made it back to land today. His wife and children flew down from California so they are all back together.
    There has been a massive outpouring of love and support for this family by the community in La Cruz with donations of fuel, boat parts, a place to stay etc. etc.
    Somebody did a “go fund me” on Facebook for them which looks like it has raised, last time I looked, around 25k ($) I think that’s amazing.
    I haven’t heard any further information about the catamaran who lost their rudder yesterday but I think they have now been rescued. We will know more tomorrow.
    Apparently there is a 2% chance of boat damage/ accident/ illness on this passage - Mexico to French Polynesia.

    Meanwhile in the Galley of Nauplios, there have been further culinary irregularities - involving Crawford Sneddon, some Falafels and quite a lot of mould.

    Today, we were on the fore deck getting the breeze - Crawford brought out this big tub of falafels I had cooked the other day.
    I was looking at them - wondering why I could see flour on the outside - when I realised it wasn't flour, they were actually covered in mould!!!
    Crawford has been loving them and eating in abundance - I think he actually had one in his mouth when I spotted the “flour”
    Well of course I let him enjoy that last one before I broke the news ( ) and then Neptune got the rest!
    Not sure why they went mouldy - the hummus I did at the same time was also off. 3 days old I think.
    Luckily eating mouldy falafels (quite a few) has not phased my husband and he is still speaking to me. 
    Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have trade winds and be on our way …
    More tomorrow xxxxx

     

    Day 20 - Friday 14th April

    Sat Apr 15 2023

    We’ve got wind - hurray!
    It sneaked in consistently overnight after several more “ sail up/ sail down” debacles.
    By early hours it had become fairly strong and the boat was starting to feel a bit overpressed.
    so before we had properly woken up,  we had two reefs in the main and we were on a broad reach doing around 6knots. Perfect.
    That’s been the theme of today and it has been a very comfortable day so far.
    We are now getting ready for the night and about to reef a bit of headsail away - pointing directly at Hiva Oa- a little island in French Polynesia - just under 700 miles to go.
    We were looking at Nuku Hiva but now thinking we may make landfall in Hiva Oa - still to be confirmed.

    Meanwhile - on with the job of keeping the boat running, keep ourselves fed and watered and avoid giving ourselves food poisoning.

    In other news, the couple with the broken rudder have now been rescued and are on our friends boat sailing to French Polynesia also.

    They left the boat with lights on and AIS transmitting- so that it it could be identified by other vessels at sea and less risk of causing an accident.
    They are talking to their insurance apparently about what to do with the boat.
    Apparently this rudder problem is a well known issue on these types of boats (Catalina 470)
    What a shame! It must be absolutely devastating to have their plans blown away like that.
    Today the theme for me has been mainly sleeping, meanwhile the skipper is excited because he has a new book.
    More tomorrow xxxxx

     

    Day 21 -Saturday 15th April

    Sun Apr 16 2023

    Today feels like when you’ve been on holiday for a couple of weeks and have totally relaxed.
    That feeling, when you have wound down, forgotten all the work/life stress, got used to, and are enjoying doing nothing- no feeling guilty for not exercising, practicing Spanish, or doing your work PDP, bla bla bla.....
    To feel like this is a bit weird considering what we’re doing - but we’ve got used to having several short rather than one long sleep, and then, in the day, as long as the boat is sailing itself ( Thankyou wind pilot ) and one of us is keeping an eye out, it’s a perfect opportunity to be as lazy as possible.
    Crawford read a whole book in a day yesterday. How lovely. Let’s hope we don’t now end up missing our stop in French Polynesia - all this chillaxin!

    Writing this is about the only thing I sort of force myself to do - and that’s only because my big sister gave me a bollocking when I missed it off one time. 
    All going well here in the South Pacific- another beautiful sunny day with wind around 15 knots off the port quarter.
    We took the main down this morning because it was so bumpy and it was banging about - we’ve just got the full genoa on the starboard side. Seems a lot smoother and we’re still getting 6 -7 knots.
    On the charts we’ve got 545 miles to go - maybe in 4-6 days time we’ll be dropping that anchor and cracking open the beer! Bring it on.
    There was a call for help on one of the pacific crossing sites today - somebody on one of the boats with severe pain, likely kidney stones.
    Usually on these open forums there is someone easily as qualified as me with sensible advice so I normally stay well away.
    On this one, however, the boat wasn’t that far away, and, more importantly, the advice being given was all a bit crackpot- eg drink 1 cup of olive oil with lemon juice.
    Thank goodness I’ve never had kidney stones but normally, people are in severe pain, (it’s meant to be the same pain as childbirth) often vomiting, and worryingly, unable to tolerate fluids which obviously leads to dehydration etc etc…
    The mainstay of treatment is to get some strong pain relief into the person, by whichever method - mouth, injectable or bottom - then work on getting them drinking-which pushes the stone through the kidneys and they pass it in their urine. Simples!
    Often times they will need anti sickness medication and if there are any signs of infection- antibiotics.
    This would be all quite manageable on a boat if the person had a supply of drugs on board and knew what to take, in which order, and what to look out for.
    When I saw the advice on the site coming through - to drink a cup of olive oil and other ideas, I thought I might just ask if they needed help from a doctor?
    Later on, I got a message to say she had been in touch with a shore based medical service, it sounds like she had been advised to take some painkillers, she had slept and was feeling a lot better. Thank goodness.
    It’s tricky knowing what to carry in a medical kit - we carry injectable anti sickness, antibiotics and intravenous fluids, but for a non medic would they feel happy to give injections/ set up IV fluids etc? And how much “stuff” do you carry? How many medical emergencies do you cater for? Not sure.
    We carry spare parts for every possible sailing or boat system failure but catering for medical problems is another issue.
    I’ve said this before but, the longer we are out cruising, the bigger our medical kit becomes. It seems, in my mind, there is always another potential medical emergency we need to be prepared for. Who knows what the right thing to do is?
    I do think on a passage this long, it’s worth carrying a good medical kit with instructions what to use, how to use, and when to use. It’s all very well having shore based medical advice but if you have no drugs on board, out here - it’s tricky.
    That was a bit of a soap box moment. Sorry.
    Unfortunately it’s now Sunday- I’m on night watch and suddenly remembered I hadn’t uploaded this onto the tracker. Woops. Anyone would think I was on holiday.
    More tomorrow xxxx

     

    Day 22 Sunday 16th April

    Mon Apr 17 2023

    We are back in a washing machine. The sea is really boisterous again down here and the boat is rolling around a lot. This makes doing anything, other than lying down, tricky.
    We have both got gashes and bruises from banging into things on the boat and the constant rolling is surprisingly exhausting.
    The good news is, we don’t have too much longer now so I will stop whinging.
    The sea is set to calm down over the next day or so and hopefully we’ll have some champagne sailing for our last couple of days on this passage.
    We’ve still got good wind, around 12-20knots, and travelling around 6-7 knots.

    Very excitingly the fishing reel went whizzing off early this morning. Crawford was sleeping and so I made it first to start reeling in.
    On the end of the line, on the surface of the water, being dragged in, and squawking her head off, was a cute little white sea bird. It was terrible.
    As I reeled her in closer, she was trying to fly off, but was obviously caught on the hook.
    I reeled her in as close as i could to the back of the boat, Crawford, who had heard the commotion and had got up by then, got on the back of the boat, managed to catch hold of her and release her from the hook which was attached fairly superficially only to her feathers.
    Im not sure why Im calling her a her - she could just as easily have been a he. She was making sad screeching noises as I reeled her in, and it sounded like her voice was getting tired. Basically it was terrible!!
    Anyway, Crawford to the rescue - unhooked her, and she flew off, giving us the most evil of backward glances.
    She was flying ok, and I don’t think she was injured. I suspect we were more traumatised than the wee birdie.
    After that we had a relatively uneventful day until dinner time.
    Food is now starting to get creative and cooking is a bit tricky when you are being chucked around the galley.
    I went for a sleep this afternoon and when I woke up I could smell dinner! How lovely!
    Crawford had cooked chorizo/sausage with rice. Like a sort of sausage risotto. ( Thanks Honeybunchers for the recipe tip)
    Anyway basically it was all looking/smelling lovely - I was hungry.
    Just as we were about to sit down to eat, the fishing line whizzed off……
    At the same time a squall came through……
    Grrrr - food would have to wait.
    We put the foresail away, and were still doing 4knots under bare poles - it was very wet and windy for a while. Crawford got his oilies out and started reeling in the fish. I decided to let him catch this one while I sat downstairs in the dry with the risotto! 
    A big heavy fish eventually revealed itself about an hour later after putting up a big old fight. Crawford hooked it on the boat and we were both doing that - “ what is it? Is it a Tuna? Is it a yellow fin/ blue fin? “
    Eventually our friend Jan - Belgium’s no 2 fishing expert ( front runner being Bram - Jans nephew) confirmed our worst fears - it was a bonito, or a Jack Tuna. Essentially not a very tasty fish - dark meat, with a really strong, not particularly pleasant flavour. I think some people do eat them but we don’t.
    So we threw it back in for other fish to eat! Meanwhile back to sausage and rice……
    It’s night time now and crawford has gone for his sleep. I’m counting down the miles until we arrive. 430 miles to go -probably 3 or 4 more days. I can’t wait for a French Polynesian beer - I wonder what it is.
    More tomorrow xxxxx

     

    Day 23- Monday 17th April

    Tue Apr 18 2023

    It’s been more of the same today - the wind is warm and consistently above 12 knots, we’re sailing at around 5-6 knots with just the full genoa out,
    The sun is shining and it’s really very peaceful.
    We’ve had no fish or seabirds on the line today. No nautical or medical emergencies. No galley/cooking f**k ups. No food poisoning.
    So what can I tell you?
    I’ll try to think of some news.
    We were talking about what to do after our 3 months in French Polynesia. ( That is the maximum amount of time we’re allowed to be there) The logical route is, to keep heading west towards Tonga or Samoa, then onto Fiji where you make the decision whether to go North ( SE Asia) or South ( Australia or NZ)
    It’s hurricane season from November in this part of the Pacific and it seems most cruising boats go to New Zealand or Australia to get out of the way.
    During Covid - both Australia and NZ were out of bounds for boats already in the Pacific islands and many boats had to stay in the Pacific for hurricane season - finding safe havens in marinas or hurricane holes.
    In usual Sneddon style, we have no clue what we are doing yet. If we’re not going to Australia or NZ this season, we probably need to find somewhere safe to hang about after November.
    There is a rally called the down under rally which is where yachts get together and sail in a fleet, or, flotilla whatever, from Vanuatu to Bundaberg in NE Australia.
    At Bundaberg there is a good marina/boat yard - if we join the rally the organisers sort out all the admin for arrival into the country ( which can be a bit painful I have heard) The rally entrance fee also includes a really good discount for the marina/yard - and it is about the time we will be needing to lift out to bottom paint - so this could all fall into place?
    Of course, like with all Raleigh’s or is it rally’s - there are a few parties and cruising seminars - with information about cruising the East coast of Australia.
    This does mean, if we do this rally we probably won’t get to NZ on Nauplios.
    We will see - we’re not very good at making decisions and it’s nice to be flexible until you have to make a decision.

    I had a really snoozy day a few days ago - just could not keep my eyes open all day - Crawford has had the same today.
    Every time I looked at him he was either in the cockpit sleeping, going back to bed, or in bed sleeping.
    Luckily I’ve had a couple of nights of really deep sleep and have ( sort of ) got loads of energy ( relatively)
    It would be tricky if we were both exhausted on the same day. I have no comprehension of how single handed sailors manage their tiredness. Massive respect to them.Well it just completely serves me right for saying how quiet things have been today.
    I was sitting in the cockpit writing this, and I heard the wind start to make that very characteristic whistling noise it makes when it’s starting to whip up.
    I looked at the instruments and having been around 12 knots all day, the wind was up to 19 knots. I thought it was a gust and pretty much ignored it.
    Within 5 minutes or so, the wind got noisier and it started raining. Not just raining but lashing buckets of water down!
    It’s been 2-3 days since we had a squall, so of course I had forgotten they existed and it took a little while for me to click! It’s a squall.
    The boat was starting to heel and feel over compensated - so I started running around, putting things away. Crawford obviously felt the wind and rain and he got up - we reefed the genoa by about half and pointed a bit more down wind.
    Within about 3 minutes - the boat was completely settled, and all was calm again and in those short three minutes we were both absolutely soaking wet! Hilarious. That’ll learn me for being complacent.
    It’s the start of the night watches now, hopefully no more squalls.
    Seeya tomorrow xxxx

     

    Day 24 -Tuesday 18th April

    Wed Apr 19 2023

    Crawford got me up early this morning for my watch - he was itching to get some speed on and wanted to get more sail out.
    We had been doing a steady 4-6 knots overnight but the wind was starting to fade out.
    So before I was awake, we’d brought the Genoa in, put the pole out, got the Genoa back out on the pole, got the stay sail out on the other side - and then I opened my eyes and had a coffee.
    People who know me, know I can’t really move or speak before a big injection of caffeine in the morning so this was all a bit of a shock.
    We did start nipping along though and it’s been fairly good all day. The wind is starting to fade again, now down at 10 knots.
    We need to keep to 5 knots an hour to be able to arrive into Hiva Oa in daylight hours on Thursday.
    We, and I think most sailors would never want to arrive into a new or unfamiliar anchorage in the dark. Too dodgy.
    It’s always the way though - you can guarantee after a long passage, the chances are you will end up reaching the anchorage at night, or in the dark.
    If we do miss daylight hours on Thursday we will either have to go slow, heave to somewhere or just hang about until it’s light.
    We definitely do not fancy that after what will be (or feels like)  at least six months at sea.
    So we need to maintain at least 5 knots an hour from now on - the wind is slowly fading (bloody typical!) and currently around 10 knots.

    Having Wi-Fi on this passage has made it a very different experience- the one thing about doing a long passage ( before) was the peace not having Wi-Fi brings.
    We do have the iridium satellite communication system so there is always a way we can contact people if necessary ( and they can contact us)
    I kind of miss not having had that total ‘switch off’ this time which no Wi-Fi seems to bring, but overall, if I had to choose one way (with) or another ( without) Wi-Fi - I would say bring on the Wi-Fi!
    There is always the option, of course, to switch the Wi-Fi off, but this Facebook junkie couldn’t possibly do that!
    We were talking to Alison Sned today from central London and her Wi-Fi kept cutting out - whereas ours was absolutely perfect!
    Very bizarre!
    Anyway, I’m off to Google Hiva Oa and check what there is to do 
    More tomorrow xxxxx

     

    Day 25 - last night at sea. Wednesday 19th April

    Thu Apr 20 2023

    Overnight the wind dropped completely and I heard the engine come on when I was on my sleep break. It was good timing because the batteries needed charging and with the extra power, we made a load more water. So we’re now fully stocked with water for coming into the anchorage.
    Some people do make water in an anchorage and we have done, but because the water isn’t as clean it can clog up the filters - eeeuggh.
    So we do try to make water when we are out at sea. The difference is amazing.
    We’ve got 2 water tanks and carry around 650 litres of water. We use up around 30 litres a day (That’s being fairly careful) for drinking, cooking, showering, washing up, cleaning, etc.
    When we come back to Uk, it’s strange to notice yourself still being super cautious with water. It’s quite a good lesson.
    It’s a bit tricky when people come on the boat and they may not be aware of the water thing. Our lovely friends Kate and Liam came on the boat a few years ago with their daughter Maddie - who was about 15 at the time. She was cleaning her teeth at the kitchen sink - we were all hanging about talking etc. In between brushing her teeth, she was chatting away, and while chatting, left the tap just running ( like normal non sailing people do) I was like “nooooo” Maddie just looked at me like I was a crazy woman. Sorry Maddie. 
    We’ve had another lovely lazy day - reading, eating, drinking root beer. The glamour.
    Food is all a bit unhealthy now and we don’t even care. Today crawford had a pot noodle for breakfast, some sausages for his second meal whatever that was, and then 2 big bowels of popcorn.
    My food today was pretty similar except instead of a pot noodle I had half a tub of Philadelphia for breakfast.
    We’ve got 100 miles to go so will hopefully get there by tea time tomorrow.
    Crawford told me he’d put 6 beers in the fridge for arrival drinks tomorrow. I’ll make sure I put about another 60 in tonight.
    Our predict wind doesn’t seem to be updating itself so it looks like we are doing 0.1 knot. We’re not. But it does feel like it - We’re doing 4-5 knots motor sailing slowly. There’s no wind.
    Oh well, we’ll get there.
    More tomorrow xxxx

     

    We've arrived 

    Thursday 20th April 2023