ARRIVED BRISBANE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi All,
Here is the last progress report from the good ship Discovery.

1/9/2012
Position 14:00 UTC +11 25°27.3934S 157°23.5255E
241nm to go to NW Fairway buoy.
We have run into head winds that are slowing our progress. Ran into a heavy
rain squall about 09:00. Then it cleared but the head wind persisted. The
forecast is for the wind to go SSW – not ideal but may give us a chance to
beat the last day to Brisbane.

2/9/2012
Position 14:00 UTC +11 26 04.742S 155 14.004E A lousy sea and head winds.
Having to run two motors to make headway, so not only was there lots of
banging from the sea, but also I had to put up with the roar of the an
engine in my cabin. Sleep was difficult.
3/9/2012
Position 14:45 UTC +10 Tied up to the Quarantine Jetty at Rivergate Marina.
What bliss to wake up on Monday to a clam sea and little wind. During the
night the wind had dropped and the sea moderated. By 07:40 we were at the NW
Fairway buoy and followed the channel markers all the way to Rivergate
Marina. Ian, acting as agent, had the customs and immigration guys there and
they came on board almost before we had finished tying up. Very pleasant and
very efficient. Then the quarantine guy pitched, again very pleasant and had
not complaints as all we had left were a few tins of Bully Beef. As soon as
we were cleared, Joyce and George were off to get a taxi to the airport to
fly up to their daughter in Cairns. It was a very quick goodbye and they
were gone. Ian, Olga, Anthea, and Judy came on board and we had a drink to
celebrate the our arrival in Brisbane. Then I was taken back to Ian's house.
What bliss to get under a hot shower and just let the water massage you. The
first hot shower since leaving SA. Then to sleep in a proper bed, with clean
sheets. Then a meal that was not curried and no Bully Beef or beans. Joyce
did a grand job of cooking, but she didn't have a lot of choice for variety
- tuna, Bully Beef and beans.
4/9/2012
Position 16:15 UTC +10 27 51 44.5284S 153 20 41.5206E Tied up to the jetty
in front of Ian's house on Hope Island Up early to catch the 06:10 train to
the airport, where we met Rob and Anthea. Then taxi to Rivergate Marina and
set sail for Hope Island. Hope Island is about 47 nm south of Brisbane down
the inland water ways. We had to dodge island and sandbanks. Only managed to
touch the bottom twice. The first time was just a touch and off, but the
second was later on the falling tide. Luckily we were able to reverse off
and get back into deeper water.
That's what happens when you try for a short cut instead of following the
channel markers. The trip took just over eight hours. The weather was great
so it really was just a "cruise down the river on a Sunday afternoon". Once
tied up we had farewell beers with Rob, Anthea and Jeremy (they are staying
with him), who had arrived just as we were tying up to take them back to
Brisbane.

Well we finally made it. It has been a long one and more probably my last
one.

Cheers

Chris

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Rob Browne: DISCOVERY ARRIVES IN BRISBANE 3 SEPT 2012

>
> WE MADE IT!!! And on 3rd September too as predicted! Fantastic to be
> back on dry land at last. Since our stop in Neiafa, Tonga quite a bit
> has happened.
>
> NEIAFA, VAVA'U, TONGA 39 Degrees south 174 degrees west (or the place
> where Chris appropriated my beer money)
>
> So lost half my birthday day due to crossing the International Date
> Line from East to West. At least I had a chance to celebrate it! Chris
> and I went on our trip to Mariner's Cave which was great. A localtook
> us out in a small speedboat which he anchored off a cliff face with
> clear tirquois blue water in which there was a black hole. We doned
> our snorkels and flippers and dived down, through the black hole and
> came out in a blue cave. A bit errie but great. Dont know where the
> light or air and oxygen came from. Even some fish seemed to know about
> its existance and were happily swimming around. That evening we had a
> burger and chips at the Sunset Cafe as wanted to have a big slap up
> meal and a few extra beers on our last night before we set off again.
> The next day we did our provision shopping and Chris was a bit short
> so I handed over my food and beer money on the strict understanding
> that Chris would have gone to the bank to replenish his cash resources
> by the evening which I admit he did. We started off from the boat
> stopping for a few sundowners at 3 pubs along the way. On our first
> night here we had ended up at a resturant/bar a way out of town run by
> an Englishman, Laurance, which was very good. Chris wanted to go back
> there for dinner so we took a strol out there to be welcommed as long
> lost friends and given personal service from Laurance who perswaded
> Chris, Chris says unbeknown to him, to have the most expensive item
> on the menu. Well this left just enough money for me to have a pizza,
> one of the cheapest things on the menu and not the best pizza I have
> had and no money for anymore beer! Chris says it was completely
> unintentional but I will leave you to draw your own conclusions. His
> apologies fell on deef ears. We left for New Caladonia early the next
> morning.
>
> PORT MOSELLE MARINA, NOUMEA, LA GRAND TERRA ISLAND NEW CALADONIA 22
> Degrees 17 minutes South 166 degrees 26 minutes East (or another place
> we almost did not see on Chris's mad dash across the Pacific)
>
> We left Tonga on Saturday morning ( no good sailor leaves port on a
> Friday) passed Marinors Cave enterance and out into the big Pacific
> Ocean. It was amazing how cold it became and we were all back in full
> foul weather gear to keep the cold out. The wind must haver come
> straight from the Antartic. We made good time and Chris cam up with
> the suggestion we go straight to Brisbane and changed course further
> south. Fortunately after a day we did some fuel usage calculations and
> fortunately agreed we would need to stop in at New Caladonia anyway.
> As we had to stay overnight it gave us the oppertunity to slip into
> town and then have a good meal and a few beers afterwards at the
> marina resturant. First pork had since Cape Town.
>
> RIVERGATE MARINA, BRISBANE 27 Degrees 30 Minutes South 153 degrees
> East - The last leg of a long trip
>
> On leaving Noumea we started up the engines and stopped them on our
> arrival in Brisbane motor sailing all the way. There were lots of
> reefs around the exit to Noumea which Chris directed us through passed
> the Amedee Lighthouse which is the tallest steel lighthouse in the
> world and then through the Passe de Boulars in the coral reef and we
> were out back in the ocean. The cold weather returned immediately and
> Joyce's loverly hot spicy meals went down very well keeping us warm
> using up the food on board as we expected the Aussie quarintinee guys
> to confiscate lots of things. We spent part of the voyage cleaning up
> the boat removing the sea weed and other strange growths and making it
> look more presentable. Taking into account that it was four and a half
> months it did not look to bad and was still going strong. Was on watch
> from 3 to 6 am on Monday 3rd September and it was still dark when I
> went to bed afterwards to wake a few hours later to see the Australian
> Coast in the distance at about 8am. It got bigger and bigger but it
> took us till 4pm to cross Moreton Bay and up the Brisbane River. Found
> the Immigration and Customs walf at Rivergate Mall. The fully armed
> immigration and customs guys arrived at the other side of the high
> gate in the fence keeping us out of Australia and the code for the
> lock must have been changed as they cou;ld not get in. After a few
> telephone calls it was sorted out and the filling in of forms and
> checking of the boat commenced. The seemed worried about drugs and
> fire arms and looked in some strange places I had not looked in during
> the time on board. Gave the OK and the quarintene guy appeared but
> after a few questions was quite happy and he did not converscate
> anything. Then Ian, the owner, Anthea and Jude were allowed on board.
> Great to see them!!! Had been waving to them across the quays. Gorge
> and Joyce said their goodbyes and were off to the airport to catch a
> plane to their daughter in Cains. Ian had brought a few bottles of
> Champane and we cellebrated our arrival. Jeremy joined us and took me
> back to their house for a super meal a bottle or two of red wine, a
> shower and a nice clean bed. Fantastic. Amazing it is all over. 145
> days simnce we left Cape Town on 12 April!!! Yesterday Anthea joined
> us and we moved the boat down to Hope Island where Ian lives. So now I
> can start my holiday in Aussie and New Zealand and hope to be back in
> Cape Town by the end of September. What a trip!!!! Would I do it
> again? Ask me in a few months time.

Arrived in Moreton Bay! near Brisbane

I don’t have details yet, but George’s facebook page seems to think they may be there now!

Give them each a Bells!

More to follow - Justin

 

 

30, 31 August

30/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC 14:00 +11  23 40.654S 161 55.181E

31/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +11  24°37.0094S  159°48.7168E

Wind died during the night and became very variable. Forecast is not too good for a fast passage for the next couple of days. However, we should still make Monday, but quite a bit later than I would have liked. We will probably resort to both iron spinnakers, if things get too slow. Will keep you posted. At 13:45 I gave up and put both motors on – now we have a chance of getting there early Monday morning, that is to NW Fairway bouy. No sure how long up the river

28'29 Aug

 

Hi All,

28/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +11  22°29.9103S  166°23.4044E

A good walk to the Customs and Harbour Master's Offices, but then the exercise will do me some good. I find I have lost quite a lot of walking ability. After 4 months at sea I have slowed down on land - will have to do something about that when I get home. Last shower, paid the bills and off to fill up with diesel. We dropped our lines in Port Moselle Marina at 09:36 and left the fueling dock at 10:30. By 13:15 we passed Amdee Light – it claims to be the tallest all metal lighthouse – will have to check that against Slangkop – and headed into the open sea with no more islands/reefs between us and Brisbane.

29/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +11  22°56.0301S  164°13.8184E   ETA NW Fairway 3/8/2012

The wind remains from the SSW. We are beating with a full main and genny, but are about 12 degrees above out course. Which is fine as we should be aiming north of Brisbane to alow for the south flowing current. Weather is nice and sunny but the wind is very cool. The sea state not too bad, but we are still slamming and bumping. Lets hope the forecasted backing of the wind happens and we are in a following sea, which is much more comfortable.

Ian, please send me the GPS co-ords of your home mooring

Cheers

Chris

Fwd: Discovery

>
> Hi All,
> 23/8/2012
> Position 14:00 UTC +12 21°14.9650S 174°21.4700E
> I had ideas of diverting straight to Brisbane, but fuel calculations and
> weather forecasts don't give much margin. So discretion is the better part
> of valour and we are going on to Noumea to get fuel and weather forecast. We
> don't want to run into a 'Southerly Buster'. It sounds like the east coast
> of SA when the wind is against the current.
> 24/8/2012
> Position 14:00 UTC +12 21°37.1090S 172°02.2247E
> Wind gusting up 23knots with a very uncomfortable sea. I thought we were in
> the tropics and therefore it would be nice and warm – we go on watch with
> all the warm clothes we have plus foulies – but then it is winter!!!
> 25/8/2012
> Position 14:00 UTC +12 21°55.9225S 170°03.3942E
> Nice sunny day, the wind has dropped and the sea is relatively flat, but
> still a chill in the air.
> 26/8/2012
> Position 14:00 UTC +12 22°10.6971S 168°18.7306E
> Woke to rain squalls and an overcast sky and not much wind, which has now
> backed so we are a starboard gybe. Only the genny up and the motor going to
> keep our speed down so that we arrive tomorrow morning at 06:00 at the
> entrance to Hananvah Chanel. Don't fancy dodging the reefs in the dark.
> 27/8/2012
> Position Port Moselle Marina, Noumea, New Caledonia
> We made it – hit the entrance to Havannah Channel at 06:00 in the company of
> a cargo ship – Polarstream. I was not sure what to expect of the channel,
> but after seeing a 500ft ship in front all doubts disappeared. We motored
> the channel through a rain storm and not much wind and arrived at Port
> Moselle at 12:25 local time (UTC +11). A very pleasant young lady booked us
> in, so now we can shower and use a fantastic WiFi.
> Tomorrow early I will book out – immigration, customs, port captain – then
> take diesel and set off for Brisbane.
>
> What a pleasure to have a good hot shower!!!!
> Cheers
>
> Chris
>

21,22 August

21/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +12  20 18.748S 178 35.800E

The little wind there was didn't lat that long. Soon after sun rise all sails are down and we are motoring and that is slow too, as there seems to be current against us. The charts all show the current going the other way.

Put the clocks back another hour.

22/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +12  20°44.7957S  176°32.3698E

Still motor-sailing. The wind and current are not being kind to us. Hope to get to Noumea in 4-5 days for quick refueling stop and then on to Brisbane.

Cheers

 

Chris

17-20 Aug, leaving Tonga

17/8/2012

Position Neiafu, Vavau, Tonga

Cleared out – Immigration, Harbour Master, Customs. What a palaver. Fueled up and got the provisions we need. All set to leave first thing tomorrow morning.

Rob and I had dinner at the Vava restaurant. It is run by an Englishman,  Lawrence. We had calculated the last of our Tonga money, then I screwed up by ordering a steak when I misread the menu – fish steak vs beef steak. It was a good steak, but it meant that Rob’s beer consumption had to be significantly reduced. As it was we didn’t have enough and had to persuade Lawrence to take some US dollars too.

18/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC +13  18 46.137S 174 41.155W

Up at 06:30 – engines on at 06:45 – cast off 06:50 and on our way. Cleared the outer islands at 08:05. Put main and genny up and set course for the Havanah Channel. Had to change course to avoid Late Island. Rob and Joyce saw some whales breaching – probably Humpbacks.

The wind, once we had cleared the islands, was a comfortable 13. Set full main and genny, sailing very nicely thank you. However the wind built  so that by 18:30 we had the main down to No.3 reef and within the hour the genny was reefed to No. 2. The sea state got lumpier and more uncomfortable, but we were going great guns. I imagined the Pacific to be tropical, certainly where we are, but it has turned very cold. Having to wear foulies and warm clothes.

19/8/2012

Position 14:UTC +13  19 18.653S 176 59.337W

A hectic night with the wind gusting up to 25knots. Cloudy, cold and uncomfortable.

20/8/2012

By 03:00 the wind had dropped so that we could shake out one reef to No.2. By 09:45 it had dropped and veered enough for the asym to go up and the skies have cleared leaving some cloud but at least there is some sun too

Cheers

Chris

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16, 17 Aug

> 16/8/2012
> Position Neiafu, Vavau, Tonga
> Spent the morning exploring the town - not that there is much to explore.
> There is a big difference between Tonga and the French Polynesian islands -
> French Polynesia has strong French ties and all the social benefits of
> France, the roads are maintained and the people look more prosperous - Tonga
> is definitely third world the roads are in dis-repair and the people not so
> prosperous looking, but are very friendly.
> In the afternoon, Rob and I had arranged for a local fisherman, Joan - a
> bloke - to take us to Mariner's and Swallow caves. We were picked up from
> the quay where we are tied up - nice and convenient - in one of the small
> local fishing boats. Rob had to sit up front with his head sticking out of
> the hatch in the cabin top. Joan steered more by feel than by sight - the
> cabin top obscured the view forward. To check where he was going he would
> duck his head around the side of the cabin top either side. With 25horses on
> the back we made good time. As we left the quay the clouds were trying to
> hide the sun, but fortunately by the time we got to Mariner's Cave the sun
> had won. Finding the cave needed local knowledge. There is no obvious cave
> above the surface only a dark pack under the water. Well in for a penny in
> for a pound - over the side with snorkel and goggles and into the dark patch
> we swam. We were lucky that the tide was out so the underwater swim was not
> too deep and not too long. The trick is to swim upside down so that you can
> see the roof of the tunnel and tell when you can surface again. I found I
> got a little disorientated and imagined I was heading deeper and deeper so I
> turned over and swam on until I felt clear. Going in was I was fine coming
> out again I came up a little too soon and banged my leg on the top ledge as
> I surfaced. Inside the cave was relatively small with a high roof - small
> stalactites hanging from the roof - no stalagmites though. The sun shining
> through the clear blue water created a glow in the cave - what a magnificent
> sight. Not too many fish or coral inside. The story goes that Will Mariner
> found the cave after he had speared a turtle that dived down and swam into
> the cave. He followed and found that there was air and a refuge in side. He
> apparently lived there for some time without telling anybody about it.
> Then on to Swallow Cave. A much larger cave that can be entered by boat. Its
> name comes from the Swallow bats that live there. The roof is covered with
> these bats. They have a way out through a hole in the roof. Unfortunately
> the graffiti artists have been to work and the walls are covered with
> scrawling - each trying to prove a point by going higher. There certainly
> have been some real gymnastics for some.
> After Swallow cave we were taken to Clam reef. The coral was disappointing
> in that a lot was dead and the colours very muted. The fish, however, were
> coloureful and though small plenty of them. I found the water a bit cool so
> didn't stay in as long as I would have liked.
> Back to the boat with sore calves - it has been a long time since I have
> used flippers.
> 17/8/2012
> Position Neiafu, Vavau, Tonga
> Cleared out - Immigration, Harbour Master, Customs. What a palaver. Fueled
> up and got the provisions we need. All set to leave first thing tomorrow
> morning.
>
> Cheers
>
> Chris
>
>

From Rob: arrived Tonga

Subject: Arrived Tonga

Arrived today in Neiafu (19 degrees South 174 degrees West) in the
Vava'u group of islands which is in the northern part of Tonga. It has
been quite a hard sail from Taiohae Bay (9 degrees South 140 degrees
West) on Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas and has taken a long 19 days to
get here including an unexpected detour. This leg did contain some
interesting bits – we passed through the spot in the Pacific ocean on
the other side of the world from Cape Town at 162 degrees west, in
fact it looked just like any other bit of ocean, but it was something
to celebrate, crossed the International Date Line going east to west
and so lost a day. For a while I thought it was going to be the day of
my birthday, the 15 Aug, we were going to loose, but fortunately it
was not. Don't know how that would have effected my age if we had done
so. The mind boggles at the possibilities. Also a bit more west and I
will have covered the bit between Hawaii and New Zealand so I can say
I have been right around the world. On 12 August it was also 4 months
since we left Hout Bay. And I remember telling everyone that this trip
will take 100 days sailing and 20 days of stop offs along the way.
Well the 120 days are up and we still have 2000 of the 14500 nautical
miles to go. We are all optimistic that the last 2000 miles will go
quickly and expect to be in Brisbane on 3 September God Willing!!

Our time in the Marquesas seemed a bit rushed as tried to do too much
as usual and everything there was very laid back with all the shops
including the small internet café closing at about 3pm. There is a
very much French stamp on the place especially in the prices as most
things are imported. Even the immigration and customs procedures are
very laid back with the local police handling it all.  We tried
keeping them sweet with the odd French word and being very curtious
and it seemed to pay off as Chris and George on there SA passports
were allowed in after each buying a US$28 visa stamp. Taiohae Bay
filled all my expectations of what a Pacific Island should be. The
island is volcanic in origin and so rises steeply out of the ocean.
The bay was horseshoe shaped with high mountains on all three sides
covered by lush tropical forests and a narrow flat strip of land with
a black beach at the end along which all the buildings are situated.
At the one end is the main commercial quay and fuel jetty, and around
a headland the small boat wharf and some shops and a café from which
you walked the 100 or so yards into the town proper. All the yachts
and there were about 30 all anchored in the bay. We used our
inflatable for the first time. The patch Chris has put over the hole
we discovered in it still leaked slowly so paddling to shore and back
was quite precarious and the pump had to be used to blow it up before
each voyage. The rest of the town was very south pacific with lots of
ramshackle buildings, including a cultural hall where Chris and I
enjoyed our first Tahiti beer (R50 for a half litre) and later a steak
frites (R150) good but not up to SA standards. Good enough though that
we went back for another one the next night when the local dance
troupe put on a show of south pacific dancing. Unfortunately it was an
all male troupe but they did some very good imitation of the Hakka
with lots of banging on big big drums. The next day I took a walk into
the hills above the town to an archeologically site with lots of
carved heads and other cultural things.  Walking through the
residential areas the fruit trees in the people's gardens were
amazing. Bananas, oranges, grapefruit and lots of others I had no idea
what they were/. No wonder there was no fruit for sale in any of the
stores. Chris and I met up for lunch and then walked along the bay to
the smart hotel at the end for a beer after which I enjoyed a snorkel
in the sea off the beach to cool down as it had been a very hot day
and we were not use to the exercise after having been on the cat for
20 days. George and Joyce returned to the boat that evening with two
stalks of bananas and a sack of grapefruit they had been given by
people from Joyce's church they had met.

After having filled up with diesel the next morning we left with heavy
hearts. Chris had convinced us that the winds to the Cook Islands were
not favourable and we should head straight to Tonga 2000 nautical
miles away and with good winds which he expected a 15 day sail away.
After the cold but excellent winds we had had from the Galapagos to
Marquesas where we had done the trip in 4 days less than was planned
we had no reason to doubt we could do it again. We had just left the
island of Nuku Hiva behind and got into the open seas when the wind
died. After about 2 days of messing about Chris put on one of the
engines full time and everyone started to do calculations as to how
long it would be before we ran out of fuel. Two days later at 149
degrees west the writing was on the wall or rather in the sea and we
made a sharp left and headed for Papeete on Tahiti where we arrived 4
days later. While this was just a quick refuelling stop it gave us the
opportunity to stretch our legs and walk around Papeete for three
hours see some of the sights and have a meal and a beer. While we were
waiting for Chris to sort out the right bits of paper to be able to
buy duty free diesel a ceremony was going on outside to christen a new
inter island ferry which included a local dance troupe and this time
both men and women and there was all the hip swaying that we wanted.
What a stroke of luck. Once we had taken the diesel on board, had a
shower and got out of the reef circling Tahiti the wind started up
again and we had a few great days sailing. Then it was back to motor
sailing with the Asymmetric up to catch any wind that was going. Apart
from the fun bits like when we swim off the back of the boat in mid
ocean to see if there are any sharks about or it rains and we all get
the soap out and get a good wash from head to toe or Joyce surprises
us with another original supper the daily routine goes on and on.
Getting up in the morning, doing ablutions, eating breakfast, doing a
four hour watch, if we are lucky changing sails, eating lunch, reading
a book, transferring diesel from the containers on the back to the
tanks, 5:30 beer time – one beer that is, the highlight of the day,
supper, sleep and a 3 hour watch and the next day is the same. But
then like now, we arrive at an island and there is the possibility of
a proper shower, a pub with cold beers, lots of them, and a good meal!
And things to do and see, like Chris and I hope to go on a tour
tomorrow to swim into some submerged caves, and it all seems
worthwhile and we are rejuvinated and ready for the next leg. Not long
to go now!!

11-14 aug

Hi All,
11/8/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 18 31.926S 167 10.812W
Good day today we made 146nm in 12 hrs.
12/8/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 18 35.360S 169 37.634W
13/8/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 18°35.1947S 171°48.4763W
14/8/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 18 36.927S 174 0.413W
Vavau appeared on the horizon at 08:00. The wind died almost completely and
backed to a starboard gybe. Tried the asym on the starboard gybe but it
wasn't doing much/anything and was blocking the view, so just motored down
the northwest coast until we came to a large bay/inlet. Within the inlet
there are many small islands all eroded around the base, so that they almost
have a mushroom shape. Big contrast to the Polynesian islands, which are
volcanic and high steep peaks. Vavau is relatively flat and no prominent
peaks.
We tied up to the customs quay at 15:40 ships time, however we now lost a
day and so it became 14:40 on the 15th. Suddenly it was Rob's birthday.
Customs and quarantine came on board and cleared us, but we still have to go
to immigration as they were closed. All very friendly and hassle free and
have allowed us to stay on the quay as our dinghy has some rather serious
leaks. Then a quick dash to the bank for cash and a stroll through town to
the Aquarium restaurant for a beer. The local beer ,'Mako', is apparently
brewed in New Zealand, but it tasted fine. The maitre de arranged for a
local to take us to the caves the next day. They say one should not miss the
experience – so we will see.
Rob and I walked on to the Paradise Hotel, or rather what s now left of it.
In 2008 the kitchen caught fire and the restaurant was burnt to the ground.
Nothing has been done since. Rooms are still available but from all accounts
the place has been run down. Belongs to a wealthy American and all sorts of
rumours are doing the rounds. Across the road from the Paradise Hotel is a
small restaurant/bar run by an Englishman. We stopped in for beer and picked
up the gossip. Back to the Aquarium for Rob's birthday dinner. He had Happy
Birthday sung to him by the staff and presented with a chocolate cake.

Cheers
Chris

9,10 Aug

9/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  18 18.987S 162 17.082W

At 07:38 we crossed the longitude antipode to Hout Bay, that is we are now getting closer to Hout Bay. We have completed half a circum-navigation – not far to go now.

10/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  18 27.328S 164 37.770W

We have to get to Tonga by Tuesday 14^th otherwise Rob will miss out on his birthday on the 15^th. We cross the date line at Tonga and loose a day. So we are trying to get there in time.

Cheers

Chris

 

6-8 August

6/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  17°52.0747S  155°55.4466W

As I was going forward to transfer diesel to the main tanks, two humpback whales broke the surface just in front of the starboard bow. The one then rolled over on to its back showing the white underside just below the surface. Quite a sight.

7/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  18°04.0046S  157°50.0943W

Still no wind but bright and sunny. Rob decided it was time for a swim off the back. So we slowed down and with a harness on he jumped off the back. Not to be out done George followed. Joyce and I watched.

8/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  18 12.310S 159 49.997W

The wind arrived as forecasted but a bit later than expected. Hopefully it will stay.

Cheers

Chris

2-5 August

2/8/2012

Position 14:UTC -10  16°16.6030S  149°20.5380W

The Starboard engine faded and died at 04:30. It had been playing up before and I had changed the fuel filter the day before – nicely clogged up with what looked like rust – but apparently did not bleed the fuel lines properly and 14hrs later it died. Changed the filter and made sure it was bled properly. Now running just fine.

3/8/2012

At Pateete, Tahiti

At 06:00 the islands of Moorea and Tahiti were clearly visible. The ferries running between the two island s started about 07:00 and we followed one in to the port. Port Control was most helpful, directing us to the Quai Yachts where we tied up Mediterranean style next to another SA yacht – Spirit of Africa, a couple from Johannesburg swaning around the Pacific. The Yachtmaster for the Quai was an extremely pleasant young lady who sorted us in no time and organized the necessary paper work to get duty free diesel.

Rob and I then went looking for fuel filters. So we walked the back streets of Papeete and eventually found what we were looking for. Just time left for a beer and a hamburger before we met back on the boat to move to Marina Taina for diesel. We followed a marked channel around the airport, crossing both ends of the main runway. Marina Taina is vast with lots of mega yachts moored. Got diesel and a quick shower. Thank goodness we didn't have to go back around the airport to get to the open sea, but instead exited through a cut in the reef with surf either side. I was very happy to follow a yacht out.

Once out we found the wind. It appeared to be funneling round Tahiti and produced winds of 20 – 30knots. The heaviest we have experienced. However, it didn't last that long and settled down to 15 – 17, but sea has remained some what bumpy.

The island of Moorea – where I believe the film 'South Pacific' was shot – was a fabulous sight in the setting sun with all the steep pinnacles pointing into the sky.

Now just miss the little island of Maiao, which is right on our path!!.

4/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  17°41.9825S  151°40.3432W

Passed Maiao at 02:00 3nm to port. Approaching from the east it is a large lump of rock – or that is what it looks like at night. At first I thought it was a large wave, but then it didn't move so looked again. As we got abeam first a red then a red and green light became visible, but they were quite some distance out to sea on the NW end. Either the rock flattens or there is reef connecting the two – just a well to be a respectable distance away.

Tried the asym at 14:30 and had a good ride for a few hours, but with the swell the boat was yawing too much. So back to genny. Tried a bit of main, but it blankets the jib and does not improve speed.

5/4/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  17°40.8044S  153°51.1428W

The wind died as forecast by gribs around 20:00. Gribs forecast two days of motoring before we get the wind back – still the sea is calm so it is comfortable if slow.

Cheers

Chris

31/7 and 1/8

Hi All,

31/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  12°58.5570S  148°16.7365W

I went on watch at mid-night. The moon was full and the sea was like glass. Rod and Geoff will remember the trip across the North Atlantic when we were floating with no engine and no wind, the sea was glass, but there were still some swell. Last night the sea was like a lake – no swell no wind. Then the moon got a light cover of cloud and displayed a magnificent round rainbow. Even if the progress was slow the spectacle was great.

1/8/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  14°45.9405S  148°44.0720W

Mataiva atoll showed itself on the horizon at 13:30 about 12nm away. It is about 9nm long and 5-6 wide. There seems to be some sort of habitation with a few houses on the north. These atolls are renowned for snorkeling and diving and the mating habitat of the hammerhead shark.

 Cheers

Chris

 

28,29,30 July

Hi All
28/7/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 10 08.633S 144 08.804W

Wind not playing fair. Fuel safety margin of less than 300lt. Need more wind

29/7/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 10 35.277S 145 50.798W

Still little wind. With the asym up we hardly make 4knots. A light rain squall actually dropped a little rain on us and produced virtually no more wind.

30/7/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -10 11 07.374S 147 43.6W

Downloaded a new grib chart - the forecast is no wind for the next 3 to 4 days on our route and we still have 1600nm to go. At our present progress that will take us something like18days. If we use the motor we run low on diesel, if we sail we take longer and run out of batteries, which means diesel. Change course. Papeete, Tahiti is less than 400 nm south, so we are motoring there to get diesel. Makes the leg a little longer, but gets us diesel and the forecast is for better winds to Tonga.

Just after we had changed course a rain squall dropped a reasonable amount of rain on us. At least I was able to soap up and wash it off. Gosh what a feeling to be a little bit cleaner.

Cheers

Chris

Marquesas!

Hi All

Been enjoyng land so its a bit longer than usual.

23/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -8  08 46.142S 137 33.215W

Wind not being helpful to get us to Nuku-Hiva in the daylight tomorrow.

24/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -8  08 56.679S 139 59.836W

Both motors running to get us in before dark. Passed Ua-Huka – covered in cloud, Peak  385m. Nuku-Hiva not visible yet some 40 odd miles away and cloud coverd.

Finally Nuka-Hiva pops out of the horizon, steep high black volcanic peaks. A very impressive sight. We enter Taiohae Bay passed two sentinel islands on either side of  headlands that form the Bay. The village of Taiohae is at the head of the bay and what a wonderfully protected bay it is. The pilot says it is possible to tie up to the pier for a short while. Sounds convenient so we try – big mistake – there is a surge – not big but too much to lay alongside with no bollards and rough concrete sides. Back to Plan B – anchor and get the dinghy in the water. Finally anchored at 15:30 ships time. Then all into the dinghy and off to see the gendarmerie for immigration and customs. As we wereonly staying 2 days and then going on to Tonga we were let off having to provide a bond equivalent to an airfare back to SA – that was for George and me, but we still had to get a Visas – go to the bank get some money, then buy two CFP3000 stamps and bring your passport back. Oh and then by the way please buy a stamp and post the customs form to Papeete, Tahiti. But all done very pleasantly. They even tried to speak English.

25/7/2012

Position in Taiohae Bay, Nuka-Hiva

George and Joyce had met up with some church folk and went off on a tour of the island . Rob went walking while I sorted out the visas and found out where to fill up with diesel. We would have been able to get duty free diesel, if we had gone to Papeete and obtained the necessary customs form. For some reason Papeete will not allow the Gendarmerie to issue that form – it has to be done in Papeete. So Diesel went up from CFP105 to CFP168. Also we must be at the fuel jetty early as the supply boat comes tomorrow and takes up the whole quay.

Our first taste of the Pacific Islands, and it has been a very pleasant experience. The islands are all very rugged and covered in foliage, making them look lush. The people are very friendly, though lacking in any real drive or ambition. Also they are not small – both men and girls.

Rob and I visited the Catholic Cathedral, built in 1975. They got all the best carvers on the islands to produce passion scenes for the walls. The  pulpit was carved out of a solid piece of wood. All very fascinating.

Not much in the way of agriculture on the island – all produce seems to be imported hence it is not cheap. Beer R50 for 500ml.

26/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  09 03.039S 140 30.453W

Woke up early – anchor up 06:30 and moved to fuel jetty. What fun that turned out to be. There was no going long-side as again there was too much swell and this time much more than at the head of the bay. So had to anchor off and back on to the quay. George got stranded on the quay and had to walk back to the town, while we motored back and anchored to go to the gendarmerie to clear out. Again all done in a very friendly manner. A quick shower on the dockside and back to the boat – up anchor and set sail for Tonga by 0930.

Motored out of the bay – no wind – turned right and Tonga here we come. There is a high waterfall some 385m high at the head of the next bay. We thought we would be able to see it, as it is really only visible from the sea, but it seems you have to go up the bay to see it – next time.

The wind is not playing ball – so the quick passage I was hoping for is going to be longer than anticipated.

27/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -10  09 40.399S 142 19.984W

The forecast is not good for the next 5 days, so have had to work on a strategy for maximizing our speed with minimum fuel consumption

 

Cheers

 

Chris

 

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19,20,21 July

Hi All,


19/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -8 07°09.6430S 127°34.6630W

Yesterday 14:00 to 14:00 was our best day for the whole trip so far - 170nm.
Gribs is showing plenty of wind for Saturday and Sunday so we should get to
Marquises by Tuesday. Only problem is what time? I do not want to approach
in the dark so maybe we will have to slow down to arrive early Wednesday
morning.


20/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -8 07°38.1896S 130°18.4275W


21/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -8 07°54.3181S 132°47.1830W

Gribs forecasted stronger winds for today and tomorrow. Well true to the
prediction all hands on deck to hand the asym. The wind was gusting over 25
and the sheet turning block gave up the unequal struggle. (Both blocks have
now parted company with their mountings.) Down came the asym, up went the
genny and down came the rain. What bliss to be able to wash with soap and
fresh water. Fortunately the rain the lasted long enough, or almost, to be
able to wash the soap off. This provided excitement for an hour or two, then
things settled down and the sun even came out. With the wind down to 10
knots and the horizon looked clear so we put the asmy back up. But that
didn't last too long - Gribs was going to win again and prove right - down
with asym back with genny. Guess I must now just take it easy. Monday the
weather should back to normal.


22/7/2012


Position 13:30 UTC -8 08 16.214S 134 58.640W

Gribs lied! S a precautionary we took the asym down for the night in the
expectation of the stronger winds forecast. They didn't materialize so we
lost a lot distance. The morning arrived with clear skies and the normal
trade-wind breeze, so up with the asym. If we can average 6.4 knots we
should get to Marquises on Tuesday.

A sudden wind shift caused a wrap, but it was sorted out quickly and
gradually we got back on course.

Cheers



Chris



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16,17 July

Hi All,


16/7/2012


Position 14::00 UTC -7 06 00.065S 120 12.460W


17/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -8 06 20 333S 122 31.598W

Today was an exciting day. We saw fishing boat just before midnight. Not a
small one - over 200ft long destination: International Waters. So we are not
all alone and we know there are three others yachts following our route to
Australia.

The other exciting occurrence was the sighting of dolphins off the bow. Big
very dark ones, much bigger than the ones we get in the Cape.

Rob and I attempted to patch a small hole in the main, but were foiled by
rain. Unfortunately not enough for a wash, just enough to make every thing
wet.

Too much excitement for one day.


18/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -8 06°42.2016S 124°49.6564W

Dark dark night, but at least we can now look forward to a moon that is
waxing. The wind picked up late morning which gave us a slightly better days
log.

And finally Rob and I managed to ride the bucking bronco of the main boom
and patch the hole in the main sail.

Still looking at 24/25th toMarquases.



Cheers

Chris

14,15 July

14/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -7  05 12.5S 115 45.430W

15/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC-7  05°34.3781S  118°03.1328W

No ships; no sea life; no birds, just water, water and more water. I am amazed at how poor the stars are here above the Pacific. There seems to be a constant haze in the sky that dulls the stars. Even on a moonless night I cannot see all the stars of the Southern Cross. The Atlantic provided a better spectacle.

The wind has left us – not entirely but enough to reduce our daily average to less than 120nm/day, so we will be doing some motoring.

Current ETA Marquases 24/25^th.

Cheers

Chris

12/13 July

Position 14:00 UCT -7 04°23.3380S 110°45.5480W

13/7/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -7 04°48.9840S 113°14.0150W

The wind had backed during the night, so that when Rob woke up we set the asym at 08:45 Had some fun initially trimming it and balancing it to the autohelm. Eventually the breeze settled down to between 10 and 13knots and life became a lot easier. What a pleasure having the asym up broad reaching - the banging is down and the ride is very comfortable. The swell however, does cause a bit of a hassle as it is coming in from the port quarter and every now and then a bigger ones comes along that lifts the stern and pushes the bow into the wind. All good fun and speed is good - 7knots.

Richard we should be there before your birthday.

Cheers

Chris

11 July

Hi All,




11/7/2012


Position 14:00 UTC -6 03°57.1005S 108°14.5583W

Let's hope this keeps up. Three good days 150, 160, 160nm and today is going
to be over 160nm. Except for the banging I guess we may well be in the
pilot's Pacific Trade wind sailing. In a proper yacht this would be great
and is only spoiled a little by the continual banging. We can get to the
Marquases in 10 days.

Cheers



Chris

9,10 July

9/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -6  03 05.081S 102 44.940W

Some rain all around us but not on us. With the rain came some wind so took in a reef to No2.

10/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -6  03 29.549S 105 21.144S

For first time in a long time a ship actually passed go east. It has been a very empty sea so it caused a flutter of excitement among those awake at the time. I began to wonder about the Pacific as the morning again was cloudy, but it has improved during the day.

Guess we have lots of this for the next 15 days or so.

Cheers

Chris

 

7,8 July

7/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -6  02 18.057S 097 59.629W

No much happening – no ships, very few birds and no sea life other than flying fish.

8/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -6  02 40.782S 100 18.330W

Had a hectic few hours this morning. The wind seemed to have back enough to set the asymmetric. So we did. But coming up behind us was a large rain cloud. It brought winds up to 20 knots so we dropped the asym and waited for the rain. Two drops later and it was all over, so up with the asym again. Great speed but not for long. The wind soon veered back to its old heading and down came the asym. If nothing else Rob and I got some good excersize.

If we continue as we are doing this should be a 21/22day crossing.

 

Cheers

Chris

5 July

Position 14:00 UTC -6 01 25.318S 093 18.262W

One of very large container ships (LO 1100ft Beam 156ft) passed going north to Mexico Far to big for Panama, but I guess that is why they are busy building new locks to cater for these monsters.

The saloon table eventually gave up the fight against the banging and collapsed. It is now upside down on the saloon floor.

6/7/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -6 01 51.826S 095 31.312W

I thought we were supposed to be in the in the trades with constant wind and sunny skies. We are getting overcast skies and wind that comes and goes. Let's hope this will change.

I am finding it strange that here we are in the tropics and at night I have to put on a jersey and long trousers with a foul weather jacket - yes it is cold at night and not that worm during the day, something to do with the current coming up from the south pole.

Cheers
Chris

5 July

Position 14:00 UTC -6  01°05.6590S  090°57.0310W

Up with the sun – except that there was not sun, just cloudy – and the anchor up by 06:15. Motored south into a stiff breeze to clear Isla Santa Cruz, then altered course to clear Isla Isabela, before we could set our proper course to Marquases. Motor-sailed most of the day, but the evening brought wind and current. What a pleasure.

A couple of humped-backed whales gave us a close call one to port then one right in front of the starboard bow.

Beautiful nearly full moon night, no clouds. It is times like this that I know why I do these trips.

Cheers

Chris

28 June to 3 July

Hi All,

It's been a little while since I sent a progress report so here is a
slightly longer one.



28/6/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -4 02°09.0950N 083°23.0250W

Continuing to fight current and light head winds

29/6/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -4 00°57.8510N 084°32.6100W

At 10:30 set course for Galapagos. Now that we were on beat (for cat
otherwise a close reach) our speed increased very nicely. What a pleasure to
be actually sailing.

30/6/2012

Position 14:00 UTC -4 00°24.9740N 086°54.2220W

Good fast sailing with genny and No 2 reef. But going to fast or not fast
enough for a daylight arrival, so slowing down. This proving more difficult
as we now have current with us.

1/7/2012

Position 14:00 UTC-4 00°13.1700S 088°52.1100W

Crossed the equator at 06:28 at 088 11.642W. Gauging speed to make a
daylight arrival.

2/7/2012

In Porto Ayora, Galapagos

Woke to cloudy drizzling weather with no sign of the mountain on Isla Santa
Cruz (850m). Arrived in Academy Bay at 10:30 (only 08:30 local time) after
managing to keep our speed down so that we would not arrive in the dark.
Anchored off the town of Porto Ayora just in front of a South African cat,
African Star, from Durban and next to a 54 Sun Odyssey being delivered to Oz
by a pom Stephen What a pleasure to be sailing a boat that can beat I am
jealous. The African Star couple, Alistair and Sue, are running the boat for
doctor who flies out every now and then to enjoy his boat with his
girlfriends. They recommended an agent as it is very difficult to get
through the officialdom without being able to speak Spanish. So we met
Santiago who sheparded us through. We had come ashore with the South African
couple to meet Santiago, In the meantime a Port Officer had gone out to the
boat so we had to hot foot it back, but with the agent. A very congenial
officer it was and the paper work was soon done. The back to shore to
organize fuel and pay.

With all the official stuff out the way Rob and I went back to the boat to
sort out the fuel transfer pumps and change the oil on the port motor. The
fuel arrived at 16:00, but when he saw that we wanted cans filled he took
the can away to fill and returned with 200lt of the 450lt we had ordered,
but not to worry another taxi boat pitched up and transferred the remaining
fuel into our cans. We eventually got all our fuel but with quite a bit
spilt on the cockpit floor. We will clean up tomorrow. Time to go to town
for supper.

3/7/2012

In Porto Ayora, Galapagos

Rob booked himself a tour with one of the many diving tours, so he was up
early to take a taxi to shore. The rest of us cleared up the mess from last
night and then caught a taxi to town. I went off in search of fuel filters,
without too much hope, but the second establishment I was directed to
provided the goods. I had taken a taxi (US$1) to the first and walked the
rest. Interesting walking the back streets of Porto Ayora and it proved to
be not that far.

Back on the boat George and I tried to drop the genny for repairs to the UV
strip. It was jammed. A screw had come out of the top swivel allowing it to
turn on the foil with the result the halyard was wrapped around the forestay
and the genny was going nowhere. Note for Ian: The roller furler needs a
good service the bearings on the top swivel are worn and there is a gap
between the top of the foil and the locking device. Thank goodness we found
this little problem here and not at sea. It was hectic enough up the mast
with small rollers coming in. We have Magivered a locking screw - just hope
it will last.



We are leaving Academy Bay tomorrow first light on the longest leg of the
trip. Here hoping the weather comes up to the Guides dream-like conditions
and we find both wind and current in our favour.

Next stop the Marquesas.



Cheers



Chris

26-27 July 2012

26/6/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -4 05 10.178N 081 27.499W
Progress is slow. Downloaded a new Grib chart - got to stop going westor we
will never get to Galapagos, so now pushing to get south of the equator when
we should be able to reach to Galapagos.
27/6/2012
Position 14:00 UTC -4 03 32.224N 082 21.789W
Passed Ilsa du Medpedlo around 03:30 about 10nm to port. At sun rise the
clouds conveniently cleared on the horizon and there we could see the twin
humps of the island about 33nm north of us. The starboard motor starting
surging so changed the fuel filter. Somewhere we picked up a lot of dirt.
We are having to motor using both engines as we are battling the current and
head winds. Sorry Ian we are using an awful lot of diesel. But we are
getting to the end of the ITCZ (dolrums) and then hopefully we will be
sailing.
Cheers
Chris

22-25 June 2012

22/6/2012


The time has at last arrived for us to transit the canal. Roy Bravo brought
the two extra line handlers at about 14:30, so we cast off from the finger
and set off to the 'Flats Anchorage'. Trying to anchored proved interesting
when the windlass won't work. Turned out not to be a problem as all it to be
was the overload switch, but just as we had sorted it out the Advisor,
Fernando, arrived and off we set for the first of the Gatun locks. We were
rafted up to another catamaran and entered the lock behind a cargo boat -
one of the smaller ones compared to the Panamax vessels, which filled the
lock completely. The lock is 110ft wide the Panmax are 105ft beam. Rafting
up released Rob and George from line handling so they were taking pictures.
There was quite a surge as the water flooded into the lock, which kept the
line handlers on their toes. Otherwise it was a simple task repeated three
times until we emerged into Lake Gatun and tied up for the night to buoy - a
large rubber one with us on one side and our companion cat on the other
side. We gave our advisor supper then he left saying a new advisor would be
along at 06:30 tomorrow.


23/6/2012


At 06:30 on the dot the new advisor, Roy, arrived and he wasted no time
getting us going. We motored along the marked channel passed lots of islands
thickly vegetated. Gatun Lake was the largest manmade lake at the time it
was built. Recreational use is allowed, so long as you keep out of the way
of the shipping lanes and apparently there is some good fishing.

It took us about five and a bit hours to get to the Pedro Miguel Lock. We
were loaded in with only a ferry boat and the two cats rafted together, the
lock looked very empty. The ferry went longside while we sat in the middle
with lines out either side. The drop was a lot less turbulent than the way
up. Our advisor decided to change our loading for the Miraflores Locks. So
instead of having our line handlers holding us in the middle we rafted up to
the ferry boat. What simple solution. The exit from the last lock was a
little more exciting as the freshwater mixes with the salt it causes quite a
bit a turbulence. Once passed the bridge of the Americas we dropped Roy and
at Balboa Yacht club we dropped the line handlers together with the lines
and tyres and motored on to the Galapagos, dodging many ships anchored off
Panama City.


24/6/2012


Position 14:00 UTC +4 07 54.492N 079 21.633W

Motored all night until the early hours of the morning when we set the genny
in about 10knots of SW wind and even put the main up about 08:30. It didn't
last for long though as the wind backed by 13:30 straight on the nose.
Downed all sails just in time for a squall which brought lots of rain and
wind from the east. For two hours with just the genny, we had an exciting
ride in near storm conditions, with wind gusting up to 24knots. But all good
things come to an end and we were left with a bumpy sea and little wind.


25/6/2012


Position 14:00 UTC +4 05 56.082N 080 10.396W

The sea flatten out which made life far more pleasant, with no wind. Pointed
the bow at Galapagos and enjoyed the peace. During the night while I was on
watch I noticed a red flashing light hovering around off to starboard. It
would move towards a ship ahead of us then go back and eventually circle us
before disappearing altogether. As we are off the coast of Colombia I came
to the conclusion it was either drug smugglers or anti drug smugglers. It
was a helicopter.

Again at just after 14:00 a wind from the east appeared but with little rain
this time. Lets see if this is a pattern.

Cheers

Chris

19-21 June in Shelter Bay

Hi All,

19/6/2012

In Shelter Bay.

Rob and I went back into town on the 08:00 bus, primarily to get the rest of the food and some US$ for the Pacific crossing. When we got to the shopping mall that we went to yesterday we took a taxi into downtown Colon to the National Bank. That was a mistake because they don't speak much English and they don't have facilities to do transactions with foreign banks.

Fortunately for us there was one of the Marina employees in the bank, who recognised us and came to our rescue. He then loaded us into his car and drove us to the Free Zone and the HBSC bank. Thank goodness for him because downtown Colon doesn't look the safest place to wander round standing out like a sore thumb.

I got sorted at HBSC but Rob could not change his old travellers cheques. As the bus was not returning to Shelter Bay until 15:30 we wandered around the free zone. Most businesses only cater for the wholesale trade, but now and again there were shops catering to the retail trade. In one clothing shop which had a good line of shorts, but we could only buy 6000 pairs minimum.

Eventually we tired of looking in shops and took a taxi back to the shopping mall and had to waste time waiting for the bus and completing our food shop.

In the end the bus didn't arrive and we shared a taxi back to Shelter Bay.

20/6/2012

In Shelter Bay.

I spent the day loading the new charts from PC Marine and refining our passage plan. We only need to fuel up and we are set to go. Rob wandered off and found a beach in front of what I assume were the married quarters for the US military when they were here. The whole US military facility is not being use by the Panamanians and is slowly falling in to total disrepair.

Rob went snorkelling and found some old coral and some colourful fish.

Nothing fantastic.

21/6/2012

Still in Shelter Bay.

Roy Bravo sent me our transit schedule. The advisor (pilot) will board at

17:00 at the Flats anchorage and we will transit the Gatun locks that evening, anchoring or tied to a buoy near the entrance to Gatun Lake. Time to fuel up and ready to go.

Tomorrow is the day

Cheers

Chris

18 June

18/6/2012
In Shelter Bay
The bus runs today. It will take us to a shopping mall. 08:00 the bus
departs from the marina and returns at 11:15 from the shopping mall. I
wanted some extra US$ but the banks there were not equipped to handle
foreign transactions. So will have to go to a central bank tomorrow. However
we did a shop at Reys which we will have to top up tomorrow as we ran out of
time. Fortunately the shop delivered all our shopping - the bus wasn't big
enough.
Now we wait for the tyres and ropes for the transit. Roy Bravo, our agent,
has been pushing for an earlier transit, but apparently there has been
maintenance on one set of locks causing a backlog and then the canal
authority is short staffed when it comes to advisors (pilot). So we wait.

Cheers

Chris

At Shelter Bay Marina

Hi All,

16/6/2012

At Shelter Bay Marina

Early morning excitement was a alligator - not that big less than 2m - swimming amongst the boats.

Got booked in at the marina office and can now connect to the internet via WiFi. The Admearsurer - the person who measured your boat and takes all the details they require to slot you into the transit programme - arrived around 12:00, measured up the boat and filled in lots of forms. Our Agent, Roy Bravo, arrived a little later while I was busy with the dock master. He soon put the dock master to rights about our transit status and avoided the extra costs associated with him.

Rob and I took a lift from Roy to the canal. We paid our $5 and were able to watch ships passing through the Gatun locks into the Caribbean Sea. It was interesting to see the effect of the water flooding the lower lock.

Initially the turbulence caused by the in-coming water is sever but slacks off as the water level rises. For us this could be an interesting time.

Guess the line handlers will have to hang on tight.

So we wait for our allocation of transit - hopefully early next week. We plan to stock up here and not stop at Panama City.

17/6/2012

In Shelter Bay

Roy Bravo has advised us that we will transit on the 22nd. So we will stock up take fuel, transit and continue on our way.

Rob comes up with all sorts of hair brain schemes when in port. Today he wants to hire a bicycle and ride to San Lorenzo - a distance of about 9 miles through the jungle. Somehow he persuaded me to join him. So we duly hired two bikes from the Dock Shop a set off to San Lorenzo. San Lorenzo is in a National Park. The road looks flat but it has a habit of rising steadily if not steeply and in the heat that soon puts the pressure on. It took us about two hours to get to San Lorenzo, which is an old Spanish fort built in 1620 to protect the export route for the treasures plundered by the Spanish from Peru etc. The Chagres River was the main route for these exports and it enters the sea at San Lorenzo. The Chagres River was dammed to form the Gatun Lake, which provides all the water for the locks. Strange fort, its sits quite high above the sea but only has two batteries facing the sea while there are four facing the land. If the jungle that is there now was there 400 years ago, I don't know how anyone could have mounted a serious attack from the land.

From the fort we made our way down to a small beach round the corner from the fort. Lots of flotsam on the beach and no waves and very warm water.

However it provided a good rest from riding and the heat. The only drawback was the that we now had to climb the hill back to the main road. We both gave in and pushed. Once back on the main road things became a lot easier and we got back to Shelter Bay quite quickly. Three beers disappeared remarkably quickly, the a swim and finally I am just about human again.

Cheers

Chris

Arrived Shelter Bay, Panama (Rob Browne)

We reached the most northerly point on our trip on Monday 11 June at

13 degrees 57 minutes North 71 degrees 43 minutes West – about 120 nautical miles north of the northern coast of South America above the Gulf of Venezuela where Columbia and Venezuela meet - gybed to port and continued on to Shelter Bay on the Caribbean side of the Panama Cannel where we are moored at present. There are hundereds of mosquitoes here.

The paper work to transit the cannel is quite horrific. Thankfully we have an agent assisting us.  The Canal Authorities came and check out the boat and measured it and have given us the OK to go through. Seems they are doing quite a bit of maintainance on the locks which is supposed to finish today, Sunday. This week they have only been using one of the two channels which has reduced the number of boats which have gone through. Ther were over 40 big ships waiting outside the breakwater at the start of the canal when we arrived. So hopefully they will be back to normal next week. The agent has arranged with the scheduler for us to go through on Friday 22nd June so we still have another four days to kill. That is unless a spot comes vacant due to a cancellation. So we are all hoping we will get through earlier. When there is enough space behind a big ship they raft up 3 yachts together and slip them into the locks.

Apart from the last two days on this leg we had good winds since we left Trinidad on the evening of Wednesday 6 th June. The wind averaged in the low twenties with the odd gust above thirty and we made good time getting up to 150 nautical miles a day.

All of a sudden everything came together in Chaquaramas, Trinidad, on the Wednesday afternoon, maybe because the Thursday was a public holiday in Trinidad, which was great for us as once the fibreglass repairs to the starboard rudder were dry and the new port saildrive had been installed and after a quick sea test we cleared customs and immigration, filled up with diesel and were on our way through the channel aptly named The Dragon’s Mouth ( The one at the bottom of Trinidad is called the Serpent’s Head).  This was all very fortunate as as you know sailors never leave a port on a Friday.

Joyce and I had earlier in the day paid a visit to the local supermarket and stocked up on food and beer. Lots of things we are not used to on offer like goat meat which was the most expensive cut of meat at R100 a kg. We stuck to beef mince at R45 a kg. A different price structure too with packets of jelly costing R13 while a tin of beer cost half that. Not much fresh fruit or veg available although we did buy some super bananas from a road side stall. Schweppes bottles a magic grapefruit fizzy drink that is not too bitter, something like dry lemon which is very refreshing as it has been extremely hot on this leg and very humid. Not much rain except for the few odd drops so the boat was very sticky to the touch and slippery in parts. We were also very sticky and it does not take long after a wash before you are full of salt again. On the last night before we arrived there was a humungus electrical storm and lots of rain  but we were all asleep except for George who had to battle it out. Stupid flying fish also keep jumping onto the boat, one hit me on the sholder on his way into the cockpit. Chris counted 16 on thetrampoline one morning.

While the wind has been good to us they had also swept up the sea and it has been very lumpy. Not nice on the cat as it slams down as each wave passes by sending things flying and keeping us awake when we try to get some sleep. Also because the sea is splashing about we could not open our cabin hatches which makes the cabins very stuffy.

Fortunately this has been one of the shortest legs on the trip totalling only approximately 1200 nautical miles and taken 8 days so we have survived. The new saildrive is going great guns and we have been using the port engine rather than the starboard one to even out the hours each one has been running and because George noticed that the starboard engine which was serviced in Trinidad is leaking a bit of diesel. Not much so no big deal and Chris sorted it out here.

There is a good resturant in the marina here with a two hour happy hour from 5 to 7 pm Monday to Saturday with all local beers US$1 each which we have taken advantage of.  The first two after our shower on arrival did not even touch sides. The mosquitoes when we got back to the boat were a bit of a shock. There a masses of them but they are very lethargic and easy to swot. Must be the heat and humidity. Tabard seems to keep them from biting us but they buzz about all night. On Saturday afternoon the agent was very helpfull and even gave Chris and me a lift down to the locks on the Caribbean side to watch two huge ships pass through. There was not even 6 inches to spare on either side as they passed through. Everyone here seems to take it easy on Sundays so we followed suit and Chris and I hired bikes and cycled about 12km to the ruins of an old Spanish Fort which was attacked by Francis Drake and Henry Morgan after which we had a swim in the Caribbean.

Tomorrow we are going into Colon to get as much of the supplies as we can for the trip across the Pacific. The supermarkets here are suppose to be good as there is still a big american influance in the canal zone.We are theoritically in transit and not in Panama so once we are through the canal we will not be stopping in Panama City but be straight on our way to the Galapagos.

For those of you who are not on Facebook or may not have got a notification, I posted some photos on Facebook of our trip so far while I was in Chaquaramas. They are in the public domain so even if you are not a Facebook used you can access them by going to the Facebook site and typing in Rob Browne, Hout Bay. Don’t forget the ‘e’

otherwise hundreds of Rob Brown’s will come up. Then go to the photos section of my page.

Cheers

Rob

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