18 May 2012

Arrived at 2100 into Anatom anchorage in drizzly, overcast, pitch blackness. The originally voiced strategy to run in until hitting something, fling an anchor at it and go to bed was circumvented as all seventeen boats already hooked became wonderfully helpful in finding us an open location. Thinking to sleep in until customs and quarantine beat on our hull around 1000 after dealing with the bi-weekly cruise ship (there's a small village and little else, but snorkeling on the reef is reported excellent) we instead awoke at 0630 NZST, 0530 local. Sleeping only 3 hours at a time must be habit forming. Currently catching up on emails and choking down tubs of plunger coffee awaiting belated officialdom.

Little Anthem was caboose of train into Vanuatu because its 29 foot 11 inch waterline limits maximum and thus average speed. This regrettable circumstance is usually the case as nearly every Pacific cruising boat is longer. Sailing time for us was 4 to 18 hours greater over 7 1/2 days than majority of fleet (15 total including speed sleds). Harrumph! A smidgen of cogitation has revealed that averaging an additional .15 knots would have prevented the ignominy of last and .5 the veneration and glory of top 5. Hmmmmmm. So, "says I", how much additional length would achieve this sublime outcome? Using the formula for theoretical hull speed and percent of same one might average on passage, 36 feet approximates a salutary length. As Cabo Rico 38s have a low waterline to deck length ratio many boats of 42 to 43 feet would serve (A Cabo Rico 45 would answer nicely if one could be found for meager contents of piggy bank). Hmmmmmm. Wonder if there are any abandoned and lonely Pearson 424s or Shannon 43s out there.

Jack