Dietmar Petutschnig
10/25/2009, South Pacific - Tonga - Big Momma's

Milestones...

Over 10,000 nm and 1 year at sea. Tallied it up and can't believe it myself.

Ever since joining the Baja-Haha Rally in 2008 we have been going and going and going.

We first crossed the border into Mexico last year and other boat names on VHF sounded foreign and unfamiliar.

On this first anniversary - pulling in to harbor - reveals a family of fellow aquatic nomadic tribesmen -

hardened by the miles and encounters on the oceans and how many of them we now know.

My heart is filled with joy - and while we are all still the same individuals - all perspectives have changed.

Priorities and what's important have re-aligned themselves just as the new economic realities for landlubbers now translate the word of "luxury" into superfluous .

So,if all is changing everywhere - then crossing the pacific from east to west and north to south is helping mature my outlook on this wonderful world.

There are no physical milestones in the ocean - and to conjure up one may be an exercise in futility.

We have sailed passed many islands - encountered microscopic bio-luminescence life forms - giant whales and mantas - sharks and dolphins - super and mega yachts and sunken vessels. We have lost fellow sailors - we sat across a table with one day - to find them gone the next - a somber reminder of just how fragile life can be.

At one point the chart plotter displayed a depth of 17,000 feet a few hours later the turquoise shelter of an atoll showcases coral and sand in 10 feet.

So there it is - an assembly of thoughts and wonder - pictures to proof it all - we now have a tough leg ahead - sailing to New Zealand next week via the infamous Minerva reef - the flotilla of yachts assembled here in Tonga nervously discuss the weather windows - for some have gotten whacked in the past - and perhaps next year - many more nautical miles down the horizon - I will look back at this anniversary knowing once again - how much I still have to absorb and what a joy it is to navigate under the stars, which drop from the pure offshore night sky like the black pearls collected from the seven atolls visited - around my neck.

Let's plot a course - raise the main - let's journey on !

JOURNEY

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Dietmar Petutschnig
10/19/2009, HA'ANO Tonga

What is a perfect anchorage ?

I'm going to attempt to describe this briefly.

For starters you get to this spot around 3 PM under a perfect blue sky. The wind - as you approach - is on the nose and under 15 knots so you can drop the mainsail in seconds. There are only 4 boats in a sheltered bay big enough for 20 yachts. The water is crystal clear and you drop in 30 feet where you can see the sandy bottom. The temperature is 80 degrees and you already know 2 of the other 4 boats. The trip to the beach in the dinghy takes 2 minutes. The beach is devoid of mammals so your dog can play to her heart's content - expect for 2 horses next to a thatched cabin where a local waves at you and your shore party. The beach is long and pristine without washed ashore plastic trash from "advanced" civilizations 4,000 n.m.. away. The kayaking is beyond belief in this sheltered cove without ripples. The water is not too hot or not too cold. The sun is warm not hot. The following 8 yachts anchor without causing you to be alarmed. The palm trees sway. The music of the moment is perfect and the new amplifier and speakers causes the fish to smile. On the horizon is a small little green island with a huge volcano further away adding to the dramatic sunset skyline build up. The burgees and flags are from more than 8 countries - in this case from 4 continents. VHF 16 is relatively calm. Whoever is wearing skin tight bathing suits - looks good in it. There is no charter boat amongst the lot. There is no power boat amongst the lot. There are no jet skies. There is no-one selling anything. There is a surf spot 2 n.m. away with a perfect left. The freezer produced enough ice in the last 24 hours to chill a perfect martini. You can run your water maker. You can run your gen set. Everyone has their anchor light on. Your hull is clean. There is no WIFI - but the sat phone works. Someone caught too much fish and shares it with you. Your grill is clean and you have plenty of gas to grill said fish. You have fresh vegetables provisioned from the local market at the last anchorage. You smile - it's not rolling - you're on a catamaran. Now that the anchorage is filling up latecomer's are moving to the next bay and are not squeezing in.

to be continued ...

JOURNEY

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Dietmar Petutschnig
09/29/2009, Vava'u

Many of you have heard that there was a big quake centered in the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of American and Western Samoa where we just left.

The quake was reported as 7.9 on the Richter scale.

I received email from several of our friends, family and several cruisers in Tonga and beyond today, and also got some first hand information off the the local Marine amateur radio.

It was bad - at least one cruiser died crushed between 2 hulls in Pago Pago. One of the worst harbors with a terrible reputation in American Samoa.

We did however make it through fine - I was up walking Vienna when the quake hit - but witnessed no mayor damage - just a big scare here for all
of us in Tonga and - maybe a subsequent 5 foot surge - which for us in a deep harbor was no big deal.

The reality is that at 220 nm miles from the epicenter of the quake we had a 15 minute Tsunami alert security warning - via VHF radio - and at the time in the best possible spot for this type of a Tsunami to hit -
as the anchorage is over 100 feet deep and tucked away in a snaking archipelago.

A fellow cruiser [Hipnautical] was right out on the ocean as the tsunami went under him at a propagation speed of about 600 nm x hour and just like a cork - he felt nothing !

So it's best to float in deep water [ 100 feet plus ]
and not near a gentle sloping beach, should a Tsunami ocurr.

Several cruisers who had ventured out to lovely anchorages near us - in shallower water - did not do so well - some had to cut their anchor rode and head for deep water in a hurry - especially those anchored in less then 30 feet - a 5 feet surge [ this happens as the tsunami hits - reveals several coral heads under the hull so one is best to go for deep water ]

This surge runs for sometime several hours - for us here it was maybe 20 minutes of helter skelter.

Local schools were evacutated long after the Tsunami had passed us - and of course the banks closed thier doors too ;-)

The brazilian vessel Saravah has a revealing video of the outer shallower anchorages which I'll post eventually.

For more info about Tsunamis go to

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/ptwc/

Just remember, if you're on a beach and all of a
sudden a "tide" goes way out, and revelas a lot of beach suddenly - it's time to head for high ground. RUN !

Our thoughts are at the presnet with those who did not make it.

JOURNEY

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