Passage Day 11 to New Zealand
11 November 2016 | Pacific Ocean
Jeanette
This passage is horrendous! Nature can be very cruel and she has been giving us a beating. The wind is relentless. The front crossed us and was gale force. The weather forecasters and Predict Wind got it all wrong! We should have got around 20 knots not 40. It was supposed to be a 'tame' front, well that is not how it has turned out. Since 9pm last night we have been getting pummeled by the wind and waves. Poor Echo Echo has taken a beating from the pounding and waves crashing over her and into her starboard side. After the face of the front passed we were supposed to have SW winds, but we got southerlies, which is what you definitely don't want. After a few ours it clocked back to be from the SSW. It has been so hard to stay on course south to NZ. We are going slowly, but still pounding massively. To think that we have to experience these conditions for another two days is hell. We have 190 nm to get to OPua, which seems close but it will take us probably another 50 hours based on the chart plotter as the waves are pushing us east while we are trying to get south.
Neil did say, I suppose it wouldn't seem right to say we crossed the Pacific without encountering a gale, but to me I would think that was fortunate. We have tried to thread the needle between two fronts and it hasn't worked, but if we didn't go when we did we would not be able to make the crossing for about another 2 weeks, based on the future weather. We need to be in NZ mid November and so it seemed to be the right thing to do, especially as the front was changed to be a mild one.
I haven't cried, but I have stayed downstairs laying on the floor, as I went to go up to the cockpit and saw the wave behind the boat as high as the binini and Neil said it is not good out in the cockpit. I did go out a couple of times and the waves are the biggest I have ever encountered and look nasty. So I have been laying down and trying to not be sick. One of the few times Neil has said he is grateful for the enclosure as he would be wet from the waves. This is so stressful as every time we go up a wave, my adrenalin goes up as I brace myself to see if we will come down the wave or get dropped down, by how much and how loud. I wish I was a courageous person and was not so worried and stressed by these conditions.
At this point I wish I had caught the plane, but I know I will feel differently when we arrive. All the other boats with us are having the same conditions and all sound very tired and stressed on the radio. Ilona from Omweg said on the radio I have to survive as she has made me something. I suppose the only good thing is that Neil and I have experienced this bloody awful passage together!