29 July 2019 | Prince William Sound: Snug Harbor
16 July 2019 | Aialik Bay, Kenai Peninsular
14 July 2019 | Northwestern Glacier
13 July 2019 | Kenai Penninsular
12 July 2019 | Pilot Harbor, Kenai Peninsular
11 July 2019 | Kenai Peninsular
10 July 2019 | Kenai Peninsular
09 July 2019 | Afognak Island
08 July 2019 | Afognak Island
06 July 2019 | Afognak Island
05 July 2019 | Kodiak Island
Calm days great caves
06 September 2013 | Niue
Kate
Today we ventured off the boat for some sightseeing and to clear out for Tonga. There is more westerly swell coming and after several nights of little sleep and difficult landings on the dock, we have decided to come back next year rather than stay on. We joined Huck, Land Fall and Nyon in our van and headed to Togo sea walk on the east coast. The place is spectacular. Spires of limestone cover the coast and amongst this is a tiny beach with coconut palms and a convoluted cave that leads to the sea. The photo is of Paul and Jo from Huck climbing down the ladder to the beach.
Confined to the boat
05 September 2013 | Niue
Kate
Last night the wind turned west and the sea got ugly. We were all pitching and rolling - still are. Sleep was made difficult by the conditions and the feeling that we were on passage and something was not right with both of us sleeping below. Both Huck and we had hourly alarms set to check for chafe on the mooring lines. The anchor alarm was also on. The morning was worst, Huck's davits gave way and they had damage to their transom but even worse was a cat that had attached to the Fisheries mooring ball. The mooring failed, they ended up on the reef, and the boat is a write-off it seems. It was hauled by a huge crane onto the dock and sits there a sad sight. The photo is of Huck, we were doing the same. Needless to say there was not much sightseeing or solicalising around the anchorage.
Sea snakes
04 September 2013 | Niue
Kate
Niue is mostly known for its limestone caves and whales but it also has an abundance of sea snakes. They have striking black and white stripes and are quite shy which is probably fortunate. Paul spent an hour or so following them around the reef near our boat. We could also hear the whales singing to each other as we snorkeled. As yet have only seen one from afar.
Alofi
04 September 2013 | Niue
Kate
We are rolling around in our new home off a mooring ball next to the capital of Niue, Alofi. We arrived here after a sleepless night at sea clawing our way through 5-6 meter seas and winds between 30-40 knots and occasionally hitting 50 knots (100 km per hr).
It started around midnight on 30th and with what appeared to be an innocuous cloud just to the south of us. There were other storms around but miles away. Our observations and the forecasts indicated they were all moving SE but not this one. We had been sailing wing on wing with the pole on the port side but reefed in. We also had a reef in the main as a precaution. I had been taking micro sleeps with the watchman and woke to see a distant light which we tried to trace with the radar and AIS to determine its course. We could not find it on either which was worrying. Then all hell broke loose. The wind went SE and started howling, rain pelted down and saturated the bimini. The cockpit was a mass of drips and suddenly the autopilot alarm came on and all the console lights died. Iolea swung towards the wind but it was so dark and the rain so hard we couldn't at first determine where we were - and there was another vessel out there. Fortunately, Roger, the first owner had installed a handheld autopilot which is completely independent of the console and so we were able to get her back on course and under the autopilot again. By this time we were seeing 40 knots plus and sustained winds of around 35 knots. We were on a course to the west and expected this "storm" to pass over and head south. It didn't. We were being knocked quite heavily by the growing seas on this course and so decided to head more north hoping to get away from the storm and running with the swell which was less alarming. We were under engine since we could not bring out the staysail because the pole was still out (from now on it goes up even if we plan to use it an hour later). Both of us were saturated and cold. Paul changed into wet weather gear and harnessed himself in the cockpit. I hadn't slept as yet and was frankly frightened by the now huge seas and so went below and secured myself near the nav station and got an uneasy sleep. By 7am the next morning the winds were still around 30 plus knots but started to subside to a calm 25 plus by 8am. We were 40 miles from Niue.
There is a famous Japanese woodblock of a tidal wave. Its just a peak really but that is exactly what the giant waves look like. Three swells all swollen by wind collide and the boat literally sits for an instant on a peak before falling off its back or being pushed aside.
A skill that must be learnt to land on Niue is the dingy lift. The swells here make it impossible to leave your dinghy in the water so each one has to be lifted onto the dock and parked while you are ashore.
Back on the road again
30 August 2013 | Pacific Ocean near Beveridge reef
Kate
We are on the go again and are on day 3 out from Rarotonga. Our aim has been Beveridge reef which is coming up to our south now. It is what remains - mostly under water - of an atoll. In good conditions you can enter through its pass and anchor for snorkeling and diving but there is no protection from the swell at high tide which is a problem if the weather turns rough. We have had lovely sailing so far but every now and then the wind dies and we potter along at 3-5 knots. Then, up it comes again and we are flying along at 7.5 knots. The upshot is that we would arrive at the reef at 5pm and there is some squally activity predicted overnight. So, we've decided to continue on and leave Beveridge reef to another day. Tomorrow is now Niue. The photo is of a queue of clouds along the horizon each waiting patiently for its turn to transform into thunderheads and heavy rain. The photo doesn't quite capture their transformation.
At the dock
25 August 2013 | Rarotonga, Cook Islands
. Rarotonga's Avatui port is a working port and we yachties are accommodated as far as possible around the comings and goings of tuna vessels, the occasional cruising ship, and other sports fishing vessels. We found the GPS to be pretty spot-on with our C-Map charts. The harbour entrance is marked by floating port and starboard (green) buoys and there is a range into the harbour from two orange triangles, although the entrance is clear and wide. We arrived on Sunday in perfectly smooth waters and with a yacht around our size just leaving so there was plenty of room to meander backwards for the med moor. I was on the helm and we hadn't med-moored since Turkey in 2005. Iolea doesn't like to go backwards but with the help of the bow thruster, a few pointers from Paul, and a couple of fellow cruisers rowing out to take lines to shore we settled easily into place and put our feet up - and discovered that the harbour is the only place in Rarotonga where there is no internet connection!
One thing we hadn't expected was to be on the entertainment route for Rarotonga - we were even in the newspaper yesterday. The harbour has a constant trickle of locals and tourists coming to see the boats and harbour activities. On days like today when the swell is up and backwash has the boats pitching and rolling, watching us get to and fro from the dock in our dinghies is compelling viewing - so far we have managed to stay reasonably dry. Wind from the north is the curse of Avatui Harbour. Even in light winds it can become quite rough - not impossible to maneuver but certainly more difficult and uncomfortable to and we fully support the recommended 3 boat lengths of chain for the med-moor. We are also very pleased we refueled with duty free fuel in calm water yesterday since the fuel comes from a small tanker truck that pulls up at the dock and you dinghy the nozzle and hose over to your boat. The alternative is filling jerries on the dock and then carrying them to the boat.