11/09/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
The weather has deteriorated such that we are making very slow progress toward New Zealand. We made 95 miles noon-to-noon today for an average speed of 4 knots. However, only about 50 miles of that was actually forward progress. The rest was zig-zagging back and forth, tacking before the wind. The weather is predicted to become ugly in 2-3 days so we are hoping to make it into port before the "big blow" comes. All we can do is hope for an improvement and, in the meantime, get ready for rough conditions.
All else is well onboard. We are trying to get rest and prepare food for the next couple of days.
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11/08/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
The wind has been "on the nose" almost all day so progress has been slow. Our noon-to-noon distance for today was 105 miles for an average speed of 4.4 knots. At present, the wind is out of the south at 15-20 kts so we are only making about 4 kts toward Opua, NZ, 317 miles distant. Tomorrow's weather calls for more of the same. If we average 100 miles per day we will make landfall late on Sunday the 11th.
All else is well onboard. We finally landed a fish after losing the last two. It was a 30 lb bigeye tuna. Yum!
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11/07/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
We were under power all last night because of very light winds but were able to sail during the day. The wind has not been over 10 knots so the going has been slow. I am trying to preserve fuel in case we have head winds and need to run the engine as we get closer to New Zealand. The noon-to-noon distance for today was 116 miles for an average speed of 4.8 kts.
This afternoon I heard a "whoosh" but saw nothing immediately. A few minutes later a whale of unknown species surfaced twice behind the boat and then disappeared. My crew, Uri, was quite anxious to snap a photo but he was not quick enough. It was the first whale he had ever seen.
All else is well onboard. We have been dragging a flying fish behind the boat as bait but there are no takers.
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11/06/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
At 9:00 AM this morning the wind died after blowing hard all night. We have been motoring at 4.7 knots ever since. Nevertheless, our noon-to-noon distance for today was 138 miles for an average speed of 5.8 kts, the same as yesterday. The forecast calls for more wind tomorrow so I am hopeful we will be able to hoist the sails and turn off the engine. This afternoon we crossed the halfway mark and celebrated with a cold beer. With the engine running there is plenty of juice to run the refrigeration and watermaker.
All else is well onboard.
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11/05/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
"Hard on the wind", "beating to weather", "bashing to windward". They all mean the same thing - sailing as close as possible to the wind. This usually entails crashing into waves and taking green water over the bow while making little progress toward one's destination. Tradewind sailing in the tropics generally means downwind sleigh rides and that is mostly what I have experienced for the past seven months. True gentlemen avoid sailing to windward, but sometimes it is necessary, as in the passage to New Zealand. Fortunately for us, the wind has been moderate, the seas calm and the course somewhat less than hard on the wind. The sailing has been very comfortable and fast.
The noon-to-noon distance for today was 140 miles for an average speed of 5.8 knots. We have covered 387 miles out of an 1100 mile passage so we are a little better than 1/3 rd of the way there. The weather forecast is good for the next three days. After that we may see heavy winds "on the nose" for a couple of days before making landfall. Most of the talk on the radio nets is about weather and there is a lot of talk. My guess is there are at least 50 boats now making the passage from the tropics to New Zealand and each one has an opinion and a strategy. I listen to the seasoned Kiwis who make this trip twice a year, year after year. The Kiwis, however, are no strangers to brutal weather and tough conditions. They are a hardy bunch.
All else is well onboard. No fish today.
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11/04/2007, En Route from Fiji to New Zealand
The wind speed has picked up so that we are now sailing with both sails reefed and we are making 6.5 knots in 16 kts of wind from the east-southeast. The noon-to-noon distance for today is a respectable 128 miles for an average speed of 5.3 kts. The sailing is close to the wind so the boat is heeled 15 degrees but is not rolling as it would going downwind. The forecast calls for lighter winds tomorrow and Tuesday so we are "making hay while the sun shines".
All else is well onboard. The tuna has been eaten so we are again dragging lures.
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