Rover

What a difference a day makes

22 July 2023
Karenn
Seas calm & sunny skies - What a difference a day makes.

So the system that we’ve been working to avoid for days came to visit us
yesterday in full force, today no trace. On the midnight to 3 am watch I
observed clouds giving way and more and more stars appearing. Awaking at
8 to a most beautiful morning it was hard to believe we were in the same
place and time.

The sea is ever changing, often conspiring with the wind, or as was the
case it seemed yesterday, in a roaring row between them. Unlike other
places I’ve sailed, there are few scant places/anchorages to ‘shelter in
place’ so we’ve been obligated to keep out to sea.

How nice it would have been to sail into Vava’u and anchor today,
however we must abide by the customs and requirements of our host
country (or penalty or jail). An advance notice of arrival is necessary,
and as this is a pious country, the earliest we can come in is Monday.
Sad to watch Vava’u in the ‘rear view mirror’ as we overshot and made
distance in the afternoon, but a 12 nautical mile distance is stipulated
until our approach is in process.

Each place we visit has its own requirements, and this can be
drastically different in each country, and even within the same country
at different specified Ports of Entry we are required make first
landfall at. We read that we can expect five visitors aboard. Often
there are Customs and Immigration representatives, but also a Harbour
Master, Health Department or Biosecurity officials too. On one of my
prior trips (central America) six militia in camo with machine guns and
a German Shepard boarded … there was hardly room for all of us (36’
monohull) and the three crew must remain in plain sight which means
sweating inside the cabin. So that’s Monday, two days of bobbing on the
big blue beautiful sea ahead.

Captain’s note: We crossed the international dateline, so we skipped
Friday 7/21 and today is Saturday 7/22 for us on Rover.

--
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Comments
Vessel Name: Rover
Vessel Make/Model: Valiant 42
Hailing Port: Seattle. WA
Crew: Eric and Linda
About:
We're making a big change to a cruising lifestyle. Eric retired in 2012 after 32 years in R&D (mostly) at HP. Previous passions included flying and bicycling. Linda will retire in 2013 from Oregon State University. She's been active in Zonta, was a Scoutmaster, and is a champion baker. [...]
Extra: Linda was barrel master and Eric participated in the Jackson Street Vintners; a group of friends that made wine from 2000 to 2013
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