Sailing around the world on the traditional gaff rigged schooner Windjammer

Only four miles off Cape Flattery. It's 7 am and the fog has totally enveloped us with visibility of less than 50m. Lots of shipping and what must be the entire fishing fleet is out and about, keeping us on our toes and me in front of the radar. Its weird arriving on a distant shore after 2500 miles and not being able to see it. Once we round the cape then its 6 miles down the strait to Neah Bay where we intend refuelling and berthing overnight. There is a small commercial harbour which is located on an Indian reservation on the US side of Juan De Fuca Strait. Sounds like an interesting stop as there is an archaeological site of an ancient Indian village buried by a mudslide prior to contact with whites. There is a wager as to who will be the first to spot North America! so I better get up on deck. ASHLEY

Just over 200 miles to go to the entrance of the Juan de Fuca strait. As usual after a long passage everyone is looking forward to making landfall.. Have had a brilliant sail since early this morning, clear day, sun shining and heading in the right direction at about 8 knots on a beam reach. Doesn't get much better than this. The Juan de Fuca strait has a bit of a reputation for being quite wild at times, not as bad as Cook Strait I understand but can get quite windy and steep seas. If all goes according to plan we should be arriving at the entrance around 7pm local time. The current weather forecast for that area is supposed to be quite calm so here's hoping it stays that way. The plan is to continue through and make landfall at Friday Harbour in the San Juan Island where we will spend a few days before heading to Port Townsend for the wooden boat festival. From there its onto the Gulf Islands and Victoria on Vancouver Island, so lots planned for September.

Cathie

All good things must come to an end, our perfect sailing conditions did! these were replaced by strong winds and short steep seas from astern requiring concentrated helming with the the occasional drenching from a recalcitrant wave, they seem to like Mike. Really foghorn weather with visibility down to 2 miles and wet. We had a ship pass us within 8 miles and couldn't see it. The entire inside of the boat is damp and my mattress is wet again - argh.... The good thing though was that we covered 365 miles in two days (200 miles in 24 hours). Last night the wind dropped down to 12 knots and swung around to the west so shook out the reefs set the balloon jib and had a good night sleep. This morning the sun is out, and the hatches are open, Mike is cooking up porridge with maple syrup so we're all happy little vegimites again.

Running before a fresh 20kn breeze at the moment, had to drop the fisherman earlier but still carrying the balloon jib and hitting "coconuts" (10 knots) on the log. Now only 690 miles from the entrance to Juan De Fuca Straits and starting to see an increase in ship traffic mainly on the California and Korea/Japan run. The AIS is proving to be a great addition to our navigation tools giving us early warning at little cost in terms of power consumption. Cathie had an inspired day in the galley, baking pizzas for lunch fresh breads and to top it all Beef Burgundy followed by butterscotch desert, yum. Its 4.30am at the moment and Mike has just arrived to take over the watch so I'm off to my bunk and warm doona - its quite cold and we are all rugged up with jumpers and beenies or "toqu's"as its called in Canada - G'night Ashley

Winds are blowing 15kn off our starboard quarter as we slice through the short waves towards the Juan De Fuca Straits only 1000 miles away, (doesn't sound so far if you say it quick!). The fisherman and balloon jib are powered up giving us a constant 7 plus knots. Cathie hauled in a barracuda last night the first fish since Carolina Atoll which puts our average at one fish per 3000 miles, have to do something about that! We had a pod of approximately 30 dolphins join us for about half an hour this morning with all the crew hanging over the bow taking photos, which was quite a nice interlude. The wind instruments went on the blink a few days ago so had to rig up a makeshift wind indicator to help the helmsman steer a relative to wind course. This afternoon the wind dropped out for a while so were able to rejoin the external cable so we now have instruments again. The crew are starting to get quite proficient on deck now setting the fisherman furling and setting jibs etc, and are moving around the deck far more confidently compared to when we left Hawaii. The evening temperatures are starting to drop, now that we're above the 40 th parallel, so will be digging out the doona soon. Having to sail a little further north to try and skirt around a new high developing ahead of us before we get into the westerlies.

We have now entered the North West Pacific high zone which means very little or no wind and flat seas. We have managed though, to keep our sails set and even hoisted the fisherman making it a five sail set albeit running the engine at low rpm to increase the apparent wind and maintain a speed of 6.5kn. Spent a large part of the day "flotsam spotting", the latest fad on board, with each one trying to out spot the other in terms of interesting objects. There has been an array of fishing buoys, beer crates, barrels, thongs and rope coils to mention but a few. We even managed to retrieve a fishing buoy with a long flag pole on it which now functions as a spreader for the makeshift awning over the cockpit. The GPS antenna on the AIS has just malfunctioned argh!!... hate electronics, I'll have to investigate in the morning. A huge full moon is up this evening reflecting off the flat seas creating quite a picture. A huge albatross, (we think its a juvenile wondering albatross) came to visit a couple of times and would then land and sit next to a fishing buoy? yes there are lots of buoys all abandoned. Another highlight of the day was the crossing of a very large cargo ship bound for South Korea by 3 miles, had a short chat on the VHF and then went back to flotsam spotting! I feel a bit exhausted to day so might have to go for a nap! talk soon

Ashley.

Another great day of sailing, in six days we have hardly trimmed the sails, no doubt there will be a pay back along the way! Clothes washing has been the order of the day and Windjammer looked like the proverbial Vietnamese fishing boat while all the clothes were hung out to dry in the light winds. There has been a considerable increase in flotsam over the past two days, more than we have seen on the entire trip from Australia to Hawaii so keeping a close watch on anything with Japanese characters on it. Fucashima floatsum is reportedly well on its way across the North Pacific. Had a birthday dinner for Cathie this evening which was a lot of fun especially now that Amgine has recovered from his seasickness. All is going well however the North West Pacific High is shaping up to be a challenge for us to get around, at the moment it is driving us further west and away from our intended track but we will see what tomorrow brings.

Until then Ashley

Another great day of sailing with winds averaging a steady 12/15 kn, the days are still warm but not too hot. Set the balloon jib this morning but first had to go up the mast to free the jib, brought back memories of Sam doing an uncontrolled 360 at the top of the mast in 30 kn of breeze off Molakai, needless to say I was holding on pretty tight. Winds are starting to get a bit fluky now and each passing cloud is producing its own wind pressure system so we must be nearing the Pacific High. We are close to 32 degrees north which is 585 miles north of Hawaii so eating up the miles. Cathie's birthday today so planning a baked dinner with all the trimmings and a bottle of champers I've got hidden away. Passed what appeared to be a fishing or naval vessel a little earlier in the dark with a great big light on the bow - it came snooping around us before continuing on, no AIS or VHF response, a bit spooky out in the middle of the ocean. Kettle's boiling - a cup of hot chocolate and back up on deck - half hour to go and I am off watch!

Ashley

Fabulous sailing conditions at the moment with almost a full moon, just coming up to 12 o'clock at night. At last the easterly shift has kicked in so we are making good miles in the right direction. Had a big dinner, curry and rice with chutneys and naan bread so feeling a bit spicy at the moment. Amgine is definitely on the way up and is now eating crackers and apple but still shying away from noodle soup, still he is managing all his watches without having to hang over the leeward rail. Watched a short Australian movie earlier called September, quite interesting and very visual. Oh well, better get back up on deck and do my watch.

Ashley

Did a 140 mile run over the past 24 hours, not too bad considering we are close hauled. Amgine is still sea sick but appears to be getting over the worst, now eating and drinking a little. The sea state has settled down a bit making it more comfortable however there is the occasional large cloud that stirs things up a bit. Had an amazing night sky last night with the stars so bright you could almost reach out and touch them. Still waiting for the wind to shift to the east - perhaps tomorrow.

Ashley

Day 2 and we are 160 miles off the Hawaiian Islands close hauled and heading due north with full main, foresail, staysail and jib set in 20 kn of breeze making 6kn. The wind is due to shift easterly tomorrow which will allow us to head towards the north east. The new crew, Kevin and Mike are settling in to the routine but poor old Amgine is suffering a bout of sea sickness but he did manage a watch this evening. The forecast is for the wind and sea to ease over the next few days so hopefully he will recover. Lots of flying fish and sea birds, mainly red footed Pacific Boobies and Shearwaters and a pod of spinner dolphins came to visit us.

All in all not a bad start to a 2600 mile passage.

Ashley

Fresh provisioning completed, tender and outboard stowed, crew fed and now getting ready to hoist anchor and say goodbye to Hawaii. What a great experience the past 6 weeks have been but it's time to move on to the next adventure. We are going to sail down the Na'Pali coast on the NW of Kauia Island which is reputed to be just amazing with it's green volcanic mountains, cliffs and waterfalls then swing round to the north. The north Pacific High is close to 40 degrees N so expect to be sailing that high before we get westerly winds to take us o BC.

Fishing line has been overhauled so hopefully......

Left Hilo Hawaii today for Honolulu. Weather is fine - not much wind though. Enjoyed Hilo, a very friendly place. Meeting Alex in Honolulu early next week and then I will be flying home for a few weeks.

Greetings from the big island - Hawaii - arrived Sunday morning but could not leave the boat until Monday due to customs clearance. We were fortunate in that we had a terrific customs officer clear us in, very helpful, considerate, a thorough gentleman all those things a customs officer is generally not guilty of!! Hawaii is everything we expected it to be, layback cool and funky and the locals are extremely welcoming with a great sence of humor. The boys are off exploring the volcano today while Cathie and I are shopping at Walmart, just bought an Ipad II with 3G for $600 " go Aussie go" so having lots of fun playing with it. Planning on leaving for Honolulu on Friday.

Ashley

Under 500 miles from Hawaii now and a quiet excitement is starting to build with the crew suddenly showing interest in guide books, surf spots and and marina services. The NE trade winds are now well and truly set in allowing us to ease the sheets and run more freely with balloon jib flying, delivering good speeds. The average wind is between 15/20 knots with regular "coconut" being shouted from the helm when we hit more than 9 knots. Mat is the leader with 9.7 kn. Had a spurt of energy today so dug out the sewing machine and made a new lea cloth for our bunk which works a treat. A new leak has sprung up behind our cabin locker which looks decidedly like it comes from the sponson argh!!! will start investigating in the morning. Mat and Bruce are now sporting very duff Turk's head plaits around there ankles after two days of intensive platting and, unplatting spiced with the occasional heated cuss. Missed out on the eclipse yesterday but had a sensational moonrise. The "BBC" is keeping us up to date with world events but we missed out on who won the men's and women's French tennis finals! - Thanks Mag's

Ashley

Sailing hard on the wind with reefed main, foresail ,staysail and jib doing 7 kn in 20/25 kn of NE tradewinds towards Hawaii at the moment. Looks like we are now clear of the ITCZ which in the end was a short run of 21 hours under motor. Not a drop of rain or a squall to dodge so all in all a good crossing. Managed to do all our washing at the same time assuming of course that we were going to replenish our water supply! - looked like a venerable Vietnamese fishing boat with all our laundry flying in the breeze lucky Abbot wasn't around. Had another close shave with a flying fish during my night watch so am now determined to eat one which probably means we wont land one again. The boys have been patiently working on their turks heads so they can wear it around the left ankle - now that they're real shellbacks!!

Five degrees north of the equator now and still sailing, however the breeze is starting to drop down to 12 knots. The inter tropical convergence zone ( ITCZ ) also known as the doldrums is that area where the SE trade winds from the southern hemisphere meets the NE trades from the northern with one trying to dominate the other. The width is between 3 and 4 degrees or 180/240 miles wide with lots of things happening inside it such as no wind, lots of wind, wind from different directions in a short space of time and huge rain clouds with heavy rain. Hopefully it will be a short run for us given that we are already at 5 degrees though heavy clouds are now gathering around us. Life on board is pretty cruisey, if not boring compared with the other passages. Our happy hours are now two hours long with Sam and Matt playing guitars and the rest of us trying to maintain a tune - apologies to Van the Man for what we're doing to Brown Eyed Girl but there is plenty of gusto not to mention Bob Marley! The backgammon competition is continuing with Sam holding the upper hand over Cathie but today will see the final outcome then its my turn :>

Ashley

Ashley is thinking of wearing a helmet whilst on watch since a flying fish hit him head on the other night on the left jaw. "A slap in the face with a wet fish" YUK!

Cathie

Time onboard is getting on by teaching each other new songs to play. Sam has now learned how to play blackbird by The Beatles while he taught me how to play Flake by Jack Johnson. So Hawaii watch out - there's a singing/playing ship on it's way!

Matthias

Wog day - so named after the Pollywogs as this is the day they cross the line to become Shellbacks, but prior to crossing they must be submitted to whims of Neptune Rex . So in order to maintain tradition we dressed Cathie as King Neptune, the pollywogs three,(Sam,Matt and Bruce) were dressed as girls of some repute and I represented the Shellbacks with turtle neck and sailors cap. At 3.13 am in pitch darkness and one mile south of the line the Pollywogs were initiated as per ancient rites, prostrating themselves before Neptune and eating raw onions dipped in fish sauce ! As we crossed the line they became Shellbacks and celebrations followed with champagne, a glass was set aside with Nicks old sea boots and a toast raised to him, so long a shipmate but now back in Airlie.

Tonight we are having our midway dinner with treats and then a new course and onward to Hawaii.

Ashley

PS: Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin, Tato! Pozdrowienia z rownika! Matt, the shellback

PPS: Alt godt fra baaden. Jeg er nu blevet en "shellback". Jeg haaber i nyder Myhanna - glaeder mig til at tage en sejltur med jer. KH Matthias

Just one day to go till we cross the line and it looks like lit will be night time when it happens, probably not a bad thing as our pollywogs , these are first timers as opposed to shellback's, won't be the prettiest to have done so but more on that later. Yesterday was a tough day with the wind generally light and pushing us further north. There were also lots of rain squalls gusting up to 30 kn. in short sharp bursts which meant we were constantly furling and unfurling the balloon jib or reefing the main. Today has made up for it though with steady 15/18 kn breezes allowing us make good headway towards the east. Finally triumphed over the water leak in our cabin, yes!! which has been a headache since we left Airlie. In the end we had to strip all the lining off the outer cabin wall where we found the problem, water was coming in via the the sponson bolts when ever we had a good heel on. These have now all been secured so no more wet mattress - halleluiah!!

Ashley

Day 7 and we are making good progress towards Hawaii, currently sailing in a NNE direction to cross the equator at around longitude 145 degrees west then heading NNE to latitude 10 degrees north where we should find the NE trade winds. These will then take us all the way to Hawaii.

Last night we encountered a large rain squall with 30kn winds that held for 2 hours then dropped to 18kn which created a bit of excitement as its the first time we have had to adjust the sails in 7 days. Decided it was high time for some serious whipping, so spent much of the day teaching the boys how to do a variety of whippings - that's docking the ends of lines, sheets etc and using needles and marlin to tidy up the ends so now all our running rigging is ship shape.

Ashley

PS: Pozrdowienia dla wszystkich!, Greetings to everyone!, Viele Gruesse an alle!, Muchos saludos a todos!, Meilleurs salutations a tous! The pessage is fantastic! @Belle: I miss you! @family: jestem zdrowy i super sie czuje! Matt;)

P.P.S Saa er vi endelig paa vej til Hawaii! Ja TAK! Jeg har det godt og nyder hvert et ojeblik ombord. Vejret har vaeret rigtigt godt med masser af sol, og endelig har vi faaet noget vind. Jeg haaber alt er godt derhjemme, og glaelder mig rigtigt meget til at se jer igen!!

KH Matthias

This morning started with the sighting of Carolina Atoll 30 feet above sea level with the southern long Island overgrown with palm trees probably from the early copra days in the 1950 's. The atoll is uncharted but the pilot book had notes from a ship that explored the surrounds in the late 1800's. We timed our arrival for 9.30 am so that the sun would have some elevation in order for us to make out the surrounding reef when suddenly we had a big strike on our fishing line. Bruce immediately sprung into action and after sometime we landed a magnificent Wahoo into the cockpit, 1.5m long and close to 30kg. So at long last a fish - must have had something to do with the beer can!.

Sailing up along the western reef a large school of huge black dolphins joined us as we cut the fish into steaks and feeding tit bits to the frigate birds. The frigates by now close to 50 became more and more daring flying in and taking pieces of fish off the end of the knife, they have sharp hooked bills which both Sam and I found out, in the end we had to chase them off with the fire hose and a deck broom.

We unshipped the tender and searched for a reported break in the reef but unfortunately the tide was too low and we could not get through to the lagoon and beach, so no coconut crabs, however the coral was in good shape with reef sharks working the edges which dissuaded us from going snorkeling.

We hoisted sail and left the atoll at midday on a 12 kn breeze while Cathie served an entree of sashimi with soy and wasabi followed by Sam's fish burger's in paradise! - The freezer and fridge is full and the "no fishing" sign has been hung out till further notice!!

Ashley

Day 4 and the breeze is holding at 10-15kn, temperature is around 26deg with a gentle swell running,dream conditions, everyone is relaxing on deck, something we are not quite used to (sorry Nick!) such a change from the heavy foul weather gear. We had the fisherman up for 12 hours yesterday without a single sheet adjustment! There is a small uninhabited atoll called Carolina some 130 miles ahead of us, which if the weather permits we intend to stop off at and scout around on. There is no anchorage so will have to stand off and send the dingy in. There used to be a copra station on it with up to 9 Tahitians living there on a permanent basis, however since the collapse of the copra industry it has been abandoned. Apparently there is good fishing on the reef and lots of coconut crabs amongst the palms, so - now we have to figure out the best way to catch them! The old fishing line is out again with some modifications thanks to an old beer can so will wait and see, we are going a bit slow for the lure though. Sam has been press ganged into needing the dough for our first ships bread, this will be a nice change from the island baguettes. Matt challenged the galley again yesterday with his famous Polish potato pancakes and this time managed to come up trumps. A backgammon challenge has started with Sam leading the pack - the fat lady isn't singing yet!

Ashley

We left the island of Huahine on Tuesday for Hawaii. We all enjoyed chilling out on this lovely island for a week . Most of the locals were friendly and laid back, however there is a problem with a small element of the male population with drugs and alcohol making for some unpleasantness at times. There was a great surf break so Sam enjoyed the time here.

Contrary to our last couple of passages the weather is warm and balmy with 10-15 knts of breeze. We have had some lovely sailing over the last day and half. The boys have been entertaining us on Sam's guitar and Matt's guitarlele (that's a cross between a guitar and a Ukelele apparently) with Ashley singing the lyrics of all the old songs - not always in tune!

The breeze is expected to die off over the next couple of days but pick up again on the weekend.

All are well and looking forward to the journey and arrival to Hawaii

Cathie

Maururu from Huahine!

We have now been in French Polynesia for a month, time passes so quickly. After our initial arrival on the island of Tahiti we anchored just south of Papeete at Maeva Brach. There were no less than 120 boats anchored in this area. It was right next to the airport, the biggest marina on the island and home to 3 international 5 star hotels. We stayed anchored here for 6 days, completing our arrival and departure papers, topped up with fuel, water and gas all of which took some time and minor frustrations. Papeete is a bustling town with over half the population of French Polynesia.

With Michelle and Sam aboard we sailed to the island of Moorea some 25 miles away. Stunning scenery with large peaks on the island and sandy clear lagoons. We anchored in Cooks Bay named after Captain James Cook, hired a car and drove around the island. We saw a traditional Polynesian show with dancing, fire twirlers and music - a didgeridoo was one of the main instruments, apparently a local instrument according to one of the members of the group - need to do some googling!.

We then sailed to the island of Huahine, which we all fell in love with. Did our shopping at the local market at the main village of Fare and then went further down south to another stunning anchorage where we went ashore for dinner at beach shack. We were lucky to encounter the "Coconut Man" who happened to be doing a show that evening, we learnt all about the "tree of life" the coconut that is, and its many uses. Quite an interesting evening with the locals turning up afterwards with a guitar which Sam played for a short while before we returning to the boat. They were obviously missing his skills as a guitarist as one of them paddled out to the boat to coax him back to the party.. Apparently two large Wahinies sat either side of him to encourage him along.

Next day it was off to the legendary Bora Bora with its multitude of bures over the water - more than 750 on all of the motu's (little atolls) off the main island. The main town itself was very dusty with not much ado. It was however Sunday and being a religious society everything was closed from noon. We found another anchorage on the south of the island with the landmark crystal clear lagoon where we all lazed for a while and then visited the apparently famous "Bloody Mary's for lunch.

Michelle and Nick were to fly out fro Raitea which is about 40 miles from Bora Bora so that was our next stop. Raitea is the administrative capital of the Leeuward Islands and we were lucky enough to be there when the Artisans Fair was being held. This is held annually on a different island. The work, especially the shell work was beautiful.

We decided that the last few days we have in French Polynesia would be best spent at Huahine which we felt we had done justice to on our first short visit, so here we are enjoying this lovely island, although the boys have had a few troubles from some of the local island boys who don't seem to like tourists.

Monday morning its sail covers off anchor stowed and a new course set for Hawaii.

47 hrs after leaving Tubuai in the Austral Islands we finally arrived in Tahiti. We are anchored in the Bay of Patheon in a place called Hurricane Hole. It is very sheltered and flat water so all had a good night sleep last night.

We came in through a small passage with breakers on the reef just 10's of metres away. Quite exciting but a bit scary as well. A very lush, mountainous and tropical landscape, where there has been a lot of recent rain. The waterfalls are running and vegetation going wild. It certainly is a very striking place.

Windjammer has performed outstandingly, we really are so fortunate to own such a beautiful boat.

We have just been for a walk into the local town of Tavaroa (about 1.5 km away from the anchorage) which is on the isthmus (2.5km wide) between the north and south part of Tahiti. A pretty sleepy town, went to the local school fete this morning where Nick picked up a copy of the Footrot Flats DVD !! in English, which we will watch later before heading across to the local restaurant/ bar where there is a Elvis Presley impersonation show this evening (apparently the local gay bar). So should be fun !!

Tomorrow we are looking at moving to an anchorage just off the botanical gardens and the Paul Gaugin museum.

The passage in all took 20.5 days (excluding the stay in Tubuai).

We are all pleased to be at our final destination for this passage and look forward to enjoying the hospitality of the Tahitians. Michelle and Sam will be joining us in Papeette, next week, which we are looking forward to and we will head to Bora Bora and few of the other islands to do some more exploring

That's it for now

Cathie

We left the island of Tubuai around 3.00pm local time yesterday en-route to Tahiti. Had an instant start with 25/35 knts winds for the first 12 or so hrs so are trucking along at an average speed of about 10 knts through the water. Wind has died back to about 20/25 this morning but we are still moving at 8-9 knts. At this rate we will be in Tahiti tomorrow afternoon. We are expecting some squally weather later today and tonight when we enter the South Pacific Convergence where the SE trades meet the NE trades. We are all looking forward to our arrival.

More tomorrow Cathie

Today we spent 4.5 hours on a wonderfully spontaneous and friendly tour of Tabuai with Loana the island's lady taxi driver. The island is tiny, only 25kms around the beach road, with a population of 2600 and we met quite a few of them. We started by walking on the beach at the point where Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers on the Bounty landed and fought with the natives before being repelled. Loana was picking up locals and dropping them off as needed so our route was back and forth and during it we met several cousins aunts and nieces and her grandmother. The islanders are so friendly and relaxed and everyone says bonjour or waves as they go by. Tabuai was devastated by a cyclone in February 2010 when the eye passed right over the island bringing a 9 metre tidal wave that destroyed most of the homes. There are a lot of prefabricated bungalows now that have been erected with French Govt aid. We stopped at the supermarket to buy some tomatoes and Matt had an icecream which he has been craving for 3 weeks. We visited a sacred site where the locals brought goats they had captured in the hills for a feast and beat out the rhythm for their dances on a musical rock. Loana also took us to her home where she showed us how to pluck the coconuts from the tree and de-husk them on the point of a crowbar. The coconut juice was sweet and the flesh tasty. Loana gave us a huge melon type fruit which is apparently good for soup. At a cousins home we picked up some delicious small bananas and also stopped along the road to pick some chilies. The tour was like a harvest festival with information about the different plants growing including Taro, Potatoes, Bananas, Lychees, and Citrus. There are many churches of different denominations and schools were in so we did not see many children about but we did enjoy the company of silent, wide eyed thee year old Johansen. It was a most natural and alfresco tour. We found the only restaurant in the village so tonight we are off to sample the local "Poisson Cru" washed down with the local Hinano beer - au votre santé

Bonjour ' Well we arrived off the Island of Tubuai at around 09.30 pm after a great sail with everything set including the fisherman, winds kept building to about 25kn so a good end to a long passage. No lighthouse or VHF radio station on the Island so after stowing all the sails we entered the lagoon via a well lit roadstead to an anchorage opposite the main village of Mataura at 11.00pm. Hoisted the French courtesy flag with all the pomp and ceremony followed by the obligatory "Q" flag then retired below to a bottle of Matts Polish Zubrowka vodka "a symbol of Polish spirit he declares" with gherkins and a few beers. This morning was a bit slow with every one smelling like a Bison and blaming it on my stuffed cabbage rolls!!. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs we shipped the tender and went ashore for a wander through the village and to register our entry with the Gendarmes. It was evident by the length of time and frequent referrals to the "manual d' instruction" that not too many yachts visit the Island. There are two general stores, a bank, post office and a collection of administration buildings but no where to get a drink or something to eat. Everything was closed from 12-2 so after a well earned sleep will go ashore and see what else we can find.

Day 19 and now only 52 miles to go, however still no wind and motoring despite the promise of strong winds. The boys have been active polishing brass and getting Windjammer shipshape for Tubuia, washing has been hung out to dry and foul weather gear airing. Matt baked bread rolls for lunch ala David Herbert and I made up a batch of Greek yogurt so all in all we are putting the calm conditions to good use. Fruit and veggies have surprisingly stayed fresh including tomatoes, only one pineapple has been ditched. Managed to collect about 80lt of water during the night so that was a bit of a bonus however, Matt and Nick decided it was a good time to take a shower so probably made a bit of a dent in the supply. Nick maintains he only takes a desert shower! Breeze starting to look promising so up go the sails again! hope they are going to produce some miles for us. Next update will be in French!

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Day 18 and we can almost smell the coconuts, 188 miles to go and our course is set for the island of Tubuai, the capital of the Austral group. Population 1900 and the fruit and veggie garden of Polynesia, customs and culture are as close as you can get to native Polynesia. Our estimated time of arrival is around lunch time tomorrow. Sooty shearwaters have joined us this morning after a long absence. Managed to do eight hours of sailing last night with the breeze on the beam but we have had to resort to the iron topsail again as the wind died away. Its very overcast with rain showers so have rigged up a rain-catcher into the water tank. Expecting thunderstorms later in the day with strong wind squalls so will use the radar to locate them and steer around the northern side to avoid the strong winds.

Message from Matt Yesterday I've lost my sandpaper cleaned binoculars (glasses). Searching all day and night, I've finally found them today in my peanuts box... of course! Besides no fish caught for more than 18 days now. New explanation for that: the fishing line has been contaminated... of course.=)

Day 17 and a day and a half left to go. We have been motoring for the past 22 hours with the seas so calm they look oily. Decided to stop and have a swim this morning, Cathie was on shark watch whilst I stood by with the camera in case we had one. Clouds are building in line with the forecast of westerly winds and localised thunder storm cells. Expecting winds of up to 40kn in short bursts. Actually looking forward to the renewed activity after flopping around for the past two days though we did manage some deck maintenance. The crew are presently caught up in a game of scrabble, sounds like there could be a bit of skullduggery going on what with a Pole,Dane,Kiwi and an Aussie you wouldn't expect any thing less I suppose. Needless to say no fish but we live in hope. Bruce is proving to be a deft hand at baking bread and scones so waiting in anticipation for afternoon "high tea on the high seas".

Some dispute about the word puke, would have thought all sailors would know that word, but anyway the Kiwi won the day.

@Siema rodzinka: tylko jeszcze dwa dni i doplywamy do pierwszej wyspy. Wszystcy sa zdrowi i ok. Pozdrowienia Matt:)

Had a good night sailing last night but wind has died out today. Had a big clean up, dried out all of the wet weather gear, did a few lods of washing. Almost expecting a surveillance aircraft soon as we currently resemble a Vietnamese fishing vessel..

About 325 miles from Rurutu which will now probably be our first port of call. Not enough south in the wind to get us further east to Raivavie. By all accounts Rurutu sounds like a remote and fascinating island and we are all looking forward to meeting the locals and indulging ourselves in the culture.

Looks as though we may need to fire up the iron maiden for a few hours as wind is expected to completely die out today. We still have about 1/2 tank fuel (450 litres) so hope to get a bit further east today.

We still have plenty of food stocks but are looking forward to some fresh veggies and fish when we arrive.

That's it for today

Day 15 - Getting a real sense of being back in the tropics now. We have dispensed with all the heavy winter clothing and and are now in board shorts and polo's. Salt has been washed out of the clothing and strung up all over the deck to dry. Hatches are all sprung open and below decks are getting a good airing. Southeasterly trade winds have now set in at a gentle 12 kn giving us 6kn in a ENE direction. Bruce (Matthias) made a batch of sultana scones for afternoon tea yesterday with the famous NZ Edmonds scone mix served with Marlborough honey - what a treat!

Nick still feeling a bit poorly after getting the news that the Crusaders had lost their game to the Highlanders but the Reds are still powering ahead - "go you good thing". Fishing situation is unchanged!!

Well the weather today is glorious, hoisted the BJ this morning and are powering along at 9 knts in the right direction! Yee ha. Even managed to cook bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning. Ashley has been reading up on the cruising manuals on Tahiti and the Austral Islands, which should be about 5-6 days away, ready for arrival. Captain Araldite (Nick) is non the helm and with a big smile on his dial. We plan to spend a week or so in the Australs prior to heading up to the Society Islands. Stilll have managed to catch a fish, hoping the closer we get to the islands the more chance we will have of this. Still have plenty of food left so not a necessity at this stage. All are well on the good ship Windjammer, she has a bone in her teeth and is also looking forward to a break in the Australs. That's it for today.

Day 13 again! (made an earlier mistake) We are now on the top end of the low and heading in an easterly direction - 848 miles to go. The wind has dropped down to a comfortable 22kn at 70 degrees off the bow, shook all the reefs out at 3am. I had to make up a galley harness last night as the boys were having trouble doing the washing up. Nick's impressed, thinks it makes for a good kitchen appliance and might get one for Mich - for the new boat of course!. Lads are getting less enthusiastic about setting the trolling line in the morning - hope to get a fish soon as we enter the tropics. Birds have left us but plenty of flying fish - have had a few narrow escapes during the night as they seem to line up the stern light directly behind the helmsman. Ashley

PS: @family: Wesolych Swiat i smacznego jajka (mam chrzan!) @bonita: me faltas mucho! ti amo:) :> Matt

Day 13 - Second flying fish on deck this morning but Matt soon had it on the end of the trolling line hooked on to the spoon, he is determined to catch a fish before the end of Easter. Matt has just discovered a jar of horseradish in the spice and herb draw very excited as he can now maintain his Sunday tradition of boiled egg and horseradish (scoop out the yolk and fill with hr) Too much for my stomach this morning - uh oh last loaf of bread is moldy there goes the enthusiasm - back to cornflakes. We had to rename Matthias yesterday as two Matts are causing confusion particularly in the heat of battle on the deck. He is now Bruce an honorary Aussie. Bruce is cooking quesadillas for lunch today - good on ya Bruce!! Wind speed is still 25 - 35kn with a short steep beam swell but Windjammer is standing up beautifully with double reefed main, reefed fore and staysail which is producing good speeds and is remarkably comfortable. We are starting to bending round the top of the low at the moment and getting excited about setting a new course for the Austral Islands. The weather is a lot warmer now we are in the Lat 20's again. Bring on the fine weather!!

Another day with 25/30 kn breeze. We dropped the foresail before dark last night and ran under double reefed main and staysail, still managed a good 5/6 kn albeit a bit rolly due to the reduced sail area and short chop. Crew are all in good spirits after Cathie's 30 degree goat curry served up with chapatis. This morning we had our first flying fish so have decided to donate it to L.B.Tross. Still no fish on the lure so Matt had to sacrifice his traditional Friday no meat for the goat curry - under sufference - not. The low pressure we are trying to skirt has now stopped its SE movement necessitating us to sail even further north however we hope to get the catapult action when we get around he top of it towards Tahiti. Managed 150 miles over the past 24 hours so not a bad effort under reduced sail. Have now set the a reefed foresail so average is up to 7kn. Next challenge - scones!!

This morning the crew was woken up just like it was yesterday - putting in a reef in. After that was done we all had coffee while watching the sunrise east from us. A hard start so early in the morning but it was definitely worth it with the warm rum coffee going down our throats. Five went down and one came back up after Matt gave his share to the sea. The wind is still blowing from the east/southeast but a little bit harder than yesterday 25 - 30 knots. So we're still on a starboard tack which we've been sailing on the past 6 days so cooking up a meal in the gallery is a little bit of a challenge since the gallery is located in the starboard side of Windjammer. Nevertheless Matt gave it go and cooked up a Polish meal which was potato pancakes with icing-sugar and pureed apple for lunch. It tasted amazing. And I bet his grandmother is proud of him cooking up a Polish meal in the middle of the south pacific ocean. Hopefully the next meal we'll get from Matt will include something from sea if he ever catches a fish.

Just crossed the dateline

Unfortunately the little sparrow who returned looking for his mate didn't make it through the night. Yesterday being such a lovely sunny day with little wind he came out to check out what was going on but as the winds picked up again last night and the rain set in it was all too much, so now both are in Davey Jones's locker.

Have had 20 - 25 knt winds for the last 18hrs or so, close hauling AGAIN. Just waiting on our weather report to see what the next few days has in store. Apparently there are a couple of tropical lows forming quite a way east of us so the strategy would be to keep west and head north around the top as they move south east.

The date line has been a topic of discussion this morning and took us all (NIck, Cathie and Ashley) a little time to get our head around this. Matt and Matthias seem to have it all figured out.

We are now about 600 miles off the coast of New Zealand - made reasonable progress yesterday doing a 30 miles in the last 24 hrs despite some fickle and non existent winds yesterday.

Matt is looking forward to making us a traditional Polish dish for lunch tomorrow - being Good Friday. The date line has confused us a little, thinking today was good Friday when in fact it is now tomorrow. Probably just as well as the weather is not conducive to frying up potato pancakes with apple puree today. Matt has also been desperately trying to catch a fish for Good Friday dinner.

Well that's about it for today.

Aurevoir

What a difference a day makes, we have a lovely sunny day with light airs and dry dicks! All the vents are open, and the boat is drying out,we have clothes drying and are soaking up the rays. We have mainsail, foresail, staysail, ballooning jib and fisherman set. Mid morning we spotted a huge whale{ maybe a Blue Whale } about 50 metres from Windjammer. We have had Albatrosses and Shearwaters around all the time even during the storm and this afternoon the remaining Welcome Swallow came in for a visit. Another day in paradise.

The weather has finally settled and we are getting a 15 knt SW and heading east. Shook out the two reefs in the main and hoisted the foresail and the BJ this morning and having a lovely sail. Even managed to cook sausages eggs and tomatoes for breakfast. What a treat after the last few days of constant 25-35knts. Unfortunately am unable post and pics as an only do this with an internet connection, does not work through sail mail, so all pics will have to wait until the end. Ashley got a new camera for his birthday so there will be lots to see. That's it today from the good ship Windjammer. Hi to all and hope everyone is well.

Cathie

Finally heading east, turned right last night around the top of the low. Has taken us 3 days heading north to et around this low. Our weatherman Bruce predicted that the winds would pick up at 6.00pm so we put two reefs in the main, dropped the foresail and battened down the hatches. And as predicted the weather came in and we had 30-40 knts most of the night. We put a gybe in a few hours after the blow started and have been making good progress sine then. Still have 25-35 knts from the south, just waiting for the latest update to see in we are going to get a reprieve. It is bit cold and wet and cooking is difficult, but all in good spirits. However we have covered 115 miles in the last 18 miles.

I did sing one of Ashey's favourite songs to Nick last night which goes -" I's a rough tough life of toil and strife we sailors ungergo, but we don't give a damn when we drink our rum how hard the winds do blow" and promptly gave him a shot of rum in his tea before retiring after his watch. That's all form me but here is something from Matt, one of our crew members doing his first passage.

Cathie

PS: Hey everyone! My name is Matt and I'm one of Windjammer"s new pirates. After having a "Goodbye Wellington" - beer, I've got seasick for 3 days. But now I'm fine and have already developed sea-legs+) Whohooo! The sailing is awesome! Tahiti, here we come!! Greetings to everyone! Matt:) .

Wind has veered more west to WNW and blows a steady 20-25 allowing us to head north with good pace. Weather clears and we enjoy a crisp sunny afternoon sailing.

Eventually got some wind this morning after motoring most of the night Close hauling most of the day but covered some reasonable distance. Highlight of the day was 2 swallows that landed on the davits for a rest - 130 miles off shore. One was not a very happy cracker and is now resting in a quite place next to the char table until he recovers. The other seems to has left his mate behind. Expecting 40 knots in the late hours of tonight / early tomorrow morning. Time for dinner. Update on our stowaway swallow tomorrow

A beautiful morning. Light winds 10k from NNW so we are heading to a waypoint of 40deg S. Expect light breezes until tomorrow when it should pick up in the afternoon. Nick feeling a bit better as cold comes to a head. Bruce Buckley from weather Australia will be doing weather updates during the passage. Very little wind in afternoon so motor sailing through night.


Nick arrived late last night harbouring a terrible cold so we had a late night medicinal whiskey before going to bed. This morning making final preparations for voyage to Tahiti. Last minute shopping, packing up dingy, filling gas etc.
14.00. Departed Wellington having cleared customs. 5 persons on board.
Ashley, Cathie, Matt Podgorski, Matthias Hedegard Knudsen and Nick Smail. As we cleared the inner harbour, the fellows in the chandlery who supplied our new AIS said it was working because they could see us on their screen. Nelson mob also acknowledged that they could see us. Motored out of harbour and set main, foresail and jib at heads. Wind blowing 20-25k from NW so we charged along at 8-9 knots. Beef stroganoff and pasta for dinner and headed to bunk. Nick has an awful cold and sore throat. 20.00hrs wind died and started motor sailing. Watches set for 3 hrs at night with change on the 1 1⁄2 hr.


The larder is stocked and our two new crew members Matt and Matthias have arrived and settled in. Just waiting on super decky Nick to arrive back from Akaroa on Wednesday. Will be clearing customs on Thursday mornng and then our next stop Tahiti. Wellington is a lovely city but getting a bit windy and chilli. Looking very much forward to the lower latitudes. The new Jib is hanked on and the Icon AIS installed and tested all ok.