Log 52
Passage Back to Australia




October 23, 2007 Under sunny skies we make our way out of the Port Vila harbor, leaving our favorite Vanuatu for the 2nd time. We're headed back to Bundaberg, Australia with a planned stop at Huon Reef in New Caledonia. Conditions are near perfect. The wind is on the port quarter at about 17 knots. The sea is a little lumpy but not too bad. Freebird sails along without any fuss and we slowly get our sea legs back. It seems like we always have a little queasiness the first day out. We take turns sleeping and watching through the day. The sun sets off our bow and soon it is completely dark. The only light is coming from the glow of the electronic instruments in the cockpit and at the navigation station. We settle in for the night. A yellow glow on the horizon becomes a nearly full moon which soon illuminates the sea around us. We can't describe the beauty of sailing under a bright moon and clear warm skies. Dave stays on watch until midnight. Judy comes on from midnight to 4 AM…then Dave again. The moon sinks in the west and the orange ball ascends in the east. The warm rays penetrate into the cabin removing the dampness from the left from the night.
The email is checked for the latest weather report and for messages from friends and family. We are forwarding weather information to two boats that are bound for New Zealand. They don't have email capabilities. We fire up the SSB radio and relay the information from the weather files. We have a little chat and sign off confirming that we will meet them on the radio again that evening. They are sailing south, us west. Soon we will be a thousand miles apart.
When the radio goes silent we are alone again. Our day is consumed with sailing, navigation, cooking, resting, if we are lucky… reading, and playing games. Occasionally we catch a fish on our hand lines. We make entries in our log every 3 hours. This is our record of: position, speed, course, wind direction, wind speed, engine hours, battery capacity, and weather conditions. Our mainstay for navigation is GPS with electronic charts on the computer. We must be prepared to navigate without these aids should we have an electrical failure. This can come in many forms, the most common being a lightening strike. We are prepared to use paper charts and traditional navigation tools. The log contains vital information to start this process called DEAD RECONING.


Greeting Party


The second night is just like the first but the sea becomes quite rough and we drop the main sail which is slating back and forth annoyingly. We are sailing slow with only the jib. This is not a problem because we must slow down anyway to arrive at the reef in daylight since we can't navigate into the reef in the dark. Good light is required to sail among the coral into the protection of the lagoon.
At first light, many birds are soaring around Freebird. We are getting close to the reef. Most of the birds are boobies. These birds are so placid that they will land on deck and you have to literally push them off if you want them to leave. (you do, trust me) We are concerned that they will fly into our wind generator turbine. What a mess that would be.

As the sun rises we cautiously approach the shallow pass that leads to the calm lagoon in the lea of the small island. We watch our anchor hit the white sand bottom in 15 feet of clear water. A large turtle pops his head up to welcome us. It seems like every bird has flown over to greet us as well. Freebird settles back on the anchor chain. We lay back in the early morning sun completely alone in awe of the beauty around us. We are completely alone. Clothes are optional….
After breakfast we launch the dinghy and head for the beach. Thousands of birds flock overhead. We land on the pristine white sand. Judy instantly begins to graze for sea shells.

Shadows

Judy in Heaven



As we walk, Dave notices that there are tracks all over the island. They appear to be some kind of 4 wheel drive tracks. We are completely baffled. How could somebody be so insensitive to this beautiful place. Nesting birds are everywhere. It is truly a fragile environment. Then it dawns on us. These are the tracks of turtles coming ashore to lay eggs. We follow the tracks to find the huge craters left by the female turtles.


"Four Wheel Drive Tracks"

Our day is spent exploring the island. We are reluctant to swim much because of the many sharks present in the water. The temptation is too great .We swim a little anyway in the clear warm water. Back on Freebird that evening we enjoy the classic south seas sunset. Dinner is prepared on the barbeque. Exhausted, we fall into early slumber…. dreaming….4 wheel drives chasing baby birds ……
________________________

Locals


More Locals


Mama Turtle at Work

The next morning we awake to another perfect day. We spend most of it in our dinghy exploring the reef and island. That evening we take a bottle of wine to the beach and enjoy the sunset. We watch the completely full moon rise above the sea. The evening is calm and warm. The moon illuminates the island. As our eyes adjust we can see something moving down the beach. We watch and listen soon realizing that it is a turtle coming in from the sea to deposit her eggs in the warm sand. Cautiously we follow her keeping our distance. She stops and proceeds to dig her hole. We crawl up on our bellies and lay there in the bright moonlight and observe the whole event. We both agree that this is one of our best lifetime experiences. Back on the boat that night we dream…..baby turtles emerging from the earth….struggling to the water…. The warm clear sea….

October 27, 2007 06:30 Hours The sun is up and we reluctantly depart magical Huon reef. Port Bundaberg lays 800 nautical miles over the horizon. For the next 4 days and nights we sail alone with the warm sun in the day and the bright moon at night for company. Our only distress being the mayday received on the radio for our early morning check-in from a single handed yacht 300 miles behind us. He had made navigational error and struck the reef loosing his boat and home. He was at the end of a seven year circumnavigation heading home to Australia. He was airlifted at 1 in the afternoon by the New Caledonia coast guard. Imagine ending this way! This makes us acutely aware of how fragile we can be in this sometimes unforgiving environment. We are very thankful as we approach the anchorage. We spot the familiar boats of many friends. We have all sailed here. Each has a story to tell.

We Love This Life!