Tuatara

Alan and Jean sharing our cruising news with friends, family.

20 July 2015 | Rabi Island Fiji
29 June 2015 | Suva Fiji
18 December 2013 | Auckland
05 December 2013 | Auckland
27 October 2013 | Vavau Tonga
12 September 2013 | Samoa
24 July 2013 | Moorea, Tahiti
19 July 2013 | Papeete
19 June 2013 | Nuka Hiva
02 June 2013 | Pacific Ocean
29 May 2013 | Pacific Ocean
24 May 2013 | Eastern Pacific Ocean
19 May 2013 | Western Pacific Ocean
16 May 2013 | Western Pacific Ocean
13 May 2013 | Isla Isabella
06 May 2013 | Isla Isabella
08 April 2013 | Shelter Bay marina, Colon.
28 March 2013 | Belize
27 March 2013 | Belize
03 March 2013 | Panamarina, Panama

A slow down hill ride

29 May 2013 | Pacific Ocean
Jean
29th May 2013 06 deg 27S 128deg 40W

644 miles to go.. nearly there. The wind and fish have deserted us. Tuatara has been a motor boat since late yesterday afternoon. No sails up, motoring on slightly rippled flat sea. The wind had gradually been disappearing for a couple of days, the gribs forecast the windless state but we had hoped the forecast was wrong. No such luck, on the morning sked boats spread over the sea behind us, in front of us and below us confirmed the forecastÂ...no wind. We persevered with the big coloured sail for most of yesterday, drifting along between 3 to 4 knots was very pleasant however when we looked at ground made goodÂ...even with the help of a 1 knot current, the need for speed returned. I know fizz boat owners don't consider 7 knots as speed but for Tuatara that's pretty good. For the first few hours, maybe a day, motoring is quite good. Progress is being made, excess power means lights can be left on, computer time can be unlimited, the freezer lid can be lifted for more than the usually permitted one lift a day and as long as the sea is flat life is quite comfortable. I begin to think maybe a motor boat wouldn't be too bad. Until about the end of day one, I wish for the noise to stop. I scan the sea and sky for any hint of wind, is that a ruffle on the water, are those clouds moving a bit faster, what do the gribs say? Alan keeps making calculations as to how much fuel has been used. "did you hear them say how expensive diesel is in French Polynesia!" On the passage from Chesterfield Reef to Cairns (4 years ago, doesn't time fly, certainly faster than the wind or so it seems at the moment) we motored for about 50 hours over a flat ripple free smooth mirror like Coral sea. As we approached the reef markers the wind came up and we had a great sail into Cairns, all 25 miles of it. The sea here is not quite that mirror like yet and we cannot, will not motor the next 600 odd miles. The gribs do say no wind for maybe two or three days. Please let them be wrong!
Comments
Vessel Name: Tuatara
Vessel Make/Model: Alan Wright 51
Hailing Port: Opua NZ
Crew: Alan and Jean Ward

Sailing in the Pacific

Who: Alan and Jean Ward
Port: Opua NZ