Footnotes from Water Music

Sicily to New Zealand on Water Music Wauquiez Centurion 45

Vessel Name: Water Music
Vessel Make/Model: Wauquiez Centurion 45
Crew: Stephen Foot, Grace Foot, Charlie Foot, Fergus Mutch
08 November 2019
08 November 2019
31 October 2019 | Opua, Bay of Islands
31 October 2019 | Opua, Bay of Islands
27 October 2019 | 250 miles North of New Zealand
26 October 2019 | West of Norfolk Island
25 October 2019 | West of New Caledonia
22 October 2019 | West of New Caledonia
21 October 2019
21 October 2019
21 October 2019 | Musket Cove
20 October 2019 | Navula Passage, Fiji
19 October 2019 | Muskett Cove
14 October 2019
14 October 2019 | Nanuya
12 October 2019
12 October 2019
09 October 2019 | Makongai in Fiji
26 September 2019 | Vanua Mbalvu in the Lau Islands of Fiji
Recent Blog Posts
08 November 2019

08 November 2019

And so to bed!

31 October 2019 | Opua, Bay of Islands

And so to bed

The last week has passed in something of a blur as we have put the boat to bed and sought to balance this with some more fun things to do in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

31 October 2019 | Opua, Bay of Islands

Journey's end

When we last completed a blog, we were looking for some wind to get some respite from the mirror flat seas we were experiencing. We found it!

27 October 2019 | 250 miles North of New Zealand

Signs of life

Our position: 30.00S, 170.07E

26 October 2019 | West of Norfolk Island

Turning for New Zealand

Our Position: 26.47S, 169.21E

Signs of life

27 October 2019 | 250 miles North of New Zealand
Stephen
Our position: 30.00S, 170.07E

We have now been motoring for the last 30 hours and are getting fed up with the noise. However, at least we have lots of hot water and the batteries are fully charged. There is one person on the boat who is happy with the almost complete absence of wind and that prompted her to make
a lemon drizzle cake yesterday afternoon and some fresh bread for breakfast this morning. Actually we think that making the bread is some form of atonement for the double strength rum & ginger ale that she drank last night. None of us think that the Fijian rum is very good in the first place
and the solution is probably not to make it overstrength. Sadly, with the whisky finished we dont have much choice.

The other good thing is that the engine is working. I decided to do some engine checks yesterday morning after the radio schedule. The leak around the prop shaft seems to be ok, but there was one around the salt water inlet, which also seems to be under control. I needed to put a little
oil in both engine and in gearbox - but that is only to be expected and top up the diesel tanks from the cans we carry on deck. Having finished these tasks, we started again and the diesel purred into life. A job well done. However, about one minute later it died and simply would not start.
the book "Diesel Engines Afloat" came out as well as the service manual (taken from a 1980's Haynes manual on the Morris Marina as the engine is the same). Neither held any clue to this near catastrophe - the idea of sitting in complete flat calm for unknown days held no appeal for
anyone. After a lot of scratching of heads, I find that i had knocked the fuel inlet and turned it off. No wonder it wouldnt start.

Last night we had a couple of planes pass overhead and this morning we have seen a ship bound for Japan. That was shortly before we caught a fish - sadly it was so huge that it took the line as well. At least the lure that Curly Carswell from Savusavu sold us did actually work - the only
other thing it has caught was an empty tin of tuna we had thrown over the side.

Listening to weather forecasts, it looks like we should get some wind later on today - otherwise the sea is completely flat - and that should allow us to start sailing again. With any luck, we should arrive in Opua on Wednesday or Thursday. By the sounds of it, there will be an exciting game
on Saturday night and we'll have to find a bar to watch the final.

Off for breakfast and that fresh loaf of bread.
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Water Music's Photos - Main
Photos from Charlie and Fergus, from Tongatapu to Vava'u
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