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Saturday 22nd March – Position Westhaven marina, pier J24. I have now fulfilled a promise I made to Jeremy last year which was to bring Wishbone back to Auckland in one piece. Not only is she in one piece, there is no damage and people have commented how clean she looks – not my hard work but a good 2 week salt water scrubbing in the Tasman! It has been a magic day today with a light breeze and glorious sunshine. As I sailed down Rangitoto channel I thought about the Auckland to Fiji race due to start in a few hours from Okahu Bay just ahead and briefly considered crossing the start line and heading back out – but only briefly! As I reached Northern Leading light I was joined by the Reactor Conflict, come out to escort me in. Then there were 2 more Reactors, Phocoena and Ecstasy joining me, and then a group of Richmond Yacht Club boats including Knight Hawk, Tumbleweed, Crazy Legs, Crystal Clare and Profile, and Cantara and Nocturne from the Upto26 club. With Jackie and Alison waving from Owen’s boat Forte, I had a whole fleet of yachts escorting Wishbone back to Westhaven! When we got to J pier there were more people waiting to welcome Wishbone back, including Geoff and Bronwyn – with Geoff looking better than in Opua after some good sleeps and Bronwyn’s cooking. It was good to be home, and got even better when I was handed a glass of Lindauer!
I am so grateful to everyone who helped me achieve my dream, without your support I would never even have reached the start line. There were some tough times during the preparation for the race, and plenty of sacrifices along the way, but it was all well worth it for the sense of achievement and the increased confidence the experience has given me. To anyone else out there with a dream, my advice is to follow through – it won’t be easy but it will be worth it.
Monday 17th May, 11.30 NZST position - Opua marina E59. We arrived at Opua at 1135 on Saturday 15th May, less than 11 days after leaving Southport. We had a really fast run into the Bay of Islands with the wind behind us. We tied up at the quarantine wharf and customs and MAF arrived to clear us soon after 1300. That all went smoothly except Mike from MAF took a lot of convincing that we had no onions and potatoes hidden away anywhere. These are clearly staple foods to be found on all yachts (except Wishbone) and are carriers of some sort of bio-hazard so must be destroyed. Meanwhile David, owner of the Reactor Beefeater, organised a marina berth for us and once checked in I had the luxury of a long hot shower, after digging out the bag of shower items my sister-in-law gave me in Mooloolaba. Geoff headed home with his wife Bronwyn for his big luxury after nights spent on Wishbone's floor - a comfortable bed he could stretch out in! Mephisto had arrived the day before us, having left Brisbane the same day as us, but when I caught up with the guys who had sailed her back it sounded like they had a rougher trip so I'm glad we went north and round the top of the low pressure. An Cala came in on Sunday morning, they also seemed to have had a harder trip with more sailing hard on the wind. Neil arrived on Sunday with my dinghy on his roof, and after a busy day stocking up with water (via a hose from another Opua Reactor, Solution), diesel and fresh food we headed to Opua Cruising Club to join a group of Reactor owners for a meal. One of the group is social secretary for the club and quickly organised for me to give an impromptu talk to the members present about the Solo Trans Tasman race and my experiences. It was great that there was a lot of interest and plenty of questions afterwards. This morning I plan to head south, the forecast is light but I think it will be good to give the engine a nice long run after just using it to charge the battery for so long and I have plenty of diesel now. After 26 hours of running the engine, 10 litres nearly filled the diesel tank back up so the new Yanmar engine is certainly efficient.
Friday 14th May 1800NZST Position 34 05S 172 55E, course 110M, log from Mooloolaba 1361nm, 130nm in 24 hours, Opua approx 120nm to go. Last night was amazingly clear with a stunning night sky packed full of stars, and we could even see the milky way. Then we had some thunder squalls come along with lots of dramatic lightening on the skyline but luckily none overhead. This morning there were 4 small squid on board, we didn't have any waves breaking over during the night so I am not sure how they got into the cockpit or onto the deck but they were dead when we found them. The last two nights have been noticeably colder and we are now back into thermals. Today the wind has been up and down NW and now N, sometimes quite light and then strong ahead of a rain squall. At one point we had a SOG of over 9 knots on the chartplotter with a double reefed main and partly furled genoa. We have steadily seen more and more sea birds today as we approach land, including plenty of albatross and this evening some smaller birds. At 1255 Geoff got his first sight of land, Great Island in the Three Kings group of islands and at 1600 he spotted the mainland (due to the difference in height I had no chance of being first to spot land!!). We are now only about 20nm from North Cape and will head down the coast tonight, keeping an extra keen lookout for ships. The AIS is working well at the moment, we picked up a Maersk ship today which came within 3nm of us and we called them up on VHF for a radio check. They said they couldn't see us so just goes to show we need to take responsibility for keeping clear. We have been told customs and MAF are expecting us in Opua and we just need to let them have an accurate ETA when we can. At the moment we think we will be there late Saturday afternoon. I did a careful check today to ensure we have eaten all the apples and have no fresh food on board at all, so the inspection shouldn't take long. I don't suppose they get many 25ft boats to inspect!
Thursday 13th May, 1800 NZST,Pos 32 50S 170 48E log 1230, distance to North Cape 146, speedo 6, wind 15 knots NW, running on port tack, sunny day with a good following swell pushing us along. Making steady progress towards North Cape and hope to see land before dark tomorrow.
As this is the calmest day we have had we have topped up the water tank and re-filled the kerosene in the stove. According to my calculations we still have at least half a tank of diesel so no need to top that up. What a good economical engine!
Geoff caught a skipjack tuna today, which he has filleted and cut into chunks - hoping to fit them all in the pan with some pasta and peas.
We haven't had any more reports so are not sure whether An Cala is ahead or behind us. If we continue to make good progress we will be in Opua at the weekend and are waiting to hear whether customs can clear us then or whether we will be 'in quarantine' until Monday.
Wednesday 12th May, 1800NZST, Position 31 26S 168 56E, log 1101nm from Mooloolaba, distance to North Cape 265nm, speedo 6.2, SOG 6.7, course 120M,
Wind 15 knots from SW, sea swells from both SW and S some steep waves but practically no white water now, sunshine all day with the odd cloud, genoa almost fully unfurled now we are sailing on a broad reach.
One of the other race boats, An Cala, left Southport the same afternoon as us and are also heading for Opua. We have heard that yesterday we were slightly ahead of her on the tracker website so it will be interesting to see who gets to Opua first. Wishbone is currently making good progress and we are now able to head straight for North Cape.
At last today we had 'fishing weather' and Geoff put out his line at 1315. By 1330 there was a fish on it, even better it wasn't a huge monster but a nice sized fish just right for fillets for two people. Geoff put the line away as we didn't want more than one. All I have to do now is cook it once I have finished typing. Today's weather was also fine to take it in turns to have a good wash in the cockpit and we treated ourselves to a 1 litre bottle of fresh water each to rinse off. It is so nice not having sticky, salty hair for a change.
Tuesday 11th May, 1800NZST Position 29 51S 167 20E, Log 972nm from Mooloolaba, 126nm covered in 24 hours, 390nm to North Cape.
If you have been wondering why we have been heading for Norfolk Island which wasn't on the agenda, the answer is that it was a better course for the wind direction and waves than heading straight for NZ and into the wind and waves. The wind has eased a bit to 20 knots and swung slightly more to the west from SSE to S/SSW so we have now been able to alter course from 60M to 105M. The wind is forecast to swing further to the west and we will then be able to set a course of 115M for North Cape.
Currently life on Wishbone is a bit bumpy as we are heading more into the waves but this should improve tomorrow. We have had a few squally showers but the rest of today has been sunny. There have been quite a few petrels following us, they are incredibly graceful gliding over the waves.
This afternoon when the wind eased we decided to drop the storm gyb and partly unfurl the genoa. Not wanting to disappoint Jackie I headed for the foredeck with my camera in my pocket. Just started videoing whilst getting a good saltwater shower and the camera decided the memory chip was full! I have since deleted all the photos from the race which Jackie has already copied to make more room so I guess what is required now is another wet trip forward to get the footage requested. Maybe that can wait until tomorrow!!
I plan to turn the tracker off tonight and put it back on in the morning to help the batteries last for the trip so don't panic if it looks like we are stationary on the website during the night.
Monday 10th May, 1800 NZST, Position 29 45S165 16E, course 70M, log 849nm from Mooloolaba, 480nm to North Cape and 550nm to Opua (for crows).
We have covered 130nm in 24 hours and now over half way to Opua. Wishbone still going well with slightly bigger seas but when Geoff and I received an email from Jackie requesting video footage of me on the bow, Geoff and I both laughed. If you could see the bow you would understand why we have put that request on hold. We are both wisely staying down below keeping warm and dry at the moment and letting Fleming get a good soaking. The wooden vane is working well in these conditions.
Sunday 9th May, 1800 NZST, Position 30 20S 163 02E, log 716nm, distance to Opua 625nm approx. Course now 70M to head north of the centre of the Low pressure.
Wind got up to 30-40 knots last night and bigger waves, a few breaking but Wishbone and Fleming are handling it all fine with the storm gyb and double reefed main on starboard tack, so Geoff and I have been taking it in turns to keep a good lookout (benefiting from the shelter of the Marine Upholsterers dodger) or get plenty of sleep.
I have to admit I love watching the waves, it is an ever changing landscape of mountains and valleys and as Wishbone never comes any where close to tipping or struggling I have long buried the fear of waves I had before leaving Auckland. Of course this could change if they get really big and breaking but for now I am quite happy out here.
My biggest concern today was seeing a dead flying fish in the cockpit, then when I next looked, thinking about putting it over the side, it had gone. I looked at the cockpit drain and worried that it may have been washed halfway down and got stuck but then a wave dumped in the cockpit and drained away so looks like it was washed clean through.
The highlight today was Geoff spotting a big albatross (a Wandering one I think) which we both watched fly past.
Saturday 8th May- 1800 Position 30 52S 160 11E, speedo 6.2, log 577, distance to Cape Reinga 664. Weather S 30+ knots, waves about 8m and getting steeper. We have had showers but no steady rain and it is currently sunny. There is a low pressure ahead. From predict wind it looks like the low is straight ahead with 50 knot winds and doesn't seem to be moving away fast. We are wondering whether to ease sheets and head more to the north but want to be sure the low isn't going to track N.
Wishbone is going well with storm gyb and double reefed main. I just noticed the shorter Fleming vane flexing where the others have broken so have swapped it for a wooden vane which seems to be steering her fine. Still no 'fishing weather' which is just as well as I am reluctant to light the stove in these conditions,and we have been making good use of the hot packs to heat our Kaweka meals. Having Geoff on board has been a great help, I was just about to don my wet weather gear and go outside to trim the sails (and probably get a good soaking) when he said there was no need to go outside and he just reached one long arm out while keeping his head and body under the dodger and adjusted the main and genoa sheets. Not only that, he could even reach the line for adjusting Fleming's course which is halfway back down the tiller. I guess there are advantages to being 6 foot 6 in tall! He has also decided the floor is the best place to sleep. We are both keeping warm and dry and pleased with our progress towards NZ. Just hope our plans to avoid the low are sound.
Friday 7th May -1800 Friday 7th May Position 30 19S 158 02E; log 448nm; speedo 5.2 Conditions - we have 20 - 25 knots of wind from the south and the waves are getting bigger from the south and from the east. Geoff reckons they are currently about 6m. We have been warned to expect 25ft waves which sounds enormous but I have just realised that once you convert to metric that is not much more than we have now. With the prediction of 30 knots from the SW we have decided not to stop at Lord Howe, where the main anchorage would be exposed, and also because we are sailing hard on the wind and not laying the island so we would need to put in a big tack. On our current course we will pass between Elizabeth Reef and Lord Howe with plenty of sea room. The chart plotter has stopped getting a GPS signal, I have checked all I can see and suspect maybe a wiring problem somewhere behind the switchboard which I will look at when conditions improve. Wishbone is currently taking the waves in her stride and Geoff thinks she is sailing well. He says there will be no fishing until we get some "fishing weather" and apparently 25 knots and big waves doesn't fit in that category. Geoff did see a whole school of flying fish leap out of the water in unision this morning though, he says it was an impressive sight. We have also seen quite a few sea birds which I think are petrels. We are looking forward to being well past Elizabeth Reef and into clear water where we will ease sheets a bit.
Thursday 6th May - 17.48.- Position 29 47S 156 28E, COG 115M, Speedo log 327nm, to Lord Howe 164nm, SOG 3.5, speedo 4.5. After having a lot of help on Wednesday with the strong southern current down the east Australian coast, we have now come into an uncharted adverse current which has been knocking about 1 knot of our speed all day. Overall though we have covered 102nm in the second 24 hours since leaving Southport. If we continue to make steady progress we will be at Lord Howe on Saturday morning. I am wishing I had checked before we left whether we can clear customs at Lord Howe at the weekend. After light northerlies through most of the night we got a switch to strong S wind abut 0600 today and have been sailing with 2 reefs and mostly furled genoa, and are just laying our course to Lord Howe hard on the wind. With hind sight I wish we had gone further south in the good current and then we may have missed this one and also wouldn't be so hard on the wind. Anyway, Wishbone and Fleming are coping fine and Geoff is having a snooze while i type and keep a regular lookout.
Wednesday 5th May -1800 NZST- Position 29 13S 155 24E, Speedo 4.8, SOG 4, log 227nm (from Mooloolaba) = 126nm from Southport, 229nm to Lord Howe.
Have covered 114nm in first 24 hours. Had some help from the southerly current last night but we are now in a westerly current which is slowing us down. Wind has varied between 5 and 20-25 knots and from a variety of directions including N, S, and currently W.
We have the genoa poled out and Fleming steering in about 10 knots, watched by Geoff while I type. We had some heavy rain this morning but it is sunny now. All going well so far.
(You can follow Trish’s return voyage by clicking on the link on her My Route page.)
Tuesday 4th May, 1730 NZST. Position 27 59S 153 34E, SOG (speed over the ground) 4.4 knots, speedo 4.7 knots.
Motoring with mainsail up, course 115M, 350nm to Lord Howe Island, log 112 from Mooloolaba. Wind 4-5knots W, raining.
We cleared customs and left Southport at 1300 Aussie time, 1500 NZST - all times given from now on will be NZST. We crossed the bar (shallow area with waves at the entrance to harbours and rivers - not somewhere to stop for a beer) with no trouble and set our course for Lord Howe Island which is around 4 days away.
We are currently motoring as the wind is light and we are charging the alternator [batteries], but hope to be sailing soon. About half an hour ago we had 6 dolphins playing around Wishbone's bow which is a lovely send off as the towers of Surfers Paradise recede into the distance.
Geoff and I have decided on 3 hour shifts, Geoff has started with 1700-2000 which leaves me free to type a blog and do a daily sched to the NZ rescue coordination centre at 1800 daily - but I have just forward calculated that it also means I will be doing the 0200-0500 shift!
Geoff said he was keen to buy a simple line and lure to catch a few fish on the way back which seemed a good idea but I have now seen his 'simple line' which is the same thickness as the lashing holding my jacklines and I am wondering with concern just how big a fish he plans to catch! Perhaps I should remind him we only have one small saucepan.
This morning we saw Blondie who did the Solo Trans Tasman race on An Cala, he is clearing after us and also heading to Opua, Bay of Islands, with Richard and Mandy on board, so we could see him in hot pursuit soon!
The replacement chart plotter is working well and since I found the right menu to set up AIS we now have that working. I have set the alarm so it should warn us if any big ships are going to come within a mile of us. It is nice to be back out at sea, in spite of the rain and lack of a good breeze, we both have plenty of thermals for the return trip so this time should keep warm.
Sunday 2nd May- 20.35 -Position 27 55S 153 25E, anchored W of South Stradbroke Island.
We had another hot and sunny day today, so ploughing through the Cancer Society factor 30. The wind has been a light SE (on the nose) so we have motored again today, winding our way through the channels with Geoff helming and me navigating. It has been a fascinating trip through these saltwater channels, sometimes passing isolated islands and mangrove swamps and sometimes highly populated shores.
We have seen pelicans and (I think) sea eagles nesting, and a lot of local fishermen casting nets over the side of small tinnies (aluminium craft). Not sure what they were after. We also got a brief glimpse of something very briefly surface a few times which we thought may be dungongs (sea cows) but they didn't stay on the surface long enough for a proper ID.
In Queensland boats need to be registered and skippers need the equivalent of a driver's license but we discovered today that this system does not keep complete plonkers from driving launches far to fast in narrow waters and roaring past small Reactors creating a big wash. At least Geoff got some practice surfing big waves, ready for the Tasman.
Once anchored we debated at length whether it was safe to swim, having seen people wading near the shore and kids falling off sea biscuits and not getting gobbled up before they were retrieved. In the end I swam ashore to ask the people on the beach, who told me there were sharks but they didn't get many attacks round here. They also mentioned that the danger time is sunset and sunrise, at which point I turned to see the sun just about to set. You'd be surprised how fast I swam back to Wishbone, Geoff let out the anchor warp so she would drift closer to the shore for me but this resulted in the warp wrapping itself around the keel. As soon as I had climbed aboard it was back in the water to retrieve the warp!
Tomorrow is a public holiday and we head to Southport marina, where we are booked in for the night. I have heard from customs who will clear us at 12.30pm Tuesday and then we are off to sea.
Sunday 2nd May, 1842hrs NZST
Good anchorage Saturday night. Nice day today Sunday but south wind on the nose so motored as navigating channels. At 1600hrs anchored north of Karragarra island. Aim to anchor in Broadwater on Sunday night and into Southport Monday morning.
Friday 30 April.9.30am Position 26 55S 153 12E SOG 5.6, speedo 4.7, course 140M, engine on and genoa furled as wind has just died. We left Mooloolaba marina at 6am, and were waved off by my parents standing on the end of the harbour wall, on the same spot where my sister-in-law and neice stood with some of the other race skippers to wave us in 2 weeks ago.
I have just spoken to customs and discovered that we can't clear out on Sunday, and that Monday is a public holiday here in Australia so the earliest we can clear customs in Southport is next Tuesday. We will head to Tangalooma as planned for tonight and then take our time sailing down from there to Southport to arrive at Southport marina on Monday.
I have bought a detailed guide to the waterway inside Moreton and Stradbroke Islands and there are several anchorages shown and good detail on which channels to follow so it should be interesting exploring this area. At the moment we are busy dodging container ships in the busy shipping channel which is the shipping route to Brisbane (at least Geoff is, as I am down below typing this - it is great having someone on the helm with eyes to keep a good lookout, I couldn't be down here typing in this busy channel if Fleming were steering!).
Thursday 29th Geoff arrived last night and we have spent today shopping and preparing Wishbone for the trip back. One of the challenges is finding somewhere to store everything, with food and gear for two rather than one. We plan to leave Mooloolaba at first light tomorrow to catch the tide. My parents are planning to walk out to the end of the sea wall at the harbour entrance to see us off as they didn't make it here in time to see me in. We will head down south inside Moreton Island, stopping the night at Tangalooma and carrying on down inside Stradbrooke Island to reach Southport on Saturday night. We can clear customs there on Sunday and head out to sea, the forecast is currently for light variable winds for the first few days and then northerlies. I will switch the tracker on once we are out at sea and there should be a link to our route via the website. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the water having had a really good rest.
Sunday 25th 6.30 pm Mooloolaba:
I have been having a good recovery in Mooloolaba with plenty of sleep and am now getting ready to head back home, aiming to leave by the end of this week.
Geoff (who owned a Reactor for many years) is arriving on Wednesday and will be coming back on Wishbone.
I really want to thank everyone for their support and the encouraging messages during the race.
The race organisers are leaving the tracker on Wishbone for the return trip so those of you who are interested can follow our progress back across the Tasman via my website. There will apparently be a link to a page to the OceanTracker site the company who owns the Trackers.
Sunday 18th April – Sorry for the delay in updating my blog, firstly I was too shattered and then Jackie and Steve kept putting me off using his laptop and now I know why. To my complete amazement my dad and stepmother have just driven up having flown out from UK via a stop in Bali. I had no idea they were coming but it transpires that everyone else was in the know. I had tears in my eyes as I gave them a big hug, they said they were disappointed that I got in before they arrived but I was just so stunned and pleased to see them.
Jackie has covered the finish of the race well from her perspective, the conditions in the last few hours were very challenging not simply the wind and waves but being close to shore with very poor visibility and avoiding several container ships. Once I got close I saw the finish boat and 2 yachts coming out – Soothsayer and Apriori loaded with cheering people. Wishbone flew across the finish line at about 6.5 knots.
After clearing AQIS and customs I got my hot shower which was luxury, especially as I had got soaked by waves on the way in and quite chilled in the wind. Neil then handed me a hot mug of soup he had made on Wishbone to warm me up. Half way through I noticed the mug looked like the one I had used for baling the bilge! Not to worry, it was warming and just what I needed. I slept like a log that night!
The Prize Giving on Saturday night was a special occasion, and I was so pleased that I made it in time. We were joined by Adam and Emily from Alltech (Wishbone’s key sponsor) and my friend Julie who has been working in Australia since she sailed out here about 5 years ago. It was a great opportunity to catch up with the other skippers and hear some of their stories. I realised from this that I had a really easy ride compared to most, many had rigging, boom, engine and various other problems and many thought weather conditions had been much tougher than in previous races they had done. There was talk of 50 knot plus winds and big waves. At first I marvelled at how lucky I was to miss all this horrendous weather and then it dawned on me that we weren’t that far from the other boats for most of the race so I probably hadn’t. People that didn’t think Wishbone and I should be crossing the Tasman had led me to believe that bad conditions meant waves as tall as apartment blocks, with huge crashing breakers that would knock Wishbone down time and again. In my naivety I thought that as the big waves we sailed through may have been a lot bigger than Wishbone but weren’t apartment block sized, and as Wishbone came nowhere near getting knocked flat, everything was fine and we carried on sailing!
I am so very grateful to all my sponsors and cyber crew whose support allowed me to prepare Wishbone so well, with sound rigging, a reliable engine, a water tight hull (apart from one small screw hole!), good sails, powerful winches, a wonderful dodger and many other good safety features. Thanks to you all, Wishbone and I have crossed the Tasman completely unscathed (bruises don’t count). To everyone who believed that a Reactor is a good seaworthy boat, it has been an honour to prove you right, and to everyone who tried to put me off, thanks to you I was never scared!
Friday 16th April 2010, 14:20 NZST (12:20 Aussie time) Position 26 39S 153 27E, 17nm to Mooloolaba.
Friday 16th April, 12:30hrs NZST, Position 26 42S, 153 37E, 26nm to finish
Have been helming for last 2 hours in direct line to finish (allowing for current).
I think this puts me a bit later than the estimated NZST 1730hrs and Queensland time 1530hrs finish.
Following sea and cross swell that were making it hard for Fleming have eased a bit so Fleming is steering again.
Wind has also dropped from AWS 19 to AWS 12 and boat speed to 5.2. WIll see what I can do to speed things up a bit.
Friday 0730hrs NZST (but still early hours and dark in Queensland) Position 26 55S 153 50E, 46nm to Mooloolaba.
Not far to go now but there is a strong south flowing current to cross between here and the finish which will slow me down so probably won't get there until this evening.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights the wind went lighter but tonight has been wild with bigger swell (sea bed getting shallower as we approach land) and after getting used to the steadier offshore winds, tonight's winds have been changeable in direction and gusting up to 25+ knots.
Fleming has been struggling with the conditions so I have been helming a lot of the night to keep as good a course as I can.
I think I'll sleep like a log tonight when I get ashore!!
I always thought the last day would be the hardest with all the shipping (just passed a big container ship), the current and fighting tiredness, but there are people waiting for me at the finish which is a big incentive to keep pushing on hard to get there.
Also having just got soaked again on the foredeck, I can't help thinking about a warm shower and dry clothes - and of course a nice glass of bubbles.
FYI, Trish has been sending her position by radio to Race Control since the masthead instrument stopped working. Her positions recently have been:
Thursday
17:00 27 33S 154 44E
19:30 27 25S 154 32E
21:45 27 20S 154 18E
23:45 27 12S 154 12E
Friday
01:30 27 05S 154 09E
02:30 27 01S 154 08E
05:00 26 56S 154 00E
06:00 26 57S 153 55E
07:30 26 55S 153 50E
12:30 26 42S 153 37E
Moloolaba, is approx: 26” 41’S 153”07’E
Thursday 15 April, 14:00, Position 27 43S 154 56E, Mooloolaba 113nm to go.
I have just had a call from Race Control in Mooloolaba to say that my tracker has stopped working because it has run out of battery. This means that my symbol on the race website won't have been moving - I hope you didn't think I was having a rest!! They have asked me to send them my position every few hours.
Apparently there are another 3 yachts still to finish so I am not the only one still out here. If the wind holds I should finish sometime tomorrow.
Thursday 15th April, 0815hrs (NZ time), Position 28 04S 155 24E, Log from NP 1324nm, distance to Mooloolaba 146nm.
Wind has dropped off to only about 5 knots AWS from SE and the swell is a lot less. I have hoisted a spinnaker to try and get as much boat speed as I can in the light conditions. I am using a spinnaker Aaron lent me from his Reactor Saint Fintan - thanks Aaron. In fact there are quite a few other Reactors involved in this Tasman crossing, as well as Saint Fintan's spinnaker and main sheet I have Trojanita's mast climbing steps, Waikonini's front hatch securing system and Ra's spinnaker pole.
There isn't enough wind for Fleming, especially as I only have short vanes left, so the auto-helm is on. This steers the boat with a push/pull rod and uses up to 4-5 amps so I also have the motor on (out of gear) to charge the battery. Apart from the 2 ships I saw the day after the start I have seen absolutely no vessels at all for the entire race since then in spite of keeping a conscientious look out.
However as I approach the Australian coast I am sure that will change so I need to be extra vigilant. When I am sleeping the cooking timers wake me up to ensure I keep looking but when I am down below typing on the laptop or doing chores it is easy for 20 mins to slip by before I realise.
Better get back to trimming the spinnaker if I am going to make it in by Friday.
Wednesday 14th 1730hrs, Position 28 46S 156 21E, Log 1,252nm from NP, chart 213nm to Mooloolaba.
Sailing downwind with a big following swell, doing a bit of surfing, good day today.
It has been quite sunny so I have been careful with the sun protection - don't want to get burnt so close to the finish!! Only a few more days to go I think.
No success with the chart plotter but everything else is fixed and I have been studying the charts for approaching Mooloolaba.
I only have one apple left which I will eat tomorrow and then I'll be in the clear for AQIS (Australian Quarantine Inspection Service) who will be inspecting Wishbone when I arrive along with customs. I didn't bring any fresh meat which is the other thing not allowed into Australia.
I am not sure where the other yachts are but assume most of them have finished and the skippers will be propping up the yacht club bar tonight.
I have had a message that Neil is flying to Mooloolaba tomorrow and Prize Giving is on Saturday so lots of reasons to get my skates on.
Just hope I don't get very light winds at the end. Off to trim sails and give Wishbone a hurry up.
Wednesday 14th April, 0925 hrs, Position 29 25S 156 35E, 248nm to Mooloolaba - getting closer!
We have been running downwind all night, Wishbone is rolling a bit from side to side but making good progress. It looks like the S/SE wind could stay in until the finish.
I have managed to get quite a few sleeps in too. I am keen to bank some sleep today and tomorrow as I will need to stay awake once close to the Australian coast keeping a good lookout for ships, especially with no AIS.
Last night I re-ran the furling line the other way and it seems to be working fine. Before the start I thought this race would be all about sailing but I now think the ability to work out how to fix things, and how to improvise with limited resources, is an important factor. This may just apply to me though, with a 33 year old yacht that had never been offshore before. The other skippers with newer yachts, already tried and tested in offshore conditions, probably aren't having any problems so maybe for them it is just about sailing.
Having mentioned the breakages as they have occurred, I would also like to say that the majority of gear has been faultless. One thing I have been very pleased with on the trip is Wishbone's new Yanmar 1GM10 engine. I have been using this to charge Wishbone's batteries everyday, and since the chart plotter died I have been running it for 2 hours a day instead of one, because the laptop takes about 3X as much amps as the chart plotter did. The engine is always run out of gear (motoring would be cheating!) and so far it has started straight off every time and nothing has needed fixing.
The stern gland (where the propeller shaft enters the boat), which is Wishbone's original one, is prone to leaking but as I am not running the engine in gear and the prop shaft isn't turning I have got this screwed up as tight as it will go, I just need to remember to loosen it after the finish before I put the engine in gear.
I have also been very pleased with the sails, the new main with a deep second reef and the storm gyb have been perfect for when the wind got up, and I have really appreciated the bag Ken Fyfe made for the storm gyb as it makes it so much easier to hoist this sail in rough conditions. The bright orange paint on the storm gyb (Ken's idea and supplied by Chris Field) hasn't run at all and definitely makes Wishbone more visible.
Tuesday 13th April 1330hrs, Position 30 25S 158 00E, Log 1108, Mooloolaba 344nm ahead.
Past Lord Howe at last!! Sorry for the delay in sending this blog, decided against trying last night in biggish seas with everything leaping about all over the place.
Have been struggling to get enough sleep, as an example from yesterday –
1100hrs lay down for 20 min sleep, 5 minutes later wind got up, reefed main & furled genoa a bit. Put up storm gyb, got soaked by wave on foredeck.
Tried again to sleep, 5 minutes later boat motion changed, looked out to see vane on Fleming [self-steering] bending in half (AWS [actual wind speed] only 18 knots). Heaved to (this involves tacking without releasing the storm gyb and then tying the tiller to leeward (down wind) side) - which leaves the gyb pushing one way and the tiller the other so the boat sits quietly side on to the wind), swapped to small vane [on self-steering].
Tried for a sleep, 5 minutes later storm gyb flogging, checked chart & decided it was OK to bear away a few degrees. Adjusted Fleming and sails.
Tried to sleep again, then genoa flogging, decided to furl genoa up.
Down for a sleep - lay down but started worrying about why port bottom locker had sea water in it, can't work out where it has come from. Suddenly spotted water gushing down back of control panel & worked it out, water is getting into the toe rail where one of the buttons for the lee cloths has come out. The toe rail is hollow but this [water] shouldn't be able to get into the boat. However looking behind the control panel there are 2 holes into what must be the toe rail from a redundant fitting and water is running down behind the control panel, through the battery box and into the locker, about 2 buckets full removed as toe rail is often under water in these rough conditions. Thank goodness the plastic cover Neil put over the control panel covers both front and back.
Also noticed water coming down one of the through deck bolts holding the VHF up, and onto what I had thought was my driest safest shelf under the VHF. Heaved to again with port side up. Dried and filled hole in toe rail and 2 holes above and behind switch panel. Sprayed back of switch panel with electrical spray.
Saw that Spinnaker pole has been rubbing sealer over VHF bolt so filled over it. Once all done and dried set off again, but in the meantime boat has drifted back in the wrong direction. Had hoped to be past Lord Howe before the wind went from N to W but has now gone W so will need to tack through, keeping well clear of both Lord Howe and Elizabeth Reef.
Had 2 sleeps and put on some dry clothes. That feels better! 10 minutes later wind up to 30+ knots and surrounded by lightning. Need to reef the main to 2nd reef, consider the [in]advisability of hugging a large lightning conductor (the mast) in the middle of an electrical storm to put the reef in, but decide the reef is needed. Selfishly wish there were other bigger boats around with taller masts. Get the reef done, dry clothes are no longer dry in spite of wearing wet weather gear. Stay in cockpit keeping an eye on everything through the storm and see literally horizontal rain driving past the mast.
Keep checking position to ensure not getting close to either hazard. At 0600hrs all under control and get some sleeps.
Finally past Lord Howe a full day later than planned but at least I still have full working electrics (except the plotter) and no damage in the electrical storm.
I found a fuse in the plotter cigarette lighter plug and when I replaced it with one from my mobile charger cigarette lighter plug it turned on, so I had 10 seconds of wild excitement and absolute delight, and then the screen started flickering on and off. I think maybe some water got in and that caused the fuse to blow. This may seem odd, but I now have the plotter in a sealed bag with some dried peas (the most dehydrated thing I have apart from Astronauts ice cream and I'm not sacrificing that) in the hope that may draw out moisture. Probably should take it to bed with me to warm it up!!! I guess this shows how much I want it working, mainly so I have the AIS for crossing the busy shipping lanes off the Australian coast.
Anyway this has turned into enough of a diatribe so will sign off, trim the sails and get some sleep.
Tuesday 13 April 5:45am, Pos 30 51S 158 45E
All fine but rough conditions.
Wishbone and Fleming [self steering] coping fine but makes typing very hard in bouncy conditions so blog delayed.
So back to the sailing.
Trish
Monday, 12 April 2010 6:17 p.m.
Have heaved to, to fix a few deck leaks I have found, hence not much progress but all done now. Will get going again shortly. Won't do blog tonight as need to catch up on sleep as a priority, but all fine.
Sunday 11th April 17:40, Position 31 31S 160 31E, Log from NP 887nm, distance to Mooloolaba 486nm - should be two thirds of the way by tomorrow and will be passing Lord Howe Island.
I saw a white seabird today which I think indicates land nearby. Wind has been N 12-14 knots and Wishbone has been doing about 5.5 knots through the water. It has been a lovely day today, mostly sunny with a steady breeze and I have got on with a few maintenance jobs. Jackie had used one of the Bivouac Sea to Summit dry bags to put the birthday presents in so I had a re-organisation of packing. These bags are great for things that really mustn't get wet - one has all my paperwork for immigration and customs including my passport.
These jobs can be a challenge as Wishbone jumps about on the small waves we have today with a bit of a jerky motion and in some ways it is harder to keep balanced now than in the big swells. I have a lot of stiff muscles through my body and I think it is because I am constantly using them to keep my balance and they are probably not muscles I would use much on land. Big boat skippers have it easier on this count as their longer boats move more smoothly through the water, giving them a more comfortable ride.
I've also had a bit of time to think today and realise how lucky I am to be out here and how it would never have happened if I hadn't had so much help and support. And yes the magic moments more than make up for the wet cold ones, and the sense of achievement when I manage to fix something or work through a problem is tremendous.
Sunday 11th April 6:00, Position 32 09S 161 32E, 822nm on log from NP, 547nm to Mooloolaba (these 2 numbers add up to more than the direct distance of 1283nm because I haven't traveled in a perfect straight line due to wind direction and skipper in attention not picking up quick enough when Fleming steers off course in a wind change). Wind is about 13 knots NNE. Should pass Lord Howe Island tomorrow.
I had more sleep last night and not at all cold, a combination of being further north and not being soaked by waves. Half a dozen Molly Mawks (sea birds) flew around Wishbone for a while yesterday evening, it is amazing they can be so far from land. Had a lovely sunset too so a nice backdrop for my birthday dinner of Kaweka beef in ale (I know you put Butter Chicken in the 10th April food pack Jackie but I decided as it was my birthday I could swap with one from a different day) followed by Astronauts ice cream, an orange and a piece of cake. I am really enjoying all the messages forwarded from the website. Also got a phone call from Harley on the Sat phone - my email sched hadn't got through and he was checking I was fine and also wishing me happy birthday.
I don't know how any of the other boats are fairing, you will all be able to see them on the website but I can't. Bruce and Big Wave Rider needed to finish yesterday to beat the race record time so I hope he is in. Having seen how fast his boat goes, if I am over half way across when he finishes I don't think that's bad going. I am also wondering how many DVDs Rhys on Spellbound has watched on his TV. I don't know where he finds time as I am fully occupied trimming sails, checking course, typing on laptop and all the fixing and maintenance jobs that need doing!
Saturday 10th April 15:15 position 32 43S 162 40E.
After a couple of sleeps I am feeling much better and enjoying a sunny day for a change. I now have Code Zero sail up and doing 5.5knots in 6-9knot NNE breeze. With this sail up I need to keep a good lookout for squalls as well as ships. I have seen a few but none have come over to me so far. These squalls have much higher wind strength and I would need to get the Code Zero furled quickly as it is too light and big a sail for strong wind. The storm sail is put away for now, the zip in its bag had jammed but sorted now - I am learning there is a lot that can be achieved with a pair of pliers and a crescent!!
I am also taking advantage of the dry sunny weather to dry Wishbone out with both hatches open. Each time I came down below in the rough weather I brought a lot of water down on my jacket and pants, and everything was getting quite damp in spite of my efforts to keep things dry. I also noticed that with the hatches all closed to keep the waves out, there was quite a bit of condensation on the cabin roof which then dripped on things.
I have enjoyed opening the bag of presents that were stowed on board and reading all the encouraging messages. I am probably the only person in NZ that was actually hoping for socks (usually considered the most unwanted of presents) but the team wasn’t to know when the bag was packed and I have been given some face treatments which was next on the list. Although I have been very careful about sun protection and haven't got burnt, my face has had rather too many involuntary sea water scrubs in the last few days when I have failed to duck a wave. Even have a cake and balloons but they went bang when I was blowing them up, not sure why! Thanks very much to everyone who sent me something.
Saturday 10th April 1130hrs, Position 32 50S 162 56 E, Log from NP 733.
Wind variable, sometimes 4 knots NE, Course 290M, Boat speed variable 2-3 knots.
Still plenty of swell from 2 different directions so a bit bumpy. I could spend the next few hours trimming the sails to get every last drop of speed out of each smidgeon of wind but have decided it is more important to catch up on some sleep as I am getting quite tired.
The chart plotter has died, it won't switch on at all which suggests either a power supply problem or an internal death. A power wire runs directly from the plotter to a cigarette lighter socket, and the socket is working when I plug other things in it. No fuses. I have sprayed both ends of the power wire with electrical spray which has made no difference and not sure what to do next.
I have a hand-held GPS so I can still plot my position on the chart and also the laptop has a GPS receiver but the chart plotter was also the receiver for my AIS (which warns me when there is a big ship nearby) so I no longer have that.
I have done a temporary fix on the furler. When I tied the knot under the drum it jammed on the bottom of the outer case when the drum turned. So I threaded the line down one hole and up the next and then knotted it - but this isn't ideal as the line doesn't wrap smoothly round the drum.
I can definitely notice the effect of fatigue in things - like taking much longer to work out which way round the drum to run the line.
Anyway I have been cheering myself up with birthday cards, and even found some ice cream in today's food pack - it is freeze dried ice cream for Astronauts and does actually taste like ice cream. No idea where Jackie got it from! Hope there isn't a hungry astronaut in space somewhere wondering where his ice cream is.
Am saving some presents in a bag for later today. Will get some sleep now and send a better update later.
Cheers, Trish
Friday 9th April 18:00 Position 33 40S 163 53E
Can't give distances as the chart plotter has just gone off, will investigate after typing this.
We have had a very full on day today with winds 25-30 knots and I saw one gust at 44 knots on the wind instrument. Waves were fine though, big but manageable and not much breaking, and Wishbone and Fleming found them no trouble. We have had good boat speed all day today with the high winds but there is a current on the chart going the wrong way so we may not have covered as much ground as I hoped to. It is still blowing now but forecast to ease soon so I am trying to get past the current before the wind dies.
We have had some very heavy downpours but I wimped on the idea of a bath in the cockpit as I have been struggling to keep warm and I didn't think a cold bath in cold driving rain would help. Hopefully I will get a nice warm tropical rain shower further north to make use of. I ran the furling line back to the drum this afternoon but it wasn't obvious what to attach it too so I will need to find the manual which I know is in one of the lockers. I got a thorough soaking though as a wave came over the bow just as I was kneeling down and peering into the drum looking for an attachment point.
Although I seem to get a good soaking when I am working on the foredeck I have not come anywhere close to being washed over as I am always clipped on and also always hold onto a stay (strong rigging wire) at all times. Just as well I can do a one handed bowline (sailing knot). When I come back into the cabin wet and concerned about how to fix something, I can look at all the motivational messages blue tacked to Wishbone's bulkhead (partition wall) and help myself to one of the food treats like Alltech Xmas cake, Jennifer's homemade biscuits or the little Easter eggs I keep finding in my food packs. Then I am ready to go back out and do battle.
Friday 9th April, Position 34 06S 164 57E, 336nm to Lord Howe, 754nm to Mooloolaba, Course 300M.
The wind got up to 20-25 knots NE after my last blog and we have had a bumpy ride but Wishbone and Fleming [self-steering] seem to be coping fine with the conditions, with storm gyb, 2 reefs in main and shorter vane on Fleming.
The only mishap is that when I furled in the genoa the furling line just kept coming after it was furled - it must have come unattached from the drum. I have tied the drum up so it can't unfurl of its own accord and will leave re-attaching the line until conditions improve.
I have managed to fit in quite a few naps, but [it is] quite shallow sleep as always listening for an out of place noise which means I need to nip up on deck and check something, although so far no need, just regular lookout for other vessels.
Have treated myself to dry thermal top so nice and warm, but saving the next dry socks for tomorrow. Even with wet weather gear I still get wet with waves coming over while fixing furling drum or setting up storm gyb.
Thanks to everyone for all the nice messages.
Thursday 8th April 18:00 Position 34 46S 165 49E; log from NP 526, to Lord Howe 395, to Mooloolaba 814nm. Wind 15 knots NNE and forecast to build over night. Course 280M.
There is a current marked on the chart here which hasn't been helping, speed over the ground has been up to 1 knot less than boat speed, so if my SOG on the website looks lower today it's not because I haven't been making an effort! One highlight for today was that I actually got to speak to someone. No I'm not hallucinating people, I got a phone call from Jim Mora who interviewed me live at about 2pm today on his radio show. I can hear the wind building now so better go and batten down the hatches as they say.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me a message via the website, they are very motivational.
0600hrs Thursday 8th April, Position 35 07S 166 49E, 467nm covered since start, 444nm to Lord Howe and 863nm to Mooloolaba.
Have not made as good progress last night.
The wind went quite light and the topper [i.e. the rope which holds up the spinnaker pole] came off the pole [which holds] the genoa out so I ended up climbing the mast using the ladder Andreas (owner of the Reactor Trojanita) lent me.
This involved taking the mainsail down, removing the sail’s slugs from the mast track and running the slugs on the ladder up the mast track. It is a good ladder and easy to climb, made out of very strong webbing and I only had to go part way up to reach the flying halyard [i.e. the topper] and bring it down.
It took a while to get the mainsail’s slugs back into the track as there is only a small gap to feed them into the mast track. When all was eventually sorted I went down for a nap, and will go back on deck as soon as I finish this to see if I can get our boat speed up again.
Anyway, apart from feeling a bit tired after an active night I am fine and the motivating messages from the website and in the food packets are great.
I also have an inspiring letter from the Alltech team and a poem written by Barbara McMinn (Marine Upholsterers) tacked to the bulkhead.
17:30 Wed 7th April -position 35 39S 167 24E; 410nm from NP, 486nm to Lord Howe and 906 to Mooloolaba. By tomorrow I should be half way to Lord Howe and a third of the way to the finish so making progress! It is a challenge to achieve both keeping the boat moving as fast as possible (lots of sail adjusting) and also getting enough sleep and I am trying to hit a good balance which has meant there have been a few times that Wishbone has sailed at less than optimum speed for a short while. So far I am feeling fine and no white knuckle experiences but there is still a way to go. I have given myself the treat of a clean dry pair of socks today - serious luxury! I was getting concerned that I was getting through dry thermals too quickly but then remembered that it will get warmer as we travel north, and part of the cold now is because we were in a southerly wind, so probably won't need as many thermals (I hope) for the second half. Need to go and adjust sails now as wind has eased, and will try fitting the longer spare windvane foil which Neil made.
Wednesday 7th April-posted at 06.30- Pos 35 57S 168 36E. 545nm to Lord Howe, 350nm sailed since start. Have had a busy night furling and unfurling the Genoa as wind eased and then strengthened again. At 22:30 the boat slowed down a lot and started weaving about so I nipped up on deck (having clipped my safety line on) to see that the vane attached to the top of Fleming had been snapped clean off and gone. I quickly fetched the shorter vane and bolted it on and go Wishbone settled again. I don't know whether it was a gust of wind or a wave over the stern that broke it off. On a later visit to the cockpit I found an octopus about 15cm long on the side deck with its tentacles wrapped around a stanchion. I took a photo then gently lifted it back into the sea with a winch handle. I have a bit of sleep to catch up on so will stop typing and start napping.
Tuesday - posted 18.06 - 17:30 Tue 6th April Position 36 40S 169 40E. 613nm to Lord Howe, 280nm on log since start. Wind built to a steady 25 gusting 30 knots this morning so I put a second reef in the main and fully furled the Genoa, leaving the storm gyb up. Ken made Wishbone's new main specifically for this race and put a very deep second reefing point in and I have been very grateful for his forethought today. It means that when I put the second reef in (pulling the main down partially so a much smaller sail area is up and the rest is bundled and tied above the boom). With this sail set Wishbone and Fleming have been happily handling the stronger winds and growing waves. Although the waves hav
