Thurs 4th Oct

Another lovely, relaxed day's sailing in sunny, calm conditions, goose-winged under full canvas. Only 18 flying fish on deck this morning!

Just been pottering about, getting some small jobs done... fridge is working fine without any more input from me, except for spraying bare metal I could see with anti-corrosion liquid - just as well, since I couldn't undo the spade connector I wanted to remake!

Having a problem with my Winlink connections - the Pactor modem I'm using seems to be misbehaving on certain frequencies/stations so only getting through rarely. Glad I've the alternative of Sailmail, which has greater choice of frequencies to use, so I'm managing to connect OK for now.

Not a lot to report - 5-day weather outlook is excellent, although wind may die a touch in a day or so, but then should come back up nicely again for following few days.

Time for a mug of tea, sitting out in the cockpit, gazing at the sea... and my navel... & reflecting on life.....

24hr run down a bit with some lighter wind: 152 n.ml. by log (137 from GPS posns)

Delighted to report all is well with my AIS - after re-setting signal threshold, cargo vessel "Furness Hartlepool", heading from Perth to Suez on passage to Hartlepool, UK, showed up at midnight, setting off alarm & showing that everything was working OK, both on the stand-alone Nasa Marine AIS display and also on the even more informative Nobeltec charting software on the laptop - excellent news!! So I can avoid use of radar....

Grey, overcast & showery just before dawn, with lighter wind from E, but by 8am, sky cleared & wind got up a touch from ESE - I'd organized genoa pole in readiness but held off lifting it... genoa was just abut OK without.... but finally, by 11am, had to raise it - so very much better with it than without -speed & stability much increased. Ended up having a fabulous, relaxing day with sun & far calmer seas after midday than up to now. We're safely over the N-S 'Ninety East Ridge' where the sea bed zooms up to around 1000m from 5000m - supposed to be reason for bad seas in the area - but not this time!! I'd been getting worried about possible bad weather on this passage - so it's been that much the nicer to have had such an unexpectedly lovely sail today ... plenty of distance to go yet for the weather & seas to turn nasty!!

Flying fish overnight tally stands at a record 52 after this morning's collecting round on deck ... there were scales everywhere!! But no fish big enough to be worthwhile eating - even as ceviche!

Unfortunately, I also found a bolt end on deck, close to the furling gear. Looks as though it's from one of the greasing access points on the furling drum, so hopefully not a major worry - think it's sheared off with the regular collapsing of the sail over the last day or so (should have raised genoa on the pole when I first thought about it!). Something to add to the joblist.... Another thing, which I may do tomorrow if it stays reasonably calm, is to look at an electrical connection on the cable to the fridge fan - I've been hearing the fridge constantly trying to switch on.. and failing - I'd been putting it down to low battery voltage but puzzled since often battery OK. Anyway, I've found today that by twiddling a particular power lead connection when it's trying to start,... start up it does! Behaving like a bad connection so I'll re-make it & see if that solves the problem - should be a very simple, quick job.

With wind down to around 15kn, rather than regularly over 20kn, speed, and hence daily run, has been, & will be, down - just 159n.ml. by log today (142 from midday GPS posns) - but that's not so bad!

What a lovely day! Clear sky, swell down & sea much gentler (hardly any of the tumbling crests on steep waves of Monday to knock the boat about), wind lessened so we're not going quite as fast... but still making around 6-6.5kn, so that's fine. Shook out the first reef early this morning so full canvas now.

Feeling refreshed after a good sleep, despite jumping up & down a few times - had radar on 'watch' & it kept objecting loudly to clouds that got too close - no ships seen this night!!

Picked up 21(!) little flying fish off the decks & finished the last of my Bali mangoes for breakfast - yummee!

Had a look at my weather info - looks as though that 'near-gale' warning rec'd yesterday (SE ~40knots) relates to a system that should (I hope) have its strongest winds between 30&40deg S - well S of me, although it might well generate a fair swell heading my way by end of week - we'll see. Winds on my course over next few days look unchanged from present SE Trades at 15-25kn (they do tend to vary quite a bit in strength).

I'm hoping that maybe my system setup has been the cause of my A.I.S. problem - I went in to the setup to see what settings I had & found my threshold for the signal was way higher than it should have been - I've lowered it but won't know if it's working until I see a signal on-screen (or hear the alarm go off) - frustrating to have no way to test it at present with no boats within range - 'Bowtie Lady' is over 55mls away so no help there! Running radar all night really chews up power - had to run my generator this morning. I forgot about option to let it 'catnap', just waking up every so often to take a look around...

Later: Well, today has been altogether excellent & enjoyable, with good news in my emails to complete a nice day! Seas a little up this afternoon, but still OK & wind still from East - would be better if veered a touch to ESE again to put us on less of a run - but I'm not complaining too loudly! Forecast looks good for next 4-5days - if grib files are to be believed.

Have just started up radar on timed transmit - wakes up every 10 mins for 20 scans & then goes to 'sleep' again in between - less power consumption that way.

Would be nice if a ship came within 16miles to test if A.I.S. is working or not - would save radar use if AIS were seen to be OK.

24hr run today: 165n.ml by log (148ml by GPS midday posns)- quite a noticeable foul current at present. 1676 n.ml. to go.

Had an excellent start to the passage yesterday, leaving around 1030am after hoisting & stowing the dinghy & outboard. There are quite a few boats at anchor off Direction Island now and we had a very sociable final barbecue Sat. night. So the farewell, as Mark of 'Swanya' led 'Bowtie Lady' & 'Nereida' out through the reef, got VERY noisy - lots of hooting & tooting from a very nice group of people.
The wind was good, the sun was shining & the swell only picked up very gradually, so it was a lovely sail well into evening. The swell became a bit uncomfortable at times, but mainly not too bad and over Monday has actually felt better - big (~4m) but regular. The wind has been up & down a bit but mainly ESE/SE around 18-24kn so we've made good speed, broad reaching nicely.
The main problem I've had is that my A.I.S. unit suddenly decided not to function while leaving Cocos Keeling so I can no longer see ships around (up to 32 mls away) on the display - which badly affects my sleep pattern and will mean having to put on my radar, with its greater power consumption. Peter on 'Bowtie Lady' called me up twice in the night to let me know of two ships heading our way, although, being faster, he is gradually forging ahead of me so that won't work for much longer. I found myself very tired this morning after the disturbed night (& not enough sleep before leaving!), and when I tried to see if there was anything obviously wrong with the AIS wiring I ended up having to admit defeat - not easy for me to do!! Having triumphantly re-connected a tiny power lead which had come adrift behind the display unit, I found that made no difference... I tried bringing my laptop on line to use the excellent A.I.S. function in the Nobeltec program - but no signal was coming in. I tried going in to Hyperlink unsuccessfully, but confirmed the lack of signal with my multimeter on the coax cable from the VHF smart-splitter - both to the display unit as well as to the PC - although every now & then, it seemed I was getting some data flow (a variable mV reading) - but not most of the time - most puzzling. I still have to undo the coax connection from the 'smart splitter' to see if there's any dullness or corrosion there - so often on boats, that is the cause of the problem when electrics fail.
So I ended up well after midday needed a good rest...!! I then had a very belated breakfast in the fresh air, gazing out at the sea & sky - very pleasant, especially after overnight rain... In fact, at one point, under a raincloud, the wind died almost totally last night (I got quite wet!) & I even started the engine - but within twenty minutes or so the wind came back up to over 20kn again... so back out with the furled genoa & let out the main.... good sailing!
By sunset, cloud had gathered, but it's not too overcast & may go, as often happens, with nightfall.
At 1200 GMT, the boats presently on passage have a 'sched' on 8173 to exchange news & as other boats leave Cocos to make passage, they'll join in - should get quite sociable! So I'll sign off for now....

Midday 24hr run was around 166n.ml - not bad!

PS Just been informed near-gale f'cast for area just to S of path tomorrow - hopefully, we're on outer edge of it, so won't get the strongest of the winds - will keep you posted!!

Saturday 29th Sept07
Checked out with Customs (Police here) in West Island, Cocos Keeling, on Thursday - involved a very wet, long dinghy ride to Home Island, a ferry trip between islands and a bus trip from ferry to the Settlement where the Police Stn is situated - took the entire day to get back to 'Nereida'. My next leg is nearly 2,000mls to Rodriguez, near Mauritius, & will take around a fortnight... forecast looks quite good - for first few days at least!

Yesterday (Friday) I walked around Direction Island (where the yacht anchorage is) - covered in coconut palms & surrounded by white sand beach on inside and coral reef on outside - with lots of flip-flops washed up from the Indian Ocean! I found a nice piece of driftwood which I used to make a name-board on Saturday for "Nereida" & hung up in the beach 'shack' where we meet & have our occasional barbecues. I painted it white, with the boat name, my name and the date in black - looks good & should hang there for several years as a memento... took me all day to make with chisels from the toolbag.

Later I snorkelled the 'Rip' - fast inflowing current through a gap in the outer reef took me into the lagoon over reef & sand - quite a few big and colourful fish - and my first ever octopus seen in these parts! After that, someone produced badminton racquets & I enjoyed a game on the sand under the palms - all in all, a great day of relaxation!!

Tonight was our farewell barbecue - 3 boats leaving tomorrow (Sunday) and several others leaving later this week, headed also towards S. Africa - we hope to meet up somewhere there later this year.

Monday 24th Sept07
Arrived in Cocos Keeling - a real tropical paradise with white sand beaches, good snorkelling, reef sharks & dolphins, palm trees galore... but what a rough journey over the last day getting here. So much for calming down yesterday afternoon - the wind got up to around 25kn consistently! The Indian Ocean certainly has big seas! And I'm expecting the next leg to be even tougher - nearly 2,000mls to Rodriguez, near Mauritius, with even stronger winds and bigger seas... I'm keeping my fingers crossed it won't be too bad when I leave at the weekend!

Very nice of two cruisers here in the anchorage at Direction Island to come out to meet me in the windy conditions and guide me in around the reef in the far-from-calm lagoon! A vital port-hand marker buoy was missing off the end of a reef, there are lots of isolated coral heads & shallow patches & the sun was not shining, so their help was most appreciated!

'Barbie tomorrow' I was told..

Sunday 23rd Sept '07

Things have calmed down a touch today - not so much evidence of seas heaping up with the S or SW swell, just the SE wind-swell, although that's often up to 3m, but not so much this evening ...only hit very occasionally with a bigger one!

The weather seemed at first today to be repeating a pattern of the past few days - increasing heavy cloud, then a shower or two ... but it decided, by early afternoon, to cheer up & the grey clouds disappeared - just 'tradewind clouds' later ... and a fair sunset... lots of stars & a lovely bright moon tonight.

I intended making dinner yesterday around 8pm.... but on first going up to take in a reef, with our speed up in somewhat increased wind, I was amazed to find I was surrounded by bright lights... an Indonesian fishing fleet of about a dozen boats had come to visit...!! They were well-spaced out, a mile or more apart, but several were right on or near my path, so I had to spend quite a time in the cockpit until the very last one was safely well astern.... took nearly two hours, and dinner was very late!! NO AIS signals nor, in most cases, any radar signal either..! Also only bright white lights, no nav lights to help sort out from a distance what they were doing.. At least they seemed to be keeping well out of my way!

During the night, the usual small flying fish met their end on deck... also two larger ones - so I decided to try makng 'ceviche' from them - worked out fine, so made a very good lunch with my last, nicely-ripened avocado. I used a filleting knife to get two nice, de-boned fillets from each fish - even managed to cut off skin without too much problem... Tonight, had pasta&sauce I didn't have last night (changed menu to frankfurters &potatoes last night) with mango for dessert - trying to finish before Cocos, in case Aussies take mangoes away... gather they've a fruit-fly worry on Cocos... just two more mangoes left now.

I'm hoping for another nice day, like this afternoon, tomorrow, expecting to make Cocos around, or soon after, midday - perfect for a reef entry!!

At noon today, 24hr distance was a very ordinary 156 ml (unlike yesterday's 181 ml!) with 165ml to go to Cocos Keeling.

Sat 22nd Sept

Southerly swell makes for a very lumpy sea with the fair-sized SE windswell... and a VERY bumpy ride at times....!! Nearly lost all this morning's coffee.. and a quesadilla at lunchtime... Coffee jumped off stove top & started emptying out all over the place (despite using THREE pan-holders to hold it in place). I rescued quite a bit & poured it into a mug with a closed top - put that somewhere 'safe' -IT also managed to 'jump up' with the bumpy seas & started spilling all over again - luckily into empty washing up bowl... so ended up finally holding what was left tightly in my hand & DRINKING it!! We're constantly lurching all over the place...!! Freshly-made quesadilla jumped down from cockpit into saloon... warm cheese everywhere...

My SOG was over 8knots last night with over 7kn boatspeed ... As a result, 'Nereida' made her best ever noon-to-noon run (despite slowing down this morning!) ... 181ml!!! Current was helpful, of course, but even by log it was 168ml. I should make Cocos on Monday morning & will stay for snorkelling & relaxation for about 4 days before moving on ... so expect to leave again on 29th/30th.

Wind died down a bit this morning, after increasing with overnight showers - first rain I can remember for ages - but now back up.... let out 2nd reef midday, now doing 7.3 SOG with NO current advantage in SE4-5 (~17kn). I don't too much mind current diminishing, so long as doesn't turn against me!

More tiny flying fish on deck this morning .... usually a sign of rough seas overnight. Rare to get them during day - because they can see better, I wonder??

Have seen a few birds but not many... boobies and shearwaters, no tropic birds today, so far.

24hr noon-to-noon distance: An amazing 181 mls!! 321ml to go to Cocos Keeling.

16th Sept 07
Well, unfortunately, what with the wind being further aft once I'd changed course onto my rhumbline course for Cocos Keeling... and dropping even more overnight... I just had to motor or else do ~2.5 knots, which, being so close to possible offshore fishing boats, I didn't want to do. I preferred to try to get well away from land. But soon after sunrise, I put up pole, switched off engine & got sailing again - so very nice to be peaceful & just under sail, even though slow... 4.1kn boatspeed, 3.7kn
SOG! I used the desalinator to 'make' water (didn't get any in Benoa) while motoring - filled the tank full to overflowing. Gradually, our speed increased a little over the morning, but not by much... After looking at the grib weather files I downloaded around midday, I decided a change of course was needed to make better speed - we have been sailing about 50mls S of Java & the land is clearly affecting the wind strength & direction, so we are now heading more SW. The benefit is twofold - the
better wind angle gave us an immediate speed increase and we'll get to stronger winds within a day, I hope!

There is absolutely no point in my motoring from now on, whatever the wind does.... "Trudel", a German yacht which left Bali on Friday & who are less than 50mls ahead of me, spoke to me on the SSB radio this morning & said they'd got a fishing line wrapped tightly around their prop - they'd tried diving on it but, with only snorkel & mask, couldn't stay down long enough at any one time & so couldn't cut it loose - hence motoring is not possible for them (which makes entering reef anchorages, as at
Cocos Keeling, difficult if not dangerous). I have dive gear so we've agreed to head for Xmas Island to anchor long enough to dive on the prop to free it - & then continue straight on to Cocos Keeling without going ashore - hopefully the Aussies at Xmas Island will be understanding ...!!! I've sent an email to Aussie Customs with details & explaining the plan - taking the opportunity also to 'check in' with them for both Xmas Island & Cocos K just in case the 'inform us 96hr ahead' rule applies
as it does for 'mainland' Australia. (Their 'pro forma' was still on my computer from my Vanuatu/Cairns passage). I should be able to catch "Trudel" up by the time we get close to Xmas Island - which was very close to our rhumbline course to Cocos anyway, so this doesn't entail a big diversion/delay.

I gather that Xmas Island was spotted on Xmas Day 1643 by the "Royal Mary" but not claimed until 1888 - for its guano deposits - which will run out soon so they've opened up a big casino which is getting lots of custom from Asian gambling fanatics... so they've a good income now from tourism ... far better than the mining!

As usual, at the start of a long, well-provisioned passage, I'm spoilt for choice in the fruit & veg department... I have some nice avocados, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, big mangos & lots of apples & tangerines.. and the bread I bought in Kuta is really nice too. I had papaya for breakfast, the choice being between that or pamplemousse - such a difficult life ...!

Midday distance (run by log) from start of journey was 111ml (not quite a 24hr run), with 475ml to go to anchorage at Flying Fish Cove, Xmas Island.

Wed 19Sept

Found a big flying fish in the cockpit as I went to let out reefs around 5am, with the wind having lessened (slightly calmer seas also). I'd found several really tiny flying fish on deck the previous day.

Tried to sail in to Flying Fish Cove on Christmas Island this afternoon... well before 'Trudel' arrived. (They saw me pass them last night at around 2am). Thought I'd better see if they could get in without motor - especially when I was told that anchoring was forbidden because of coral, and even more so when I saw the BIG (difficult) mooring buoys provided ... not meant for small yachts. I was able to moor up under motor to the only smaller buoy (on my 1st attempt - I was pleased!!) No way they could have done it under sail - either there was no wind, in lee of the nearby high tree-covered cliffs, or there were strong williwaws... So I spoke to Harbourmaster to explain their problem - he came back to me to say they had a volunteer rescue boat which was about to go on the water ... and could help them when they came in ... which they did a couple of hours later - they were given a tow and tied to a buoy near me.
We had to clear in with customs & quarantine ...forms galore!... and later they kindly had me over for dinner.... got to bed rather late....!

Thurs 20Sept

Fuel may be OK in starboard tank - will try cleaning sight glass at Cocos and bleeding again - I may not have got so much seawater in as I'd feared.... but won't use it for time being....

Well, 'Trudel' now has a freed prop & shaft.... Had a VERY late sleep-in this morning (10.30a.m.!) and then a walk/look around onshore with Joerg who booked a taxi to take us all to the resort hotel in the SE of the island for dinner tonight - very nice of them to treat me again. I lent Sylvalie my divegear to dive on the prop to free it & she did fine. Cut away a load of very fine netting with some thick twine + lead wts - none of the really thick monofilament I'd been expecting.

I suddenly remembered that I'd figured on 3 days to sail to Cocos from here, assuming that speed is same as coming here, so best to leave very early Friday morning & then should arrive morning (or later, if a bit slower) at Cocos, so leaving this afternoon from here was not a good idea. Meant a much more relaxed day.... Have got Clearance to Cocos.... more officialdom in Oz!!

Went for a snorkel from boat to shore, over reef - amazing variety of hard corals, with the most enormous fans I've ever seen, an enormous trunkfish and lots of beautiful surgeon fish, lovely yellow butterfly fish etc etc - good variety with, as usual, several kinds I've not seen before. I'm looking forward to 2-3 days of snorkelling/diving at Cocos Keeling in sheltered waters - quite a swell came in here this afternoon and a strong onshore wind + clouds - land heating effect, I presume.

Dinner over at resort went well - good food but only two others in the dining room!! Clearly business is down. Casino has been closed for two years but they're hoping that change of govt after elections in October will change policy so Casino will be able to re-open, obviously then giving more business!

On way back tonight saw several enormous coconut crabs - got out to photograph one...

Birdlife here is pretty good, as well as crablife! (Not seen any marching red crabs as yet - although if rainy season starts early, they'll start off - first downpour brings out the males, next the females... they have "Crab Crossing - open/closed" roadsigns!!) I'd forgotten that tropic birds are also Bosun Birds - they have a yellow version of the white-tailed tropic bird here which is specific to Xmas Island.

There I was checking around, when I spotted that the starb'd diesel filler cap looked a bit proud of the deck... it was loose!... & seawater has been sloshing around it with the big seas we've been shipping occasionally. You can imagine my thoughts/curses!!
Went to look in sight-glasses on filters - inside the one on starb'd tank, it looked very murky whereas the one on the port tank had nice clear fuel in it - but was one-third full of dark water - I turned the screw & drained that out, wondering where it had all come from. Then drained the starb'd glass... I let out quite a bit but looks as though it's a mix of fuel with some water - I wonder if seawater has formed an emulsion of sorts with the diesel, hence the murky look. Think I'll leave it for the night & let it settle & have another go at it in the morning.
My worry then was ... what if engine doesn't start tomorrow when I want it for anchoring - would be ironic if I go to Xmas Island to help out "Trudel' ... and then end up myself with a major engine problem!! So I switched over to port tank, with OK fuel (I hope!!) and ran the generator, theory being that if it ran OK for a couple of hours (charging batteries & running fridge at same time!), then I should be OK to run main engine on same fuel line tomorrow... I'm keeping my fingers crossed tightly, hoping I've caught it in time!!

Today has been great sailing - think I've made Nereida's best 24hr midday distance to date - 172n.ml. by log (167 by GPS), doing ~7.5kn & well over 8kn when surfing...! Decided at midday that I'd better reef down! ... wind was increasing... has been SE5/6 all day. Now have full genoa & 2 reefs in main - but still doing ~7.2 kn - so should get to Xmas Island early afternoon.

By this morning at 0900, I'd cut down my distance behind 'Trudel' from 43ml yesterday to just 19ml! (Quite likely to get there first, at this rate, despite leaving a day later!)

I was sitting in the aft cabin this morning reading, when BANG! - we got really hit by a wave ... and WHOOSH!... a load of water came in via locked-in-vent-position hatch - I was furious - how could I be so stupid..??? (Easy!!) I was lucky the computer didn't get wet! Took ages to mop it all up and saltwater damp things aren't going to dry so easily...

It's been suggested that the steering cable may be over-tensioned... I've been thinking the wheel seems a bit stiff (even checked several times to make sure lock was off) so maybe I'll try to ease off a little on the tension tomorrow when I'm stopped.

Mike & Bryan, of Nightwinds, my knowledgeable 'website guys', have worked their usual magic on the website and put in a link to the TV and radio interviews I had in Cairns on making landfall there in July, after completing my Pacific crossing - go see!

Mon 17th Sept
We're finally making good speed - 7-7.5kn in around 18kn ESE/SE wind, broad reaching with not much current against - unlike earlier today (& overnight) - today's daily run to midday was ony about 120ml but should be a lot better tomorrow if this wind keeps up as forecast. Seas are a bit rough but not too bad - SE swell of ~1.5-2m (4-5sec period) and a bigger, much longer S swell, all with choppy waves on top. Of course, it's when 'Nereida' happens to be where the two swells meet that life gets really interesting, in the resulting heaped up seas... as happens fairly regularly! I'm having to be very careful moving around and I've closed most of the hatches!!

Cloud seemed to build up this afternoon, but with nightfall seems to have disappeared - just lots of bright stars, to match the twinkling phosphorescent lights in the sea as we rush through the water - like diamonds sparkling... beautiful.

I'm hoping we don't meet up with any more fishing strobe lights again tonight .. saw two lots off to starb'd last night, well over 60 mls from the Java S coast (worrying! - what if I'd ploughed straight into the nets/pots...?) and this morning, as I was busy taking down the pole (we'd been goosewinged overnight), I saw a small, open, flimsy fishing boat ... amazing to be so far out in these big, rough seas.

I had a look at the new steering cable under the aft bunk this afternoon. It has been squeaking, so has been worrying me that it might be wearing again. The problem turned out to be at the turning blocks (with newly-made bushing) taking cable from engine compartment to steering quadrant. I put lots of grease between moving parts where I could and then sprayed thick lubricating film into crevices between the two moving blocks and their spindle - seems to have done the trick!

I've also been looking to see what weather info I can get for approach to S. Africa (& the infamous Aghulas current!). Seems radio weather fax is no longer available, although I shall try previous frequencies/times just in case, but there is a daily Ham Radio Net (which I heard tonight) where weather info is relayed - so I shall email to introduce myself, ready for when I get to within range...

Cheers,
Jeanne
"Nereida", rushing along in the dark under a crescent moon.... under 295ml to Flying Fish Cove, Xmas Island, at 10pm LT Monday.

Much as I enjoyed Bali, it's really nice to be sailing again....albeit rather slowly, as I write this - 3.7kn SOG, 4kn boatspd, wind ESE 3-4 (10-12kn). Soon after leaving Bali Marina, around 1.30pm LT, I was beam reaching at 6 kn, helped by well over a knot of current, but when I changed course around the SE peninsula, our speed dropped - we're now broad reaching within sight of the coast still.
It's close to sunset, so I'll keep sailing for time being, although if our speed drops right down, as it might well do this close to land, I'll start up the motor & motor-sail for a bit overnight. Hopefully, we'll stay ambling at around 4 knots under sail alone. Light winds are forecast for the first day or so but there should be reasonable Trades once I get further west - my rhumbline course is just under 260T. The moon will be waxing as I sail - so it'll be lighting my way more and more over the next few days - always nice!

It has been very nice to be back among a cruising community for a change (last was in Vanuatu). It's always enjoyable chatting to other friendly 'yachties' about their cruising experiences & there's always something to be learned from that! Several helped me away from the marina today - I was docked beside a very long boat with an enormous bowsprit & threatening to get blown onto that as I left - but with helping hands on several lines as I started away from the dock, all went well.

In my week in Bali. I managed to see quite a bit, exploring a little of Kuta and Sanur on foot, as well as taking a longer tour around the island by taxi (VERY cheap in Bali!) on both Wed & Thurs. I saw the craft centre of Ubbud, renowned for its lovely wood carvings, several temples and palaces, the monkey sanctuary (lots of very twee babies!), a Batik centre (I was very tempted to buy some beautifully patterned silk!), temple dancing at sunset with an accompaniment of a large chorus of men (no orchestra) and generally got to see a lot of the lovely & fascinating countryside and towns. Not being familiar with the Hindu way of life, it was very interesting to get to know & understand a little about that religion - an integral part of everyday life in Bali.

Sun has now set, lights are appearing onshore, speed still around 4knots... We're sailing very gently in a fairly calm sea towards a crescent moon hanging high up above the remains of the sunset - looks as though the night will be clear and dark tonight - good for stargazing...

Sun 9th Sept '07

Arrived safely in Bali Marina (Benoa) on Sat morning after, yet again, struggling against strong S-going current on approach - 4.4kn for third time - all N-S channels between islands here get a really strong tidal flow, especially at springs, of course.

Hoping to explore a little before I move on next weekend... in meantime, trying out trysail today, ready for strong winds in Indian Ocean.... Plenty of other boat jobs to keep me busy. Have to make sure I'm ready for what will be a long crossing, even with stops at islands on the way.

Balinese welcome - Sat8thSept07
Originally uploaded by svNereida

Couldn't resist showing this photo of Balinese girls on a big boat next to Bali Marina, Benoa, just after I arrived on Saturday!
 

Fri7thSept07
8am: What a great sail in bright sun I'm having just now....beam reaching at 6.5 kn in 15 kn of wind with slightly reefed genoa! Changed course slightly to mke for nearest Indonesian island to north of me shortly after sunrise: Pulau Sumbawa (lovely name!) Rhumbline course to Bali was threatening arrival in dark unless I slowed down anyway, so I thought I'd take a peek at a couple of other islands on the way, thereby lengthening passage a touch -in theory, at least! Actually making excellent speed now, so may yet have to reef down overnight... but since I'm having to cut out hoped-for sail to Lombok from Bali (due to lack of time...!!), I thought I might as well see something since my route was passing pretty close anyway. 

Just threw overboard yesterday's flying fish which I'd found on deck in the morning ... had intended doing it as 'ceviche' but got too busy with preventer project & other things.

2.45pm Fri: Still having a lovely sail. Passing S end of Selat Alas (channel between Lombok and Sumbawa) - clearly good S-going current affecting us - making 6.6kn boatspeed but only 4.4kn SOG. Wind up to just under 20 kn, sea's a bit rough but not bad, occasional bit of surfing in biggish wave (8.3kn just seen!).

Just got email from Bali Marina: ... "you may have to anchor because the marina is still full at this time and we are trying to find a space for you."!! (Probably they didn't like to say 'no', so instead they said what they know you want to hear!!) Oh well, no big deal...

Hearing occasional English voice on VHF.

4.30pm: Well, it's always nice when things calm down after some excitement!! TEATIME!! - & I feel I deserve lots of Tim Tams (Australian yummee choc biscuits.... )!!

I needed to gybe the main but realized the wind was rather strong for the full canvas that was up - so thought I'd better reef first. Not too easy when almost dead downwind... but even worse when the wind gets up to around 25kn - as it did.... I'd just about got the first reef in when the knot came undone..... Well, I'd tied the new line in, so no-one to blame but myself - had thought it was rather slippery rope at the time - so should have made doubly sure of my knotting!! Fortunately, since wind was up so much, partly-reefed sail more-or-less stayed put, held against lazyjack lines, so hurriedly went for 2nd reef - took a time, but eventually got it in OK.
I reckon that was all due to an 'acceleration'/'cape' effect - there were the high mountains, which I'd seen from afar, on the one island (Sumbawa) and the channel between the two islands both enhancing direction & strength of already quite strong wind - should have taken rough water as a warning to reef far earlier, when it would have been easier (but was just thinking 'wind over current'!). Always so easy, when running, to ignore building wind!! Problems come when you want to manoeuvre... now
it's still around 20kn - but far, far calmer. Just took pole down since about to change course more to port, so no longer needed.

Sat 8th Sept07 7am All fine - approaching Benoa (Bali) now in pre-light of dawn. Had to start motor for final approach - current in channels between islands here far too strong - finding 4.4 kn of S-going current yet again, even now... 2.5kn SOG!

Should arrive in marina (or anchored off!) within a couple of hours or so, current permitting!!

More anon!

Wed5thSept07

We'd been sailing by the lee most of the night - more or less on a run but not enough to stop mains'l from trying to back regularly in the swell, despite preventer & being as far for'd as it'll go. I'd been trying to ignore it but finally just had to get up to take it over to port side where it would behave better. Was dark (~5am) but some moonlight, so all fine a little later and I sat out in the cockpit stargazing, waiting to see what effect that had on our speed - genoa was poled out on port
side & I was hoping to leave it until daylight .... but, no - it needed to be changed over as well, naturally ... 6.10am Still dark but hint of light in the east... I furled genoa, lowered pole, & then tried to goosewing the genoa (without pole) ...but it kept collapsing around inner & main forestay (threatening a 'wrap'!).... no good, so needed to raise pole on starb'd side ... we're now rolling around in a biggish NE swell ... I left genoa out while got I pole over, past inner forestay & connected
up lines (sounds so simple when you say it fast!) - genoa still out, flapping & jerking sheets. Then went to furl it in .... furling line went bar taut almost immediately..... found the line had got itself in a twist around forestay under drum.... So now, furling line had to be brought for'd to undo mess & then led back again (genoa still jerking/flapping etc!) before I could finally furl in genoa, attach sheet to pole, raise/position pole & unfurl genoa ....!!
But it's now 7am (just before sunrise!) & I've acquired several bruises & bashed a few ribs falling onto the lifelines while manoevring pole (painful!)... Oh well, could be worse...! At least Nereida's sailing more happily. Wind now 10-11 knots. Time to check in with 'Sheila' Net on 8161kHz in Australia.

11am Wed - wind dropped to 6-7 kn - motoring... grrr!!

Later: Predictably, wind DID get back into SE - by early afternoon, in fact, so had to change pole back again... but after that made excellent speed under sail alone - beautiful afternoon's sail - so peaceful & gentle - uncomforable swell lay down completely. Think it had found gap between end of Timor & next island to W but then we passed that channel. Sat in cockpit and read in shade of sails. All very pleasant & a nice change....
Was helped along by a 1.5kn fair current - pity this didn't all happen sooner or I'd have got in to Benoa by Friday easily. As it is, I'm most probably now going to have to slow down for daylight arrival on Sat morning!! (Made excellent 7.0-8.0 SOG for a time, but kept varying..)
Passing 45mls to S of Sumba island, then we'll be passing S of Sumbawa, then Lombok & finally Bali...

Thurs6thSept

5pm Had a good night's sleep - no AIS alarm going off & I think I'm far enough away from land not to be bothered by locals - certainly seen none until half an hour ago when I noticed a small white boat heading other way on N horizon as I sipped my tea.
Another very pleasant sailing day ... until now, when started motor. Batteries down a bit anyway and wind died down to ~5-6kn from astern, boatspeed 2-3kn. Hopefully wind will pick up again soon - shan't stay under motor for too long since I'm well ahead on getting to Benoa by first light Sat - just need average of 5.5kn or less to arrive early morning. Been getting SE swell again - on port quarter, so knocks us about a bit sometimes.
Played around with preventer today - occurred to me that I have unused clutches on each side which I could make use of with a length of line to block on quarter, hence to winch, with shackle at other end of (shortish) line, ready to take remaining section of preventer which leads to bow cleat & then aft to boom (as previously). Measured & re-measured umpteen times before cutting off length of line from spinnaker downhaul which was WAY too long - provides just enough line for both sides now - have
some whipping to do before I use it. Good to have spare blocks & shackles on board to make such projects feasible! We'll see how it works out... will continue with it tomorrow.
Reading Lisa Clayton's book about her singlehanded non-stop antipodal voyage around - interesting reading - she had a lot of people helping & supporting her.
6.45pm Sitting in cockpit with tea, reading & waiting for sunset....sky completely clear.. green flash?? 4knots SE wind - hope it picks up again soon.....

24hr distance run to midday Wednesday was 125 n.ml. & Thursday was 141 n.ml. Distance to go (Thursday midday) to Benoa Hbr entrance is 233 n.ml.

0900 Just been calculating average speed needed for daylight landfall in Benoa hbr.. need 5-5.5kn for Saturday 8th (& would need 6.5 kn for Friday just before dark - unlikely in these light winds!!) About to put some diesel into tank from jerry cans.

1130 Poled out genoa earlier & just lowered staysail (of no use with wind abaft the beam - just flaps) - problem bagging it because so stiff (new) & removeable inner forestay fittings make things awkward. Need to change that & organize a bag that will fit over sail when hanked onto stay. Wind has been increasing a touch over the morning - now ESE3 (~10kn) but course is now 292T - & for remaining 500 mls to Bali. Wind not quite as strong as I'd like but have turned off motor for some peace & quiet
- lovely, gentle but slow sailing(3.5-4kn), under part-cloudy sky. Just saw small boat (Indonesian fishermen?) with bright blue sails passing a couple of miles off in opposite direction.

3pm Getting 'chute ready to hoist. 4.2 kn boatspeed at present... 3.45pm Well, I'm not convinced that was worth the effort!! But I think we may have gained 0.5kn... always good to see the red & white striped 'chute flying. At least I've now got all possible canvas deployed... & NO motor! Would be nice to sail the rest of the way if possible, it's so nice & peaceful. Boatspeed now 4.9kn in 10-11 kn true wind from dead astern.

Well, I managed one & a half spinnaker wraps!! Wind was so dead astern that we ended up sailing by the lee as our heading varied slightly - so much so that the 'chute was blanketed by the mains'l and ended up wrapped around the inner forestay - took a time & quite a bit of thought & effort to unwrap it. Initially, wondered if I was going to have to sail to Bali with it still wrapped, it looked so impossible to undo...!! Then, near sunset, it nearly happened again. Fortunately, I was on deck &
managed to prevent it from getting too badly wrapped - decided to take it down for the night to avoid further worries!! Need a 'net' to prevent it.

Beautiful clear starry sky and big spots of phosphorescence in the sea as we pass through. Amazing to see the Milky Way - looks just like a wide streak of misty cloud from N to S dotted with stars, ending near the Southern Cross.

24hr distance run to midday Tuesday was ~152 n.ml. by log (142 by GPS!) and distance to go to Benoa Hbr is ~500 n.ml. (I'm hoping for Saturday)

Hot & calm again today - 5-6 kn from SE...& grib files seem to indicate wind will continue very light for a couple more days yet, if not die more, before getting slightly stronger - expect just 10-12 kn as I close Indonesian islands. So I'm motor-sailing with maximum canvas ... apparent wind (4-5 kn!) makes us close-hauled so I decided to attach inner forestay & hank on the larger storm jib - looks great! Not sure if I've increased our speed at all but it was fun & informative doing it - sail is
almost brand new, having rarely been used up to now. Might be able to use it on Indian Ocean crossing soon.

Yesterday afternoon got busy .... I managed to run out of fuel...!! Stb'd tank fuel gauge was misleadingly optimistic & I thought I still had plenty of time in hand when engine stopped. I tried manual pumping - seemed to work initially, at least up to primary fuel filter but then had to stop to attach little electric pump into the fuel line to the lift pump ... Eventually all was fine but took a couple of hours of drifting around in the glassy calm sea. Luckily, current (1kn) was in right direction,
so most of drifting was roughly westward! I must obviously now fill tanks with spare fuel while the sea is relatively calm (there's a slight swell, but not much).... and keep an eye on hours/miles run on port tank since yesterday...! Should get at least 60hrs or 400mls, whichever comes sooner.

The good news today, apart from "Nereida" turning into a cutter from sloop, is that Jim Corenman, who's kindly been trying to help me with my radio problems, had me adjust some Airmail settings - so I'm now transmitting at maximum power recommended - I instantly connected into Brunei and also Manila - previously impossible - excellent news!! I've been reading sections of Jim's excellent 'Primer' - full of useful radio info, although I may have to wait to S. Africa to get anywhere with cutting down
interference.

Had AIS alarm go off yesterday night - big ship was headed East towards me & looked as though it might get rather close - we spoke on VHF, agreed to pass 'port to port' & all was fine.

I spent quite a time last night checking over timing of Indian Ocean passages to make sure I could still make S. Africa out of cyclone season - will be tight but looks OK. Lombok looks as though it's for the 'chop'!!

Have continued to organize boat more (put netting/basket up again over table in saloon for fruit) and must now go and chop up eggplant etc for ratatouille - it's so warm, soft vegetables out of fridge won't last much longer so must be cooked.

24hr distance run to midday Monday was ~140 n.ml. and distance to go to Benoa is ~640 n.ml.

Left Cullen Bay Marina lock at 0840 to start passage to Bali. Cullen Bay marina was a pleasant place with convenient chandlery, helpful staff and plenty of nightlife with lots of restaurants/cafes around - useful for wi-fi Internet connection also. No.4 bus in to town stops fairly close by. Main drawback was lack of food shops close by.

Despite supposed strong wind warnings, I'm writing this in a glassy calm sea - wind is all of 3knots from SE & I have had the 'iron horse' on since leaving! Only good thing about that is I can play music & switch on lights and fans to my heart's content! I've been busy cleaning brightwork below decks - aft cabin, galley & head are all sparkling and main cabin almost so... with calm conditions continuing, rest of boat should be spotless too, very soon. It always feels rather weird when it's so calm
out here with nothing else in sight - seems to emphasize the emptyness of the ocean.

Radio emailing is causing a problem again - I can't understand why voice transmissions are so good & strong, yet my Airmail program for emailing only transmits at less than half power...annoying since I have spent so much time this year trying to get my radio comms sorted out... yet again! I can, with difficulty, connect in OK to New Sth Wales, but not Brunei which is closer... most odd. I've been told to check for interference but that's not so easy under way solo - I must find a weak stn & then
turn all elecs OFF, check signal strength and one by one turn elecs back on... Got rather worried earlier when my laptop transformer died..... fortunately I found another which had played up previously but so far seems OK - if the transformer goes, that means the laptop is down & really puts an end to emailing both by SSB radio and via InmarsatC (satellite) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Sat. afternoon, I had an Australian Coastwatch plane swoop low over me - I called them on VHF to ask if they'd seen any other sailing vessel headed for Bali - 'no'!

Had a nice tide pushing us for 6hrs (ebb) when we left, but when it turned we were losing ~1.5kn - made 8.2kn for a time but then it became 5.6kn!

Thought I'd try the pre-cooked lambshank, in sauce, that I got in Cairns, with potatoes & broccoli for dinner - it's very good - definitely to be recommended!

I've changed my ship's time back by half-an-hour from Darwin time (wich is GMT+8.5hr!) which roughly puts me in local time - simpler to be working in complete hours' difference from GMT.

Distance travelled over 24hrs to midday Sunday was 157ml by log (although from GPS positions it was only 144ml - shows effect of current on log reading), with 777 ml to go.