Friday 4th May 2012

Lovely sunny day - quite a few birds circling around several times ... a small, graceful flock of prions wheeling about together, blue-grey, with distinctive 'M' on their upperwings and mainly white underneath...from the thick dark band under the end of their tail, likely to be fulmar or fairy prions. Spent a long time just watching them - some seemed to want to try to land in the rigging - definitely having a good look around and keeping an eye on me! Solitary majestic albatross - Black-browed a couple of times and a Great albatross another time - too far away to see if a Wandering or Royal - but BIG!!

We've made good progress yet again - 140 n.ml. 24hr DMG up to 0100Z today (11am EST) with the SW Cape 358n.ml away. Still close-hauled, as we expect to be until reaching Stewart Island and passing the SW Cape there (hopefully Monday), but our speed is varying a bit with the wind direction, which is generally around NNE, mostly 17kt or so. Seas have been a bit rough at times, with wind chop adding into the swell - sometimes from 2-3 directions, it seems to me! Heeling most of the time - doesn't make it too easy to move around the boat, despite furling in a bit more genoa earlier - but not too much, so as not to reduce our speed.... I'm really looking forward to rounding this final one of the Five Gt Capes and heading away from the Southern Ocean...!

Didn't have much luck talking to Tasmania tonight or yesterday and when I spoke to the Pacific Seafarers Net at 1pm (EST), I got very worried on being told my signal, normally very good, was breaking up badly - both Paul, VK2HMV, in S. Australia and Fred, W3ZU, in Florida told me to check my antenna connections. Considering my antenna is my backstay with a couple of insulators placed in it at each end and I'd just tensioned it before leaving Hobart, maybe my concern is understandable - was my backstay about to give way at one of the insulators, that being the reason for the broken signal? After all, we've been in some pretty nasty seas on & off for quite a time, so maybe there was a problem looming.. Losing one's rig at sea is a major disaster and not one to be happily contemplated! I wondered whether I should tie my topping lift onto the stern steelwork base, just in case... not that it's very strong line... Went & checked that the running backstay was really tight... maybe I should tension the other one as well...? Maybe I should pull in to Oban, on Stewart Island, or Dunedin, in South Island, NZ, to check and maybe change the backstay?

The good news came tonight when, by chance, I twiddled the knobs on the HF radio and came across some people chatting on 14345kHz. I joined in, hoping to get a signal report - and was told not only was it 5/9 (excellent!) in Brisbane, S. Australia - but also in Belgium! I chatted to Hans (VK5YX), John (VK5HX) and Ben (ON4BBC - in Belgium) for a bit - and switched off feeling VERY relieved!! They were telling me that the problem was undoubtedly due to propagation being poor - it certainly does vary, I know, and even while we were talking, it dropped down suddenly, for a short time, giving a break then in my signal.

I'm about to cook myself some bacon and eggs to celebrate!! The wind has veered and died down to 12 knots, giving calmer seas, so no problem cooking - once I've unfurled the genoa, that is....

Thursday 3rd May 2012

135, 135, 136 n.ml. - our daily DMG tally so far - meaning that this evening, as I write this, we're well past the halfway mark to the SW Cape of New Zealand from Hobart. It's still too early to say for sure, but it could be that our good speed (often around 7 knots) will mean that the threatening Low will not affect us too badly - we might just be close enough to the Cape that its stronger winds will be astern of us as it comes S... and none of the forecast winds should head us too badly.. fingers crossed!!

It's been a fairly quiet day - no big dramas, just a bumpy ride in slightly choppy 3-4m seas at good speed. The sun has shone from time to time through breaks in a thin cloud layer and I've spent a lot of time checking our course against weather info, trying to decide which way best to head. All day, we've headed slightly N of our rhumbline, to be on the safe side. Winds have been slightly more from the N today than expected - which has been good for us. It's just now veered a little more, meaning that we're presently heading more directly for the Cape - for the first time!

As I was sailing towards Hobart, I was contacted by Exact Earth in Cambridge, Ontario, who offered to set up a page for me on their website, www.exactearth.com. This has now been done and shows my exact track and details via my AIS (VHF) transmission, picked up continually by several polar-orbiting satellites, which cross each pole 14 times a day. This means there is full global coverage each day, with no gaps. If you visit
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/
you'll see Nereida's present track and possibly some of the past track. The page is still being worked on, to improve it further, but the basic, up-to-date information will always be there.

I've also just been loaned a tracker unit by Ocean Tracker which has been set to emit a GPS signal three times daily - also picked up by satellites, but these are geo-stationary ones, placed at strategic points above the Earth to give coverage mostly over the more populated areas. They will be interested to see exactly what coverage I get as I cross the oceans.
If you want to go to their website to see Nereida's most recent position, go to http://oceantracker.net?event=nereida (As an alternative, you can load a kmz file that will open in GoogleEarth at http://oceantracker.net/kml/nereida.kmz - also still being worked on to improve it.)

Two quite different systems, one using my installed AIS system and one using a small portable GPS unit, both using satellites to receive signals and transmit the information to a land station. It will be interesting to compare how well they cover my passages around the Earth - and if there are any gaps when there's no satellite available to receive the signals.... we'll see, in due course! I'll still be posting my own position and details daily on passage, as usual, to Winlink (see my website 'Travels' page) - a back-up, should the satellites fail!

Wednesday 2nd May 2012

Laptop packed up last night - so spent ages sorting out replacement notebook PC - but I have none of my recent emails or new email addresses or contact info - frustrating!

Before that happened, the wind died, the Milky Way came out briefly and beautifully and I thought I should unfurl some genoa - TG I didn't, since from under 5 knots we were soon rushing along at over 7 knots in increased wind! I'd changed course to more downwind earlier, since the Low threatening to give headwinds in a day or two looked not to be developing as expected, but I later saw it back again threatening the same worrying headwinds as before - so I've reverted to a course N of my rhumb-line to the SW Cape of Stewart Island, N.Z.

While sorting out my computer problem, the wind had eased a lot again, so I finally shook out the 3rd reef (I'm very cautious about doing that too soon!) and also tied in the sail near the 1st and 2nd reef points. By then it was dawn, so I went forward to retrieve a missing staysail sheet, to tie it onto the clew, undid a tangle in another slack sheet and unfurled more genoa... before getting to my bunk for much-needed sleep.

Of course, predictably, I was woken some time later by banging and crashing as we heeled in strong winds again - we were making around 8 knots - which is good to see but not when the boat is heeling too much in frequent big waves ... Furled in a lot of genoa until we better balanced & took us off the wind a bit. The situation turned into a 'cloud effect' - a passing raincloud .. Soon, all was a lot calmer and I was able to get back to my bunk.

Eventually, I got the amount of genoa right, so that as the wind came and went with more rainclouds passing nearby, we'd accelerate and then slacken speed for a bit, without needing to forever adjust the sails - although my eye was always on the windspeed as we went faster. "Nereida' happily makes around 7 knots in good wind but I begin to feel a bit uncomfortable when our speed goes well over 8 kt!

Having said that, I spotted a weird ENE-flowing current effect for a while this afternoon. In NNW wind of 22kt, we were making over 9-10 kt for quite a time around midday, with boatspeed of just 6-7 kt!!

Having seen almost no birds for a time, it was nice to catch sight of an immature Wandering albatross - chocoloate brown above, pale beak, with white underwings, edged with black, and, later, a small flock of prions..

Another day's run of 135 n.ml. - good to see but I wonder how long it will last - I'm still expecting to be forced S of our rhumbline course by headwinds all too soon! As I write this, wind is N ~18 kt and we're making 6.8-7 kt SOG (boatspeed ~7.3 kt).

Tuesday 1st May

Happy Mayday to all!

6pm - It's dark already - and the wind has suddenly dropped down from the 25 knots of today to 20 knots now, still from W of N, as all day.

Last night, as I was posting my log report with some difficulty, I noticed the wind increasing to over 20 kt, so eventually I got up on deck to reef down... by which time the wind had increased a lot more. ` It got up to 30 knots and stayed there for most of the night. The seas always get up quickly with the wind, so it got to be a wet session! With the genoa furled in, a small stays'l and fully reefed mains'l, I finally felt comfortable going down below to get some sleep - it was well after midnight and we were making over 6kt. The seas were quite rough and tossed us about frequently.

On looking back out before getting to my bunk, I noticed one of the solar panels was vertical, with the wind generator spinning away merrily close by, its tail held by the panel - not good! ... Nothing for it but to get back out on the pitching deck and fix it - one of the lines holding it had come loose - I was relieved to see it was still there, making my job easier... TG for headlamps.

Before dawn, a banging noise caught my attention - it seemed to come from below decks.... but I couldn't find anything down below causing it. Looking out, I saw the same solar panel sliding sideways each way on its support as the beam seas tossed us around, knocking into the main structure each time it came to a violent halt. Another trip to the dark aft deck was needed, this time to tighten all four of the wingnuts on the two retaining clamps... I definitely felt a bit vulnerable stretching up and over the stern in the rough seas!

By the time I'd finished, dawn was breaking - I stopped very briefly to admire it before ducking down below to dry off!

We've made excellent speed up to now in the strong conditions - we were making over 7kt before I reefed down and 6-7 kt after. DMG was 135 n.ml. from 11am(0100GMT) yesterday.

Just had to get out in the twilight to retrieve a tangled stays'l sheet and tighten up a lazyjack which had come loose - had waited for seas to lessen before doing it - I try not to risk being out on deck in rough seas unless it's essential... Of course, I got doused by a wave washing the decks - I'm sitting here feeling decidedly damp and looking forward to some nice hot stew, drying off and my nice warm bunk!

Monday 30th April 2012

Bright & sunny, but a cold start to the day - temp down to 3C overnight!

Collected some vacuum-packed frozen meat from Clubhouse freezer, got rid of rubbish and generally checked things over before Mick & Martin, the Customs officials, came on board to organise my Clearance and tax refund (tax can be claimed back on all single bills over $300). They have been very helpful from before my arrival to now, as were Quarantine.

Fixed the Hydrovane vane in place, Dorothy and Sithu kindly removed the sailcover while I was busy down below, I raised the lazyjacks after sail ties were removed and then - engine on! I left the dock and headed off to set sail - but came back for a photo shot of 'Nereida' with sails filling in a light breeze - seemed too good an opportuntity to miss, since Dorothy and Sithu both had their cameras ready!

Motored off down the River Derwent in hardly any wind towards the 'Iron Pot' - marker at port limit - and on towards Cape Raoul at the S end of Tasman Peninsula. Reached there as the sun was nearly setting on the dramatic rock formations of the Cape and coast nearby... A gannet and an albatross flew past - they probably nest on the rocky stacks I was looking at. A wonderful scene - I took lots of photos!

On , as darkness fell, past Port Arthur, towards Tasman Island - its lighthouse flashing in the night. The moon was bright - it will be nice to have its light for this passage to New Zealand's Southern Cape. To emphasize the cold air, it was surrounded at a distance by a pale white circle - a corona, made up, I think, of ice crystals in the air.

The wind is up nicely just now - around 16-19 knots on a beam reach - it was lovely to kill the engine once I was safely past Tasman Island and in the open sea. I heated up the big ratatouille stew I made last night & enjoyed some, sat down to write this after checking the sail trim (we're making around 7 knots) and will shortly settle into night/sleep mode...

The bad news is that a Low coming off Sydney will give headwinds almost certainly in a few days' time - so I'm heading East while I can, to give a possibility of having an angle on the E winds expected later - then to head SE-S maybe... We'll see how things work out!

Thursday 26th April 2012

After unforeseen delays due to work on 'Nereida', I'm nearly ready to set off from Hobart across the Tasman Sea towards the SW Cape of New Zealand. Over last weekend, it seemed that Tuesday 24th April would be OK for leaving but by Monday, that was clearly not so.... heading straight into headwinds (or no wind) was not a sensible option, so my departure was re-scheduled for 0830 Thursday 26th April.... and as Thursday drew nearer, it became clear that I'd be heading out into a major 2-day storm over this coming weekend (forecast of 40kt winds and 8m/26ft seas everywhere in the S. Tasman Sea!)  - so I've again delayed my departure - presently set for 0830 EST Monday morning (2230 GMT Sunday).  Let's hope that works out - winter weather is settling in here and air temperatures are frequently low, even when the sun shines.

That  delay meant I was unexpectedly in Australia for Anzac Day (Wed 25th April) - appropriate, since my father John Faulkner (killed just before I was born, while flying in a RAF plane in WWII) hailed from Sydney....

I've been busy trying to get through quite a few more jobs, including provisioning, stowing items and making up-to-date lists.  Since I'll need to clear Customs on leaving, they were informed of my planned departure date - and updated with changes each time.

We finally got back in the water from the hard late last Saturday.   Instead of the expected couple of hours or so, Scott had 3 days of struggle to deal with the propshaft seal replacement and checking/cleaning the adjacent Aquadrive thruster - unbelievable that anyone can put boat items together without using anti-seize compound on the bolts so that they can be easily undone next time around, despite possible saltwater exposure... His work was not helped by really difficult access in the engine compartment.

With no wind overnight Saturday, I was able to hoist the repaired genoa and furl it - the number of turns on the drum was way too many and had to be reduced and I also had to tighten the loose furling line lead (managed to lose a size 40 torx driver overboard while fixing it...grrr!!)   I took the chance to soak the furling line and genoa & staysail sheets in a big bucket, trying to lose salt with several changes of water - they were very stiff.

Dawn over 'Nereida' at RYCT in Sandy Bay, Hobart. (Courtesy D.Darden):
 

The new Jordan series drogue with bridle and retrieval line are now in place, ready for near-instant deployment in bad conditions. Tidying and stowing down below is taking time - I can't move without everything being in place once more and there have been so many different jobs to see to..... Had a fright when I changed over to the back-up AP drive arm - 'motor stalled' came the message when I tested it (i.e. autopilot unuseable!).  I eventually realised I hadn't finished re-connecting the power lead to the hydraulic motor after removing some diodes & capacitors which had been fixed in place in Port Townsend a while back in an attempt to stop RF interference on HF bands.

The SW Cape of New Zealand will be the last of the Five Great Capes that I will have sailed around solo since rounding Cape Horn on 7th January 2011 (after my knockdown two days earlier ended my 2nd solo nonstop circumnavigation attempt). I'll then be heading up the S. Pacific towards Tahiti and then north towards Hawaii and N.America.   The plan is to get as far E as possible while heading N after rounding Stewart Island, NZ, in order not to have the same problem with the strong W-flowing equatorial current (just before reaching the NE Trades) as I had when I made a similar passage in 2010.

Photo - Passing the SE Cape of Tasmania, 1st April, 2012:

Recherche Bay, with mountains behind ...  SE Tasmania, 1st April 2012:

Sunset at Dover, Esperance Bay, 1st April 2012:

Wed 18th April 2012

I'm about to haul out for the 2nd time!.... Prop shaft leak is quite bad so rubber seal needs replacing - will be done tomorrow (Thurs19Apr) along with a check on the coupling item close by and a shaft brake will also be put in place - that will be useful on my RTW  attempt coming up in October.

Good news of last week was finding the skeg problem was non-existent...The rudder had a couple of small problems - movement at lower bearing - but a new bearing was machined and it turned into straightforward fix - and slight surface crack - easily ground out and repaired. Hydrovane rudder was fixed in place (holes needed a bit of a clean out) and some other small jobs were done.. 

I was amused on the Thursday evening, after an enjoyable Q&A session with members of the CYCT at the Mariner's Cottage here in Sandy Bay, Hobart, when my hosts, Annik and Dave, went to return me  to my boat on the hard at Clean Lift, in Goodwood, but we couldn't get in through the gate!   Result was being driven out for a very pleasant overnight stay at their place high above Kettering and Oyster Cove, with a lovely view over the River Derwent, well below Hobart, with pademelons (like a small wallaby, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thylogale_billardierii.jpg) and dusky moorhens on their lawn at dawn...

John G. was about to come to the yard to help with boat jobs that day, and happened to live close by, so was able to take me back to 'Nereida' where a good job on the rudder repair was finished by Royce in time for me to launch late Friday afternoon.   One important job John G. saw to that day was sealing a bad leak from a cockpit drain down into the engine compartment below and we also went shopping for bits & pieces I needed.   He's been really helpful - thanks a lot, John!  

I motored down the Derwent River to the East Shore - to Lindisfarne Bay to refuel - quickly, I thought, before returning to the RYCT in Sandy Bay.....  NO!!  The pump was unbelievably slow... took nearly three hours to load 440l of diesel!   It was dark well before I finished, so I stayed the night.  The good news was meeting Rod and other friendly people, who knew my cruiser friends Don & Priscilla on 'Chautauqua'. from their lengthy stay nearby. He recognised me and made me welcome when I came up to order fish and chips and a beer later.  The next morning... I found myself well and truly stuck in the mud when I went to leave.   There was a very LOW high water - and it took several guys rocking & pushing the boat, together with me powering up in astern, to get us away....  I was nearly stuck for 12 hrs when the next decent HW would have occurred!

Later that Saturday morning, Sithu and Deborah came by to take me to Salamanca Market, full of a vast variety of stalls - everything from carved wood to hats to cheeses to paintings - most of Hobart seemed to be there, on a lovely sunny day, along with Scottish bagpipes and Highland dancers, and I bought lots of local dried blueberries and tasty, juicy local apples for my forthcoming passage plus a CD of nice guitar music and a tiny bottle of a nice Tasmanian whisky (looking ahead to being at sea over Xmas/New Year!)  Very enjoyable!  

Saw Greg on 'Alcidae' safely into port Mon morning and then guided him up Derwent River over to Lindisfarne Bay to do repairs - his boat's in a bad way!  

On Sunday I was amazed to meet up with Geoff West in Hobart. (He'd flown in from Cowes for the Three Peaks Race.)  It was his 'First Love' (a Beneteau First) that was our first boat taken out without an instructor on board for a way-too-eventful return Channel crossing - engine overheated after sucking up a black plastic bag on approach to Cherbourg harbour entrance and we sailed her back to Cowes without an engine available.. encountering a F10 off the Isle of Wight on the return, as the big Cherbourg ferry bore down on us, without any battery power for radio contact...  some memories never fade !!

But work has been calling since then.  Spent a time today greasing the Furlex, after partly-dismantling it, prior to hoisting the repaired genoa.   Fridge specialist came down to look at fridge - not cooling sufficiently.  Royce came by to look at propshaft problem and bring some chain to act as a weight for end of series drogue.

There's no real weather window in sight just now for leaving for the SW Cape of NZ (on Stewart Island)  - I'd been hoping for a weekend departure or soon after) ... a good thing, since still lots to do! Everything is taking longer to do than expected (surprise, surprise!) and other jobs keep appearing to add to top of list...

Hobart 'Mercury' printed a front-page report on my arrival here on 2nd April.

View of Hobart and Derwent river from Mt Wellington:

Some of the MG cars at the recent Rally here in Hobart:

Tea-time on "Nereida"! :

Good news! Hauled out today - to find skeg problem non-existent... Rudder has a couple of small problems - movement at lower bearing - but not a difficult fix - and slight surface crack - already ground out and glass mat /resin repair in progress. Hydrovane rudder fixed in place ready for next passage to New Zealand (holes needed a bit of a clean out) and some other small jobs done - more tomorrow... All good! :-)  

Sithu kept me company, in bright sunshine. from Royal Y.C. of Tasmania in Sandy Bay up the Derwent River to the yard just before the Bowen Bridge and John G. very kindly gave me his day, helping with cleaning the hull and several other jobs.   Yesterday, Jon N. took me to 'Nuts and Bolts' to get some vital screws/bolts and then later wife Sophie cooked a Thai fish curry for us - lovely!  RYCT neighbours Dorothy and Steve on 'Adagio', who I last saw at the OCC Desolation Sound Rally in British Columbia in 2008, have been full of useful advice and friendly help since my arrival - all very much appreciated!

Over the last week, I've given a presentation to the Cruising Yacht Club of Tasmania (with another scheduled for tomorrow) and I've enjoyed several meals and trips out: up Mt Wellington, high above Hobart, with great walking trails and views over the surrounding countryside;to nearby Battery Point, with its old buildings and houses; to the 'Wall' - a fabulous, long wooden relief, mainly in Huon pine, at Derwent Bridge, near Lake St Clair in the Central Plateau - a good car ride away through some lovely countryside; around Hobart town itself and over to the 'East shore' - by the Tasman Bridge across the River Derwent to Lindisfarne - with an unexpected visit to a fascinating MG Rally on the way back.  

People I've met have all been very friendly and several have come down to the boat to have a chat.   I've been lent a bike to get around nearby, a dongle for Internet access and have had several offers to take me by car for shopping or chandlery items.  My job list was not being ticked off very fast - but I did finally manage to complete an oil-change over the Easter long weekend - both main engine and generator needed it and the oil filter change I wasn't looking forward to turned into quite an easy one - with no leaks, to my relief!

Tomorrow, my plan is to replace the damaged mainsail batten end and all rusty rings on the mainsail car connectors, replace the missing stanchion base fairleads and generally make sure that all deck items are OK so they're ready for sailing away soon.  The genoa repair should be complete now and John will take me to shop for a few items I need for my spares.  My job list is still very long - but some jobs can wait for another time.

I'll try to post some photos here soon - but not tonight - it's getting very late!

Monday 2nd April 2012

Having left Dover in a flat calm rather later than I'd intended, I motored up to the D'Entrecasteaux Channel - and almost immediately the wind got up - eventually to 25 knots from NNE - the general direction I was headed in - Murphy always reminds you that he's around still! (I was already out of 'passagemaking mode' and hadn't checked the weather forecast to realise that maybe I should have allowed more time...

Fortunately, the Channel was wide enough that I was able to put the wind slightly off our nose and make long tacks up the Channel, keeping up a fair speed most of the time- although when the chop got up, we were bouncing about so much that we either kept grinding almost to a stop or our speed would simply drop to 2-3 knots. Falling off the wind a bit more then usually helped to get us going again.... I thought at times I wouldn't make Hobart until well after dark but finally had a bit of tide help and made it in to the Quarantine dock before 5pm - only to find I had to change all my fenders and lines from starboard to port side with an unhelpful wind blowing me off and not enough space to approach the way I needed to! Jeremy of 'Rosinante' and Dover Radio was there to help with my lines - it was good to meet him face to face after all his helpful recent radio and email contacts.

The Customs and Quarantine officers were very friendly and helpful (I like the way I don't have to dispose of my own rubbish accumulated while on passage - it gets taken away for me!) and it didn't take long before I was able to motor around to the nearby Royal Y.C. of Tasmania where friends had booked me in for the duration. We finished the bottle of champagne I'd started yesterday - and they then walked me around to a nearby friends' house for a meal and a promised bath - and more celebratory champers!!

Tomorrow, it's down to organising repairs, laundry and boat jobs/maintenance and, in the evening, I'm giving a talk to the Tasmanian Cruising Club which I'll need to prepare for. I'm hoping to see a little of Tasmania in between the work, before leaving for New Zealand soon.

DMG today - 36 ml!

Sunday 1st April 2012

0000Z/10am LT
A fast overnight sail towards the SE Cape, in rough seas and winds to 36knots - we were often right 'on the edge' but just managed to keep going - and what a great welcome soon after dawn! Sailing nicely, in less strong conditions, with Mewstone and Maatsuyker islands in sight ahead, patches of blue sky above, rain well away in the distance (!) - and a big school of large dolphins speeding towards the boat, to leap in twos and threes out of the water close by, to greet me to Tasmania and Australia...!! This is what landfall is all about - exhilarating ....couldn't ask for better! To cap it all, several Shy albatross (the Tasmanian albatross) were circling around the boat, close to their breeding ground on Mewstone, and soon after, some small 'muttonbirds' (diving petrels) were seen skittering along the water surface before diving out of sight.

I had trouble getting below decks to pour out my freshly-made coffee - all I wanted to do was to stay on deck and drink in the scene!

8.30pm Safely tied up to a buoy overnight (in a flat calm!!) in Dover, Port Esperance, off the D'Entrecasteaux Channel leading N to Hobart.

Unexpectedly, I had a thoroughly enjoyable sail in veering wind for quite a time this morning - to well past the SE Cape when suddenly the wind died completely under a blue sky. I wandered in to Recherche Bay under motor to check it out. It's a lovely Bay, with two good anchorages, with a dramatic backdrop of Mt Laperouse and Pindars Pk and other mountains. Then on up the SE coast towards S.Bruny Island .... & Partridge Island, at the start of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. On the way, we passed the George the Third Rock - where a ship full of convicts had hit and sunk, taking with it all the convicts - they weren't unlocked from the hold so they could escape when the ship hit the rock....

Coming into Port Esperance was interesting - shallows and lots of fish farms! I picked up the buoy three times but only managed to get the line on a cleat at my third attempt - it wasn't organised quite as I was expecting and I nearly lost my boat hook! I arrived near sunset, which was lovely - enhanced by a perfectly shaped, old volcanic cone as a backdrop to the bay. I opened a celebratory bottle of champagne that I was given for my birthday last August and watched the sunset, before switching on for a pre-arranged radio 'sched' to speak to Petr on 'Singa' (who's fine) and to chat to other ham friends who wanted to know how my day had gone. (I also made voice contact this morning via a radio Net with friends on 'Chautauqua', now in Australia, who I've not seen since Hilton Head in N. Carolina in 2000!).

My daily chat with Greg on 'Alcidae' found him lying to the drogue (JSD) in 35-40 knot winds, 8-9m seas and pressure right down at 980 hPa - again... He's discovered that he's lost the last portion of his drogue - he said he'd used a section of old line when he spliced the little cones onto it - and clearly it had broken under the strain of the big seas and 50 knot winds he had the other day. He'd commented to me yesterday that he wasn't lying to the drogue as he should have been - now he knows why ... He thinks he might have two more days lying to the drogue - until the seas lie down. The system he's suffering from now is the one I was trying so hard to get in here to avoid...

I plan to leave Dover in the early morning (not too early) and only need 6 hrs motoring to arrive Hobart soon after lunchtime tomorrow.

DMG today: 102 n.ml. Distance to Hobart: 36 n.ml.

Saturday 31st March 2012

Midday - Cloud coming over what was a lovely clear blue sky up to now... We've made excellent progress since yesterday, with wind up to 34+ kt in gusts, but mainly 26-32kt, initially from N but slowly backed to present WNW. Speed has mostly been well over 7 kt, & 6-7 kt in lulls. Seas have built to 5m, so in the strong wind we often roll around as they pass - but not too badly!

Land is in sight... at least on my AIS screen!! It shows Cape Sorel, halfway up the W coast of Tasmania. I'm making for the SE Cape and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel which leads 50 ml NNE towards Hobart. Another sign we're close to land was a sighting of a pair of gannets - along with a pair of sooty shearwaters, a broad-billed prion and an albatross. Wasn't possible to say whether it was one of the Shy albatross which breed on Mewstone - an island 20 ml offshore that I'll be passing tomorrow. I'm told the island makes quite a sight in moonlight, being of white quartzite!

2pm - Cloud dispersing to give a nice sunny day again. Wind seems to be well down on the 36kt or more it just got up to for a few hours - mainly 26-30kt, so maybe that's the trend now. Downloading a weatherfax while I warm up the stew I made yesterday, despite the rough seas, when I realised I wasn't eating properly, with my constant concern over the bad weather in prospect. It was very welcome!

Evening - Wind has died from the 36kt it kept gusting up to from 32kt, to just 24knots now. Pressure has shot up and I'm expecting little wind from here on... We're rolling around in rhe occasional leftover swell, and the stays'l is poled out to port - we're DDW just now!

Landfall will be in daylight - especially with wind dying ... SE Cape is ahead 70 mls and channel up to Hobart is beyond. Should be in Hobart Monday for Clearing In with Customs etc.

Must get some sleep while well offshore....

TIME: 2012/03/31 12:00
LAT: 43-48.51S LONG: 145-04.84E
COURSE: 084T SPEED: 6.1
WIND_SPEED: 25 WIND_DIR: 280T
SWELL_DIR: WNW SWELL_HT: 5.0M SWELL_PER: 8
CLOUDS: 20% BARO: 1011 TREND: 4 SEA_TEMP: 16.0C
COMMENT: Superb speed -over 7kt most day ETA Tasmania:Sun 1st April.DMG:144 n.ml

Friday 30th March 2012

I'm feeling so much better now that the wind has finally backed to N and so is allowing us to make our course towards the SE Cape of Tasmania and the protected waters beyond, leading to Hobart. I just reefed right down, tying in not just the 2nd reef but 3rd as well. Dark of night is no time to mess around! The apparent wind was up to 30 kt and we were heeling quite a bit, with seas building. Speed has dropped from the 6.4-6.7 kt we were making at times, but we're still making 5-6 kt, so that's fine.

It's been a difficult few days, seeing the nasty weather heading this way and trying to decide how best to keep heading E in an effort to avoid the worst of it, if possible. Using the motor is not normally an option, but it allowed me to keep up some semblance of speed when the winds were light and also to keep heading roughly East, although to keep the sails filled and drawing, we were forced SE more than I liked. It has been quite a balancing act between keeping up some degree of speed and not losing too much position, in the E-NE winds we have had for the last two days.

Having got this close to Tasmania has definitely turned into a good thing - the strongest of the winds are set to pass to the S of our position, along with the biggest swells - due to the High just to the N - at least for the next few days. I may yet have to heave to tomorrow (Sat) but, with any luck, the winds will stay around 30knots, rather than go much higher. They should be backing into the NW by morning and then to W by this time tomorrow evening, so that should make for a more comfortable ride ... winds from abaft the beam are always pleasanter than from ahead! We're presently banging and crashing frequently off waves and into troughs!

Greg on 'Alcidae', 650 mls to the W, is getting the full brunt of the strong weather. When I spoke to him this afternoon (4pm LT), he had just deployed his series drogue (JSD), having heaved to under sail around 7am, after sailing in increasingly difficult seas overnight.... Pressure was down to 980 hPa and still dropping, he said, winds were over 45 knots and seas were 7-8m ... nasty! It sounded as though the centre of the Low was possibly just then passing over him - which would mean the winds would swing to W-WSW from NNE and stay high. He expects to have to stay hove-to for several days, possibly. It suddenly occurred to me that one of the reasons for him wanting to stop in Hobart for repairs was the state of two of his shroud bases- lifting deck-plates & tabs.... I just hope his mast stays put in the strong winds he's getting.... fingers crossed for him.

So long as I can keep going, I should be in safe waters before the system he's suffering from gets too close to me.... that's the plan....

DMG today: 109 n.ml. (good sailing later today) S.E.Cape: 218 n.ml.; Hobart: 275 n.ml.

Thursday 29th March 2012

Bright sunny day, clear blue skies, seas fairly calm, warm - good braai/barbie weather! Would be thoroughly enjoyable if only wind were NOT from ENE-E, so heading us and making us fall well off our preferred course in order to keep some wind in the sails and so make a half-decent speed!

Weather forecast is not looking quite so grim - trysail is now on deck ready, but hopefully won't be needed -winds are showing as 30-40 on Saturday, with possibility of gusts up to 50+kt, so it's still likely that I'll have to heave to, but hopefully not for too long - all depends so much on the sea state and swell direction at the time of the stronger winds.

At time of writing this (5pm EST), wind is ENE9 kt - making our course 120T instead of the preferred 094T. I can't wait for the wind to back into the N more and strengthen, as it should be doing sometime soon.

9pm (EST) A lovely moon in a clear, starry sky - except for a low layer of grey cloud astern which has been there all day. Sea still relatively calm.

Wind has backed a little since sunset - now from NE but still only 8-9 knots so still not really useful, except that we're now only 10 degrees off our course, rather than 15.

Had the usual radio chats this afternoon and evening. (I was amused the other day by Carol of American River Radio, on Kangaroo Island, referring to the loss of an antenna as being due to a possum up there - did it eat it??) Greg now has good sailing wind of 15-20 kt - as I'm hoping to have tomorrow. My storm on Saturday will be with him at least a day earlier - looks as though it might not be too bad - 30-40 knots, possibly a bit more - a fairly 'normal' bout of Southern Ocean bad weather! But with the next Front coming along quite soon and strong winds in between and following, he might be hove-to for several days.. time will tell, as usual! Jeremy told me of a good mooring close to his boat, a few hours from Hobart, that I could make use of in strong winds if I needed to.

I've noticed that Tasmanians (and Australians in general?) seem to use the word 'ordinary' to describe something nasty..! e.g. "Sat looks a bit ordinary" for "Sat looks a bit horrible".... and it's the Brits that are supposed to be full of understatement!

Had a surprisingly good contact with Petr, OK4SNG, on 'Singa, tonight - maybe the earlier time of 0800Z helped? He was telling me that he had a 30h.p. tractor engine in his 28ft self-built boat - one that he had 'marinised' and installed himself. Only problem being that it weighed well over 200kg, which compared with a new, modern lightweight boat engine meant he could have taken 100 kg more by way of provisions on his voyage, for the same total weight. He was stopped in light ENE winds, not wanting to be forced any further S than he was already (at 48S), waiting for them to pick up and back to the N more - similar story to where I am, W of S.Tasmania. ... Wind still from NE at around 9 knots at 10pm EST....

DMG today: 89 n.ml. SE Cape: 330 n.ml.; Hobart: 384 n.ml.

Wednesday 28th March 2012

3.30pm - We've been sailing nicely at around 6 knots all morning and up to now - 1 reef in mains'l and up to 18knots of N wind - but wind is dying fairly quickly.... down to 13 knots and boat speed now down to just over 5 knots...

4.30pm - Drizzle, grey overcast, wind around 10kt, speed around 3.5kt, about to shake out first reef. Just spoke to Greg - he's 570 mls behind me. Conversation was almost entirely on weather - our forecasts are both looking nasty - but his even more so than mine IF I can make Hobart before a second lot of ugly weather gets to me.... but he can't avoid that, nor yet another one following close behind. He has a sturdy steel boat and he'll deploy his Jordan series drogue - so he should be safe with his JSD.... which I don't have now - I'll have to heave to under mains'l, as I have been recently. (A replacement JSD will soon be waiting for me in Hobart.) I'm digging out my trysail, so I can have it ready to use, in case winds get up as strongly as presently forecast. I'm also checking that nothing loose and/or heavy can fly about...

10pm Weather, weather and more weather.... I can't stop studying gribs and weather info and checking my options.... "What if...." ! Such nasty winds and seas coming soon .... Possible gusts of 60-70 kts and 8-10m seas being forecast for Fri/Sat, at present! Greg is going to suffer a lot more than I will, it would seem...

Made contact again with Jeremy of Dover Radio (and of S/Y 'Rosinante' - back home today) and had a useful discussion about possible safe anchorages in strong westerlies, once I round the SE Cape. Also spoke to Mary of Smithton Radio, after Jeremy. Later had a fair contact with Petr, OK4SNG, on 'Singa' - he's 670 ml SE of "Nereida", has had very little wind all today and was making only 2-3knots. He was very grateful for my putting him into contact with Bob McDavitt who had very kindly offered to help him with his weather to Auckland, where he's headed after reaching his 'antipodal waypoint' SE of New Zealand. Catherine, VK4GH, in Brisbane, came on frequency with an excellent signal afterwards to have a short chat - I remembered her making contact with me the last time I sailed these waters, when I sailed through the Bass Strait direct to New Zealand...

Sealed up around the sides and bottom of the washboard - just in case we get pooped ... Plan is also to make an easily-removable and replaceable seal over the inside of the sliding hatch/washboard join when I heave to - anything to stop water ingress!

Time to rest...

DMG today: 126n.ml. - reflecting the excellent sail we had earlier today, before the wind died and we started to motor-sail.
Distance to SE Cape: 415 n.ml; Distance to Hobart: 470 n.ml.

Tuesday 27th March 2012

Today seemed to disappear today ...!

Some time spent downloading weather faxes and gribs - and then studying them, over and over - bad weather coming up is looking pretty nasty.... Then downloaded emails and answered several, chatted to John, VK4DBJ, on Pacific Seafarers Net when he took my report, talked again to Greg for a time and then later to Jeremy of 'Rosinante' and Mary of Smithton Radio - they're both from Tasmania.

Looked around on deck - found a thoroughly rusty small ring - hope it's the one I'd not found before, and not a third one come away from a batten end car pin. It's becoming quite common, unfortunately, for supposedly 316 stainless to turn into a rusting heap - the Chinese, and others, have a lot to answer for - quality control is clearly not high in their priorities!

Checked my fuel use - looking OK. so long as I'm extremely careful. Was able to turn motor off for a while - lovely peace and quiet! Decided that while it's relatively calm, with stormy weather coming in Friday and Saturday, I should empty the heater fuel tank and transfer the fuel to the main tank where it's needed. Managed not to spill too much, kept 10 l in reserve in a jerry can but maybe that should go into main tank as well.

I'm getting rather concerned about the weather forecast for the weekend.... 40-50 knot winds are likely where I'm expecting to be on Saturday, preceded by headwinds - NE and ENE winds will make heading E very difficult and probably force me to head further S than I want to go.

The night sky was superb soon after a lovely sunset - so many stars up there.. Being on deck at night in relatively calm conditions has definite bonuses - sparkling glints appear in the water as we disturb it on passing through and every so often, a large being glows gently - a squid, maybe, or a jellyfish - whatever it is, it's slowly passed by and the glowing yellow-green light fades away astern.

Time for rest and sleep, after food ...

DMG: 117 n.ml. SE Cape: 543 n.ml. Hobart (by more direct route, since stormy weather expected): 604 n.ml.

Monday 26th March 2012

Beautiful warm, sunny day until late aftenoon, when some cloud came over - but not enough to obscure the crescent moon close to Venus and Jupiter at sunset - forming a triangle once Jupiter appeared - being much less bright than Venus, he didn't show as early as she did!

Enjoyed breakfast sitting in the sun in the cockpit - unusual pleasure! Had to dig for sunglasses.. and remove two layers of fleeces - too hot in the lovely sunshine!! Had the last fresh grapefruit and some fresh coffee with my breakfast. Later, finished the last of the fresh cherry tomatoes with lunch - they've lasted quite well in the fridge, despite that often being turned off, on the way here, to save power.

Motor was run most of the day in light wind around 4-6 knots from W - sails couldn't add much to our speed with so little wind from astern!

Seas were fairly calm this morning - just a slight 2-3m, long, SW swell. But the swell picked up later in the day - it's now 3-4 m - not so very big, but the occasional larger wave rocks us about somewhat. Very few birds in these calm conditions - a pair of storm petrels and a soft-plumaged petrel are all I've seen.

Had a good time on deck in the sunshine, sorting out a few minor problems with lines and sheets. Some had got very twisted, like the mainsheet, for example - I was finding it difficult to release it, it was so very twisted between the traveller blocks and the boom block. I undid it completely, having tied down the boom, and straightened the line out - similarly the running backstay on starboard side which has been used a lot.

Also re-ran a few lines that weren't quite right and on having a good look around the deck fittings, I found a couple of bits of plastic - clearly come off the sides of a couple of blocks - no big problem for the time being, but it shouldn't have happened! When later checking the anchor pin closure and windlass operation (thinking ahead to landfall!), I noticed the genoa foot shackle was undone and only being held in place by the leathering there - it's lucky I've only been using the genoa well furled or the sail would have come away by now - first job for tomorrow, if it's still calm, is to unfurl the sail completely and release the halyard a little, to slacken it so I can close the shackle. I could take the genoa down and change it - I'll see how calm the conditions are, but I'm inclined to leave it now to Hobart - we've some strong wind coming up soon and the stays'l has been working well with the small amount of genoa.

Organised a downhaul on port side for the stays'l pole and then poled stays'l out - with WNW-NW wind from astern likely over the next few days, could well need the pole regularly on that side - up to now, it's only been out to starboard in the mostly SW winds we've been having from astern.

All in all, a very pleasant, relaxing, useful day - with lots of radio chat as well. On the Pacific Seafarers Net at lunch-time, John, VK4DBJ, took my details on 14310 kHz and several others came there to chat when he'd finished, (I'm thinking of setting up a 'sched' for 0400Z on 14310 - could become a regular chat session!) and in the late afternoon, an hour after my daily chat with Greg on 'Alcidae', I talked to Mary of Smithton Radio and to Jeremy, on board 'Rosinante' in Port Davey. Mary was going to be in Hobart this weekend - and hoping I'd be in by then, to see me - but I'm likely not to be there until Monday at earliest - there's a nasty Low heading this way for Friday/Saturday which could well slow me down with stormy conditions just as I get close to making landfall. Appropriate weather, perhaps, for rounding the SE Cape - one of the 'Big Five'!! Murphy is alive and well!!

DMG today: 113 n.ml. SE Cape of Tasmania: 662 n.ml.; Hobart 755 n.ml. Wind just now: 2 knots from every which way....!

Variation became zero last Friday (around 124-125E) and is now 3 degrees East - have to ADD 3 degrees now to compass readings to get True.

Sunday 25th March 2012

To my delight and surprise, the wind suddenly picked up to 15 knots around midnight and I was able to cut the motor and sail goose-winged with the stays'l poled out to starboard, making excellent speed for quite a time - lovely!!

The pleasant sail continued through the day in slowly lessening winds until by 5pm, with the wind down to 6-9 knots from astern, we were into motor-sailing once more ... the wind has since steadied at 4-6 knots!

The bonus tonight is the beautiful night sky - clear, with a million stars and the Milky Way strewn across like dust, Southern Cross high up and Orion doing his headstand, as usual. No moon tonight.

Quite a few birds around later today - a small flock of prions, several storm petrels - frenetically dipping into the sea, soft-plumaged petrels, yellow-nosed albatross... and the most glorious of sunsets - a golden-red glow reflected for ages by a low cloud layer onto the sea surface - absolutely stunning!

I've been busy today with emails - I seem to be forever trying to catch up with my 'correspondence' - it's mostly a pleasure but takes a time each day - luckily the radio connections on Winlink and, finally, Sailmail are both good now, so it's not such a struggle sending/receiving my 'post'.

I managed today to make contact on the radio (by voice, on 4483kHz) with three people simultaneously! .... Mary Kay of Smithton Radio (with whom I'd chatted daily when I sailed through the Bass Strait and on to New Zealand nonstop from Cape Town the last time I sailed these waters), Carol of American River Radio on Kangaroo Island (I'd connected with her station every day also, two years ago) and finally with Jeremy on 'Rosinante' at anchor in Port Davey - he's been very helpful to me by email with info on anchorages and the coastal area in the S of Tasmania up to Hobart.

I had my usual chat with Greg on 'Alcidae' but couldn't have a proper chat with Petr on 'Singa' because of too much noise on frequency his end - not helped by a radio 'contest' on 14 MHz - people madly trying to connect with each other, exchanging callsigns and some other number/info - presumably the 'winner' is the person with the most verified contacts over the weekend - yes, it was going on over Saturday as well... and has made normal 20m contacts impossible... Even the Pacific Seafarers Net on14300 kHz, which is a safety Net, had problems with interference from the contestants. TG, it's Monday tomorrow....

Good news on my damaged mainsail batten end holder and cars is that through Nicki of Carol Hasse's PTSails, the relevant parts have all been organised to be sent to Hobart - so when I get in, I'll be able to repair things quickly.. Thanks for the organising, Nicki! And thanks to John of Tides End for sending so promptly the spare pins and rings I need for my Strong Track cars. I've quite a long list of repairs etc I need to do on landfall - and I'd like to squeeze in something of Tasmania, as well!

DMG today: 111M Hobart is 868 sailing mls away; SE Cape of Tasmania (one of the Five Great Capes): 774 n.ml.

Saturday 24th March 2012

Wind died just before dawn - all reefs shaken out, working as it got light, under a grey, overcast sky. A showery, gusty morning. Every now and then, wind increased from the usual 6-9 knots as a cloud came over and I rushed to turn off the motor that was idling at low revs, to help us along at a speed in excess of the 1-2 knots we'd be doing otherwise - but it never lasted long! Mains'l was flopping about in the 4m swell and the light wind... The wind varied in direction, so sail trimming was frequent, trying to get the most out of what there was.

I decided to let the motor run gently for a 20-24hr period, so long as the wind stayed around 6-7 kt or less (which it has), to help us get further S to where there might be wind - which may not be until 2-3 days' time, maybe longer... We don't have a lot of fuel, but I'd like to see just how much we use when going gently like this, rather than slopping about in the left-over swell of the last few days and going nowhere.

Motor-sailing is a luxury I often don't have the choice of, but in calms, it is a definite plus! The other bonuses are lots of hot water, hot air (from the cooling water pipe lead to a fan by the chart table area), as well as charging the batteries really well ... and I ran the watermaker to fill the tanks.

The afternoon has been lovely (speed apart!) - the sun came out once the cloud overhead cleared away, although there were plenty around on the horizon and a low, dark grey cloud close astern which fortunately stayed there all afternoon and didn't spread over us - it was raining heavily under it in a few places. Two yellow-nosed albatross flew majestically around, near and far, gliding with their long wings held out, rarely beating them. Of course, when I went for my camera, they disappeared for quite a time!

Wind tonight has died to 3 knots from WNW - not much use for sailing SE!

We might have to flop about for the next few days - I can't run the engine to help for much longer..... From one extreme to the other - from gales and big swell one day to calms a couple of days later...... At least the swell is decreasing ... down to just 2-3m tonight with the occasional larger wave, but all well-spaced and water surface fairly smooth. (Greg, on 'Alcidae', 500 miles away at 43S, had 20knots and was sailing nicely this afternoon!)

DMG at noon today, with motor-sailing from dawn, was 94 n.ml. - we'd been doing reasonably well overnight, beam reaching in wind of around 15 knots.

Sailing distance to Hobart: 977 n.ml. - under 1000 n.ml. !! Normally, would take about 8 days... now, who knows?

Friday 23rd March 2012

Brief report today....

Got under way around 6:30am LT - so lovely to be sailing, despite the still large seas! But they weren't anywhere like as rough as they had been, so sailing has been good and quite fast, in winds of SW-SSW 22-24kt, gusting 28kt or so at times.

Skies have been mainly overcast, with some light rain, although at one point this morning, there was blue sky to the S and a fogbank to our N - weird! Tonight, there are some stars out but it's difficult to see how much cloud there is with no moon!

Wind has died toward evening - we're struggling to make over 4.5kt just now - and the weather news is grim - looks as though a Big Fat High is going to sit over us for several days, extending right down almost to 50S... bad news.... No avoiding it and it will be difficult to move far in such light winds - so that will put the ETA back quite a bit...

Time for sleep ... The best we can do is to head SE as we're doing ... que sera, sera..

DMG today, not having got underway until 2230 GMT, was 85 n.ml. - not too bad!

Sailing distance to Hobart: 1071 n.ml.

Thursday 22nd March 2012

Kept checking weather info all day long - several grib files downloaded. Tried to persuade myself that maybe it would be OK to get under way, with wind down to around 20-24kt,sometimes less, but each time I looked out to see how the seas were doing - I was quickly persuaded to stay put! They've been big all day and increased towards tonight - BIG! So we've been rocking and rolling all day - excellent exercise, even when seated!!

Having failed to make radio contact twice today, I was thoroughly relieved to get a late email tonight from Petr on 'Singa' - TG I had stayed up late, as usual, so I got the reassurance that he's OK, has managed to replace his damaged mainsail and has been underway in reasonable conditions - although the swell I've been trying to avoid is clearly headed his way now... Difficult not to worry, having not managed to make contact over the day, after his bad experience of yesterday... but he's fine now, although without his parachute anchor for strong conditions.

Not much else to report.... Mainly dull, grey day today, with usual albatrosses, petrels & shearwaters for company, although few in number. Spent several long sessions watching the seas - impressive! Had usual radio chat with Greg, who was only making 2-3 kt in lovely sunshine - trapped by the High to my W, which is fast catching up with me... He was happy to get a few jobs done and dry out things a bit.... and thinking of starting his engine, maybe. I was pleased when my genset started up tonight - my 'fix' has clearly worked!

With our drift, despite being hove-to, we made DMG of 36 n.ml. today!! In the right direction, what's more... due E!

Cape Pasley is 370 n.ml. due N; 1144 n.ml. of sailing to reach Hobart

Better get some sleep if we're to move tomorrow early-ish....