Saturday 4th October (continued)
The HF/SSB radio is seeing good use! I'm getting frequent weather/grib file downloads, posting these updates and getting occasional emails, as well as having regular radio chats
Pleased to say I didn't have to motor for long and, by mid-morning, I was able to cut the engine in a good SSW wind and we made excellent speed under sail. I was soon raising the pole to hold out the genoa goose-winged with a small mainsail and found we could make directly for the reef pass near to Noumea. It was a lovely downwind sail in bright sun but with a big following sea from bad weather to the south throwing us around at times.
I'd just settled down to lunch when 'Bang!' - the pole separated from the mast ... Work was needed to deal with that and we finally ended up with the pole secured on deck , the genoa furled away and the mains'l sheeted well out with just one reef. That has worked well today to allow us to sail a rhumb line course.
The evening wind is around 17kt from SSW-SW with frequent surfing in the continuing big S swell under a bright moon. Tomorrow, we might need to gybe around onto starboard tack as we get nearer to the coast of New Caledonia, ready for landfall Monday morning..
(The link to my Predictwind tracking is working well - click on the link on this page