Friday 18th May 2012

Although the seas were still big, at about 5m, the wind had eased enough by 4am to get sailing again - with poled-out staysail and main goose-winged, in 27kt of SW wind, we were making around 6 knots. By sunset, the wind had veered slowly into the W and eased to just 15 kt.

It's been pleasant sailing, with occasional rain this morning and scattered light clouds this afternoon, except for being thrown around every so often by the big swell - I've a small bump on my forehead from when I got caught out one time!

I've even seen a few birds - two great albatross, at least one of them a juvenile for sure - so distinctive with their pale faces contrasting with their dark body - and 2-3 other smaller birds - too far away to identify but it was still nice to see them nearby.

Not quite sure where the time went (maybe it was just nice to feel relaxed, in pleasant conditions?!), but I didn't get anywhere further with either of the autopilot hydraulic pumps nor the generator seawater pump - which is lying on the cabin sole, waiting .

DMG today, similar to yesterday, was 66 n.ml - half the usual, due to being hove to from midday yesterday to 4 a.m. but making a good speed this morning.

Another 'blow' is possible this weekend, with two Fronts passing by ... All depends on how far north I am by then. I've spent a lot of time again today, downloading weatherfaxes, getting other useful weather info and trying to decide on the best course to steer, partly with the approaching Low & Fronts in mind - always a bit of a lottery...

Thursday 17th May 2012 (GMT) - hove-to overnight into Friday

Seems we were right in the area where the Low was forming last night and early this morning - explains the light wind overnight.

Air pressure went down to 985 around daybreak with a gentle SSW wind of 11kt and lots of heavy rain - we were sailing nicely. By 9am, we had 14-18kt of wind, but it increased in under two hrs to near 30kt and within two more hrs, to 35-38. It was gusting up to 40kt with big seas having built up - we had to heave to.

From wxfaxes, it looks as though I was really close to the newly-forming Low centre - but pressure is now rising so hopefully, winds will ease soon so I can get underway . We've been hove-to since midday. The heavy rainsqualls cleared away to give mainly clear skies near sunset - lots of stars tonight. Wind is still around 35kt tonight, with pressure having increased slightly to 992hPa.

Hope to be underway sometime early tomorrow.... if wind eases sufficiently.

DMG today: 66n.ml. - the result of those almost non-existent winds last night.

I got started on my repair jobs - but they had to go on hold once the seas got up .. too difficult being thrown around, to get on with those jobs - they'll have to wait...

Wednesday 16th May 2012 (GMT - strictlly speaking, it's Tuesday according to my longitude, just east of the Dateline which is on meridian 180 degrees!)

What a difference a day makes...!

After yesterday's nasty weather and big problems, it was great to have sunshine and wind. Even though the wind was rather variable over the day, we were often sailing at a good speed, eventually with poled out staysail on a broad reach. Seas stayed up for most of the day at around 4-5 m - quite big and knocking us about regularly.

But by evening, the occasional light shower had become heavy rain, with occasional lightning, and almost NO WIND... I suddenly realized that not having an autopliot that worked was a problem - we could have motored very gently on our course with a working AP - but not without one since the very light apparent wind generated wouldn't be enough for the windsteering to take over.. (Seems I'd better prioritize fixing the AP system.) I noticed that what little wind there was came from the N - not helpful for a NE course. In fact, as I write this, the wind is 7 knots from NNE... Fred, our windsteering crew-member, is presently managing to keep us going roughly due E at 1 knot!

Pressure is down at 988 hPa and we'll just have to wait for the expected NW wind to arrive - all indications are that it wil possibly become strong Southerly soon after. I hope I don't have to wait too long!

No mention of birds recently because I've hardly seen any - just a single Flesh-footed Shearwater early today and a Sooty Shearwater yesterday. ... quite different from the passages full of birdlife up to now.

24hr DMG to 1pm NZT today: 107 n. ml.

Approx position now: 39S, 173W 446 n.ml. E of Napier on NZ's North Island, in Hawke Bay.

Tuesday 15th May 2012

A difficult couple of days -big , rough seas & winds regularly up in the 30s - consistently around 37kt overnight yesterday and still around 30 kt now (just gusted up to 34kt) - with more strong conditions expected soon. I went to heave to finally last night with the wind staying up around 35kt -only to find the stays'l furling line was stuck so I couldn't furl in the sail ... At dawn, I saw the reason (a stuck sheet) and was then able to heave to - getting some much-needed sleep for a few hours... before getting underway again in 24kt early this afternoon.

Wind has been mainly from N-NNW and we headed just N of E for quite a time in the hope that would avoid even stronger conditions as a deep complex Low came by. Pressure is still down at 987, having dropped to 983 hPa this afternoon. We're in a deep trough, waiting for the wind to back into the W-SW and strengthen more - good Southern Ocean stuff!!

It's been wet and cold, with outer clothing feeling thoroughly damp to put on each time I've gone on deck. With the small generator deciding not to work (I ran the main engine this afternoon to charge batteries), all the more reason to use Fred to steer us under windpower. Went to use the newly-fixed autopilot earlier - it was fine for quite a time, but finally decided it was not well. I've not yet investigated but expect to have to change in the the hydraulic pump from the second AP system on board when things are calmer. In the meantime, Fred is coping well so long as I fix the wheel slightly to leeward in strong conditions to avoid heading up in the gusts.

The generator problem is due to overheating and lack of seawater getting to the cooling circuit. I loosened the seawater strainer cover to allow the water to rise up the pipework but that didn't help. The impellor cover is virtually impossible to remove in situ, so another job for calmer conditions will be to remove the seawater pump completely to check the impellor - that's actually far easier! (I have a spare pump ready, just in case of other problems).

It's been good to have supportive, friendly chats by radio with people - Kiwi/Aussie nets in the mornings, regular contact with Taupo Radio and Bluff Fishermen's Radio (Meri) and the Pacific Seafarers Net. Ian on Coast Radio Hobart even came up to greet me on Monday and pass on a message from Mary of Smithton Radio (in Tasmania) and there's usually contact on 14300 at any time if I want or need it. I've even made contact with a Dutch group - amazing to chat to Belgium & Holland from here!

Time to catch up on some more sleep - finished my very welcome stew tonight, so must make another tomorrow...

DMG Monday: 137 n.ml. Tuesday: 108 n.ml. (despite heaving to for a while!)

Sunday 13th May 2012

Between expected strong winds and finding the autopilot had given up the ghost, I was too busy yesterday to post a log report, although my usual midday position & weather report was posted.

I've been getting updated weather faxes and voice weather forecasts frequently for several days now .... "Looks as though we shan't avoid 30 knots later on Saturday," I said two days ago.... Fortunately , we totally avoided the strong winds - probably just nicely too far S, due to being almost hove-to in light winds, very close-hauled, while I was busy in the aft cabin, draining hydraulic fluid from the autopilot pump, once I'd evenually found someone with the right knowledge to advise me... The next dose of 30+ knots heading our way is now expected overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. Having missed two lots so far, I doubt I'll be so lucky again...! Also Wednesday is expected to bring strong SW'lies at 30-40kt.

Over Saturday afternoon, I was busy on deck in the relatively calm conditions (light winds, 3m swell...) fixing a few items, ready for the expected strong weather coming up (found 3rd reef shackle pin was missing, meaning I wouldn't have been able to tie in the 3rd reef!). I noticed that we were wandering all over the place and a few hours later realized that the autopilot ram (the piston pushing & pulling the lever arm attached to the rudder stock) was wheezing like a 95-year-old and unable to make any effective movement - the AP was completely unable to hold a course . So I switched to Fred, my Hydrovane helper, who, despite the light winds, coped well - we settled down nicely on course, close-hauled.

When I checked in with friendly Taupo Maritime Radio at 7pm, as I do daily just now, I mentioned my problem and asked if they had anyone who could advise me (I couldn't find a manual), my thinking at that point being to change over the hydraulic pumps in my two independent autopilot systems, so that I'd end up with a good pump working a good ram.They eventually put me in contact with Mike Roberts at the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre, also in Wellington, who was brilliant! After a long discussion, during which he suggested I might make for Wellington (but the Cook Strait was expecting 40kt winds overnight!), or possibly Napier (but dead upwind!), he decided that my problem was possibly due to degraded/dirty hydraulic fluid - my response being to change it, if he could give me advice on any problems to avoid. Overnight, that's exactly what I did - with lots of friendly, useful support from Mike over the radio and satphone. By 4.30am, I'd bled the system thoroughly and had the pump running OK & working the drive unit (or so I thought!) No leaks and all looking good, except for the chaos in the aft cabin - that could wait until after I'd got some sleep..

It wasn't until later today, when I finally got to the aft cabin to tidy up, check the reservoir level and check for no leaks, that I realized that the port drive hadn't been connected up .. a small detail I'd overlooked last night! So much for last night's bleeding and running the AP to confirm all OK after changing the fluid! Fred had still been in charge in the darkness...! I immediately connected up the correct drive arm, changed the power supply over and bled the system - it felt good and strong and has since behaved fine, including no leaks.

I've now switched back to Fred in a NNW 4-5 (15-17kt) wind and we're making ENE at 6.7 - 7.2 kt, bouncing along gently - we're in the groove...! These conditions are expected to last until tomorrow afternoon, when the wind will increase until overnight.

By 6pm, the 80-mile distant coastline of the North Island of NZ was slowly disappearing from the top left corner of my AIS screen as we sailed gently away from land, sunset an hour before. Two different lone albatrosses had come by today - very few birds are being seen just now.

DMG today, not too surprisingly, was a mere 77 n.ml.

Friday 11th May 2012

I'm watching the wind strength as I write this - the SE-18 kt of yesterday became 15 overnight, then 11 kt most of today and has become 7-10 kt now.. as we headed NE in mainly SE winds.

A Low is coming this way - with strong winds 30-40kt expected in places over this weekend. Taupo Maritime Radio (helped by an intervention by Coast Radio Hobart, who heard me calling!) kindly gave me up-to-date weather info so I know what to expect in the sea area where I am now and will be over Sat and Sun. It all depends exactly where I am when - highly variable winds due to the Low being so very close by.

Royal albatross were joined by an occasional Buller's and a Sooty Shearwater today - another murky, grey day until sunset, when the clouds parted on the horizon to give a glimpse of the setting sun - nice!

Another day spent with an eye constantly on the wind and forecasts of weather (lots of weatherfaxes downloaded, as usual), but also with plenty of contact with people by radio - it's good to chat to them!

After a major diversion rounding Mernoo Bank to avoid its shallow areas in view of the swell running, hardly surprising that our daily DMG was only 92 n.ml. - not too bad!

Looks as though we shan't avoid 30 knots later on Saturday - not sure whether from SW or NW though - and there'll be gusts to higher, no doubt... Wind direction is off shore,so that's good.

Thursday 10th May 2012

Dawn saw the start of another cold, grey day - with a pair of Southern Royal albatross circling the boat. They stayed around on and off all day, together with a pair of pretty Cape Petrels - distinctive in their jazzy black and white markings - tiny by comparison with the majestic albatross.

As usual, in rough conditions, with more forecast, I've spent a lot of time checking weather info and downloading weatherfaxes regularly.

Swell has been 4m from both the S and the E over today and yesterday - making definitely for a bumpy ride!

Dave & Trish, on Tony's Net, have suggested a stop in Raivavae, rather than Tahiti, both in French Polynesia - they reckon it to be one of the nicest of the French islands there, with an easy, safe entry into the lagoon... but it seems a bit off my path...

Fred, my Hydrovane helper, has been happily in control all last night and today. But I gave him a rest tonight ... Although I'd recently got out the paper chart for the SW Pacific, I'd not really looked at it much, not thinking it necessary with the plotter available - big mistake!

When I spoke to Meri (controller of the Bluff Fishermen's Radio) tonight, I double-checked her Gale warning for the sea area I'm in now - and fortunately she asked Paul, on the nearby fishing vessel "Southern Progress", to check my position on his plotter to see which forecast area I should be using... We got chatting and he warned me of the shoals in the Mernoo Bank, saying I was heading directly for very shallow water, on which the swell would be breaking very heavily...

What a timely comment! It didn't take long for me to realize that it might be a very good idea to go around the Bank... On checking the depths ahead in detail, he was absolutely right - the sea rises to just 50m depth in several places in the Bank - right on my path...

Problem was the wind direction - heading E wasn't an option in the SE wind, so I had to gybe and head NW in order to be sure of avoiding the several shoal areas. Of course, heading downwind promptly made our motion calmer and the seas now seem even calmer due, no doubt, to being on the far side of the Bank from the swell direction. Later tonight, I'll be able to gybe around again and gradually get back on course.

We eventually made very good speed last night and today, once I'd unfurled quite a bit of genoa on deciding that there didn't seem to be the strong winds that had been forecast. So our DMG ended up vaguely respectable - at 100 n.ml.

The Low that had been promising strong winds seems now to be expected to hang around for several days, more's the pity... Getting away from New Zealand is proving to be quite complicated!

Wednesday 9th May 2012

With wind from E-ENE, we've been making slow progress all day, very close-hauled, N of our planned course. ....

Impossible to head NE as I'd intended and not a good idea to get too close to the coast of S. Island, New Zealand. Reason being a Low heading towards us, forecast to give 35-knot winds - if necessary, I planned to heave to but didn't want to do that too close to land with possible strong easterlies - hence the need to stay very close-hauled, even though that meant a slow speed. That has turned out to be a good thing anyway, since tonight, the band of 35-kt winds, moving E, is forecast to be well ahead of us tomorrow and by having sailed parallel to the coast, we should be able to go around the Low with helpful winds...

As I write this, the wind has veered to ESE and is around 16 knots - not much more than the 12-14 knots seen over most of today but I'm expecting to see it increase as that Low gets closer... After the Low has passed,, we could run out of wind... Plenty of variety out here!!

The 25knots we had from 4-7pm yesterday was not followed this morning by further strong winds, as forecast yesterday evening - good news!

I checked the two solar panels' input this afternoon, in very gloomy overcast (as all day long). There are two sets of wires coming down, each fused, and it occurred to me, following a comment from Greg yesterday when discussing the solar panel wiring, that removing each fuse in turn would give a simple way of checking if one set of panels had damaged wiring. In the event, both sets were putting in equal current and since I don't think there's any worry about one set of panels, that implies the other set is also OK - more good news!

I'm continuing to make voice radio contacts several times daily - as well as downloading weatherfaxes from Taupo Radio broadcasts., The weatherfax transmissions are really useful for keeping right up to date, while at sea, with current and expected weather - a real safety feature!

Not surprisingly, DMG today was only 98 n.ml. and probably less tomorrow.

Tuesday 8th May 2012

Very few birds seen today - just the occasional visit by a Buller's albatross and several visits from a solitary Cape petrel.

This afternoon, the expected Cold Front came through after a day of quite light winds. Ahead was the usual cloud layer but with only a hint of light rain, and wind which had slowly backed from yesterday's NE to an overnight N and then stayed roughly NW 12 knots most of the day until around 4pm, when it quickly backed to WSW as the Front passed over, increasing to 25 knots or more. There was a lovely sunset with the red-gold sunlight catching the underneath of the clearing low cloud layer. I had to gybe to stay on course, expecting the wind to back further, which by tonight it has - to SE . So we've been through pretty well all possible sail trims - through almost dead downwind, from close-hauled to a broad reach on starboard tack back to close-hauled on port tack.

Forecast for tomorrow is for wind to inrease - to around 25 knots from the East eventually - so holding our NE course will get increasingly difficult..... Maybe they've got that wrong! Especially since the forecast is for NE 35 kt on Thursday...

Had several radio chats today, again - but not quite so much as yesterday! Spoke to Meri, who runs Bluff Fishermen's Radio, on South Island, just N of Stewart Island. Several fishing boats also checked in with her, giving position and weather - she keeps an eye on them to make sure all is well onboard and they tell her when they expect to make which harbour.

Must get into my night sleep routine - expecting strong wind by morning, so won't remove many layers, if any!

DMG today: 124 n.ml. Distance to Tahiti: 2602 n.ml. - approx. another 3 weeks of sailing!

Monday 7th May 2012

Beautiful, calm, clear, moonlit night (full 'perigee' moon) - Stewart Island, and offlying Big South Cape Island slightly to the West, both clear in outline as we slowly changed course around the SW Cape to head towards Tahiti to get the required Easting before sailing to Hawai'i, before making for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between the 'Pacific NW' of the USA and Vancouver Island...

While it was so calm, I took the opportunity of the bright moonlight to cable-tie some of the wires below the solar panels which I'd noticed earlier had come adrift - presumably when one set of panels had been sliding on its support a few days back. I suspect some of the wiring connections are damaged from being pulled on. since we don't seem to be putting in anything like what I've been used to seeing. A job for when it's really calm, one day!

Unfortunately, the autopilot motor stopped functioning as just as the wind died on approach to the Cape (luckily a good way off!) so, not seeing anything I could do about it, once the hydraulic fluid had been topped up, I switched to the back-up motor - no big crisis, but nice to have calm conditions to investigate and try to sort out the problem! It's certainly giving me the chance to find out a little about hydraulic motor systems..... Since the back-up ram is working but in need of refurbishing, I might yet have to switch its motor in place of the problem one at some point. In the meantime, it was good to have Fred, the Hydrovane windsteering unit, to fall back on.... the bonus being no use of battery power while he's hard at work!

I was well aware of needing to keep 'North Trap' (rocks awash) and 'Boomerang Breaker' (shallow spots to under 5m depth) well off to starboard (by 4 ml and 9 ml respectively) as I rounded Stewart Island 4-5 mls off. (There's also a 'South Trap' to avoid, with rocks just 1.8m above water, which is 17 mls offshore.) The names seemed very understandable... but later this morning I realised just how appropriate the names were when, with almost no wind and motor-sailing ENE, I found us in a strong SW-flowing current... Together with a strong NNE wind that suddenly came up, we were struggling against the headwind to pass the Trap safely & making only around 2 knots. In the end , the only way to avoid for sure from being taken onto the Trap was to change course completely and head SE to pass S of it - giving us much better speed under sail, into the bargain!

At which point, I realized we were heading into a fogbank over the shallow area... Oh, what fun...! The worry also was that the chart and GPS might not be in sync - I kept my eyes on the depth display and tried to spot the low-lying rocks - in the distance, I hoped! ... which I found was the case..... with relief, no depth less than nearly 50m was seen and all ended well...

In hindsight (how good that always is!), I should have continued ESE from the SW Cape a bit further before 'turning the corner' and that might have avoided the problem (although there was still the South Trap not so far away - ready for the unwary!)

At dawn, there was a simultaneous bright sun and bright moon! The sky was full of albatross all morning - lots of Shy albatross as well as Buller's, also maybe Savin's - plus the occasional Cape Petrel. just an amazing sight - it was difficult to keep my mind on sail trim with so many fabulous birds flying so close - I got my camera out again - we live in hope of the occasional bird in the frame!!

Eventually, the wind backed to N and we then made good speed (up to 7 kt) making 080T. Later the wind settled down nicely and we made around 060T at good speed.

I seem to have been busy talking to people a lot on the radio today - Stewart Island Maritime Radio (actually in Wellington, via repeaters) had a very friendly operator who gave me the up-to-date weather for my area and also suggested a twice-daily check-in with them - initially on VHF and then on HF. Later there was a long session after the Pacific Seafarers Net - with a great 'patch' from Tom, WA6TLL, who got my friend Barbara, from Sidney , B.C., to chat to me using his radio (in California) via her telephone... This evening, I chatted to hams in Belgium, Holland and S. Australia and also with Greg, Mary Kay (of Smithton Radio, Tasmania) and friendly Hobart Coast Radio . Then, after an email from Jeremy of Dover Radio (Tasmania), I unexpectedly spoke to Meri of Bluff (N.Z.) Fishermen's Radio who was expecting me, having just herself spoken to Jeremy! All very sociable - and people forever ask me, "Aren't you lonely out there by yourself?"!

With the light wind around dawn, not too surprising that our DMG today was only 112 n.ml.

Better 'post' this - my morning 'sched' starts with a check-in at 0700 with NZ Maritime Radio!

Sunday 6th May 2012

Early in the morning, the overnight overcast cleared away from the N to give bright sunshine - but only for a short while before cloud increased again. The air is cold and the inside of the boat is cold from the low sea temperature - presently around 14C, having slowly gone down from 17C near Tasmania.. Wind is somewhat less and seas are a bit calmer than the last few days - we're actually sailing quite gently, at around 6 knots.

So many birds around today - being near Stewart Island and the many islets around it, clearly makes a difference - I even saw a seal this afternoon - popped his head up and looked at me!Majestic Royal albatross (Southern) soaring on fxed wings, white-rumped storm petrel fluttering over the surface, lots of Buller's, and the occasional Black-browed, albatross, ...prions, Flesh-footed shearwaters and a handsome Cape petrel late this afternoon - reminds me of the first time I saw one - was also a day out from New Zealand, in 2010. Spent a long time trying to get photos - so difficult!

DMG today - 146n.ml.!

Problrm withAP - stopped working - so I'd best close this and try to see if I can get anywhere - fluid leaking a bit - have just topped up fluid level... Hydrovane working fine in calm conditions and light wind (down to 8-9kt just now) which has veered to ENE and so is taking us away from land - good news!! But we're fairly close to land now (just 30 ml from SW Cape) so best to see if I can get one of the two APs working ... Bye for now!

Saturday 6th May 2012

A bright start to the day - but soon overcast with grey cloud - to last all day. The wind gods have stayed kind - wind consistently around NNE all day, at 15-19 knots, so good speed and course maintained, although seas were rather rough for most of the day and moving about was usually difficult.

Calmer tonight, with wind down to 16 kt at present, but speed down to below 6 kt as a result .... unlike the 6-7 knots I've got used to seeing. We're on schedule for rounding the SW Cape overnight tomorrow (around midday Sunday in GMT/very early morning Sunday in PDT) - a pity in a way, since it would have been nice to have got close in daylight to take some photos - maybe the (full) moon will be out for a night shot instead?

Last night got rather fraught when the autopilot stopped working... Hurriedly, I handsteered for a bit, and then got the Hydrovane working (being close-hauled, the boat could probably have steered herself, in fact!). After a while, having checked fluid level and general rudder/drive area, with nothing untoward found, I thought I'd try it again - it worked for a while but later did the same - it seemed to get stuck with the rudder at 3 degrees to port both times. Since then, it has worked without a hiccup, so I wonder what caused the problem.

Today was notable for the number of birds around - as is not unusual when the seas get a bit rough!! I was delighted to see four albatross early on - two Buller's albatross (endemic to this area) and two Black-browed (possibly Campbell's). The Buller's were new to me, as of yesterday, but were really unmistakeable once I'd got my birdbook out... grey head with pale cap, small dark area close to eyes, bright yellow upper to dark bill with yellow line underneath (similar to Yellow-nosed, but yellow top of bill far more eye-catching), mainly white underparts, with dark upper wings and back and thin dark edge to underwings. One seemed particularly keen to stay close to the boat so I got a really good look several times as it swooped past me on fixed wings - rarely flapping them, in typical albatross style. This afternoon, the usual small flock of prions was joined by several all-dark birds which flew around for a long time - Short-tailed shearwaters, I decided... dark bill and no light colour on underwing (as Sooty has), along with flight pattern and wing shape were decisive.

I'm looking forward to the approach to New Zealand's S coast tomorrow - hoping the cloud cover won't prevent me from seeing the mountain peaks of Southland in the South Island. Mt Aspiring is over 3,000m high and many other peaks are over 2,000m. On Stewart Island, there are two adjacent peaks, 979m & 974m high, in the N.

There's always a definite feeling of excitement on closing land - especially when you've never seen it before!

If I can time getting up well before dawn, and the cloud cover has gone (probably not, on both counts!), then I'm told it should be possible to see a bright display of meteorites:
"Earth is entering a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, source of the annual 'eta Aquarid' meteor shower. The shower peaks this weekend on May 5th and 6th. Glare from a perigee (close approach) full Moon--a "Super Moon"--will interfere with the display. Nevertheless, observers especially in the southern hemisphere, could still see dozens of meteors during the hours before local sunrise on May 6th."
(Thanks to John, VK4DBJ, for sending me the info.)

DMG today: 137 n.ml. - making the five-day total 683 n.ml.... with 221 n.ml. to SW Cape (all at 0100GMT/11am EST). (As I write this, I can see the SW corner of New Zealand's S.Island on my AIS screen - just over 100 ml away!)

(Just checked on deck - bright moon shining from a clearing sky - we might just be in luck if I can time it right... Alarm has been set!)

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!