September 11 - Wind dies and gets “squirrely” around 1:00 a.m. and so the end of my shift and Tristan’s shift are not as we would wish them to be. By the morning there’s no usable wind and we furl the jib and proceed under power. We run the engine from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00pm when we try to sail wing on wing. We make very little progress and start engine up again at 3:00pm with intention of running on it through the night. We are concerned about forecast for possible gales coming up from Tasmania to Fiji/Tonga on the 18th. We’ve made 124 n.m. in the first 24 hr. day since leaving Bora Bora.
September 12 - Run engine from Midnight to 10:30 a.m. when turn off engine, move whisker pole to port from starboard side and try to sail in continuing light winds almost dead aft. We make very little headway as wind is light, fluky and pretty much right behind us. We move the whisker pole from starboard to aft to account for a shift in the wind, but it makes little difference. Water make flush valve wasn’t completely closed for a few hours so now running watermaker two times daily as before to make sure we make up for any “lost” water. Mostly sunny and warm. We continue to try to sail through the night. At 1:13 a.m. on my watch wind pretty much diminishes to the point where we cannot sail and most of the rest of the night is spent “sitting in place”. We have been told that around the 18th there is a good chance that three different gales originating in the Tasman Sea will adversely impact Tonga and were concerned about trying to get there before th 18th, but that is now impossible and it is more likely that we arrive after those gales have blown through. At least that’s what we’re hoping for. Total est. fuel use. 10.5. Total est. fuel use since last fill 32.5 gal. We’ve made 134 n.m. in the second 24 hr. day since leaving Bora Bora.
September 13 - We continue to be effectively becalmed with no clear window as to when and at what location we will be able to sail again so we simple do the best we can with the reefed genoa on a whisker pole and do not run the engine. It’s sunny and warm and we’re “stuck” with what we have so I relax in the cockpit in the morning to read my Kindle. Wind finally picks up late afternoon, we move whisker pole to other side to accommodate modest wind shift and wind is perfect through the night. We make good time and steering is so easy that we can sit on the cockpit side benches, watch the instruments and only get up from time to time to make minor adjustments (remember, no autopilot, just our stiff steering to act like an autopilot). We made 76 n.m. in the third 24 hr. day since leaving Bora Bora.
September 14 - It was a great sailing last night and it continues this morning with our generally averaging over 5 knts. in 10-15 knt. wind from the SE (a broad reach). Seas are moderate and “it’s fun again”. Take whisker pole down and put up double reefed main around 10:00 a.m. We’ve made 88 n.m. in the fourth 24 hrs. leaving Bora Bora. Wind shifts during the day requiring us to put whisker pole back up and take down main for the evening. As night falls winds and seas increase, but we neglect to add the second reef to the genoa as is our general practice. It’s nowhere in any our forecasts, but winds strengthen to steady 16 - 23 knts. with significant seas and piloting the boat is “an adventure”. At 3:00 a.m. at watch change Tristan puts the second reef in the jib that we should have done at nightfall. Good thing he did. Tristan reports that during his watch a sizeable wave catches us on the beam and really puts us on our “pins”. Tristan says that the whisker pole made it into the water we were on such a steep angle. Could have been ugly.
September 15 - Very strong conditions continue into morning. How come all of the weather services missed the strong winds and not inconsiderable seas? Anyway, it gets milder during the day and Tristan makes himself a little crazy moving the whisker pole from one tack to the other and raising and lowering the main trying to maximize efficient use of the wind and wind direction that we have. We have the pole on both sides at different times of the day with and without the reefed main, and frankly, I get tired just watching and assisting him. We get our WRI forecast for the rest of the trip to Tonga, with particular attention to the effects of the gales coming out of the Tasman Sea that they have already alerted us to. We also get multiple forecasts at different locations (to use for different days) from Garmin, and at the end of the day conclude that we should just keep on sailing as we have been on a rhumb line with the expectation that a day or two out of Tonga we will have to deal with confused swells (a mix of long period swells coming from one direction and short steep swells coming from another direction). That too depends on our rate of travel getting there and it is just possible that we won’t get there until that condition has abated somewhat. Make chicken breast roll with rum raisin sauce, with wild rice with porcini mushrooms and mild chorizo and corn for dinner. I think it comes out really good; Tristan is a little overwhelmed with the strength of the rum sauce, but all in all, not bad for “at sea” dinner. We’ve made 122 n.m. in the fifth 24 hrs. leaving Bora Bora.
September 16 - First half of my Midnight to 3:00 p.m. watch is no fun, but settle down to different routine and get my “second wind” after first half and enjoy bringing boat back onto desired course by the end of the watch. Tristan reports not so much fun for him following that due to wind dropping. Wake rested to a beautiful sunny, clear, mild morning with relatively calm seas and moderate winds and enjoy the hell out of my 6-9am watch, again bringing boat back onto course on a very accommodating “tack”. I spoil myself by drinking four cups of coffee. It remains a lovely day all day with clear blue skies, equally shining blue ocean and moderate wind and seas making piloting relatively easy. Late in the afternoon the wind starts to move to the NE from the E and after dinner we move the whisker pole to the other side. We’ve made 105 n.m. in the sixth 24 hrs. leaving Bora Bora.
September 17 - By the beginning of my midnight to 3:00 am watch there is no useable wind. We wind in the genoa and turn on the engine, running at about 1,700 rpm making a little under 5 knts. Seas are still running before us making maintaining course somewhat difficult. By the beginning of my 6:00 am watch seas are “glassy” and maintaining course is easy. Hope to see some sea life on the sea surface during the day in these conditions. Day is clear and bright. At 9:00 am reduce engine rpms to approx. 1,200 to slow progress in order to get to Nuie as late as possible after its area is affected by forecast troublesome “mixed seas” (NW long swells affect by short wind driven SE swells). Sea is dead calm all day, sometimes glassy, sometimes with light ripples, and always a gentle following swell. It’s a respite from the rigors of hand steering as under the circumstances a two times a minute minor adjustment of the wheel keeps us on course. I actually read during my shifts. We made 93 n.m. in the seventh 24 hrs. since leaving Bora Bora.
September 18 - At 8:00am we are continuing to motor at 1,200 rpm making about 3.7 knts. What a glorious day to be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a boat. If I said yesterday that the sea was glassy, today it is even more so. It is like a mirror. Can’t sail of course, but sky is clear, temperature is mild and it’s sunny. Cannot believe that this is the second day of these conditions and have seen no sign of life on the sea surface. No turtles, no dolphin, no mola mola, no shark fins, no whales, no swordfish, nothing basking on the surface. It is genuinely “surreal”. I find the helm “slot” towards the end of my 6:00-9:00 a.m. watch and we have at the time of this entry being running on our course without rudder change for at least a half hour. Raise rpm to 1,400 when get beam swells, albeit gentle, at Noon to get same 3.7 knts. Tristan took pole down and we turned engine off around 6:00 pm. Light winds and moderate seas with stiff rudder put boat on “autopilot” and for our 9-midnight and midnight to 3:00 am watches we didn’t have to do more than monitor what the sails and rudder were doing. I actually read my Kindle the entirety of my watch without a rudder change. We’ve made 83 n.m. in the eighth 24 hrs. since leaving Bora Bora.
September 19 - It’s generally cloudy for the first time since we left Bora Bora. Seas are up somewhat in the morning from the SE/S, but basically 5-6 ft. and winds are moderate from the SE, generally between 10-15 knts. with some higher gusts. Boat sails easily under single reefed main and double reefed jib requiring modest rudder adjustments, although unlike last night, they need to be frequent. Well, they predicted it and we knew it was coming. By early afternoon we’ve got big (7-9 ft.) confused seas and winds regularly getting into the mid 20's. By evening Tristan and I agree that we switch from 3 on 3 off watches to 1 on 1 off watches and abandon our intended course to sail down swell to accommodate the effort necessary to sail the boat in the described conditions. We do that through the night and into the morning of the 20th with good effect and a lot of humor about the foreshortened watches, which even though intense, do fly by. We’ve made 102 n.m. in the ninth 24 hrs. since leaving Bora Bora.
September 20 - Difficult conditions continue through mid-morning at which point they abate somewhat and we are sailing back to our course. in 13-19 knt. winds and generally about 5-6 ft. swells with the occasional “surprise”. By middle afternoon conditions have returned to what we have generally found to be “normal” with no unusual cross-swells and we lower the main, put up the whisker pole and return to our course to Tonga. By my midnight to 3:00 a.m. shift sea state and wind direction make controlling the helm very difficult requiring maximum concentration and constant effort. Tristan had not been feeling well earlier and by his 3:00 a.m. watch fatigue and a miserable headache have caught up with him and he has no patience for trying to sail in these conditions. He takes in the jib and puts on the engine. We’ve made 138 n.m. in the tenth 24 hrs. since leaving Bora Bora.
September 21 - Still running the engine when I take over at 6:00 a.m., but by 9:00 a.m. we roll out the reefed genoa, turn off the engine and find that in the light of day and with a little sleep we can find a way to make conning the helm bearable. We have finally passed Niue and are within “striking distance” of Tonga. Conditions improve throughout the day and by day’s end we have pretty much figured out how to get our whisker poled reefed genoa to sail downwind (our course) without excessive wear and tear on the helmsman. At nightfall Tristan asks should be put the second reef in the jib, which is our standard for nighttime, suggesting that conditions are mild and that perhaps there is no need to. I say that we have a policy for a reason and that although I’m tempted not to, we should put the second reef in. We do and shortly thereafter the wind and seas pick up and we are glad that we did. This time it’s my night to have a meltdown. I begin my Midnight to 3:00 a.m. watch with some limited vigor, but I see that Tristan has allowed the boat to move a mile or so off of our course and so I set out to get it back on course, which I do for the first hour and half of our shift. Big mistake. It requires a lot of luffing and a great deal of effort and by the time we’re back on course I’m exhausted and no longer able to figure out to hold our course. My eyes are closing. I literally fall asleep on my feet a few times and at other times I am hallucinating. By the time Tristan comes on watch at 3:00 a.m. I don’t care what he does with the helm and I stumble off to bed. We’ve made 126 n.m. in the eleventh 24 hrs. since leaving Bora Bora.
September 23 - No, I haven’t forgotten 9/22. We’ve crossed the International Date line and gained a day. It’s a new day and even though the alarm jolts me out of a deep sleep at 5:50 a.m. the sun is coming up, conditions are relatively mild, and I’m rejuvenated enough to remember how to con the helm. We shake out the second reef which helps and the wind has shifted just a tad and an hour into my watch and four cups of coffee later I find a point of sail that allows me to set the rudder angle to let the boat sail itself on a course which is slowly taking us back to our intended course. (Remember folks, our autopilot has not worked reliably since we left Panama). We are about 110 n.m. from where we turn off course and into the entry channel for Neiafu, Tonga, so it is clear that we will get to Tonga during daytime with lots of daylight in which to get to there, so all’s right with the world. We’ve made 105 n.m. in the twelfth 24 hrs. leaving Bora Bora. We reef the jib before nightfall, have an excellent chili con carne dinner (French canned, doctored by AMS) and get ready for a hopefully uneventful approach to Tonga in moderate wind and seas tomorrow morning.
September 24 - Whoops. Spoke (wrote) too soon. Around 10:00 p.m. a lot of unkind words from Tristan wake me and I learn that the wind has come up and that the boat can’t be sailed on the course we need with the sail plan we have up. We elect to motor instead, or should I say that Tristan says “screw this, we’re motoring” and I take the helm under power while Tristan takes in the jib and puts away the whisker pole. A short while later he decides that it would be beneficial to put up the main for stability under power and I’m up again to take the helm while he puts up the main (not an easy task in the seaway we’re stuck with at night), but as always, he accomplishes it. He again takes the helm and we agree to an altered watch schedule to accommodate the change in plans. When I get up at the appointed hour of 1:30 am to take the helm I learn that Tristan is still having fits controlling the boat (at this stage we don’t understand why) and I give it a try while he takes a much needed rest. I have somewhat more success controlling the boat (probably because I’m relatively rested and Tristan was exhausted after taking down the pole and putting up the main, etc). At 3:30 Tristan is back up and given that I’ve gotten some reasonable control over the boat I stay at the helm and he keeps me company. After a while he realizes that we were in error to put up the main for stability on a straight down wind run as each time the winds moves from one side of the main to the other (a constant occurrence) it overpowers the rudder and swings the boat broadside (or worse) to our course. Oh well, live and learn. Anyway as we make the approach to Tonga the wind and seas abate somewhat and it is infinitely easier to control the boat, although it still requires complete and constant attention. Morning is dawning, coffee is made, jokes resume, and we enjoy the approach to Tonga and the Neiafu harbor. But, it’s not over yet. The entrance to Neiafu harbor is through a very picturesque and somewhat winding inside channel of Vavu’a (the Island where Neiafu is). I find that I cannot control the direction of the boat with any reasonable success all of a sudden and we have to negotiate a somewhat narrow entrance into the harbor itself (however it turns out not as narrow when you get there as it looks on the chart). Tristan to the rescue again. It turns out that the compressed air reservoir for hydraulic steering has emptied. Tristan pumps it up and I get control of the steering again. When we get to Neiafu we have to tie up at the commercial dock to clear customs. The Dock is old and decrepit with a wreck showing above water at one end and a sand bar at the other, together with exposed jutting rebar at the end where the wreck is. A couple of years ago I would have been terrified if told I had to dock there, particularly in a sleep deprived state, (Maybe I was too tired to be frightened or was made so much more confident by having Tristan to guide me in and tie me up, but I berth Duet at the wharf with no problem; we clear customs; and have to walk into town to the bank to change US dollars to Tonga currency to pay $22 Tongan currency ($11 US) for the Customs fee. After leaving the wharf we spend the next three hours trying to (a) find a free mooring with no luck although there are many moorings in the anchorage or (b) find a place to anchor with no luck due to there being very few places shallow enough that are not too close to shore that have not been taken. Finally we find a place to anchor right near the wharf in 21 ft. of water. Great location but would ideally like very much to have more swing room. We’ll see. Would have gone to sleep shortly thereafter but Tristan is a whirlwind of activity changing the new dinghy engine prop for the one damaged just before we left Bora Bora and putting the dinghy in the water, etc., so I have no option but to join in and around 5:30 p.m. we dinghy in to Mango Bar for dinner. After dinner we sample the Banana Rum concoction Kryss and I purchased at the distillery in Fare, Huahine and retire for the night. We both fall asleep in the cockpit before actually getting into our bunks. We’ve made 111 n.m. in the fourteen 24 hrs. leaving Bora Bora. Total trip mileage 1,408 n.m. Total mileage from Bora Bora to Neiafu 1,408 n.m. over 14 days from 11:18 a.m. 9/10 to 12:30 p.m. 9/24.