It is only 1500nm between New Zealand and Samoa, but to sail there I might have to add another 500. If I done this leg nonstop it'll take 2 weeks, But since I have stops along the way maybe I can get there before Xmas. only 45 days away.
The first 350nm back to Tonga was made in good time. Took less than 3 days. Winds from the SE less then 15kts the whole way. Only problem for this leg was windvane steering broke another small shackle. Out comes the jewelry box with all those shinny SS pieces for a quick repair, then put Windy back to work. Glad I have an alternate way of steering besides the electric auto pilot for these long passages, but this thing breaks at least once every 500 miles. Not a good record. To make up for the bad luck I catch a small Wahoo, only one meter long.
Again I arrive at my destination before sunrise, so why not take a nap and wait for some daylight to see where I'm going. I heave-to again for a few hours. When the morning sun rays hit me I am 10 miles further then where I started. I think I slept too long. Now to get back to the harbor I have to add another 2 hours of sailing upwind or turn on the motor. I did a little of both and drag a fishing line hoping for a big strike this time. I'm going to have to learn a better way to heave-to. I'm getting negative forward progress.
In sailing, heaving to (to heave to and to be hove to) is a way of slowing a sailboat's forward progress, as well as fixing the helm and sail positions so that the boat does not actively have to be steered.
Arriving on a Saturday into a foreign country is not always a good thing. Most times you have to pay overtime charges. Or in Tonga just wait until Monday, here officials like there weekends off and nothing happens on a Sunday. I pick up my favorite mooring ball, and fly the Q flag and stay on the boat until Monday. When Monday comes around I have to move over to the rusty wharf for the check-in procedure. Here everything is now in one building. Checking in was a breeze, only took half the day and 2 bottles of wine..
Back to the mooring ball and the sail repair guy. We found 2 dozen more holes that would soon turn into tears. Boy this is going to be an expensive repair job for a sail that's going into the dumpster when I get to NZ. I'm thinking better to have an old one that's only good in light winds then none at all. Hang around waiting for Bob.
Sail repairs finish, only took a week, and stacking up with more vintage wine only took 2 days. Good winds will have to wait. I say my good bye's to everyone in Nieafu and take off for the next leg, only 170nm south. If I leave in the evening I'll get there in the morning after two over nighters. When passing the Ha paii" Group I give Silhouette a call on the VHF. They plan on anchoring for the night and make the sail to Tongatapu in the morning. I thought about joining them until I had a look at the anchorage that they were planning on spending the night. I didn't like it, too open for these big waves. And since I'm already out here in these 20-25kt winds just fwd the port beam, why stop. Mainsail still lashed to the boom.
I make it to Tongatapu's outer reefs around midnight, Sailed faster then planned and didn't want to slow down. Since I've been here several times and have all the reefs mark on my chart plotter and computer and have my previous tracks and routes and the autopilot and the radar and ais and depth meters, and motor, and me are all working good, I proceed into the darkness. Only a big fishing boat and a freighter moving around this night. And maybe a little fishing boat or two that I didn't see. Drop anchor off of Big Mama's Yacht Club https://www.facebook.com/bigmamayachtclub/ around 2 am. Plenty of time for a little R&R and a good place to wait for the weather window to NZ.
The other boats showed up the next evening after an uncomfortable night and then getting the shit beat out of them by the wind and waves. They had over 30kts and bigger seas for there passage. But we have time to wait. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and Big Mama say turkey. We buy she cook. She found a turkey, she cooked in the ground with the rocks and banana leaves. We ate. Again no pictures, Watermelon was a good substitute for cranberry sauce.
Now to add a little excitement to the wait - there is a tropical depression to the north of us. Glad we're out of Samoa, but we're still in the tropics. It's forecast to pass to the east of us then continue south until it freezes to death. But we are still getting 30kts winds for several days while in the anchorage as it passes by. And worst there are those 5 meter seas outside. So the plan is when the seas die down make a break for Minerva Reef and if the weather is good enough go straight to NZ.. The first week of Dec. looks promising. So we fill up with fuel, provisioning and I give a few bottles of wine to the Big Mama's staff and then some to Phil to carry for me. I don't want to be too much over the limit when I arrive in NZ
Of Course being the slow boat I take off first. Just after lunch on 4th of Dec. a Friday. Glad I'm not superstitious. Phil leaves in time to make it through the reefs before sunset. Sequoia leave the next day. My first day out winds from the SE just under 20kts, seas 3 meters. Too much for the mainsail. Next day same conditions except doing the middle of the night winds went light. On came the engine. Seas 2.5 meters. Next day light winds, using motor all night and most of the day. 1930 I'm dropping anchor in N. Minerva reef. There was just enough sunlight to see the pass through the reef. Besides I've been here before and have all the waypoints and tracks and routes and I didn't feel like staying off shore heaved-to. Phil already there. Sequoia arrives the next day. Time for crayfish. I'm sure you have heard me say how easy it is to catch S. Pacific lobster, aka crayfish. Well here's a video to show you how it's done.
After only one night of rest and one night of crayfishing (I only caught 2), I'm in a hurry to go. My reading of the Gribs say there will be some strong winds off NZ in about 8 days and coming from the South. If I'm going to make thoose 800nm in 8 days I'm leaving now Dec. 8th.. The faster boats stay for another hunt. I don't have to worry about tearing the mainsail in high winds, there isn't any. Instead I motor the first day, Then some wind, engine off, then no wind engine back on. Done this routine for the whole trip. When boat speed less then 5kts, engine comes on. About half way accross with all this open ocean Silhouette is dead behind be and one of us will have to make a course correction to avoid a collision. Being the nice brother I jibe so he don't have to adjust his sails.
On the morning of the 15th those south winds arrive. But less then 15. So drop the head sails and motor that last 100nm to make it to the dock at nightfall. Again I have been here and done that so a night time approach wasn't too nerve wrecking. Just didn't want to spend another night out with the winds forecast to be in the 30's. Silhouette been here since morning, all checked in. I'll have to wait for the next day, but I can sleep like a baby now. Sequoia sail into Opua the next day. They are planning on sailing around NZ. Texas boys plan on working on boats. Searcher been here for a month.
We move to the town Basin Marina a week before Christmas. Hope Santa know my new address. I got one heck of a wish list. And since everything will be close might as well take it easy and start repairs next year.
