tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29627243567496910192024-02-20T21:54:52.227+11:00Yacht AmblerThe voyage of yacht "Ambler"Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-564508486576999952019-10-14T19:55:00.000+11:002019-10-15T10:35:27.208+11:00Coffs Harbour to Noumea New Caledonia VoyageMonday 19 August 2019, Coffs Harbour
<br>At 10:30 Kathy and I rowed ashore from the courtesy mooring just outside the marina, armed with our passports and new ships documents. After conducting a search around the marina building we discovered a set of stairs leading up to the customs office. We were greeted by the border force official with "ah you must be off Ambler". They had a great view over the harbour from their office and were expecting us. There were of course forms to fill out and a few lengthy phone calls from the officer in regard to how he was to handle our very new passports. Once clearance was completed we rowed back to Ambler, lashed the dinghy on the deck then had an early lunch. We let the mooring go at noon with a calculated 859 nautical mile voyage to the Amedee Pass at the outer reef of New Caledonia ahead of us. Once clear of the outer harbour breakwater we set sail (a mainsail with 1 reef and a full headsail) in an 18 knot south easterly which soon built and veered to the south to over 20 knots. We took a second reef to better balance the boat in the rough sea. At 16:00 the sea was quite boisterous as we were passing over the continental shelf. All of a sudden the headsail sheets fell to the deck and the headsail began flogging wildly. We soon realised the webbing holding the stainless clew ring had parted company with the sail so we furled the headsail and lashed it to prevent it unwinding. We then unfurled the staysail and set it while we assessed our options. We could have returned to Coffs but the 21 miles we had come would have taken a lot longer (working to windward) than the 4 hours it took to get to this point. We decided to push on as we were still making good speed and we would deal with the headsail once the conditions abated. We carried this sail configuration through the night.
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<br>Tuesday 20 August
<br>We shook out the 2nd reef in the mainsail at 07:40 as the wind had eased to a southerly of 15 knots. We felt a bit underpowered at this point but the sea was still randomly breaking across the foredeck.
<br>Our noon to noon mileage was 131, which isn't bad for a bird with a broken wing. The sea and wind had subsided enough, so we unfurled and lowered the Genoa. Ian Short had originally built the sail in 1999 and had put a big stainless eyelet through many 10oz sailcloth layers and that had served well for 17 years. Back in 2016 the sailcloth was noticeably soft and fraying around the perimeter of this eyelet, so the eyelet was cut out and a new stainless ring was laced in using webbing that was then sewn onto the multiple layers of cloth by a sail maker in New Zealand. We started sewing new straps on by hand but it would have taken us ages as we had trouble getting the needle to penetrate the layers of cloth and webbing, so thinking of the great service that the original ring provided, we instead decided to punch and islet 9 new 10mm holes through the sail fabric radiating from the ring. We then laced the stainless clew ring onto the sail via some 4mm cord tied through all these new holes. We dragged the sail forward then hoisted it again at 13:30 and imediately set the pole to run wing and wing with a full main.
<br>Unfortunately the wind continued to abate during the evening and we were left with a confused sea and not enough breeze to keep steerage way so at 20:00 we decided to motor which would also recharge the batteries as the cloudy conditions today hadn't helped our solar panel's capabilities. An hour and a half later we reset the sails to a light north westerly and a calmer sea.
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<br>Wednesday 21 August
<br>The seas continued to abate with a westerly of 15 knots at midnight and it was was pleasant sailing for the first time on the passage. By noon we had covered 127 nautical miles in the last 24 hours. The westerly built up to over 20 knots during the afternoon and we had 3/4 of a headsail set on the pole and 1 reef in the main which we carried through to after midnight.
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<br>Thurday 22 August
<br>At 01:30 we lowered the pole and unfurled the headsail as the wind had decreased a bit and veered to the north west. We were beam reaching in 15 knots through to just before noon when the wind began to build again. At noon our daily run was 157 and we had 2 reefs in the mainsail and a full headsail. At sunset we decided to lower the mainsail as the wind was predicted to rise further. I then felt something hit me in the back, I turned around then looked down, it was a flying fish at my feet in the cockpit, I sent him back to the Dorados which may have been giving chase at the time. The sea and wind continued building as we furled away some headsail through to 22:30 when a south west change at up to 30 knots hit with a cold rain squall (perhaps a farewell gift from Tassie).
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<br>Friday 23 August
<br>The cold south westerly with a few accompanying squalls remained with us through to the afternoon as we continued sailing with a reduced headsail. We had covered 154 nautical miles noon to noon. The wind began to back to the south and moderate allowing us to open more headsail to suit the conditions. At 22:00 a glow was seen on the horizon directly in front of us. This soon became a row of square lights which looked strangely like a house. I altered course 20 degrees to keep a safe distance and made a call on the radio three times before getting a response. It turned out to be an Asian fishing vessel and he confirmed there were no other fishing vessels in the area.
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<br>Saturday 24 August
<br>As the wind was forecasted to back further to the east on Sunday, we altered course to steer more to the south of our lay line. We were sailing still with a reduced headsail which we were able to unroll completely by dawn, we then raised a mainsail with 2 deep reefs at 09:15 as the wind had eased further in strength. We were then close reaching in a warm south easterly. At noon our daily run was 133 nautical miles. Our battery power had suffered due to the lack of sun on our solar array so we deployed our tow generator. Basically it is a propellor on a shaft attatched to a 30 metre rope which spins a permanent magnet motor mounted on the aft railing, this is wired in to a regulator to put power back into our batteries. At 13:30 we raised the full main. The wind direction continued backing through the night and at midnight we had the sails sheeted in hard going to windward.
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<br>Sunday 25 August
<br>The breeze continued easing in strength and it became dificult to keep the sails from backing as we went over the large swells from the south. We had to do some motoring in the light conditions before dawn to help. At 07:30 with more breeze, we engaged our Fleming windvane "Kev" and he managed to adjust the course over each swell a lot better than we could. He sought out and followed all the wind shifts too as we got ever closer to New Caledonia. At noon our daily run was 129 nautical miles with just 40 to go to the Amedee Pass. We then had to put a reef in the main and added another reef half an hour later to keep the boat balanced as we worked to windward in 20 knots. On Kathy's watch the clouds on the horizon ahead of us began to look like land during the afternoon . So she gets the icecream. We advanced the time 1 hour at 1600 to agree with New Caledonia time. We found Kev had done a marvelous job getting us directly to Dumbea Pass at 20:30 even though we had originally intended to enter via Amedee Pass which was further to windward. There were enough lights to guide us in on this seconday pass so we disconnected Kev and entered. Once inside the reef the wind abated rapidly so we decided to continue under motor through the marked reef chanels and entered Port Moselle, Noumea and found a convenient empty mooring just before midnight local time. We had covered 56 nautical miles since noon.
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<br>In total we had covered 885 miles in 6 days and 10.5 hours with an average of 5.7 knots.
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<br>Monday 26 August, Noumea
<br>First thing in the morning we hoisted the anchor up from the forepeak with a halyard and re fitted it to the chain (which hangs from a hook in a rubber bung blocking the spurling pipe when we are at sea) and moved off to anchor nearby. We launched the dinghy and made our way to the three offices of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine. The latter was closed between 9am and 12:15pm for morning tea. So we had a wobbly wander around town and found our favourite pattisiere that sold chocolate croissants. After lunch we revisited the Quarantine office who organised us to go alongside the marina for inspection and final clearance at 14:30. We then moved back to anchor and began the big clean up and wash down of salt over the next 3 days between trips ashore to replenish supplies, stretch the legs and explore.Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-6731937538307893512019-09-29T19:26:00.000+10:002019-09-29T20:18:10.096+10:00Port Stephens to Coffs HarbourSat 20 July to Mon 12 August 2019 Port Stephens
<br>In Port Stephens we caught up with friends and family members. My sister Janice and husband Daniel were up doing some work on their house on top of Wanda Wanda Head and we anchored nearby to visit them. We also kayaked along a fair bit of the shoreline and found another Cape Barren Goose called Wybalena on a mooring at the entrance to North Arm. Nearby is Fame Cove which has some courtesy moorings and is almost land locked by a native bush reserve with lots of bird life.
<br>We did a lot of day sailing and testing of the new cable steering connected to the Fleming wind vane, it was like magic. We bought some plywood and made some more vanes as the lightweight plastic ones that it came with are reported to be a bit too light by friends that have used the Fleming wind vane. Also we were visited by pods of dolphins many times during our stay. They are permanent residents in the port and there are around seven charter boats that fill with tourists, from all parts of the world who arrive by bus daily.
<br>We weathered a big blow during our stay and chose to tie alongside the public wharf again for protection for 6 nights. Even the large dolphin spotter boats found manoeuvring difficult in the strong winds and seas and their customers on return, looked relieved to be back on land.
<br>We summited Yakaaba head with friends Andy and Narelle which was a great day outing as it involved a big drive around the port to Tea Gardens then a walk along the beach to the base of the climb. A very good track leads to the summit where there are some ruins, perhaps from one of the world wars. It would have made an ideal lookout post as the views of the coastline north and south are extensive. On Monday evening the four of us found the local club and enjoyed a big dinner of roast lamb and baked potatoes and all the trimmings, delicious.
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<br>Tue 13 - Wed 14 August Port Stephens to North Haven
<br>On a good forecast it was time to head north again. We departed at 09:30 and made our way towards the entrance of Port Stephens with just the head sail deployed as we had a 15 knot south westerly. Once clear of Yakaaba Head we set the mainsail as well and poled the head sail to run wing and wing. We ran with this configuration until 19:00 when a shift to an 8 knot westerly took over. The breeze then went north westerly at the same strength just before midnight. We were able to keep this breeze, close reaching through to our destination arriving off the Camden Haven River at 05:00. As the conditions were ideal in a few more hours to enter with the tide, we hove to until first light and got under way with the engine on at 06:20. The bar way was smooth and we came to anchor off the North Haven boat ramp at 06:40. We had covered 78 nautical miles in 22 hours.
<br>In North Haven we caught up with good friends Phil and Cheryl who had been collecting our mail, including Ambler's new shipping registration papers from Canberra. We also topped up with LPG and diesel from the nearby service station. We stayed Thursday and Friday and did a drive to Port Macquarie for some more provisions too. We had spotted a good weather window developing next week for a voyage departing customs at Coffs Harbour to Noumea, New Caledonia. I phoned Customs also now known as Australian Border Force at Coffs Harbour to give them advance notice of our departure, they would let us depart as early as Monday if the conditions remained favourable.
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<br>Sat 17 - Camden Haven River to Coffs Harbour
<br>We weighed anchor at 07:00 and found the bar way smooth again for an easy exit. Once at sea we set sail with a 10 knot north westerly which we made use of through to midday. We sighted whales off Port Macquarie and we came closer into the beach to escape the southerly setting current again. Along this leg we experimented with the new plywood wind vane blades and gained some more experience with different steering settings in the light breeze.
<br>We were expecting a southerly change during the day and it came around noon when abeam of Point Plomer. We turned into the strong breeze and dropped the mainsail then turned back on course allowing the 25 knots to fill the head sail and pull us north. At 14:40 we were abeam of Korogoro Point where the current against wind was standing up the seas making for a great ride as we surfed along. Also enjoying the conditions were numerous humpback whales which were all travelling south with the current, they were leaping right out of the water into the wind and crashing back down in the waves. It was a spectacular sight and fortunately no whales came too close to us this time.
<br>Just after dark the strong southerly eased off and turned south west allowing the mainsail to be re hoisted and the head sail to be poled out. We carried this configuration through until 23:30 when we altered course to enter Coffs Harbour. We came to anchor near the south west corner of the bay right on midnight. We had covered 89 nautical miles in 17 hours.
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<br>Sun 18 - Coffs Harbour
<br>After dawn we weighed anchor and moved over to a courtesy mooring next to the jetty. We had breakfast then went ashore to check out the markets in the nearby park. There were plenty of fresh fruit and vegies so we stocked up on a few good bargains. We then caught a bus into Coffs and found the main supermarkets open as well. We completed the list of products we needed for the voyage ahead. The next bus back was another hour away so we decided to walk back to the boat following the bush track next to the creek, appreciating the birds and smells of the bush. We spent the rest of the day preparing Ambler for sea.Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-33032905510538447842019-09-18T18:47:00.000+10:002019-09-18T19:18:07.716+10:00Eden to Port StephensTues 21 May 2019 - We weighed anchor at 06:10 from our comfortable Eden anchorage, the forecast looked perfect for an overnight passage north along the coast to Ulladulla. We had to motor on and off while a westerly breeze petered out until 11:30. Then a south easterly filled in at about 8 knots. We took advantage of this breeze by hoisting our half ounce spinnaker with a full mainsail and we carried this through to sunset abeam of Bermagui. The breeze then veered south then south westerly at still less than 10 knots which would carry us through the night to Ulladulla with our genoa and full main.
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<br>Wed 22 May - We arrived on the leads of Ulladulla harbour at 06:00 where we dropped sails and fired up the perkins to enter, guided by a single dolphin in our bow wave. We found an anchorage spot just inside the northern breakwater and had breakfast. The fees for even tying up for the day were exorbitant and many warning signs for doing so were observed along the vacant wharves in the outer harbour. The plan for the day was to catch up with my sister Christine and Nic who live nearby. They joined us, via a short dinghy ride from the public boat ramp, for the morning and brought along a delicious quiche for lunch and fresh greens from their garden. The pelican population of the harbour were all present in the area, each occupying its own pole, waiting for the return of the many trailer fishing boats that we saw exiting before first light. We weighed anchor at 13:15 and exited the harbour then set sail in a 10 knot south easterly bound for Jervis Bay. The afternoon sailing conditions were enjoyable and we arrived at the entrance at 17:30 then sailed south to a public mooring located at the "Hole in the wall" bay.
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<br>Thur 23 May - We launched the kayaks and paddled along the shoreline then circumnavigated spectacular Bowen Island which forms the southern part of Jervis Bay entrance. The sheer sea cliffs of the east face rise to the north cut off by the entrance and the land slopes from the top of the cliffs down to the western shoreline. The island is a nature reserve and it is prohibited to land according to the many signs. The water was crystal clear and we could see the bottom for most of the paddle.
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<br>Fri 24 May - We sailed off the mooring and headed over to Huskisson where we picked up another courtesy mooring just off the mouth of Broughton Creek. We then explored the township via a short dinghy trip to the shore.
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<br>Sat 25 May - Broughton creek beckoned so we launched the kayaks and headed many kilometres upstream with the tide. We could have kept going but we would have had to camp ashore overnight.
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<br>Sun 26 to Tue 28 May - were spent aboard here on the protected courtesy mooring where it blew off the land from the north west.
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<br>Wed 29 May - The wind was due to come in from the south west so we motored the short distance to another courtesy mooring off Vincentia, then went ashore to reprovision for the voyage north tomorrow.
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<br>Thur 30 May - At 07:00 we hoisted sail, dropped the mooring and sailed with just our head sail out through the entrance then turned North with another yacht, Mojo from the Tamar River. The wind picked up to 25 knots from the west by the time we were abeam of the drum and drumsticks. Here two small grey coloured whales popped up right beside us for a breath. We had to furl the to half a head sail when we cleared the headland to turn north west towards Seven Mile Beach. The plan being to keep the waves from building and to stay inshore of the southerly set current. We unfurled the head sail off Geroa as the breeze moderated but left the main sail bagged for the rest of the voyage to Wollongong. We motored in and came alongside Ven Lee, a friends charter fishing boat. We took Mojo's lines to tie up to another fishing vessel in front of us.
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<br>Fri 31 May - We caught up with a few friends who dropped by and we walked to the local outdoor store and supermarket.
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<br>Sat 1 June - A southerly was blowing around 25 knots so we left Wollongong Harbour for a brisk sail to Sydney with a reefed main and full genoa poled wing and wing. Brisk it was and we arrived in the harbour and headed to another courtesy mooring this time near the middle harbour yacht club. We caught up with some friends on their boat here and stayed overnight.
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<br>Sun 2 June - A gale with rain was predicted over the next few days so we headed through the spit bridge and sailed to Crag Cove to anchor until Thursday. We had a few excursions ashore over the next few days and also walked to Chatswood for some fresh provisions.
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<br>Thur 6 June - We weighed anchor and sailed to Bantry Bay in the morning, picked up a courtesy mooring and went ashore to explore the bush tracks in the area, including some rock engraving sites and followed a very challenging mountain bike trail (by foot).
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<br>Fri 7 June - We departed Bantry Bay and motored through the Spit Bridge again to anchor in Farm Cove to experience the Vivid Light show for the night. The evening became extremely uncomfortable as I think every charter boat in Sydney Harbour came in to the bay, around us and back out numerous times until midnight. The lights were good to see but perhaps better viewed from land.
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<br>Sat 8 June - We weighed anchor at 08:30 and sailed towards Sydney Heads in a light westerly. Then we had to motor north through the wind shadow of North Head. We set sail again off Manly Beach and continued on north to Broken Bay where we entered at 13:30 then motored south to an anchorage near Scotland Island for a few days.
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<br>Mon 10 June - A friend called Jack drove us to the Boat Locker (a second hand boat accessory shop in Warriewood) to pick up an almost new cable steering system for Ambler which I had bought over the phone 6 weeks earlier. This would enable the connection of the Fleming wind vane steering system I had bought second hand and mounted to the transom earlier in the year. The advantage of this new cockpit wheel is it will be mounted to the aft bulkhead of the cockpit and then the wind vane control lines won't effectively cut the small centre cockpit in half like a conventional pedestal mounted wheel does. We weighed anchor at 14:10 and began a cruise over the next 5 days exploring the many bays, creeks and anchorages of Broken Bay.
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<br>Fri 14 June - With a spring tide high enough in the evening we were able to con Ambler into Mullet Creek to an anchorage adjacent to Wondabyne train station. We began the hour long journey at an hour and a half before high water and arrived in the dark at 17:50 to anchor in 6 metres of water with 30 metres of chain out. On the way upstream we ran over a bouyant poly pipeline on the surface across the channel which we managed to roll over succesfully and also avoided some yellow buoyed silt screening that was set up adjacent to some rock walling that was being done by the railways to protect their infrastructure.
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<br>Sat 15 to Sun 30 June - We accomplished many jobs aboard such as fitting the steering and servicing the engine. There were many trips by train to pick up extra supplies for these tasks and visiting both our relatives in Sydney and the Central Coast.
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<br>Mon 1 July - The exit on another spring tide was accomplished in the dark and we got under way at 18:00. A mention to the local waterways officer during our stay in regard to the obstructions we encountered on the way upstream had payed off, he said he would have a word to the workmen. We found the channel clear this time and negotiated the barway entrance to the creek with 0.2 of a metre under keel clearance.
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<br>Tue 2 to Thur 18 July - was spent again cruising around Broken Bay, Cowan Creek and Pittwater. We spent a fair bit of time testing the steering system between bushwalks and kayaking in Kuringai Chase National Park. We had decided to correct some errors in the Australian ship registration papers that had crept in during the transfer from the British ship register in 1988. The length of Ambler should have been 11.30 instead of 10.50 and the tonnage measurement is not required on a pleasure yacht which can cause extra charges levied as a cargo vessel in foreign ports when calculating port fees and charges due. A new plaque had to be made and statutory declarations witnessed which we were able to have done and posted away prior to leaving the bay. The new ship's papers were granted free of charge and would be posted to a friends place in Camden Haven in a few weeks time.
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<br>Fri 19 July - At 04:15 We let go the mooring in Coasters Retreat, Pittwater and motored towards the entrance to Broken Bay where we picked up a light westerly breeze and set sail for Port Stephens. We sailed along close to the shore to avoid the southerly set (current). Just off Swansea we were rewarded with two humpback whales suddenly surfacing just off the starboard bow for a breath then they resurfaced alongside us on the port side for their second breath, then just astern for their third before kicking up their tails for a deeper dive. That was way too close!
<br>Just off Newcastle we altered course for Port Stephens and were able to set the sails wing and wing as the breeze had changed to a south westerly. After sunset the breeze started fading and we started the Perkins an hour and a half later when we were off the headland of Point Stephens due to the lumpy backwash sea and what little breeze there was, just wasn't enough to shape the sails to create any drive. We entered the port and headed to Shoal Bay to anchor at 21:00 guided by our friends on Mojo who lit up their deck lights to help guide us into the anchorage. Distance travelled 82.5nm.
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<br>Sat 20 July - It was a bit rolly during the night but we slept well after yesterdays long day sail. We weighed anchor at 09:30 and went alongside the free visitors wharf in Nelson Bay where there is enough space to moor 4 vessels under 12 metres in length. We met up with an old sailing friend Andy and his partner Narelle who had just settled in town around 3 months ago. Andy had bought a dental practise and with Narelle as the practise manager, has taken on the challenge of fixing as many of the locals teeth as possible (and a few blow ins like myself) to get them all smiling at each other again.Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-8258456817125702622019-09-10T18:07:00.000+10:002019-09-10T18:48:42.374+10:00Hobart then North to EdenFriday 5 April - We stayed anchored at Prosser Bay on Tasmania's East Coast near Triabunna ticking off more jobs on board. On Sunday we weighed anchor and sailed 25nm through to Dunnalley via Marion Bay Bar. The keel came close to the bottom a few times but we made it through.
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<br>Mon 8 April - We waited at Dunnalley for slack water which came at 1300 and then passed through the swing bridge at the Denison Canal. We then sailed 7nm to anchor at Monk Bay and waited a few days there at anchor while a front passed over.
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<br>Wed 10 April - We sailed at 7.30 around to the Iron Pot which marks the mouth of the Derwent River. We crossed the Derwent River and entered the Dentrecasteau Channel and turned south. We had a mixed bag of wind directions and wind speeds up to 25 knots which gave us a good work out winching, tacking, reefing and hauling sails about. We were bound for Cygnet but had to give up when we arrived at the Huon River mouth as it got dark. We anchored in Randalls Bay having covered 54nm in 11 hours.
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<br>Thurs 11 April - We motored 6nm in the calm reflective water to Cygnet where we caught up with a sailor friend Susanne and also met some local sailors at the yacht club over the next 4 days.
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<br>Mon 15 April - We departed Cygnet for some cruising in the Channel and anchored overnight at Randalls Bay again, Snake Island, Kettering and then caught up with friends on Wild Goose and Snow Petrel 2 at Gentleman's Corner and the Duckpond over Easter.
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<br>Tues 23 April - We departed the Duckpond for Hobart and arrived to anchor in Cornelian Bay 25nm later. The weather didn't look too promising over the next week. So we booked a week at the Prince of Wales Bay marina to try and get our windvane and steering system sorted out.
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<br>Wed 24 April - We sailed 3nm to the marina where we actually ended up staying two weeks ticking off jobs and catching up with friends and family.
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<br>Tues 7- Fri 10 May - We sailed from the marina and spent nights at Cornellian Bay, Hobart visitors dock, Sandy Bay and King George Sound visiting friends.
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<br>Sat 11 May - We again transited the Denison Canal and anchored off Rheban for two days on the east coast opposite Maria Island.
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<br>Mon 13 May - We sailed 7nm around to Prosser Bay.
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<br>Tue 14 May - With a good forecast ahead we weighed anchor at 00:30 and motored into Mercury Passage to pick up the south westerly change that had just rolled over us. We were soon running wing and wing before it. We passed to the south of Schouten Island and at 07:00 we were east of Freycinet Peninsula where we watched the granite mountains turn from a deep purple to pink as the sun rose. We adjusted our course to Cape Howe on the NSW/ Victorian border.
<br>At noon we had covered 65nm but had to motor from 11:00 to 16:00 through a wind shadow of the NE coast of Tassie, as per the forecast. Once north of this area the westerly was to fill in as we arrived east of Banks Strait. Indeed it did but the sea became really rough in only 10 knots from the west. On examining our position we were passing over the continental shelf where a strong southerly current met a southerly swell and a westerly wind wave. (The direction of wind, swell and waves are described as coming from, whereas currents are descibed as going to). We altered course to stay west of the shelf until the wind abated.
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<br>Wed 15 May - Unfortunately the wind built to 30 knots from the west through to 02:00. We had half a headsail and no mainsail at this point. The seas were crashing over us from beam on and we were thankful to be in a sturdily built 70's model where the deck is just as strong as the hull. It needed to be. The wind and seas began to abate at first light and soon after we unfurled the headsail completely. At 10:00 we raised the mainsail with 2 reefs. At 16:00 we shook a reef out and at 22:00 we raised the full main.
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<br>Thur 16 May - At 00:00 we had just 10 knots from the west, then 10 knots north west at 08:00 with Cape Howe in sight. At 10:30 we were abeam of the cape with less than 5 knots and batteries that needed charging, so on with the Perkins for a few hours until a north easterly filled in. We arrived at Eden at 17:30 and went alongside the wharf briefly to wash the encrusted salt from Ambler with a fire hose then off to anchor nearby. The distance covered was 367 nm in 65 hours. Our average speed was 5.6 knots.
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<br>Friday 17th through to Monday 20th May was spent washing and drying all clothing and gear affected by the Bass Srait crossing.
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<br>The next installment is coming soon, who knows we might even catch up to where we are now in New Caledonia.
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<br>Wayne and KathyWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-42345536699308009102019-04-02T13:43:00.001+11:002019-07-17T12:41:06.800+10:00The Major Refit<p dir="ltr">Over the 2 years, 2017-2018, Kathy and Wayne have completed a major refit on Ambler. <br>
The Perkins (4108) 4 cylinder diesel auxiliary engine had to be extracted for a rebuild. Also to be extracted was the massive rusty steel ring frame built into the boat which supports the mast and rigging loads via the chainplates.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ambler was slipped at Tamar Marine's boatyard, Launceston. A crane was organised to lift out the 450kg mast, which was then lowered and stored on 5 wood pallets placed on the chandlery roof (thanks Tim). Then it was a matter of unbolting the steel ring frame from the chainplates and structural beams that connect the rigging loads through to 2 main bulkheads and the hull itself. Two 1 inch plywood load bearing beams also had to be cut to allow the frame to be lifted. A chain hoist was then set up over the mast hole in the deck and about a ton of load was applied before the beam began to move off its over 40 year old bed. It was then a matter of maneuvering it around towards the front hatch. We made an A frame hoisting rig on the foredeck to ease out the 80kg steelwork in one piece then slipped it overboard and into Phil's ute. A trip to Val's at Beaconsfield for a new stainless (Bling Frame) to be made using the old crusty as a template. The reinstallation went well and the bolts through the beam married up well to the chaiplates and plywood beams that spread the loads throughout the hull. Two new 1 inch plywood panels were shaped and epoxied in where the previous cuts had to be made, then drilled and bolted to the . The mast was then craned back in.</p>
<p dir="ltr">For the engine extraction a hatch was cut in the cockpit floor and fabricated to allow access to and removal of the oily, smokey Perkins. The engine was lifted out then bolted to a modified engine work stand to enable the engine to be stripped completely in the cockpit. Four different companies in Launceston were used to rebuild the disassembled various bits then all was reassembled again in the cockpit, painted bright yellow, so any future issues of fluid can be identified early and rectified. Then the engine was lowered into position and the hatch re sealed. New sound proofing was installed and a rebuild and rewire of the battery compartment was done as well.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The hull was antifouled then Ambler relaunched and towed by the 8ft (2hp) dinghy to Tim's mooring for the recommissioning of the Perkins. All went well and we motored back downstream to Ambler's mooring at Deviot.<br>
We also spent a lot of time replacing the old copper electrical wire for tinned copper as I had found a few had heated and one smouldered due to terminal corrosion. The main cabin roof was insulated with foam mat and a new roof liner material called Digi Foam was installed for cold climate voyages ahead.<br>
We also had some mountain biking adventures over the two years with many weekend rides at the Blue Derby tracks. We also got away for some MTB touring around the NE corner of Tas and a 2 week ride from Melbourne to Adelaide along backroads, railtrail, farmland, national parks and desert.<br>
Plans of another voyage were made and Kathy had a 2 year leave without pay application approved. I also officially retired having reached 60 in 2018.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Early this year Ambler was slipped at the Tamar Yacht Club for 10 days from 8th February. A Fleming windvane steering system and a new Lowrance echo sounder and transducer was fitted along with the usual scrub and antifoul.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We moved on board Ambler on Wednesday 24 Feb and sold the Toyota van on the 26th leaving us free to sail. We spent all of March cruising the Tamar while we worked on the various chores and stowage to get Ambler ready for sea. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We departed the Tamar River on Monday 1st of April 2019 at 1030 bound for Hobart. With SW15 easing to near calm before a 10 knot NE filled in then backed to NW 10 as we passed Swan Islet before midnight. We passed Eddystone point at 0530 with a light W of 6 knots. A Northerly of 15 knots filled in just north of Bicheno which we made good use of arriving to anchor in Wineglass Bay at 1830 having covered 180nm since the Tamar River.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Wed 3rd April we departed picturesque but rolly Wineglass Bay next morning and sailed 12nm in through Schouten Passage to anchor at Morey's Bay. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Thur 4th we left Morey's Bay Shouten Island and sailed 25nm to Prosser Bay near Triabunna.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Continuing blog updates on the next post soon.</p>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-4136281641139346152017-01-18T22:00:00.001+11:002017-01-18T22:00:57.048+11:00The last leg home to Launceston, Tasmania <p dir="ltr">After arriving in Camden Haven on Friday the 4th November we anchored in the river opposite the village of North Haven. It was a short row ashore and then 100 metres from the dinghy pontoon lived Wayne's good friend and childhood neighbour Phil and his wife Cheryl. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We spent a week anchored off North Haven and enjoyed the picturesque beauty of this coastal town surrounded by bushland. In fact from seaward the only building visible was the local surf club and the man made breakwaters. It was refreshing to find this region developed within the natural bush environment. The only way to take in the ocean view was to walk or ride to the end of the breakwater or to the beach.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We explored the waterways by kayak and one afternoon spent half an hour under a bridge in the backwash of the pylons watching a mother dolphin and calf diving around catching fish. Another day we borrowed Phil's car to drive to Port Macquarie. </p>
<p dir="ltr">On the 11th November we departed with the high tide and sailed with the gentle 10 to 15 knot breeze all day and arrived off Port Stephens as the wind began building. We sailed through the passage between Tomaree and Yacaaba Heads then anchored off Jimmy's Beach, at 0200 Saturday. After a sleep in we sailed further upstream to anchor off Pindimar to explore the area via kayak over the next few days. Another couple of days were spent tied up at the public wharf at Nelsons Bay, which allowed us some extended day walks. We met a family of grey kangaroos that were in the park at the end of the main street. We also explored some bush tracks and summited Tomaree for the expansive view.</p>
<p dir="ltr">After a week of exploring Port Stephens we departed on a favourable forecast for the long day sail to Broken Bay. We arrived in the bay as the sun was setting and the anchor went down at last light near Juno Point. The next morning we motored up to the entrance of Mullet Creek near Brooklyn to sound our way over a barway on the last of the spring high tides. We made it in with just 0.2 metres of water under the keel. An hour later we dropped anchor across from Wondabyne train station in 6 metres of water. The anchor was firmly set as we planned to base ourselves here for a month or so to visit our families and Sydney friends. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Wondabyne station is on the Northern rail line and is only long enough for the rear doors of the rear carriage to pull up alongside. There is approximately one train per hour that is timetabled to stop at the station if required. The creek is more like a bay here and there are some shacks around the waterfront and a few moored boats, the shack and boat owners enjoy this waterway and surrounding national park when they visit by train or boat. We enjoyed approximately a month in Mullet Creek exploring the area by kayak as well as a few walks along the Great North Walk track. We spent many days visiting friends and relatives in Sydney and the Central Coast.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We made it out of Mullet Creek on another high spring tide and headed to Pittwater to spend a day anchored in Careel Bay.  The next day with a good weather window, we continued our voyage south. We arrived late afternoon in Wollongong Harbour then set out at 5am the next morning. The next night we anchored in Jervis Bay. Then it was a shorter voyage to Ulladulla for a night. The next stop was Twofold Bay, Eden as the weather wasn't suitable to continue across Bass Strait. Here we actually stayed for a week before getting a good weather window of more than 48 hours.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While waiting in Twofold Bay, we moved between two anchorages, Boyd Bay and Snug Cove, depending on the wind direction. We explored the Kiah River by kayak and also walked to Eden and along the foreshore tracks. We also caught up with a good friend Bob on his yacht Sylph IV who had recently returned from a multi year voyage encompassing Japan, Alaska, Canada, USA, Mexico then across the Pacific back to Australia. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The required weather window arrived at last and we set out on the 23rd December at 0200 and cleared the NSW coast by 0800. We lost sight of land in the afternoon and sailed on the gentle breeze overnight towards the northern end of Flinders Island. It wasn't until the following afternoon that we saw land just half a mile away as the fog had been getting thicker all day. We altered course to pass through Sisters Passage and again to pass along the stunning shoreline of Flinders Island in the vicinity of Mt Killiecrankie. We talked of a future plan to sea kayak around the islands of the Furneau Group.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The engine was put to use as the breeze had died to a whisper once the sun had risen on Christmas Day. We motored onward and passed the Low Head lighthouse then entered the Tamar River just as the tide turned in our favour. We had just crossed our outbound track just 6 days short of 2 years away and just over 9,300 nautical miles under our keel.</p>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-21556549034543237872016-11-05T11:54:00.001+11:002016-11-05T11:54:29.505+11:00Arrived Coffs Harbour<p dir="ltr">We arrived at Coffs Harbour at 09:30 on the 1st November 2016 and were able to pick up a courtesy mooring outside the marina area to await Customs clearance (now called Australian Border Force).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Over the last 24 hours of the passage we experienced very strong winds and a cold front which, along with the numbers of ships around us, left us feeling exhausted.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The formalities were completed and we were declared termite free. So this 41 year old vessel has still been able to outrun the infestations of termites that must, by the sounds of it, be rampant through a fair number of vessels made of or containing wood.</p>
<p dir="ltr">We have since sailed to and anchored in the Camden Haven River.</p>
<p dir="ltr">All is well surrounded by the smell of the eucalypts <u>again</u>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Wayne and Kathy</p>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-13914837921108786612016-10-29T19:09:00.001+11:002016-10-29T19:09:01.050+11:00Passage Report SaturdayDay 5 of our passage to Australia from New Caledonia.
<br>We are experiencing the Forth day of trade winds with currently South Easterly 15 knots. Since the southerly front arriving last Tuesday, the variation of wind has been from East to South East and from 6 to 18 knots. So very pleasant sailing conditions. We have used the spinnaker and Code "0" when the conditions were lighter and we have the Spinnaker set now from its top down furler on the poker pole in front of the bow as we continue tracking 240 degrees true, we expect to be able to carry it through the night tonight. There is a change in the weather tomorrow according to the Grib Files we download each evening. The wind will back around to the north and increase to over 20 knots by the evening. By midnight tomorrow we should have reached the channel of maximum East Australian Coastal current which sets south along the coast. We will set a new course then, direct to Coffs Harbour with just 100 nm to go. We are monitoring the water temperature to give us this indication.
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<br>Over the last 5 days we have seen lots of flying fish and many Gannets that often circle us to see what sea life we may disturb that they are always ready to pounce on. Or are they just taking time out from their fishing to check us out? Usually 2 or 3 laps of the boat and they move off to continue the search for food. We haven't seen any birds in the evenings flying in any particular direction which is an early sign of land nearby, perhaps tomorrow we will see more land based sea birds.
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<br>The sun has just set and all is peaceful as we listen to the water swoosh along the hull
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<br>Wayne and Kathy
<br>
<br>At 29/10/2016 07:55 (utc) our position was 26°56'S 157°13'E
<br>email is via our slow and limited* HF radio email system. * Limited by the atmospheric conditions and propagation of the ionosphere.
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<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-61458168295632050692016-10-26T08:18:00.000+11:002016-10-26T08:17:29.608+11:00Position Report bound Coffs HarbourWe departed yesterday, tuesday 25 Oct, from the lagoon off Noumea at 0700. It was very light so we motor sailed SW towards a band of cloud on the horizon. Five hours later we picked up a SSW 18 knot wind and we set full headsail and 1 reefed mainsail. The sea built up quickly with the front and we settled into the usual 1st day of a passage routine.
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<br>We have maintained the good conditions through the night and are tracking towards Cape Byron to keep north of the High and we expect Northerly winds on the weekend to help us track south along with the usual East Australian coast current that is strong between Byron and Coffs at the present time (BOM web site). A highlight of the night was seeing a flying fish take off about 10 metres from the starboard bow and flew then hovered next to the navigation light for about 10 seconds then floated back down into the sea.
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<br>All is well onboard as the sea is moderating this morning. We have 742 nm to Coffs
<br>At 25/10/2016 21:08 (utc) our position was 23°15.08'S 164°04.23'E
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<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-68877252919235088262016-10-24T21:21:00.001+11:002016-10-24T21:21:05.660+11:00Farewell New CaledoniaTomorrow, Tuesday 25 October we will be heading back to Australia. We cleared out this morning with the pleasant and organised government officials, bought our last baguettes, filled up with duty free fuel and sailed out to Ilot Nge. It is a little sandy island with a splash of vegetation in the centre providing a home for numerous birds. Not long after picking up a visitors mooring we had a turtle surfacing beside the boat. After doing a big cook up and last minute jobs we swam ashore and were able to swim beside a pretty big turtle for part of the way. It was a wonderful experience and a nice farewell from New Caledonia.
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<br>Now going back in time to fill you in since our previous blog post ....From Iles des Pines we sailed to Ilot Ndo, in the southern lagoon with a steady beam reach and sunny skies. On nearing the island we dropped the sails and switched on the engine to navigate our way through the reef to our anchorage for the night. From up on the ratlines I could distinctly see the deep water pass surrounded by reef. I also spied several reef sharks in the shallows near the island. Mmm...did we really want a swim? After anchoring in a gulch within the reef we rowed the dinghy ashore and discovered that the island was very popular with banded sea snakes. Their tracks were everywhere and we saw about twenty snakes as we walked around the island's shoreline. It only took about 15 minutes so you can imagine how small it was.
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<br>The next day we left early and headed across to another tiny island called Ilot Kouare. We had a light north westerly breeze and ran with just the headsail across 'unchartered waters'. This was an area on the chart that was greyed out and was labeled as such. But keeping a careful eye out we safely navigated around the reefs and Ilots. We arrived around lunchtime missing all the coral heads as we closed in on the island. We anchored in beautiful clear water and it wasn't long before we had three remoras or were they small grey sharks? hanging around the hull. Again we rowed ashore and walked around the island in no time at all. Sea snake tracks were once again everywhere on the beach leading up to the line of vegetation. But we only saw one making its way to the water. Perhaps we saw more at the previous island because it was dusk when we went ashore. As we rowed back to Ambler we spotted a reef shark in the shallows.
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<br>With strong winds predicted for the next couple of days we left the Ilots behind and sailed north to Port Koube on the Ile Ouen. Here we spent two nights surrounded by high eroded hillsides. Port Koube is a large natural harbour with no settlements. We spent one day kayaking around the shoreline. The beaches here were red mud as was the anchor and chain when we pulled it up.
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<br>On Friday 7th we left Ile Ouen and sailed a short distance to Bai de Prony on the mainland of New Caledonia. It's a huge natural harbour with many protected anchorages similar to Broken Bay in NSW. First we headed to the eastern arm and picked up a mooring in a little bay called Anse Majic. As we entered the little bay the water was tranquil, there was hardly a puff of wind and the birdsong was vibrant. We enjoyed 2 nights in this lovely spot. From the anchorage we walked to Cape Ndua lighthouse and marvelled at the spectacular vista of the nearby reefs and islands. The dark red earth of the track contrasted with the greens of the coastal scrub covering the hillside. We also kayaked around the east arm and found a watering point set up with a hose from a creek.
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<br>Our next anchorage in Bai de Prony was at Ile Casey. We really enjoyed our time here even though it poured rain for most of the time. There was great snorkelling and the walk around the island was stunning. There were a variety of forests within in the island from towering pines to giant fig trees to coastal forests all interrupted with sandy white beaches. The island at one time had a small hotel but this was being taken over by the bush. It was an intriguing little island.
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<br>The next couple of nights we spent anchored in the further most reaches of Bai de Prony in its western arm called Baie du Carenage and Baie des Kaoris. The scenery that surrounded us was of green bushclad hillsides. Apparently the locals use this bay as a hurricane anchorage. Each bay ended in a mangrove creek and at high tide we were able to kayak to where the first rapids began. We discovered another water point, this time the hose came from an underground spring. One day we walked to the first settlement called Prony and looked at the ruins that were left. It's hot work walking in this heat so we soaked our tired bodies in the 'lukewarm spring' at the head of Baie des Kaoris.
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<br>After spending another night at Ile Casey we had a brisk sail out of Bai de Prony and west through Canal Woodin to Bai Uie. As we sailed through Canal Woodin we cracked 10 knots boat speed with the wind and current with us. We spent 3 windy days and nights in Bai Uie and only managed to go ashore once for a short walk on the beach. Being on board gave us a chance to give Ambler a thorough spring clean.
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<br>By Tuesday 18th the wind had abated and we had a great beam reach back to Noumea. We have spent the last week anchored in Port Moselle, Noumea with strong winds. Most days we've spent half the day ashore walking and exploring and the rest of the time we've been preparing Ambler for our passage back to Australia.
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<br>All is ready for sea on board.
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<br>At 23/10/2016 07:57 (utc) our position was 22°19.54S 166°19.11'E
<br>email is via our slow and limited* HF radio email system. * Limited by the atmospheric conditions and propagation of the ionosphere.
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<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-61005218986747585702016-10-17T19:15:00.000+11:002016-10-17T19:14:50.393+11:00Cruising New Caledonia - Part One - Isles de PinesSince our arrival in New Caledonia, we have done a bit of exploring by sail, sea kayak, snorkel and foot.
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<br>We left Noumea on Thursday 27th Sept and our first stop was to pick up a mooring at Ilot Maitre just 3 nautical miles from the harbour. We dived into the crystal clear blue tinged water to snorkel around a couple of coral reefs nearby. We found them to be the most colourful we have experienced this year, perhaps it's the cooler water temperatures here, roughly 24 degrees as against the 26 degrees of Fiji and Tonga. We also saw many turtles and some very big fish that were unafraid of us as we snorkeled about. Needless to say it was a marine reserve and they appear to know it!
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<br>The moorings laid for our use were 2 ton concrete blocks with a rope shackled to them and a buoyed loop at the surface which we pass our own line through and back to the bow cleat. There is another submerged float to keep the lower part of the rope free of coral.
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<br>We stayed overnight and kayaked first thing in the morning around the island then sailed for Ilot Ouen where we found an anchorage for the night in Baie de la Tortue. This island is a large, hilly land mass with some eroded areas but is mostly forested and scrubby all over. There are many other anchorages around the island and a few settled areas around the shores.
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<br>We awoke early the next morning to sail through a shallow narrow passage in the reefs to the south of the island with Kathy up our ratlines spotting for coral heads. A couple of small motor boats passed us with the first giving us an incredulous look and the next one actually failing to take a turn soon enough and struck a shoal then slowly made its way onward with the outboard trimmed up. Anyway we made it through and then made our way to the normal shipping route where we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day sailing with our asymmetric spinnaker to Isle de Pines, roughly 40nm south east of the mainland. On arrival we conned our way into a very busy anchorage in Bai de Kanumera which is on the south west corner of the island.
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<br>We stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed a walk to Pic Nga which is the highest point at 260 metres on the Isle de Pines. The views were amazing with all the shades of blue represented in the surrounding shallow and deep waters of the island. The track to the top was fairly direct and traversed a low farming area then ascended via an open ridge over weathered loose rock then re entered forest and scrub on the mostly flat top which afforded many views from different lookouts. The bird life was mostly made up of many vocal small insect and honey eaters which were hard to spot but sounded delightful. The pines that give their name to the island are incredibly tall and slender with not a lot of foliage spread for their height. The next day we paddled around the southern shoreline of the island then back via a few small offshore islands. On getting back to the boat we noted a huge crowd ashore on the beaches and snorkelling in the bay and discovered the P&O cruise ship Pacific Pearl was anchored nearby. We stayed aboard avoiding the crowds and later found out we had friends from Tasmania who had briefly escaped the winter and were perhaps among the crowd.
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<br>The third day we went ashore early and walked to the bakery to buy some baguettes. We then headed back for breakfast and got under weigh for a lively sail around to the eastern side of the island to anchor in Bai de Ugo. We had to negotiate a few more coral areas on the way so we just unfurled our genoa for the passage. On arrival into the bay it had clouded over which made it difficult to see the shoals from the ratline ladder so we had a cautious look around to find a suitable anchorage and narrowly missed a coral patch by hitting full noise reverse, we then executed a tight 180 degree (3 point) turn to get out of a mine field of coral heads. We were helped and advised by a newly launched Alloy Dashew designed FPB (F.... Power Boat) that we anchored next to in a perfect sandy area. We were invited over for drinks and a tour of the vessel after we were settled in. These boats are very well appointed and built in Whangarei, New Zealand. Perhaps a small scale cruise ship complete with stabilisers! We spent several days enjoying the crystal clear waters of this bay. We kayaked around the lagoon formed by the outer reef and the scattered limestone islets topped with towering pines, at low tide we walked along a dry, sandy creek bed to a natural swimming hole on a junction with another creek. This bay was breathtakingly beautiful and was a great anchorage in the westerly winds.
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<br>When the westerly wind went back to the south east we sailed around the northern end of Iles des Pines and anchored in Bai de Gadj on the north west corner of the island. This was once again a stunning place with clear water, numerous limestone islands and fantastic snorkelling. Here we snorkeled at a reef drop off and saw numerous large beautifully coloured fish. After a few days spent in this lovely anchorage we decided to sail for Ilot Ndo, a tiny island in the southern lagoon. As we sailed slowly out of the bay in light wind with the code zero ghosting us along we were treated to an amazing display of a humpback whale breaching. As the whale crossed our path ahead of us we realised it was a mother and calf. We felt very privileged to see these magnificent creature so close. The wind strengthened once we cleared the bay and outer reef so we replaced the code zero for the genoa and had a nice sail across to Ilot Ndo.
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<br>Stay tuned for more of our adventures in New Caledonia.
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<br>We arrived at the entrance to Havannah Passage, New Caledonia at first light on Sunday morning having had to motor since 2.30am to make the flood tide in the pass, as the wind had died out. We began the next 40 nautical miles of navigation through reef and island passages, arriving in Port Moselle to anchor at 14:40.
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<br>Since last Tuesday's post we sailed in beautiful sunny conditions with just our genoa set in the 20 plus knot winds through to Thursday morning when the winds began to moderate to around 15kn. We then set a double reefed main through to Friday midnight shaking out the reefs as the wind moderated further. We enjoyed watching the full moon rise and set each night. At first light on Saturday we exchanged the genoa for our 0.5oz code zero sail. The breeze continued to fade throughout Saturday and disappeared on Sunday at 02:30. At this point we started the engine and passed an outbound cargo ship heading to Vanuatu. We were able to shut down the engine at 09:00 Sunday in favour of the code zero and full main again. The sailing was enjoyable as we cruised past many anchorages and bays we hope to explore later. The lush tropical bush gave way to eroded multi coloured rock and soil hills and gullies, perhaps mined in the past for the rich deposits of nickel.
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<br>As we neared Noumea there were hundreds of sailing vessels out enjoying the good trade winds. They ranged from wind surfers through to super yachts. It was a great sight with sails billowing on the iridescent blue waters.
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<br>Today we went into town and visited the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Offices to clear in. It was a nice, easy, welcoming and free procedure, so refreshing. After that we practiced our basic school grade French on the shopkeepers. We're glad most of them speak English!
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<br>We covered 678nm in 5 days and 8 hours on the passage from Fiji.
<br>All is bien on board.
<br>Kathy and Wayne
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<br>email is via our slow and limited* HF radio email system. * Limited by the atmospheric conditions and propagation of the ionosphere.
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<br>At first on light Tuesday we departed Momi Bay, with full main and genoa in the now lighter conditions, thanks to the overnight decoupling of wind and sea surface. The sea was running at about 2.5 metres and the wind filled to the predicted 20 knots which had us reefing twice then stowing the main altogether by 10am. The conditions were a bit lumpy but with the wind just aft of beam on, it was comfortable enough.
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<br>We have now covered 200 miles at 1700 Wednesday, with another 435 sea miles to go to the entrance of Havannah Passage. Today has been overcast with passing showers. Everything is shades of grey out here.
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<br>All is well onboard as we settle into our Swedish watch system.
<br>Kathy and Wayne
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<br>At 13/09/2016 7:07 AM (utc) our position was 19°23'S 174°07'E
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<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-62148972224753256232016-09-12T14:44:00.000+10:002016-09-12T14:47:09.533+10:00Departing Fiji for New CaledoniaWe have just cleared customs at Lautoka, Fiji and we have set all plain sail, working towards the main shipping channel entrance through the reefs of Fiji. We are expecting South East trade winds of up to 20 knots to help us on our way once we clear the outer reefs. We expect the voyage to take up to 7 days.
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<br>We hope you enjoyed the photos
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<br>All is well onboard
<br>Kathy and Wayne
<br>At 28/08/2016 5:35 AM (utc) our position was 17°39'S 177°21'E
<br>email is via our slow and limited* HF radio email system. * Limited by the atmospheric conditions and propagation of the ionosphere.
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<br>radio email processed by SailMail
<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-87202960840777836172016-09-08T10:52:00.000+10:002016-09-08T10:52:30.517+10:00Fiji Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On a mooring at Savusavu. </div>
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Kayaking at SavuSavu </div>
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Viani Bay Area, Vanua Levu </div>
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Vanua Levu </div>
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A villager grating coconut on Rambi Island. </div>
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Walking to town on Rambi Island. The lorry is the local bus. </div>
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An interesting sign in the grounds of a primary school. </div>
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A typical dug out canoe used by the people on Rambi Island. </div>
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A villager collects coconuts, dries the coconut meat on top of this oven and then sells it to the Copra Shed in town. Rambi Island </div>
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Making friends while waiting at the bus stop. </div>
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A Methodist Church in a village. Instead of a bell they bang the dug out pieces of tree under the shelter in front of the church. </div>
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We anchored off this village at Kia Island. </div>
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The view from the top of Kia Island.</div>
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Looking down at Ambler from the top of Kia Island. </div>
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A windy day on the island of Viti Levu. Note Wayne's newest lure...a toothpaste tube. </div>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-89370167373621974802016-09-08T10:13:00.000+10:002016-09-08T10:13:34.466+10:00Tonga Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kayaking around some islands near our anchorage at Nuku'alofa.</div>
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A typical day of exploring by kayak and snorkelling in Tonga.</div>
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Inside Swallow's Cave in Va'vau.</div>
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Terns resting on the sticks of a fish trap. </div>
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Wayne playing with the local crabs. </div>
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A glorious, sunny day of sailing in the Va'vau Group. </div>
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Terns </div>
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Coconut juice coming up. </div>
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The perfect conditions to practice our kayak rolls. </div>
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Terns </div>
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Kathy up the ratlines looking for coral bommies and reefs. </div>
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A beautiful uninhabited island in the Hapaai Group.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">A beautiful uninhabited island in the Hapaai Group.</span></div>
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Hermit crabs of all sizes were abundant on the beaches in Tonga.</div>
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A perfect spot for a swim. </div>
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The windward side of an uninhabited island.</div>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-5573810149607905072016-08-10T19:20:00.000+10:002016-08-10T19:21:06.467+10:00Cruising in Vava'u and FijiSince our last post a few moons ago, we spent another 12 days in the Ha'apai group of islands of Tonga. We weathered a blow one night where the winds gusted to about 40 knots, we had moved from Uiha Island, north to another island called Tatafa, as it looked one of the few places in the whole group to offer any shelter in the predicted Northerly pre-frontal winds. We were joined by 3 other yachts the next morning and heard of their tales of survival in other not so protected anchorages. One of these boats a forty footer, had previously lost their best anchor and managed to snag some coral after a number of resets, with an old half sized plough anchor. We lent them our spare, an original 60 pound CQR, until they could manage to import a new anchor.
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<br>We moved north to the town of Pangai where we had to check in and out with customs with an inter island clearance process. This duty was carried out first, then we had a hamburger at a cafe and witnessed a dog fight between about 10 really mangy, mostly emaciated mongrels - Ugh! We bought some eggs then high tailed it back to Ambler. We then headed 3nm further north to anchor and await a better wind angle for the passage to the next group of islands called Vava'u. Over the next 5 days we snorkeled and explored nearby by kayak and also practised our eskimo rolls and kayak rescue techniques in the 26 deg crystal clear waters.
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<br>We then had a pause in the strong North Easterly winds and set out North around noon, for the overnight passage to Nieafu in the Vava'u group. We actually stopped at another island called Haano around mid afternoon for a snorkel and dinner before nightfall. We deployed our "Code 0" in the light south easterlies and watched 2 other yachts motor out of sight ahead of us. After sunrise the next morning we spotted some whale spouts ahead and an island to the west called Late Island. Soon after some lower islands began to appear ahead of us. These grew higher and more plentiful during the day. Around midday we sailed into the impressive Vava'u Group with its deep waters and taller islands. By mid afternoon we anchored just short of Neiafu.
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<br>The next morning we weighed anchor and sailed into the harbour to anchor at its southern end. This was a really nice quiet protected anchorage away from the busy port. We launched the dinghy and motored the 20 minutes to town with our paperwork to do our inter island customs clearance again and we also had to renew our visas for another month at the immigration office. These duties done we then had a good walk around and checked out the shops and market. We had another day of wandering about town and provisioned with fresh fruit and vegetables.
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<br>After a couple of days we headed out to explore the many and various anchorages and usually snorkeled and kayaked before moving to the next anchorage for more of the same.
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<br>Some of the highlights were the Hunga Island Lagoon where we negotiated a narrow, shallow gap over a coral ledge between rocky islands. From this anchorage we paddled over a shallow pass into another stunning lagoon called the Blue Lagoon. Another beautiful area was reached by sailing through a coral pass into the Eastern group where we had the place to ourselves for a week. We anchored in a few different spots including the old port of Nieafu and kayaked many miles exploring the shoals and smaller islands where keel boats wouldn't dare to go. We moved to Kenutu Island where we met up with around 6 other boats. Here we kayaked some more, snorkeled and walked over the island to stand on the sheer limestone cliffs above the crashing South East trade wind driven swell.
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<br>We have since covered the 425nm passage from Tonga to Fiji last week, arriving in Savusavu. It was a great 77 hour passage in the tradewinds.
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<br>Savusavu was a great, friendly little town. The Fijian people are always ready with a warm smile and 'Bula'. We got away from the port after a week of indulgence of the good, really cheap curries on offer and we stocked up on fresh foods such as meat and vegies. The port has 3 so called marinas, 1 with a real marina as well as moorings called The Copra Shed, the other two just have moorings with showers etc. We stayed on a mooring with Waitui marina. Joelene the manager arranged and transported all officials to our boat. She was fantastic and extremely helpful and we highly recommend her.
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<br>We spent several nights anchored off Costeau Resort in Savusavu Bay waiting for the right wind to sail east. From here we had several kayak, snorkeling and walking adventures and enjoyed the company of some fellow yachties. A 15-20kn southerly breeze arrived and we had a fast and boisterous beam reach to Viani Bay 40nm east of Savusavu.
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<br>Viani Bay was a large bay with a few anchoring options. The surrounding hillsides reminded us of anchoring in Banks Peninsula in NZ. The hills were high with a mixture of jungly bush and bare grazing land. We spent 3 nights anchored there waiting for a trough to pass over. We had heavy downpours that allowed us to top up our water tanks and more as well as giving Ambler a good scrub down. One day we had a good explore in our kayaks. That day began as sunshine and ended in rain squalls. However we did discover a good snorkeling spot a few bays to the north while the sun was still out.
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<br>Today we sailed north to Kioa island with light winds and are now anchored in a bay on its north west corner. After anchoring we watched the rain slowly envelope the high mountain ranges of Vanua Levu to our west before arriving to give us another dousing.
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<br>We plan to continue anti clockwise around Vanua Levu and the islands to the east of it.
<br>All is well on board.
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<br>At 7/08/2016 8:23 PM (utc) our position was 16°37.7'S 179°56.0'E
<br>email is via our slow and limited* HF radio email system. * Limited by the atmospheric conditions and propagation of the ionosphere.
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<br>for information see: <a href="http://www.sailmail.com">http://www.sailmail.com</a>Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-38850247390776308682016-06-09T06:35:00.000+10:002016-06-09T06:36:11.160+10:00Happy in the Ha'apai GroupAt 7/06/2016 9:19 PM (utc) our position was 19°54.11'S 174°24.81'W
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<br>On the evening of Sunday 29 May we made an overnight passage of 75nm with a nice 10 knot easterly from Nuku'alofa, north to Nomuka Island, the southern most island in the Ha'apai group. Arriving at 9am we conned our way in with myself half way up the mast on our new rat lines negotiating a clear route through the coral heads. We spotted our first turtle and were very impressed with the many shades of blue created by the different sea beds from a deep dark blue to a brilliant turquoise surrounding the outlying reefs. We safely dropped anchor in 14m off the smaller island called Nomuka Iki.
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<br>We spent Monday and Tuesday anchored here in light winds. We launched our kayaks and paddled ashore and met the only resident on the island, an old man and his dog. He greeted us warmly and in a mixture of Tongan, English and lots of hand actions we had a brief conversation. Racks of dried fish lay salted above the high tide mark, pigs wandered behind his tin hut, a smoky fire held a blackened kettle and the local radio station could be heard from his radio. After saying goodbye we continued to kayak around the island. The tide was out and as we paddled over the inner reef we occasionally caught glimpses of bright coloured fish below. At one point we pulled ashore to stretch our legs and discovered cow pats along the beach. We have since seen evidence of cattle on all the islands we've visited. Waves crashed with regularity on the outer reef as we continued paddling along in the calmer inner passage. We met a local guy jigging for octopus from his wooden out rigger who had been to Tasmania last year to visit his sister! We also enjoyed a snorkel from the beach as well as from the boat to check our anchor and chain was clear of any coral heads.
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<br>On Wednesday we weighed anchor and departed under sail. After clearing Nomuka Island we set our course for 35 degrees true. We could see lots of scattered low lying islands on the horizon, one of them being our destination for the day, Oua Island. With an 8 knot breeze from the ESE we were close reaching in a smooth sea. To our west we could see the prominent pyramid shape of Kao Island which is 1000m high. Next to it was the shorter island of Tofua which is an active volcano. It was a sunny day and flying fish were stretching their wings as they flew across the wave tops. As we neared the Ava Fonuaika pass between Wickham Reef and Fonuaika Island we watched the sea around us intently for any signs of breaking waves or green water which indicates a reef system. As we were now working to windward it became clear we weren't going to clear a reef ahead of us so we tacked twice to avoid it. Once clear of the pass we had a gentle sail in to our anchorage at Peapea Island. Once again we navigated our way in, using both our echo sounder (fish finder) which shows a profile of the sea bed as well as depth and myself up the mast distinguishing between the different shades of blue to find a nice clear area to anchor. Peapea Island is a tiny dot of an island on the outer reef system of Oua Island. Although we felt we were anchored in the middle of open water we had a reef on two sides and an island on the third.
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<br>The following morning we kayaked around Oua Island and saw all manner of fish leaping across in front of our bows as our kayaks must have startled them, quite a few black tip reef sharks in the shallows and a very large turtle only metres in front of us before it took a breath and disappeared into the turquoise depths. We stopped at the small beach fringed island of Fakahiku to stretch our legs. As we glided onto the beach at least a dozen crabs scuttled from the waterline up to the bush for safety. All that is except for one which wasn't as quick as Wayne who leapt from his kayak and blocked its path. The two of them get blocking each other as they side stepped along the beach. After Wayne decided it was too hot to be running around chasing crabs we walked around the island and collected four coconuts to open later.
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<br>In the afternoon we sailed north for 7nm to Haafeva Island. We anchored in 8m on the north west side of the island. Here we had our best sleep in awhile as the anchorage wasn't rolly. On Friday morning we jumped over the side and had the best snorkelling we've had yet. The visibility was excellent and the coral gardens between the boat and the shore were spectacular. There was a huge range of coral which were all alive and a magnificent variety of colourful fish darted in and around them. We had a wonderful time snorkelling here and we were left in awe at the beauty of it.
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<br>On Friday afternoon we sailed east to Uonukuhahaki Island. We had a terrific sail to windward in ESE 10 knots and covered the 23nm in five hours. We found a clear sandy area between coral heads and dropped the anchor. We eagerly went for a quick snorkel from the boat before the sun went down.
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<br>On Saturday we went ashore to Uonukuhahaki Island which is uninhabited and walked around its sandy beaches. We discovered a few bits of flotsam washed ashore and plenty of cowrie shells and pieces of broken, bleached coral. The tide was running out and at the northern end of the island we were presented with a spectacular nature show. We came across a fairly big tidal pool and I spotted a small black tip reef shark swimming through what I thought was weed. Wayne soon noticed that my weed was thousands of fish about a finger length long. This enormous school of fish was herded up one end of the tidal pool by a variety of predators including several sharks, a group of king fish and also making the most of this bounty were terns overhead and several moray eels. Every time a predator would lunge into the school the air would erupt in small fish flying to escape. In the afternoon we had another great snorkelling session, seeing even more varieties of colourful fish.
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<br>After spending a windy day on board on Sunday we decided to move to the next island to our north on Monday. We had a brisk sail in a SE 15 knot to Uiha Island and anchored in front of the southern village. Uiha Island has two villages. We have spent the last few days anchored here as the island provides good protection from the strong easterly trade winds. Yesterday we kayaked the length of the island and met some local boat builders and today we went snorkelling close to the shore and saw some cuttlefish.
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<br>We have been regularly listening to Radio Australia on our HF radio and hearing all about the floods in northern Tasmania. Our thoughts are with those at home enduring the bad weather and floods.
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<br>All is happy on board.
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<br>Our voyage statistics are; 1,132 nautical miles over 12 days and 6 hours. A total of 24 hours of motoring in calm conditions, the longest period yesterday (9 hours) was in 5 metre swells.
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<br>The last 4 days were a mixed bag of conditions. On Saturday we were sailing to windward on a building North Westerly with boat speeds up to 7 knots for 14 hours, then we endured a South Westerly gale on Sunday with a small headsail for 14 hours as a series of fronts came through. The wind abated early Monday but unfortunately the swells didn't abate as quickly, they stayed with us for the final 2 days as we made use of the .75 oz Code Zero and then completed the voyage under motor. It is hard to endure such light conditions once land is sighted!
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<br>This morning we entered the inner harbour to clear customs. After tying up alongside another yacht also awaiting clearance we patiently waited for an hour for the customs officer to arrive. Then several other yachts needing clearance arrived and tied up alongside our little flotilla. It was nice to be able to chat to other yachties whilst waiting for clearance procedures to take place. After another couple of hours the quarantine officer arrived and then an hour later the health officer arrived. All the officials were very courteous and relaxed.
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<br>After finally being able to leave the vessel we went to the local produce market and bought some fresh supplies. This evening we returned to anchor off Pangaimotu Island and enjoyed a swim over the side followed by a delicious papaya.
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<br>All is content onboard Ambler
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<br>The chart is riddled with undersea volcanoes, ridges and troughs that have odd notations such as "volcanic activity 2009" "dscoloured water 1983" and shoal depths with the year reported. In fact there's a whole new island at 20d 34' S, 175d 23' W, which we will not be sailing near as it is west of our planned route. I should have brought a Tassie Flag in case we find a new island to proclaim.
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<br>The wind died off during Wednesday and we are drifting north with the Assymetric Spinnaker heading for the subtropic ridge (an elongated high with little or no wind) that we hope to be able to sail through. Once across we will then be in the South East trade winds.
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<br>We also crossed the dateline at 30d 10'S on Tuesday at 1750 local which is 12 hours and 180 degrees in both directions East and West of Greenwhich England (lucky I paid attention in the spherical trigonometry lessons when I studied surveying) . We haven't changed the date though as Tonga and Fiji are aligned with NZ.
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<br>We still have the Mahi Mahi fish around us and have been spotting sea birds such as white necked petrels and masked boobies. We have stayed to the west of the Kermadec islands due to the big winds and sea which these birds nest on.
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<br>We have been generating electricity whilst sailing from a tow generator. The different bits cost me $230 and consist of an old wind generator called a wind bugger hooked up to a small outboard propeller on a stainless shaft and coupled by a 30 metre rope. The wind bugger was popular in its day with its large slow turning blades, ideal for a hydrogen system, unlike the fast turning modern wind generators.
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<br>So all bright and humming along on board.
<br>Wayne and Kathy
<br>At 17/05/2016 4:12 PM (utc) our position was 29°39.19'S 179°26.53'W
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<br>Last night, just on dusk, a little mate joined us perhaps from the Tamar River. A swallow had lost his way. He almost landed on my arm then did a circuit of the boat and spied a more settled and out of the way place to land, the liferaft deployment cord. Once settled it gave a chirp and then it was only a minute or two before his little head tucked under his wing and was fast asleep. It became his final resting place as he passed away in the early hours of the night. At sunrise we gave him a sea burial.
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<br>We were forced to a stop next day with no wind. We were parked in the middle of a big round empty disc then we spotted an orange fishing float, we fired up the diesel and motored over to find a small mass of green rope which we hauled aboard. It was barnacle encrusted and was home to many small crabs. It was then we noticed that surrounding the boat was a dozen or more big Dolphin fish or Mahi Mahi along with many smaller species. These big fish are delicious too so I went through my fishing kit and threw every lure I had at them to no avail. We cleaned up the rope and stored it in the sea kayak for later disposal on land. Our new friends stayed with us for the rest of the day and attempted to keep up once the breeze filled in after dark. We could see them swimming along in the phosphorescent plankton then they must have given up the chase.
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<br>The wind has come in from the ENE and we have shaped a course North towards Tonga.
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<br>All is quiet on board as we sail through the night
<br>Wayne And Kathy
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<br>We have been on board for almost 3 weeks exploring the many stunning anchorages in the Bay of Islands as we prepare Ambler for sea. Our mountain bikes and associated land exploring equipment was washed and packed away. We sold the van to some friends from Tasmania who are sailing to Nelson soon to begin their adventures.
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<br>We cleared customs at Opua and left the bay in light winds behind another boat who was heading our way. We hoisted the code 0 and main and shut the noisy perkins down once we detected a breeze, where as he kept motoring towards the horizon. We were only achieving 3.5 knots until the breeze freshened a bit more. It was then too much for the code 0 so we furled that and unfurled the headsail. Just on dusk we called a ship that was lining us up to pass only half a mile behind. He agreed to alter course to increase the separation especially as our speed under sail wasn't all that constant.
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<br>We had a great night beam reaching (a sailing term, not being sick) until sunrise. A small pod of Common Dolphins enjoyed our bow waves as the sun rose. We poled out the headsail as the wind had backed to the west. The apparent wind speed eased off too so we then hoisted the massive Assymetric spinnaker and unfurled it, we shot back up to 6 knots again for an hour and a half but then the wind came around NW again. So off with the assy and back on with the headsail, beam reaching once more.
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<br>We have lost sight of the boat ahead and have another yacht converging from Whangarei or Auckland. We have them on AIS (Amblers Intelligence System) with a CPA (Closest Point of Approach) 5 hours away. So there are lots of yachts on this weather window to the Islands.
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<br>There was supposed to be a flotilla (operation Sea Mercy) departing today for Fiji to deliver goods to needy villages, but I suspect they (mostly Americans) might chicken out and leave Saturday instead, due to the Friday factor and especially as it is also the 13th!
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<br>This afternoon we had our 240 watt solar panels aimed at the sun so there was energy pouring back into the batteries.
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<br>It is midnight now and we had covered 110 nm in the first 24 hours and another 67 in the last 12.
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<br>All is well on board as we gain our sea legs once more.
<br>Wayne and Kathy
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<span style="text-align: center;">We walked up to Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast. It had receded significantly since Wayne was last here about 30 years ago.</span></div>
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Walking up the river valley towards what is left of the Fox Glacier on the West Caost.</div>
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As close as you are allowed to get to the Fox Glacier. </div>
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Reflections of the Southern Alps on Lake Matheson, West Coast </div>
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Views of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook from Lake Matheson. </div>
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Views of Lake Wanaka as we climb Roy's Peak in the Southern Lakes region. </div>
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Views of Lake Wanaka and Mt Aspiring National Park from half way up Roy's Peak. </div>
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Views of Lake Wanaka from half way up Roy's Peak. </div>
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Views of Lake Wanaka from half way up Roy's Peak. </div>
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We rode our bikes along the river valley to Mt Aspiring Hut. The snow covered peaks rose high above us on either side of the valley and highland cattle roamed free on the valley floor. </div>
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A day walk to the base of the hanging Rob Roy Glacier. </div>
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Looking up towards the Mt Aspiring area. </div>
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Riding along Mt Bee's Ridgeline.</div>
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Lunch on Mt Bee (1246m)</div>
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This was as far as we could ride along the Mt Bee ridge. </div>
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A hut on a ride we did at Mavora Lakes. </div>
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Riding to Twin Forks Hut. Mavora Lake is in the background. </div>
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Twin Forks Hut </div>
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Slope Point on the SE coast of the South Island </div>
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Riding through a deer farm on our way up to the top of the Rock and Pillar Range in the background, near Middlemarch, Central Otago </div>
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The wild, barren windswept and cold tops (1452m) of the Rock and Pillar Range </div>
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The high point (1746m) of Saddle Ridge between the East and West Manuherikia Rivers, Central Otago</div>
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The rocky steep descent to the West Manuherikia River from Saddle Ridge</div>
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Views of dry tussock plains of Central Otago from the Mt Ida Water Race track. </div>
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A relaxing gradient at last along the Mt Ida Water Race </div>
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Riding up the Ahuriri River Valley in the South Canterbury High Country</div>
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Riding up the Hopkins River Valley in the South Canterbury High Country</div>
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Riding up the Hopkins River Valley </div>
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Having a rest on the Dusky Trail near Twizel in the South Canterbury High Country</div>
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The Richmond Trail above Lake Tekapo, South Canterbury High Country</div>
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The Richmond Trail with Lake Tekapo in the background. </div>
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About to set off to ride up the Godley River Valley in the South Canterbury High Country when a massive flock of Canada Geese lifted into the air.</div>
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Some creek crossings were too deep to ride across in the Godley River Valley.</div>
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The Godley River Valley</div>
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Scenery on our Lake Sunmer Ride, North Canterbury High Country</div>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-54271137017410838962016-02-04T13:21:00.000+11:002016-02-04T13:21:10.225+11:00MTB Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962724356749691019.post-87811903265957978492016-01-30T14:35:00.001+11:002016-01-30T14:35:00.642+11:00Reefton South Island NZ<p dir="ltr">Well Reefton sounds like a place to be avoided by a cruising yacht, especially as it is inland on the edge of a mountain range. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We decided after sailing around New Zealand that we missed something, the bit in the middle!</p>
<p dir="ltr">We looked at the puddle to the East and saw that we would spend at least 6 weeks, or likely more sailing to Chile and at least 6 weeks from there back to the Pacific islands. Our planned departure in November also didn't look good weather wise owing to the effects of the El Nino. So an alternative cunning plan was hatched. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We found a sturdy (4 ton) mooring to rent at Russell in the Bay of Islands and bought a Toyota Hiace. We spent a day fitting a bunk in the back and fitted the boat fridge and a second battery system. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Our new goal has been to drive between all the mountain bike trails in New Zealand. We have spent just over 70 days touring the North Island including some 60 days on the bikes. We have discovered so many awesome tracks that have been opened to attract tourists from around the world. The riding has been amazing and the scenery even more so.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The riding highlights have included a week at Rotorua, the Pakahi track, Te Waiti trail, the Timber Trail, the 42 Traverse, the Bridge to Nowhere track and some great rides near Wellington such as the Skyline Traverse and the Old Coast Road and many more.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The local enthusiasm to build tracks and restore many old historical pioneer routes to a standard for mountain bike riding as well as walking is incredible. We have found New Zealanders to be keen outdoor people with a great spirit of adventure. </p>
<p dir="ltr">A very special Christmas day was spent with two new and enthusiastic outdoor friends Beth and Boyd, climbing to the summit of snow covered Mount Ruapehu to look down into its cauldron lake. We left the bikes in the van for that one. It was a memorable adventure as we all took turns in front to plug steps into the steep snow slopes to gain altitude. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We are as the title says at Reefton in the South Island having a day off. We have ridden many amazing tracks since the ferry trip across Cook Strait on the 12th January. The highlights being the Rameka track and Canaan loop, the Kill Devil track, the Maungatapu track, the Wakamarina track, Cullen creek track and the Charming Creek walkway.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yesterday we completed our second day of the Old Ghost Road which had been opened as a through ride on the 15th December. It has already been deservedly ranked one of the top 5 tracks in the world. Its popularity is rapidly growing so look it up and put it on the short term bucket list if you are a keen MTBr. We don't have the words to describe it. It was just outstanding single track for 85km. Google it!</p>
<p dir="ltr">We have until the end of March to explore more tracks on the South Island. Then we will head back to the boat to begin preparations to get under way on Ambler again. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We have GPS tracked all our rides so we have gpx files for anyone who would like to plan a trip to New Zealand with their bikes. We will also have a van for sale that fits 2 bikes (wheels off) down the side of the double bed. </p>
<p dir="ltr">All is well, strong and fighting fit,<br>
Wayne and Kathy</p>
<p dir="ltr">PS Get well soon Steve.</p>
Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10129048052985299933noreply@blogger.com0