Con’t: 2019 Passage to New Zealand

Thursday, October 24st – Day 6 of Passage – Norfolk Island was a convenient place to anchor and wait out the weather, but we still have 500nm to go on a 900nm passage.  The Captain is anxious to get going, even more so when 4 other boats leave at daybreak. He downloads and studies the latest weather, looking for a reason to leave right now but finds none. Though the strong winds are past, the longer we wait, the more time the seas have to settle down. 

1200 – We’re off again!  As we leave the borders of Cascade Bay, Phillip Island can be seen in the distance surprising us with its size. We had thought it to be much smaller.

Wind is light at first, and we keep the engine on and motor sail.  By late afternoon, we are able to turn the engine off and sail making decent speed.  We enjoy a peaceful evening and night of sailing without having to listen to the thrum of the engine.

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Friday, October 25th – Day 7 of Passage – We had to run the engine for several hours around dawn when the winds got too light, but by 0730, we are sailing again.  Winds increase in the afternoon, but they are only forecast to be 10 – 12 knots overnight.  Nonetheless, we put the 2nd reef in the mainsail before dark. The First Mate takes the first watch after dinner while The Captain heads off to get some sleep. Wind is 12 – 15 knots, just slightly above forecast, and Avante is sailing peacefully.  Two hours later, once again on her watch, that wind starts creeping up. At 18 knots, the sails are pulling hard, and Avante is at an angle The First Mate does not like. We are flying along on another very dark moonless night across a turbulent sea. No longer comfortable standing watch by herself, The First Mate wakes a deeply sleeping Captain. Once again, he assumes the watch and sends the First Mate off to bed. The First Mate was not wrong with her uneasiness, for over the next hour, that diabolical wind increases to 20 knots. Several hours go by before it drops back down.  Why does it always have to get so wild at night and on her watch, too? 

18 knots is not really all that much wind. Even The First Mate knows that. Avante can and has handled much more. The First Mate is just fine when the high wind comes from behind us pushing us along on a somewhat level keel.  When it comes from 45 degrees off the bow, the speed of the boat increases the windspeed blowing over the boat, and the boat heels over much more making it difficult to move around. When Avante is sailing along at 8 knots, that 18 knots of wind feels like 25 knots.  25 knots of wind puts a ton of pressure on the sails. The lines and other hardware used for sail handling start cracking and popping under the load.  Nothing is breaking. Everything on the boat is built to handle this pressure, but the noise of all that rope stretching across metal is disconcerting. More than that, though, you don’t want to put your hand in the wrong place, especially when handling the sail lines.  Add in a bouncing boat and darkness, and you can see why The First Mate wants no part of the balancing and strength act it takes to adjust the sails in those conditions. Could she do it? Yes, but she also realizes her limits. Fortunately, The Captain more than agrees and doesn’t want her handling sails under those conditions either.

Saturday, October 26th – Day 8 of Passage – A cold morning dawns under heavy cloud, but by early afternoon, the sun is out nicely warming the inside of our storm shelter. Winds have become light, reducing our speed to 3 knots. Time to turn the engine on. We are now in the area northwest of New Zealand where the winds were very strong several days ago.  As often happens, it is the calm after the storm.

Watch standing is much more pleasant tonight.  Wind is only 6 – 7 knots, and the boat is fairly level and bouncing gently in the waves.  If The First Mate needs to slow the boat down tonight, all she needs to do is pull back on the throttle.  Yes!  Much nicer!

Sunday, October 27th – Day 9 of Passage – We are closing in on New Zealand. By 0930, Cape Reinga is visible 25 nm to our south.  By mid-morning, the wind comes up and we are sailing nicely again. It’s a beautiful sunny day off the coast of New Zealand.  The wind drops off again in the early evening and we take down our sails and continue under motor for the rest of the passage. We have not approached New Zealand from the west before, and Opua, our port of entry, is well down the coast. It is after midnight before we are entering the Bay of Islands and heading for the Customs Dock in Opua.  

Monday, October 28th – It is good to be back in New Zealand. One of our New Zealand sailing friends who has been tracking our progress sends us an email saying “Welcome home.” Yes, it is good to be home!