Yacht Delivery Blog

 We managed almost 160 nm yesterday, which isn't too bad considering we did a fair bit of motoring on one engine. The boats going well and is a comfortable platform. Today, the breeze has been pretty light, but I haven't minded too much as there were a few things I wanted to check on the boat. It's incredibly distracting trying to work on things while sailing, as you're giving neither task 100%. It's much easier to concentrate on getting to know the boat when you're not being thrown around at the same time. There is always a period on a new boat when you spend half your time trying to remember where everything is, and the other half trying to work out why something doesn't work the way you expect it to. I label cupboards and paneling so I have a rough idea of what's in there. Around 2am this morning - so a few hrs ago, we started one engine and have been motoring ever since, with just a few knots of wind, which isn't enough to do much wit...

 The winds we had last night started to ease off and then steadily died away during the day, until we were motoring from around 1pm. This actually worked out quite well, as it gave the seas a chance to settle down. It had been pretty messy, with plenty of crashing and banging going on, although the upside was that we were making good speed during the night. There was a long band of dark grey cloud to the south this morning that looked rather ominous, but it gradually dissipated as the day went on. Around 4pm, the breeze picked up again to 15–20 knots, but unfortunately it was coming from directly behind us, pushing us a little further south of the rhumb line than we'd like. The forecasts are showing the wind picking up again in a few days, possibly with some southerly in it, which would be ideal and help us get back on track. It is getting a little chilly, though. I wouldn't mind some more wind from the south, but I'd prefer not to have to dig out the jacket and...

 I arrived in Tahiti a few days ago and stepped aboard the Nautitech 46 Open to begin preparing for the passage west to Fiji. I was lucky enough to meet the previous owner, who came aboard and saved me a load of time. He answered some questions, sorted out a few issues, and explained how various systems worked. Some of them would have been extremely tricky to figure out on my own, so that was a very useful start to the trip. Once we had everything shipshape, we began the clearance process with the authorities. There are often extra complications when taking a boat out of a country after it has changed hands, particularly when it has a new owner, a new name, a different country of registration and various other details to update. Sure enough, our first application was rejected. Nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it should be! However, we’re well on the way now, and Tahiti is behind us. We motored for the first few hours while we were in the wind shadow of the bi...

 And that’s a wrap! Tellus is safely tied up at the berth in Opua Marina, and we’re finished. It’s been a fantastic passage. Things went well, we had no major issues with the boat, and we made excellent miles. The days of calms and the low-pressure system during the last week slowed us down a bit, but I absolutely can’t complain. Tellus looked after us well and gave us a comfortable ride all the way in, even when the weather got a bit challenging. There were a few uncomfortable days towards the end, but that’s all part of the job. We made good progress overall, and it’s always satisfying to get the boat safely alongside with everything still in one piece. Now I have a few days off in Auckland before flying back to Tahiti to collect a Nautitech Open 46 for delivery to Fiji. So, another very similar passage coming up, except this time I’m hoping we can skip the freezing temperatures at the end! For now, it’s time to enjoy a few days on dry land, thaw out, and prepare to d...

Well, last night at sea! The breeze eased off early this morning, so we shook out a reef and sailed well all day until sunset, when we started one engine to give us a bit of a push. By 11pm the headsail was away, at 1am the second engine went on, and by 3am the main was down. We have 70 nm to go at 4am and are hoping to be tied up on the Q berth before everyone goes home. A big plus is that it’s not quite as cold, although that doesn’t mean I’m not still wrapped up in fleecy clothes. And, even better, there is no splashing to make me wet and soggy.                            Last day.  After the last few days of strong winds, big seas, squalls and water coming over the boat, it’s great to be motoring towards land in calm conditions. We made fantastic time on this passage, and if it hadn’t been for the poor weather at the end, which cost us a few days, it would have gone down in the record books. It’s ...

 It’s still blowing 30+ knots, with squalls rolling through bringing gusts into the high 30s, and we’ve seen 45 knots a few times. The problem with squalls is that it’s difficult to tell exactly what they are going to do, so we have to be on hand to reduce sail if one gets closer and looks ugly. It’s better to be cautious than to find out the hard way that we should have reefed earlier. At night, I’m dropping the main and creeping forwards with some headsail and the leeward engine running at 1,600 rpm. It’s not particularly fast, but it keeps us moving without having too much sail up when the squalls come through. We have about 250 nm to Opua, but we can’t aim directly where we want to go because there is a bit of east in the breeze. There is also enough south in it to make it very cold. The spray is making everything damp and salty, and intermittent rain is adding to the atmosphere. Its pretty bouncy and I’ve had to cable-tie a cushion onto the screen in the saloon to stop it bang...