Skip to main content

A Spicy Night

We had a real spicy night last night! Winds topped 30 knots and the waves were absolute monsters. That's why this blog update is a bit late – I was determined to capture a photo of these giants, but taking a decent picture of a wave in those conditions proved impossible. Just imagine a massive wall of water chasing you down, finally catching up to the boat and starting to break at the crest, ready for its close-up... only to have the resulting picture show mainly a splash. Maybe I will see if Craig will go in the dinghy to take a pic!

Yesterday evening brought a shift in the wind direction. As it started pushing us uncomfortably close (and by "uncomfortably close" I mean less than 50 nautical miles) to the Venezuelan coastline, we initiated a gybe (a sailing maneuver to change direction). There are a few reasons we prefer to keep our distance from that particular shore:

Heavily armed Venezuelan fisherman with a penchant for piracy (need I say more?)

The aforementioned monster waves (they get even more impressive, and less friendly, in shallow water)

Narco activity and potential submarine hazards (enough said)

And, well, just about anything else lurking in there.

Staying offshore seems like the smarter option right now!

We'll be  gybing later today, hopefully with no more windshifts. This will set us on a course well offshore down the Colombian coast, all the way to Panama. We anticipate the winds dying down for the last couple of days of our journey. This will allow us to motor in for a smooth arrival, giving us some time to tidy the boat up before stepping onto Panamanian soil.

This wave is well over 4 meters and looks like a splash! 
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Arrival in Sydney: Delivery Complete!

 This morning, the Excess 14 slid gracefully into her new berth at Middle Harbour Marina, marking the successful completion of her delivery from the Gold Coast. The final approach into Sydney Harbour is always a great sight, a fitting end to a coastal voyage. This passage was a comprehensive real-world test of the boat's capabilities. She proved to be a joy in light airs, demonstrated strength and stability in heavy weather, and showed impressive maneuverability during a tricky docking. It’s clear that the Excess 14 is a versatile and robust catamaran, perfectly suited for everything the Australian coast can throw at it. The final tasks onboard are ones of quiet satisfaction: coiling the lines perfectly, writing up the final log entry, and giving the boat a last clean and polish. For Yacht Delivery Solutions, it's a pleasure and a privilege to deliver a vessel of this quality. Handing her over to the brokers at Flagstaff Marine clean, secure, and ready for her new owners is t...
Read more

Done and Dusted in Brisbane!

We are done! The boat's tied up safe and sound in the marina, the crew has packed their bags and headed off, and I'm here doing the final clean-up before I leave at 6 am tomorrow morning. I have to admit, I was pretty anxious for the last 24 hours. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping those saildrives would hold out for the final stretch. I even changed the oil in both of them around 3 am, because we were going to make landfall around 5 am and its quite a way up the river, and the tide was going to be dropping as we went up, meaning they'd have a bit more work to do. And the final approach was definitely… engaging. There was a fair bit of tide coming out of the river, which dropped our boat speed down to around 4 knots. We also had the added obstacle of river traffic to contend with, and the channel margins were tight – about half a meter on either side. It was one of those situations where you're constantly running through scenarios in your head. I was thinking things ...
Read more

Off We Go

The dream of a seamless yacht delivery aboard the Fontaine Pajot 47 seemed like a solid plan. However, life, with its unpredictable currents, threw us a curveball. My trusted crewmate was struck by the ever-present Covid! Even though he's as tough as old sea boots, it definitely slowed him down. The pre-departure days were a delicate balancing act. While the initial concerns about a sick crewmate were undeniable, a strong sense of purpose took hold. Provisioning, finalizing paperwork, and familiarizing myself with Namarie became a mission with Craig putting in 110% effort despite his 20% health. Constant communication with my recuperating crewmate ensured a smooth handover of duties, keeping the team spirit alive despite maintaining physical separation and wearing masks. Stepping aboard Namarie, the initial awe at her sleek lines and luxurious interior was palpable. However, the euphoria was tempered by a healthy dose of respect for the vessel's complexity. The sophisticated na...
Read more