Skip to main content

Making Miles

Well, yesterday turned out to be a pretty solid day on the water. We managed a respectable 146 nautical miles in 24 hours. Now, I'll be honest, we did get a bit of a push from one of the Yanmars to bump those numbers up. But hey, as long as we're heading in the right direction, I'm not complaining. Every mile counts, right?

One of the more… creative projects we tackled yesterday was the stove situation. With the wind dead astern, it was blowing a lot of the heat away from the pot. And look, I love a good cup of coffee as much as the next sailor, but waiting an eternity for the water to boil?  I considered closing the saloon doors, but it’s just too hot. And firing up the generator just to get the air-con going, because the saloon door is closed? That felt a bit excessive.

So, necessity being the mother of invention, we came up with a… let’s call it a "bespoke" wind shield. Picture this: an 8-liter water bottle, securely tied to the stove frame, with a large chopping board strapped to the bottle. It's not winning any beauty awards, I'll admit. But you know what? It works. And that’s the important thing. Waiting ten minutes for boiling water for a coffee puts me in such a bad mood I barely want the coffee by the time the water has boiled. Of course I drink it - but grumpily. 

We had a few heavy rain showers last night, which would have been perfect for washing off all the salt that's accumulated. But typical. Not a single splash on deck since we left. The last time this boat was wet was back in Raiatea and that was rain, which feels like a lifetime ago.

The wind has been a bit of a tease over the past 24 hours. We hoisted the main yesterday, but we were having to go so far off course just to keep moving that it really wasn’t worth it. There were moments when it looked like the wind was going to pick up, but it was just a hope. After a very calm night, we’ve finally got around 10 knots from the north this morning, which is giving us a bit of a push with the headsail out. It’s not much, but it’s something. And even as I write its easing off to 6 to 7 knts.

It's amazing how the little things become so important out here. Simple things like getting a hot drink quickly, or a bit of wind to help us along.

Anyway, onwards we go. Let's see what the next 24 hours bring. Hopefully, more miles.


Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

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

Last 24hrs

This is our last full day and night at sea. Tomorrow, we'll be tied up in the marina in Tahiti , and I'll be turning off the engines for the last time. The main and headsail will be dropped and stowed away, and I won't be touching the sheets or halyards again. It feels peculiar to think that Namarie and I have kept each other safe throughout this incredible journey, and in a few days, I'll be on a plane heading home. On this yacht delivery Namarie and I started in the Bay of Biscay and headed south into the Atlantic, getting to know each other along the way. We made a brief stop in the Canary Islands, our last contact with Europe before heading further south and leaving footprints in the red dust of Cape Verde. We left West Africa behind and headed further west across the Atlantic, dodging hurricanes and grabbing fuel and provisions in the southern end of the Caribbean. From there, we pushed onwards through the Caribbean Sea to Panama and the canal. Pretty soon after, ...
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