Yacht Delivery Blog

Oxygen is all tied up in the marina in Sorong after the delivery from Fiji. This was certainly an unusual passage! We left Fiji expecting those gentle trade winds that usually sweep across the Pacific, but instead, we were greeted with 30+ knots and rain or nearly flat calm. The normal strong winds of the Coral Sea vanished, replaced by an eerie stillness, and even the typically turbulent Torres Strait was surprisingly calm. These delays, caused by both excessive and insufficient wind, meant we faced headwinds for the next 1000 nautical miles after leaving Thursday Island behind. We could have managed this IF (and it's a big IF) we hadn't encountered a vicious counter-current that seemed determined to push us backwards, sideways or both. As if things weren't complicated enough, we had a problem with the genset (remember, we have electric motors, so the genset is crucial!). AND THEN, just to add insult to injury, the support for the mainsheet track started giving us troubl...

The last few days have been quite the adventure, in fact its been pretty hectic! We've been battling torrential rain and squalls, along with one of my biggest annoyances – unlit fishing boats at night. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse that they're big enough to show up on radar. On the one hand, at least we can see them, but on the other hand, hitting one would definitely ruin our day, where as a small one would just bounce off. This is an island 1/3rd of a mile away. 

Well, we're on the move again after a brief but necessary stop to fix the generator. We weren't supposed to stop anywhere before reaching the clearance port and checking in with the authorities, but we got special permission to drop anchor as long as we stayed on the boat. Not that we were tempted to go ashore – we were too busy with repairs, and honestly, one island starts to look much like another after a while! The repair job was a bit of a "make-do" situation with the limited supplies we have onboard. I think I did a decent job considering what I had to work with, but fingers crossed it holds up! We ran some tests last night, and things were looking okay after a bit of fine-tuning once the generator cooled down. Our current plan is to clear into Tual. A quick Google Maps search shows several hardware stores and what look like some engineering workshops. Depending on how our recent patch job is holding up, I have a few ideas for improving it. It's a tricky ...

I'm not sure what else I can say about headwinds and counter-currents – it's all starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day! But we are slowly chipping away at the distance, and there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking of challenges, my friend Gary (who, as you know, is cruising in the opposite direction) reminded me of another exciting nautical feature of Indonesia that we haven't encountered yet on this trip: massive tugboats towing barges. This might not sound particularly thrilling until I mention the exciting part – they often have no lights or AIS! Sometimes, three tugs and barges will share a single AIS transponder, leaving two of them traveling in convoy with the "lucky" one that has AIS. To add to the fun, there is (or perhaps "was" is the operative word) a 100-meter vessel about 5 nautical miles ahead of us that was simply labeled "other" on the AIS. Well, it was labeled "other" until they apparent...

We are on the final stretch of our journey from NZ to Phuket. The wind has been teasing us for the last few days, sometimes giving us enough to sail, sometimes dying down and forcing us to use the engine. But at least it's been blowing from behind, so we've been making good progress towards our destination. The weather has been hot and calm, which has its pros and cons. On the plus side, we've been able to open the hatches and let some fresh air into the boat. On the minus side, we've also had some unwanted visitors. Last night, we woke up to a strange smell and a loud flapping noise. We discovered that four flying fish had somehow managed to jump through the hatches and land inside the boat. They were flopping around on the floor, making a mess and a racket. I was about to spring into action and save the day, but Rhona beat me to it. She bravely picked up the fish and threw them back into the sea. I'm sure they were grateful for her mercy. I was grateful for her co...

It's been a calm 24 hours on the high seas. We've managed to do a bit of sailing despite the light and at times no wind. The moon is gradually illuminating our path like a silver highway.  The fishing boat scenario has taken a turn for the better as we are now farther offshore. I suspect the commercial shipping is also hugging the coast to save time. An interesting phenomenon we've observed is the reception of AIS signals from over 90 nautical miles away. This is quite unusual and likely due to atmospheric conditions causing signal reflections. We even received a return signal from the other side of an island, defying the typical line-of-sight range. Apart from these intriguing developments, life on board has been relatively quiet. However, I've established a bread making department in the cockpit, and I must say, the results have been nothing short of spectacular! The tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread wafts through the air, ensuring Rhona is up on time for her w...

The past 24 hours have been a bit slow. The wind has been practically nonexistent, and what little breeze there was came from directly behind us, so it was useless for sailing. I've been keeping an eye on the GRIBs, hoping to catch a break from a low-pressure system forming to the east. Last night, we got the occasional gust, but nothing strong enough to justify turning off the engine. This morning, there's finally a bit more wind—around 12 knots apparent—so we've hoisted the main and headsail and turned off the engine. We’re making about 6 knots, but we’re heading slightly west of our destination to keep the wind in our sails. And on a more serious note there are now only 39 cheeseburgers left.