Yacht Delivery Blog

We popped out the bottom of the Tuamotus late last night and now have a relatively clear run to Tahiti, aside from one more small island. The wind is directly behind us, but it's not quite strong enough for us to move as fast as I'd like, so we're using the engine to help our speed. Our estimated time of arrival (ETA) in Tahiti is very early Friday morning, so we'll sit off the coast for a few hours until daylight and then head in. Remember the old sailor's saying, "All the wrecks are on the rocks" and "Another night at sea never unalived anyone"? That advice holds true for navigating the pass into the marina area, which is definitely not a place to enter at night unless you were born there. This trip has been extraordinary, taking us on a journey that's probably only completed by a few hundred people a year. And almost non would do what we have done and sail so far in one go. It's around 4,600 nautical miles from Panama to Tahiti, and wh...

We saw land yesterday, which was extremely exciting. Another positive was that the land was exactly where it was supposed to be, which, of course, is a huge relief as it means everything is going according to plan. We are currently passing the next-to-last atoll and then have a small group of atolls to navigate between, namely Hikueru and Marokau, before heading south of Reitoru. This shouldn't be too challenging as the space between Hikueru and its neighbor is 15 nautical miles. But 15nm is only 7nm each side and if we are sailing at 7knts thats only an hour. During the night, the wind started to shift to the east. This meant we had to either head slightly south to keep the headsail full or drop the main. Since we were planning to go north of Amanu, heading further south wasn't an option. Therefore, we are sailing with just the headsail and still making good time. The sea remains quite choppy, and the sky is squally with patches of blue. Fingers crossed, the blue wins the batt...

We're keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and preparing for a bit of a blow. The GRIBs all suggest that the wind will be southeasterly, which should make for a fast ride over the final 1000 nautical miles and perhaps we can smash the 200nm a day record. We're still on track to turn west by tonight and catch the wind starting to blow first thing tomorrow and bring it over the port quarter. The weather at the moment is fantastic, with clear skies, a few fluffy clouds, and 10-14 knots of breeze. There's no sign of what's coming around the corner. We're motor sailing to make as many miles as possible, which goes against my sailor instincts, but we're gaining around 30 nautical miles a day with the engine running. Yesterday evening, I found myself being hoisted up the mast again, an activity that's never pleasant, even in the safety of a marina. But at sea, with a partially raised mainsail swaying above me, the task becomes even more daunting. The upcomin...

Yesterday was a fantastic day, a stark contrast to the first three quarters of the trip. The wind wasn't quite as strong as I would have liked during the night, but the sea was flat, the sky was completely clear, and Venus was shining brightly during the sunset. As the sunset progressed and evening set in, all the other stars appeared, with Orion behind us and the Milky Way, the galaxy we are in, sparkling across the sky. Late yesterday morning, we decided to pull up the gennaker, even though it seemed like we were tempting fate after such a successful day. The sock isn't long enough to contain the gennaker, which was already trying to escape. With everything set up and ready to go, Adam stood by on the sheet while I started to pull up the sock. (I am not sure what you call the fiberglass 'funnel' on the base of the sock but it has already been a problem and fell off a few times. I thought it had been fixed with several cable ties. It looks like a shoe horn so we will c...

Now I'm under a personal gag order to avoid discussing the "watery wingsuiters." I've been racking my brain for a different topic, but it seems that once you've covered weather, waves, and oceanic aviators, there's not much else to write about. Yesterday, we put the clocks back another hour, so the sun was just lighting up the sky when I got up for my watch this morning. It's definitely a cheerier experience than waking up to pitch black until 7 AM. If we adjust the clocks again in a few days, Adam can also enjoy a sunrise, and we can arrive in Tahiti without being too out of sync with local time, and our body clocks won't be too disoriented. We spent yesterday motor sailing with light winds from around 120 degrees. We had the main, headsail, and a Volvo pushing us westwards with 10-14 knots of apparent wind. During the night, the wind died down to 8 knots apparent, so we dropped the main and continued with just the headsail until very early morning wh...

I've realized that the focus of the blog has been slowly shifting towards flying fish and clouds, and even the clouds have started to take a backseat. so I decided to refocus the blog back on sailing and crossing the Pacific. Until last night, when I came off watch and went into my cabin, I didn't realize how much of my day had been consumed by flying fish (or avoiding them). I immediately knew something was amiss when I detected the telltale perfume of my scaly little flapping friend. There was a flying fish asleep on my bed! I poked it with the BBQ tongs, but it wouldn't wake up, so I picked it up by its wing and threw it off the back of the boat. Now, my whole cabin and bedding stink of flying fish, and our laundry facilities are slightly primitive, so I've had to soak all the bedding in a bucket of soapy water all night. I've spent the morning washing the smell out of my sheets. I'm aware the blog has not done a great job of shifting away from flying fish to...

Yesterday my request for the wind to ease off wasn't specific enough. It died down pretty much immediately and it was supposed to be after midday, which was disappointing. As a result, our 24-hour run was only 186 nautical miles, which is still impressive but not quite the 200 nautical miles I was dreaming of. We ended up motoring for the night with less than 10 knots of breeze, except for a brief burst of excitement this morning when the wind picked up to over 30 knots for a while. It's back to less than 10 knots now. We'll need to put the clocks back another hour as the sun didn't rise this morning until 7 AM. The day is pretty dreary so far, with a gray sky and drizzle. Hopefully, it will clear up soon. I'm also hoping the sea state will allow me to take the lid off the water barrels and pump fuel into the tanks this morning without spilling any. We also had a very exciting encounter yesterday: we spotted a ship, not with our eyes but on the AIS! It's the fir...

Today, let's take a moment to reflect on the journey so far and what lies ahead. Forget bananas for scale – this adventure is measured in Atlantic crossings! We've already completed roughly one such crossing, getting to Cape Verde from La Rochelle. Another awaits us to reach the Caribbean, followed by half an Atlantic crossing from the Caribbean to Panama, and then… buckle up… two more Atlantic crossings to reach Tahiti from Panama! While traversing the Atlantic is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most, doing it back-to-back is a whole new level of adventure. Thankfully, we have some incredible technology on our side: exceptionally detailed weather models that provide reliable forecasts up to 10 days out. Considering our average daily distance is around 150 nautical miles, that means we can see weather developing 1500nm in front of us and plan around that! We primarily rely on ECMWF and GFS models to track weather patterns. For the past 7 days, we've been closely monitor...

I think this is the fourth day since we left Marina del Rey. The days tied to the dock and sleeping all night seem like a hazy dream. Now, we are fully immersed in the rhythm of the sea and the sky, sailing towards our next destination: Sabang. The wind picked up at sunset to a very appreciated 16 - 21 knots and I guess you can see the bump in the boat speed - the extra couple of knots of breeze makes a huge difference. We are making good progress, averaging about 7 knots over the ground. The boat is handling well, with a reefed main and a full genoa. The autopilot is doing the steering, and we take turns to keep an eye on the instruments and the horizon. We have around 1200 nautical miles until we get to Sabang, which is located on the northern tip of Sumatra. It is one of the main ports of entry for Indonesia, or in our case exit, and a popular stopover for yachts cruising in Southeast Asia.  We have settled into our watch system of 3 hours on and 3 hours off, with some flexibili...

Sailing in the trade winds is a dream come true for sailors. These are the steady winds that blow from east to west near the equator, creating ideal sailing conditions for trade ships for centuries. But for a sailor who promised to write daily updates for this blog, trade winds are not a subject matter that has much variation. The days are mostly the same, with nothing but blue sky and water in sight. It's probably a better experience for Rhona as she's lucky enough to have me all to herself. The only excitement we had yesterday was when the wind shifted twice, forcing us to gybe and change course. And last night, we had to turn on the engine for a few hours as the wind died down completely. I hope you don't mind these reports, but that's the reality of sailing in the trade winds. Maybe tomorrow will bring something more adventurous. Or maybe not. I actually prefer it when it's not exciting, because excitement usually means something is going wrong or about to go wr...

I was surprised to discover that it's Sunday today. The days seem to merge together when you're out at sea, with nothing but the steady trade winds pushing you along.  The constant motion of the boat and the sound of the wind in the sails and the waves becomes a soothing rhythm. It's easy to lose track of the days when you're surrounded by nothing but the sea. But that's part of the charm of being out here, living in the moment.  The wind is blowing constantly at 15 - 20 knots, and we are clocking off 150 - 170nm days. This is what catamarans are made for: gliding over the waves with minimal heeling and maximum comfort. The wind is at a great angle, and we can sail with our 'pre reefed' main and a genoa. The reason I keep referring to the main as 'pre reefed' is because it's a delivery sail that's a little bit too small.  The chart plotter constantly displays plenty of information including how miles  to the destination and the time to go, a...

Today was a great day for sailing. We had lighter winds in the morning, and we were cruising along at a steady 5 knots. The boat was handling well.  Around noon, the wind picked up a few knots. The extra apparent wind made such a difference, and we've been doing 7s since then. It makes the boat come alive.  We have been sailing with the saloon doors open, so we can hear the sound of water rushing past the hull. It is a soothing and constant noise, like a river flowing. Every now and then, we hear the wake and waves breaking behind the boat, as if we are leaving a trail of bubbles.  One of the things I love about sailing is the *ahem* harmony between the boat and the elements. Sometimes, everything is in tune, and the boat becomes an orchestra. If the boat makes a big movement, we hear a symphony of sounds: the cutlery in the drawers, the batteries in the cupboard, the tools, the loose cups, all move in unison with a 'clunk'. It is like music to my ears. The sound of the ...

It's your favorite yacht delivery skipper here, back with another adventure on the high seas. This time, we set sail from Port Moresby, but not without a few hiccups along the way. Our plan had been to arrive on Thursday, get settled into our marina berth, do some maintenance on Friday, rest on Saturday, and then head to the fuel dock and back to our berth on Sunday. We were all set to leave bright and early Monday morning and arrive at the entrance to the Torres Strait late afternoon Tuesday. But as they say, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Customs took much longer than expected, so we ended up leaving Port Moresby much later than planned. And now we were behind schedule before we even left. The Torres Strait is no joke - 150nm of congested shipping lanes, reefs, current, tides and strong wind. The first 40nm seems straightforward so I planned to do that at night and arriving at a busy area in the morning so we can navigate through in day time. And...

I am pleased to report that we have made excellent progress in the last 24 hours. We covered a distance of 172 nautical miles and the current weather and longer term  forecast all look good.  We still have favorable winds and seas. The wind has been blowing at around 25 knots from the south east, with 2 to 3 meter seas pushing us in the right direction. This has helped us make good progress and we are grateful for the favorable conditions. We spend a lot of time on watch when sailing downwind regularly checking the auto pilot and the wind direction, giving tweaks here and there to keep the apparent wind direction at a safe angle. Plus, I have the ultimate peace of mind knowing the most qualified Filipina sailor on the planet is keeping watch. Life on board is a world away from the daily grind. Days slip by in a peaceful rhythm of watchkeeping, catching up on sleep, and maintaining the boat. It's easy to lose track of time out here, surrounded by nothing but sky and sea. All ...

The first 24 hours of a passage are always an exciting time. It's good to finally be on the way, with the wind at our backs and the boat going very well at 7+ knots. The wind is blowing at a steady 25 - 30 knts from behind, pushing us along at a good pace. It's always hard to arrive somewhere and try to jump the queue to get things fixed, but that's just part of the job. We made good progress in Port Vila and managed to tick off our job list pretty quickly. Being a delivery skipper means you have to be ready for anything that comes your way, and that means being able to adapt quickly and efficiently. Getting fuel in Port Vila was quite an adventure. The fuel dock is a mere 50 meters away from our berth, but a pesky set of power lines stretches across the bay. This meant we had to navigate a tricky route, exiting through a reef pass, circling an island, and then re-entering through another pass. Meanwhile, most other boats enjoyed the luxury of a direct route to the fuel d...

With a great-looking weather forecast, we were up at 6 AM and headed to the fuel dock to take on about 1000 liters of duty-free diesel. After that, we moved to a different berth while waiting for customs to clear us out. It was a pleasure dealing with NZCS , and we were finally on our way at 12:30 PM. The main sail we bought specifically for the delivery must have a flux capacitor or something! We've been flying along, making much better time than expected. We're averaging a little over 7 knots with around 15-18 knots just aft of the beam and seas of about a meter (happy now, Gary?). The St Francis 50 is proving to be incredibly comfortable. It's still pretty chilly and I have been thinking about sewing some of the blankets we bought to protect the interior and making them into pyjamas. All is well on board.