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Port Moresby

We had a good trip sailing from Port Vila to Port Moresby, averaging about 7 knots for the 1500nm passage. Now we're taking a break and doing some repairs and maintenance to get ready for the next part of our journey to Kupang. The check-in process was super easy. We just dropped anchor outside the marina and the officials came to us. They filled out most of the forms for us and didn't ask us any silly questions like "did anyone catch the plague on board?" or "how many stowaways are you hiding?". They were friendly and professional, and even gave us some tips on where to go and what to see in port Moresby. Which is "nothing or you'll get your head smashed in and robbed". Port Moresby is probably a bit like Chicago of the south pacific and I was a little concerned about coming here. I've just seen a headline;  " The Gangs of Papua New Guinea We explore the violent underbelly of Port Moresby, one of the most dangerous cities in the worl...

Land Ahoy. Again.

This second leg of the trip from NZ to Thailand is nearly done now and we can see land. But amazingly as we came down the coast last night there was not a single sign of land - no lights ashore, planes, boats, or any other indication. It was only as we got to within 10nm of Port Moresby we saw a cluster of lights.  We have been sailing with a steady breeze for most of the trip, but as we approached the final 100 nautical miles, the wind died off and we had to switch on the engine. It was a bit disappointing, as we had hoped to sail all the way to Port Moresby , but we had no choice. We wanted to arrive early morning to get cleared in and get to the marina berth and apparently we have already lost a day somewhere along the way. I must have miscalculated because I was convinced that we would get in on Friday, but it turned out to be Thursday. I guess that's what happens when you are at sea and lose track of the days.  Something I always enjoy after a passage is the ...

200 Miles To Port Moresby

The wind has decreased in the past 24 hours, so we are using one engine to maintain our speed. Our 24hr run was 173nm yesterday which is not too shabby. We have approximately 200 nautical miles remaining, and we expect to arrive in Port Moresby on Thursday morning.  We have encountered the first long lines and fishing boats in this region, and we have to exercise caution to avoid them. We have to keep a vigilant watch at all times, especially at night. Fortunately, it is almost full moon, which will facilitate our navigation through Torres Strait. We are pleased that our visas for Papua New Guinea were issued today, after completing a lot of documentation and communication with the authorities. The Royal Papua Yacht Club in Port Moresby have been very helpful in organizing everything for us. They have assured us that we will be cleared in immediately by the health department upon our arrival, and that we can then proceed to our berth in the yacht club. This would have been next to ...

Ships

Just a quick update - We're almost there! We've been on the water for nearly a week now, and we can almost see Port Moresby on the horizon.  The wind has been pretty strong lately, but it's calmed down a bit today. We were dealing with 30 knots of wind for a while, which made the boat go fast, but also made it harder to do anything. Now it's around 20 knots, which is still nice and breezy, but more manageable. We've spotted a lot of shipping today, all going around PNG. I guess there's a shortcut that they use to get to and from Asia.  All on board is good. We have our routine, and we enjoy the simple things.  We hope to arrive in Port Moresby by Friday, weather permitting.  But for now, we're still sailing. The photo is a ship at a mile away. 

2 To 32

The wind has been unpredictable, ranging from 2 to 32 knots and shifting around during the day and it's been sitting at 30 most of the night. The weather has been a mix of sunshine and rain, making for an interesting 24hrs. Despite being only 16 degrees south of the equator, it's still not as warm as I expected.  At one point, a ship came within half a mile of us. Before AIS, a ship heading towards us would have meant a lot of drama. We would have to estimate its course with binoculars , and to constantly check the bearings and decide if we should change course to avoid a collision. Now, we have all that information displayed on the chart plotter from 20 nautical miles away. Half a mile might not seem like much, but at sea it's considered a very close encounter.  Before we had chart plotters "back in the day" we occasionally had to navigate with charts which were photocopies of photocopies and were so degraded that they had holes in them. We had no idea what was ...

A Wild Ride

We have been sailing for 5 - or 6? - days now from Port Vila to Port Moresby, and today was the most challenging one so far. The wind has been blowing at 30 knots all day, creating a couple of huge waves. Around noon, a massive wave picked up the boat and spun it around like a toy. Everything flew across the cabin, and all the alarms went off for bilge pumps, off course alarm and auto pilot off course. Luckily, nothing was broken, and no one was hurt. It's hard to believe that a mere 30 knots could create such mayhem. The wind and waves have eased off now, and we are back on track. Our daily run was 164 nautical miles, which is great considering the conditions. We are making good progress and hope to reach Port Moresby in a few more days.  We even saw about a hundred birds circling around which is reassuring as presumably they were hunting fish. Though I am going to guess the fish are not in commercial quantities which is why we don't see fishing boats.   

Midnight Terror At Sea

A common topic I keep bringing up on these blogs when we are sailing is the significant decline in the amount of sea life we see in the last 20yrs. We haven't seen a bird for days, and there have been no flying fish on deck since we left New Zealand. If there is one thing I hate, it's fish. I don't harbor a grudge or have a petty personal vendetta against them, but they are just so unpredictable, especially out of the water. They are slimy, so I don't like to touch them, and they stink. So how is it that in a few million square miles of ocean where I haven't seen a flying fish in weeks, the only one around can land within an inch of me? And not only that, but the entire cockpit is screened off with clear vinyl around the sides and back, and the front has glass windows. One of the windows was open just enough for a flying fish, after having calculated trajectory, wind resistance, and the optimum time to instill the maximum amount of shock, to slip through and land di...