Last leg to NZ

We finally got away on the 10th of June, a nice easy start with whales joining us for several days. Weatherwise we had a mixture, periods of calms but mostly we did good daily runs. Phil got his wish of stopping at Raivavae in the Australs but it wasn't quite the visit he had in mind. We had to do some stitching on the headsail and replace the topping lifts on the mizzen and pole. With the virus the locals were very nervous of us being anchored in the lagoon so we decided to stay onboard. It wasn't so bad as we had been there twice before but still a shame not to enjoy the great walking ashore and the usually friendly locals.

 

From there it was 715 miles to Rarotonga where we anchored in the lee of the island for 2 hours to refasten the sail track on the boom. We spoke to the Harbour Master and Customs knew we were there, but once again we stayed onboard and after doing the repairs and having a quick lunch we were soon on our way again.

Next stop was Beveridge Reef where Phil had to do some rigging repairs. In all the miles we have done in these last 6 years we have never had a run of repairs like this last leg to NZ.

Great sailing saw us arriving at North Minerva reef on the 5th July. We don't usually fish now but were hanging out for something fresh and as we approached the reef Phil caught this delicious Yellowfin tuna. There were 2 other boats in the reef which had arrived from NZ and were on their way to Fiji which had opened to cruisers.

The next day the Tongan Navy turned up and ordered us to sea. It was blowing very strong from the south and Phil said he wasn't going to leave. They came over in an inflatable and, keeping a safe distance, had a long chat, eventually allowing us another day. We were ordered to stay on our boats which was okay considering the lousy weather. The next day was flat calm and the other yachts motored on their way while we set about doing more sail repairs. We realized we wouldn't be finished by the deadline of noon, so Phil contacted our son and his brother in NZ who got on our case as the Navy was threatening to tow us out to sea. They flew a drone over us at one stage which felt pretty invasive. Phil grabbed a flare to blow it out of the sky so I called them up on the VHF and suggested they move it away quickly!!! Noon arrived and the captain ordered us to sea, Phil asked for 3 more hours which they refused and they said they were coming over to remove us. The High Commissioner in Tonga had been in touch that morning and NZ Rescue Centre who had told us to let off the EPIRB if we needed to, so Phil did that. Immediately the High Commissioner phoned and told us we could stay for 2 more days and to call up the Navy captain to tell him to contact the Commander back in Tonga. After that, they left us alone, but stayed close by. It was all pretty awful. Next morning we woke to SE winds so left at daybreak, followed by the Navy until we were past South Minerva. NZ were great, making it possible to stay and do our repairs before tackling the final 900 miles to Opua.

Of course we couldn't do this leg without some sort of problem! The wind dropped out, Phil centered the mainsail and the topping lift gave way, the sail ripped, luckily below the first reef so we sailed the rest of the way with a reef in. Days were getting cooler and we added another layer of clothing.

The last day we had a great breeze and arrived off Nine Pin rock in 45 knots, very little visibility. We finally tied up at the quarantine dock at 1830, in pouring rain which made it a bit miserable for the officials who had to come onboard straight away because of the border lockdown. They were great and soon decided we were safe enough that they could remove their masks and complete the paperwork. Next morning we got a call to say we would have to have the swab test done which happened that afternoon and just one and a half days later the results came through and we were free to go and raft up to our son's boat.

So here we are, after 6 years and 46,000 miles, back in beautiful NZ. It's great to be back amongst family and friends and we are looking forward to having a few months exploring this area before we set off south to Nelson. The sails go in for some major work next week, hopefully to be repaired and not to be replaced. We are enjoying the fresh fruit and vegetables, walking every day and hanging out with Argo.

 

 

Pacific Paradise

We had a great start leaving Panama but it was only a few days before we were becalmed and then followed days of little wind so it took us 10 days to get to Galapagos. With a forecast of no wind for another 7 days around Galapagos we decided to motor south.to find some.

We never usually motor on long passages but this trip to Gambier saw us run up 100 hours on the engine. Even so, we still drifted for days and did some very low daily miles so it was 38 days before we arrived, our longest passage so far. Very enjoyable but also good to arrive.

While we were at sea the world went into lockdown with the virus. We were in our own little bubble and had no idea how serious it was, so it all felt a bit unreal when we caught up on all the news. Even now 6 weeks later I don't think we realise how it is out there.All boats arriving had to do 14 days quarantine even though we had all been at sea for ages, but it was pretty easy.

 We were sorry to hear that Johnny, whom we had spent time with on our previous visits, had passed away, but his family were very welcoming and invited us out to their island for a weekend. They were pruning an avocado tree and gave us a sackful to share amongst the other cruisers which made us very popular. Johnny rests in a most beautiful site on the island that was his home and personal paradise.

This has been a good place to be stuck while in lockdown. There are well over 30 boats caught here but plenty of islands and lovely anchorages in the lagoon. We have been free to roam once our quarantine period was over and the walking is great, the shops have all the essentials and the ship arrives regularly with some fresh produce. At first all the boats were ordered to go to Tahiti but most managed to ignore that and now the islands of French Polynesia have been opened for cruisers to move around so this coming weekend there will be quite a few boats heading off to the Tuamotus and Marqueses. Not us though, We have decided to sail directly to New Zealand to spend more time in the North Island, sharing anchorages with our son and his family who are cruising up there on their own boat. We are lucky to have that option being Kiwis, as at the moment NZ is closed to foreign boats. Hopefully that may change as there are hundreds of boats in limbo with very limited options in the Pacific.

There is an interesting bunch of cruisers from all around the world so it's been pretty social. The locals have been great putting up with us all anchored off the village a lot of the time. Normally there are only a handful of boats here at a time as they visit then move on, so this is very unusual for them. We finally have a great forecast to leave this weekend after weeks of watching the weather. It's over 3000 miles from here to Opua and we will probably only stop at Beveridge Reef as the Cooks, Tonga and Fiji remain closed to yachts. The boat is ready, fuel, food and water, and so are we, so next blog should be sent from home. Hopefully by the time we arrive things will be returning to normal, whatever that will be post-virus.

Transiting Panama Canal

Another fast and easy sail found us approaching Colon one dawn, making our way amongst the many ships at anchor outside the harbor. We decided to anchor off Club Nautico which is not the safest spot but is so handy to town. It used to be such an interesting time being on this side of the canal, anchored at the Flats and hanging out in the yacht club, drinking cheap beer and sharing plans. Now everyone goes over to Shelter Bay which is in the middle of nowhere and very expensive.

 

 This was our spot for a few days while we arranged our transit of the canal with the help of a friendly taxi driver who kept us safe in the city. The 2 yachts next to us were manned by police 24/7 and may have been involved in drug-running.

Then we went over to Shelter Bay and anchored off the marina. Friends were there with us so it was a fun time while we waited a few days for our turn to go through the canal. We did get ashore and have a walk in the jungle surrounding the marina followed by some booze and snacks.

It was less than a week between visiting the admeasurement office and going through which was a surprise. The advisors got dropped off on the various boats at the anchorage and mid-afternoon we set off for the first set of locks with four of us as line-handlers and Phil the skipper.

Going up we were rafted up to a tug with a ship in front as we were raised 85 feet in three steps. The chambers are each 110 feet wide and over 1000 feet long. Once the chamber was full, we would leave the tug and motor into the next one then re-tie. By the third time we had it sorted. Goodbye Atlantic Ocean.

 

Once we were on the lake, we motored a few miles to a huge mooring, waved the advisor off and enjoyed a spectacular evening with a few rums, good food and three other yachts close by who had come up after us. There is now a wider canal for the extra big ships close by and the ships we saw were huge! There is a drought at the moment and the lake level is down 7 feet which has everyone concerned.

Next morning we set off early with another advisor onboard to cross the 35 mile lake.

Here's a huge ship exiting the Gaillard Cut. We were on a mooring here for a couple of hours as we waited for the ship we were going down into the Pacific with to catch up.

At the end of the cut we entered the Pedro Miguel Locks in front of a ship this time and with a catamaran rafted alongside. We dropped 31 feet into a small lake, motored across and then dropped down in two more locks. We were watched by a horde of people ashore and there is also a webcam on 24/7.

It was really exciting to be back in the Pacific !!!! I couldn't stop smiling. It now costs $1600US to transit but is so much quicker and easier than the other options so money well spent.

A few days later we took the bus and a taxi back to Shelter Bay to be line-handlers for Guy, so that meant two transits in one week but it was pretty relaxing being on someone else's boat. This photo is crossing the new bridge.

 

Now we are anchored at La Playita. The boat is full of fuel, food and water, ready to set off across the Pacific. Just have to decide where we want to go....Marquesas or down to Gambier at the bottom of the Tuamotus....weather is good for the next week or so....