Tag Archives: passage

In search of a new king

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No not those over exposed royals from across the pond, we are off to visit one of the few kingdoms left. The Kingdom of Tonga.

A week or so in the middle of no where was fun, the lobsters eluded me, the water was so so clear and still a little chilly. The weather gods have spoken and it’s time to move on or hunker down.

Not much protection in the middle of no where, so shelter we shall seek and hopefully the king will have us.

Minerva reef, somewhere in the pacific.

Fiji is seeing the winds now, Tonga and Minerva are next so we are off to Tonga to hide behind a palm tree. It’s a short trip of 250ish miles, and it’s going to be a bumpy ride with 2 meter seas and increasing winds. If all goes to plan, we’ll arrive and still have a day or two to get acquainted with the area before seeking out a palm tree, and who knows the weather will probably change by then.

All good, 188 miles to go, great luminescence in the dark waters this evening. So bright, Just like being at a rave without all the people.

Minerva by morning, up from En Zed

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Missed a day, might be because we sailed back into the past as we crossed the international date line. Well not exactly sure as the line is not straight and doesn’t coincide with going from west to east on the coordinate system. For all practical purposes we are no longer future folk, just on the same day.

The real reason for skipping a day was because of a huge warm front (storm) that brought big and choppy waves in short internals. It made for lots of motoring in big bouncy conditions. Hind sight pm it wasn’t that bad, we could have deep reefed the sails and sailed along. Would have needed to sail slowly to make a comfortable ride, so was just a bit easier to use the engines to get a decent rhythm with the 3 meter waves and the 30knot winds. Plus, the sails are new, they don’t need to be punished so soon. Like we can’t sit on our new cushions either. 😉

We are stopping in Minerva south this morning. We slow rolled yesterday to arrive at day break, then the wind died and which pushed our arrival till late afternoon. Doh, can’t seem to get the timing right. But topping up the batteries before arriving and running the water maker makes it sound like a brilliant plan.

The waves have calmed down a bunch, it’s warmer, but still not summer. Will be super nice when the sun rises.

Another boat is on our port side, 5 miles away and will be arriving around the same time. Also looks like there will be a couple others in south Minerva too. We know a couple boats up in north Minerva, they may still be there when we stop there next.

All good looking forward to getting the anchor down and just exploring about.

Sweet sunset through the new canvas.

Let’s go club in’

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The guess to go east worked out. The weather guys woke up from their night out and started following the program. A little late, but at least it’s in the ballpark.

They must have been still a bit hung over and just to start the night off right jumped right into a Jäegermeister shot! Just as it got dark the first squall came out of the darkness. No rain, so radar didn’t pick it up. I saw a darker spot in the sky and reduced a little more sail. Just then, Whoosh, winds were up and we were making course changes to reduce wind on the sails. Just as in any club, gotta watch out for those Jäegermeister shots, we will call this one the Warning shot.

The warning became appreciated a few hours later.

The moon rose and the stars remained hidden, I guess it was going to be one of those kinds of parties. The weather guys must have made a connection at the club. A long white cloud appeared in the sky and so did the winds. The 80’s music playing was “Duran Duran, hungry like a wolf” and you can just see the dance floor flailing about at warp speed. Now thankful for the warning shot, just a little course change can take the edge off. Of course, now no longer going the correct direction. After what seemed like forever out on the dance floor, the DJ played the breather song. Probably something by “Bryan Adams”. Back on course.

Like any good DJ, the process is repeated again and again all night long.

At day break, the Roxbury closes and it’s time to see what you couldn’t quite see in the club last night.

Morning looking good, some breaks in the sky. Still breezy, and bouncy. 250 miles to go, or put differently 1 or 2 more club nights.

Club gear! or staying warm and dry leaving New Zealand