-----Original
Message-----
Sent:
Friday, May 27, 2005 8:48 PM
Subject:
RE: News of the Hopkins?
Dear
George and crew,
We
are back on Estrela, at the Opua
Marina, getting ready for our passage to Fiji.
We have a bit still to do, including get sails back
on and food provisioning etc.
We
had a great, but short tour of central North Island for about 10 days.
All
is well. Love, Kyle and crew
-----Original
Message-----
Sent:
Thursday, June 02, 2005 1:52 AM
Subject:
RE: News of the Hopkins?
George,
We're
in the final push to leave in two days.
Up early before the sun to do laundry and in bed at midnight putting
sails back on. You get the picture. When we get to sea, we'll have time for
journals, musing, etc.--that is unless we get whumped
by the weather. Saturday, a good
"weather window" is opening, so its off to
Fiji.
All
my love, Kyle
ps I've sent Mom and Dad a box
of pressies for the Holt crew! Lots of goodies!!
love and miss you so much.—K
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005
5:36 PM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
08:30 AM local time Tuesday,
June 7, 2005 (2030 GMT 06/06/05); S 35 deg 19' / E 174 deg 07'; Slip E6, Opua Marina, Opua, NZ Wind: calm.
sky: cloudless; air temp: 47 deg F; water temp:
56 deg F; barometer: 1029 mb.
Estrela is still in NZ. We almost left yesterday, but there was just
too much still to finish up. Kyle and I
finally just looked at one another and said, no, at the same moment. We've worked so hard for so long to refit Estrela and get boat and crew as ready for offshore passage
making as ever before. So why depart for
Fiji exhausted, at dusk and without everything properly stowed? Not shoving off yesterday, however, means we
probably can't leave for several more days because our current "weather
window" in all likelihood has now closed.
We would have been pushing our luck a little even to leave
yesterday. A new low pressure system is
forming somewhere around southern Vanuatu and we are not fast enough to arrive
north of its path before it will probably deepen and intersect our rhumb line route from NZ to Fiji. A scenario something like developed into the
notorious "Queen's Birthday Storm" June 3-6, 1994 (Kiwis celebrated
her birthday yesterday with a public holiday).
The storm shredded a fleet of sailboats bound for Fiji, Tonga and New
Caledonia, many of whom were participating in a northbound rally or race. NZ rescuers evacuated 21 sailors but three
lives and seven boats were lost. This is
a tricky time to be sailing north from New Zealand. Winter is upon us. It was 42 degrees F this morning at our berth
in the Opua Marina.
Cold stormy weather is sweeping up across the Tasman Sea more
frequently, and the collisions between these southern ocean systems, bristling
with fronts, and tropical lows can generate quickly forming gales between NZ
and the islands. We can't wait to get
back to the tropics, but we want to travel there as gracefully as we can.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005
1:13 AM
Subject: Re: FW: News of the
Hopkins?
We're still at the marina
and thankful to be on dry land, as the last "weather window" did not
turn out to be such a great time. Boats
are being hammered by a low from the tropics.
We'll keep you all posted on our departure.
Love, Kyle
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, June 15,
2005 4:31 AM
Subject: Estrela Log Entry
6:30 PM local time
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 (0630 GMT 06/15/05); S 35 deg 19' / E 174 deg 07';
Slip E6, Opua Marina, Opua, NZ Wind: calm.
sky: cloudless; air temp: 57 deg F; water temp:
56 deg F; barometer: 1021 mb.
Well . . . we haven't
budged. And we are very thankful we
didn't go. We don't expect a real
weather window to open up for us again until sometime between July 20 and 24. The low I mentioned, forming near Vanuatu,
turned into a monster. It wreaked havoc
with the sailboats heading north to Fiji and Tonga, eerily reminiscent of the
1994 Queen's Birthday storm. News of the
storm's impact has been coming in chaotically, some
reported by the half dozen or so boats that turned back and made their way into
Opua. The
newspaper coverage has been dramatic but also inaccurate.
Here's what we have pieced
together. Most importantly, no lives
were lost. But five boats were wrecked
or abandoned. One was a Westsail 32 named Scot Free whose crew of
two were taken safely aboard a freighter yesterday about 3:30 AM, the
crew injured and in shambles, the boat beat up, though apparently still
seaworthy. The crew of
another, Cirro (sp), were picked up, possibly
from their life raft; but we don't know when.
They had rolled through 360 degrees and lost their mast. Two boats were lost when they struck Minerva
Reef. One was a singlehander's
(a Japanese guy we never got to know but saw all summer). The other, Bird of Passage,
with a crew of two (possibly two women) had been dismasted and driven into the
reef. All three of these people
were rescued at Minerva Reef by other sailboats. We know almost nothing about the fifth boat
lost, Gypsy Rose II. But we hear the crew
is safe.
We have been keeping a 6:10
PM SSB radio schedule (6156 Mhz)
with friends on Shorleave who left Opua Saturday June 4 with the cruising boat rally from NZ
to Fiji. They entered South Minerva Reef
lagoon with east winds of 30 to 40 kts, hoping to
hide out from the worst of the low.
Sunday night their three anchor lines all broke in 65 knot winds. They motored back and forth through the
night, staying oriented by watching the anchor light of the other boat anchored
in the lagoon. In the morning the two
boats launched dinghies and successfully located and recovered Shorleave's anchors.
They just sighted land in Fiji a few hours ago and will arrive at Kadavu Island tomorrow morning. They have three kids on board, ages 6 to
11. It was tough for us, especially for
Kyle, to be talking with the mom, Sheila, hours after she had had her three
children dressed in life jackets down below, testing their whistles, as their
dad worked above to keep the boat from being blown onto the lagoon's encircling
reef.
It's too early for us to
mark many lessons from this storm. But
each time we hear a newstory, Kyle and I look at each
other and ask, how would we have avoided that? Or, could that have happened to us? Right now we are just working hard to get Estrela as prepared as possible for our trip north and
gathering as many sources of weather info as we can find. We are considering hiring a weather/routing
expert we know for about $100 to $150 to help us decide when to leave NZ and
how to adjust course and speed underway to give us as safe and comfortable a
passage to Fiji as possible.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005
7:12 AM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
10:30 PM local time Sunday, June
26, 2005 (1000 GMT 06/26/05); S 34 deg 32.9' / E 174 deg 24.9'; about 40 NM N
of the Bay of Islands, NZ Wind: S 20 to
30 knots, sky: cloudless; air temp: 54 deg F; water temp: 59 deg F; barometer:
1027 mb.
Sailing 6.4 knots on a course of 20 deg true, wing and wing on starboard
tack with the staysail set with the whisker pole and the main double-reefed.
We're headed north
again. A strong following wind is giving
us a great start. Estrela
and crew cast off from our Opua Marina berth at 2 pm
today and motored out the estuary with the ebbing tide, waving to friends and
blowing horns. What emotions we all
felt. We finally raised sails at 3:15
and set a course of 14 degrees true for Fiji, 1000 nautical miles away. Queazy tummies
prevented most of us from enjoying the lasagna dinner Kyle had brilliantly
prepared this morning. We're back to
keeping watch, Kyle asleep now until I wake her at 2 AM, when I begin my five
hours of sleep. Estrela's motion is
still comfortable enough to let the off-watch parent sleep in the quieter and
(slightly) warmer forepeak. Eliza's snug
in her starboard pilot berth -- a little like the top bunk of a bunk bed, but
with a lot less headroom. And Abby's
built herself a cozy nest again under the dinette table, lying in her sleep
sack on cushions spread atop the ditch bags and our mini stair stepper. She really loves it under there . . .
honest. We're towing our hydro
generator. Estrela
sounds and feels good. An auspicious beginning.
-- Doug
PS -- I am sorry for my typo
in our last log entry. We were hoping to
depart NZ by June 20-24, not July 20-24!
I hope that didn't cause too much confusion or worry
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005
6:04 AM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
9:00 PM
local time Monday, June 27, 2005 (0900 GMT 06/27/05); S 32 deg 50.9' / E 175
deg 09.5'; about 157 NM NNE of Opua, Bay of Islands,
NZ.
Wind: S 12 to 18 knots, sky: about 50% cumulus clouds; air temp: 57 deg F;
water temp: 61 deg F; barometer: 1029 mb. Sailing 5.6 knots on a course of 17 deg true,
wing and wing on starboard tack with the genoa set
with the whisker pole, staysail to port and no reefs in the main.
Estrela is really sailing. Over our first 24 hours out of Opua we had one of our best runs ever, 119 NM, just shy of
a 5 knot average. The rest of the crew
is asleep now; appetites beginning to return though still experiencing bouts of
mild seasickness. At the risk of being
too graphic, no vomiting, just sore tummies and malaise. A gentler motion with diminished wind since
midday has helped a lot. Morale climbing
hourly as we all gain our sealegs
after so many months on land.
Estrela departed Opua in the company of eight or nine other boats spaced out
over about 24 hours. We have a daily SSB
radio schedule with most of this group, one boat serving each day as net
control. Estrela
has Thursday; Kyle will probably take it.
We start at 1800 (6:00 PM) local time (0600 GMT) on 8188 Mhz with 8143 Mhz
as the backup frequency. We share
positions, course and speed, wind direction and force, sea conditions and
barometer and have a chance to request help with anything or to make contact
with another boat. We will keep this net
going until all the boats have reached their destinations in either Fiji or
Tonga. In addition to this schedule we
will be checking in each morning at 7:30 AM with a New Zealand radio service
called Russell Radio. The operator, Des,
an older guy with a gravelly voice and lots of experience, takes check-ins from
yachts in transit and gives quick 24 hour weather forecasts tailored to the
vessel's location, course and speed. If
anyone wanted to get us a message they could call Russell Radio by telephone
and ask Des to pass the message on to us when we check in. We are also scheduling a daily radio call at
8:30 AM with our friends on Shorleave, who are
already in Fiji. This is the boat with
three kids aboard we described sitting out the passage of that rough low
pressure system a few weeks ago while anchored inside South Minerva Reef. We had talked with them daily during their
trip from Opua to Fiji. Finally, we may be able to talk each morning
with our buddies on Alii Nui,
the South African catamaran with whom we cruised last year from the Galapagos
to the Tuamotus.
They are getting ready to sail from New Zealand back to Australia, where
they have just been granted visas to work and settle. By unlikely coincidence, we may both be on
passage again at the same time.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005
9:36 AM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
12:30 AM
local time Wednesday, June 29, 2005 (0900 GMT 06/28/05); S 30 deg 44.9' / E 176
deg 09.0'; about 292 NM NNE of Opua, Bay of Islands,
NZ.
Wind: SW 8 to 14 knots, sky: about 40% cumulus clouds, some with rain; air
temp: 61 deg F (it's getting warmer!); water temp: 62 deg F; barometer: 1028 mb. Sailing 5.0 knots on a course of 359 deg true, port tack with all
sails and a single reef in the main.
We are on the eastern edge
of a large, very slow moving high pressure system approaching New Zealand from
Australia across the Tasman Sea. The
wind and sea conditions are currently quite good for a passage north to Fiji or
Tonga. But Estrela
needs to continue to go as fast as we can to get as far north as possible
before the high passes below us and the inevitable low pressure trough,
probably with one or more associated fronts, moves across our path to
Fiji. The high pressure is bringing us
either moderate southerly wind (S or SW) or no wind -- the latter being ideal
for fast motoring. A low pressure trough
will cause the wind to shift to the north -- giving us a headwind. If the northerlies are strong enough we would
probably heave to and wait for the trough to pass off to the east.
Tuesday we motored for
twelve hours beginning around midnight.
Since noon we were able to sail again, but until we gybed
an hour ago, we had to steer to the east of our desired course to keep the boat
moving well. When the wind blows from
behind, the fastest way to sail is "wing and wing" with one of the
jibs set out with a whisker pole on the side opposite of the boom. This configuration works only if the wind is
kept close to dead aft, though -- a pretty narrow "groove." If we try to sail with all sails on the same
side we have to head up about 20 to 30 degrees to keep the main from blanketing
and collapsing the jibs. What all this
means is that we can't always steer exactly the course we want to steer when
the wind is blowing in nearly the same direction we want to go. So since gybing to
starboard tack and dropping the whisker pole about an hour ago the best we have
been able to average is 359 degrees T, 13 degrees to the west of our rhumb line course to Fiji.
We had another record
breaking day for Estrela -- 127 NM over the 24 hour
period through 2:00 PM Tuesday. That
makes 246 NM over the first 48 hours. As
they say in New Zealand, "Sweet as!"
Only about 760 NM left to go to Suva, Fiji.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, June 29,
2005 7:33 PM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
4:00 AM
local time Thursday, June 30, 2005 (1600 GMT 06/29/05); S 28 deg 19.0' / E 176
deg 34.2'; about 430 NM NNE of Opua. Wind: SW 15 to 23 knots,
sky: about 30% cumulus clouds; air temp: 63 deg F; water temp: 64 deg F;
barometer: 1029 mb.
Sailing 6.4 knots on a course of 005 deg true, port tack with all sails
(genoa poled out wing and wing), no
reefs.
"For the beauty of the
earth, for the glory of the skies..."
This hymn of gratitude really captures the mood aboard Estrela. We are
thankful to be back at sea. Estrela is back in the water, taking care of her crew. And we are back to a simpler way of life,
keeping Estrela sailing and crew fed, safe and
happy. Pure joy! Doug and I keep pinching ourselves to see if
this passage isn't actually a dream.
I am in awe of Estrela's
performance since we left New Zealand.
She is powerfully slicing through the water at un-Estrela-like
boat speeds. She actually reached 8.1
knots and maintained an average of 7.4 kts for half
an hour, despite Doug's insistence that her theoretical maximum hull speed is a
little over 7 knots (there must be some current helping us, says Doug)! Could all our hard work actually be paying
off? We stripped off her teak decks to
solve a leaking problem. By doing so we have also taken off a lot of weight. Less weight high above the water line may
have decreased her rolly motion and thereby increased
her speed. Her sleek new bottom surface
may have sped her up by cutting friction and turbulence more than we had
anticipated. Her bottom is practically
brand new thanks to Doug's exhausting grinding, sanding and fairing the
surface. Then, Doug Schmuck (of Doug's Opua Boat
Yard) sprayed anti-fouling paint with zen-like
concentration to achieve a racer's finish.
The weather is also very favorable.
We have been blessed with steady moderate southerly winds and gentle
seas. And we've taken the chance of
leaving up extra sail at night. All
these factors have contributed to this dream-like passage (so far). But don't forget the crew!
I am also amazed at the
crew's performance -- how easily each of us has made the jump from the marina
life to bluewater sailing again. We kept meaning to do a
"shake-down" sail but somehow never made time for it . . .
yikes! In spite of all our pre-departure
worrying, we seem to have embraced quickly the rhythms of passage-making. From maintaining a watch schedule and washing
dishes, to hoisting sails and doing homeschool,
Estrela's crew feel like seasoned sailors.
Phew . .
-- Kyle
PS: Tune in tomorrow for a new Kyle's Top Ten
List.
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, June 30,
2005 5:05 PM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry -- including a new Kyle's Top Ten List
4:00 AM
local time Friday, July 1, 2005 (1600 GMT 06/30/05); S 26 deg 19.5' / E 177 deg
03.4'; about 561 NM NNE of Opua and 494 NM SSW of
Suva, Fiji (past half way!!). Wind: SSE 20 to 25 knots, sky: about 30% cumulus
clouds; air temp: 62 deg F; water temp: 67 deg F; barometer: 1028 mb. Sailing 6.0
knots on a course of 031 deg true, starboard tack with single reefed main and
staysail only.
Wind and seas are up, making
it a bit harder to go on the computer.
Thank goodness I wrote this yesterday!!
All is well!--K
Kyle's Top Ten List: You
Know That You Are a Bluewater Nomad When......
Your husband . . .
10. talks about
the engine as if he knows something about the engine.
9. can squeeze himself into places even plumbers would find
difficult.
8.
is physically capable of squeezing himself into those places while the
boat is lurching and bucking like a bronco.
7. wears a headlamp like a fashion accessory.
6. does unto his boat tools as he would have them do unto
him.
5. listens to just about anything on the SSB radio to stay
awake, even broadcasts in Chinese.
4.
is actually used to seeing his kids every day and every night.
3. finds his first mate really cute, even if she hasn't bathed
or changed her clothes for days and days.
2. answers to the name, "Captain."
1. usually agrees that canned food is delicious, even Spam.
Your daughters . . .
10. ride bikes,
without helmets, up and down marina docks.
9. swing in the rigging.
8. hardly ever wear shoes.
7. make new friends instantly, even with boys.
6. treat schoolwork like another way to pass the time, much the
same as playing cards.
5. make dolls out of old line (rope).
4. can play safely in a boatyard for hours without parental
supervision.
3. think that Mom is actually a good hairdresser.
2. wear sunscreen without complaining.
1. often agree that canned food is delicious, maybe even
Spam.
You . . .
10. can finally
steer the boat without clutching the tiller with white knuckles.
9. actually remember the jib sheet from the jib halyard, even
after seven months on land.
8. don't still constantly think, "If my girlfriends could
see me now"!
7. wash clothes in a bucket and feel a kinship with Ma Ingalls.
6. bake with flying ingredients and wonder if Betty Crocker
could do the same.
5. talk on the VHF as if it were a telephone.
4. embrace the solitude of night watch and sing to the stars
and the rising sun.
3. have stood at the mast at night, in high winds, being doused
with blue water, screaming over the wind "Roger that" to your
captain/husband and didn't contemplate divorce.
2. actually say "Roger that" and "Captain"
to your husband with a straight face.
1. continually remind your family that canned food is
delicious, especially Spam.
---Kyle
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005
9:08 AM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry
Just after
midnight local time Saturday, July 1, 2005 (1200 GMT 06/30/05); S 24 deg 23' /
E 177 deg 50'; about 683 NM NNE of Opua and 380 NM S
of Suva, Fiji.
Wind: SE 20 to 28 knots, sky: about 75% overcast (very dark night); air temp:
66 deg F; water temp: 68 deg F; barometer: 1029 mb. Sailing 5.6 knots on a course of 002 deg
true, starboard tack with only staysail and double-reefed main.
Changed wind and sea
conditions have made life aboard Estrela less
comfortable than it was a couple days ago.
The wind has increased in speed, has shifted from the SW to SE and is
projected to swing even further East. We are now trying to carry the wind just
forward of the beam to keep going fast and also to avoid the pounding and spray
that return whenever we sail any closer than that to the wind. Estrela continues
to perform beautifully. We marked
another spectacular 24 hour run through noon yesterday, 128 NM. Our daily
average is now almost 125 NM/Day, after four days. Kyle and I finally decided to put a second
reef in the main about noon when we were really being pounded. The second reef barely dropped Estrela's
speed at all, perfectly illustrating the fact that a displacement (non-planing) sailboat nearing its theoretical maximum hull
speed (in our case, a little over 7 knots) can usually shorten sail without
sacrificing much speed. This is because
at such relatively high speed it takes an enormous amount of additional power
to further increase the boat's speed even slightly. The advantages of having less sail up are
many: less heeling, less wet, easier on
sails and rigging, lower risk of being overwhelmed by unexpected gusts, and
lower center of effort, meaning less roll, especially when sailing off the
wind.
We have a decision to make,
where to land in Fiji. We have been
planning to come into Suva. But now with
the wind gradually shifting more and more to the East, it is becoming harder to
"lay" our target waypoint east of Kadavu
Island to make the final approach into Suva.
Actually we could probably get around Kadavu,
if we had to, but doing so would require beating hard on the wind and possibly
even tacking a couple times. At the same
time the wind and seas are predicted to increase steadily over the next three
days. If we have to beat around Kadavu in a strong wind our boat and crew will get pretty
wet and bounced around.
Our alternative to Suva is Lautoka, a city well to the west of Suva on the west coast
of the large main island, Viti Levu. Clearing into Lautoka
would put us close to some of the best cruising water in Figi,
the Yasawa and Mamanuca
island groups. We had hoped to go first
to Suva in large part to be able to meet up soon with our friends (including
three kids) on the yacht Shorleave. We also wanted to experience Fiji's big
capital city and sample some of the inexpensive food at Indian
restaurants. I hadn't learned until just
recently that the majority of Fiji's population is of Indian descent. Well we'll just try to keep our options open
as long as possible and, to paraphrase our favorite movie, Nemo,
. . . just keep sailing . . . just keep sailing.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Saturday, July 02,
2005 10:47 AM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry -- 1330 GMT 07/02/05
1:30 AM
local time Sunday, July 3, 2005 (1330 GMT 07/02/05); S 22 deg 06.5' / E 178 deg
20.7'; about 236 NM S of Suva, Fiji. Wind: ESE 22 to 30 knots, sky: almost cloudless
(the Southern Cross and its two pointer stars are bright above Estrela's stern
as I look aft from the companionway); air temp: 68 deg F; water temp: 71 deg F;
barometer: 1025 mb; seas rough. Sailing 5.8 knots on a course of 006 deg
true, still on starboard tack with just staysail and double-reefed main.
CORRECTION: Sorry about typing the wrong date in last
night's log entry. It should have read,
". . . Saturday, July 2, 2005 (1200 GMT 07/01/05). . . ." To make it easier to keep these log entries
in chronological order I'm going to start including the GMT date and time in
the email subject line.
This has developed into the
sort of hard-driving ocean passage that takes a lot out of boat and crew. Most of the reasons the humans feel wear and
tear are pretty obvious. Like . . . walking or standing on a pitching floor that's always
slanted means lots of bruises and (at least for the parents) sore joints. And seasickness, it's logically worse with
rougher weather and harder to get over.
Some of the reasons are not as obvious.
For example, the constant whining or whistling of the wind through the
rigging when it gets up to 25 or 30 knots and above heightens the level of
anxiety we all feel. It's tougher to do
all of the basics like sleep, eat and drink and, well, yes, go to the bathroom,
on a fast, bumpy passage like this.
Intensified sleep deprivation eats into emotional and physical
reserves. Kyle and I find we need to
keep reminding the girls to drink water and to keep handing them
cups with just a little liquid in them.
It's a chore just to hold a cup without spilling, much less to fill or
drink from one. Dehydration from this
practical dilemma can cause or compound other problems -- malaise, seasickness,
crankiness even constipation -- especially for kids.
The boat too works extra
hard under these conditions. Salt water
is driven against joints and fasteners, especially as the boat pitches and rolls
pushing the leeward (downwind) rail under the water. It squeezes through the tiniest holes and
weaknesses. Replacing our old teak decks
and all our other refit work on Estrela has made her
much drier below than she's been before in high wind and rough seas, but some
water still leaked in before we began depowering her
by reducing sail. The chainplate and rubrail fasteners
are the most likely entry points. These
we couldn't rebed (recaulk)
without dismantling large parts of the cabin interior to gain access to nuts on
the inside of the hull. So our strategy
is just to reduce the volume of the inevitable leaks by not sailing her as hard
as we might if we were in a race or were under some other serious time pressure
that made us keen to seek an extra half knot or knot of speed.
Chafe is a particular
worry. Even in light or moderate wind
and seas, if the boat remains on one tack and has sails trimmed the same for
many hours or even for days without change, it is easy for some small point of
friction to chafe a hole through sail cloth or cut a line. Increase the wind and move it ahead of the beam, and the potential for chafe multiplies. Yesterday we discovered that one of the
blocks (pulleys) in the Aries vane self-steering system had cut entirely through
the outer sheath of the braided control line.
Something about the way I had re attached the block after removing it to
resurface the boomkin timber must have changed the
path the line passed through it and brought on the chafe. Had the line broken, replacing it would have
required me to dangle over the stern to rethread a line through a hole in the
servo-rudder pendulum just above the water line. This would be a difficult maneuver even if we
were bobbing in a quiet anchorage. So we
disconnected the line briefly and slid a piece of 1" climbing webbing
along it to replace the segment of sheath that had worn through. A couple stitches at either end with sail
thread held the webbing in place.
Happily it wasn't too bulky to run smoothly through the block. But after a couple hours it became clear the
chafe was continuing. We hoped it would
survive the night until we could try to find and fix the source of the chafe. At 3:30 yesterday morning Kyle noticed that a
piece of the webbing had worn through and chafe was beginning to cut the core
of the line again. Not wanting to wake
me up or to have us undertake this critical but uncertain task at night, Kyle
did the sensible thing. She suited up in
full foulies, disconnected the wind vane and hand
steered in the cockpit the rest of the night, about 3 1/2 hours, doused many
times by big waves while singing all the songs from all the musicals she could
remember.
Today, with clear heads and
lots of light we worked together to figure out that sharp inside edges on the
cheeks of the block were rubbing on the line.
So I filed them smooth. I also
folded over the worn part of the webbing and stitched it tightly to the core. So far the repair is working.
We are now watching closely
another potential chafe problem . . . this one with the mainsail. The Dutchman sail flaking system has 300 lb.
test monofilament line running through a couple dozen plastic chafe plates
snapped and glued onto the sail. One of
these has come loose and now the mono is running unprotected through a hole
intentionally cut in the sail.
Tightening the boom topping lift causes the mono line to become taut,
sharply increasing the risk of chafe.
But we need to be able to tighten the topping lift to control the boom
during reefing maneuvers. So we are just
keeping an eye on this potential problem.
-- Doug
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005
5:12 PM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry 7/5/05
6:00 AM
local time, Tuesday, July 5, 2005 (1800 GMT 07/04/05); S 18 deg 54' / E 177 deg
54'; 52.7 nm S of Suva, Fiji. Wind: ESE 18 to 25 knots, sky: about 75% overcast
(dawn is approaching); air temp: 72 deg F; water temp: 74 deg F; barometer:
1019 mb.
Hove-to, drifting North on a course of 333 deg true, storms staysail on
starboard tack with tiller lashed to port.
Land Ho! We took such a beating two nights ago that we
decided to slow down last night and just rest.
So we hove-to just before dinner in the lee of the southern most island
in Fiji, called Kaduvu. Unfortunately, we can't check into this
island. We have to proceed another day's
journey to the capitol of Fiji, Suva, . . . that is if
these winds and seas would calm down a little!
We may be very salty and tired, but the important thing is that we are
almost there. Just keep sailing.....just
keep sailing....
I would like to share some
excerpts from Estrela's Log Book, to give an illustration of our past
two-night's activities. FYI: we keep an
official written log book on Estrela. Doug and I try to make entries every few
hours. We give the normal log-type
information as well as personal observations for each entry. For the sake of this email, I will truncate
the entry to the most pertinent info.
Estrela Log
Doug: 7/3/05
1400 345 deg. course 5.0 kts speed E ESE 25-30 kts
wind very rough seas 6/8 clouds w/ occ.
rain staysail only--plenty fast.
"Dropped main altogether at 0830 when wind was hovering around 30 kts. Called Suva Radio to check-in."
Doug: 7/3/05
1830 353 deg. course 3.2 kts speed ESE 30-35 kts
wind very rough seas 4/8 clouds
storm staysail strbd tack "Reduced sail to storm staysail;
not sure what to do now.....Suva or Lautoka?"
Doug: 7/3/05
2100 354 deg. course 3.6 kts speed ESE 35-40 kts
wind seas getting bigger 3/8? clouds storm staysail strbd tack
"Chameleon said that they had gusts to 42; we're getting into that
wind now; sustained 35+; louder, howling and slapping at mast."
Doug: 7/4/05
0100 331 deg. course 4.2 kts speed ESE 25-33 kts wind occasional huge breaker 3/8? clouds storm staysail strbd
tack "At about 10:30 PM, a huge
breaking wave knocked us far over and sent lots of salt water down the closed
companionway dousing the computer!! Big clean-up."
Kyle: 7/4/05
0300 326 deg. course 3.4 kts speed ESE 25-32 kts
wind occasional breaker 8/8 clouds-very dark storm stysl strbd strbd tack
"computer slept on my bunk to dry out, so I slept on the dinette
banquet. Ugh. I've treated myself to a Coke! Now do I stay down below or go
up?"
Kyle: 7/4/05
0530 335 deg. course 2.2 kts speed ESE 17-25 kts
wind rough, not many breakers 8/8 clouds
storm staysail
"staying in listening to sermon tapes. Fixed banging noise--hydrogenerator
against stanchion--tied it up. Wind up
and down means lots of tweaking windvane. Not as rough."
Kyle: 7/4/05
1400 008 deg. course 5.0 kts speed ESE 19-28 kts
wind rough big swell 7/8 squalls
motor-sailing with engine
running at 1100 RPM, storm staysail
"Engine on at 0920 to charge batteries and to get us moving in
these seas. Doug at helm
getting doused, auto helm steering boat.
LAND HO!!!"
---Kyle
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, July 06,
2005 11:24 PM
Subject: Estrela
Log Entry (2300 GMT 07/05/05)
11:00 AM
local time, Wednesday, July 6, 2005 (2300 GMT 07/05/05); S 18 deg 07' / E 178
deg 24'; Suva Harbor, Fiji. Wind: ESE 10 knots, sky: about 90% overcast ; air temp: 79 deg F; water temp: 74 deg F;
barometer: 1018 mb.
Anchored.
We made it!!!!!!! Anchor down and engine off in Suva
Harbor. Alleluia!
---Kyle