Pacific NW

Expeditions

We’re on our final approach to Suwarrow, running before the wind with poled out jib and single reef.  Good combo as we can run deep without shadowing the jib, and shorten the sail quickly by roller reefing.  Another “autopilot” day.  Playing Scrabble belowdecks each afternoon during siesta.  We set a timer to go off every few minutes and whoever’s turn it isn’t goes up to check the horizon and sail trim.

All set to arrive in daylight tomorrow at (theoretically) LW slack for the pass into the atoll lagoon.

13 15′ S

161 37″ W

SOG 6.2 kts

We’re about 200 miles from Suwarrow and have slowed the boat down, in order to arrive at an optimum time to enter the atoll pass.  Even running reefed in light breezes, Privateer wants to race across the ocean!  Might double reef tomorrow or heave-to for a few hours.

Sighted one ship on the horizon last night (my guess is Japanese trawler) on the high seas.  Two more on the horizon tonight!  And our first night out from Bora Bora had a close encounter with an aircraft carrier.  We don’t expect to see anybody out here so it feels a bit crowded…

Rolly sail today, and I cooked a dinner we called “counter-top curry”.  Managed to spill some of the curry on the counter which I quickly scooped up and threw into the pan, but the majority went all over the galley, into little crevices in the foot pump, and somehow all over the top of my head.

Billions of stars tonight: 3-D technicolor twinkling and streaming meteor trails…

13 51′ S

159 38′ W

SOG 5.5 kts

Made 150 miles on our noon-noon.  Haven’t had to touch the tiller or adjust any lines for the past 24 hours, Privateer is just sailing herself across the ocean!  Lazy day today, a game of scrabble and deviled eggs for lunch, napped, read some books.  Life is pretty easy on the high seas….

14 43′ S

157 38′ W

SOG 5.4 kts

Barreling along in the SE trades today–made a solid 148 miles in the past 24 hours.  Sighted Motu One this afternoon–a string of palms in the middle of the ocean.  Feeling good about our decision to take a Northerly route through the Cooks as there are several lows above NZ that are spinning associated fronts out south of us.  We’re sitting pretty,  jib on the pole, wing-on-wing in 17-18 knots with Monitor supplying expert helmsmanship ’round the clock.  Spent the day cooking, resting and reading.

15 34′ S

155 16′ W

SOG 7.3 kts

Motor-sailing with full main, en route for Suwarrow atoll.  We’re taking a more northerly route toward Fiji, as there are several disturbances moving through the Southern ocean sending up big swell further to the south of us.  Should be about 6 days to Suwarrow.  We’ve got friends on another boat just behind us sailing our same route.  Great to be back on the high seas again, and hoping for a bit more wind to fill our sails.  Farewell to French Polynesia and hello Cook Islands!

16 17′ S

152 45′ W

SOG 6.5 kts

Had a terrific sail from from Raiatea to Bora Bora today, beam reaching in 12 knots of NE winds.  Doesn’t get any better!  From what we’ve seen so far, the island of Bora Bora is like “The Road”–upscale hotels in ruins with their grass roofs blown off, mountains of re-bar and rubble on the beach, and people squatting in the remains.  It’s a sign of the times, and of the French ineptitude in managing their colony.  We’re anchored next to some great snorkeling reefs and will spend the remainder of our stay in French Polynesia avoiding the jet ski crowd while we wait for a good weather window to sail to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, 540 distant.

At anchor in Avea Bay, southern end of Huahine.  Circumnavigated the “Garden Isle” by bike yesterday for Kelsey’s birthday.  Very nice here, laid back for the Society Islands.  We’ll be here another few days before setting sail for Raitea, then brief stop at Bora Bora before sailing onward to Tonga and Fiji.  Having some battery issues that we need to address in Raitea–voltage dropping dramatically at night hence lack of regular SSB messages…

Departed Moorea in the late afternoon and are sailing fast for Huahine, 90 miles distant.  Perfect conditions tonight, winds 15-20 knots from the E-NE.  Moorea was great–lots of hiking in the crater.  We got lost in a maze of trails and found an incredible swimming hole under giant ferns and delicious passionfruit.  Privateer is blasting along as usual, Monitor steering a true course under the 1st quarter moon.

17 14.3′ S

150 14.3′ W

SOG 7.2 kts

We’ve been anchored up in Opanahu Bay, on the north side of Moorea for the past several days.  The anchorage is part of a huge sunken volcanic crater.  Today Kelsey and I hiked up to the “Belvedere” and around the crater wall and through vast pineapple fields.  Palm trees grow below a towering canopy of pines in the forest here–it’s a strange juxtaposition.  We’re about to set sail for Huahine, just 80 miles distant.  Anchored here with the Mahina Tiare folks, and also the inventor of Spectra water makers.  Both our boat and the Spectra boat have fresh laundry drying on the lifelines, due to our “unlimited” freshwater sources!

We are safe in harbor in Tahiti!  Had a wonderful few day’s sail from the Tuamotu.  We have arrived with full fuel tanks from San Francisco.  Yea sail, wind and solar power!  No major breakages of any kind and Privateer is in her element.  Clearing customs tomorrow morning and will try to get a regular e-mail connection after that.

Love to all.