I just saw land

Sailing is awesome. I'm nearly there. Love youse all.

Night Crossing of Great Exhibition Bay

Well I've got to say this is not at all how I imagined my homecoming would be. I've been close to land for nearly 24 hours and all I've seen is sea mist and fog,and the fog is making everything on the boat wet, and its cold and miserable. Worse than that though is the complete loss of significant visibility, so the Lighthouse lights and the lights of ships or fishing boats or other yachts would only be visible within maybe a kilometer. My AIS will warn me about ships, and did once during the night, the ship eventually appearing further out to sea from me and heading in the same direction. It was traveling at 14.6 knots and sounded its fog horn every few minutes. Earlier in the night I had heard the FogHorn from the North Cape lighthouse, about 8 miles away, a long deep note sounded every couple of minutes,but I never saw its light, which ordinarily is visible on a clear night 18 miles away. But the night was really quite scary and now though its daylight, I haven't seen the sun and its not much less scary. Sunshine and a bit of warmth to dry everything out would be lovely right now....

So we remain in the fog and the one blessing, such as it is, has been the wind increasing from a useless 5 knots to closer to 10, which can enable some useful sailing, albeit still slow, around 4 knots. I listened to the forecast and they were predicting winds to increase to 20 knots today, but I'll believe that when I see it. Meantime I'll just wait and watch, hopefully to see the sun and improving wind and boat speed, and maybe New Zealand, the nearest bit of which Cape Karekare is apparently only 5 miles away. I heard its fog horn earlier. Soon though I will have to gybe back seaward to keep the boat moving with the win directly behind, so I will be surprised if I get to Opua before 6....I just hope it not raining there!

Sapphire Out

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Damn the weather

Didn't I say I was so looking forward to seeing NZ and the Capes? Well all bloody day I've been surrounded by this thick sea mist, like fog making everything damp and cold, and where the hell is New Zealand? And the wind hasn't picked up so we are grinding our way along trying to get to North Cape and hang a right but its taking for ever. I may as well have have gone over the top of the Three Kings LAst night and forgone the sight seeing but this time yesterday we had a brilliant wind. How fickle it can be. I think I mentioned getting in by Xmas!

See what happens overnight.

Sapphire Out

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Cant see anything yet

Overnight the boisterous conditions continued and about midnight I needed to gybe onto starboard to get out round West Island - not that I could see it , but that's what the GPS was indicating I needed to do. Once I had cleared that, around 2.30 I gybed back onto port and aimed at North Cape, and started having some sleeps. I was too nervous before that thinking if the alarm failed I would wake up on rocks, but North Cape was 8 hours away, and apparently shipping doesn't come between the Three Kings and the Mainland. When dawn broke it was a scene of grayness and damp - a heavy sea mist was making everything damp and obscuring the horizon but looking back I did get a faint glimpse of some of the islands we had passed earlier. Nothing else to see and to add to the gloom the wind had died again, not completely but we're only making 3.5 knots. Fog all round.

I'm heading towards Cape Reinga, now 12 miles off, which seems rather close given where we've been lately, but nothing is yet visible on the horizon because of the poor visibility. To think that a month ago I would have regarded 12 miles as being way out to sea!The mist has gone but its a hazy grey day with low cloud and no sun so far. Once I can see the Cape I'll gybe across onto a more favorable angle and maybe pick up a bit of speed.

I'm feeling rather tired and worn out this morning so these light conditions are probably a good chance for me to rest up and recuperate. I've put away the chart of the Tasman sea that I have been plotting my position on and unrolled the charts for Northland's coast. I've also just put the kettle on and I'm going to have Milo and some biscuits.

Sapphire Out

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Big Day Out

We managed 120 miles in the last 24 hours, and all of it sailing. But its hard work as I've mentioned before. The difficulty about having the wind behind is the ever present risk of an uncontrolled gybe. That's when the boat changes its angle to the wind such that the wind can suddenly "see" the other side of the sail, and the sail is then thrust across to the other side of the boat with an almighty bang which can not only damage fittings, but kill people whose heads are in the way. So going down wind you are constantly checking where the wind is in relation to the sail and steering to lessen the chance of an accidental gybe - in fact you don't usually go exactly straight downwind you tend to angle the boat a little one way or the other. Compounding the difficulty of going down wind is the wild rolling of the boat from side to side and often also the pushing of the following swell, making the boat veer one way or the other. A windvane finds this all difficult and consequently we have had three uncontrolled gybes the first of which ripped a fitting out of the bottom of the boom. This fitting is where the Gybe Easy and Vang are attached to the boom and suddenly they were gone - well at least they were no longer attached to the boom and helping to control it - and this is in quite big seas and wind up to 23 knots. So I clipped on and went forward staying very well clear of the boom and found the bit that had been ripped away - a bolt had been snapped and the fitting pulled out of a groove on the underside of the boom. Among my spares I found a perfect fit replacement bolt and after using my Vise Grips managed to get the stump of the broken one out and reattached the fitting to the boom and all was well again. Might not sound like much but it was another one of those panicky crisis moments when you think "Shit, here we go..." And I suppose one just gets out there and tries to sort it out - and its a nice feeling afterwards to have retrieved the situation.

I had the headsail only half rolled out for most of the day as it was too much sail otherwise and the boat was being stressed unnecessarily, but with it half rolled up, things settled nicely. Eventually though I put it away altogether as the seas got bigger and the rolling got worse and worse so the headsail was flopping in and out and banging and flapping every third wave. So now we are just running with the headsail, still close to 6 knots most of the time, still rolling like blazes, but hey this is sailing!

Actually its been magnificent today.

My only other problem has been the Three Kings Islands. They're a little cluster of uninhabited - well, islands - about 30 miles off Cape Reinga and the most comfortable course in these conditions puts me right through the middle of them. So I've been trying to decide how to get round them - they're still 50 miles away - but passing either to their north or to their south poses some issues for me. If I set a course to pass south, I know I'll get more accidental gybes and I don't want that. If I aim to pass to their north I'll have a much less comfortable ride for the next 6 hours or so because we'll be sailing parrallel to the swells, so rolling side to side even more, plus there's some nasty looking shallow bits that way that I would have to stand well clear of as well. What Ive decided to do is go south as much as possible but as we approach the islands, say when I'm 5 miles off, I will hand steer for a few hours more directly south and make sure we don't have accidental gybes, and make sure we miss the Islands. They're are a Protected Nature Reserve and no one is allowed to land there without a special permit.

I expect I'll be clearing them in the early hours, then passing Cape Reinga and North Cape then heading down the eastern side of Northland to the Bay of Islands - Monday still looks good.

Sapphire Out

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128 to North Cape

The wind is in and we're running with it on a broad reach. No reefs as yet but gusts over 16 knots lately. The boat takes more punishment for little extra speed, so shortly I'll review the situation. Gray sky as its cool so I am wearing longs over my shorts, and a fleecy jacket.

We made 100 miles in the last 24 hours which isn't bad considering the VERY slow start. Getting close to shipping lanes as well now so have to be extra vigilant, but as yet nothing new to report.

Sapphire Out

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Never Boring

Every day out here brings a fresh round of frustrations, challenges and rewards. Today the challenge was the Modem failing and I was most relieved when I worked out how to get it going again. The frustrations today were the weak and inconsistent winds, certainly in the morning anyway. But the rewards - well one was to observe the large ocean swells as they rolled toward me through the sea when it was barely wrinkled by the wind. As Sapphire rose up to the top of each one, there would suddenly be a distant horizon, flat and straight and sharp, and I could quickly scan the distance, but immediately in front was a low and long valley and into it we would slip and the peak of the next wave would roll forward and higher and become the new horizon, coming ever closer till once again we rose up its long sloping side to another summit. These were not huge waves, mostly maybe 3 meters but occasionally bigger and there was nothing threatening about them , they were just vast and silent and powerful.

Another reward was to see an albatross. Petrels and shearwaters are the birds commonly seen, but when the albatross appeared it was unmistakable -those vast wings, majestic and beautiful and barely moving as the albatross patrolled those valleys in a series of long sweeping curves. It approached Sapphire closely only once but it reappeared twice nearby.

I also was rewarded with a glimpse of a whale near the boat, perhaps a false killer whale, certainly much too big to be a dolphin but not as big as the humpbacks we see off the east Australian coast. This one just emerged about 50 feet away,shiny and very black, took a breath and then went back under the water. Later I noticed distant splashing from a group I could barely make out but it was what I saw on my way to Lord Howe Island but that time the False Killer whales came much closer.

Right now the wind has truly returned and blowing around 12 to 15 knots,with occasional gusts to 18 knots, much like it was this time last night. Last night however the wind eventually died away altogether but I am not sure that will happen tonight - maybe we will catch up on some of those lost miles. We have fewer than 200 miles to go to North Cape and as I previously mentioned should be clearing that on Sunday and hopefully arrival in Opua monday sometime.

Sapphire Out

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Coarse Language

Frustrating Day because the wind died and of course I've used up my spare diesel so I am just trying to sail as best I can in very light wind. What happens for anyone who doesn't know, is that the wind just manages to fill the sails and they jerk out and yank the sheets (ropes OK?) and clang goes the fitting on the deck and then the sail collapses and the fitting bangs again and then the boom swings back and forth noisily...and you wander off the course you're trying to follow and then a bit of breeze arrives and you think oh at last heres the wind and, wow we're doing 3 knots and three minutes later it dies completely just as you were about to go and get some water so you rearrange the Hydrovane and the sail slaps back and forth and the fitting on the deck clangs a few more times and then you see there's still absolutely no wind at all but there's a little zephyr stirring the water about 10 feet from the boat and wonder why the hell arent we in that bit of breeze....and so it goes. And all the while youre telling yourself the wind will kick in any minute.

And then I went to check email and couldnt get the Pactor Modem to work. I couldnt download email or send email or get weather reports. I turned it all off and tried again. I restarted the computer and tried again and still nothing would work. So finally I dug around and found the CD that the software is on and reloaded it and it seems to be working. Well its working if youre reading this but just be on notice - next time it goes bung on me I might not be so lucky.

So just in case this is the last message from me, I expect to be going around North Cape on Sunday and hopefully arriving in the Bay of Islands on Monday. However if the wind stays like this I might be here till next christmas. Everything is fine with the boat.

And one bit of exciting news : I saw an Albatross several times this morning, absolutely incredible bird. It made all the hassles seem trivial.

Sapphire Out

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Workout.

Being in a yacht thats sailing through moderate swells and waves and is heeled over doin a good speed is like being in a gym doing a workout that tests every muscle in your body, anad it carries on all day. I mean right now we are on starboard and doing 6.3 knots in wind up to 14 knots through those swells which were glassy yesterady but now are rough - and just to move from A to be requires a lot of physical effort - I have to brace myself with my knees and back just to sit here and type, and my posture is constantly having to adjust to the changing angle of the boat to the sea. The best thing to do is wedge yourself into a corner somewhere and then you dont have to do anything to stay there, and thats what I do usually ouside the companionway, but then things have to be done...Its really hard work and quite tiring.

So today has been a day of great sailing, very gentle start in light wind that has picked up to be moderate and steady and Sapphire is punching into the swells that are coming at us off the starboard bow. Ive already put a reef in the main and that seems to be all thats needed right now to keep us going at 6 to 6.5 knots, making up for lost time! My Garmin GPS says that at this rate will be going around North Cape during Saturday night but lighter winds are forecast so hopefully it will be Sunday during the day. I so want to catch a first glimpse of NZ on the Horizon and sail past Cape Reinga light and North Cape in daylight. Most Kiwis have been there, to the very northernmost tip of our long wonderful country and gazed out to sea, north to the Three Kings Islands, and down below at the meeting of the waters, the rugged Tasman Sea and the mighty Pacific oceans. This place has huge spiritual significance for our indigenous people, who believe the spirits of the dead depart from here and journey back to Hawaiiki, their ancestral home. I had a visit from several Dolphins this morning and they frolicked about Sapphire for a few minutes, but no yachts or ships to be seen anywhere. I replaced the tall red vane on the hydrovane with the Stubby version because the Tall one was getting smacked by the wind turbine and shredding the cloth. But the stubby one, being shorter but also wider, misses the Vanes, and actually having used it properly for the first time ever today, I think it does a better job than the tall thin one that you will have seen at the stern in photos of Sapphire on the Blog. I am sure that the Targa, and the outboard motor mounted on the pushpit rail must affect windflow around the stern of the boat and onto the vane and I think somehow Stubby manages it better. The wind is expected to ease off eventually but if it stays like this we will make great progress overnight, but at the cost of my tiredness, because things have to be adjusted and checked more often. I'm having rice and chili beef and beans for dinner. This is a meal that probably only lone sailors should eat.

Sapphire Out.

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320 to North Cape

And hooray we are sailing - so I am happy again. I was so not looking forward to having to just sit in the boat and roll about waiting for wind! Last night I reduced our speed under power to make the diesel last a little longer, and checked the falling level in the tank quite regularly, and as it fell, my mood went with it. The sea was as smooth as melted chocolate last night, under the half moon it hardly rippled but rose and fell as large swells moved up from the south. When I woke for the umpteenth time at about 4.30 I thought well I may as well just turn the motor off now and begin the Long Wait, but as soon as I looked out the companionway, I knew it had all changed in the previous hour or two: there was a wind and it was one that would move the boat. And when I checked the diesel, there was still 5liters I could have used, so the strategy seemed to have worked.

So now we are sailing with an 8 knot southwesterly, and making 4 to 5 knots. Hopefully the wind will build as the day progresses and we'll pick up a bit more speed - that's what the forecast predicted last night.

Now, the Hydrovane: firstly I know Jessica Watson calls her self steering gear Parker - after Lady Penelopes driver (Thunderbirds - gee they were great back in the 60's - remember how their heads used to wobble from side to side and their funny wooden lips would go up and down, and sometimes you could see the wires working their arms and legs - and that great Theme Tune ! ) - her car was a Pink Rolls Royce - but I dont have a name for mine, though I have called it a few "names" on occasion! - and then apologized when she does such an amazing job once Ive sorted out the problem - usually Ive just got it all wrong. Ive wondered about giving her a name but cant think of one...any suggestions? Secondly there have been a couple of minor dramas - the first was that I noticed the whole unit was wobbling on its brackets off the stern of the boat - moving laterally maybe 1 cm each way as the boat rolled this way and that. And when I opened up a little inspection port at the very back of the cockpit - so you can look inside the transom, which is the part of the boat behind the cockpit- I found the bolts holding the brackets were starting to come loose..".jeez " I said ( or possibly some other word) "that's not supposed to be happening! - next the whole thing is going to get torn off the back of the boat, and maybe leave a huge hole as well!! - unless I could tighten up all the bolts of course. - but that was a challenge because as I reached in through the inspection port, with my arm fully extended and the edges of the port digging into my armpit - and the wrench on a piece of string in case I dropped it - I could just reach the nuts. However when I tried to tighten them up the whole bolt just kept turning, and I couldn't reach out over the transom to the bolts on the OUTSIDE to stop them from turning . I needed 6 foot arms - which reminds me I've worked out that orangutans would be great solo sailors because they can hold on with their hands AND feet and they've got really long arms - so not being built like an orangutan - though sharing what 98% of their DNA ? - I had to think of a way of fixing the bolts on the outside so they wouldn't move. In the end I used my socket set and extensions and hanging out over the back of the boat taped the wrench onto the bolt and onto the Hydrovane frame and then I was able to really tighten up the bolts properly. I used stacks of tape because I feared dropping the whole lot into the sea and then I'd be truly stuffed. Finally for added security I took a mooring line and lashed the Hydrovane to the boat, giving it some extra support. It should be OK now , and at least if it does fall off it wont be lost into the depths - its 3,109 meters - three kilometers- deep right here!. But I'll be watching it.

So all is good out here in the Tasman Sea. We seem to be maintaining 100 mile days, so in three days, Sunday afternoon, I hope to be seeing land again and rounding North Cape. And then its another day at least down into the Bay of Islands. Have a Great Day at Work everybody!

Sapphire Out

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Evening Update

Well the Big Motor continues I'm afraid and in nine hours I will have used my allocated Diesel. I will still have 15 liters in reserve for any dramas where I absolutely have to motor, but I wont be using the motor just to keep progress happening from tomorrow morning. It will be very frustrating just sitting here waiting for wind but it is forecast and will arrive soon enough, perhaps even by the morning. Some good sized swells have started to roll in from somewhere south but the surface of the sea is still glassy smooth.

Today I saw another yacht. It was heading in the opposite direction to me and also motoring. It was a much bigger vessel than Sapphire but we didn't pass close enough to get much detail. I had my radio on but didn't try to call them and I didn't hear any calls from them.

The other event to relieve the boredom today was the appearance of a large orange fisherman's float bobbing about all,by itself. I diverted to check it out, and approached warily because I wondered if it was attached to a whole lot of rope or netting but underneath was a meter of growth and nothing else. However it had its own little ecosystem of fish swimming around and they momentarily detached and circled around under Sapphire, swimming in a tight group in exquisitely clear water.

But that was about it for today. I've started on The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - how quaint it is - having finished the Voyage for Madmen, and I've tidied around the boat, had my bed linen and mattress out in the sun, and I'm just looking forward to doing some sailing.

Sapphire Out.

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430 to North Cape

Have you ever seen those funny little animals that pop out of their burrows and stand bolt upright and look all round and then suddenly disappear again down the hole? I just cant remember what they are right now but I think I know what its like to be one! I usually pop my head out the companionway every hour or so at night, in between naps. When I was much closer to the coast I set the alarm to wake me every 30 minutes and it was ghastly - you find yourself debating the relative merits of being run down by a ship versus staying in the bunk and its line ball! (reminds me of when I was doing 24 hour shifts in a huge Hospital, I would think if someone offered me the choice of finishing the last 4 hours of my shift for a million bucks or just going home to bed right then, I'd tell him to keep the million thanks I'll take the sleep!) But out of the shipping lanes - how likely is it - well I haven't seen another thing out here other than wildlife - till last night that is! As usual, round 11pm I think it was, I popped my head out and scanned the horizon and was amazed to see a light. And it was easy to see as well. Once before I thought I had seen a light but it turned out to be a star very low on the horizon, but this was a light for sure and it disappeared and reappeared as Sapphire and this vessel rose and fell on the swell. I turned the motor off and listened for the sound of an engine but heard nothing. The light was a single white one and I checked with the binoculars to see if there were any other lights but couldn't see any. What I didn't want to see was a green and a red light on either side of the white one because that would mean it was pointing straight at me! I checked on the AIS and there were no Targets Received, so I concluded it was a yacht sailing away from me, and the white light was the stern light or more probably the white rear facing sector of its masthead Trilight. ( Like the one Dion replaced on Sapphire when we still at Clontarf )In fact I think it might have been Cool Change, the Catamaran from LHI. They had been planning to leave on Sunday when I did, once a third crew member had arrived on the plane that afternoon - however as I was clearing the island I heard Maritime Lord Howe having a conversation on the VHF about Cool Change and the failure of their man to have arrived on the afternoon flight. I am guessing he might have come the next day and now they're underway, making better time than Sapphire of course and they overtook me last night. I tried calling on the VHF but no response. I hope to catch up with them in Opua next week.

So I popped my head out a few extra times after spotting them and they disappeared off to my starboard bow after about 20 minutes.

But i was desperate to get sailing again and later I noticed a breeze developing and disengaged the engine to see how strong it was and if it was from a favorable direction....and it was, so off with the motor, out with the headsail and suddenly it was all Bliss again. We were sailing at about 4 knots which was slower than motoring but I reasoned that motoring and using up precious fuel to gain an extra knot was bad economics: better to use the diesel to gain 4 or 5 knots - but in any case it was much more pleasant doing 4 under sail than 5 on the engine.

Unfortunately however the breeze didn't build and it flicked around a bit so I was again popping my head out again and again to check our course and to adjust the Hydrovane. I woke after a sleep of about an hour, round sunrise, and found we were heading north - actually towards Norfolk Island which is about as far away right now as is Lord Howe - and that was because the wind had turned to the east, which is exactly where we dont want it to come from because that's where we're supposed to be heading - so I furled the sails and started motoring again. The breeze has fizzled out completely now and the sea is returning to its glassy smooth rolling contoured field of blue.

I've worked out this morning I can motor for about another 18 hours but then I will have to wait for the breeze if I am to keep a reasonable reserve for any motoring that might be essential. Sailors of old used to go mad and jump into the sea when they were becalmed in the doldrums so I hope that doesnt happen to me. Actually I have been hearing voices - its really quite interesting and they are not telling me to jump into the sea but that I can just get off Sapphire and walk home if I want to. No that's not true - just kidding - what I hear, and I think maybe the mind wants to hear human voice - is small shouts and exclamations like "Hey" or "Dave" or "What" or just sounds like speech that I cant quite understand. These turn out to be squeaks of rope rubbing something, or a bird cry or even a splash against the side of the boat that my brain wants to try and understand as speech. Oh and sometimes its someone swimming past, heading for Australia. "Good luck mate" I shout back...

So all in all, things are OK though I do wish the wind would blow because then I am happiest. And yes we have 430 to go to North Cape, so if we maintain 100 miles a day - well you work it out. I do it every 5 minutes all day long!

Sapphire Out

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A brief Sail

Ive been motoring across the flat glassy sea almost all day. I emptied the three cans of diesel into the tank while the sea was so flat - a job that would be very messy if I had left it till the tank was nearly empty when we would most likely have been rolling and pitching all over the place. So I have one tank of diesel - just less than 60 liters now and I wont be using it all up just to motor through light wind - when I've got 15 litres left I will just have to wait, as I don't want to arrive without being able to use the motor. So I could probably motor another 24 hours. The forecast is for winds to pick up from the south and south west, which are faourable directions for where I'm heading.

This afternoon that evening breeze returned and again we had some pleasnt hours sailing , but as last night, again tonight after sunset the wind died so the motor has just gone back on. The sunsets are amazing and I seem to be taking photos of them every night they are so beautiful and the sun seems massive as it sets behind us.

Today, because the sea was so smooth I frequently noticed Blue Bottles drifting around and I also passed what looked like a coconut with barnacles growing all over. I'm nearly through my book and its been a great read - Robin ( now Sir Robin) Knox- Johnstone is certainly a remarkable sailor - he won the race on "Suhaili" a timber boat that is now preserved at Greenwich in London where Sir Francis Chichesters boat Gypsy Moth is also preserved.

So no dramas today but we are now 60 miles closer to NZ than we are to Australia. In the 24 hours to 4 pm today we made 120 miles. My GPS says at that rate we should be round North Cape on Sunday. We shall see.

Sapphire Out

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530 to North Cape

Steady progress but almost all using the "Iron Sail" ie the motor. I have blobs of blutack in my ears. So a quiet 24 hrs metaphorically perhaps but not literally and I have caught up on my sleep. I started motoring about 1030 yesterday, 5 knots at 2000RPM heading slightly south of the direct course hoping to pick up wind that way a bit sooner...

For dinner last night I had boiled rice - like how many billion other people? - and Heinz "Butter Chicken : It'll BUST your hunger with the FASTEST TASTIEST meal around" and it actually was rather tasty and I have some left over for lunch today. A light breeze sprang up late yesterday afternoon and I turned off the motor and had a quite beautiful sail for several hours, including the time when I cooked and ate my dinner - as we lazily and gently rolled through very low soft swells on a glassy grey sea. It was a restoring break from the din of the Kubota. ( Its not actually that noisy but you cant escape it except by sitting up front out on deck - which I do, and its where I have been today reading my next book which is called "A Voyage for Mad Men" - its about the first single nonstop solo round the world yacht race " Nine men set out to race each other round the world. Only one made it back"

This morning the entire sea is glassy and flat in every direction, the sky is covered by thin high cloud and its really quite amazing to look in every direction and see - well just the flat sea!

I got an email from Australian Customs today. It would appear I am an illegal emigrant! Apparently its not enough that Sapphire is registered in NSW - it has to have National Registration - another example of the waste that is entailed in having sperate governments in each state and then a federal system trying to do it all again.( witness "Health") So I might have to come back...yeah right! Actually all they probably want is a form filled in and most importantly a Fee to be collected and I am sure I can arrange that from here.

Speaking of customs, to any travelers who like to show off the Stamps in their Passports, I now have in my Passport one of the very rarest stamps you could ever get - International Departure from Lord Howe Island. There are no international flights or regular shipping that departs Australia from LHI so anyone wanting one needs to be a yachtie.

So all is good here on board and probably by the time you read this I will be closer to NZ than Australia - yes in about 3 hours I reach the halfway point between the two, and I'll be half way across the Ditch. Woohoo...All I need now is a bit of wind - or, as I better start practicing for my landfall, perhaps I should say " A But of Wund"

Sapphire Out

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Monday PM Update

Well as expected the wind continued to drop till we were just flapping around going nowhere so the motor is on again. And Ive got paper stuffed in my ears to try and muffle the sound a bit. The sea has settled down to an almost glassy low swell and we are just trundling along over it. I saw two pods of dolphins earlier but they were half a mile off and weren't interested in coming over to play with Sapphire. I also saw another Jellyfish , but that's about it folks, not much happening but we've made 100 miles in the last 24 hours. I'm heading slightly south of the direct line to North Cape to anticipate some wind arriving down that way a lot sooner than if I just kept heading straight across. I've got enough diesel for about 60 hours of motoring but I hope to god I don't have to motor that long. The weather forecast is for light and moderate winds for several days so I might be spared nighttime dramas for a while.

I mentioned the water dripping in previously but I didn't detail what happened. I was in the cockpit and casually looked into the cabin and saw water on the floor- only maybe a cupful but it shouldn't have been there so I went down to investigate. I first inspected the bilges, dreading that I might find water starting to flood in from somewhere and feeling quite sick, but they were as dry as they ever are. Next I looked in the locker under the berth I am now sitting on where the batteries are, and to my horror found them surrounded by dirty brown water sloshing everywhere. Where the hell was that coming from? I freaked thinking my power supply was about to go down and grabbed two big fat sponges and a bucket and started soaking up all the water. The locker is not big so the water only filled the bucket twice, and very soon the batteries were safe. Now I had to figure out where the water had come from - it was obvious if there was a leak it was minor because over the next hour I managed to mop up another maybe another half a cup. Eventually I concluded there was a very slow leak from the deck somewhere above, and the water had been building up in there, perhaps for weeks, but only became visible when Sapphire was heeled right over, then the water managed to slop out onto the floor. I left the sponge in there and today have squeezed out maybe another half cup, so thats not a problem, but I have to say I was sweating there for a while and thinking oh no here we go again!

In the meantime I've dried out all my dirty clothes which had been used to mop up the drips last night, and Ive finished reading Christopher Hichens book, "God is not Great" which I enjoyed very much. Not sure what I will be reading next but I have a supply of books to pick something from.

I haven't been able to keep up with Jessica Watson's progress but I am sure she must have days like this when the wind is light or absent and the boat wont sail. She must find it even worse than I do because she isn't allowed to turn on the motor - except to charge batteries and stuff.

Sapphire Out

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630 to North Cape

A Final farewell to LHI

I departed Lord Howe for the second time, at about 3.30pm, Sunday November 22nd. Once clear of the island, I set the hydrovane to steer almost exactly due east and by sunset we were clear of Balls Pyramid. The troublemaking headsail was still furled and I coul;d see no reason to unfurl it as we were making 5.8 to 6 knots under main alone. There was a good swell running, up to 2 metres, and the northerly wind was strong, around 19 to 20 knots, so were on a beam reach but running obliquely across the swell so there was a fair bit of movement ,especiaally rolling as the miles gradually went by. For tea I had fresh bread from the bakery at LHI - Humpty Micks- and soup.

I constantly debated in my mind the value of unfurling the headsail, but in the end decided I was going to adopt a more conservative approach to sailing this time, and not consider it a race to cross the tasman, but a journey that I wanted to make safely and without further gear failure or avoidable complication. I decided that if I could make at least 4.5 knots that would be over 100 miles a day and that would be excellent. I didn't want any more hassles in the night either, so I left the headsail unfurled and the main unreefed. Wind speed had crept up to 22 knots and we were doing 6 to 6.3 knots mostly which was very respectable. So I started having sleeps.

After midnight I poked my head out to check and found the wind had increased further and to my amazement was now 27 to 28 knots. To think I had been sleeping while Sapphire was sailing in stronger wind than I have ever sailed in before! But clearly it was time the main was reefed and reluctantly, out I went. Then I went back to sleep as speed and motion and bashing into waaves all reduced and Sapphire felt safe again.

As is usual I woke as the sky was lightening, before Sunrise and the wind had dropped back to 19 knots but as we were still making around 5 knots I simply had my standard breakfast and coffee.

The seas are still moderately big but the wind was predicted to reduce today so sooner or later I will have to unfurl the headsail to keep her moving nicely along.Right now we are 70 miles from Lord Howe so I am beyond the place I turned back from on Friday night.

Apart from a few new annoying drips from overhead- water on the decks finding a way into the boat - everything is fine.

Sapphire Out

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I've made my decision: I'm giving it another Shot

Errisea

Yes Ive decided not to give up though I felt like it yesterday. Several things have happened : first two Kiwi guys come over to see me last night from their catamaran, Cool Change, and they invited me ashore for dinner. So I went and had more delicious kingfish, and we talked about the boat and the weather and what might have gone wrong. They plan to leave for NZ today but will have a much quicker passage. They couldn't think of why I wouldn't just carry on. Secondly, John who also turned out to be a Kiwi, came over this morning with one of his crew and they hoisted me in the Bosuns chair right to the top of the mast in gusty wind with the boat rolling side to side, and I retrieved the headsail halyard. I've never been up the mast like that before, strapped in and pulling as much as my weak arms could as they heaved on the main halyard and dragged me up to the top. What a view, especially looking straight down at Sapphire way below! Spooky! Johns crew were all watching from "Errisea" The headsail furler mechanism was unbroken so all I had to do was get a new shackle. We presumed the other one just undid itself so to prevent that happening at Johns suggestion I wrapped the new one in special elastic tape. They then helped me pull the sail back on and there we were, all set to go. Lastly I looked at the latest weather charts this morning and they still look favorable for at least five days...all that was required then was for me to face my fear yet again and just say "Do it anyway"

So I topped up the diesel tanks and took the empties ashore and phoned Gower Wilson again and he came in his truck and refilled them. While I was waiting for him I had a burger and chips at Humpty Micks, a popular cafe and restaurant opposite the Post Office, and read last thursdays newspaper. Now I have returned to Sapphire, stowed the diesel and heaved the dinghy back on board. I am giving it some time to dry out before I roll it up and put it away and then I'm back out through North Passage - yawn - and turning Due east once more.

Well lets hope it works out this time. I'll do the best I can anyway.....

Sapphire Out

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Back on the Mooring at North Passage

Getting back was uneventful except that it was horrendously demoralising bashing into swell and waves that I should have been running with and streaking east to NZ. All day the wind has continued to blow North and North westerly, and is strong. So what now?

Well first I need to find out what went wrong. I've had one stroke of luck - the guy on the boat next door is a sailing school instructor from Mooloolaba and he's already offered to come over in the morning and hoist me up the mast so I can see what's happened up there and bring the halyard back to deck. It could be just another shackle - a different one from the one that broke last time - or else he says maybe somethings happened to the drum, which is a wheel shaped unit that the top of the sail is attached to by those shackles. If it is broken I will have to get parts flown over before it could be fixed. If its just a shackle it will be fixed tomorrow.

Next I have to decide if I should keep going or back off and return Sapphire to her mooring at Five Dock. What impresses me is the power of the elements and my weakness and inability to do much against them when things go pear shaped. I am also reminded once again how dependant I am on all manner of bits of equipment not breaking down. The point is of course I am going to have do another Ocean voyage somewhere, sooner or later so I must just do everything I can to make the boat reliable.

For the time being though I have missed my window of opportunity to get to NZ next week and will have to consult the charts.
And shortly I will turn in and have a BIG sleep!

Sapphire Out

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Heading Back to Lord Howe Island

Cleared out of North Passage at 0800hrs yesterday and hoisted sail for NZ. Once clear of the Southern tip of LHI had good wind fromN/NE and moderate seas , passed close to Balls Pyramid and made good time, doing over 6 knots all day. I reefed the mainsail early on and this took some of the pressure of the boat but she continued on at over 6 knots. I boiled rice and had that tinned curry for dinner and about 9 noticed wind rising above 20 knots , at other times settling around 18 knots which would have been perfect. I felt it was time to roll in the headsail - but it was stuck. I crawled up forward with my headlight on to try and figure out what had happened but couldn't see anything wrong and went back to try various maneuvers to free it - like heading directly into the wind to make it flap around a bit - still nothing - i tried tightening up the sheet and pulling on the other one , letting the sail way out - nothing - and then it came down! So once again we had a headsail in the water - but nowhere to hide this time to sort it out - so I started the motor and got the autopilot to motor ahead gently into the wind and I clipped on and crawled forward again to sort it all out. I got drenched of course and thrown round a bit but eventually had all the sail back on deck and tied down in a big bundle at the bow. I decided to leave it there rather than try to stow it mainly because opening the hatch would no doubt result in floods of water down below.
Then I crawled back to the cockpit and set a course for Lord Howe under motor - we were 70 miles away. It was 11pm by this time and I was glad of the chance to rest and sleep for a bit . I left the mainsail up to give a bit of a boost and it also stabilises the boat.

Righht now we are making 6 knots and we are 28 miles away. The swells are about 2 meters and the wind is 18 knots from North. Once safely back I will be reviewing the whole plan. Maybe I wont get to NZ after all.....

Sapphire Out

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Some Vision

Well there she is, on the mooring just inside North Passage at Lord Howe Island. And in the pic below you can just make out Sapphire in the distance.

The internet Cafe on the Island has two computers and yesterday both werent working but today this one is but its very slow.... I'm terrified after the 20

minutes its taken to load these pics and type this its all going to crash...

In a few minutes I'll be off to the Met Office - gee its hard to type on a keyboard thats not leaping about all over the place - and then to the shops for some fresh bread and fruit, then I'm meeting the man with the diesel truck to top up my diesel then out to the boat. The next time I set foot on terra firma will be in NZ in two weeks....I'm feeling nervous again but I must go on. Next Blog wil be from the boat again via Sailmail . I'll be leaving here about 8 am when the tide is approaching full, and heading South around the bottom of the Island and out past Balls Pyramid. Then the heading is close to due East for North Cape...

REMINDER: I cannot access this webpage from the boat so if you post a comment here I wont read it till I get to NZ. I really enjoy getting your emails on the boat but they have to go to this address: vjn3327@sailmail.com Please send me some - but text only and also if you are replying to one from me, dont just hit "Reply" as you will also be sending back the email I sent to you and that just takes up bandwidth and slows the process of getting your email - send a "New" email OK?

Bye for now.

Life on Lord Howe

I stayed on board all day Tuesday because of the high winds but the next day, Wednesday, I was ashore before 6.30 because the sun was up by then. I had to take the outboard off the dinghy and carry it up off the beach and then go back and carry the dinghy up on my back to the grass. The guy at the bike hire place came out when he saw me reading his shop signs at 1/4 to 7 and though wasnt due to open for two hours he opened up the shed and I got a bike and helmet for two days and off I went. I had an hour and a half to kill before the cafes would open for breakfast and coffee which I was so hanging out for - so eventually found myself at Neds Beach which faced the early morning sun-a large beautiful crescent shaped beach with cliffs at either end and a cluster of rugged islands a mile or two off shore. Its here at Neds that the famous fish feeding takes place but the beach was deserted. I saw a turtle and a few fish in the shallows and when I went and stood with water up to my knees the fish appeared and milled around, massive kingfish and various others looking for food, almost brushing my legs as they swam round me!
Eventually I got back to the Cafe and had lovley corn fritters with salsa, grilled tomato and spinach - or some such - and a couple of coffees. I stayed there reading my book for a while and then headed for the Police Station to check in. Normally that should be done as soon as you arrive but I had spoken to the policeman, Andrew, on my VHF - which was working perfectly by the way - once I was secured to the mooring on Monday and he indicated there was no urgency - suggested I could probably do with a sleep first! There's no CBD here - offices shops and restaurants seem to be randomly scattered along all the roads among homes and gardens. Everything is nestled among beautiful trees and garden so from the lagoon you really cant make out much in the way of a settlement and the roads are almost like tunnels through the canopy of trees, down one of which I found the little Cop Shop. Andrew has been here only since the beginning of the year and before that was at Tibooburra for several years. For anyone not knowing where that is, its way out near "Camerons Corner" the far north western edge of NSW, about as outback as you can be in NSW, a place I visited several times as a Flying Dr many years ago, so we had something to talk about, quite apart from my frowned upon unaided entry on Monday! Exactly what went wrong then I still haven't figured!

So I filled out paperwork and he gave me a packet of forms and information from NZ Customs that I will need to read and then email the details they require to NZ . Next I went to the "Board Office" on the way chatting to a lovely lady pushing a pram along the middle of the road - its that relaxed here! Inside the pram was a 4 week old baby, Amelia who had been born in Sydney. No babies are born here "anymore" she said "except by accident" so she was required to go and stay with relatives in Sydney from a month before the baby was expected. She said the baby came on the due date and everything was wonderful and they came back after 6 days. What a beautiful place to bring a baby to!
At the Board Office I paid money for my mooring and got a key to the shed where there are toilets, shower and laundry. Next I cycled out to the airport and introduced myself to the guys in the Met Office, Doug and Dave - great guys, very welcoming and eager to inform and help out. I'm going back today for a final forecast, which I hope will give me the all clear to leave in the morning.

I visited another beach and chatted to a woman who has been coming here since the time of Flying Boats in the 70's! Apart from developing the Airport and sealing the roads she didn't think much had changed! Next I went to the fascinating museum which really needs a whole day! There are fabulous exhibits describing the amazing flora and fauna and geological and social history of the place. There were never any indigenous people here, the island was discovered in 1788 by one of the First Fleet boats, and the first settlers shortly after were three couples from New Zealand! So this is really a Kiwi colony! Sadly of I think 16 indigenous species recognized at the time only 5 remain, the others killed off by introduced rats. Before World War One Cruise Ships used to stop off here, and there was an interesting record of the British Warship which ran aground on Wolf Rock in 2002 and very nearly sank. Eventually it was towed backwards to Newcastle - because the holes were at the bow - and then unbelievably, put on a ship! and taken back to the UK for repair. The Commander and officers were Court Martialled.

After lunch at the museum Cafe I spoke to a 65 year old man who said he had sailed here from Gosford in the race many times - though not this year - and twice he did it in an Eastcoast 31 - the same type of boat as Sapphire, and of course he too was very complimentary about their sea handling capabilities. Next I went in the Dinghy to North beach. On the way I saw turtles and several huge stingrays and at the beach there were thousands of nesting birds and chicks squeaking everywhere. In the evening I went to the Bowling Club for a delicious dinner of grilled local Kingfish - not from Neds Beach I hope! - and hit the sack before ten. It was getting close to High Tide which is when the ocean swell comes over the reef and makes the moored boats all roll like hell.

Today I will be getting everything tidied up and ready for departure tomorrow. I'll get some fresh bread and fruit, top up the diesel - I used 20 liters getting here, and recorded 18 engine hours - and of course visit the Met Office again. I'll have to get back on board by about 3 so I can get the dinghy up on deck and dried out before packing it away.
Sapphire Out

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What it was really Like

Yes the weather here is terrible today and I am trapped on board. But actually I don't mind it because it has given me plenty of time to reflect on what's happened so far, to tidy up the boat, to check things and to start preparations for the next part of the journey. To be honest, getting in was so stressful I could barely think about going out to sea again, but today after 9 solid hours of sleep I have been poring over the charts again and drawing in the "Course to Make Good" between Lord Howe Island and North Cape, New Zealand. I noticed a couple of sea mounts and the dreaded Wanganella Banks, where the ocean floor rises from a typical 2 to 3 kilometers deep to 80 or so meters - places to be avoided especially in heavy weather - but I can feel that excitement starting to return when I think about getting back out there and taking on the Examiner again.

Certainly the first "Examination" was a tough one for me:

• I had never sailed out of sight of land before
• I had never sailed continuously for more than 24 hours before.
• I had never tried to sleep while sailing solo before.
• I had never been sailing on a boat long enough for that sicky feeling when you are down below to go and I wondered how I would cope.
• I had used the GPS to navigate before but it had never been that important - now it was going to be vital.
• And then there was the memory of that headsail dropping off the mast.
• And the story of Jessica Watson being hit by a ship.
• And on the morning of my departure from Newcastle the wireless keyboard stopped working and I rushed into Officeworks to get another one!

I seriously thought about turning back late on the Thursday afternoon, because the sea was at least as rough as any I had ever sailed in before, the wind was gusting to over 23 knots, I couldn't seem to get the Hydrovane to hold a steady course, I was already tired and darkness wasn't far off - and I thought Port Stephens is only 60 miles away. To be honest at that point I was thinking "Ive really done it this time, bitten off way more than I can chew, I'm just not physically strong enough to overcome all this". I felt scared. So I took stock - firstly I recognized that the boat was not in any danger and neither was I . Secondly I knew the weather conditions were at the upper end of the forecast so probably not likely to get much worse, and ought to improve soon enough. And finally heading back to Port Stephens wasn't going to get me out of the bad weather any sooner than if I just carried on - Indeed getting close to the coast if the weather did get worse could be more dangerous than just staying out in the open ocean. I remembered my own advice " Feel the fear and do it anyway" So I did. The next time I felt terror and fear like that was on my arrival outside the lagoon, and I took my own advice again.

Apart from moments of terror, and quite profound tiredness and also feelings of depression, and loneliness, I also experienced many hours of terrific excitement and personal satisfaction. Sailing at night when the sailing is good and the sky is clear was another thing I hadnt experienced before and was an extraordinary revelation. Darkness covers the sky and the sea and your usual preoccupation of scanning it looking for problems becomes impossible, and before long you are just mesmerized by the motion of the boat and the soft hissing of the water streaming out behind. There seems to be nothing to worry about. A luminous trail of phosphorescence beginning at the bow wave often disappeared behind like a trail of steam, and at one point clusters of phosphorescence the size of basket balls spun out from underneath the stern every few seconds like puffs of luminescent blue smoke, like signals. I guessed they must have been some sort of jellyfish that we were passing across but I have no idea. And above, the magnificent heavens, utterly black as there was no moon, but stars that seemed more bright and more twinkly and much closer than ever. It felt like I could have been sailing through space. And I felt feelings of wonderment and awe that words couldn't convey. Sailing is an awesome experience, and coming here has been extraordinary. I have certainly learned a lot but there's still much more to learn and still a long way to go. Bring it on!

Sapphire Out

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The Miracle of St Nicholas

And there came a wind from the west, a great wind even, a wind that moved on the water and created a great turmoil, nay even a tempest. And I did look upon the face of the waters and saw the great affliction that had come upon us and a heaviness of heart became my burden, and too it became a burden unto my neighbor Bob and my neighbors wife Anna, and even unto Maureen. How sorely did the wind wrathfully and mercilessly cause my RIB and yay even Bobs RIB to be fearfully thrown to the north and to the south, to the west and to the east and even to the depths of the sea save for a cord of many pieces of twine to bind our RIBS even unto our vessels.
And Bob did say unto Anna, "Anna let us go forth even into the tempest and make safe our RIB lest in the fullness of time all will be lost" And he did say also unto Maureen " Maureen we must go forth to save the RIB even unto ourselves and thou also. Wilt thou come?" And Anna did reply " Verily Bob the tempest holds no fear for I am by your side"

And Lo as I beheld did Bob and did Anna and did even Maureen venture forth unto that wild heaving vessel, and wrestled mightily. How mightily did they indeed wrestle taking no heed of themselves, nor did they take heed of the raging tempest though greatly did it howl.
And lo as I looked with a fearful heart, did Bob and did Anna and yay even did Maureen, with a mighty struggle deliver their RIB unto a place of rest and verily a place of safe and tranquil haven, even on the very deck of their own vessel, a vessel of great sanctuary. And Bob and Anna and even Maureen did sigh unto themselves and say " How blessed are we to have saved our RIB from the raging tempest." And they did rest.

But truly did the tempest rage, yay even more so as did I gaze upon my own RIB, sorely. And I cast my eyes to the mountains, even unto Mt Gower and even unto Mt Lidgbird to seek my salvation, even as Bob had sought his salvation; "From whence cometh my salvation? " did I cry? "Who will still the waters of this place that my RIB, as verily was the RIB of Bob my brother and of Anna his wife and even of Maureen, should also be delivered unto a place of safe haven, even onto the very deck of this mine own vessel?. For I am a small man"
And lo, though I knew it not, did St Nicholas hear my supplication, and looketh into my heart, and did take pity on my soul and on my RIB, even as he did unto the heart of Bob my neighbour, and of Anna his wife and even of Maureen. And he spake unto the raging tempest, and lo also did he spake unto the waters that did roughly torment saying "Pitiest thou not my servant,David, the neighbor of Bob a good and upright man, and of Anna his wife and even of Maureen? Hast thou not seen a man smaller and more pitiful, even a man who canst but only cry unto the mountains?"

And lo did the tempest and even the waters take pity on David, for without a neighbor like unto Bob to give him succor or verily a wife like unto Anna or even a friend like unto Maureen to go forth from the vessel of their own unto the vessel of David, surely the RIB of David would descend unto hell. And so verily I say unto you, did the tempest and the waters do unto David that thing he had sought. Truly I say unto you did the tempest and the waters deliver the RIB unto the vessel itself, nay even unto the very place of safety and security, carrying it from the raging sea, taking no heed of safety lines nor of ropes which would entangle, nor even of the pulpit and the forestay which would seek to thwart the will of St Nicholas. Again I say unto you, verily the RIB did ascend unto the heavens,from out of the clutches of the waters and return again unto that very place of tranquil haven and rest upon the vessel of David whereunto did the RIB become surely bound, even by the hand of David. And when David saw it he was sore pleased and did say unto himself " How the fuck did that happen?" (please delete this last line - Editor)

And David, and Bob his neighbor and Anna his wife and yay even Maureen did cry out in wonderment at this thing that was wrought amongst them, saying " This day hath we seen astonishing things, we are sore amazed" And they did give thanks even as the tempest did continue to rage and the waters did continue to fearfully foment saying "This day has become a day of blessing, even a day of miracle as our RIBS which once we feared lost have been found and verily our RIBS been safely delivered unto us. How Blessed are we" And they did rejoice.

Go thou and do likewise.

Sapphire Out

ps RIB = Rigid Inflatable Boat

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Lord Howe Island : One more Drama

I spotted Lord Howe Island at 0438 hrs this morning on an orange predawn cloudy horizon. A little blob on the horizon that merged with the cloud it was the width of my index finger on my outstretched arm,38 miles away.The wind had dropped and also gone to the west so it was directly behind Sapphire. There was a swell coming in from the north so the end result was Sapphire rolling wildly if we aimed straight at LHI. The Hydrovane hates these conditions so I started handsteering because I was keen just to get to the Island and to get inside the reef close as possible to high tide which was around 10. We made slow but steady progress and the blob became a sort of camel hump and then other little blobs appeared and eventually they all joined together - now all I had to do was speak to the Harbourmaster on the radio and he would guide me in. Apparently he often goes up onto a little hill overlooking the narrow and shallow gap in the reef to direct events and sometimes if condition s are not good yachties are directed around the other side of the island to lie on their own anchor until things improve. I read a blog where one group stayed around there anxiously for three or four nights before they could get in. And no one is allowed in after dark so arrival too late means going back to sea for the night. That's why I was keen to get there and get in. And the wind was picking up... So around 1130 I was two miles off the reef and rang the harbourmaster to give him time to get up on his hill - no reply! I tried the handheld VHF instead - still no reply so I headed in a bit closer to the reef, a long white line of breakers well out from the beaches - thinking maybe I was in a bad spot for him to hear me - or maybe he was hearing me but I wasnt hearing him ? I knew my signal was getting out because when I used one radio the other picked it up...I tried again, and again no reply. Nothing from either radio. Now it was after 12 - I concluded something must have happened to my radios and I wouldn't be able to get help from the harbourmaster if I was to go in behind the reef to a mooring. But how on earth was I going to do that? I could see two other yachts there but they were no help. There were no fishing boats or other vessels outside the reef that I could have gone over to hail...what a dilemma ...maybe I should just keep going to NZ? I didnt even know where the gap was! Shit shit shit was all I could keep saying to myself, futilely trying the radios again and again and trying to sound calm 'LORD HOWE MARITIME RADIO, LORD HOWE MARITIME RADIO, LORD HOWE MARITIME RADIO THIS IS SAPPHIRE, SAPPHIRE, SAPPHIRE OVER" ( you're taught to say everything three times at the Maritime radio operators course)

I got the binoculars out and examined the reef line - the breakers looked massive in the binocs- and I studied the chart and the drawings in Alan Lucas' book and the chart on my handhelp GPS. I worked out roughly where the gap should be and scanned again with binoculars and saw on the beach a couple of markers - they're the type that when they're on top of each other you're in the channel. I also saw a green starboard channel marker, and just as on the chart, several mooring buoys, two of which were occupied. I decided I would just have to go for it on my own, and I would go really slowly, and I would back off if things got too scary. Well let me tell you thy got f'n scary : I was going to take Sapphire into water as shallow as 1 meter on the chart with coral rock "Bommies" all round and breakers rolling in on either side of the gap,and not have a single word of help from anyone. Was I completely mad? Was I just too exhausted to think straight?

So in I went feeling absolutely terrified - I guess I reasoned that because I know there actually IS a way in I should be able to find it. Just be careful and be lucky. Inevitably I got to a point of no return - directly to my left and right, meters away was a coral shelf with breakers curling over it and in front a narrow channel with water flowing swiftly out. The Depth gauge suddenly went to 3 metres then down further to 2.4 then 2.3, 2.0. 1.9..and ahead I saw a float in the middle of the channel - what side was I to take it on? My heart was racing, I felt sick with fear,I dint know what to do but I looked at the GPS and the colour of the water and decided go left - it was 1.7, 1.7. 1.7, 1.6 and then I was at the green starboard channel marker and turned around it into the lagoon toward the other two moored yachts and the vacant buoys...I was in. I was ecstatic.

What an extraordinary day! But I made it.

Sapphire Out

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Highs and Lows : Knot Happy

For sailors - if I could include myself in that group for the moment - life revolves around Highs and Lows on the weather map. Right now the high in the Tasman is dominating things, like God who giveth and who taketh away - no wind yesterday but now as the high moves away, wind off its western side in abundance and I'm not complaining. But to mix the metaphor a bit more, the atmospheric highs and lows give rise to internal emotional highs and lows and yesterday for me it was a depression. I'm just reflecting on how our lives, even in the city are still bound more or less tightly to the elements and to Mother Nature - described by an eminent obstetrician in Sydney as a cruel midwife - and by mariners? As a gorgeous bitch perhaps, someone with whom we have an intense love-hate relationship, providing episodic at times ecstatic pleasure and at others fear and terror... but mostly the former. So yesterday it was depression, motoring and using up precious diesel, sails flapping here and there, less than optimal speed and noisy down below.

In the evening however it all changed as the wind finally returned to give me a thrilling night. By 1am the motor had been off 6 or 7 hours and Sapphire had been reaching on port in a building breeze - now 17 knots - by then we were hitting 7 knots which is close to theoretical hull speed and too fast for my liking so I went forward and reduced sail. I still find it pretty scary going forward in the middle of a black moonless night with the boat powering through a moderate swell, the occasional wave breaking across the bow and sending water down onto the dodger, the sail flapping wildly - you are in a black world about 10 feet across outside of which there is nothing - but you know there are things out there and they might just be the occasional rogue wave... You clip on and transfer clips as you get to the mast, momentarily hugging the mast to wait for a violent lurch one way,and then you drag the sail down a few feet to find a ring on the sail that you have to heave over a "Bullhorn" and attach it there. Every action has to be timed with the rolling and lurching of the boat, there being short moments when you can use two hands for some things, but mostly one hand is gripping the nearest sturdy handhold. And if you haven't let out enough sail and you cant get the ring on you have to clip your way back to the cockpit again and let a bit more sail out and back you go to the mast, being careful not to trip on the various other lines along the deck and keeping an eye on the boom in case it suddenly decides to swing across and smash your head open...believe me this happens! Anyhow once the ring is on you go back to the cockpit tighten up the sail and then go back forward AGAIN to put ties through the redundant sail that is flapping and loose along the boom. And then you come back and have a cheese sando and some water - well I know I do! And you feel relieved its all done and the boat is safer. The thing that I find so challenging is the sheer physicality of everything, I wonder at times if I will have the necessary physical strength. Its exhausting.

So then I sit and watch how Sapphire responds to the changes, adjust the trim, fiddle with the Hydrovane and watch again, checking what the wind is doing. The sky was awesome - I saw a satellite moving across silently, and Orion rising dead ahead of us. Eventually we were travelling beautifully, 6.2 knots, and the wind occasionally touched 20 knots but didn't seem to be continuing to increase so I turned out the lights and went to bed!

I woke a few times to check and all continued perfectly to this very moment. Now we have 115 miles to go and should arrive on Monday after all. needless to say the depression has lifted and I'm hoping this evening that if I am lucky I might just see Lord Howe in the distance - Alan Lucas says in his sailing guide that in good weather the mountains can be seen at least from 50 miles out. That will be quite a moment.

Sapphire Out.

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