Captain's log May 8, 2010, S/V Destiny

Captains Log May 8 2010 @ 1155
Status- Our position is 19 17 S, 179 33 E, speed over ground 7 kts, sailing. Heading 001, Wind is 15-20 kts from the E. Sea state- waves 1.5 mtrs with the swell out of the E.

Day 7 - Sorry about being late with this report but it is Saturday and I slept in a little. Not a lot to report new . we are now heading due north and in another 100 miles we will turn west and head to Savu Savu. We have 2 reefs in the jib and 2 in the main doing 7 kts . Pretty exciting.

We have now gone 5.5 days with out starting the engine. I know there are some of you out there that don't understand this is such a big deal. It is a sail boat and aren't you suppose to be sailing it all the time? Here's the deal, when we are on an off hore passage ,like this one, our number one goal is to get it done as quick as possible. You don't want to be hanging around out in the Tasman Sea waiting for a good wind and get hit by a big storm.. So, when our speed drops below 6 kts we are turning on the engine and motor sailing or take all the sails down and just motor. Last year on 3 main passages we probably motored 70% of the time. On our passage from New Cal to New Zealand we only sailed ½ day out of 8. This is a big treat for us and because we can't use our engine it is even more of a blessing.

That's about it from Fiji. Will talk more tomorrow.

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Captain's Log May 7 2010 , S/V Destiny

Captains Log May 7, 2010 @ 0700
Status- Our position is 22 37 S, 179 54 E, speed over ground 7 kts, sailing. Heading 002, Wind is 20-25 kts from the E. Sea state- waves 2 mtrs with the swell out of the E.

Day 6 - I probably need to explain the reporting method I'm using . The status and date are of the day I do the report . I am reporting on the previous 24hrs on the boat. I kept looking at what I posted and it seemed that it was a little confusing. Hope that helps.

I last reported that we were within 24 hours of going into Minerva Reef. Just after I sent that, Captain and crew, had a meeting and it was decided it would not make good sense to try to get into Minerva. The biggest reason was that we don't know how long our engine will last before we have to shut it down I really didn't want to get half way in the reef passage with winds blowing 35 kts and lose the engine. The next part of our decision was that the winds were going to continue to blow out of the east for the next 3 days and then most likely get calm. So, if we decided to turn and head to Fiji now we would most likely be able to sail the whole way. At 9:15 AM we let several of the other boats know we were turning toward Fiji and that we would see them another day. We are very disappointed to not be able to make it to this very special spot in the South Pacific.

For our new wind angle it set us up for a very fast ride. Wind continued from the east but the waves have also increased in size. I would estimate we had waves in the 5-6 mtr size. Because of all the tossing and turning it has been impossible to cook meals We eat snack food during the day but to tell you the truth neither of us are all that hungry.

When we finally get to Fiji , 9 days at sea, it will be our second longest passage since leaving home, Our longest passage was from Mexico to French Polynesia. It will also be the first time since we started sailing 2 yrs ago that we have gone 4 straight dayswith out using the engine. Up until this time the best we had ever done was 2 days in a row. So there you have it. All is well on board and we are looking forward to the warm beaches of Fiji. Bula!

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captain's Log May 5,2010

VCaptains Log May 6, 2010 @ 0830
Day 5- Status- Our position is 25 11 S,179 49 W, speed over ground 4.5 kts, sailing. Heading 045, Wind is 25-30 kts from the EsE. Sea state- waves 3 mtrs with the swell out of the E.

We are now into our last 24 hrs sailing before reaching Minerva Reef. We have slowed the boat way down because we don't want to arrive at the reef in the dark. This speed will get us there at first light Friday. As you can tell by the boat status above the sea state has changed a good bit. To keep our speed down we have just a tiny bit of the jib out (sail at the front of the boat) and the main about a third out and centered to keep us from rolling. That helps a little but not much. Wish we were able to get there today but not gona happen.

With the boat pitching and rolling like it is you can't walk around very well so if your off watch you are laying down taking a nap or reading , no volleyball today on the poop deck. All is well just a little tired and ready to be there. You know I would love to write more but need to get top side for air.

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Captain's Log May 4, 2010

Captains Log May 4, 2010 @ 0645
Day 4- Status- Our position is 27 21 S,179 10 E, speed over ground 6.5 kts, sailing. Heading 010, Wind is 15 kts from the ENE. Sea state- waves 1.5 mtrs with the swell out of the NE.

Another very good day of sailing. We had just about an hour where the winds went dead on us. Otherwise we have been making great progress. At about 3am this morning the 5th the winds started to move more East and even East North East. We are hoping that as the day progresses the winds will shift back to the SE . If they don't it will make for a long hard day of sailing into the wind. They call that Beating. The name fits because it really beats you and the boat up.

You will be happy to know we had no major mechanical problems and everything is working the way it should. We did try out the engine and did a little motoring. There was no noise coming from the shaft . We are fairly certain that we can use the engine to power thru reef openings and while in port . Thanks to good winds we have not really needed the engine so, life is good.
At our current speed the trip computer has us getting to Minerva reef around 5 pm on Thursday. We will be cutting it real close because you want good light when you go thru the pass so you can see the reef. If we are slowed down and can't get in on Thursday we will head away from the reef and wait till first light on Friday. That's about it from here . We are both feeling great the weather is turning warmer and we are settling into the passage.

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captains log day 3 May 4,2010

Captains Log May 4, 2010 @ 0730
Day 3- Status- Our position is 29 25 S,177 46 E, speed over ground 5 kts, sailing. Heading 050, Wind is 8-9 kts from the SSE. Sea state- waves 2 mtrs with swell out of the SE.

Yesterday was a good day for sailing until about 8 PM. Wind died and we had to slow way down and go off our course (rumb line). As I mentioned yesterday we have a mechanical problem with the prop shaft. We have now found out the engine needs a new CV joint (a short piece of shaft between the engine and the prop shaft). Island Packet is going to get the part for us and ship it to Fiji so I can install it. We are still working on the details of Where in Fiji. It is good to know what the problem is but in the mean time we have to use the engine only when necessary. So, no motor sailing , we are totally at the mercy of the wind Gods. If you noticed on our status above the wind has died and is out of the South. We will have to work the boat to go where we want to go. We will get there it will just take a little longer. Such is life on the high seas. Barbara and I are doing great and other than our shaft problem the boat is great. We are still planning on going to Minerva Reef but we probably will not get there now until Friday unless the winds really get strong and move to the East. Been a long night I am off to bed.

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Captain log May3,2010

VCaptains Log May 3, 2010 @ 0700
Day 2- Status- Our postion is 31 24 S,176 11 E, speed over ground 6 kts, motor sailing. Heading 018, Wind is 5-7 from the ESE. Sea state- waves 2 mtrs with swell out of the East.

Had a good day sailing and all was well until about 2:30 AM . Wind came to a dead halt. Seas went flat so that was good. When we turned the motor on we had some load knocking noises coming from the Main thrust bearing. Not to get too technical but this piece of equipment takes the forces that the propeller creates to move the boat in the water and transfers that power to the hull of the boat. Not a lot we can do out here about that so will have to make do. If the wind will come back up we can sail and not worry about it. It is only an issue if we have to use the engine. I will call the people at Island Packet tomorrow and ask them for a solution. For right now we have to live with the problem and hope it doesn't get worse. The weather has been great and we are sailing about 90% of the time. We are currently 488 miles from Minerva reef. Should arrive Thursday morning.

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Captain's Log May 2,2010

Captains Log May 2, 2010
Day 1- Status- Our postion is 33 22 S,174 51 E, speed over ground 7 kts, heading 040, Wind is 15 -20 from the SSW. Sea state- waves 2 -3 mtrs with swell out of the south.

We left Opua on Saturday morning at 1115 and headed in a northerly direction toward Fiji. We have been sailing the entire way which is very special. Seas are pretty lumpy but at least we are sailing. In our watery world this is a great first day. Before we get to Fiji we are going to stop at a reef out here in the middle of the ocean. It is one of those places that if you get to the South Pacific you have to spend 2 or 3 days there. As long as our weather stays good we will become one of the very few people in the world that have experienced Minerva Reef (look it up). So after 1 day all is well and we have completed about 150 miles which is a very good day for a sailor.

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