Captain's Log October 21 2010

Finished the first day and it was a good one. The sea, wind, wind direction, etc., were all in our favor. Completed 182 miles in the 1st 24 hours which is way above average. For those of you who have never done any cruising it takes about 2-3 days to get settled in to being at sea 24 hours a day. The constant motion of the boat requires some adjustments. Such is our world. It is a beautiful day the weather is perfect so I think I will read a book. I will give you another report tonight.
Time : 0800 eastern Australian time
Position: 22 47 S, 163 21 E
Boat Speed: 6.5 kts Course :260 T
Waves: 2 mtr direction SE
Wind : 15 kts SE

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Captain's Log October 20 2010

We are now on our way to Australia. We left Noumea, New Caledonia this morning at 1100 and all is well. Boat and crew have had a great day sailing averaging almost 8 kts/hr. Our normal cruising speed is about 6 kts so we are flying. The goal is to arrive at Port Bundaberg Monday afternoon but at this speed we will arrive Sunday afternoon, which we will not want to do because if we arrive on Sunday we will be subject to hefty overtime fees. I am sure the weather Gods will slow us down over the next few days. I will try to give updates twice a day.

Time : 0900 oct 20 GMT
Position: 22 57 S, 162 22 E
Boat Speed: 8.5 kts Course :260 T
Waves: 2 mtr direction SE
Wind : 18 kts SE
Miles to go: 715 nm

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Final Captain's Log New Zealand - Fiji- 2010

Captains Log May 9 2010 @ 2355
Status- Our position is 16 46 S, 179 19 E, At anchor , Savusavu, Fiji.

Day 8 - We had a very slow last day heading into Savusavu . About lunch time the wind died off but we continued to sail (4 knots was fast). If we had turned the motor on we could have made quick work of the remaining miles. However you know the story on the engine . We were not sure how long it would operate so we wanted to save it for our last few miles.

Another cruiser who had been in here before took the lead when we entered the bay to get into the area we were headed. Without their help there is no way we could have found where we were going. To add a little spice to the whole thing in this area there are no channel markers or other nav markers to guide you. So if I had it to do all over again I would never come in here in the dark especially one of the darkest night I can ever remember.

We got the anchor down after the second try and we finshed our day and our passage to Fiji at about 2355 (5 mins till midnight). Miller Time! Other than the motor problem it was a perfect passage.

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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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