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Posts from the ‘Passage Notes’ Category

May 8

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Our Big News

It’s not new-news, because it’s a choice we made last spring, while we were aboard our boat in Thailand. But the decision did cause us to jettison our plan of making our way to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, via Japan’s inland sea followed by a passage to the Aleutians. Instead, we turned about, scooted down the west coast of Malaysia, past Singapore, eastward through Indonesia, down the Queensland coast against the Trades, and across the Tasman Sea back to Whangarei, New Zealand.

Where we put our beloved Buffalo Nickel on the market for sale in the very waters that birthed her in 2013.

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Jun 4

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Passage New Zealand to Fiji, Day 5

This should have been the day we made our landfall in Lautoka. But with all the scurrying hither and yon avoiding nasty weather, we lost a day. The great news is conditions have been lovely last night and especially today.

Lat: 20 26 S
Long: 176 03 E
Winds: light and variable, NW, expected to continue clocking around us to end up SE.
Seas: nearly flat

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Jun 2

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Passage New Zealand to Fiji Day 3

Lat:27 03 S
Long: 171 26 E, a little over 600 miles from Fiji, heading northeast

The last day/night have been no picnic, but things are settling now. Last night and early this morning we had 30-35 knots, and 18 foot seas cresting 8 seconds apart. We tried to take them off our bow as much as our course would allow, but sets occasionally smacked our beam making life a bit uncomfortable.

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May 31

Passage New Zealand to Fiji, Day 1. No, really.

Those of you watching our SPOT tracker will see we have been having a merry time exploring an unremarkable patch of ocean. But hey, we were told it would be good to put more hours on our engine. Turns out we did that.

After gathering as much info as we could and the Stans poring over our options, we have decided to alter course again. We have chosen a route that takes us fairly far northwest in the direction of New Caledonia, keeping us to the west of the big low. After it makes its way southeast we can make a right turn and angle back toward Fiji.

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May 31

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Day 1 New Zealand to Fiji… or not

We are just about 24 hours out from our departure from Marsden Cove toward Fiji. The past day has been an ideal one from the cruising power boat perspective: very light winds, comfortable slow-rolling seas, no rain, running at  nearly 10 knots. The four of us had a marvelous meal last night, pan-seared New Zealand gurnard ( a mild, sweet white-fleshed fish,) broccoli, some simply boiled potatoes with a bit of mint. Then we watched a movie in plush comfort, and chatted with a few of the sailboats we were overtaking who had left a day earlier than we had but travel at half our speed. Skies are blue and the sun is shining as I write this, barely a cloud to be seen.

So, are you hearing the ‘Jaws’ theme in the background, ever so slowly increasing in volume?

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May 29

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Casting off, New Zealand to Fiji

Today’s the day.

Our friends Stan and Diane arrived from Ventura a week ago, and they’ve been invaluable in helping with all the final labors and preparations. Having two Stans aboard can be a bit confusing, but for my part I’ve solved that dilemma by thinking of Diane’s husband, for reasons not expedient to elaborate, as Anchovy Boy.

standiane

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