|
1. day - 14/11/2007 - Every sailor speaks now about the weather. So I will write about it again. Based on the computer-based models a low is growing near New Caledonia. If this low comes above New Zealand it can make our crossing quite difficult or we have to wait with it. We have to keep an eye on this low and we will know more about it day by day.
Today we left for Minerva reef. We are not sure wether we will stop there or not; of course, it all depends on the weather.
Today also 10 boats left from Minerva (including Yagoona).
Our journey did not start luckily from Tongatapu. Our motor bowden broke. But for now we have to live with that for a while. The daylight sailing was really nice with an average 4 knots but for the night the wind stopped and squally rainy clouds arrived instead of it. There were lightening around us but at least the ocean was completely flat so we could use the engine a little bit. We closed our cockpit with the waterproof tent.
Daily position:
07:00 21-06.00S 175-11.00W log= 24286.4
|
2. day - 15/11/2007 - Today the sea was getting bigger. In the morning the meter showed only 15 knots but in the afternoon we had 20-25 knots of wind with sometimes 30 but only for a couple of minutes. We had head wind but we were doing an average 6 knots so we were happy with the sailing. Our ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is to Minerva: tomorrow lunch time. We do not know yet whether we will stop there or not, it all depends on the weather and our predictions.
Actually Bob has written an expected spirited ride for the sailors. And his predicted weather came in quite well. But now we are waiting for his update on the 17th.. |
3. day - 16/11/2007 - Today morning we collected every possible latest weatherforecast sources (grib files, weather faxes) to study. It seemed that the weather window was open to New Zealand. We could see the high in the area, but nothing serious lows. It seemed also that the wind and waves would be strong on the way but not impossible to make it. (We knew that the low we saw a couple of days before in the forecasts was predicted to be a big tropical cyclone, but that time it seemed very far away.)
We passed Minerva reef (last possible chance to stop in Tonga) by 6 knots of speed and headed straight to NZ. We were talking on the SSB with other sailors at 11 am. Yagoona and Hafskip are sailing before us. A German weatherman through Yagoona also confirmed the window is open to go and gave us the wind strengths and directions for the following days. In the first couple of days we will have around 20 knots of wind from the southeast. Not a pleasant ride but can be fast at least.
In the evening we also asked Bob McDavitt in email to give us the latest weather update he had. We do not want to meet any cyclones on the way to NZ. If we can see something new tomorrow from the weather update we believe we still have the chance to go back to Minerva.
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 795 nm (nautical miles)
Daily positions:
04:30 23-06.40S 178-05.89W log= 24488.2
04:30 23-06.40S 178-05.89W log= 24488.2
|
4. day - 17/11/2007 - In the morning we felt the air very fresh. We checked the meter and it was 23 degree Celsius. We felt it as a bit cold after the tropical sailing. The sun was shining today but the air remained cold during the day. At 10 am we could listen to the German weather net and asked some questions about the tropical cyclon that strated to grow near New Caledonia. We had got the information that it would go towards Australia, but they were not of course sure. There was also a new small low, which was coming
towards Minerva reef. Telling the truth we were glad that we were not at Minerva at that time. The weather window was closed behind us. It had a very short open period that started on the 14th and we were the last on the 16th who went through on it. Who knows when is the next one?
In the afternoon we downloaded the grib file and unfortunately we saw the cyclon on it a few hundred miles predicted northwest from us. (A few hours later it was clear that it was a bad prediction, but that time we did not want to imagine what could happen if it was really coming towards us.)
Luckily we have got the waited email from Bob. In this letter he confirmed the tropical cyclone GUBA (now it has a name too) is moving towards Australia and that we are sailing in a high and the small low will go to the north from it. The only effect we will have is the squash zone between 29th and 30th latitude, which will bring stronger winds (around 30-35 knots).
All these news were pretty good, looking at our chances it could have been. And also the low can change the wind direction favourably by pushing it to east rather than southeast.
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 660 nm |
5. day - 18/11/2007 - We feel we have a ticket on a rollercaster, which was to go for a week instead of a few minutes. The winds are a bit stronger today as it was predicted in our forecast and we are still hard on the wind.
We have more and more seawater on the deck and now we started to leak also a little bit mostly at the windows, which cannot hold against the continuously pushing waves. It is cold although we have some sunshine during the days.
We try to push the boat always a little bit more. We try to keep the 130 miles up with the winds against the waves and sometimes currents. This is a bit strong exercise for us and for the boat too.
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 530 nm |
6. day - 19/11/2007 - During the night watch I had around 80 liters of seawater coming above the dodger straight to my head and neck. I became so wet that we had to change the watch a bit before time and I had to start drying my clothes. It was not easy because the air was really cold.
In the morning it was around 20 degrees Celsius. The barometer was growing rather than the thermometer. We started to slow down little during the night and it was continued during daylight. We crossed the 29th latitude and therefore we got into the predicted squash zone (isobars are pushed together due to the high and low next to each other). We had 25-30 knots of wind and high waves (around 6 meters). We were still beating the wind and therefore got the waves into our face. With the high speed we
were doing we frequently pounded into the water so we had to slow down by removing the sails. Currently we only use the small genoa.
Yesterday we got an email again from Bob and he wrote that the low above us is going very slowly southeast and will not affect us again and that hurricane (GUBA) warnings were issued in Brisbane, Australia. It was interesting to see that only the EC model predicted its movement well and all the other models predicted it to come in this area instead of Australia. At least for now we do not have to face with a cyclone. Actually GUBA had around 75 knots of wind around its centre comparing our small
low north of us, which has only 35 knots. (And also comparing that in 30 knots of wind with big waves you can hardly go further if you are hard on the wind.)
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 405 nm |
7. day - 20/11/2007 - Sailing today was similar as yesterday. We are still beating the wind, which is still 20-25 knots. Based on the prediction we might have less wind from tomorrow.
Our friend Dingo left Tonga yesterday they have 1028 nautical miles to go.
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 300 nm
Daily position:
07:00 30-03.00S 176-13.00E log= 43505.1
|
8. day - 21/11/2007 - At down the wind turned and we do not have to beat it any more. In the morning we still had high seas but every hour it was better and the wind also dropped. The ocean started to be so smooth as it were like that for a week. We had sunshine but only 19 degrees Celsius.
In the morning we were still checking the weather maps. A new low is coming from the north with 35 knots of wind. It will reach New Zealand on 23rd. We had the feeling again to hurry up. We put all the sails up and started to sail by 6-7 knots. We watched our last sunset from the open sea and saw a fast freighter only for 20 minutes, but it came really close.
Distance from Opua, New Zealand at 11 am:
SV Rotor: 180 nm
Daily positions:
07:00 31-48.00S 175-16.00E log= 43621.0
21:40 33-11.70S 174-45.00E log= 43708.7
|
9. day - 22/11/2007 - English translation is missing, sorry.... |
Continues on the next page... |
|
|
|
