"Cruise USA to Australia"
OUTLINE OF TRIP
I bought
"Illusion lll" an Irwin Citation 39 through the internet. The contact
was closed in November 1996.
I had found several
suitable yachts listed on-line using
Soundings at http://www.soundingspub.com/
Boat Trader at http://www.traderonline.com/
Yacht World at http://www.yachtworld.com/
and
Autopedia at
http://www.autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_BoatsUsed.html
I prepared a short
list and contacted seller by phone or e-mail and eventually I narrowed the list
of boats down to a few boats. I then called for volunteer from mailing lists
like Yacht-L. E-mail colleagues who lived near each of the boats
volunteered to take a preliminary look on my behalf. I had assistance from several individuals I had met through mailing
lists like "Yacht-L" at http://PObox.LeidenUniv.NL/~kooi/yl.htm and "World
Cruising at http://www.infohouse.com/amelia/cruisers-connection/worldcruising.htm .
I was concerned to
see if the boats really existed and was worth further consideration. I was
worried someone might be advertising a
boat for sale with lots of lovely photos and then accepting a deposit when the
boat really did not exist or was a complete wreck. I was lucky to find helpers
some actually sent me photos and one sent a video of a prospective boat.
With this help I
narrowed my list further to what I felt were genuine possibilities. I then paid
for marine surveys using surveyors from the National Association of Marine
Surveyors. Their membership list is at http://namsurveyors.org/ I was able to get
surveyors to do preliminary examinations before deciding on my first choice.
Eventually I decided on "Illusion" an Irwin Citation 39 in Bridgeport
CT. I then obtained a full survey. This was required for both my own use and for insurance purposes.
The survey resulting
list of recommended repairs that was very useful in my later preparations and I
was lucky in that my surveyor had spent a few years cruising the Pacific on a
sailboat with his young family and really knew what I needed to know.
"Illusion "
as I found her at Captain's Cove
I placed a deposit on
the boat while I was still in Australia and did not see the boat in the
"flesh" until six months later when was able to get away from work.
When I eventually saw the boat I was pleasantly surprised at its finish.
Certainly it was better than I had hoped. The earliest I could get away was
November, just as winter was starting in CT. I would have liked to have done
some preliminary work on the boat at that time then taken it South to a warmer
climate where I could complete the work at my leisure. But I was not fast
enough in doing preliminary repairs, by the end of November I had –25 C outside
temperatures and I was still waiting on engine parts and other bit and pieces.
So I had to leve the boat on the hard stand at n "Captain Cove Marina"
in Bridgeport and returned to Australia. I planned to return when the weather
warmed up in spring.
"Illusion"
in November
I had a fairly tight time frame for my trip to Australia. I wanted to get the
boat to Australia in one year. This meant leaving CT in early spring so as to
get through the Caribbean and arrive at Panama before the hurricane season
started in June. This was not just because I was chicken but also because of
provisions in my insurance policy from Blue Water Insurance. (http://www.blueh2oins.com/
) Once through Panama I then had to reach Australia before November to avoid
the Southern Pacific cyclone season
This meant getting
away as early as possible in spring. Captain Cove ‘s said they usually only put
boats in the water in May but they would accommodate me at any time so long as
they did not have to break ice to get the boat launched. The earliest time yachts
start sailing on Long Island Sound seemed to be May. But I decided that April
would be a safe bet.
After my summer in Oz
I arrive back at Captain Cove in March to recommence work.
Captain Coves Marina was a lovely place to be caught up. It is a marine
facility similar to Mystic a little further north in CT
The Marina at
Captain's Cove
Some of the Many Recreated Marine Buildings at Captain's Cove Bridgeport, CT
Captain's Cove has a fascinating
location. It is 50 mile from NY and one entry opens to the very lovely
commuter suburb of Fairfield with beautiful expensive houses and tree lined
streets.
A Fairfield Street
The other gate opens
on the “village” area of Bridgeport which is a rundown poor area. Some of the houses
in the village are one time mansions now divided into apartments or rooming
houses. A local policeman said to me when I was living on "Illusion"
"don't go out that gate it not safe in the village"
The Bridgeport
"Village"
The weather was
really nice and fine albeit cold. (-10C etc.). To replace the standing rigging
I had to get the mast taken down. The yard used a big mobile crane and I stored
the mast on deck. I then got new rigging made up by a local rigger but put it
aside until the mast was to re-installed when the boat was being launched. I had ordered new up to date
electronics (e.g. GPS, SSB/HF, Globe wireless access and weather fax soft ware)
from the Fairfield branch of West Marine. All of this was waiting for me on my
return. All the guys at West Marine took an interest in my preparations and
visited the boat to see my progress, I
also purchased a second hand 6-man life raft from Ocean Outfitters. I had
located a suitable raft through their home page http://www.oceanoutfitters.com/
and organized it to be serviced by Air_Works (410-268 7332) It turned out that Air-Works
had in fact serviced that raft since new. I added extra safeties to bring “Illusion”
up to IYRU Cat 1 including a 406 EPIRB and a hand held VHF. I serviced the
diesel and made all other repairs as recommended by the marine survey. I made
sure I had back up material for all important systems and replacement parts for
anything likely to fail. e.g. filters, impellers, belts, and alternator
regulators. I also had the alternator and starter motors rebuilt. I added
manual water pumps to back up the pressurized system, replaced a lot of the
wiring; particularly the main battery cables. I installed a 100 Amp hr. engine
crank battery so that the original two 100 amp hr. batteries could be reserved
as house batteries. I added a 12-volt 1 cubic meter refrigeration kit to the
icebox and a 4.5 Amp solar panel. I had all the sails repaired and had extra stitching
applied to strengthen the sails.
My plans to leave
were thwarted because Easter 1997 turned
out to be one of the coldest on record. CT had the biggest snowfall for the
year that weekend. I would have been easier to leave Bridgeport in March or February.
Anyway despite ice in the harbor on April 13th "Illusion
III" was launched.
Bye Bye Bridgeport
Provisioning: I had been advised
to buy most of my needs in Panama but my observations indicated US food prices
were as cheap as any were. I opened an account with JB’s bulk store and
purchased $2000 with of groceries. I had planned on provisioning for a
compliment of four and a trip lasting 12 months. I left flour and rice to be
purchased en route as they are usually cheap everywhere. I planned not to use
the refrigeration system except in harbor and relied mostly on canned, dried
and preserved goods. It was surprising how these two carloads of food could be
packed away inboard “Illusion”. My son’s girlfriend Anna who had joined me in
April from Australia prepared an inventory with a location guide so we could
find anything we needed later.
The route planed had included passing down Long
Island sound to New York; Passing through Hell’s Gate and East River into New
York Harbor then into the Atlantic. I timed our departure so we could arrive at
Hell’s gate at slack water. This was at 10 pm so we sailed past the spectacular
skyscrapers and under the big bridges and past the Statue of Liberty in the
dark. All buildings were lit up against the night sky. It was beautiful
reaching sail with mild winds even though still a bit cold.
East River
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From New York I wanted to sail along the coast with minimum stops to
make southing ASAP. However the advice I received from the mailing lists
suggested I should at least go inland past Cape Hatteras. This meant using a
section of the Intra-coastal Waterway from Norfolk, Virginia to Beaufort,
North Carolina. (See http://www.icw-net.com/) I could also have gone inland
at Ballimore Bay and then via Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk if the Atlantic had
blown up unexpectedly. |
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The Atlantic trip to Norfolk was quite eventful as
it turned out and I ended up spending quite a few days there making repairs. I
chose to go straight from NY to Norfolk rather than via Chesapeake Bay to save time.
From Norfolk I planned to stay inland and go via the lovely Dismal Swamp Canal
to Elizabeth City then across the Albemarle and Palmilco Sounds to Beaufort.
NC. I would have liked time to have sail over to Hatteras in the Palmico Sound
to see were the sailing part of the pseudo Olympic games were staged when the
Moscow Olympics were boycotted. That is where John Bertrand (later winner of
the Americas Cup) represented Australia in flying Dutchmen. At home I knew his
crew member Geoff Burn. However there was not enough draft or room under a
bridge to go that way to Beaufort so we had to stitch to the ICW. From Beaufort
NC I wanted to sail outside to Ft. Lauderdale in Florida, and then leave the
USA for the Bahamas followed by Jamaica => Colombia => Panama =>
Ecuador => Galapagos => Marquises =>Tahiti => Rarotonga => Fiji
=> Vanuatu => Noumea => Norfolk IS => Lord How Is. => Eden =>
Australia .
Things did not quite go as planned.
The Trip to Norfolk
I had four crew when I left Bridgeport
CT, two young guys and one young lady (Anna) plus a young 50 year old, Roger
Wood who was helping from just from Ct. to Norfolk. To organize crew I had
collected names of prospective crew over a year of during my preliminary
preparations back in Australia. I had advertised on the internet at locations
like "International Crew Finders" http://www.dorsetweb.co.uk/leisure/travelmate/vacancy.htm and "Float
Plan" at http://www.floatplan.com/ and "Cruiser
Connections" at http://www.infohouse.com/amelia/ This gave me over 200 inquiries that I ranked
according to offshore experience or long trip experience. I ended up with 3
guys and one woman. The lady was my son’s girlfriend who was keen to experience
what my son had done when he sailed in the Europa rally a few years earlier.
All on my list had lots of experience and appeared as keen as mustard. I also
had a back up list of replacement. When I arrived in CT. I was wanted to meet
some of the guys who lived in USA but they all vanished into thin air. All had
last minute engagements or some reason to pull out, . In the end an e-mail
friend who had looked at "Illusion" for me a year earlier volunteered
to sail to Oz with me and one guy off my backup list agreed to come. Then to
help get started Roger another e-mail friend offered to sail as far as his hometown
of Norfolk. He would provide local knowledge for the entry to Chesapeake Bay
and Norfolk Harbor. Anna was organised
to fly over from Australia a month or so before the departure date.
Bye-Bye New York
Departure
We left New York by midnight with a freshening
south wind so we tacked down the New Jersey coast, but by the time we got to
the entrance to Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk we had high sea and a westerly of
about 35 to 40 Kt. Just at the time when we needed to motor against the wind in
to Chesapeake the engine failed. We were unable to sail into Chesapeake due to
the current, wind and seas. So we tacked back and forward across the entrance about
for 24 hr. x waiting for conditions to abate. I was prepared to hang around out
there for another couple of days but the crew were getting restless and Roger
had be unable to sleep.
So We sailed back North to the Baltimore Bay where the entrance is much
easier to navigate.
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Baltimore River was only 200 km north of the Norfolk but the weather was completely
different. We tied up to a jetty in Breakwater Harbour and had a good rest. I
tried starting the engine but it could not complete a full rotation clockwise
or anticlockwise. Something was jammed inside. After 24 hrs the weather
forecast was for fine weather so we sailed south again, but the wind at the
Chesapeake entrance was still unchanged. We tacked back and forth to see if
we could get closer to the entrance but the wind and tide was too difficult
to manage the passage through the narrow gap in the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge-Tunnel So I thought what the heck I’ll see if I can get a tow in. I had
cruising guides that advertised towing services but they were very expensive
for a two hr tow. |
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I had notified the coast guard of our situation and
updated them every two hours. Eventually I asked them if they could recommend a
towing agent and to my delight they offered to tow us in for free.
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Eventually a 60ft Coast guard cutter arrived and towed us into
Chesapeake. While under tow heading toward the Chesapeake Bay
Bridge-Tunnel a big black submarine surface next to us travelling in the same
direction. Inside the bay the cutter transferred our lines to a 40 UTB that
towed us to Willoughby Harbor Marina in Norfolk.
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After the usual inspection we settled down to a
good rest. Next day I knocked the head off the diesel and found that a valve
seat had broken and fallen into a cylinder so that the piston could not
complete it stoke cycle. The marina people had a good workshop and they
allowed me to use their equipment. I had the head tested and found it was
cracked. I had to wait two weeks for a new head complete with valves and
complete top end to be delivered. |
It was a pleasant place to stay and we had a
good view of the navy ships coming and going across the river at the naval base.
The Intracoastal
Water Way
From Norfolk we started the ICW using
the Dismal Swamp Canal.
A bridge opening along the Dismal Swamp Canal
There
are two alternate routes at the north end of the Atlantic ICW between the
Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound, The Dismal Swamp Canal and the Albemarle
and Chesapeake Canal. The canals and the rest of the waterway are maintained
and cared for by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. these two
canals contain the only locks along the
AICW
The Dismal Swamp Canal is maintained with a 6’ draft
but at times it can be shallower. The locks operate to a schedule of opening
times 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m which means you have
to keep am eye on your time table. The Albemarle Canal on the other hand is
maintained to a depth of 12’ and the locks open every
hour from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on demand after 7:00 pm. But there
is considerably more commercial traffic on the Albemarle Canal and the Dismal
Swamp Canal was reported to be far more picturesque
We had to be at the fist lock at first opening so
as to allow time to reach the other end before the last opening of the last
lock. Although Boats
can anchor or moor overnight in canal there are limited tie-up facilities so we
chose to do the entire length on one go.
There was nowhere to stay overnight along the canal
so after the last lock of the Dismal Swamp Canal we were very happy to tie up
at the complimentary birth at the Mariner's Wharf city docks in Elizabeth City and receive
the hospitality of the Rose Buddies.
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As well as the free birth we, along with other
cruisers, were pampered with a free wine and cheese on the harbour side and
were welcomed by the mayor and chief Buddy Fred Fearing in a tent set up on the
jetty. Apart from the pleasantries
provided the free birth was most welcome. Unlike Australia nearly every tie-up
we found in USA had some cost involved. If we pulled into a fuelling dock late
at night we were sometimes able to stay there over night after refuelling.
I had planned to leave the AICW at Beaufort buit The weather continued to turn
bad every time I thought of leaving the ICW. This resulted in us motoring all
the way from Norfolk to Ft Lauderdale. Navigation marks were not easy to find
of and the shallow cahenel made it impossible to travel at night along the ICW
this meant stopping each night and travelling
a lot further than the direct outside route would have been. This added two weeks on the trip plus I lost two weeks
repairing the engine in Norfolk and a week repairing a broken centre board in
Beaufort NC.
After Elizabeth City we headed down the Pasquotank River to Albemarle Sound
Then
across the sound we were able to hoist sail and rest the motor for a while
heading for the Alligator river. This require tacking against the ever present
head wind. I had hoped to finf North East trade winds to carry us down the east
coast but so far we had experience head winds from the South every day. Going
aground was not an unusual occurance along the ICW because the channel markers
did not indicate where the deepest part of the channel occured. So there was
quite a lot of guess work in finding the
best course.
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Putting out the anchor
and winching the boat into deeper became part of the normal routine. On a
couple of occasions we had the added complication of ropes from crayfish pots
tangled in out propellar. From the Alligator
River we entered the Alligator-Pungo canal at Winn Bay NC The canal passed
through largely farming lands in NC down to Pungo River. We then entered
the Pamlico
River and Pamlico Sound. |
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Again we were able to
hoist sail and sail along the coast of Pamilco Sound to reach Neuse River. Down
the Neuse River we sailed to reach the section of canal leading to Beaufort SC
on entering canal we ran aground with the centre boards down snapping it off
and jamming the boards in the slot. After some snorkling and winching we got
underway and motored to Bock Marine just south of the Core Creek high-rise
bridge in Beaufort, NC
Bock Marine
We hauled out “Illusion”
and the staff at Bock Marine were able to fix the fibre glass centre board
within a couple of days then we continued down the ICW to Beaufort Yacht Club
in North Carolina. The Beaufort Inlet was our first possibility for heading
back into the Altantic.
There were three
possibilities for heading further south. 1) The outside rout heading direct for
the Abaco in the Bahamas. This required passing east of the Gulf Stream. 2) Coastal
hopping staying West of the GS and allowing the possibility of re-entering the
ICW at one of the 24/7 main seaport
entrances
along the way or 3) stay in the “ditch’ all the way
to Florida. In the end the weather made the choice for me. The wind remained
firmly in the South so we continued along the ICW. From Beaufort/Morehead City
NC the ditch remained close to the coast. From North Carolina through South
Carolina was pleasant travelling. Lovely views and beautiful mansions here and
there. We passed through Beaufort SC which was an alternative departure pint
for a direct sail to Abaco. An
interesting point is that
in South Carolina town of Beaufort is pronounced “Bewfort’, as in beautiful, but
Beaufort North Carolina it is pronounced “Bofort”.
Beaufort NC
The last harbour in South Carolina we
stay at was Hilton Head a beautiful peaceful anchorage.
Hilton Head Marina
.
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At savannah,we then entered Georgia, I had read in ICW guides that the
canals were often very shallow in the Georgia region. Unlike travelling in
rivers and bays where you sail from one bouy to the next in this part of the
waterway you have to keep well way from the canal markers because they are
set well out from the deep part of the channel.We had to anchor in the canal
some nights because tie-up where often to far apart to suit our travel schedule. We basically
progressed at 10 mph from 7 am to 8 pm breakfast and other meals was taken
when underway. Leaving in spring we were one of a very few boats going South.
All the traffic was travelling north to avoid the Hurricane season. Anchoring
in the canal had dangers because some local motor boats continued throughout
the night. This meant we had to find isolated deep spots off the main thoroughfare |
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In Georgia lot of the ICW passed through flat swampy areas they it “The Low
Country”. It is mostly grass and water with some occasional trees
ICW Georgia
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When we arrived in Florida we expected to see bright sunny warm days
but like most of our trip south it was cold and wet. But at least the
waterway was wide straight and deep making navigation so much easier than we
had experience so far. Along much of the Fl.ICW there were very large luxury houses. Well
appointed marina and beautiful well manicured parkland. |
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Before leaving the USA one of the male crew decided
not to continue.
The trip through the Bahamas was delightful beautiful blue water and the
islands friendly and charming. We went first to Bimini then Cat key, Chub Key,
Nassau, George Town and finally Mathew Town. The wind was on the nose all the
way so we motored nearly the whole Bahamanian tour. I then sailed direct to
Panama. On the way I had trouble with the prop shaft connection to the gearbox,
the alternator regulator and the alternator. The latter two had been new
. In Panama the remaining crew departed
and I wasted three weeks trying to organize replacements. I felt worried about
clearing customs and organizing my passage through the canal. I had been
advised to contact an agent to organize it all for me. It was estimated to cost
about $200 for the service. In the end I decided to try and do it myself. When
we arrived on Saturday I found a Taxi driver Carlos Solano "Unidad 2"
(445-1240) who offered to take me around all the required offices. He did
so and also acted as an interpreter and even went off to purchase stamps for
me. The whole job was done in half a day and Carlos only charged $50 for
his service and taxi.
I tide up at the Panama Canal Yacht Club marina and the facilities although old
and dilapidated were functional friendly and provided good service.
While Colon was a bit intimidating I
enjoyed a trip to Portobello to see the Historic Spanish fort and slave market.
The largely black community were not the wealthiest and crime was threatening at
all times. A visit to the Open City gave a chance to spend up on duty free
goods.
To get through the canal I needed four
rope handlers I still had two crew but needed two more. Local agents wanted $50
each. Luckily for me there was a New Zealand boat waiting to go through at the
same time as us. We agreed to pool resorses and We when along with him as
his crew. We had to be at the first lock at 6.00pm and arrived at Belboa before
night. After dinner at the Belboa YC we caught a bus home that night.
Next day It was my turn. Barbara and
Vince from "Tera Moam" bussed it down to help We set of early
for a rerun of the canal crossing. Arriving at the Gatun locks at 5.30 AM.
Although we were required to have four rope handlers we were tide up to a large
motor yacht and did not have to touch a canal line for the whole crossing.
Trying up to a 100' Motor Yacht
The Canal people charged me $500 to get through the canal. That would not have
paid the fee of the pilot we had to have aboard. They can only make it pay by
putting yachts in behind big ships that make the operation of the lock
profitable.
It was a bit disconcerting to be tide up behind a 1000' container ship.
Entering the 1st Lock on Panama Canal
Lock
It took Three locks to lifted the ship
and yachts 85' . You can see live images of the Panama Canal operating this
very moment by looking at this Link
Once we left the top lock we had 50 ml
to motor though the lakes before reaching the locks on the Pacific Ocean side
WE were able to do the trip in plenty
of time as we "Illusion can motor at >9kts..
After leaving the Miraflores Locks it was a short run to Belboa Yacht Club.
This took us under the "American Bridge" built be Germans to connect
South America with North America. Part of the Pan American Highway
American Bridge
Belboa Yacht Club was a similarly run
down old building but it provided very good facilities to cruisers
It is burnt down now but the club still
provides facilities to cruisers. Boats tie up to swinging moorings and a 24 hr
work boat ferries crew ashore on demand. ( blowing a horn etc.)
Belboa was a big change from Colon being a modern city. I walked around with
out feeling too concerned for safety
Panama City (New Area)
Although I was a not so happy in the
old part of town:
Although the dilapidated building
looked to me a wonderful place to start renovating.
Belboa is a town in the Canal Zone and
is very pleasant:
Belboa Township
I really enjoyed Panama. I Tried to
find crew using the internet and tried to get one person who was planning to
join me in Ecuador to change and come to Panama . Penny agreed to change her
plans so I waited for her to arrive I had notices on the YC notice board. There
were many such notices and people often check in to see if crew vacancies
exist. Not many wanted to go to Australia. I discussed it with a few but not
many wanted to spend sop long at sea. The crossing to French Polynesia could
take 25 to 45 days
Eventually I set of for
Ecuador with an Australian young married couple who were backpacking
around South and Central America. together with my new lady crew
member.
It was 1000 mls to Salinas in Ecuador and the wind blows on the nose all the
way. So we were motoring again.
Salinas is a play ground for the rich of Ecuador with beautiful beaches.
However you don't have to go far inland to see poor living conditions
Salinas Foreshore
THe back packers left to continue there
travels and I met a new prospective crewman from the USA. a 70 yo retied
English professor. He and penny went off for a few days traveling inland while
I worked on the boat.
I slipped the boat at Salinas Yacht
club for inspection and antifouling. I found that the coupling between the Gear
box and the prop shaft was nearly worn through. I had to drop the rudder and
extract the shaft to get it welded. I was lucky to find good trades men who
reconstructed the shaft and the attachment flange for $100.
I also found that the center-board had broken off. I had repaired it back in
Beaufort NC. I remembered hearing a bang while passing through the Windward
Passage. that I thought may have been a big fish. That must have been the end
of the center-board.
I mad a plan and got the engineers who had fixed the prop shaft to fabricate a
steel board. I hoped it might last a bit longer than the old fiber glass one.
The belt on the Auto helm had broken on the way down but with plenty of crew it
had not caused a concern. I had three spare belt but I found that none of then
fitted. So I ordered 5 new belts from West Marine. They shipped it down to
Ecuador by air freight. However I had to weight week to get it through customs.
I lost several weeks in the US, Panama
and in Equator making repairs or trying to get crew together. I was worried
about making to Australia before the start of the cyclone season in November.
So I decided to skip the Galapagos Isds.
When I told Penny and the Professor
this and that we would have to keep moving and not have much time to sight see
in the Pacific islands they decided it was not what they wanted and flew to the
Galapagos instead.
I chased crew through the Internet again and looking for
replacements. I had one Spanish guy from a Salinas night club who was
interested. I waited three week while he waited for his partner to return from
Spain. But in the end he decided to buy another business instead. So as no new
crew eventuated I eventually set of solo for French Polynesia
I had not sailed solo over a long
distance before. I had only done a couple of short afternoon races solo. I had
not intended to sail this time alone either. I just got fed up trying to
organize crew. . In the end I just went on regardless .I was not worried about
my sailing ability but I had heard stories of people going bonkers when so long
alone. I had not been alone for much before on land or at sea. Salinas to
Marquises was 3500 mls. and could take 25 to 35 days. I had done
several ocean races in Australia, but nothing over 700 mls. and always on my
fully crewed yacht.
It took only 25 days to the Marquises
and I quite enjoyed the solo trip. I manage to avoid loneliness by maintaining
a firm schedule of watch keeping. Log maintenance, and radio listening. I could
hear south Bound for over 1000 mls into the Pacific. I grew very fond of
broadcasts from the BBC, ABC and Radio NZ. The V of A left a lot to be desired.
Even Voice of the Andes was more interesting. I had one contact with a yacht in
Caribbean Colombia, but generally I could not get two way radio contact until I
was nearly in French Polynesia. Then I contacted Toupo Marine in NZ. I was not
able to get the French to talk to me from Mahena Radio even when on their
doorstep.
Next trip I would like to get a
HAM license as I could always pick up 13300 etc. in the Eastern Pacific.
This would have been useful as the marine nets such as Foxy 2 and Russell
Radio were too far away or at the wrong time of the day for prorogation.
The biggest difficulty I had was the first 200 ml out of Ecuador. Because the
coast is lined with mile and miles of gill net. This required dodging and
weaving through the boys and light that use naked flames at night. Just out of
Salinas the new Autohelm belt I had purchased in Salinas started slipping on
the drum. I though I was going to have to hand steer all the way. I was rescued
by the cruising sailors best friend "duct tape" I double a length of
tape over so that the sick side was out on both sides. I wrapped this around
the drum and "hey presto" the belt stopped slipping. That lasted all
the way to Oz.
My Irwin Citation 39 was in very good
nick. I had replaced rigging, sheets, got sails restitched. reconditioned the
engine electrics and injectors., replace most of the exhaust system. and
install gear for long range cruising such as: life raft. sea anchor, storm
anchor, GPS, SSB/HF and purchased a spare autohelm and a lot of spares for just
about every thing. I had brought from Australia some spare sails, storm sails
and safety gear to bring it up to Cat 1 (IYRU). My problems on the trip were
mainly mechanical (engine related) or crew finding / keeping.
I know now why most of the cruisers one meet along the way are couples or
singles. Not having an after cockpit meant the boat had plenty of room in the
saloon. A very roomy comfy boat for its size. Having roller furling headsail
and autohelm made sailing solo a breeze. I did the main sail reefing from the
mast. I slept in the cockpit so as to be quickly available to work to boat. A
benefit of the large cockpit. I had a look around every 30 min at least. It
takes that long for a ship to come over the horizon to the yacht. So I
"slept all day in the cockpit and any had to sit up to look around.
But I never saw any ships from Ecuador to Oz. over 7000 mls.
I fist sited The Marqueses as a large
high mountainous island 24 hrs before land fall. 50 ml. out I landed at Nuka
Hiva in Taiohae Bay. After clearing in at the police station, I when to the
Keilkahanni Inn in Nuka Hiva a steep climb up a made road the a lovely building
over looking the bay. My legs were not used to so much exercise after so long
on the boat. In the Keilkahanni Inn
they maintain a log of visiting yachts . It is a must to read through and add
one name to the old list. I was the only visiting yacht at that time. Every one
else had been and gone months before.
Nuka
Hiva
Taiohae Bay
Read more about Marqueses at http://www.gowestsf.com/marquise.htm
From the Marqueses I sailed 1000 mls to
Papette This required passing through the Tuamotu Archipelago a collection of
low atolls that are not visible until a few miles away. Many atolls have
extensive reefs that could reach out to a yacht before an atoll is visible
Rangiroa the Largest Atoll in the
Tuamotu Archipelago
I wanted to arrive at day break so I
had a chance of seeing what was there so I set a course that would do just
that. The GPS put me in the correct place and I sailed through past Rangiroa
and on to Tahiti.
Papeete Harbor tied up at Techni Marine
For information about Tahiti Harbours
see http://www.tahiti-ocean.com/port.html
Papeete Port
I was contacted in the Maqueses by a
member of my yacht club to say a member wanted to meet me in Tahiti. So I
waited a in Tahiti for few days while Ben arrived by plane from Oz. I
cleared customs and tied up at the quay-side.
Quay-side at Papeete
As soon as be arrived we departed and
headed for Moorea island not far from Tahiti just a days motoring. There was
anchored on Cooks bay
Cooks Bay Moorea
This is a beautiful bay and we shred
the anchorage with a Club Med sailing Cruise Liner
Cook's Bay
We had already cleared customs for
French Polynesia so we only stayed on night at Mooria Is.
As we were motoring out of Cook's bay the diesel through a. big end. The wind
was on the nose as usual I I had to drop anchor and weight for the wind to
change. Three hors later we were able to tack out of the reef entrance. and
headed back to Tahiti. Only a few hours n but we arrived at dusk. the wind on
the nose as always I had to take in through the reef. Eventually in near dark
we dropped anchor off Techni Marine on the opposite side of Papeete Bay
from the Quay.
Bernard and others at Techni marine could not have been more helpful.
They did not mind me being a DIY and let me pull the engine out and dismantle
it. They gave what ever help they could when asked. I thought I might just have
to replace the big ends or even get the crank shaft reground and it would only
be a few days. But that was not to be. The crank shaft was to badly scored and
I had to order a new one from the USA. That took weeks.
Ben was not able to weight that long so after 3 or 4 weeks he flew home. I
advertised in the local French news paper for crew and picked up a young French
pearl diver who was happy to visit Australia on his way home to France.
So in the 31st of October I left
Papeete , The last day visitors were allow to be there. due to the onset of the
cyclone season.
We set off direct to Tonga about 1000 mls. This time with a little bit of wind
from the correct direction. Only this time it got stronger and stronger. I had
cyclone Martin heading my way. It was quite rough with winds > 40 Kts. My
new crew took to his cot and was not seen again until we arrived in Tonga. The
cyclone passed 200 ml away and went on to do a lot of damage in French
Polynesia.
When my engine parts took so long to
arrive I had toyed with the idea of sailing from Tahiti with out an engine. But
when I arrived at Tonga my land fall was Nuku'alofa (a welcome sit) I was glad
I had the functioning engine. The channel into Tongatapu Island was very
complicated and took hours of motoring through a narrow passages in many
reefs.
Once in the marina at Nuku'alofa I was able to relax. My crew too off like a
shot. straight for the airport and back to Papeete.
I stayed a week in Tonga. I had a
good time and made a few friends more with the expatiate Aussies than the
mainly USA cruisers in the harbor. No crew again. A local taxi driver had
many local contacts and a few Tongans volunteered to sail to Australia but none
could get a visa. One chief offered my a lovely young lady to take as a
companion. Being single in more ways than one I was tempted. But like many
Tongans she was much bigger than me and I was too intimidated.
There was no wind on the forecast.
Yachts on the radio net reported motoring most of the way to New Zealand. So I
filled up with diesel and took off. 2500 mls to Sydney. Little wind
so I motor sailed most of the way. I was concerned to get through the area
while conditions were calm. The area has a bad reputation and many yachts have been
lost going or coming between NZ and Tonga. a few days out and I received
news of a deepening depression near New Caledonia. If that became a cyclone it
would have headed straight for me. so motor motor motor. I tried to make as
much Southing as possible to cooler water. This meant missing Norfolk Island. I
kept going and eventually the depression petered out and I made my landfall at
Eden in New South Wales.
If ever I buy a boat with an after cabin it will have to that much longer than
"Illusion III" because I would want to keep the same size main saloon
and cockpit. I had big following sea a lot of the time and a lot of fine
reaching. The boat handled it nicely and the little old Autohelm 3000 did all
the steering. Although I broke three belt along the way. (I will add more
comments later)
I had chosen the Irwin because it was a good compromise between a performance
handicap racer and a cruiser. I had been sailing "madrigal" a 34' GRP
sloop displacing 6 ton with 3 ton in the keel. A boat similar to a Sparkman and
Stevens S&S 34. "Madrigal" sailed very well to windward and stood
up well in a storm. Unfortunately the storms don't always come when you need
them or blow from the right direction. This means arriving 6-8 hrs behind the
bulk of the fleet when the partying was over. I have lead the fleet on handicap
in Melbourne to Hobart races for three days in strong winds and still lost when
the wind died in Storm Bay at the end. The answer is a lighter bigger boat. It
is easier to shorten sail than jettison ballast. The Irwin 39 is only 17000-lbw
displacement, 4'6" draft, with a Centreboard to 9'6" and has 1/3 of
ballast ratio. She is 1978 construction in GRP The Boat is of 19 yo .See my
home page for more info. on "Illusion 111". .
- My
boat "Illusion III" at at home in Australia