Friday, August 19, 2011

On route to Tonga - light winds

Colin and Sandy Cruising with Papillon
On route to Tonga
23h00 UTC 19 August
Course: 254°
Distance covered last 24hrs until 22h00 GMT: 142 nm
Distance to Tonga: 790nm
Position 15°48' S 160°40' W
All's well on board.

A follow up on Riri that went onto the reef at Palmerston Island (Cook Islands): the island is a small atoll in the middle of nowhere. Yachties use it to break the journey and only if the weather is suitable. It is too deep to anchor off the reef and there is no pass to get a yacht into the atoll. The Islander have put out buoys and the families of each buoy look after you when you arrive and help you ashore etc. They also have large feasts where all the yachts get invited. Riri was moored to one of these buoys when it broke free and Riri and the mooring went up onto the reef at three in the morning. Frank and gail have salvaged what they can with the help of other cruisers and the islanders. There are a few yachts still to pass there and some there already that will assist them and take them on to Tonga.
We are well north of them, in fact between them and Suverow, the other island that yachties stop at for a break. We are trying to follow the wind that for the last day has been allusive. We have motored for almost twenty hours on still seas that have a lazy 1-2m swell running. The swells have a long period so there is not too much movement on the boat. Yesterday just before sunset we saw a shoal of tuna ahead of us. Colin jumped up and got two lines in. The smaller rod got hit first and the line broke almost on the strike. The other lure had a few chasers but no strike. Colin retrieved the line and change lures that had an immediate effect. The rachet on the reel broke and caused an overwind and the fish snapped the line. After a quick reset we were into the tuna again... result... tuna for the next few days.
We motored through the night and this morning the breeze filled in and we are under sail again. It's been light but it is slowly building and we are now up to 5-6 knots boat speed. This should hold for the next day maybe a little lighter tomorrow before it builds over the next few days. We are slowly heading south again so that when the blow arrives over the weekend from the SE we will be far enough south to keep the wind aft of the beam. The gribs say 25Kn+ so we should have some fun and some waves to go with it. So for now we will enjoy the lovely sailing we are having.

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