can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Mischief - Mischief making - Log 16 Further adventures of S/Y Mischief through the eyes and ears of Chas Baynes



Day 33 Sunday 1 April 2018 - En route to Tuamotos

Happy Easter and pinch, punch, first of the month - April Fools Day!

On deck at 0550 after Dave spotted some dolphins a way away - I caught a glimpse making these the first marine mammals I have seen since leaving Galapagos.

We spent an hour looking at our routing as we want to end up at Rangiroa near the Westernmost end of the archepelago so we need to aim more to the south eastern part to make the most of the trade winds to head up the atolls. So we have decided to sail towards Makemo, a 40 mile long almost inland lake surrounded by coral and palm trees. It is the remains of a sunken volcano which has left its ring of coral reef around the perimeter. The entrance is a little easier than some given it is wider so will allow us a bit of practice, although entry times are extremely limited given the possible 8-9 knot tide that can flow through. This is caused not by the rise and fall of the tide itself, which is minimal, but the inflow of water over the reefs from the breaking waves which escapes through the entrance.

1200 position: 11 degs 38.7' S 141 degs 14' W Noon/noon run: 158 nm

Having only seen a dolphin this very morning for the first time this trip we were visited by a load this afternoon, the trouble is one of them pinched one of the lures from one of the static lines, taking it clean off. They didn't stay too long either before disappearing off. Trevor says, and I quote: "They didn't do it on porpoise……". You see what we have to put up with?

Perfect sailing conditions today, sun out, warm breeze with the boat sailing at 7+ knots with one reef in the main, very comfortable. After Trevor had cooked some of the remaining Wahoo in a Thai curry we carried on into an almost cloudless night. ETA Makemo is mid-day Tuesday at this speed.

Nothing really happened today otherwise!


Day 34 Monday 2 April 2018 - En route to Tuamotos

The pain of the 0300-0600 watch became apparent this morning as Dave shouted into my cabin at 0245, 5 minutes earlier than usual and woke me from a very deep sleep. It is by far and away the worst night watch as the body really does close down at those sorts of hours. Wendy was woken by a poke in the ribs from Dave who received a load of abuse accompanied by a proper punch! So, being on deck ten minutes early being part of the official newly formed South Seas Crews Union, we both refused to look out until our appointed hour. Still, local time sun up is around 0500 so we enjoyed a lovely sun rise with its incumbent array of orange colours gradually filling the eastern skyline whilst the moon was still high and bright in the west.

So, looking for a topic of conversation we struck upon how the watch could be improved and came up inter alia with:
- Massage chairs behind the wheels;
- Mirrors attached to the spray hood allowing said crew to lie down comfortably on the cockpit seats facing aft whilst being able to look forward without moving;
- Introduce a periscope into the cabins to allow crew to see out whilst still in their bunk;
- Install an Alexa system linked to the electric winches, auto helm, AIS and radar etc thus allowing reefs to be put in just by calling "Alexa, reef one", or "Alexa, steer ten degrees to port", all from your bunk;
- Pay someone else to do it!

At 0630 Trevor once again set out the fishing lines, this time with new lures attached and I quote: "An exercise in futility for the day!" Having said that, on the SSB radio net this morning a long discussion on fishing suggested that no-one had actually landed a fish of any description on this leg although several had had bites from fish far too big to land. It seems that Richard on Shepherd Moon, who has not caught a sausage all trip did in fact buy a tuna fully filleted from the dockside market in Nuku Hiva for 500 CFP ($5). Given that lures cost at least that each it would appear both time and cost effective to just buy fish from the locals given that big fish out here just eat lures for fun!

1200 position 13 degs 57.3' S 142 degs 32.8' W Noon to noon run: 159 nm DTR Makemo: 168 nm

Great sailing again all morning with bright sunshine, an easterly breeze of 15-18 knots and sparkling blue water. We are averaging around 6.5-7 knots speed but our problem is that we need a minimum of 7 knots really to make the tidal gate into the Makemo entrance around noon tomorrow. If we miss it we have to wait 24 hours so as not to attempt it at night which is an absolute no-no. Therefore it is touch and go whether we make it.

1700 Trevor pulled in the fishing lines and he had on this occasion caught something - a banana skin! Oh well, better than nothing.

The wind has been dropping this afternoon and our speed has dipped below 6 knots which means not reaching Makemo before the tidal gate. So we have been considering alternative atolls a little closer but nothing appears really tenable so we either motor hard or miss out Makemo and sail straight for Fakarava our next intended landfall. We have decided to motor and see what happens - at 7 knots it gets us there at around noon, the slack water period and anything quicker allows us some elbow room. So 1745 engine on giving us 7-8 knots with ETA 1100.

For dinner I made some potato hash which was quite nice I thought until Dave came out with: "My Grandmother used to make potato hash. She was a terrible cook….". At least he didn't suffix it with an "…..as well". Thanks for that.

Previous | Next