We are all, of course , struck by the beauty of the destinations we reach and savor. But we tend to skate over the details involved in getting to these places. For those non-sailors who read the blogs, I thought it would be worthwhile taking one blog to sketch what is involved in getting from Paradise A to Paradise B! Our passage from Tonga to Fiji is typical and so, gentle reader, we can do a thumbnail sketch of it.
First we decide roughly on what date we should leave. Not as easy as you might think. Check the weather forecast. Is it OK? Check with other crews to see what they might be thinking. See if there is something that one wishes to stay in the anchorage for ( a party, or in our case, the Rugby Test between Ireland and the All Blacks). We decided to leave on the Sunday following the match. So, on Friday, up-anchor, move to the fuel dock and load up with diesel. This is preceded by a visit to the Customs guy to have the paperwork to get the fuel tax-free. Back to the anchorage. Plot an optimized course from Tonga to Fiji. Plot the locations of 58 unmarked reefs which a guy in the bar gave me on a flash-drive. On Saturday, visit the Customs guy and the Immigration guys.Pay money and clear out from Tonga. Watch the Rugby match on a verandah in the bar.
Sunday morning, hoist the tender on the davits and prep the boat for the passage. Decide on the watch-keeping schedule. Get going in 20+ knots. We are 4 on board, so we do 3 hour watches around the clock. We write up the log every hour and we do not drink alcohol while sailing. After gaining the open sea, set the sails for the first Way Point. Because of the many reefs to be avoided we have 8 WPs on this passage. Winds are favorable (20-25 kts) and soon we're flying along.
At sea, the off -watch crew nap or read. The watch-keeper keeps a sharp lookout for other vessels, for the set of the sails and for adherence to the course. The generator is run about 3 hours out of 12, twice a day to keep the batteries in good charge. Depending on capacity and usage, we may make water once a day. We have SSB radio calls with other boats making the passage twice a day. If the weather is unsettled we update the weather forecasts each day using the satellite communications. Otherwise we don't bother. Because of the high cost of the Sat Comms we keep Emails while at sea to a minimum.
Breakfast is up to each individual to make, and so is lunch. Dinner is an all together affair, usually eaten around 1930 hrs. We shower and groom from time to time. The wind behavior is monitored all the time as are the boat systems.
On the Tonga to Fiji passage we had a fairly typical mix of weather. Brisk winds and good sailing for the first 36 hours. Then moderating winds to 15 kts, declining to where we needed to pole-out the genoa. Finally, for the last 12 hours, light airs which meant motor-sailing for Sapphire (jib + engine). Finally, through the reef into Suva bay (also reef-strewn) and to anchor. Wait for Authorities to board the boat under the Q flag, meanwhile enjoying a very liquid lunch on a companion boat. Pleasant visit from the authorities, then allowed to go ashore to sample the delights of Suva.
On this passage, the seas were unpleasant, making sleeping off-watch nigh on impossible. Also, for the first time on this trip, it was cold enough at night to require rain jackets through the night. But this is a good trade off for the more comfortable body temperatures we are enjoying after the stifling heat of the tropics. By the way, we require life jackets after dark and the jacklines are rigged and used.
So, that's life on passage. It has its own rhythm and the crew settles in quite quickly. On this passage we had no moon, but the compensation is a magnificent starry sky (when its not clouded over).
Now, in Fiji, we are planning a week of day-sailing only which will bring a welcome change from the rigours of multi-night passage-making.