Almost There

Good morning. We had another gruelling overnight sail, with sloppy, angry seas. To make it a little more interesting we had a few squalls, one of which caused a large wave to break in to the cockpit, drenching everything. Not the stuff that cruising dreams are made of. We have abour 40 miles left to go (at 7:00 a.m. local time) and we will both be very happy to make landfall in about 8 hours. There is high wind warnings in effect and a major storm forecast for Sunday, so many boats are currently hightailing it for Nieu. I will just do a quick update once we arrive and are snug as a bug on a mooring.

Almost There

Good morning. We had another gruelling overnight sail, with sloppy, angry seas. To make it a little more interesting we had a few squalls, one of which caused a large wave to break in to the cockpit, drenching everything. Not the stuff that cruising dreams are made of. We have abour 40 miles left to go (at 7:00 a.m. local time) and we will both be very happy to make landfall in about 8 hours. There is high wind warnings in effect and a major storm forecast for Sunday, so many boats are currently hightailing it for Nieu. I will just do a quick update once we arrive and are snug as a bug on a mooring.

Day Three at Sea

Good news. We managed to thread the needle all day yesterday and all evening, by somehow avoiding most of the squalls. We had the occasional short-lived rainfall, but other than that, we had ideal, cloudy weather, keeping the temperature quite pleasant. The winds were mostly 20 knots, with some gusts to 30. The seas are very high, with lots of rocking and rolling, but QuickStar is sailing well (and I'm not nearly as freaked out as I would have been only a year ago). For the most part, we been able to maintain course on the rhumb line (the direct route to our destinatin) leaving us only 155 miles left to go to Nieu. If all goes according to plan we should arrive before sunset tomorrow evening. Hopefully we'll start seeing whales soon. One of the other boats that we are maintaining radio contact with had a 40 foot whale come and rub up on one of his hulls (he has a catermaran). A little close for comfort. Will check in again tomorrow on our final day at sea.

Pink Sky in Morning...

....Sailors take warning.

We left Palmerston at first light yesterday. We had planned on staying a bit longer, but it was a bit too weird for us. I felt like we had been plunked down in the Stepford Wives movie set. Everything that we were "allowed" to see wasn't quite as it was. A fabulous experience though and not to be missed. More about this in the blog update on Friday.

Our original plan was to head for Beveridge Reef, which is a two night sail. Yesterday and last night we had a lovely sail; fairly calm seas and consistent, although light winds. It doesn't look like the weather gods are going to be shining on us though, as the forecast calls for higher winds (20 plus knots), squalls and high seas of 3 - 31/2 metres. We have decided to alter course to head straight for Nieu as we suspect Beveridge will be untenable. This will take another 2 days/nights and will most likely test my newfound sailing courage. It has now just started to pour - and so it begins.

A big thank you to Cindy on Beachouse for giving me the tip about napping for 20 minutes at a time while on watch. It does work and I'm not exhausted anymore, which is great considering that we'll need our energy for the conditions that are coming our way. THANKS!!!!

I'll do an update tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

We've just arrived in Palmerston

With the full moon setting in the West, and the sun rising in the east, we had our first sighting of Palmerston, after another slow, but comfortable overnight sail. Schools of flying fish escorted us in. There are currently five other sailboats here. Upon our approach we received VHF contact from Edward, our designated "host family". He was insistent that we anchor, as he didn't have any moorings left. There were two moorings still available, but they weren't his. As mentioned earlier there are three families and they take turns being your host. The seas are pretty big, with large swells and a very scary looking reef. There is no inside lagoon anchoring, so all boats are on the outside of the reef. As insistent as Edward was about us anchoring, Peter was equally as insistent that we go on a mooring ball. Peter won the "discussion" and we are safely on a mooring ball. Edward said he would go and talk to the owner of the mooring ball and see what he could do, but he emphasized for the time being we are "in his house". So, we've already sparked some politics on this quaint island.

We have a large shipment of supplies for Jock Marsters, and when we advised Edward he said that they were aware of that and he will make arrangements for its' delivery. Not sure if this will also upset the apple cart.

We are now to wait on the boat for "customs" to come out. We are rocking and rolling as if we are still out at sea, so this is not going to be a comfortable stopover while we are aboard. We will stay either one night, or two and then begin our next 3 night passage to Beveridge Reef. Thanks to our Ham contact, Peter in California who Peter checks in with every night while we are underway. We will be in touch when we are ready to leave to set up our next schedule. Thanks again Peter for being there with us on all our passages. To our friends and family back home, I will keep in touch by updating this blog daily once we head off on our next passage to Beveridge. Until then...stay safe and remember to smell the roses.

Underway from Autitaki

Just as we were about to get underway from Autitaki yesterday morning, a new boat arrived and started coming through the passage. They almost made it, but took the final corner a little too wide and ended up on a reef. We already had our dinghy on the deck, so were unable to render assistance. Two of the other boats in the harbour were also getting ready to leave. We spoke to the new boat on the radio and Peter gave them some local knowledge about how to proceed through the rest of the passage, once they floated free, to make it in to the harbour.

We had one last minute item to do before heading out, and that was accepting a shipment of supplies from a local family to deliver to Palmerston. Once we got loaded up with a box of fresh bread, boxes of fresh fruit and other items, we pulled up our anchor. We had a very small window in which to leave as this was the highest tide in the next two weeks, and due to our draft we needed every extra inch. Even this high tide was 2 - 3 inches less than when we came in. We finished draining our water tanks, by giving the anchors a great fresh water soaking and then we headed out.

As we approached the shallowest part, Peter told me to hold on, as I was on bow look-out. Sure enough we touched bottom, not just once, but eight times. Luckily it is a sandy bottom in this section, so Peter just powered through it. The good news is the bottom of our boat got a good cleaning! So without further drama we made it out to sea. The wind was light and variable all day, which made for a slow and sloppy sail (I was in the prone position for most of the day). Last night we had a good sail because we are one day away from a full moon, so it was like we were sailing in daylight. Our average speed is below 4 knots, so we will not arrive tonight, but hope to arrive tomorrow by lunchtime. With the full moon tonight, it should be magical!
P.S. The other boat that went aground did manage to get off the reef just before we left.

Cook Islands

A typical view of the lagoon



We have spent 10 wonderful days in Aitutaki and will be sorry to leave tomorrow. We have really loved it here and would highly recommend it as a holiday destination. It is very laid back, the locals all get around on scooters; there are no major hotels or stores, etc. The locals all speak English and are very, very friendly. We love the quaintness of it and have enjoyed buzzing around on our scooter and becoming part of the community.

The way kids ride on the back - Oma would have an absolute fit watching it!



Because this island is remote, they only get a freighter in to deliver supplies every few weeks. There are a number of local growers and small stores on the island, so shopping involves going from one to the other for various items. Quite fun. We order bread, buns from the gas station, we order eggs from a local lady, we get lettuce from a store on the backside, etc. If we were at home, we’d go stark raving mad doing this, but here, it is a treat to drop in and say hello and pick up odds and ends. Right now, as I write this Peter is off in search of a bottle of rum and to pick up our bread.

Large Banyan trees



Here in the little harbour of Aitutaki, it is very interesting and quite challenging. First off, getting in the passage is quite tricky. It is shallow, narrow and not well-marked. We shouldn’t actually be inside as we draw more depth than the channel has, except at very high tide – which is what we came in on. Tomorrow will be a challenge leaving as we will have 3 few inches than we had coming in, but it is the highest tide for the next few weeks. We will use up all our water, so that our waterline will gain a couple more inches.

Leaving the harbour to get to the pass itself is also tricky as it can be windy and the boats are all in here pretty close and personal. When Scott and Cindy left it took a couple of us with our dinghies and almost an hour to get the stern and bow anchor up and fending them off from other boats. The sailboat Bubbles (with three young guys) came in the pass and went aground and had to wait for high tide to float off. When they left yesterday they also went aground. They draw about 6 inches less than we do!

In the anchorage another boat Bubus got in to some trouble as the mooring they were on broke! This meant they drifted back on another boat (with Bernard aboard, who has broken ribs from his passage here). Again, lots of drama to help get him settled and re-anchored. We also required assistance when we re-anchored as the current was stronger than the wind and we decided to move deeper in to the harbour. Makes life quite interesting.

Our turn for assistance



There is also the “outside of reef” anchoring, which is for boats (our size and bigger). It is really rough out there and rolly, but the only option for those boats smart enough not challenge the pass! It is a fun anchorage and very sociable…we have met people from South Africa, two Belgium boats, Germany, Australia, the U.S., etc.

View from the top



The island itself has lots to offer – great snorkeling, great lagoon trips, $20 a day scooter rentals, good walking/hiking areas, lots of great little places to eat and drink. We spent a day going to the top of the hills where you get a 360 degree view. The dirt roadways are a joy to explore. Last night we went to an outdoor buffet and show. We left after it was over and as soon as they started coming for audience participation! ! It was another fun event to go to church on Sunday and listen to the singing, although here the men need long pants and women need long sleeves and a hat. Since I didn’t think my baseball cap would fit the bill, I wore a scarf and a sweater. Peter said I looked like a Mormon or something!

Unique Fruit



The sad thing here is that a major cyclone went through in February with winds in excess of 235 kilometres. It destroyed a number of homes and ripped the roof off many, many more. The banana trees were also badly damaged. Many people are living in tents beside their houses. The community spirit is wonderful though and they all work together to rebuild houses – starting with the elderly and sick. The Cook Islanders are resilient and have taken it all in stride.

The costs of goods here are less than in French Polynesia, but still are about 80% more than in Canada due to the shipping costs from New Zealand. It’s still excellent value and we can’t recommend it enough

On this, our final day, we will do our last minute running around, including getting Peter’s hair cut by the local baker.

Sail Repair



We are off tomorrow morning on the early high tide to head to Palmerston Island. This is a very remote island with only 30 inhabitants (about 4 different families that don’t get along). It is a unique situation because when you arrive, they fight over you and one of them gets to “claim you” and then attach your boat to their mooring, This means they are your host family for the entire duration of your stay. You can’t use your own dinghy, but they are at your beck and call to come and get you and escort you on land. They treat you like an honoured guest. You can’t mix with the other families, or other boats that have been claimed by another family. Our friends that are there now, say it is an experience not to be missed. We are taking lots of items and fresh produce to give them, as well as taking goods from Islanders (boxes of fresh bread, etc) to distribute.

Stocking up as we head into more remote areas



The crossing to get there should be about two nights depending on weather. We are not sure how long we will stay there and then we will continue on for another two night passage to Beveridge Reef – which is simply a reef in the middle of the ocean! If the seas are too high we will have to just sail by and continue on to Niue.



Next week, I’ll try to update the blog via ham radio from wherever we are. Have a great weekend. P.S. We just got some distressing news from home. Uncle Don is quickly failing. We are sending our love and best wishes to Aunt Margaret and the kids at this very difficult time.