Sail the South Pacific

“On the night of June 27, the wind stabilized at around 25 knots. The waves were also slowly waning. But now they came from two directions. Nevertheless, the weather gave me the feeling that I could finally catch up on some sleep. I had just fell asleep really deeply in the second or third interval when a single crazy wave made its way into the cockpit. In a split second, I was wide awake. Soaking wet, I watched as the masses of water quickly drained back towards the stern. Fortunately, the bulkhead to the salon was closed. A few seconds later the bilge pump reported. Somewhere in the cockpit the water found its way into the hull. It was probably only a two-liter, but I would be interested to know which route they took. One more point for the to-do-list after my arrival in Savu Savu. After a check for possible damages, in which I only found a broken bolt on the swimming platform, I was amazed to find that the event caused me neither fear nor frustration in the crucial minutes. Thant’s good. Only in retrospect I have to say that I don’t necessarily need such situations more often.”

“Opua to Minverva Reef. 2-7 May. 5 day sail. Scary scale: 9/10. Motor in calm seas for 24 hours then a headbash into 20 knot easterly all the way to bloody Minerva Reef. Sailed like a demon for the last 12 hours to avoid another nightshift. Some boats had to circumnavigate to get in in day light. Had a dinghy party in the middle of the reef. A very windy and salty stay. Janie discovered she’s also terrified of snorkelling. Minerva Reef to Ha-api Group, Tonga.10-12 May. Two day sail. Scary scale: 3/10. Lovely – northerlies 5-10 then SSW 13 to get us in. Anchored outside Ha’api Beach Resort who delivered a yummy dinner (steak, chips, oh God) as we’d missed customs clearance for that day. A lovely few weeks in Tonga, kind of shell-shocked at the poverty, lack of anything, and absolute beauty. Very windy most of the time and not a lot of ‘paradise days’. But very, very happy to be here.”