Pamina38 Weblog

"Milky Sea" explained

2007-08-22T22:19:00.000Z

The strange sea phenomenon we saw in the Indian Ocean (see the Journal entry from Aug 2006 “3900nm, 27 days at sea”) has been observed many times. For example, this account in from June 1854 in the same part of the Indian Ocean: June 1854. South of Java. Aboard the American clipper Shooting Star. Captain Kingman reporting: "The whole appearance of the ocean was like a plain covered with snow.

Azores Low

2007-06-17T14:31:00.001Z

Two weeks into our passage from Nonsuch Bay, Antigua to the Azores, we had less than 300nm to Flores and about 400nm to the main harbour, Horta. We were relying on weatherfax for short-term forecasting and listening to Herb Hilgenberg, a Canadian weather expert who was routing some near-by boats via SW radio. That evening (Sunday), Herb advised that a low pressure system was expected to form

St Helena to Grenada

2007-04-01T17:02:00.000Z

When we left St Helena in early March, we had several options for our destination: - Ascension Island about 700nm - Forteleza, Brazil about 2000nm - Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, about 1700nm - Tobago about 3,500nm. Ascension

St Helena (24th Feb to 2nd Mar)

2007-02-24T15:54:00.000Z

We arrived in St Helena early on 24th Feb. St Helena rises, as Darwin promised, like a fortress from the sea. The first view of the tall volcanic cliffs and sparse vegetation hides a lush interior of rolling hills. The interior is dotted with pretty cottages and the occasional Georgian house with cows grazing in green pastures – not unlike rural England. Interestingly, this

South African Cruising Notes

2007-02-12T16:33:00.000Z

South Africa cannot be described as a cruising destination. There is plenty to see and do on-shore, but the objective of most boats is to get around Cape Aghulas without getting caught in a strong south westerly. The route from Richards Bay is via Durban, East London, Port Elisabeth and Mosselbaai. Of these it would be possible to leave a boat for a long stay in Richards Bay, Durban or Port

Arrival in South Africa!

2006-11-30T08:02:00.000Z

Bazeruto to Richards Bay (10th Nov to 13th Nov) When the wind came round to the north, we set off on the last 500NM to Richard’s Bay, South Africa. As we all had to time our departure for high tide at 5.30am, we set off together and sailed in close proximity with other boats for the time since crossing the Atlantic in 2003. Rather than rely on our SSB net to catch up on each other’s position,

Moramba Bay to Mozambique (30th Oct to 9th Nov)

2006-11-30T08:01:00.000Z

We started out sailing the rhumb-line from Cap St Andre to Richards Bay, but when a south westerly of 25kts was forecast we decided to divert to Isla Bazeruto in Mozambique. It was a good decision, as the forecasted winds increased to 35kts. Having had light winds for most of the passage, we knew we would still be at sea when the winds came, but were hoping to duck into safety before the worst

Madagascar (10th October to 30th October)

2006-11-20T07:59:00.000Z

We arrived in Nosy Mitsio on 10 October and anchored off a long sandy beach that stretched across a large bay. At first glance, Nosy Mitsio does not appear inhabited, as the main village is in a neighbouring bay and there are only two settlements hidden by the shrubs beyond the beach. There are no roads, vehicles or traffic and from what we could see neither electricity nor running water. It was

Chagos to Madagascar (29th Sep - 10th Oct)

2006-11-14T12:01:00.000Z

We greatly enjoyed our two weeks in Chagos. Now our preparations were completed and all we needed was some decent wind before heading off for Madagascar, our last stop in the Indian Ocean before arriving in South Africa. For the last two days, the winds had been light and in the south. We always want at least a couple of days with good winds in order to get a good start. On the third day the

Chagos (16th-29th Sep)

2006-11-10T13:38:00.000Z

We arrived in Chagos on 16 September, after a pleasant if slow passage from Cocos Keeling. Due to the light winds preceding our arrival we missed Eagle Wing and Petrel whom we had been 'chasing' since leaving NZ by only a few days. They had stayed 6 weeks in the atoll and delayed their departure to meet up with us, but left for Madagascar in a good weather window before our arrival.Chagos is an

On passage: Cocos to Chagos

2006-09-29T14:38:00.000Z

We left Cocos on Monday 4th September, having spent nine wonderful days enjoying the cruising life: snorkelling, sundowners, beach barbies and the odd chore. We were sad to leave, as Cocos had quickly become one of our favourite anchorages. Cocos is a 'fork in the road' for cruising boats in the Indian Ocean, as it is here that boats must decide whether to sail the northern route (via Chagos and

Cocos Keeling

2006-09-15T10:27:00.000Z

We were looking forward to our arrival at Cocos Keeling, as we had heard fantastic reports and were almost wondering how it could live up to its reputation. Cocos was discovered in 1604 and was often visited by sailing ships in subsequent years as it is located close to the trade-wind route from Australia to Europe. Its relatively wide entrance pass (1nm) meant that sailing ships could enter

Christmas Island - Krismes

2006-09-05T05:37:00.000Z

On our approach at Christmas Island, we were struck by the rugged beauty of the island - lush rainforests, clear green waters and only few signs of development. Admittedly, the most visible sign of such development is the large Phosphate Works Ship Terminal that dominates the harbour at Flying Fish Cove. Most reports fail to look beyond the obvious and fail to mention that over 60% of the island

3900nm, 27 days at sea

2006-08-21T03:17:00.000Z

Port Vila to Christmas IslandLeaving Port Vila on 21st July, we left our destination open, waiting to see what the conditions would bring and how we felt. The first few days were fairly bumpy, winds on the beam in the 25kt range with awkward swell. It was almost a week before we got clear of the ITCZ conditions (squalls, rain, clouds) and saw some sunshine. At this stage we were only a few days

Torres Straits (Days 11-12)

2006-08-03T07:44:00.000Z

The Torres Straits is where we leave the Pacific Ocean. Having entered via one of the man-made wonders of the World (the Panama Canal), we leave it by the Barrier Reef, one of Nature's wonders. We entered the Strait at Pandora Passage having come south of Eastern Fields. We then left East Cay to starboard and went between Laxton and Brown reefs where we joined the Deep Water (DW) Passage. The

Circumcision Ceremony

2006-07-23T15:44:00.000Z

We were not sure what to expect when the invitation to attend a circumcision ceremony was extended to us on our arrival in Tanna. From talking to locals over the next few days we gathered that the custom is for all boys in the village to be circumcised, following which they spend two months in the bush away from the village looked after by their grandfather. If they approach the village during

Lenakel, by truck.

2006-07-15T11:03:00.000Z

Port Resolution is not an official port of entry and so we had to get a lift across the island to Lenakel, Tanna's main town, to clear-in with Customs and Immigration. We were warned that the journey was "physical" - which it turned out to be: a bone-jarring one and a half hours on a bench in the back of an open 4WD truck. The road from Port Resolution is an unsealed dirt track that is cratered

Tanna Vanuatu

2006-07-14T12:43:00.000Z

Our first landfall was Port Resolution in Tanna/Vanuatu, which turned out to be a beautiful crescent-shaped bay fringed by palm trees, with both white coral and black sandy beaches and an impressive view of the volcano, Mount Yasur. We went ashore and were quickly directed to Ronnie, the chief of the village, and his son Stanley, who is semi-officially responsible for any yachts that arrive in

Passage from Opua

2006-07-13T10:34:00.000Z

Having left the boatyard in Whangarei, we sailed along the coast to Opua in the Bay of Islands with stops in Tutukaka and Bland Bay. Our first off shore passage was to be from Opua to the island of Tanna in southern Vanuatu. Vanuatu - formerly the New Hebrides - is small island group that is known for very traditional ("kastom") ways of life and for "cargo-cult" beliefs in some villages. Our

Back in the water

2006-06-25T10:04:00.000Z

Finally, after almost 6 weeks in the boatyard we launched on 20th June. The six weeks were spent building a new gas locker to fit a three month supply, redesigning a new sprayhood (incl. stainless steel and canvas), a new sun-awning bimini, and the new arch which supports the GPS, solar panel and wind generator (also new!). In addition, lots of smaller jobs kept us busy. Fortunately, Pamina was

Arrival in Opua - NZ

2004-10-26T21:09:00.000Z

We made it in last night after a great sail from Tonga - 9 days from Neiafu. The wind had died just after NZ appeared over the horizon so we motored the last few miles. New Zealand Customs have a formidable reputation. We had all the fresh food segregated and the forms and paperwork completed before the Customs came on board, so formalities were completed in about half an hour. Once

Half way to NZ

2004-10-21T18:41:00.000Z

We are well on our way - about 550 miles to go. So far weather has been fine, especially since we cleared the front on the first evening out. We have been close reaching in 20-25kts for most of the way. The forecast is pretty good for the next few days - with a bit of luck, the wind will free off and we will have a nice reach in. Even though the sail down from Tonga has been really good - and far

Leaving Tonga

2004-10-15T17:33:00.000Z

We have spent 2 weeks and 2 days in Tonga, mostly in the superbly protected Neiafu anchorage. The anchorage is full of boats waiting, and more arrive all the time. Every Friday there is a harbour race for cruisers, which we entered on the day after arriving. Our twin jibs were our secret weapon as no spinnakers were allowed. We rounded the windward mark a boat length ahead of a competitor, and

Tonga Time

2004-09-30T15:42:00.000Z

Just arrived in Tonga. Have now crossed the date line (even though only at 174W) are now in time zone GMT +13. We saw a humpback and calf on the way into Va'vau this afternoon. The Va'vau island group is a bit of a maze - the anchorage is a 'hurricane hole' and is very pleasant. Hundreds of boats here as all waiting for window to head to New Zealand. We are thinking to head off a bit early -

Nuie

2004-09-27T14:34:00.000Z

We have been doing some cycling, walking, swimming and are getting to know the place having been here about 4 days. There is incredible water visibility so the sea bed visible at 40m, some of the guides claim 70m. The islanders are just recovering from cyclone Heta which hit in Jan this year - 280km/hr winds - many houses destroyed and others left derelict as people emigrated to NZ. We've had