Tasman Crossing: Day 4

28. Apr. 2016
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New Zealand, Passages
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Author: Pete

Location: 30°46.900S’, 165°33.934E’

Day 4 at sea.

Exciting day! We saw a jet fly overhead today, AND it was warm enough to take a shower on the transom! Good times! Taz was in a good mood today. The majority of the day was clear and sunny, though a squall or two rolled over us and washed the decks of salt. We sat in the sunny cockpit for lunch and dinner, a nice change as it’s been prohibitively cold in the last couple days! Thanks for northing!

Ah, we do have two new crew members to add to Wendy and Belinda the Diesels, and Otto the Autohelm: Lee the Headsail (made by Lee Sails), and Mac the Mainsail (made by Mac Sails). Lee has been fussy in the last couple of days. It’s not his fault. The wind shifts slightly and Mac the Main shadows Lee, making him flop all over annoyingly. We’ve been waffling between running wing-wing and a deep broad-reach as we sail almost downwind. All that waffling is making me hungry. It’s one of the many sorrows of a sailor, no waffle irons aboard. There are still sea birds out here, gulls and albatross. All those shipwreck movies where the castaways know land is near because the birds show up? Bubkus! We’re five hundred miles from the closest land and there are still birds out here.

It’s a clear, moonlit night, a welcome change from the pea soup we were wading through last night. Sitting on deck watching the rollers pull up behind us, lifting our stern, then nose, then passing along. It’s nights like this when I want to spin the wheel hard a-starboard, run Tayrona north to New Caledonia, and put the kibosh on this whole sale thing.

Tasman Crossing: Day 3

27. Apr. 2016
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Passages
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Author: Pete

Location: 31°49.992S, 167°43.025E

Day 3 at sea.

Wind continued to be steady today but swung gradually aft. We’ve been running wing-wing (sails pointed out on either side of the mast to catch the most wind when sailing down wind) for the last twelve hours. It’s a little fussy as the sails can backfill as we roll in the waves, but the wind is too strong for our spinnaker. Dodged a few squalls throughout the day, but couldn’t out run them all. The decks need a good rinse to get the salt off anyway. We’re used to running out on deck with shampoo and soap when that happens to catch a free shower, but it’s still too cold (cool) for that nonsense.

Running almost straight downwind and going with the wave trains leads to some fantastic surfing sessions. With just the right conditions Tayrona catches a wave and rides it for a minute or two at nine knots. Steeper waves drive us up to eleven knots, but they’re short lived. The long rides are incredible. You can really feel the boat break away from the surface, sucking air under the keels in a low rumble. The whole boat vibrates slightly. It’s Tayrona purring away. Tossed the ‘fish’ back in the water for some extra power too.

Had a brief respite from the surfing frenzy for dinner. Winds and seas moderated for a few hours and we were treated to a brilliant sunset over the clouds at the edge of the earth.

It’s dark now and the wind has filled back in. Full cloud cover came in and made an inky mess of the horizon. Almost feels cozy; a bubble of dark around the boat. Still, I’m glad to have the radar aboard to see beyond the gloom when it’s necessary to peek out of the fort.

Tasman Crossing: Day 2

26. Apr. 2016
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New Zealand, Passages
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Author: Pete

Location: 32°50.157S, 170°08.380E

Day 2 at sea.

Fresh winds and building seas today. We saw peaks of twenty-five knots and three meter waves through most of the day. Makes for speedy sailing; our fastest wave surf was twelve knots. Very exciting!

Trying to get our bodies used to the constant motion again. We’re taking waves abeam, which jostles the boat around, slewing us this way and that. It’s not a pretty motion. It is remarkable how little Tayrona seems to notice the tumult.

An occasional albatross wings by, but no boats on the horizon. It’s just us chickens out here. More stars and bright moon tonight. A clear night sky does wonders for one’s constitution at sea. More to come.