Galapagos to Marquesas –16 May 2024 – Day 15

After supper we decided to have a sing song and put on some music from Ian’s bands CD and then got out some song sheets from the ones I had from my first Atlantic crossing in 2019. This included “What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor”. This was quite funny bearing in mind we are not drinking on this passage. Then we tried to remember various songs, but we were limited by the lyrics we could recall. It was fun and some light relief.

We were sailing along with the Parasail – the Blue Baron all night and luckily the wind did not get up too much so that we had to wake everyone and get it down. This meant good fast and smooth progress. Charles and I were on watch at 5.00am and we were moving well. We checked a number of things and wrapped gaffer tape around the boathook whose handle had gone sticky in the sun. We oiled the wheels on the traveller (the track on which you can move the mainsail across) and then I did the same to the genoa and staysail cars. I found one of the fittings loose and was able to tighten it before it came apart. This type of voyage involves a lot of rolling and vibration, so I suppose it is not surprising things come loose. It reinforces the fact that our daily checks are very important to catch things early.  

I put on the generator to charge the batteries and I needed to make water. The last time I used the watermaker the electrical earth cut out again. However, I was able to start it again and finish the water making on that occasion. Charles and I decided to look at the pumps first and then as we turned the watermaker  on we looked to see if we could see anything. We had checked the pumps and there were signs of water staining, but this could have been condensation. I wondered whether one of the pipes was loose. We checked when it was running and could not see any issue and we completed the water making without any tripping. It must be an intermittent fault which hopefully an electrician can diagnose. It was reassuring we could still make water.  

I did various admin and emails and others read, chatted and there is always lots of washing being done by hand as each day is hot and sweaty. We were waiting for the 12.00 noon run and we had guessed the afternoon before. Mark guessed 178, Joyce 170, Keith 169, Ian 159, Charles 176 and I -174. It came at 177 which was a better run instead of the 142 we had the day before. We had about 900 nm to go.

At about 3.00pm we gybed and headed a little further North to follow the models and then tomorrow we may come south again before going north and up above the Marquesas to come down on it. The sea is the same – vast, blue and bubbly with a constant long swell which rolls us gently every 8-10 seconds or so.

We had a light lunch of tuna mayonnaise and salad and coleslaw. During the afternoon we heard the fishing rod rachet go and Mark dashed to get the rod and he saw a marlin jump out of the water, but it was too strong for our rod and escaped bending the hook.

We have started to talk about arriving at Nuku Hiva and wonder what it will be like. We all hope it will have a good bar or two and we wonder what provisions and food we will be able to get. Charles has to leave fairly quickly so he is pondering about getting to the airport as apparently this is a helicopter ride from our anchorage. I have looked at the bay to see how complicated it is to enter and can we do so if we arrive at night. Keith is making arrangements with his wife Fiona who is due to join us in Nuku Hiva. We do have some way to go -probably about 5 days but it is almost as if we can smell the land.

We had home made burgers with wholemeal rolls and ratatouille for supper followed by fruit. We are settling down for another night but getting nearer.

Crewing Opportunity

We will arrive in the Marquesas in French Polynesia about 20-23 May 2024 and we will then move through to the Tuamotu’s before getting to Tahiti about the end of July 2024. There may be some space on Stormbird during this period should any sailor/reader be interested in joining for this period or part of it in what must be one of the most distant and beautiful places in the world.

Year Two

In addition, in year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and probably across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town and I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we head off to the Marquesas and beyond.