3 October 2024 –Tahiti – Niue
Before I start I have another need. Someone now cannot make the New Zealand to Sydney leg in early January 2025 so I need ideally a sixth person. You would have to be in Auckland, New Zealand by about 3/4 January 2025 with a view to us leaving for Sydney weather permitting by about 7 January 2025. We should get to Sydney by about 14-16 January 2025. If anyone is interested please email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com Thanks
We sailed all night in quite rolly conditions and Sean and I came on at 5.00am. Within about 15 minutes we could see the horizon to the East and before long the day broke with bits of blue sky. The sea state had calmed a bit and so we shook out the reef in the staysail and put out a bit more main. We soon speeded up and quite comfortably.
This was pleasant sailing and things looked more cheerful even though the wind was 16-22 kts and at one point we got out the reefed genoa instead. I checked the weather and the waves are not due to die down until tomorrow and so it proved to be. We had breakfast which we all enjoyed and Sean and I handed over to Carolyn and Erika. The wind then increased with gusts of up to 28 kts and the waves began to increase again and it was back to staysail, reefed main again and then reefed staysail. Stormbird was coping well but we had quite a lot of water over the deck and an occasional one over the top of the doghouse.
We all had a go at guessing the 12.00 noon 24 hour run which was 167 with my guess of 163 being the closest. This was not bad bearing in mind the conditions. The plan is to continue on our current course of about 239 degrees until we pass the western Cook Island of the Southern Group and then bear toward Niue at about 259 degrees whilst we can until the wind changes from about 135-150 degrees until about 90-100 degrees.
We are now into our routines and the crew are regularly sleeping or resting when not on watch. I have used the generator a few times now to charge the batteries and all seems good but I had yet to make water as we have not used much so far. We are into our daily checks and the new crew get used to that and also checking our fruit and vegetables etc so we eat what we need to before it goes off. We had wraps for lunch with salad and tuna mayonnaise. It is quite difficult to cook and prepare and do a number of things with the 10–15-degree heel of the boat and the rolling of the waves. However, everyone seems in good spirits and we are coping with the conditions.
Sean and I came on again at 4.00pm and we shook out the reef in the staysail and we had 18-24 kts mainly and were making 7 + kts which is not bad in these conditions.
Joyce made supper again as she had more from the casserole she made last night which was also enjoyable again and filling. Sean and I continued our watch and the wind increased and started gusting 29 and to 32 kts at one point. We therefore reefed the staysail again and monitored the situation. We are hopeful the sea state will calm down tomorrow.
The picture of the day is crew at lunch – Sean was asleep at the time.
Crewing Opportunity Year Two
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 then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. 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 move through French Polynesia and beyond. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com