Passage: NZ to Vanuatu Day 5

As we look at the diminishing wind and our speed of 2 knots, we succumb and motor on one engine for a bit, helps charge our batteries as well. This is the first time we’ve motored this passage. I’m realizing that mellow passages make for boring blog entries, but I’ll take this notorious crossing from New Zealand to the Tropics to be mellow any day! We motored for 4 hours, but then the winds filled in.

We are in a transition zone due to a low to our east pulling the wind from a high to our south, resulting in wind! The winds are quite variable, from 8 knots up to 26 knots! We decide to start the evening with our Code Zero up but, after a few feisty hours, changed the sail to our genoa. As we worked in the dark alongside each other, communicating calmly, as we switched sails, I realize how far we’ve come since we started this voyage. I gave Chris a hug and said, “Here we are, the coastal cruisers, out here again.”

In the early morning, after getting tired of watching the sails flog when the winds dropped to 6 knots, we started up the ole’ iron genny for a couple of hours. Then winds filled in again and up went the Code Zero, off went the engine. A bit of rain showers today, more rainbows.

Chris at the helm
Nav Station inside the boat
Common living area: coats and life jackets, emergency ditch bag under the table, the clutter of passage
View down into the galley (when it’s calm, we can keep dishes out on the rack; love catamaran life!)

Day in the Life:

  • 8pm – Midnight: Jen and Cora night watch (usually involves listening to music, audiobooks, eating sweet and salty snacks, oh, and watch duties – adjusting course and sails, monitoring the radar for boats and squalls)
  • Midnight – 4am: Calder’s watch (he listens to music while doing watch)
  • 4-8am: Chris’ watch (he just watches and thinks, watches and thinks…)
  • 8-10am: Jen back at helm
  • 10am-noon: Calder wakes up and is back to the helm, while Jen makes breakfast
  • Afternoon: taking turns at the helm (mostly Chris and Calder), napping, eating lunch, playing games, working on DuoLingo, taking photos and videos
  • 5:30pm: Sunset dinner

Food today: Brunch of egg burritos (one egg on the floor when a wave got us! Oops!). Dinner of those dang leftovers, almost gone.

24 hour total: 137.4

Miles to go: 405

svterikah

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One response to “Passage: NZ to Vanuatu Day 5”

  1. Loved the watch schedule breakdown. I always loved the midnight to 3am – just me and the IPod, watching the stars wheel above, and bioluminescence streaming behind the boat. Pure magic.

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