Leaving the Caribbean and heading across the Pacific, we were looking forward to reaching the boat-friendly shores of New Zealand. We had planned a list of repairs, maintenance and boat-improvement projects, knowing that New Zealand had a knowledgeable marine industry. Most boat items we required were available off the shelf. This was a far cry from what we had been able to access.  Additionally, we planned to temporarily import Eleuthera into New Zealand, meaning the boat repairs would be exempt from GST.

Boat maintenance occupies nearly 50% of normal cruising life, with both planned and mostly unplanned jobs.  Every boat has a “To Do” list, and inevitably, many things never make it to the top of the list.  The most satisfactory job is the unplanned task, which is completed easily. This is then added to the list and immediately crossed off – feels like progress.  Boat improvement remains a low priority, with repairs taking precedence.

Also, cruising in relatively remote locations means both parts and expertise are generally expensive and difficult to come by.  Visiting friends become couriers bringing an array of parts and spares with them. The DIY approach, aided by YouTube videos and Google searches, means most repairs can be sorted.  Fellow cruisers are also a source of information and often specialist tools if required. There aren’t many problems which haven’t been solved before.

We arrived in New Zealand at the end of October 2024. We had been in contact with a number of suppliers about the big project to replace the refrigeration on the boat.  Eleuthera was originally fitted with a large Fridge and Freezer powered by water cooled 240v compressors.  These were now 20 years old, and while we had tried to upgrade them along the way, but they were passed their use-by date.  On the trip down from Tonga we had had some electrical problems in the 240v switchboard, so that also made the upgrade list,  along with a raft of other small projects.

Little did we realise that this would turn into nearly 6 months of continuous work. We were trying to get the boat ready to depart New Zealand for French Polynesia and were continuously delayed.

Switchboard Upgrade

On arrival at Marsden Cove https://marsdencovemarina.co.nz/, we engaged a local electrician to replace the entire 240V switchboard. The old one seemed to have some electrical damage, and also the enclosures were damaged. 

Two new enclosures and 28 new circuit breakers later, we were able to get an NZ Electrical Warrant of Fitness. We could then plug into the shore power.  In the process, we discovered another faulty contactor, which was also replaced.

Victron Inverter Chargers

Eleuthera has 2 Victron 5Kw Quattro inverter chargers and one of these had failed with suspected saltwater damage.  Removing the offending unit it was sent off Lusty and Blundell for repair.  Reports came back that a circuit board had failed and needed to be replaced.  The good news was, they were in stock. As we had purchased them new in Malta in 2021 they should be under the 5 year warranty.

This relief was short-lived. We discovered that Victron offer a warranty from the date of manufacture, not the date of purchase. Apparently, these units were 5 years old when we purchased them.  Makes you realise the benefits of NZ consumer laws, where warranties are from the date of purchase.

With the unit re-installed everything came back online. However, for no apparent reason the unit was to fail again twice more.  Luckily these repairs  were under warranty as it was the same circuit board failing each time. 3^rd time lucky the system has come right and we can only assume a bad batch of circuit boards.

Anchor Winch

One of the fears when cruising is the anchor winch failing and having to hoist the anchor by hand.  Eleuthera carries 140m of 12mm chain and a 50kg anchor which has a combined weight in excess of 500kg.  Anchoring in 20-25m deep water meant we often had +100m of chain out so a reliable winch is important.

We had come across several boats whose winches had failed for various reasons which severely limited their cruising options.  A full service of our winch was a priority before we had a problem.  With new bearings, motor brushes, oil changed and serviced we should be good for the next few years. We also now carry a range of essential spares for the winch.

Hull Repairs

When we were in the Galapagos, one of the crew noticed some small hairline cracks in the starboard hull. These were above the water line in the area of the main beam.  We did a major inspection of this area, both inside and out to check there was no structural damage. We then marked the ends of the cracks but found that no further movement occurred.

As a boatyard job this was also on the list when we hauled out in March 2025.  After grinding the damaged area back it became apparent that the damage was largely cosmetic. The crack had occurred on a join in the original layup of the hull.  The repair, now a couple of thousand miles old, has held with no other issues.

Rudder Bearings.

We had replaced the port lower rudder bearing housing in Trinidad a couple of years earlier. We were unable to get access to the starboard one, because the fridge compressors impeded access.  With the fridge upgrade and removal of these compressors came the opportunity to replace the starboard one.

Once again a boatyard job with parts coming direct from France through International Boat Spares.  After much dusty cutting and grinding, the old housing was removed from the hull. Following some repairs a new lower housing, the bearing was fitted. Luckily, we had the services of Prevek an excellent fibreglass guy to help.

Fridge Upgrade

All of the fridges were due for replacement when we were in the boatyard in Whangarei.  The plan was to remove the old built-in units and replace them with off-the-shelf units. This initially seemed a straightforward job.

As with all boat jobs, reality was slightly different.  The door on the galley fridge had fallen off during some bad weather in the Mediterranean. It had then been leaking for some time. Consequently,  some of the cabinetry had gone rotten and would also need replacing before the new units could be installed.

The large fridge and freezer had been built into the boat. This construction required nearly a week to demolish the cabinets and remove the insulation. This was followed by the removal of the compressors and other plumbing and wiring.  These had also been leaking water and the floor and surrounding wood work had also rotted away.

With big jobs like this nowhere on the yacht is tidy.

As part of the deal with the boatyard, we had advised them some months earlier that we would need a boatbuilder/cabinetmaker to help with this project.  We followed up when we arrived in New Zealand and they looked surprised. They seemed to have no memory of previous conversations despite the emails.  After a few days we were finally allocated a carpenter. He seemed to know what he was doing, although, the pace of activity caused us to name him “Lightning”.

As the new fridge units are smaller in volume than the old ones we have also installed a fridge/freezer unit under the seat at the dining table.  This was a very tight fit and with few installation instructions it was trial and error.  The first attempt at plywood lids was not successful so the second version has insulated fibreglass ones which seem more successful.

With close supervision, new cabinetry was constructed for the fridge unit. These are modular Isotherm units off the shelf. They only required electrical connections and ventilation as they are air-cooled.  The old units were water-cooled, so we also took the opportunity to remove the through-hull water intakes for these.  Eleuthera now has only 13 through-hull fittings below the waterline!

The new fridges draw in a total around 20A if they are all running at once. The old 240V system could draw in excess of 80A from the batteries.  No longer having water cooled compressors, and the maintenance associated with this, and significantly lowered the energy consumption. The new refrigeration is a great success.

New Oven

An unexpected upgrade came about when Hew cleaned the existing oven. Proudly standing back from a sparkling clean appliance, he discovered it no longer worked.  Given it was over 15 years old, a trip to Harvey Norman saw us return with a new oven. This was installed into the existing space with only minor modifications.  We were beginning to wonder what else could go wrong.

Generator Upgrades and Maintenance

Our trusty Kohler generator has run over 10,000 hours and is an integral part of running the boat charging batteries, powering the watermaker, dive tank compressor and also the oven and washing machine.  While it has been very reliable we thought it deserved a New Zealand birthday.

Subsequently, we have replaced the engine mounts, the starter motor, and some pipework. We have also serviced the injectors and installed an exhaust blower in the generator space to keep the whole system cooler.

Now we have expanded our solar array and changed to Lithium batteries we expect we will run the generator less for battery charging which should see the annual running time drop from around 8-900 to 4-500 hours.

Solar Panel Upgrades

We have had two Rutland wind generators on the stern doing their thing since we have owned Eleuthera .  These  both failed on our trip from Tonga to New Zealand and on inspection needed major repairs if we were to retain them.  We decided instead to install additional solar panels using the wind generator poles to mount them on the stern. The excellent stainless framework was done by Terry at Alloy Stainless & Marine Ltd https://asmltd.co.nz/.

A new frame was fabricated in Whangarei and craned into place.  Aesthetically an improvement over the wind generators as well as providing sun protection for the dinghy. 1000w of silent solar replaced  400w of sometimes noisy wind generator for about the same cost as repairing the wind generators.

Lithium Batteries

While installing the new solar panels and maintaining the generator we discovered that one of our two banks of batteries had failed and the other bank was failing.  All of this about the time we were due to depart New Zealand meant we had to make some quick decisions.  Since purchasing Eleuthera we have been upgrading the battery charging and control systems expecting that one day we would move to Lithium batteries.

To this end we had installed Victron Quattro inverter chargers, Victron MPPT solar controllers and a Cerbo to manage it all in Malta in 2021.  The next step was an upgrade to the engine alternators when we installed Balmar 24V 160A alternators with Wakespeed regulators and DC to DC chargers in St Martin in 2023.  These systems could charge Lithium batteries with relatively simple changes to the software setup.

The price of Lithium batteries has come down dramatically over the past few years and now they are similarly priced to equivalent capacity AGM batteries.  On the basis of some discussions at the Auckland Boat Show earlier in the year we decided to install Juice batteries from Enertech in Auckland as they comply with the Australian and NZ standards and seemed to have a good reputation. 

So, it was out with 8 x  65kg  12v AGM batteries and in with 3 x 35kg 24v Juice batteries from Enertec Marine https://enertecmarine.co.nz/, a weight reduction of 400kg.  The new batteries fitted into the existing battery trays but required new cables and fuses to connect them all into the existing system.  All of this took about a week and some back and forth with the suppliers to get it all to connect up to the Victron Cerbo.  With some programming changes on the charging profiles, we were good to go. The electrical work was done by Paul Watson at Watto Electrical https://www.wattos.co.nz/

What a difference these batteries make.  With the same installed capacity of 780Ah we can now use 80% of the capacity rather than 40% with the AGM’s.  Charging rates are hugely faster with no tapering in charge rates that you get with AGM’s.  Typically we use about 25% of our battery capacity overnight running refrigeration, lighting, internet and other things.  With the old batteries we had to charge them fully at the end of each day to get through the night.  Now we just check that they are at 70% or better and  our increased solar array seems to easily charge everything unless it is raining and cloudy.

Watermaker

Our watermaker runs on 240v and makes around 160l per hour.  It is a simple component system and has reliably produced water for over 1000 hours (160t of water!).  To give it a birthday we have replaced all the high pressure lines and fittings with stainless steel ones and also installed a new membrane housing as the end caps were leaking.  While we only needed new end caps we were fortunate to obtain a whole new housing very cheaply which we have fitted in its place.  With the oil changed in the high pressure pump we should be good for another 1000 hours at least.

Staunchion Bases

Eleuthera was originally fitted with cast aluminium staunchion bases bolted to the deck with a stainless steel bolt and fitted with a stainless steel upright, an electrolysis nightmare. They were always a bit suspect and when we casually pulled one out of the deck with a spinnaker sheet it was obvious that corrosion was a real problem.

The solution was to fabricate stainless steel bases which would mount in the same holes and fit the same uprights.  We had these made locally and, when in the boatyard, we changed them over.  Detaching the old bases from the boat was an interesting investigation into some very tight spaces unseen since Eleuthera was new. With double jointed wrists and the usual bodily contortions we managed to remove the old bases. The adventure including dropping a spanner behind a wall which was only retrievable with a strong magnet.

The uprights were corroded into the bases so several hours were spent carefully cutting away the aluminium before they could be reused. The new bases were fitted  after a few fibreglass repairs on some old damage and we feel a lot more confident in the whole system.  The horizontal wires were also replaced at the same time as the old ones had some burrs and were showing signs of corrosion.

Main Engine Upgrades

Our main engines are Nanni diesels based on the Toyota 1KZT engine commonly used in Hilux and Landcruiser.  They have run over 5000 hours each and well maintained they have a very long life and we expect they will run for many years yet.

We installed catch tanks on the rocker cover breathers  to try and reduce any chance of excess oil fuelling the engines and causing them to run away uncontrollably.  We also serviced the injectors and the engines now run much more smoothly with almost no visible exhaust smoke.

Through Hull Fittings and Other Openings

We had replaced all the underwater through hull fittings in Sicily with TruDesign  composite ones.  Unfortunately, the installation was not well done and at least one had developed a small leak in our travels and, while not serious, was irritating. Having bilge pump alarms going off daily is never a good thing.

‘While out of the water in the boatyard we took the opportunity to remove and reseal the main inlets in each hull which has solved the problem.

Also under the bridge deck were 2 scuppers one of which was the air intake into the aft locker where they main engines draw their air from.  The other is the scupper drain immediately before the step down into the cabin.  The problem with these is, in a following sea, water tended come up the scuppers with the result that the aft locker was damp and salty and unexpected spurts of water would come out of the cockpit drain.

The solution was to close off the underside vents into the aft locker and fit vents above deck from the cockpit instead.  The locker and engines now get clean dry air rather than damp salty stuff.

The unexpected shower from the cockpit drain has been eliminated by fitting a baffle which allows free draining from above but prevents water coming up from underneath.

Safety Gear Upgrades

As part of gaining our Offshore Vessel Certificate  we have had to update the safety equipment onboard.  New fire extinguishers, gas alarms and an electric solenoid on the gas bottle were fitted inside the boat. 

Our 10 man Zodiac  liferaft last serviced in Sicily was 20 years old and no longer serviceable so a new 10 man raft was sourced locally.  The container is much larger than the old one a deck mounting system had to be invented and installed. We continue to carry the old one as well.

Barb got busy on her new sewing machine and made a cover for the new liferaft, a new bag for the man overboard retrieval system, and also a bag for the heaving line quoit.  Our safety equipment onboard is now up to date and current.

Barb can now say she used the sewing machine for real yacht jobs before she got distracted on other items, such as patchwork cushions and embroidery – see later blog. A special thanks to Sue at Country Dawn Quilting https://www.facebook.com/countrydawnquilting/who not only lent me a machine to do the first bag but has continually provided extra help and advice on all sorts of jobs.

Interior Upgrades

Eleuthera has large and comfortable beds with inner spring mattresses on wooden slats.  The mattresses all needed replacing so we ordered new ones from Brownies in Auckland who came and measured up the beds and made us very comfortable new ones. 

Somewhere in our travels the TV lifting mechanism had failed and needed replacing and the TV itself was not coping very well in the salt air environment on board.  We obtained a new lifting mechanism and purchased a new Smart TV and with the assistance of a young German traveller onboard installed a much improved method of mounting the TV.  With Starlink onboard Netflix, SKY Sport, YouTube etc are freely available wherever we go.

Starlink has become a basic necessity of cruising and we have upgraded our connection with Dishy now mounted with the new solar panels and the system is now powered from the DC side of the boat which reduces the power consumption by around 40%.  Additionally we carry a whole other unit as a back up in case the one we have fails.  We now use Starlink for navigation and communications when at sea and for all internet access when at anchor.

Such is the stability of large catamarans we had managed to sail perhaps 30,000 miles in Eleuthera with the microwave, coffee machine and toaster sitting on the bench with no restraints.  However sailing to and from New Zealand proved to be a different matter and all of the above became prone to escaping.  Needless to say we now have much more seaman like fiddles to contain these things in the future.

Saloon Lockers

The storage lockers under the seats in the saloon had always seemed a little suspect with some poor fibreglass repairs.  After consulting Prevek the expert who had helped with the rudder bearings we decided to fix things properly.  Hew spent a couple of days removing the water pump and cutting away the old repairs in preparation for Prevek to come and repair and reseal everything. 

As this was going to be a dusty job and the water pump was removed.  We organised for Prevek to come when we were going to be off the boat for a few days.  Prevek was a very tidy worker, he carefully built a plastic tent over the work area, then sealing himself inside with grinders, sanders and the vacuum cleaner, he got to work.  Unfortunately, the space he was working in had gaps into the rest of the boat.  Having vacuumed everything up inside his tent, he emerged to find the rest of the interior covered in fibreglass dust, which took him a whole day to clean up.

Autohelm Redundancy

Eleuthera’s steering system is hydraulic with the wheel connected directly to a pump and below this in the system is an electric pump controlled by the autopilot. Normal cruising has the autopilot engaged +90% of the time.

The original pump failed while sailing from Tonga to New Zealand and we replaced this with a new pump as well as replacing the leaky manual bypass valves when we arrived in New Zealand.  Expecting this to be long term solution we had the original pump rebuilt and carried it as a spare just in case there was a problem in the future.

Unfortunately, the new pump failed after less than 200 hours and on our abortive trip to French Polynesia https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2025/12/eleuthera-draws-parrot-fish-in-the-pacific-a-1500nm-voyage/ we had to make do with manual steering.  While we carried a spare pump, it is not practical to try and change a pump at sea because the steering system has to be disconnected.  Additionally, the original  location of the pump made servicing or replacement very difficult.

Having had the new pump replaced under warranty we decided to install 2 pumps in parallel with the ability to switch between the them copying an installation on friends boat.  Having 2 pumps plumbed in permanently gives built in redundancy and the process of changing between the two is a simple electrical switch.  The pumps were also moved to a more accessible location and new hydraulic lines made to connect them up.

Dinghy Upgrades

Having been cruising for some years in locations with very small tidal ranges we were unprepared for New Zealand’s 2.5 metre tides.  Our dinghy is a 4m aluminium rib with a 30hp outboard and while relatively light for its size still weighs around 200kg.  With any less than 4 crew it is very difficult to drag it up or down a beach.  It is great for dinghy docks, longer trips and as a dive tender  but having been caught out a couple of times we needed a solution.

We now carry a second dinghy which with the outboard weighs less than 50kg and has fold down wheels.  3hp doesn’t go very fast but for shorter distances it is great and is easily dragged up the beach.  When offshore the dingy deflates into a bag and the outboard goes into a locker.

While 30hp on a 4m dinghy may sound powerful it is a step down from our original tender which while much heavier had a 50hp outboard and would get on the plane pretty much regardless of the load.  Not so the 30hp version so we are experimenting with different pitch propellors to try and improve performance in this area.

 This gives you an overview of all our activities though

I am sure we have missed some out. For sure, there will be more in the future, but hopefully no big items in the short term. Not only do we need a rest, but our bank account does as well!!

Next Blog: Winter in Whangarei

O Captain, my Captain! Our Fearful Trip is done.
The ship has weather’d every storm, the prize we sought is done
The port is near, the bells we hear, the people all exalting..

Walt Whitman

Departing to French Polynesia

Day 1. Wednesday June 18^th   Foggy then fine day for departure heading East.

After many delays (see previous blog about upgrades and repairs) we finally departed Marsden Cove on the 18^th June. The weather was flat calm and a lovely day. The forecasts were for a storm to go through in 2/3 days but only a max of 25kts. The storm was currently up near Noumea and the weather along the route was looking good for our 2000 mile voyage to the Austral Islands.

As usual we were using MetBob for our forecasts and passage planning. Wtracke had also registered with Passage Guardian to monitor our progress. Things have moved on a little since Kerikeri Radio schedules on the HF radio.

Once out into the harbour, we were motor-sailing on a beautiful, flat, calm day. Unfortunately, the crew were already feeling queasy. The trial sail had been rough and they had felt ill then, but this weather was so lovely. They would be OK not to take any seasickness medication. By lunchtime, they were thinking perhaps they should, sea sickness medication is best taken before leaving the dock!!

Lunch at the Hen & Chicks in 3kts of wind

Day 2. Thursday June 19^th   

9am NW 10kts and several birds- 3 different petrels, Cape Petrel, Grey Faced Petrel and a third – too fast for photos. 1700 NW 15 G 20kts. Nice sailing and low seas. Crews stomachs are settling down, Sunny during the day but temperature drops fast at night.

Day 3. Friday 20^th   

Wind still NW now 20kts, sky overcast and rough 2m seas. Wind kept climbing with an overnight average of 20kt gusting 35kts. We were carrying 3 reefs on the main and 1 reef on the genoa. Forecast now was for the storm to increase to over 30kt and the barometer to drop to 1008. Last check around the yacht before nighttime revealed a lazy jack line around the light fitting on the mast. Hew and Debra were at the ready with two boat hook poles tied together and retrieved the wayward line. We were looking forward to turning north for the warmer weather

Day 4. Saturday 21^st  

A morning walk around the yacht revealed a lazy jack had blown back again, which needed realigning, then the 3^rd reef needed a tidy up. The crew were settling in and working well together . Hew was on deck, Elias on the reefing line, Chris and Camille on the main and preventer, and Barb on the helm to steer up into the wind.

The sun was out, but rain and frontal cloud had now appeared on the horizon. The wind was NNW 30kts with lumpy 3m seas. The forecast for the evening was higher winds N/NE 30G45 then SW 20G30 and easing. The storm should pass behind us, with a peak 3.5m swell at 7 sec. Passage Guardian and Met Bob had both advised us to prepare the boat for heavy weather. The approaching system was becoming both larger and stronger than previously forecast.

The crew were all relaxed. A regular game of 5 Crowns after dinner had everyone in good spirits as the night watches began. Current information showed we should cross just in front of the low pressure system, and then be safely in the “Safe” quadrant heading away from the weather.

The Not So “Safe” Quadrant

Day 4. Sunday 22^nd   

As the night progressed, the Autopilot started to disconnect, so we started hand steering, a new skill for the crew. This was very frustrating for the engineer as it looked like the new pump had failed after less than 300 hours. Catamarans are not easy to hand steer at the best of times, but our newbie crew were up for the challenge, and with 2 people on each watch, all was fine.

Overnight the weather worsened and by dawn gusts were now approaching 50kt and the seas were building. The sea state was confused as the storm waves were coming from a different direction to the prevailing swell. Eleuthera was handling it well as we sailed slowly away from the weather on a port tack at about 50 degrees apparent and at right angles to the storm track. Apart from more wind and larger seas than forecast life was looking OK.

Day 5. Monday 23rd – A Large Wave and Multiple Issues

At around 9am, Hew was on the helm, Barb in her bunk and the rest of the crew in the saloon. Hew heard a sound like a freight train, and a large breaking wave hit on the port aft quarter. The impact was like being hit side-on by a truck. Blue water went over the boat, and as it cleared, a call came from the saloon that we had a broken window.

The large window above the navigation station had cracked and allowed seawater in which was all a little exciting for the crew. After a high pressure wash of the saloon and with water coming out of the light fittings and washing through the electronics those in the saloon were looking a little startled. Additionally the large “eyebrow” around the cabin top had been ripped up and was now free floating held in place only by the primary winches, a step beside the mast had disappeared and we were down a winch handle from the mast as well.

The crew leapt into action and we soon had a sheet of plywood lashed across the crack and copious amounts of Sikaflex sealed the leak. The window remained bonded into the hull and it appeared that the flex in the boat as we were hit by the wave had caused it to crack. We also fitted plywood covers over some forward-facing vents as the duct tape solution was not coping.

In the adventure, we had shipped a few hundred litres of seawater, which had made its way through and into spaces it was not supposed to. The other issue was initially smoke from the electronics and then the batteries shut down and we were without power.

A few bucket fulls later the bilges were mostly empty but there was still residiual water coming from unexpected places. The good news was the leaks had been sealed and now we could start thinking about repairs.

Deteriorating Weather

Unfortunately, the weather continued to deteriorate. The barometer continued to fall, and the winds were increasing so we needed to concentrate on sailing the boat. Early in the morning, the barometer dropped to 999 with 45ktw G60kts 5m seas. Wind at this stage was estimated at 9 on the Beaufort scale as water completely white in daylight. These two pictures from the internet will give you a rough idea of what it was like – very little visibility and horizontal spray. We were sailing slowly at 45 degrees off the wind at the time. (If I can find a better picture later, I will replace these.) We took no pictures at the time.

By this time it was beyond the ability of the crew to steer the boat in these conditions so firstly Barb and then Hew managed through the worst of it. Barb preferred to steer with her head in the breeze and continual spray over the boat. Hew however tried the same approach only to discover the wind was now strong enough to blow his glasses off – steering from behind the dodger seemed a better idea.

Motor sailing slowly at around 45 degrees to the breeze and steering manually with no instruments, no AIS, no Starlink and the wind increasing and +4m seas was enough for the crew to handle. With 2 people on watch everyone stepped up and we reverted to hand steering on the compass. A very unusual event on a modern catamaran!! Without power, a head torch was needed to see the compass through the night.

Prior to leaving, we had fitted new Lithium batteries and we were still in the novice phase of learning about them. The instrument displaying battery status was showing a row of XXX’s and the engineer was not sure of what to do next. Slightly terrified of the huge potential energy in the new batteries and uncertain as to where the smoke had come from we decided to leave the power off and concentrate on getting the water out of the boat and making things as dry as possible.

Meanwhile the engineer set about trying to isolate the problems and work out how to fix things. Investigations behind the instrument panel saw seawater dripping everywhere and the main power supply to the instruments was fried as were a couple of USB outlets.

Day 6. Tuesday 24th – More Repairs

At daybreak with all the systems isolated and everything switched off we tried restarting the batteries and these came back to life, the XXX’s on the display disappeared – sighs of relief all round. We now had lights, Iridium Go, fresh water, flushing toilets, electric bilge pumps and the ability to charge iPads etc for navigation.

The weather slowly abated as the day progressed dropping to 35kn G 40kn by late afternoon and we started to think about options. We were about 1100 miles from the Austral Islands, about the same from Tonga and maybe 800 from New Zealand. At this stage were uncertain as to the extent of the damage to the boat apart from the obvious. Significant repairs were necessary and given the limited facilities in Tonga, almost none in the Australs and the realisation that anything we would need would have to come from New Zealand we decided to head home.

The Return

With the decision made to return to NZ for repairs we advised both Passage Guardian and MetBob of our plans. They were quite relieved to hear from us after we had had no communications for a day with Starlink and AIS out in the first 24 hours. Passage Guardian had notified Search and Rescue and was a little worried as to our status. They also warned us that there was a Chinese fishing fleet directly ahead of us. We had no AIS at this stage so there was little we could do except plot their position and try and avoid them. All these communications the initial stage were carried out on the Iridium Go and the cell phone App.

Electrical repairs continued and after washing much of the cupboard out with fresh water and then contact cleaner liberally applied we replaced the instrument power supply with a spare, and miraculously, the main instruments came back to life. A great boost to crew morale as both Elias and Deb had reached the “I don’t want to go to sea again” stage, Cammie meanwhile was disappointed we had not continued to French Polynesia.

By this stage the engineer was barely functioning after over 24 hours of steering, problem solving and boat fixing he was sent to bed for the night. A well earned and very long rest.

Day 7. Wednesday 25^th

The weather had abated, and we now had 20kt G 30kt on our beam and were headed for Whangarei. The crew were all feeling much better after hot showers this morning(water heaters were running off the engines), a sunny day and a good breakfast. The broken window is still watertight, and a boat cleanup is underway.

We have started the generator on the alternate system and have run the water maker this morning. The engineer was not confident about switching on the inverters and the whole 240V system, so we continued to rely on the main engines and the solar panels for house battery charging and made do without 240V appliances.

The Autopilot was also back online and is currently working after some encouragement with the hammer. It was not a permanent solution. It soon stopped again.

By lunch time normal activities had resumed, Camille cooking lunch, Chris doing his washing in a bucket, Debra snoozing in the saloon, Elias steering as the autopilot had given up and Hew trying to rewire the Starlink, Barb getting more weather and info from Passage Guardian and MetBob. If we hadn’t had enough of the weather another NE/SW front was coming through NZ about the same time as we were due.  Although our final destination is Whangarei due to front coming through Tauranga was considered as an interim destination may be Saturday or Sunday.

Success later in the day as Starlink came back online after Elias and Hew had rigged a 12V supply to the router. With very low expectations of success as the router had had a proper saltwater wash the boys were in various cupboards running new 12v power supply wires in place of the 240V supply. After washing the router out with copious quantities of contact cleaner it came back to life with no smoke or other complaints. CRC contact cleaner is now an essential in Eleuthera’s tool kit.

To add to the issue, the starboard engine water pump started leaking. It had recently been fully reconditioned by one of the marine engineering companies at Westhaven. To say we were annoyed is an understatement. We were concerned that if we did not fix it, it might get worse later or at a time when we really needed it. So Hew and I sat down on the steps in the companion way and took it apart and cleaned it. Guess what the job that we had paid to have done in Auckland was rubbish. Their rebuild of the pump had been simply to replace a seal with an automotive one which had corroded and failed and goo the rest up with sealant. So after an hour or two of muttering we rebuilt the pump with new seals, bearings, O rings and reinstalled it without leaks!

Day 8. Thursday 26^th

The wind had been veering and backing through 90 degrees and while averaging 17kts it was gusting 22 and subsiding to 10kts at times through the night. The unsettled nature of the weather made hand steering difficult and exhausting, requiring high levels of concentration from the crew. We were hoping for a more settled day.

At daylight three visitors were found on deck were one lovely large flying fish and 2 squid!! Yes we had no idea the squid flew as well??? We had never seen them on the deck before.

The forecast was for 40kts and 4m seas with a short interval, so we were heading northwest to avoid the strongest winds in the front crossing NZ tomorrow. What we were getting at the time was a good beam reach in 20kts. The crew are learning how to surf down waves, aiming for the fastest speed – lots of fun. In the afternoon, Debra saw a whale breach on a SW-NE track, and we watched as it sadly continued away from us, seemingly loving the weather.

Friday 27^th

Steady 20-25kt breeze last night. 2-2.5m swell. The crew’s manual steering was improving rapidly. In the morning, a large pod of dolphins (30-40) passed us, feeding, leaping into the air and surfing.

During the afternoon, while we were waiting for the front and the peak wind, the crew laid bets on what time the peak wind would occur. Even MetBob got into the game. This time, the wind was less than forecast, as were the waves. The model with the closest time was GFS the closest crew member to the time was Debra. Passage guardian thought we were headed to the highest wind spot just to help MetBob win – but not so.

We had many precooked meals on board in case of a tough passage and we are very glad for them. Gannet 1- Chris, Gannet 2 Elias, Gannet 3 Hew. G1 can hear a fridge or cupboard open before the food was even cooked and looking for anything to eat that was left around, G2 is competition if portion was left when someone is not feeling like eating. G3 was a late runner. The previous night’s dinner was a precooked Lasagne and a beautiful salad made by Elias. Both were finished promptly as everyone was hungry after steering all day. Those that couldn’t finish their portion passed it across to be scoffed by G1. G2 could not complete dinner after being in the galley too long. Then desert was apple crumble . Some bacon & egg pie was left from lunch. G3 sent G1 to get a storage container but while waiting for him, decided that the pie should just be eaten. They were both too full for desert and all others were feeling more like crashing so desert it was left for overnight watches and breakfast. Good to have everyone happy and well.

 Saturday 28^th

We had a slow night with very short rough seas and gusty conditions motoring slowly with the headsail. Come daybreak we pulled up the main and let out more Genoa and started to pick up speed. Although very rough at the start of the day, the seas slowly lessened and formed into a better long roll. We knew we were getting close to home when we passed a tanker and then a coastal trader. Then we could see the Poor Knights Islands on the horizon and hear the marine weather report on the radio. 25nm away from Whangarei heads we knew that if the wind speed and angle held we would be round the heads just on dusk. We were all hanging out for a good nights unbroken sleep in calm waters.

Sunday 29th

Back to where we started. No injuries and all well. Checked in by the friendly customs from Auckland who made us all fill in all the normal forms for arrival in the country since we had been outside the international limit for customs. We plugged in with extension cables as could not operate through the inverter and started a long cleaning job to go.

Monday30th

Back to Whangarei Town Basin, and the crew departed. One to get to Fiji and jump on another yacht as soon as possible. One flying to Tonga to catch up with a friend, then back to University in Germany. One back to family in Auckland and Christchurch with plans to sail the Gulf on her new yacht but not to go offshore again. And one back to Auckland to catch up with his daughter. Hew and I were left with a long list of repairs.

Hindcasts and Analysis After the Event from Bob McDavitt

We had a lot of data from forecasts beforehand, the log book, Predict Wind (PW) tracking information, PW hindcasts and data that Bob McDavitt(MetBob) had retained. From all this information, Bob reconstructed the weather and the journey after we got back, which was very interesting. Here are the pictures and notes.

Bob transferred the data on a 6 hour basis into his expedition file and downloaded the weather data analysis from the GFS model.  It iwas not impossible to directly match them but he  labelled the entered  log position with date at UTC tine , so 220606 on 22 June at 0606UTC  close to 06UTC.

First by assuming a polars of around up to 8kt he was able to produce an animation that closely follows the weather pattern and our progress but not exactly…time/place are an average fit….you can see the difference at any time step by comparing  the chart time top left and the moving triangle between the waypoint  labels which you’re your observed position.  

The mp4 file animation is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/YC_j2-68Aoo

Here are some images of the maps that coincide exactly time/place with the main incidents  in the voyage 

1.  around 22 0000UTC, marking the passing of the first front

2. and the timing of the lowest pressure reading of at 999hPa at around 220700UTC – Note that the analysis at that time /place was 1011hPa. Note the difference – I know our barometer was accurate as I had checked it before we left with the airport at Whangarei and MetBob’s note, so I’m pretty sure it would not have changed in the 4 days.

3. The record gust with the second passing front at 270400 UTC

The two forecasts I ran off ECMWF on the 18th and 21st were markedly different, but that happens. I always extract and print the data so we can keep an eye on it during the trip. Unfortunately, I did not keep a copy of the maps, which I will do in the future.  It is hard to judge in hindsight but with the weather we had, I am not sure we would have done anything different.

Bob thought that the 999 hPa reading was significant.  It confirmed that the models missed a tight but compact secondary low not seen in their data. Here are a couple of weather maps from MetBob’s archives at 22 July 0000 UTC,  near 22 July 0700 UTC when you reported 999hPa. It was possible that small, tight compact secondary low with an isobar below 1000 may have been near our location, and not picked up by the models (they don’t have much evidence here, but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence)

Post Trip Repairs

See next Blog

Lessons from the Experience

Things that would stay the same or that we were glad to have on board

• all the precooked meals and would absolutely do that again.
• a lot of crew to help with the watches especially when items needed fixing
• all the contact cleaner on board
• lots of Sikaflex
• spare network power packs
• crew compatibility was great

Things we would add/change

• retain all weather maps and print outs
• be ready to leave earlier in the year and leave earlier
• don’t let the departure get so delayed
• try and leave a wider margin between us and bad weather systems
• install an extra autopilot hydraulic pump – too hard to change at sea in rough weather ( already done at time of writing)

Things you cannot predict or change

• Forecasts are forecasts, but the weather you are in is what you have to deal with
• recently reconditioned engine water pump failing
• new autopilot hydraulic pump failing
• yacht twisting so much that a window would crack around a screw hole

What Next

Whangarei and Repairs

Whangarei Over Wintering