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

After much thought, we booked a series of flights that would get us back to Trinidad and Eleuthera in good time. We have become a little wary of air travel this year with flight delays, cancellations, and lost and damaged luggage so we booked with care.

AKL-IAH-MCO

Check-in at Auckland was a breeze and apart from some re-allocation of weight between bags (boat parts are heavy!), we were quickly ready to depart. We settled into our seats and had a great trip up looking forward to a return to the warmth.

Fourteen hours later in Houston, the customs queue was tiny compared to our last trip through so things are looking up and we had a 2-hour connection to Orlando. After claiming our bags we went to check in for the next leg. We were directed to the United transfer desk and a queue at least 4 or 5 groups long including one guy with 3 trolleys laden with 15 or 16 large cardboard boxes! With one person on the counter, the line was going nowhere. Some discrete enquiries revealed another transfer desk in the adjacent terminal so with directions we went down escalators, up and down in lifts, along corridors, and found the desk. Another bag weight re-allocation (boat parts are still heavy) our 25kg bag became 50lbs and we snuck in with 148lbs of luggage in 3 bags. We turned around to find most of the other people in the previous queue had followed us but not the man with the boxes.

Missed Opportunity

The plane to Orlando loaded on time but then there was a big delay with some technical issue. Finally, for some reason, they needed to offload 12 people from a full flight and were offering money, a ticket to the same destination the next day, and a hotel. At first, we thought they said $500 but it was actually $2500 each as one girl went up to check. We were too slow in the stampede but there were some very happy young backpackers who had a huge bonus. We have no idea why the people needed to come off as it was a B737 and only a 2 1/2-hour flight.

We made Orlando and the hotel late that night, very glad to see a bed. Dinner consisted of a prepacked ham sandwich of indeterminate age and an expiry date some distance in the future. Not sure of the food value but it filled a gap.

Orlando and Hurricane Idalia

We knew there was a hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba and Mexico and heading for Florida. By morning it was a fully fledged storm with a name and likely to be at least a grade 3 hurricane. The local television channels were beside themselves with excitement with endless predictions of tracks, landfalls, and severity with many on-site broadcasts from locations along the West coast of Florida. These even banished Trump and his legal woes from the news.

The only question for us was would the storm affect us in Orlando as we were due to fly out for Trinidad the next day. On balance it seemed unlikely so we decided to continue with our travel plans and visit the Searey factory in Tavares about 50 miles away.

Searey – Progressive Aerodyne

After grabbing a rental from down the road (a $ 17-a-day car became $55 after tolls, taxes, and fees?), it was off to Tavares and the Searey factory. Our drive there was a complete contrast to a recent trip from Chicago to Oshkosh in Wisconsin. Florida appears to be one big subdivision with rows of housing all down the Florida Turnpike and no sign of any enterprise to support it. Variety consisted of multi-unit developments in the less desirable areas and expensive-looking gated communities in others. In contrast, the motorway in Wisconsin was lined with factories, warehouses, and businesses. Interestingly Florida’s population is around 21 million and Wisconsin’s only 6 million with both states having similar land areas.

Arriving in Tavares, a small town on a lake we went in search of Progressive Aerodyne to try and find out what was going on.

The factory is located right on a small lake complete with a launching ramp for the planes and an old slot for a boat lift. An ideal place to run the operation.

The current owners are Chinese investors who have stopped funding the enterprise which is effectively shut down. As the largest amphibian manufacturer in the USA, they have laid off all but a couple of staff even though they have back orders for several aeroplanes and over 1200 existing aircraft to support with parts and knowledge.

The CEO was the only person there but we were not sure if we were going to find anyone as he had not replied to emails or phone calls. He was a very nice guy but unfortunately not a manager or a salesman – he is an engineer. We went down to the parts department where they have orders for parts from all over but are struggling to fill them with many things out of stock and no money to purchase them. We found an order from another NZ Searey owner which is nearly finished but when we tried to add things to the order discovered the parts we wanted were not there. In the end, we left with some undercarriage legs (similar to boat parts) and left some other things on backorder.

Hopefully, the existing owners or some new investors will start operations again.

Bar on the Lake – Lake Harris Hideaway

Five minutes drive from the Searey factory on another lake was a likely-looking bar/restaurant called the Lake Harris Hideaway complete with a dock for boats and seaplanes. A perfect location for lunch but the menu was fried everything mostly with cheese. A few locals were propping up the bar, suspiciously viewing us as strangers. We decided that lunch might be better elsewhere.

Although the food menu was awful the site on the lake and the trees were spectacular and everyone but us had a pickup truck.

Google found us The Twisted Biscuit Diner down the road so we headed there for some local cuisine. Biscuits in the south are scones to us but we had not seen them fried before or filled with mac and cheese. This was a much busier more popular hangout and we soon had lunch after establishing our credentials that we were not from around here.

Weather

While we were tripping around, cyclone Idalia was getting closer to Florida. It was expected to impact the coast further north so we thought it would have little effect on our travel plans.

By the time we got back to our hotel, it was raining. Not much wind and the rain was not really heavy. State-wide warnings were out for high winds and heavy rain. The local TV stations were by now showing live shots of west coast weather with reporters on the beach making all sorts of predictions. Local authorities in many low-lying areas were evacuating residents as the likely landfall was now in the top corner of Florida near the Georgia border. The forecasting by the NOAA Hurricane centre is very informative and provides email updates which we subscribe to for the season. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

When the cyclone did make landfall there was a lot of flooding but not nearly as much wind damage as expected.

Orlando – Miami- Port of Spain

The next part of the journey was to Trinidad on American Airlines and we had an early flight out of Orlando in order to arrive in Trinidad mid-afternoon that day. Idalia had largely passed to the North by the morning and we were up early (still on NZ time I think) for a 5.30 a.m. shuttle to the airport.

Due to depart at 0740, the flight was on time and we were there early as was everyone trying to get out of Orlando before the weather got any worse. Boarding started slightly late but as we were getting on the Captain was getting off the flight deck – this did not look good. This was the beginning of a long delay….

Problem 1. The windscreen wipers were not working and it was pouring with rain so they needed to be fixed. Due to the length of delay on the gate, we needed more fuel and we waited for the refueling.

Problem 2. After some time the wipers were fixed and refueled we were ready to push back and the airbridge failed. We then had to wait for engineers to move the airbridge out of the way.

Problem 3. Got the airbridge out of the way and taxied out to the runway. The next minute we are taxiing back again. The cabin crew reported one of the back toilets was overflowing. Found out later that it wasn’t sewerage but water coming from somewhere and the floor was wet.

Problem 4. The plane returned to the same gate which was still broken but by this time it was too late and we had to wait for a tug to move the plane to another gate with a functioning airbridge. Finally got on the gate and they let the engineers on board to fix the problem.

By now it was about 1130 and we had been on board for nearly 4 hours for a 1 hour flight so an offer was made to allow those who wanted to leave the aircraft until it was fixed. This was amended to everyone leaving with all their carry-on luggage as it was not obvious the plane could be repaired and some people were searching for alternative flights.

The Captain kept us largely up-to-date but he became more incredulous as events unfolded, perhaps the plane was jinxed. Barb chatted to him while we de-planed to get the real low down on the issues.

At this stage, we were told we all had to check in again so queues formed at the service desks to reissue boarding passes. Chatting to fellow passengers we discovered several of them had moved to this flight from a later flight so they could arrive earlier! These people included the Prime Minister of Antigua with his family and entourage, luckily people still retained their sense of humour.

An hour and a half later we reboarded with a different seat number and were ready to go. The captain announced our imminent departure and we waited to push back.

Problem 5. As a consequence of Idalia and other issues Miami airport was now full and there was no room for us to land at this time so we had to wait on the gate in Orlando until the backlog cleared. Luckily we had plenty of gas on board because we had refueled earlier. Finally, at around 1.30 pm we were cleared to depart for our 1 hour flight to Miami and a round of applause from the passengers as we finally became airborne.

Arriving in Miami 6 hours late meant another round of queues at the service desks to re-ticket for another flight. American Airlines had decided that our delay was caused by weather making it beyond their control and hence they did not have to pay compensation for those who had to reschedule. This caused some outrage at the service desk with the manager starting to get very stressed as people were demanding better. The airline staff had an official line that “the FAA had called our delay as weather-related not the airline” (a Tui moment Yeah Right) The only good news was for the Prime Minister of Antigua who was informed that the plane we came in on was continuing to Antigua so they did not need to go searching for another flight.

By this time our original flight had already landed in Trinidad so we were transferred to the late flight arriving around 10.30 pm and the pleasant service desk person had given us exit row seats with additional leg room. We had tried to avoid late flights into Port of Spain as we were unsure of nighttime conditions on the ground. (NZ Foreign Affairs has a travel advisory out for Trinidad including the area around the airport especially at night time).

Arriving in Port of Spain, Trinidad

Finally, arriving in Trinidad with our luggage intact and undamaged we were surprised to see the queue for local passport control was longer than for visitors, a first in our travels. We then had over an hour in customs while they charged us for another visa waiver then examined our boat parts and documents and wrote out several more pieces of paper in triplicate suitably stamped for us to take with us. We think Trinidad is one of the last remaining users of carbon paper and forms.

Getting into the arrivals hall our pre-booked taxi driver was nowhere to be seen but luckily Mr Douglas with a fine Toyota Royale taxi of indeterminate age (both car and driver) stepped in and drove us to our hotel in Chaguaramas. Interestingly the taxi fares in both USD and Trinidad Dollars are listed by destination on a big wall chart in the airport so there is no confusion or bargaining.

Of course, the night staff at the fine West Palm Hotel did not know that we were arriving despite having phoned earlier from Miami to confirm our new arrival time. Finally, we made it to bed after 1 a.m. and nearly 20 hours since leaving our hotel in Orlando.

Next Day – First Complete day in Trinidad

Our timing as always was impeccable – the day after we landed was Independence Day and another holiday. 61 years since getting independence from Britain is a big deal here and elsewhere in the Caribbean! Interestingly we don’t have an official date in NZ, it could have been 1835,1840,1853,1919,1926,1947 or 1986 according to some brief online research so take your pick.

The first morning here was beautiful at 0500 clear skies, a mellow 28C, thunderstorms in the distance and the pool looked very inviting.

By lunchtime, it was 34C and pouring with rain. The rain keeps the swimming pool cool!

After a check on the yacht, and then a lazy day we decided we would go out for dinner. Our preferred option was shut so we walked around to the restaurant at Crews Inn about a 1km away on the other side of the harbour. https://www.crewsinn.com/

Our hostess was very funny as we were discussing the holiday and saying how many public holidays they had in Trinidad she said “More holidays than payslips!!”. They have a great sense of humour in Trinidad even if everything is not going well all the time – we were definitely back.

We hope this does not put you off travelling to see us – you just need plenty of time:).

The weather forecast in Corfu stayed the same for three days – thunderstorms and wind.

Gouvia Marina

On the morning of the third day, we decided to make a break for it and go to Gouvia even if we had to anchor in the bay while we got the engine pump fixed. A friend had given us the name of some agents at A1 yachting and we called them to see if they could handle our entry into Greece to save us from going into town. They came back shortly after and although the marina had told us there were no berths when we called they had managed to find one for us.

We cruised down the coast which is beautiful and green and such a change after Malta which is all brown, dry, and rocky.

Video …

Corfu was very busy with charter boats going in and out of the marina, but they were having to wait for slots in their own area and we went in and were handled almost immediately.

The engineers arrived very quickly and took the pump away to be fixed. Next, we wandered up to the office of A1 yachting and discovered that the immigration police who were in the building next door were not happy with our documents. They could not find the exit stamp for Malta but they did find the entry stamp for Italy and it was over 90 days old. According to our passports, we had been nowhere else. Here we go again. There was much discussion on the ins and outs of Schengen and the individual countries’ agreements. In the end, it came down to the fact that we should have been stamped in each country so we could count the day’s agreement separately from the Schengen days.

Of course, leaving malta they treated us as crew on a yacht. Albania had its own system and stamped papers, not passports – mainly for the yacht requirements. Then the Greek authorities were treating us as passengers but decided in the final stages we should be crew. In the end, all the documents were signed and stamped and we were legitimate.

The next day the pump came back and we were all set to leave. We picked up some fuel at the fuel dock – last visited two years ago and ago. Then we set off with a forecast that would give us 30% on a tight reach than all the rest on an easy reach to Malta at about 15kts. Sounded great. As you can see from the photo – the weather was not that warm – not the Mediterranean we were used to.

Stormy Passage

We departed down the east coast hoping for a quick trip. After passing Corfu town the wind was dead on the nose again – seems to happen to us all the time. The wind was already averaging 22kts from the South rather than SW and the sea was rough already 1-2m and short. Rather than bashing into all the way on the motor we decided to tack and motor sail to the end of Corfu.

We reached the end of Corfu late in the day and turned right slightly to track for Malta. This did not seem to help as we turned right so did the wind. The wind was hard on so we motor sailed. The forecast was ok but windy. During the night the wind increased and so did the seas. At one point we were making 3.5kts Speed over the ground – depressing.

The second afternoon we were down to 3 reefs and no genoa – or now and then a handkerchief out. Making 6.5 knots and still motor sailing as the wind was so far forward. We were running forecasts every 6 hours and decided if the wind got no better we were going to head for Syracuse and not Malta and have a rest. We were running about 6 hours on ETA.

As the evening approached the wind increased from the NW we were hand-sailing rather than on autopilot which could not see the approaching waves and we had been dropping off some of the big waves. Still doing 6.5 knots but very rough. We had a good sail for about 3 hours then night fell and we had to reduce the speed of the yacht as we could not see the waves either. The forecast was for waves bout 2m at 4 sec intervals and that was about right.

The new forecast showed us right in the red patch and it had been gusting over 40kts. There was supposed to be a calm patch at one stage but we never found it.

Syracuse

Dawn rose with our entry to Syracuse. We notified our approach into the harbour and were told to remain on the yacht and then the fun started with authorities. We had not been planning to end up in Syracuse so of course had not given them the 12 hours notice required. We wanted to get in, do the paperwork, have a rest, and clear out the next day. Not so easy. The harbour master told us what was required for the health clearance and emailed us the details. We sent the documents off to 8 email addresses!! This was by now about 8 am. Then heard no more. On querying the harbour master she told us the Health department was separate and they had no idea how long it takes. They have obviously had this problem before.

We then started to tidy up the yacht and discovered that our port Pelican Stiker wire had two broked strands. Just as well we stopped. Now looked like we would not be going to Malta and certainly not sailing. On further inspection of the yacht, we discovered that we had also cracked the area under the rear davits again. One had been mended 3 months before in Marina di Ragusa and it was not too bad but now the other was showing cracking around the base. We made the decision not to continue to Malta but to go to Marina di Ragusa and try and get the wires and damage fixed there.

We then settled in for a rest. Got up after lunch and still no emails with a clearance. Called the harbour master again and explained that we would like to leave first thing the next morning because we wanted to take the calm weather window before the next storm. She was very helpful and even suggested not getting off the boat but clearing at Pozzallo. We called them but they asked us to call Marina di Ragusa as they did not speak English well. I talked to the girls there about a marina and the situation with the authorities and that we did not need to be stuck at Pozzallo if we did leave due to the approaching storm. She got back to me and had been told that Pazzallo now comes under Syracuse so if we couldn’t get the health clearance in Syracuse it would be a problem in Pozzallo.

The good thing that came out of the conversation was that they knew an agent in Syracuse who they had used before and they might help. We then called Giorgio siracusa@luise.com at Luisa Yachtshttps://www.luise.com/italy/ and had a chat. He told us that the process was with the health department there – if we did not give 12 hours notice then they threw the file in the next day’s list so we would not get it today. Sit back and relax. In fact, we would not get it until close to lunchtime the next day – certainly not first thing in the morning. We explained our problem with the weather and trying to get away as soon as possible but it seemed nothing to do but wait.

As we were sitting on the yacht waiting we had a visit from another yacht who had been in Marina di Ragusa previously. Brad and Janet were waiting for the current weather to go through before continuing to MdR. They were good friends of Chris the Refrigeration man we had met in Malta.

The forecast for the next few days was not good as can be seen from the shots of Predict wind below. The third photo was of the gust we got in the bay the next day. It was very windy and 0.5meter swell even in the harbour. The wind got up at 4am and at 6am we got the motors on an motored into the wind to get the bridle up and then release more chain. Beside us in the anchorage, another yacht was doing the same, and ahead of us one dragged so far they had to pull their anchor right out and start again. We were in around 7m and had about 60m of chain out. We really grabbed as we let the bridle out and did not move again while we were there.

The following are some views of the harbour in Syracuse. It is a lovely old town but overshadowed by the big cruise ships. I know people love them but this one had speakers going with the exercise music and dancing most of the day and the noise was awful. It dwarfed the old town and you could see why people do not wantcruised ships in some of these old traditional towns.

Hew loved this boat below, said it really was a James Bond-style yacht – big aft deck for all the fun and games!! Plenty of room for the helicopter as well. Great name.

Other boats seen around town.

When the weather finally cleared we decided we had one afternoon to walk around town – looking at the sights as seen above, the old and the new.

Departure for Marina di Ragusa

Then next morning we decided to get up before sunrise and leave at daybreak. I think the harbour wanted us to stay. The anchor came up so far and then we found we were totally entangled in an old net that had obviously been dumped. 45 minutes later we had cut it off. the movement of the boat over the last three days as shown on the screen probably aided the entanglement. What a muddy mess!!

Finally on our way to Marina di Ragusa.

We had an uneventful trip and were happy to return to the old marina. Clean and tidy and lots of welcoming smiles. Also much warmer than Corfu and even warmer than Syracuse.