The routing module is good, just a pity the satellite photos aren't better resolution..maybe it will come.
This is the new Maxsea Time Zero Navigational software...in some ways its not as good, I don't think, as the earlier Maxsea V12...but the 3d view and 3d Bathymetry (depth contours) are quite neat.
The routing module is good, just a pity the satellite photos aren't better resolution..maybe it will come.
0 Comments
Woke up to a beautiful calm morning, but by 1200 it's blowing 25 knots...oh well...c'est la vie du marin
More pictures in 2012 photos (4) Finally left the Blue Lagoon and had a great sail south. Decided to stay in Cuvu Bay just around the corner from Manta Ray Bay. What a delightful place, no-one there except birds...beautiful beach, calm quiet anchorage.
Since dropping Hannah and Kyle off at their resort I've been stuck in the Blue Lagoon waiting for the wind to die down. There's a big high south of us and it's pushing the isobars close together which gives us wind up here. It's overcast this afternoon and still a bit breezy but nothing like it was before.
Hopefully it will look better in the morning and I'll head south. My initial plan to head north is cancelled now, as there's not enough time to do it leisurely and get back to Vuda Pt in time for the 30th.... So that's it from Blue Lagoon Cheers Brisk sail to Musket Cove, overnighted there and then on to Mana Is. Dinner at the backpackers with the usual Bula songs...Hannah caught a fish..a yellow emperor which we had for dinner when we went to Nalauwaki Bay. It was delicious !
From Nalauwaki we sailed (well motored actually) to Somosomo Bay. Went in to do Sevusevu with the chief (not there of course) to be confronted with a written "demand" for A $5 donation for visiting the village ! Later a fellow came by and asked for some fuel for his outboard so he could go fishing..bring us back a barracuda he said. OK gave him some fuel and off he went...never to be seen again ! So, things are not what they used to be... Today we sailed from Somosomo Bay to the Blue Lagoon. A quick sail after a slow start...tomorrow I'll deliver Hannah and Kyle to their resort and then ...not sure exactly.... Three Waka arrive at th First Landing on Sunday evening. Pictures taken from the Sunset Bar at Vuda Marina.
In 2010, a number of these Waka, polynesian pacific voyaging catamarans, set off from various islands in the pacific re-tracing the grand voyages of centuries ago, the voyages that populated the south pacific. The red one is from Hawaii, the orange one from the Cook Islands..the yellow one, not sure. The pictures are from my 'phone camera, so not terribly high quality, sorry. I'll try to do better next time. We're settimg off towards Musket Covce later this morning, after filling up with diesel and paying the tally man Bruce the rigger at the top of the mast re-attaching the forestay. I can tell you that I'm sure weight increases with height !! It is really hard work hauling a fairly large fella up the mast on a winch....the first time I did it on a halyard winch and nearly had a heart attack !! Today I used one of the big genoa sheet winches but it was still hard work. Anyway its all up and connected at both ends, all the bearings are well greased and it appears to spin freely. Because we had to cut about 2 inches from the bottom of the stay, there's a new bronze toggle at the bottom and so the strop that goes on the top of the sail to prevent the top swivel wrapping the halyard around the stay, needs to be shortened. The strop I had, Bruce informs me, is made from 1x19 wire which is not meant to be bent around things, so he's making me a new one from 2x17 wire which is more flexible. That should arrive tomorrow morning and then I can hoist the genoa up the foil and wind it on to the headstay and we should be all set to go sailing !! After all the rain yesterday it was clear that we had a leak - the bedding in the aft bunk was damp at the foot - this happened before when I was in Tonga in 2010 and then it was the starboard genoa sheet winch mount was leaking. So off with the winch, usual stuff : fighting with nuts that won't turn, scraping off all the old sealant, cleaning everything, new sealant around the studs, base back on, grease all the winch internals and reassemble - let's hope it works, I can't see why it wouldn't, and if it doesn't the leak must be coming from somewhere else - only other possibilty is the screws that hold down the genoa track...that would be painful, lets hope that this is it ! About 4 o'clock, Ted and Peter came around with a couple of Fiji Bitter longnecks, to prise out of me information about sailing in the Yasawa Islands. I'd met them in the bar at the Last Resort (it's actually the First Landing Resort - but the Last Resort for some of us !). We looked at charts and Ted made notes about anchorages, reefs and sights to see .. all good...
So that's it for today ... I'll go to the market and the butcher tomorrow and then we should be set to go with Hannah and kyle on Monday. Cheers !! Arrived back in Fiji on Monday night to find DIVA clean, tidy and dry as usual, thanks to the care of Bharos the caretaker. Bharos makes a living from looking after boats in the marina for owners who have gone away. He is a lovely chap; honest, straightforward and always does his best to ensure that boats are secure, clean and dry - well worth it. I would recommend his services to anyone contemplating leaving a boat at Vuda Pt Marina whether in the water or in the graveyard. Yesterday, Bruce the rigger and I took down the forestay with a view to dismantling the furler to replace the broken spindle. I first noticed that the furler drum was riding up the headstay while trying to reef the headsail in a fresh wind last year. Earlier this year I investigated more thoroughly and came to the conclusion that the spindle had separated itself from the Sta-Lok firring at the stem head fitting. Sure enough that is what had happened as you can see from the photo, the spindle has snapped off just above the screw thread...its 316 stainless steel ! Anyway after a bit of foil and wire shortening, cursing and swearing with big hammers and spanners, and screws that refused to line up with their captive nuts, its all back together today and ready to go back up. Only problem is that it is raining and no-one wants to go up the mast to fit it until it stops raining and dries out a bit. So it will have to wait. Meanwhile I went to town this arvo and got a Vodaphone data dongle with 1GB of internet data for F$39 ! Also did some shopping in preparation for Hannah and Kyle's arrival on Saturday - will have to go again on Friday. Hopefully by then the rain will have stopped and we can get the forestay back on..... So, thats it for now. Cheers from Vuda Point. My daughter Hannah has passed all her exams and will, on Friday, receive her certificate to practise as a Veterinary Surgeon ! Hurrah !! 7 years is a long time to study; it's been hard, but she made it. I am so proud of her !
On August 6th I fly back to Fiji again ; on August 11th Hannah and Kyle fly up and we will sail to the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands over a week. They will stay another week at a resort in the Blue Lagoon and I'll take Diva back to Vuda Pt - again. Then back in September to prepare for the voyage to New Zealand. Cheers ! |
Archives
November 2013
Categories |