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Scott
UK
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 Posted - 28
July 2009
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Long distance cruising. |
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John bought a Tangaroa Mk1 from
my brokerage 7 years ago & is now on his second circumnavigation...
See
www.multihulls.uk.com/wharram/taraipo.htm |
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TARAIPO TALES ~ Tahiti – July 2009
Taraipo left Bocas del Toro under sail and
headed back to the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal, in the vain
hope of finding a solution to our mechanical woes. Without an engine we
were not going to achieve our dream of returning to the best cruising
grounds on the planet.
We find that manoeuvring without an engine is somehow less stressful
than with, probably because we spend more time discussing all the
options, before anchoring.
Sailing without engine from Bocas requires a careful current/wind
strategy, as the wind reverses (W to NE) about half way there. You have
to sail high, in order to finish on a reach, in the heading wind,
through the myriad ships anchored to windward of the harbour wall. All
shipping movements from 8 miles out are controlled by Cristobal Radio,
which dispatches pilots, and get ships moving on schedule, maintaining a
2 way flow of 42 ships per 24 hrs, every day of the year. Yachts are not
a nuisance as they can sail outside the channel edges, and tend to be
moving at a brisk pace pushed along by a strong onshore wind! There is
lots of space inside the 8 mile long breakwater, plenty of wind and no
current, for anchoring under sail. But the next 48 miles have to be
completed under power at a minimum speed of 5 knots. We did not have a
lot of luck in our efforts to repair or replace our 30yr old engine. We
considered craning out and trucking Taraipo across the isthmus, but were
saved in our dilemma by the arrival of Andre and Babette, of the
catamaran 'Atsani', last seen in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 2 years ago,
who offered to tow us through the canal. This, the Panama Canal
Authority allowed us, exceptionally to do, upon payment of a US$2000
buffer, which would be refunded if we did not screw-up in the locks and
halt the worlds shipping. Part one of the exercise is to enter the first
lock in the dark, with the wind from behind, together with a large ship,
a tug and another yacht, and lots of adrenaline flowing. We all passed
that test. Each yacht is provided with an ACP 'adviser' and must have 4
line handlers. By midnight we are moored up in the silence of the Gatun
lake, with monkeys and crocs for company. At 3 pm next day we exit the
last great door into the tidal Pacific. Hugs all round, we made it, free
once more, to enjoy the wide ocean. The Flamenco anchorage was mobbed
with yachts, frenetically loading up for the long passage to Polynesia.
In the company of new found friends ashore, a lawyer, hotel owners, a
gold dealer and a canal pilot, I remembered what a stress life is in the
city. Especially when violence is so ripe.
Panama is maybe the only country in the world that welcomes retirees.
Everywhere else but home, we are only allowed to stay a maximum of 6
months. We are usually ready to move on by then anyway, but one day we
will, have to stop, somewhere warm.
Being engine less, means waiting for the right wind to,
a) escape the harbour entrance.
b)to keep going forwards, once offshore.
Light airs are the most difficult to handle, especially when sailing in
the dark, which is 50% of the time on the Equator.
We stopped in 3 of the Perlas islands, hoping to beach and anti-foul,
but failed, there was too much swell for comfort.
Not being of a touristic bent, we made an efficient technical stop in
the arid Galapagos. We were welcomed by giant turtles in the calm early
morning.
We had a great stopover, a nice welcome from the Navy Port Captain who
gave us the option of a quick turnaround (36hrs) gratis, or the full
check-in procedure and National Park fees total US$300. We bought
wonderful cabbages and potatoes unchilled, therefore longer lasting, and
quality fresh water.
I had a medical check-up at the Naval hospital for a suspected hernia
(US$12) We had a great lunch for $1.25 each, ice creams, Internet
access. We had two calm nights at anchor, followed by a gentle 24hr
sail, out through the islands. We were accompanied closely for, an hour
by 2 whales, 35' 'black submarines' with small dorsal fins, sometimes
charging from behind, sometimes blowing bubbles beneath us, and
'blowing' every 4 minutes. Scary but we got loads of pictures. An
aggressive shark bumped our rudder, and we witnessed maybe 100 dolphins
circling and massacring tuna. A week later we had our last surprise
contact with Ecuador. At midday in the middle of nowhere we see a 120'
tuna boat, Nicole radios him. He replies 'habla espanol? Nicole 'si' and
'save some fish for us'. The next thing you know, they have launched a
bright yellow speedboat to deliver 2 enormous Kingfish or Wahoos, and a
message from the Captain, plus email address for Nicole. Ah ha! Then
there is an 'ola' on channel 16 and an invitation to Manta. What a girl
has to do to feed her captain, as well as tending her lines and
replacing lures, stolen by snarling sharks.
I studied avidly the Pilot Charts but did not get it right. Last time
around, I went to the Marquesas and can remember only, wall to wall
sunshine and steady 'trades'. This time we headed for the Gambiers, the
weather turned bad south of 20 degrees, and stayed that way all the way
into the mythical Mangareva island. We crossed the barrier reef at dawn,
and threaded our way through the volcanic islands and coral reefs, into
the most sheltered anchorage in the Pacific, to anchor in 36', only 150
metres from the village shore. The Gambiers (23 degs S), are almost as
far south as Easter Island. The water is bright turquoise, but 'cold'.
It is 2 months since we left Panama, but what a welcome, Hans and Houki
from 'Ontong Java' regale us with fresh grapefruit, and avocado picked
in the jungle, and Claudia from 'Tao' with bananas. We are going to like
this place. We stayed for 6 weeks, snookered by the weather and enjoying
the island, its people, and the company of other yachts caught by the
unseasonal weather, very wet after a 3 month drought. We are at the end
of the earth, only 1250 people live here, they have 2 planes a week and
a ship from Tahiti every 3 weeks. No doctor, emergency evacuations can
only take place in daylight. No fishing in the lagoon, the fish are
poisoned with ciguatera, subsequent to the nuclear testing at Mururoa
250 miles away. There is a black pearl farming industry and plentiful
subsidies, which really skew the economy, evidenced by the many shiny
4x4's, mopeds and aluminium houses imported in kit form from France. We
witnessed lots of Polynesian drumming and dancing, as the local troop of
40 prepared for the annual championship in Tahiti.
Paddling hi-tech outrigger canoes is a popular pastime, which mainly men
and boys, out training round Taraipo at dusk each day. The best will
compete in the all Polynesia champs, where the Honolulans and Tahitians
dominate. |
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Photo: Joseph collects a piece of Nicole's frying pan
baked chocolate cake.
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On the technical side, we lowered the mast,
to fit a new LED masthead light and repair a broken, stainless chain
plate. Eureka, after 5 years trying, I am now able to receive at sea,
weather faxes and wind/wave forecasts for 24, 36 and 72hrs, thanks to
Gunther on 'Tao' repairing our new NASA SSB receiver.
We had a great day out sailing Hans's mega 72' ethnic cat, trailing over
coral reefs hanging in the water from the fore cross-beam, swimming with
sharks, spear fishing for the barbecue and swopping Wharram yarns. His
boat is awe inspiring in her simplicity powered by a single claw rig. He
navigates by Google earth, that is to say he has a small scale chart and
researches on Google, likely anchorages to gunk hole in, and uses a
highly experienced, MK1 eyeball, to find his way in. I will stick to my
piles of photocopied paper charts, laptop plotter, MK1 eyeball, Polaroid
lenses, depth sounder, lead line and 2 GPS's .
We finally got away from Akamaru with a 4 day 'GRIB' window of south
easterly Trades. Off we set, trying to escape north of 20 degrees,
towards Hao atoll, then turning east for Tahiti . We threaded our way
out of the Tuamotu atolls gently, downwind, in flat seas, sailing
slowly, 3 knots, catching fish, having a swim, having fun, Why is it
that the last 200 miles of any trip are such a challenge. NOAA forecast
that a cold front from, New Zealand, would reach Tahiti, to give us bad
weather, wind on the nose and 3 metre swells. If you want to get away
from it all, this is the place we saw no yachts, no ships, and no humans
for 11 days. What peace, what a privilege. The last leg we sailed in
sight of Tahiti under spinnaker only, 12 hrs in daylight, and 12 hours
of bright, equatorial moonlight, at about 2 knots!
I guess that if Captain Cook had had the same conditions, as he
approached Venus Point, the crew would have been towing 'Endeavour' with
the rowboats in this heat, 30°C. In the night the wind dropped below 5
knots and turned against us. This meant that we were on a lee shore with
half a knot of current and swells coming from behind and pushing us
toward the fringing reef. A ticklish situation. If you luff too hard you
become beam on to the current and loose apparent wind. If you bear away
on to a run, idem, and you loose steerage. It is a juggling act to keep
her in the light air groove at night, and avoid drifting into the
breakers.
NB. To keep the spinnaker under control we have, a 1.50m tack strop with
snap hook on each bow), and 2.0m barber haulers, with bullet blocks at
beam No1. The continuous sheet runs from the clews, through turning
blocks about 2m from the sterns, then onto the sheet winches. Beware,
wind generators eat spinnakers!
I may need a hernia operation here. If we
are allowed to stay in French Polynesia for more than 6 months we'll
haul-out, and give 'T' some 'LC' If not, maybe NZ, maybe AUS will be our
exit points from the cyclone belt.
JJ Tahiti 22/7/09 |
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Topic ~
John
Jameson, still sailing