We started out from New Caledonia headed for the Chesterfield Reefs on a clear and sunny Tuesday morning and were at the fuel dock ready for refuelling by 7:30am (a record for us!) The minimart here was our last chance to spend those pesky Polynesian francs so we stocked up on a Baguette, drinks and chocolate for the passage and then downed some icecreams for breakfast while we waited for Verena to fill up. The wind was light so with some main and headsail out we motored our way out of the barrier reef surrounding New Caledonia into a small swell. The motion was very comfortable and the sun was shining so the mood was good as we headed on. That night I tackled the early morning shift from 4am till 8am and watched the sunrise over a clear horizon. The next day was more of the same with clear sky and slightly stronger winds so we were able to make good progress under sail. When I awoke for my morning shift on the second night however I was welcomed into the world of downwind rolling as the boat rolled from side to side with a sickening motion. Still it wasn’t too bad and we made good speed with the stronger wind.
On the afternoon of the third day disaster struck and our headsail got stuck furled halfway as the ropes got tangled around the furler. Alfred and I went forward and manually tried to pull the ropes unstuck but only succeeded in making the problem worse. We were unable to pull the headsail either side and hence couldn’t sail so we sat helpless watching the brand new sail flapping away as the winds steadily increased. Night fell and images of the sail in shreds in the morning encouraged us to think of solution after solution for the problem but all to no avail until eventually Alfred thought of taking a halyard and manually pulling it around the sail so the flapping would cease. A good idea in theory but unfortunately the halyard got tangled around the furler and created a second problem which could only be solved by going up in the bosuns chair to the top of the mast and untangling the rope which was simply impossible in the current 4-5m seas and strong wind. Murphy’s law struck and it was within hours that our first problem of the tangled headsail ropes fixed itself and if we hadn’t manually tangled the halyard up the top of the headsail we would have been sailing free! As it was we now had a partially furled headsail but at least we were able to sail. After concentrating on untangling the ropes at the front of the boat the swell finally got to me and I had my first up and under that night over the side of the boat. It’s an initiation for every sailor though and I wouldn’t be happy if I made it halfway around the world without sharing my dinner with the sea occasionally.
In the meantime we knew that we had to somehow furl the headsail in as even though we were able to sail if we were hit with really strong winds we had too much sail out and some real damage could be done to the boat. Our first thought was to get in behind the protection of the reef and then pull Alfred up to the top of the mast to untangle the problem. Minor hitch in this theory was that it involved SAILING through an uncharted reef with someone stuck up the top of the mast with no way of stopping the boat if a big coral head reared up in front of us. So after sailing in circles outside the reef all night to ensure we entered the entrance through the coral in daylight we decided to sail on to the Louisiades. A further four or five day sail so the kids were not happy but we had little choice in the current conditions.
2 days later the winds calmed down a little and Alfred came up with a solution to our problem. We simply had to jibe which meant the sail wound itself around the furler and then manually walk up the front of the boat pull one of the ropes around the right way and then jibe again. A further 28 jibes later and our sail was furled although Steffie and I now have enough experience to be America’s cup grinders after all that work on the winches!!
So that was enough excitement for our passage. The weather was now noticeably hot and humid with between 28 degrees and 35 degrees and a humidity of between 80 and 90%. After five or six days passage life becomes a normality as your body regulates itself to the shifts and the constantly moving boat. The last three nights I was able to read and watch dvds on shift which was a vast improvement. One of my favourite positions is sitting up the front in the bow seat no matter what the swell and feeling the boat rise and move over the waves underneath you. Completely alone with only the noise of the sea around you and the flying fish flying out of the water as the bow slices through the waves – its really something special. Am I one of the luckiest girls in the world?
