Position Report and other info UTC +12 Hrs (Auckland time)

Cut and paste the GPS location below into Google earth, you can place mark this position and follow our Progress. Should this page not be updating then updates may be occurring via Satellite phone on a text file

Wednesday, 13 July 2016, 1600 Hrs
36 48.6 S, 174 38.9 West Park Marina, Auckland NZ We are here, thank you to
all on board and back home for your help.

Tuesday, 12 July 2016, 1000 Hrs
Ready for the last leg from Opua to Auckland in the next few minutes. Down to 3
of us now as Phil and Peter bailed due to time restrictions. The Southerlies are
predicted to die off today and start moving East then to the North over the next
day or so. Expecting to arrive in Auckland at lunch time Wednesday. Will update
tomorrow and again some time after arrival.

Saturday, 9 July 2016, 0800 Hrs

35 18.8 S, 174 07.3 E, Opua Marina New Zealand. Well done all crew both on board and a big thank you to Duane the weatherman back on shore. Sorry for the late update as spent the whole Saturday looking for an internet connection after device failure. Will be updating the log summary with photo’s etc throughout Monday.

Friday, 8 July 2016, 1030 Hrs

34 22 S, 172 41 E, Yea Ha, 4 Nm due North of Cape Reinga. Currently a light Easterly slowing our motoring down to 4 Kts. After the low passed the wind started falling away to nothing overnight as Duane predicted. Hopefully he is wrong this time but doubt it when on the last forecast strong Southerlies / Easterlies are heading our way. Looks like we will need to change plans and clear customs at Opua and wait for improvement before completing the final leg.

Thursday, 7 July 2016, 1200 Hrs

Having difficulty sending and receiving Sat phn messages due to the heavy cloud cover. Will try again next break in the sky

1030 Hrs

34 23 S, 170 23 E, Still 120 Nm to the first Cape. It’s been a long night and looks like a long day ahead. Winds were up 30-40 Kts overnight and calmed a bit to 20-30 Kts this morning as the centre of the low reached us. Hopefully it will move away from us quicker than it approached. Talk about pissing down. DONT EVER BUY GILL WET WEATHER GEAR! Load of shit leaked since new, has the unique ability to suck the water straight to the bone. Add that to leaving the best pair of wet weather pants ever owned (Agile) on board the last boat and you could say I’m f@#!*&#g pissed off!

Wednesday, 6 July 2016, 1030 Hrs

33 26 S, 168 20 E, Wind NNE at 15 Kts, Course of 95 Degree M at 5.5 Kts. Expecting the wind to build through the day which may build our speed a little however the speed humps are currently slowing us down. All well on board looking forward to rounding the Cape probably by Friday afternoon / evening.

Tuesday, 5 July 2016, 0930 Hrs

32 43 S, 165 54 E, Another 370 Nm to the North Cape. Enjoying another day of drying out before things get hectic again. The barometer is still steady at the moment so taking advantage of pre preparing food and tying down loose stuff. Thanks for another few updates Duane. Tough call however to stay above 32 Degree South for more favourable winds in front of the change. Currently 30 Nm above the Rhumbline so another 40 Nm north will make it another 12 hours ish in the SW storm in order to get to shelter. Given our distance out it may be hard to call at this stage but any updates on the timing and the strengths of the East and NE wind and the strength and timing of the SW front will assist in determining just how far North we should stay.

Mackerel sky and mare’s tails make tall ships carry low sails

“This weather proverb originates from a nautical background when different cloud types were used to determine whether sails needed to be lowered. Also referred to as just a ‘mackerel sky’, it is associated with altocumulus clouds while ‘mare’s tails’ refer to cirrus clouds. Both could develop before the instance of a storm which would lead to the lowering of the ships sails. Altocumulus clouds appear when there is a certain level of moisture in the air suggesting rainfall is approaching. The term “mackerel sky” comes from the clouds resemblance to the the scales of the mackerel.” (UK Met Office)

Monday, 4 July 2016, 1030 Hrs

32 10 S, 163 29 E, Around 240 Nm from Lord Howe with 480 Nm to Cape Reinga ahead of us. We have been making good progress with 175 nm or an average of over 7 Kts in the last 24 hrs. Although this average will drop whilst under engine as we are for the next day and a bit, I expect we should be able to pass the cape sometime Thursday and hopefully beat the next front coming through. Thanks Duane for your detailed forecasts, we have been following the wind as suggested with a bit of Northing and a bit of Southing depending on the wind direction and strength to maximise our speed. All is well although the boat looks a bit like a Chinese laundry whilst all our cloths soaked from the dinghy ride are our airing. A couple of mobile phones are drowning in bags of rice hoping for a second life when we arrive in NZ

Sunday, 3 July 2016, 1030 Hrs

32 11 S, 160 23 E, Have made some 90 miles now from Lord Howe. Was quite difficult getting out of the lagoon with the seas still high but after some hours we were back in deep water. More interesting were the dinghy trips out to the boat trying to get on board. No one managed to get on board without being totally drenched. At least we know one of the life jackets self inflates when wet! All well now and settling in to routine as we run for NZ. By the way does anyone know who the Australian Prime minister is? Also Duane no the pic didn’t come through just an empty message, The phones mailbox was full so only rec’d your messages this morning when I deleted old messages. Will update in 24 hrs ish

Saturday, 2 July 2016, 1600 Hrs
Leaving Lord Howe on the evening tide. Earlier than expected but we need to get
ahead of the next low that’s about to form of the NSW Coast. Will update by
Midday our position each day from now.

Having a beer for an old mate!

Bic should have stuck to making Biro’s and Lighters

Thursday, 30 June 2016, 1600 Hrs
Anchored in the North Passage of the Lagoon. Expecting to depart again on
Sunday morning.
1000 Hrs
31 31 S, 159 00 E, Drifting off Lord Howe Island North Passage. Awaiting a
rising tide for entry into the lagoon. Police will be advising us on entry
time into the Northern passage as the Southern one could be susceptible to
swell with the next front coming.

Wednesday, 29 June 2016, 1000 Hrs
31 13 S, 157 02 E, Approx 100 Nm West of Lord Howe Island. Got underway at
around 2300 Hrs last night when the wind and seas had eased off to around
25 Kts. Currently close hauled and making East but having difficulty getting
south. Hopefully will get more south as the wind eases more. Thanks Dinah
and Philippa for your message this morning. We didn’t actually play any cards
but managed some rest whilst waiting.

Tuesday, 28 June 2016, 1200 Hrs
32 14 S, 156 10 E, POSITION UPDATE! To make dead reckoning easier for the
weatherman we are LYING AHULL from this position until the weather improves.
Drifting at around 4kts at 020 Degree M, wind at 30-40Kts from the South. We
were having difficulty making any Eastward progress so in the interest of boat
and crew safety have decided to reach for a pack of cards. Hopefully you can
update us from time to time on the position and direction of the low and or
trough.

0800 Hrs
32 44 S, 155 56 E, Course of 020 M. Wind Southerly at around 30kts.
Currently running downwind at around 8 Kts. Will try to put more east in our
course once over the northern end of the seamounts to our east in an hour’s time.
This will slow us down quite a bit as we have minimal sail up currently. Thanks
for the weather update Duane, unfortunately we will be unable to put much South
in our course probably until the worst of this weather blows through, I think
the best we can hope for until then is to go slow until it passes. All on board
are doing well however. Thanks Kevin for your message. Will update again tomorrow
weather and conditions permitting.

Sunday, 26 June 2016
1230 Hrs, Leaving Sydney for Auckland

Notes on Communication: – Please feel free to send SMS messages via your email
direct to the satellite phone on board. Simply click the “free” link shown on
the top of this page or type the address as 881631430767@msg.iridium.com
Its only a maximum of 120 Characters and you need to leave the subject or
message header blank

Position Report and other info UTC +10 Hrs Sydney time)

Cut and paste the GPS location below into Google earth, you can place mark
This position and follow our Progress. Should this page not be updating
then updates may be occurring via Satellite phone on a text file

Sunday, 7 August 2016, 1730 Hrs
33 39.4 S, 151 18.4 E, Princess St Marina, Newport. Venture’s new berth.
Better update with pictures in a few days

Tuesday, 2 August 2016, 1830 Hrs
32 43.1 S, 152 08.7 E, D’Albora Marina Port Stephens. What happened to the rocking?
1030 Hrs
32 08 S, 152 49 E, Around 7 Nm East of Cape Hawke. Only 120 Nm to Pittwater however
ETA unclear. May need to anchor at Port Stephens, Newcastle or Lake Macquarie
depending on timing of the weather and seas state. All going well

Monday, 1 August 2016, 1200 Hrs
Leave Coffs after refuelling and engine maintenance

Frantic

0800 Hrs
29 24 S, 153 29 E, 5 Nm Ne of Yamba, Making good time but will try to update
later as a bit bumpy and sun won’t let me see the computer screen. All is well

Sunday, 31 July 2016 1200 Hrs
27 27.5 S, 153 11.5 E, Departing East Coast Marina, Manly QLD for Sydney. First
stop fuel followed by a run down the channel to the Gold Coast. Update later
today and thence daily.

Position Report and other info UTC (+2 Hrs Athens time)

Cut and paste the GPS location below into Google earth, you can place mark This position and follow our Progress. Should this page not be updating then updates may be occurring via Satellite phone on the Posts page. You can contact us by sending an SMS (via email) To Satellite Phone. Please Note SMS is a maximum of 160 Characters and you need to leave the subject or message header blank

Wednesday, 25 January 2017, 1100 Hrs

Ready to leave Siracusa, Just waiting on Fuel which we have had ordered for days and the “Frontier” Police to clear us out. Went to visit their office this morning as booked but was told they would come to us. Hopefully we will be underway in an hour or so.

Saturday, 21 January 2017, 1630 Hrs

37 03 N, 15 17.4 E, Marina Yachting, Siracusa. Tied up Now the search for internet begins again. All well

1330 Hrs

37 02 N, 15 41E We have 25-30 Kts S-SW wind and are making around 8 kts on average of boat speed. This should increase our low average since commencing on Tuesday. I should have known not to think everything had been checked before leaving, Of course the 3 gas bottles on board were not full as assumed so fortunately one had enough left for coffee this morning however the part full one we had been using till now is empty. Anyway this lack of gas, time restrictions and a fuel top up means a stop in Sicily is on the agenda. Currently heading for Siracusa on the South East corner of the island with an ETA of around 3 hrs.

Friday 20 January 2017, 1330 Hrs

36 49 N, 18 45 E, wind NW at less than 10 Kts so still under engine. Unfortunately a lot more motoring than expected according to the forecasts. At least our average is starting to build after effectively stopping overnight Wednesday / Thursday.

Thursday 19 January 2017, 1630 Hrs

36 35 N, 20 55 E, Wind at 7 Kts from the west. Have been expecting a reasonable SE all day but so far it has not materialised. Fortunately the SW wind started to abate from earlier this morning.

Wednesday, 18 January 2017, 2045 Hrs

36 24 N, 22 22 E, Wind has built from 25 Kts and now gusting up to 35 Kts from the SW, a little too much to handle so after attempting to sail on greatly reduced sail we are now basically holding ground under engine. Very slow progress. Plenty of rain and even hail so a big thank you to Frank Eagle for his wet weather jacket. It’s the first time I have been dry for 6 years

1030 Hrs, 36 27 N, 23 13 E, Rounding the Cape Akra Maleaus and about to be heading west. It’s been relatively slow into light to moderate headwinds (5-15 Kts) since leaving Athens. We are expecting however the wind to start filling in from the South in the next few hours and building up to 20-25 Kts through the day so we should be under sail soon. All well on board.

Tuesday, 17 January 2017, 1600 Hrs

Underway now. The Port Police forgot about us so had to remind them we were waiting, anyway all set for around 1100 NM to Gibraltar. Will update every 2 days or so once out of range on the “Posts” Page.

1100 Hrs

Leaving Zea Marina, All last minute tasks out of the way and we are finally underway. It’s unlikely I will update before our next stop off as there are a few set-up issues with my new systems that just take too long to do when trying to get going. Text messages can be sent to the sat phn if required (above)

Monday, 16 January 2017, 1600 Hrs

33.94 N, 23.65 E, Zea Marina, Piraeus Athens. Provisioned and CLEARED CUSTOMS and the PORT AUTHORITY and are ready to go! A delay in receiving official registration from Australia slowed down the Greek Authorities in granting us clearance. I did expect it would take several days to prepare anyway so a wait over the weekend meant that it can’t be possible that we have forgotten anything (fingers crossed). As it’s not too far from sunset now we will be leaving in the morning to make use of a full day to sail / motor tomorrow. Will update on departure and proposed course then after a final weather check. All of us are very keen to start our adventure.

Notes on Communication: – Please feel free to send SMS messages via your email
direct to the satellite phone on board. Simply click the “free” link shown on
the top of this page or type the address as 881631430767@msg.iridium.com
It’s only a maximum of 120 Characters and you need to leave the subject or
message header blank

Wednesday, 8 February 2017 1030 Hrs

36 09 N, 05 21.3 W, Tied up at Ocean Village Marina, Gibraltar! Phew that was a long 160Nm. Managed to stay in close to shore for the secound 24 Hrs and out of the choppy seas and current. Will update soon but for now its chasing up work people and getting some sort of reliable internet. Why do the marinas claim this service but just cant deliver.

Tuesday, 7 February 2017, 1230 Hrs.

36 52 N, 04 00 W Just a few mile South of Malaga. The sea and wind doesn’t want Wind Sprite to leaves the Med. Have come in closer to shore this morning seeking some slightly more moderate sea conditions. Slow going as we are sailing twice as far at a slow pace. Short choppy speed humps limiting us somewhat. Looks like a Wednesday morning arrival now.

Monday, 6 February 2017 0400 Hrs

Leaving AquaDolce Marina. The wind has calmed about as much as we can expect so hopefully will be in Gibraltar in a little over 24 Hrs. Have managed to load lots of supplies for the next month or so just needing a top up of fresh foods along the way.

Friday, 3 February 2017, 1300 Hrs

Certainly has been a big shake down cruise since leaving Greece. A temporary fix on the sail drive seals has worked fine, will be getting the experts in Gibraltar to check and make the repair more permanent. While they are at it they can also take a look at some electrical / charging issues. A few other minor repairs are underway and will be taking advantage of this short (hopefully) stop over to commence provisioning for the long haul across the Atlantic. Provisioning here in Spain will be easier and cheaper than in Gibraltar. The westerlies should start to die off on Sunday evening so hope to get away then for an arrival in Gib on Monday. Will update once underway again.

Thursday, 2 February 2017 2000 Hrs

36 48 N, 02 34 W, Puerto Deportivo Aquadolce Marina. Update tomorrow, all well.

1230 Hrs

36 44 N, 02 14 W, Currently SE of Almeria, Spain. The wind is currently blowing at 25 + Kts from the West unfortunately with the seas building. There is only 180 Nm to Gibraltar which would be just a day sail in good conditions but the weather is not looking like playing ball with us. I am hoping that close into the coast the sea and wind will be more favourable but if there is no improvement in the next few hours its looking like a stop until this blows through will be prudent. All well on board

Wednesday, 1 February 2017, 1230 Hrs

37 12 N, 00 42 W, On the wrong side of the world again, passed the Greenwich Meridian. Currently sailing near Cartagena, Spain. Just turned off the engines after around 24 hrs. motoring again. We had issues with a warning light going off on one of the engines but seem to have solved the problem for now. The forecast winds look like hanging around for a bit longer than first thought. Only around 260 Nm to Gibraltar but could be slowed by the forecast conditions. Should be able to update most days from now.

Tuesday, 31 January 2017, 1230 Hrs

N, E, Around 18 Nm South of Ibiza, Light Southerly winds 10 Kts with full sail up, have been taking the opportunity to attend to a few household duties and maintenance whilst everything is calm and flat. A little over 400 Nm to Gibraltar now however on forecasts downloaded last time in range we will probably need to anchor on Thursday evening whilst a bit of a gale blows through. Heading to the Spanish coast to update our forecast and find a suitable anchorage whilst the storm blows through.

Monday, January 30^th, 1200 Hrs

38 21 N, 04 23 E, Approximately half way from Sicily to Gibraltar now, currently the wind is from the SSE at 15 Kts and making reasonable speed as its close hauled and the waves (speed humps) are limiting us a little. Forecasts show similar conditions with perhaps a more favourable wind swing to the south which should assist us. Have done a reasonable amount of motoring on one engine as conditions till now have been quite light. Looking forward to some consistent trade winds and warmer temperatures after the Canaries.

Sunday, January 29, All day

Happy Birthday Dinah and Jane Eagle!

Saturday, 28 January 2017, 1200 Hrs

38 49 N, 09 03 E Near the Southern tip of Sardinia. Made good progress overnight with the wind off the Port Quarter at 25-30 Kts. Expecting the wind to drop off and head us through the day before turning to the North. A few issues with charging currently but working through the solutions currently. Close enough again for telephone internet so making the most of a quick update.

Friday, 27^th January 2017, 0600 Hrs

37 30 N, 12 28 E, At the Western tip of Sicily about to head towards Sardinia. Just picking up the last of phone reception for a few days. The wind is now building after a light Australia Day under engine. Expecting to be sailing fully within a few hours and keep it up for several days. All is going well.

Thursday, 26th January 2017 AUSTRALIA DAY, 1230 hrs.

36 56 N, 13 51 E, Not sure what happened to the original post I put up here it seemed to have disappeared. Anyway followed the coast of Sicily in light conditions and celebrated Australia Day at happy hour. Bit colder than I’m used to, there were no prawns this year so the best we could do was lamb mince in our spaghetti Bolognese

Australia Day 2017

Wednesday, 25 January 2017, 1100 Hrs

Ready to leave Siracusa, Just waiting on Fuel which we have had ordered for days and the “Frontier” Police to clear us out. Went to visit their office this morning as booked but was told they would come to us. Hopefully we will be underway in an hour or so.

Wednesday, 22 February 2017, 1715 Hrs

Marina del Atlantico, Tenerife, Canary Islands  😕

1400 Hrs

28 30 N, 16 03 W, Approximately 10 Nm North East of Marina del Atlantico, Tenerife. We expect to dock in around 2 hrs and check in with the Port Authorities. Such a relief to be free of the Med’s winter with a gradual warming over the last days. Will update well after de-brief tonight but all went well.

Tuesday, February 21^st 2017, 1100 Hrs

30 05 N, 13 17 W. Under 180 Nm to landing, hopefully in daylight Wednesday. Although the seas have been up we are travelling quite comfortably. Update on arrival. All fine

Monday, 20 February 2017, 1100 Hrs

31 45 N, 11 41 W, Around 300 Nm from Tenerife now. Wind is from the North at 25 Kts so we are running fairly square and comfortably. Thanks for your messages Duane, yes it was wet, windy and a growing sea state but cant call it exciting as the squalls brought the wind more to beam. Had to slow the boat enough to give us a better attitude to the conditions.

Sunday, 19 February 2017, 1000 Hrs

33 21 w, 09 33 N, A bit wet today but making good progress, the first day out had NE winds to get us out of the Med and now with the squalls it’s gone a bit more westerly for now. Thanks for your update Duane ‘re the weather, Looking forward to a much improved average speed with these Northerly winds. Finally conditions which suit Wind Sprite better. All going well on board.

Friday, 17 February 2017, 0900 Hrs

Leaving Gibraltar for the Canaries. Further updates will be via Sat phn and appearing on the ‘Posts” Page. What a shame the only warm dry day here was the first day we attempted to leave before our starter motor problem. All well.

Thursday 16^th February, 1700 Hrs

Fuelled up.  Engines all running, starter motor obviously, so ready to go. Phew. Looking forward to the northerly air flow to send us south and into a warmer climate hopefully. Will leave now at first light and hope to be clear of the straights by the evening. Will update on departure.

Tuesday, 14 February 2017, 1700 Hrs

Well no hitches with the authorities clearing out for a change. Unfortunately we seem to have a starter motor problem however on one of the engines. Currently having it looked at but if its not a simple fix we will not be able to get fuel in a couple of hours and therefore need to delay starting until the problem gets resolved. Unfortunate in that its perfect weather wind wise and so far the only day it hasn’t absolutely bucketed down since out arrival.

1000 Hrs

Ready to leave in a few hours from now. The wind has died off finally and the wind is turning to an easterly which should help the waves / sea die down for our run South. Only a few things remaining to sort out before we leave such as duty free fuel and checking out / clearance. Will only update via the Satellite phone every couple of days from now but on current forecasts it looks good for being in the canaries within a week.

Sunday, 12 February 2017 1000 Hrs

Sorry for the lack of updates as we are basically waiting on the weather to blow through. Current forecasts show the winds easing on Monday and swinging to the North for a good run South. We have been stocking up on a few items and minor fixes for the last few days. Today, Sunday will probably see a lack of shops open so it looks like a good day to have off and go rockclimbing (despite the overcast conditions) Looking forward to Diana Joining me again for another trip and wishing Frank safe travels as he has left us and is preparing to leave Cape Verde islands for an Atlantic crossing as well. He is a couple of weeks ahead of us but we may catch up to him in the Caribean. Update ! No rock or monkeys as the rain just won’t let up.

Position Report and other info UTC (00 Hrs Canaries time)

Cut and paste the GPS location below into Google earth, you can place mark This position and follow our Progress. Should this page not be updating then updates may be occurring via Satellite phone on the Posts page. You can contact us by sending an SMS (via email) To Satellite Phone. Please Note SMS is a maximum of 160 Characters and you need to leave the subject or message header blank

March 9, 2017, 0900 Hrs

Tied up at the fuel dock (fuelled up also) Waiting for a berth allocation, thank you to the crew for another good trip

0600 hrs

Thursday, 2 March 2017, 1500 Hrs

Leaving Tenerife for Cape Verde Islands

February 28, 2017, Crew Change

Welcome aboard to Mia and Pawel.  Looking forward to seeing Simon again in a weeks time in Cape Verde. 

A big thank you to Paul and David for your help all the way from Athens to here. You have been fantastic crew and its been great fun. Hopefully you will join me again on another trip some time. Final preparations tomorrow before leaving hopefully in the afternoon or early morning.

Sunday 26^th February

Sorry for the lack of updates. Currently organising crew change timings so we are able to leave in a day or so.

Peter

Notes on Communication: – Please feel free to send SMS messages via your email
direct to the satellite phone on board. Simply click the “free” link shown on
the top of this page or type the address as 881631430767@msg.iridium.com
It’s only a maximum of 120 Characters and you need to leave the subject or
message header blank

Saturday, April 1 2017, 1500 Hrs
17 00 N, 61 46 W, Nelsons Dockyard, English Harbour. Customs and immigration sorted for now. A good crossing and will update when able over the next few days. Thank you Simon, Mia and Pawel!
Next leg will see me drafting a complaint to the telecomunications ombudsman, Bloody Telstra just stole $260 from my pre-paid account so fortunately there is a free wifi not too far away. Have been useing this modem travelling for years and instead of useing the additional international roaming pack (still intact) it used Australian data, don’t think i’m not P&$@)d off.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017 0900 Hrs
17 24 N, 55 45 W, Now Jusy 350 Nm to go to English Harbour, Antigua. Note the time change as we are now on -3 Hrs UTC on board. Currently with light SE winds now, for the first time since leaving Cape Verde we have the full sails up as the wind angle now allows us to. Acording to the weatherman this will drop out completely tomorrow so will be back under engine for the duration of the trip from then. (motored most of last night) Its a shame as we have only needed the generator to charge the batteries for the last 2 weeks saving a fortune on fuel. I was hoping not to top up again until Panama but will see once we arrive. All well and looking forward to our favorite foods if available when we land.

Sunday, 26 March 2017 1000 Hrs
17 32 N, 49 58 W. Under 700 Nm to go so we are past 2/3 rds of the way across the Atlantic now. Thanks Duane for all the weather updates, so yes a little bit light and directly behind but its very comfortable on board. I will see what I can find to rig up on the head-sail for the Pacific crossing. Murphy for sure will have it dead downwind making it difficult to run both sails (not really a bad thing safety wise but another knot or 2 would be an advantage). All well on board with supplies holding out well.
Thanks also Diana, yes the first Pod of Dolphins this leg showed up some 12 hours after your message predicting them. How did you know?

Thursday, 23 March 2017, 1000 Hrs
17 42 N, 43 31 W, We are now just over half way across the Atlantic. All going well, the first water tank has some amount of water remaining and we are still on the first of 3 gas bottles, so provided we continue being frugal there should be no issues with supplies. (food and diesel are still well stocked)

Wednesday, 22 March, 1000 Hrs
17 44 N, 41 08 W, Note Time change as we have put the clocks back one hour. Almost half way now should be some time on Thursday The wind is lightening off a little, thanks for your updates Duane all as forecast. Yes the hull will be due for a scrub in Port, at least the water will be warm and clean whilst anchored waiting for clearance.

Monday, 20 March 2017, 1100 Hrs
17 31 N, 36 37 W, Not quite one third of the way there yet. The good news is (touch wood) there should be enough gas for the duration. Hopefully we can make another 5 days without switching over the water tanks. Not wanting to sound like a “Nag” can be quite difficult when the scenery, sailing conditions and general day to day routines don’t change on a three week passage. Oh well I guess for now its “shut the bloody fridge”, “put the plug in the sink and wash all the dishes” and “don’t boil the FULL kettle”.

Sunday, 19 March, 1100 Hrs
17 58 N, 34 20 W, As the weather man keeps telling me ENE at 15-20 Kts. Finally however we are starting to get some blue skies and a good sunset. Its been very overcast and grey since leaving port so its great to see the sun. May get to see if the solar Panels work and reduce our charging hours.

Saturday, 18 March 2017, 1100 Hrs
17 09 N, 32 15 W, A little slower the last 24 Hrs as the wind has dropped slightly. A curious thing seems to be happening with our chartplotter as its log reading is less than distance actually travelled. Diana picked it up on the last leg and despite travelling in a straight line the log reads 95 Nm in the last 24 hrs when via the chart we have actually travelled overground 145 Nm. This can’t be current (yesterday would be 4kts if so) as we have no physical log in place and therefore should only be able to measure distance and speed over the ground. Anyway speaking of DIANA a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! I have no idea why you would want to spend it at home alone when you could be here with all your friends on board “Wind Sprite”

Friday, 17 March 2017, 1100 Hrs
16 58 N, 29 48 W, Just over 300 N from Mindelo so averaging over 6 kts currently. Forecast is more of the same trade winds (NE 20 Kts) for the next week or more hopefully. Its been quite overcast since leaving but thats probably a good thing keeping the temperature down. Anyway its only been 2 days so no signs of Cabin fever yet but early days of course. Will update in another 3 days.

Wednesday, 15 March 2017, 0700 Hrs
Leaving Cape Verde, Last minute filling tanks and grabbing some “Emergency Provisions” in case of delays or Fridge / gas issues underway. Made it a full day yesterday so leaving now at first light. Updates again in a couple of days.

Noumea to Mackay

Friday, 8 September 2017, 1600Hrs

Down tools, Marina needs booking into but customs and quarantine are done with us so we can finally venture ashore.

Thursday, 7 September 2017, 2130 Hrs

21 06.7S, 149 13.5E, Mackay Marina

1200Hrs

21 25S, 150 00E, 48nm to Mackay but who’s counting. Note the time change to AEST, I think that makes it time change no. 28 since January. Not sure if customs will clear us tonight or not but either way hope to be heading off as soon as they do for the last leg to Shute Harbour, Not quite as glamerous amongst the mangroves as HI Marina is but thats where Sunsail would like us to hand over “Wind Sprite” Shite Harbour it is!

Wednesday, 6 September 2017, 1300Hrs

22 14S, 152 11E, 180Nm still to go to Mackay, We only managed 90Nm made good to our destination with the angle the wind would allow us so around 25 Nm further travelled, painfully slow unfortunately.

Tuesday, 5 September 2017, 1300Hrs

22 42S, 153 41E, Around 260Nm to Mackay, hope to be able to make it during busiess hours on Thursday. The wind came in from the North last night right on the weathermans schedule which allowed use to make good speed under sail and give a good boost to the average. Its now gone a bit more westerly and expected to drop right out again, hopefully soon so we can point in the right direction. Next update when within reach of regular phone service.

Monday, 4 September 2017, 1300Hrs

22 24S, 156 04E, Under 400Nm to Mackay so around 450Nm to HI

Sunday, 3 September 2017, 1430Hrs

Engine on, sailing game over but don’t expect we can travel faster under engine, that never happens.

1300Hr

22 17S, 158 06E, about 550 Nm to go, thats to Hamilton Island. Slow going but at least today the wind has swung more east, albiet light. The current is also against us at the moment. We were unable to make a course far enough South for Bundaberg and now the distance to there is 50nm further than the mainland to the West. Anyway that means some dissapointed crew, sorry to Andrew and Dodo who were excited to join us there and appologies to Phil who wanted to get off there however its going to be just as quick to clear customs etc at Mackay.

Thanks again Duane for your update, it seems you were not on the farm this weekend? Its fortunate in a way that we did stop at Noumea for fuel (duty free as well) because we certainly didnt have enough to make Bundaberg based on your update. Currently we are making the most of the remaining wind in order to have sufficient for the last few days under engine. Hopefully the next update will be via regular internet.

Friday, 1 September 2017, 1300Hrs

22 36S, 161 45E, Still 535 slow and painful Nm to Bundaberg, wind S to SSW at 15-20Kts and I’m told thats until Sunday lunchtime. Was hoping to at least have good averages for the final ocean leg but its not to be.

Thursday, 31 August 2017, 1300 hrs

22 50S, 163 54E, Just on 640Nm to Bundaberg. Been hanging around in the engine compartment since 7am. I didn’t think my fuel consumption calculations or the fuel tanks under stated size. Turns out there was a blockage in the fuel filter causing the engine to cut out. Despite filter changes and bleeding crap from the fuel tank some must have still been in the system somewhere. Anyway last spare filter installed, fixed and running well now. Whilst rumaging around in the spares I found a block Doug bought for us before leaving Greece, happens to be the exact spec’s for the fatgued one that failed on the main Halyard. Next job.

Thanks for your updates again Duane. Sorry but we are already below 22 S as Noumea is also further South than that. Will continue pretty much Westerly but need to keep the hard fought Southing in the bank.

Tuesday, 29 August 2017, 1600 Hrs

Leaving Noumea, unable to find a suitable replacement block for the main Halyard so we will be using one or two reefs and have jury rigged a shackle until it can be replaced corectly. A few other small jobs as well as the critical fuel, gas and water.

Monday, 28 August 2017, 1430Hrs

22 16.7S, 166 26.4E, Port Moselle Noumea. Unfortunately we used way too much fuel looking for an anchorage to recover the main halyard, in fact one tank emptied whilst parking so despite doing everything possible not to stop it was inevitable. I Was prepared not to have any hot meals if the gas ran out (pre cooked and frozen 10 meals) Not sure how I would have enjoyed no coffee though.

Sunday, 27 August 2017, 1200 Hrs

22 07S, 167 55 E, Its around 40Nm to a passage amongst the reefs south of Noumea, currently with a light wind from the south east we will most likely sail through that passage and anchor amongst the islands to attempt to recover the main halyard from up the mast. All going well and provided the updated forecast still shows favourable winds we should be back into the Tasmam Monday evening pointed at Bundaberg.

Saturday, 26 August 2017, 1300Hrs

21 17S, 169 16E, Now its under 950Nm to Bundy, looking forward to the final turn to Starboard probably on Monday. A Large swell is coming from the North East, hopefully there is no low forming up near or beyond Fiji. Expecting to be under engine until Monday. All well.

Friday, 25 August 2017, 1500Hrs

Update

Oops, just as I’m about to hit send it appears the block on the mainsail halyayd has given way from the shackle sending the main to the deck. After Phil volunteered to try to retrieve it he managed to get quite a way up before showing off and swinging back and forth amongst the shrouds. Anyway that attempt has been aborted, based on the forecasts and having at least 48-60hrs of motoring ahead we have time to decide on sailing under Headsail alone (have done for a majority of downwind sailing so far) or perhaps anchor at the Isle of Pines or Noumea itself to remedy the problem.

1300Hrs

20 02S, 170 27E, Over half way now, 1092 Nm to go with 1145 Nm Behind, Yeah! Currently in light winds as expected from Duane s reports, we will probably be under engine for the rest of the weekend before getting some more (hopefully favourable) winds from early next week. Thanks for such a detailed report as well Duane, you have been spot on, your getting good at this !!

Thursday, 24 August 2017, 1300Hrs

18 58S, 172 07E, Around 1160Nm to Bundaberg so that’s about half way. The wind has gone a bit more easterly and dropped off from the 20-30Kts of 2 days ago. So since this morning we have had the main back up and are back on course. The weatherman tells us it will drop off further in the next few days and swing more east so we are expecting a good run until it drops out completely on the weekend.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 1300Hrs

17 09S, 176 17E, 600 Nm to the bottom of Noumea, making good speed but the seas are throwing us about a lot, SE winds at 20kts looks good on paper but add some sloppy waves puts incredible stress on the boat let alone me. Will be backing off now as fittings etc may start shaking loose under these conditions.

Monday, 21 August 2017, 1300Hrs

16 27S, 177 43E, Approximately one third of the way to Bundaberg now. There has been a little bit of rain around today so have now set up the water catcher again. Thanks for your messages Duane, I Hope you had a good extended weekend, please send my best regards to Sue.

Sunday, 20 August 2017, 1300Hrs

15 38S, 179 07 EAST, Yep on the right side of the world again, we have also adjusted our time to Fiji or NZ time so are now at UTC +12hrs. Back under engine since early this morning and currently running down the western edge of Fiji. Its 22 years since I visited the Yasawa island group which we will be passing very close to in the next 24hrs. Oh well next time maybe a revisit.

Saturday, 19 August 2017, 1400Hrs

14 40S, 179 09 W, The seas gradually dropped away allowing us to make speeds like we had hoped for.

Friday, 18 August 2017, 1400 Hrs

14 39S 176 43 W, Counting down (or up) again, 300Nm behind and 1900Nm ahead. The seas are up a bit on yesterday after having a southerly blow in for most of the night, but its now dropped back off and turning slowly more to the east. Not much else happening except a few dolphins yesterday. All well on board.

Thursday, 17 August 2017, 1400Hrs

14 38S, 174 43W, Had a fair bit of motoring overnight but currently under sail with a light Northerly. Hopefully this will last a while before the engine needs to fire up again as its a pleasant sail. Should we be able to maintain the current course we will probably keep to the North of Fiji as the weatherman suggests. The navigation will also be easier over the top. We definitely will however be making our way to the south of new Caledonia so as not to be caught with any winds south of SE to clear into Bundaberg. Also as Noumea is to the South its reachable should we need to stop for any unforeseen reason.

Hey Happy Birthday to Gemma!! Looking forward to you visiting OZ in October

Wednesday, 16 August 2017, 1400Hrs

14 04S, 173 02W Still not on the correct side of the dateline yet and just 84 nm behind us. Lots of rain overnight with wind at times but giving us a very varied course over the ground.

Tuesday, 15 August 2017, 2000Hrs

Underway, update in a few days. Australia here we come!

0900Hrs

Well I tried to get going over the weekend, Immigration assured me several times it would not be a problem so managed to clear out on Friday despite Phil not arriving in Samoa until Saturday night. Customs however would not have a bar of it so today in an hours time I will be back at customs for another attempt. Not much happened here in Samoa over the weekend, Sunday was Fathers day and absolutely everything has closed, yesterday Monday was a public holiday for the Fathers day so again nothing much happened. Will update again as we leave.

Friday, 22 September 2017 0930Hrs

33 51S, 151 13E, RSYS Pond. Thank you Tubby for your help on such short notice. Happy Birthday as well!

0800 Hrs

33 53S, 151 29E, 3 Nm from Sydney heads after making good progress with the assistance of a few knots of Current. Expected to be tied up in around 1.5 Hours

Thursday, 21 September 2017, 1000 Hrs

31 55 S, 153 00 E, 13 Nm SE of Crowdy Head. Making good progress under engine since leaving, around 100 Nm behind us with 150 Nm to Sydney. All is well.

Wednesday, September 20, 1600 Hrs

All set to leave Coffs Harbour

Tuesday, 19 September, Coffs Harbour Marina

Euphoria! Will be welcoming Tubby aboard soon.