French Polynesia to New Zealand

8/1/21

Our router has now given us a new waypoint (somewhere to aim for), which is much further north of the rhumb line. This is needed because there is a weather system developing to the north west of us which will travel across our route around the 12/13 January and we need to be behind it (to the north) to remain comfortable. In addition the forecast lack of wind has become a reality. So we are now traveling much more slowly and not directly towards New Zealand – bugger! In reality we knew this was likely to happen, but it is still a little frustrating. The plus side is that is now quite calm and flat – even the washing machine was on this afternoon. Everything is working well on board and we are both fit and well. We are in regular contact with the other two boats and although we are a bit more spread out now its good to know there are other vessels in the vicinity – we haven’t seen anything or anyone else since we lost sight of the other boats shortly after leaving Maupihaa.

DTG 1210NM
————————————————-
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original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

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to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
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from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
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less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

8/1/21

Our router has now given us a new waypoint (somewhere to aim for), which is much further north of the rhumb line. This is needed because there is a weather system developing to the north west of us which will travel across our route around the 12/13 January and we need to be behind it (to the north) to remain comfortable. In addition the forecast lack of wind has become a reality. So we are now traveling much more slowly and not directly towards New Zealand – bugger! In reality we knew this was likely to happen, but it is still a little frustrating. The plus side is that is now quite calm and flat – even the washing machine was on this afternoon. Everything is working well on board and we are both fit and well. We are in regular contact with the other two boats and although we are a bit more spread out now its good to know there are other vessels in the vicinity – we haven’t seen anything or anyone else since we lost sight of the other boats shortly after leaving Maupihaa.

DTG 1210NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

7/1/21

The last few days have been all about sailing fast and passing through a ‘trough’. We have had bright sunshine, reasonable but dropping breeze and then more squalls. Approaching the trough we were advised we would see a ‘squall line’ then it would be not such nice sunny weather. It was obvious as we approached. The sky went from pure deep blue to a horizon full of dark grey clouds! The squalls were as expected and once into the trough it was a bit dull and the wind started to drop. We have been advised by the router that as we come out the other side it will be time to ‘burn some diesel’.

DTG 1357NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

7/1/21

The last few days have been all about sailing fast and passing through a ‘trough’. We have had bright sunshine, reasonable but dropping breeze and then more squalls. Approaching the trough we were advised we would see a ‘squall line’ then it would be not such nice sunny weather. It was obvious as we approached. The sky went from pure deep blue to a horizon full of dark grey clouds! The squalls were as expected and once into the trough it was a bit dull and the wind started to drop. We have been advised by the router that as we come out the other side it will be time to ‘burn some diesel’.

DTG 1357NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

5/1/21

After an aborted start, we have made some good progress. An hour after leaving Maupihaa one of the boats that left with us had some technical problems so we both returned to the calm waters of the atoll to resolve them. It was one of those all to common situations on boats where one problem occurred then almost simultaneously a second occured completely unrelated. We returned for the first, discovered the second fixed that and set out a second time four or five hours later.

The first few days have been fast and pleasant, except for the frequent squalls that came past us often tipping down loads of rain and causing the wind to change direction rapidly and increase; we saw winds of 35 – 37 kts in several squalls meaning we needed to be alert to sail trimming. Squalls don’t generally last long – often just a few minutes, sometimes half an hour, then its back to normal.

We have settled into a fairly flexible watch pattern and are both getting enough rest.

DTG 1679NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

5/1/21

After an aborted start, we have made some good progress. An hour after leaving Maupihaa one of the boats that left with us had some technical problems so we both returned to the calm waters of the atoll to resolve them. It was one of those all to common situations on boats where one problem occurred then almost simultaneously a second occured completely unrelated. We returned for the first, discovered the second fixed that and set out a second time four or five hours later.

The first few days have been fast and pleasant, except for the frequent squalls that came past us often tipping down loads of rain and causing the wind to change direction rapidly and increase; we saw winds of 35 – 37 kts in several squalls meaning we needed to be alert to sail trimming. Squalls don’t generally last long – often just a few minutes, sometimes half an hour, then its back to normal.

We have settled into a fairly flexible watch pattern and are both getting enough rest.

DTG 1679NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

3/1/21 NZ time

If there was anywhere in the word to be ‘stuck’ during the Covid crisis, French Polynesia was probably the best. Throughout our entire stay the locals have been lovely, welcoming and they have made us feel very much at home. The climate is fantastic year round, the diving and snorkelling amazing and the area so large there is always plenty new to see.

The only two downsides of FP from our point of view is even without Covid, its a pain to travel between the UK/South Africa and FP and communication can be an issue. Many of the atolls don’t even have cell coverage, so trying to run a business from here is challenging to say the least.

We have been in FP for nearly two years – far longer than we ever intended but finally it is time to move on. We have been lucky enough to obtain an exemption to enter New Zealand – there are various criteria that have to be met but we now have our visas so are on our way. In many ways the timing is not ideal. We are in the middle of cyclone season so the 2100 mile journey (minimum) to New Zealand has to be timed and routed extremely carefully to keep us safe and for that reason we are using a professional weather router.

In anticipation of leaving we have moved to the most western atoll Maupihaa and have spent a stunning couple of days over New Year relaxing and preparing for departure. Maupihaa is extremely remote – they get a supply ship on average once a year so we had to provision and refuel in Raiatea before heading out to Maupihaa.

Although it is cyclone season, it is also summer in New Zealand so if we can avoid the cyclones we are likely to encounter some better weather in the second half of the trip than we would normally encounter if we did the trip outside cyclone season, but that means we are likely to do a lot of motoring so fuel is likely to be critical. Luckily we carry a lot of it, but even so like the other boats we we were buying up diesel cans and filling them at the dock in Raiatea to give us extra ‘reserve capacity’.

Having been waiting for about a week we have been given the green light to leave. There are two other boats departing with us – we all travel at different speeds so each will have their own routing as we head west.

So its goodbye French Polynesia and hello to two to three weeks of ocean sailing. Our routing is initially just north of the great circle route between Maupihaa and Opua, New Zealand, but that is likely to get revised regularly as the weather patterns evolve. It is going to be an interesting trip, and rather sad passing by many places that we had expected to stop at on this passage, but due to Covid we are not allowed to stop anywhere until we arrive in Opua.

DTG 2100NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association

French Polynesia to New Zealand

3/1/21 NZ time

If there was anywhere in the word to be ‘stuck’ during the Covid crisis, French Polynesia was probably the best. Throughout our entire stay the locals have been lovely, welcoming and they have made us feel very much at home. The climate is fantastic year round, the diving and snorkelling amazing and the area so large there is always plenty new to see.

The only two downsides of FP from our point of view is even without Covid, its a pain to travel between the UK/South Africa and FP and communication can be an issue. Many of the atolls don’t even have cell coverage, so trying to run a business from here is challenging to say the least.

We have been in FP for nearly two years – far longer than we ever intended but finally it is time to move on. We have been lucky enough to obtain an exemption to enter New Zealand – there are various criteria that have to be met but we now have our visas so are on our way. In many ways the timing is not ideal. We are in the middle of cyclone season so the 2100 mile journey (minimum) to New Zealand has to be timed and routed extremely carefully to keep us safe and for that reason we are using a professional weather router.

In anticipation of leaving we have moved to the most western atoll Maupihaa and have spent a stunning couple of days over New Year relaxing and preparing for departure. Maupihaa is extremely remote – they get a supply ship on average once a year so we had to provision and refuel in Raiatea before heading out to Maupihaa.

Although it is cyclone season, it is also summer in New Zealand so if we can avoid the cyclones we are likely to encounter some better weather in the second half of the trip than we would normally encounter if we did the trip outside cyclone season, but that means we are likely to do a lot of motoring so fuel is likely to be critical. Luckily we carry a lot of it, but even so like the other boats we we were buying up diesel cans and filling them at the dock in Raiatea to give us extra ‘reserve capacity’.

Having been waiting for about a week we have been given the green light to leave. There are two other boats departing with us – we all travel at different speeds so each will have their own routing as we head west.

So its goodbye French Polynesia and hello to two to three weeks of ocean sailing. Our routing is initially just north of the great circle route between Maupihaa and Opua, New Zealand, but that is likely to get revised regularly as the weather patterns evolve. It is going to be an interesting trip, and rather sad passing by many places that we had expected to stop at on this passage, but due to Covid we are not allowed to stop anywhere until we arrive in Opua.

DTG 2100NM
————————————————-
When replying please be brief, and also trim off the
original message from your response. Messages are
sent over a very low-speed satellite or radio link.

The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
to: 2ejh8@sailmail.com
If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
the original message text and these instructions
from your reply– which may only be a “…” at the
bottom of your reply.

Replies should not contain attachments and should be
less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
owners.

For more information on this service or about the
SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

SailMail Association