East Cove, Deal Island
Sunday 26 January 2020 (Australia Day)
Australia Day dawned with the good ship Chimere rounding Wilson’s Prom lighthouse, the crew of six having shared three-hour watches through the night. And what a beautiful night it was.
What the sky lacked by way of a moon, it more than made up for in stars. Individual stars, clusters of stars and misty clouds of stars … all hanging above us on that black velvety background.
Wind through the night was variable and at times non-existent, requiring us to fire up the engine most of the time, with our speed averaging around 6 knots (approx. 10-11km/h)
Before departing yesterday, Jorge (pr Hore-hay) did amazing work getting the satphone operational, with fully functioning weather forecasts, email and texts … plus voice.
This will be invaluable in enabling us to plan our route, avoiding future adverse conditions, as much as possible. As it stands, the forecast appears very favourable for 5-7 days, which is an amazing lessing, given what has been dished up over the past few weeks.
Once we were clear of the Nobbies and had set a SE course down the coast I went to bed for a break. The roster saw Jim start out till 9:00pm, Gee till 12 midnight, Jorge and Jodi till 3:00am, John from 3:00 till 6:00, with me “floating and available” to assist with sailing and engine activity; to match the changing conditions throughout the night. This involved sometimes sleeping in the cockpit and sometimes in my cabin,
Sharing the load meant that we each obtained a generous amount of sleep, made even more pleasant as a result of the calm seas; the noise of the engine being easily endured.
A brief anchor-stop at Refuge Cove broke things up a bit, but by 8:30 we were off again, this time south east in the direction of Deal Island in the Kent Group.
Whilst not directly on an easterly course to New Zealand, Deal Island is a beautiful place I was keen to share with the crew, with only Jim having been there once before.
The calm start under motor soon gave way to a rollicking ride at speeds of up to 10 knots assisted by a 20 knot westerly breeze over slight seas, resulting in us having to reef both the mainsail and jib
By 4pm we were dropping anchor in East Cove, Deal Island, soaking up the sunshine, along with the magnificent surroundings.
Having been “cleared out” (of the country) there was no opportunity to go ashore, but even if we did, both dinghies were firmly lashed to the deck. Which would have made it a long drawn out process to launch it over the side.
With each crew member becoming more familiar with Chimere and her ways, each contributing in their own unique way, there was a real feeling that an effective team was starting to come together. Stories were being shared, vulnerabilities exposed and encouragement given at every opportunity.
After just one night and day at sea, it’s pretty safe to assume that a “6 O’clock Sundowner Routine” might have been established. This involved the ringing of the ship’s bell – not something done lightly – and everyone gathering in the saloon to tell stories, have a drink of our chosen beverage, prepare for dinner, and bring up any “issues” or “gripes” … none of which have emerged yet.
Special mention at this point must go to Jodi, ably supported by Jorge, for the preparation of last nights – and tonight’s – dinner. Whilst tonight’s feast was brilliant, the thing that stood out about last night was that it was available in a big pot, for each person to dish out their own as they came on watch. The sign on the top indicating there was also a vegetarian version in a separate bowl.
The total distance covered so far has been 158 nautical miles, and after watching a film in the saloon together after dinner, everyone has now gone to bed – John and Gee each also enjoying a hot shower; not together you understand!
Tomorrow we set sail in earnest for New Zealand. The weather forecast enabling us to effectively draw a straight line on the chart to Picton and go for it.
Smooth seas fair breeze and the “weather window” is now open.
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 