Did you know? (post by Bear)

Did you  know that out of the twenty+ types of paranhas, only five are carnivores?  The rest are vegetarians!The ones that are carnivores are scavengers mostly. They are not known to kill people.

We went to an aquarium in New Zealand. They gave a little presentation about all the fish in their tanks while they were feeding them. This is a Red Bellied Paranha. It is one of the vegetarians. All paranahs live in the rivers of South America. A paranah is one of the fish we did NOT see on our own.

Maybe 90% of the fish and other animals we've seen while snorkeling or diving in the ocean this year. 

We also did not see penguins on our own yet. (But we hope to because there are some in New Zealand.)

Home stretch

34 58 S   175 04 E

 

7 am Sunday Nov 7

 

After a partially bumpy night, the seas have once again settled down for our last 12 hours to Auckland.   We are running down the east coast of New Zealand about 40 nm off shore.    Every new landfall brings excitement, relief, and a sense of satisfaction, but today includes a lot of mixed emotions.  

 

Over 7 months ago we left Puerto Vallarta on a grand adventure.   By the time we tie up this evening, we will have logged over 8000 nautical miles, crossed an ocean, and had experiences we could not have even dreamed of.    In the next weeks we will take time to reflect back on this year, but one thing is certain - the dream lives on.    Stay tuned .......  

 

E

 

 

Back to reality

Saturday morning  31 17 S  175 33 E

 

Well, we had 36 hrs of smooth ocean bliss and time to wax philosophical.   Seems like King Neptune once again seduced us into thinking it was going to be easy.

 

A few hours ago we had a 180* wind shift with building seas and rain.  Nothing like a front to bring us back to reality.   Forecast is for 20-25kt on the nose with lumpy seas all the way into the barn.   Saddle up and hang on, cowboy.  330 nm and 36 hrs of fun.   Yeeeeeha!

 

Looks like we are back to ramin noodles and cookies.

 

E

Southern Cross

"When you see the Southern cross for the first time …"  or the next time. 

 There are nights at sea when all you want to do is see the sunrise.   Nights when you just hold on waiting for the next wave or blast of wind to shake your world.    You just want it to end.

Then there are nights like tonight.   There is no wind.   The Pacific lives up to its name.    The Milky Way blazes and is repeated in the surface of the sea.  The horizon disappears as sea and sky blend into one.   Any slight movement in the water, whether the slicing of the water as the boat drives forward or just the ripples on the surface set off a light show of pixy dust.    Countless microscopic critters glow and sparkle with the waters' movements setting off their bioluminescence.    

Everything is alive and glowing, yet all is at peace on the sea.   These are the nights sailors dream of.   This is why we bash into head seas and put up with hanging onto to anything within reach just to get a cup of coffee or make it to the head.

Tonight the Southern Cross is right in front of us near the horizon.   Yes, the autopilot and GPS are taking us straight south to New Zealand, but it is easy to imagine the early sailors following the heavens on nights like this.    

There is nothing around us that the sea doesn't provide.  No boats on the radar no distant lights.   As far as we can tell, there is not another person within hundreds of miles.  It is so dark that the slightest light from our boat can break the spell, so I dim down the instruments and turn off the running lights.   Now the world around us seems to explode with pinpoints of light in the heavens and deep into the sea.

Ahead are the distant guiding stars.   Behind us, our wake glitters and sparkles showing us we have been following a magic path.    Soon the first glow of the rising sun will break the spell.   Luckily, these are the nights we remember.

Day 3

24 05 S    176 27E

 

It is 7 am and Andy and I are 763 nm from Auckland.   Conditions remained the same through most of yesterday and overnight with 15-20 kt wind and 2-3 meter seas.   Not the best ride, but certainly not bad.   We have both adjusted to being at sea and the precooked meals Ann had sent are bright spots in our day.   Best part is we are averaging 9.5 kts toward our destination with a little current push.   

 

We have not seen another boat or ship since we left Fiji, however, we listen in twice each day to the HF radio nets and can talk to other folks on their way to NZ.    Last night we heard  boats we have been crossing paths with all season including, Freezing Rain, Stray Kitty, and Emily Grace.   Even though they are hundreds of miles from us, it makes it seem a little less lonely out here.

 

If our luck holds, we should arrive in Auckland Sunday evening NZ time.

 

E

 

 

1st morning at sea

20 17.9 S   176 55.0E

 

Our 1st 18 hrs at sea have been a rather rude reintroduction to life at sea.  The good news is our forecast has been accurate.   The bad news is the forecast still shows brisk wind and building seas for the next 24 hrs.   One prefers to ease into open ocean conditions gently, but as soon as we were out of the shelter of the islands of Fiji, King Neptune was waiting for us.   We had anticipated placid conditions since we had poured ample amounts of Kava into the sea the last few days in hopes of mellowing out Neptune.   Perhaps he figured out we were only dumping the grounds and sludge (stems and seeds?) from the brew we were preparing and is getting even.

 

Over night we had steady 20 - 30kt winds and 8 - 12' seas all on the port bow.   Sunrise has brought us some moderation, we were both able to get some sleep, and we are pushing Oso to shorten the trip as much as possible.   We are running at 1650 rpm and averaging around 9 kts.   This is only 1.5 kts faster than our usual more fuel efficient cruising speed, but it takes a whole day out of a 1200 nm passage.   I have reached for the throttle a couple times, but just can't make myself pull it back!    Rock on.

 

 

NZ here we come

Fiji  17* 40.9 S  177* 20.7 E

 

It is just after noon on Tuesday and we finally got through customs and immigration clearance.   Ann and Bear are off to a local hotel until they fly to NZ tomorrow, while Andy and I are getting underway.   The magic navigation box says 1150 nm to Auckland and the weather is forecasted to be OK for our passage.    The weather guessers say we should have winds in the 15 - 25 kt range and seas ranging 3 - 4 meters.   Not perfect, but not miserable,  either.   We intend to push Oso harder than usual on this passage and plan on running at 8 - 8.5 kts.  that should put us in Auckland in about 6 days.

 

Fiji has been a great place and we intend to be back here next year, after the cyclone season.

 

Eric