Arrived Safe -Any yachts currently on passage westbound to Marquesas?

[Serica]

Recon that 12.50 local time 13th February 2019 counts as end of passage

[Midnight Son]

Hope he has one for all his YouTube followers.

[bobnlesley]

Never in doubt that the old bugger would get here - I owe him a beer.

Perhaps a bit of right-hand/left-hand miscommunication though? As Barry's sister, or perhaps it was another of Barry's cousins? reported via his Facebook page just a couple of days ago that:
Barry had spoken to a French Naval aircraft by VHF radio, was close to the Marquesas but going slowly due to steering and a mast problem, but definitely not short of food/water, in no danger nor in need of any assistance.

I just hope he can find room at the inn on completion of his journey: There are severe anchoring restrictions inside Atouna harbour due to dredging works and the anchorage outside'll have him rolling like a pig; then again after two months at sea he'll be used to that by now. A bigger concern might be that it's a good two mile walk to the nearest bar!

[picklesandjesse]

Originally Posted by bobnlesley

Never in doubt that the old bugger would get here - I owe him a beer.
A bigger concern might be that it's a good two mile walk to the nearest bar!

He could probably get there but not back !! But would he care ???

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

He could probably get there but not back !! But would he care ???

After a trip like that I can assure you that he’ll be able to get to the bar. All else is irrelevant

[JPA Cate]

I'm so glad this one has a happy .... continuing.

It was different times, of course, when we made landfall in Atuona, but our 2nd time, we and some Canadian friends took our ice cream spoons in our back pockets, hiked into town from the bay, and bought a tub of ice cream, and had a dip delight, ice cream festival, sitting on someone's wall not far from the store, with local kids staring at us, listening to our babble. Landfall was good!



PS: if there is ever a need for a "Sticky", the easiest way to get it is to report the post that made you think such was needed (the little red outlined white triangle on the bottom left with an "!", and explain the situation. One of the mods will get on it soon thereafter.

Ann

[Serica]

Originally Posted by bobnlesley

Perhaps a bit of right-hand/left-hand miscommunication though? As Barry's sister, or perhaps it was another of Barry's cousins? reported via his Facebook page just a couple of days ago that:
Barry had spoken to a French Naval aircraft by VHF radio, was close to the Marquesas but going slowly due to steering and a mast problem, but definitely not short of food/water, in no danger nor in need of any assistance.

Exactly the same info was posted to this thread at same time as FB see page 3 post#45 of this thread

Really grateful for all the concern and supportive comments from everyone

Malcolm

[Serica]

Originally Posted by bobnlesley

I just hope he can find room at the inn on completion of his journey: There are severe anchoring restrictions inside Atouna harbour due to dredging works and the anchorage outside'll have him rolling like a pig; then again after two months at sea he'll be used to that by now. A bigger concern might be that it's a good two mile walk to the nearest bar!

Thanks Bob for that info,

Looks like he has found somewhere reasonably close in , but yes he will be used to rolling, how he will walk upright will be the big issue....

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I'm so glad this one has a happy .... continuing...

What an apt & lovely turn of phrase!

[bobnlesley]

Originally Posted by GordMay

What an apt & lovely turn of phrase!

My thought too Gord; let's steal it for next time

[denker]

Originally Posted by Serica

Thanks for that, I don't know but personally doubt if he took any type of watermaker. There has been quite a lot of rain in the forecasts, so I would hope but don't know that he would have been successfully collecting water as he did in the Atlantic, if he needed to supplement his water storage. A formal contact is being made with Falmouth coastguard tomorrow. I have not been able to get a satellite fix on his AIS transponder for around 48 hours now.

Watermakers & the Rain. A passage to the Marquesas

I & my wife & our three children aged 10 , 7, 4 did a crossing from the Galapagos to Nuka Hiva in the Marquesas in May 2003, in a 36ft Dean Catamaran S/V Sunset Sailor and had thought of the need for a watermaker for this particularly long passage or leg, in our larger sail from the East Coast of Africa to Australia.

But decided NOT to install a watermaker as;

i) a boat that left ahead of us from Panama, reported back that his watermaker had failed on route to the Easter Island, and not only that he had no future making water capability, but the failure of the water maker had contaminated ALL his back up water supply!

Because of this the dear man, a single handed sailor, was in severe strife.

So this implied for us, that if we did install a watermaker, we'd have to still lug the 300 litres capability of our boat, and have to be sure that the plumbing from the water maker would be contained. i.e. a separate system that could be tapped into the normal tanks, ONLY once it was known the water the water maker produced was pure.

ii) Our by then 8,000 Nms journey had almost always guaranteed a steady water supplement to our rain catching setup. A system rigged up off the cockpit's extended Sunbrella bimini. Our passages across much of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the repeated crossing of the Caribbean were almost always with tanks reliably 100% topped up.

iii) Awkward but lesser considerations - space on board, the unlikely use of the watermaker after one passage, the cost, and at that time the effectiveness of the newish technology.

We sailed a plotted path a good few degrees south of the ITCZ, hoping to catch the best wind & currant.

Once out of Galapagos it never rained again.

Ecuador's harbor master sought to bribe us, (as they did in Brazil & Panama - as they do) in the standard variation of the Latin American fickle rort, and this caused a good few days wasted in delay in Santa Cruz. We anticipated ordered parts from West Marine, and our friendly Harbour Master pretended that these goods were being held up in Quito, for duties.

All that was needed was some dollars "Ha ha f*cking ha ha!" Dollars for his back pocket!

Days sadly we did not retop up our water tanks! My ire and anger clouded my natural caution.

So just over 21 days out we discovered that the galley tank's hand pump had failed! I disassembled the pump, and checked all its seals, and its function, and it was okay.

"We had no water!" one of our 150 litre tanks was dry! We had no idea how much remained in the other.

As we expected to reach Nuka Hiva within ten days, and we knew that besides whatever unknown quantity of water was left in the 150 litre shower tank, that we had two 25 litre jerry cans tied to the rail. We checked. We tasted that water, and it was good.

Yet we did have some likely disaster at hand!

We planned as follows; We emptied every thing that was fluid from the holds. Not much really, but we did had some beer and wine.

As we had 50 litres known good water tied to the rail with ten days - so each morning we measured out exactly 5 litres (pumped from the shower tank), and that would be our ration for the day. Water to drink, cook, shower, and wash dishes, amongst the five of us. One litre each.

Before bed, we'd open two beers, and share that with the kiddies. Something my youngest, then only four, tells today with some delight. And then supper was to include whatever canned soups we still had aboard. Even baked beans, and canned vegetables - anything canned with liquid was immediate put to the next suppers & meals.

It would rain almost daily - tanatlising scattered showers - but rain that would never fall over our boat. So every time a rain cloud appeared, I'd read its distance away on our radar, and then I'd try sail an intersecting path.

But it was impossible to gauge, and so, despite a rather zig zagged plot, we caught no further water at all!

... and on that somewhat parched basis we did reach the Marquesas 10 days later!


-----

The cruel irony was on entering Huka Hiva a massive cumulus cloud structure loomed up over the island, and just as we were about ready to enter in the harbour channel it began to pour, and pour! Our visibility was so restricted that I set out to safer sea, and we had a good few hours of absolute deluge hoved too and waiting for the rain to go!

So we arrived in Huka Hiva with both tanks overflowing.

Oh how the Gods will tease...

------

If I remember correctly the current at the equator running almost due West sets at about a knot, sometimes more.

So a drifting yacht will do about 30 Nms a day. I am not sure if that is a comfort to you Serica?

There where 5 thirsty uses rather a solo or single handed sailor.

66 days is a very long period for that passage. The faster cruisers will make the passage in 20 odd days!

I do hope he stocked way, way more beer than we ever did. As a cat, I liked to sail with the least tonnage, over say that of a full displacement mono.

I don't know?

[denker]

Serica glorious news!

Goodness ! He has arrived safely!

Wonderful.

How bloody thirsty he must be!

[GordMay]

Greetings and belated welcome aboard the CF, denker.
Thanx for a great narrative!

[Stormsignal]

Bloody fantastic news
As an avid follower of his YT channel I had just 2 days ago thought of the old sea dog.
He has been such an inspiration to me at 57 going on 58 and only now about to acquire a vessel to emulate his odyssey.
That his family so correctly expressed their concern is further testimony to the love Barry engenders in others.
He is a hero to me and so many of his YT fans and it is fantastic to hear that he has arrived at last.
All the best to him, his family and friends.
Long may the great adventure continue.

[Mare Nostrum]

So glad to hear that Malcolm arrived safely and happy! I'll bet that he had a memorable case of "land sickness" after those 70+ days at sea!! Anchoring out in the roll was probably more comfortable than in the calm of the harbor.


Really enjoyed everyone's comments and expressions of concern and companionship. Cruisers Forum is just the cool place to be!!