Hunter 40.5

[jackdale]

Very nice.

[Jim Cate]

Well done, Dennis. Sounds like a good passage, and that your new boat didn't fall off the end of the world like most Hunters do! Must be your good navigation skills...

Enjoy the Marquesas... still one of our all time favorite places.

Cheers,

Jim

[bobconnie]

I agree, I will sail a few hundred miles nore to be more comfortable, and make it easier for every watchstander to sail the boat!! Its never a race unless your racein LOL

[dennisail]

I finally updated my blog if you want to see some pics. We will be heading for the Tuamotus tomorrow.

http://knottyladypacific.blogspot.com/

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by dennisail

I finally updated my blog if you want to see some pics. We will be heading for the Tuamotus tomorrow.

http://knottyladypacific.blogspot.com/

G'Day Dennis,

Take as much fresh fruit as you can -- the locals in the atolls will love you!

Enjoy yourself, for it is a special part of the world.

Cheers,

Jim

PS Watch out for ciguaterra in the fish -- it is very common there, and it ain't fun!

[dennisail]

Hey Jim. We are stocked to the eyeballs with fruit! Seeing the Tuamotus on google earth is what inspired me to do this trip.

[JBH]

G'day Dennis,

Great to hear your enjoying the trip. I've been following your boat purchase and travels on the forum and your blog. What sailcloth did you end up with for the code zero?

Keep the information flowing as I hope to do a south pacific trip next winter from Aus - Lord Howe - Norfolk - SP Islands - Aus

Safe travels,
Jim

[dennisail]

Hey guys. We have internet again in North Fakarava. We dived with the sharks in the south pass and stayed a week and Tahanea beofore we got here. I will update the blog over the next few days.

I honestly cant recall the type of cloth my code zero is. I know it is not the usual 1.5oz. I think its 2.7oz. I think its a type of nylon, but its crinkly and stiff, not soft like a spinnaker. Ask dave from island planet. I am glad it was made in this rather than the 1.5 it was supposed to be made with. IMO this would have been much too light and I would have blown it ages ago when sleeping through squalls. Plus it would probably stretch too much to windward.

[dennisail]

We finally got around to updating the blog if anyone is interested in pics.

Life afloat on a 40 foot boat.

We will be leaving Fakarava tomorrow and we wont have the internet again until we get to Tahiti. We will probably stop off at one or two more islands in the Tuamotus first.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by dennisail

We finally got around to updating the blog if anyone is interested in pics.

Life afloat on a 40 foot boat.

We will be leaving Fakarava tomorrow and we wont have the internet again until we get to Tahiti. We will probably stop off at one or two more islands in the Tuamotus first.

G'Day Dennis,

If you missed Kauehi (sp?) on your way into Fakarava, it used to be our favorite atoll in the Tuamotos. Of course, that was quite a few years ago. Really nice folks, not too many visitors, and an interesting church built of coral blocks and sporting a rose window made of various colors of turtle shell.

Enjoy, mate!

Cheers,

Jim

[dennisail]

We never got to Kauehi. Next time we will have to make it. I want to spend much longer in the Tuamotus. It has been one of highlights of our trip so far.

We are currently in Huahine at Fare. We cycled around both islands which is 70km. It was a good day which ended at the bar for happy hour. Before that we came from Moorea and Tahiti. We enjoyed happy hour at le Pink Coconut at Marina Taina. We miss the fishing at the Tuamotus though.

New pics are up. Plus a few previews.

Life afloat on a 40 foot boat.

[dennisail]

DISASTER, HIT BY WHALE!

Apparently we were stuck by a whale at Niue on the 13th of August.

There is much to update on all the awesome places we have been before we got to Niue, but I thought I would put this up first.

While we were gone having dinner and using the internet on shore this damage was caused to our boat. Witnesses on yachts in the mooring field said they heard a loud bang at around 8:30pm . They looked over to see our boat moving as if it was being driven by motor. There was no other boat near ours and there were no other boats moving in the harbor at all. Whales have been frequenting the mooring field and coming very close to boats during our stay. There was no wind to speak of and the sea was calm.

The anchor roller has been ripped clear off the deck along with the bow cleats and it has taken the port side railing at the bow with it. When the whole lot was dragged under it pulled our anchor which was stored in the well out by the chain and it ripped through the anchor well doors on the way out. Luckily there was not much wind and the chain fouled a coral head which stopped the boat drifting out to see or on the rocks.

Our furling code zero is not connected to a stay as it is raised by the spinnaker halyard then furled with a facnor furler which is connected to a bale on the end of the anchor roller. When the anchor roller was ripped off, the code zero was ripped down from the mast when the halyard broke mangling the furler and damaging the sail in the process. The anchor roller is bent and was found with the cleats jammed in it. Apparently the cleats broke off first and jammed in the roller which caused the roller to then take the load.

Niue is not a safe anchorage in all weather as it is open to sea with no protection so we have started to make the boat seaworthy ASAP. We have cleared the mess and solidly reattached the bow cleats with stronger bolts than before so we are safely moored again. The anchor locker doors will be easily reattached by some panel beating of the hinge. The bow roller will be straightened and reattached after re enforcement of the damaged bow section of the yacht. Strong bars of stainless steel will then be bolted under the external hull to deck joint from around 1 meter from the bow to further re enforce the bow roller. If these temporary repairs turn out as planned I will be happy to continue to go on my cruise as planned arriving in home Australia in November.

Pics up knottyladypacific.blogspot.com

[TOM]

Gee ,What rotten luck. Hope you manage to fix it all up and continue on your way.

www.byamee.com

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Dennis,

Mate, that is really a bummer. I've never heard of a moored boat being struck by a whale, but all things are possible. Actually sounds more like a submarine!!

I applaud your "get over it and get going" attitude, and expect that your repairs as described will get you back to Oz. If there are doubts in your mind, the nearest place with decent repair facilities is likely Suva. When we were at Nuie there was bugger all in the way of support facilities (nor moorings either!... and a horrible anchorage... around 70 to 90 feet over a submerged reef).

I take it that the forestay was not attached to the bow roller assembly and is intact. Hope so, 'cause that is one place to not take chances . Really sad about the code0 and its gear. I bet that that sail has been of considerable use so far.

Well, keep us advised as to your progress, and no doubt we'll see you back in Oz later in teh year.

Cheers,

Jim

[dennisail]

Thanks Jim and Tom. The forestay is attached to a chain plate about halfway down the stem and has not been structurally affected. We believe a whale got caught in the mooring lines and dragged our boat down until something broke. The code zero halyard broke at the mast which must have put about 2000kg of pressure on the whole rig. Which it appears to have stood up to. I am glad I had all the rigging replaced before I left.

I (with the help from Micheal from SV Wondertime and Hank from SV lady of the lowlands) have managed to rebuild most of the glass around the bow area and will bolt the anchor roller back on soon with any luck. I am insured but there are no shipwrights near Niue and the boat has to be seaworthy before I go anywhere anyway. So I must take charge and do something. However I do not want the remainder of my trip taken up by professional repairs and bureaucracy. I want all that to happen in AU.

I will post pics of the repairs up soon, but for now here are some pics of the damage. Internet at Niue is pretty slow for loading pics.

A huge thanks goes out to all the cruisers at Niue and the Niue yacht club, who have donated parts, supplies and a helping hand to get the boat safe.


Life afloat on a 40 foot boat.