About half way to Sydney

Hi all,

The sun's just gone down and we've suddenly got wind for the first time all
day - 12 knots! Well not so bad, the white A1 gennaker dragged us along at
a respectable speed (5 to 6.5knotts out 6 to 8 knotts of breeze) as long as
we kept the wind forward of the beam meaning we have been sailing west all
day. Wind now has swung to the north and is mostly keeping us moving at 7 -
8 knotts but the wind has lulls back down to 8 knotts reducing our speed
considerably. If only we can get a bit further south west we should get a
steady 15 to 25 knotts of breeze. Until then the gennaker will stay out
through the night with hopefully a vigilant crew that can take quick action
if the wind picks up lots.

Got caught out last night with a wind change and a sudden increase in wind
crew acting a bit slower than necessary. Richard was in bed but felt the
change and was on deck to sort things out. The wind went through a 180
degrees change in direction which led to a uncontroled gybe testing the new
boom. As we were sailing with the gennaker up at 60 degrees to the apparent
wind we did not have a boom break on but as the main sheet was reasonably
tight it was not so bad. As the gennaker had backed itself into the rig we
needed to gybe back, furl the gennaker and drop it into the sail locker.
Out came the gybe and we have nice sailing in the 15 to 20 knotts of
breeze.

We are 400 nm (about 700km) directly east of Fraser island Qld and had
remarkable VHF radio reception hearing many of the VMR coastal patrol
stations along this section of the Australian coast. We had a chat on the
VHF to Bundaberg and it was like we were 10nm away. Normal reception range
is about 25nm.

It's amazing how busy and exhausting it is staring at the
ocean and the main all day and all night, and somehow we simply havent had
time to write the blog.

This is our 5th day of the crossing. We left Port Vila on Monday afternoon
after 4 days of sorting, cleaning, arguing, sweating, cooking and shopping
(Quicksilver bordies cost $7 here!), a few nice dinners at expat joints,
some truly horrendous laplap, and a yachty get-together at Sam's place on
the water. I got my hair braided and apparently look like a wombat.

Half moon is above our heads, stars are out, U2 crooning...life doesn't get
any better than this according to Richard. Kev wrecks the moment suggesting
that the company could be better. With that, we should probably introduce
the crew:

Tom (aka Tom Cat): strapping 6ft 3 English lad. For some reason he's
hanging out in NZ???? "He won't set the world on fire, but he'll be there
to put it out". He's a lovely, sturdy type.

Christian (aka Gorgeous): he's our genius - he's actually a rocket
scientist!! From Belgium! Very cute accent. Spent the first 4 days puking
his head off and curled up on the deck in the foetal position...poor little
lad. We saw him for the first time today, he did a hilarious dance with the
broken toilet seat, then patched it up with expoxy fortified with smashed-up
coconut shell. Did a great job synchronising the navigation systems and
cooked some Belgium stoemp.

Stuart: (or Stu as he likes to be called) good humoured (though not as good
humoured as we need to be for
putting up with him), straight out of the hobbit - lythe, muscular, all over
the boat like a ferret in a frenzy. Had some dodgy sailing disaster with
his boat going to the bottom just south of where we are now only 4 months
ago. We've been
ripping the piss out of him about that ever since he told us. "When I first
met Stu, I thought he was a crazy Kiwi. I still think he's crazy" (Tom
Cat). Stu's more comfortable with a gun shotting something to eat than a
computer (which is why I'm
on blog again)...Stu's definately in IT denial. Skipper was initially in
two minds (bit supperstitious about the yacht he was on going to the
bottom), but Stu has pulled his weight and has endless energy. Unsure how
he will respond if he gets a bucket of water thrown over him.

Kevin (aka Sir): highly cynical Englishman with a heart of gold. He's got
more moles than Mick Jagger, loves his wife, dogs and teenage daughter (at
least as much as anyony can love their teenage daughter).
Stares wistfully out at sea with dreams of sailing into the sunset with his
wifey on his yacht, then falls asleep at the helm. He's got that very
funny, dry sense
of humour delivered in a great cockney accent that keeps us all in stitches.
We luv Kev!!

Krystina: Krytina is the only other girl on board, and is just lovely. She
is so bright and happy and laughs at absolutely anything. She's whipped up
some ripper meals and keeps the personal hygiene standards on board high.
She spearheaded a mass shower and shaving today, so after ponging pretty
badly for the last few days so we're all smelling sweet.

Richard and I are the only ones from the last crew. I'm sure the others
will write about us tomorrow!

Photos and more in the next day or so.

As Stu would say "fully sick bru" (bro to the rest of us)

Love from Moksha

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en-route port vila-sydney

the words of the skipper..."its a lonely ocean out here".
we reckon he'd be right. Not another vessel in sight so far; just how we
like it!!
Moral amongst the troops is great. Oh, apart from the crook ones; who are
starting to come right finally.
no rain,storms,dolphins,turtles,or pirates so far....but one whale spout
sighted yestreday afternoon.Bonus !!
Looming ahead of Moksha is "the grand passage" which is plonked firmly in
New Caledonian waters for us to negotiate later today.Being 20ish nm wide it
should be a doddle.

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Port Vila

 

Tuesday 4th August 2009

 

Havanah Harbour to Port Vila

 

Plough through morning jobs, then Cath and I go snorkleing.  It's too shallow for sharks so it was nice to be able to potter around in peace without constantly looking begind us expecting Jaws!  More gorgeous fish and coral gardens with winding paths we could swim through.  Got out and ran along the beach wearing our snorkels and flippers - absolutely ridiculous and very funny.

 

Get back to the boat and immediately depart for Port Vila.  It's just south a bit so we motored.  Even after only 2 weeks in the wilds, its weird to see houses, banks, hotels and other people. 

 

Berth at the marina.  Richard chats up the other sailors and they all stand on the dock laughing at us girls trying to get an enormous sail into a very small bag.

 

Richard shouts us dinner at the marina's restaurant.  We tuck into bottles of red wine and are without doubt the rowdiest group in the place.  Richard gives an entertaining assessment on each of us - the good and the bad.  Great little band playing with a Vanuautan singer who has a voice like Barry White.  Lu and I get on the dancefloor and do lambada, then Cath makes a saucy entrance....the whole restaurant staring at us as we romped madly around the dancefloor.  Cath and I did a hilarious dance to Tom Jone's 'Delilah' that had everyone laughing and got them up dancing too.

 

Onwards to the casino.  Rocked up with matted hair, dirty cargos, stinky t-shirts and thongs...but Jupiters Vanuatu doesn't mind.  We gambled 2000 vatu each on Blackjack, losing it, wining it back, and of course eventually losing it all.

 

 

Wednesday 5th August 2009

 

Wake up with hangovers.  Lazy breakfast, then get stuck into the jobs.  Cath and Lu on the saloon and galley, me in the garage, Gav helping us all and Richard in the internet cafe.  Groove around the boat to groovy music and chat with our boat neighbours.  I'm Diesel Daisy today (though definately more Diesel than Daisy!!).  Burn around the busy little harbour in the tender collecting fuel and checking out the other boats.

 

Fish and chips at the marina restaurant for lunch, and we sit and sailor-watch.  Nice ambience here, chilled and relaxed.  Boats of all shapes and sizes coming and going from all over the world.  We luxuriate in real showers and I somehow managed to tease out the enormous matt in my hair which I thought would have to be cut out.

 

It's Richard's last night tonight and he takes us to Le Rendesvouz up on the hill for dinner.  Divine seafood platters (with banana smoothies!!).

 

We're all exhausted and crash out.

 

 

Thursday 6th August 2009

 

Richard's last day.

 

We continue ploughing through our jobs but can see the light at the end of the 'To Do List' tunnel!!  .  Nice soggy weather...pouring with rain but very warm.

 

Richard waved a few clothes at the water and proudly hung them on the line..."washed!!".  Bless.  Such a lad.  We all write gooey stuff on Cath's thankyou card and give it to him at lunch.  He gives us a bit of a wave and is gone.

 

Resist the temptation to steal the boom off the catamaran next door and sail to Hawai, and go back to our jobs instead.

 

Watch Little Miss Sunshine and hang out at the marina bar for a bit.  Cath does her class for the first time in weeks, and upgrades to the master suite.

 

Pick at what's left on the boat for dinner.

 

 

Friday 7th August 2009

 

Richard, it's taken me 15 glorious hours to write this blog!!  Hope you had a good trip home.  We miss you.  It's raining pick handles.  Gav's being a super little cheese and cracking the whip.  Actually, he's asleep and we're watching movies.

 

Cath and I flying home tomorrow, Gav and Lu staying on the boat for another week.

 

This is the last blog 'til we return in a few months with the next installment - new boom and the crossing back to Aus! 

 

 

Over and out from Moksha.

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Sulua Bay, Emae Island to Havannah Harbour, Efate Island

 

Saturday 1st August 2009

 

Sulua Bay, Emae Island

 

Grey day.  Butt crunches with our morning cups of tea, then me onto blog duty.  Trying to remember anything after about 3 hours is a challenge, let alone 4 days!!  It's amazing how busy each day actually is - I've not opened any of the books I bought and Cath has missed most of her online classes.  Between getting out breakfast, clearing up, sailing or boat maintenance, bit of a swim or snorkle, making lunch and clearing up, dodging Richard, making dinner, clearing up, sending a few emails, having a chat, we fall into bed exhausted.  Anyway, scratch back through it all get it down - all the while Richard making threats that he's going to send it without photos if I don't hurry up.  Argue with Richard coz he says I'm too slow and that he's taking blog off me and giving it to someone else to do.  That put me in a stink so I had to go snorkling to cool down.  Beautiful coral gardens and a mind-blowing assortment of pretty little fish.  Great spot.

 

Lunch, then we launch into our respective jobs - Lu tucking into transom door electrics, Gav fixing sonar, changing filters and supervising Lu ;), Cath put up the riding sail to stop us sailing at anchor, and me getting stuck into bilges, pumps and toilet system programming.  Richard answers our endless questions with remarkable patience.

 

We regroup on deck for a well-earned beer at sunset.  Lu and I make ripper pizzas for dinner, washed down by highly alcoholic digestive herbal wine that tastes like rocket fuel.

 

Plan to snorkel at Cook Reef tomorrow morning, leaving 9am.

 

 

Sunday 2nd August 2009

 

Sulua Bay, Emae Island

 

Another grey day with rain pending.  Wake up late.  None of us actually feel like snorkling and suggest maybe working on boat today and going tomorrow instead, but no correspondance will be entered into and we pull up anchor at 9am.  Motor over to Cook Reef, about 45 minutes away.  Gav makes great coffee and we all come round a bit.  He catches a Bluefin Tuna, but it was too small so he kissed it and threw it back.  Great anchorage after some tricky reef negotiation.  Starts raining.  Really really not great weather for water sports and we're a bit reluctant, but Richard gives us a kick in the pants and we get our wetsuits on.  Potter around the reef seeing amazing coral, fish, turtles and sharks (little).  Best snorkeling so far.

 

Something must have been in the water as Richard came up in a happy, naughty mood.  Rained hard on the way back to Sulua Bay and Richard and Gav were completely soaked.  I make a banana cake (with 10 bananas!!!!!  - we have too many on board) and passed up pieces of it straight out of the oven, hot and sodden...rolled in extra sugar and butter...mmmmm... :)) That destroyed the appetite for an already less-than-appealing lunch that Lu and I made of packet fried rice, cabbage and mashed pumpkin.  Somehow that disappeared too.

 

We spend the rest of the day holed up in the saloon watching movies as the rain pours down outside.  Cosy..and steamy!

 

 

Monday 3rd August 2009

 

Another grey day in paradise!

 

Leave at 8am and motor over to Cook Reef for another snorkel.  Saw a huge stingray, more amazing fish and more beautiful coral gardens.  It is incredible.  Richard reckons its the best snorkeling he's ever done.  Gav takes lots of underwater photos.  Delicious hot showers, then we continue to Havannah Harbour on Efate Island, just up the road from Port Vila.  This is our last sail...boo hoo!!

 

Perfect sailing conditions.  We put up the main sail - it's clew secured back to the winches adjacent to the helm.  Works a treat and we romp along at 8 knots with SE winds at 15 knots.  Who needs a boom!!!  Richard is in a fab mood and we have lots of laughs, a photo shoot, a grammer lesson, and hot fresh bread with butter and vegemite for lunch.  Gav's trying hard to catch a fish for dinner but that's difficult without Disco Jill who got eaten by something.

 

The wind drops completely and the water becomes silky smooth in that amazing deep azure blue.  Cath and I sit on the bow singing the theme song from Titanic to get the dolphins to come closer.  They don't.  I think it's Cath's pitching...

 

We girls muck around with the sails whilst the boys muck around with dirty dishes - this is a very modern boat!!

 

Arrive in Havannah Harbour, where Survivor Vanuatu was shot.  It's beautiful.  Cath goes up the mast for the first time to find a good place to drop anchor, but is brought back down coz Richard thinks she's not seeing what she's up there to see.  Gav goes up and gets it right the second time after anchor goes down and is brought back up again.  Lu's been gagging to go up the mast so we strapped her in and sent her up.  She got half way, went white and poo'd in the bosun's chair.

 

Cath ate too much banana cake yesterday and her system has clogged up so we are eating veggies for dinner.  Watch a terrible movie and crash out.

 

There are no limits now on what we are saying or doing in front of each other.  It's pretty vile...and very funny.  It's only been 2 weeks, but it will be weird coming back to reality and I'll certainly miss everyone.

 

 

Love from Moksha

 

 

 

 

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