Under way

First day not brilliant. We covered 122 miles over the ground but we
know that we won't be able to go to Whangarei on a straight line but
rather we will have to aim for a position west of Norfolk Island and
wait for the wind to switch to SW to tack and aim for the north of New
Zealand.
This first day at sea has seen Marie-Laurence behave like a seasoned
sailor in terms of staying active and able to help with work on the
boat. Nigel is almost a professional sailor and I rely on him to help us
choose the right options.
It is almost impossible to define the distance left to cover as I have
not idea how far west of Norfolk the wind is going to take us. We have
20 to 25 knots of wind, now from ESE but supposedly about to veer more
southerly.
We chose not to sail too close to the wind, first for comfort but also
because we go faster and the name of the game right now is to get as
much wouth as we can before the wind shift.

Busy time in Noumea

I knew that more would happen here and I wanted to stay longer in Noumea
than in Tahiti. But the weather being what it is with 4 to 6 weeks
cycle, I must leave on Friday after hardly a week here.
First we had this fantastic evening the day we arrived then an evening
with my niece.
After that, I wanted to take the excursion to the Amedee lighthouse, but
my adviser for the weather, Bob McDavitt told me that November 6th was a
good day to leave, and I dont want to stay beyond November 15th which is
the official opening of the cyclone season.
On Sunday, a man of great reputation who was a brother of the coast and
used to be a member of the Cousteau team passed away and everybody here
was very much saddened and shocked. In fact, the church where a service
was given without much advertising, was completely packed.
After that, everything went very fast. Do all the provisionning,
departure of Jean-Francois on Sunday and Claude on Thursday, welcoming
my new crew, Marie Laurence and Nigel, chase the sailmaker to get the
main sail before Thursday night (I got it at 5:00 P.M.), and we were on
the last evening.
There was a very nice evening at Louis Seguin (Vent en Panne for the
Brothers of the Coast) with the local crab on the menu, very much on a
par with our Chesapeake Bay blue crab.
Friday morning, we had to finish setting the main sail, do the last bit
of provisionning, especially veggies, do the immigration, customs and
harbour master clearance, pay the marina, top up the fuel tank and we
were out by 12:20.
But as soon as we were in what they call here the lagoon, but is a body
of water wide open to the seas, it became obvious that I was not going
to be able to implement my plan to go to the anchorage that I had used
coming in to gain some east. Instead, since we were doing hardly more
than 2 knots again the wind, I decided to go out and exit through the
Amedee light house. And at 15:00, we were out in the open seas, with 6
foot seas, 25 knots of wind on close haul, so again not very comfortable
but we are able to be on a direct course to Norfolk Island, which is not
too bad,
I believe my crew tonight will be on a liquid diet, so I will enjoy my
cocktails and dinner by myself, Maybe tomorrow will be more festive.

One chapter is closing

Well, here we are in New Caledonia since the day before yesterday. We
can consider this as the end of the trans Pacific crossing. Papy Jovial
has covered 12,725 nautical miles since she left Portsmouth, 10,392
since we left Balboa,entering the Pacific and 9,585 since we left Manta
and South America.
As we came alongside in Port Moselle, three brothers of the coast were
there to take our lines, prelude to a fantastic welcome on their part.
The crew that arrived here with Papy Jovial is about to leave, Jean
Francois flying back to France tomorrow morning and Claude returning
home in Moorea probably next Friday.
On November 5th, Nigel Clarke will join me from New Zealand, and
Marie-Laurence, a young lady from Quebec who will live through her first
experience on the high seas, will join on November 8th. Both will stay
until New Zealand only. There is a possibility that Philippe from Noumea
will join me in New Zealand and sail with me to Sydney. But after that,
as far as I know today, I am on my own. I know that I have three month
to find help but I believe that it won't be easy.
The day we arrived, we were invited to the monthly dinner of the Noumea
brothers of the Coast. Unforgettable evening with lots of sea shanties,
bagpipe and "bombarde" (I don't know the english word for it). Great
party with superb food, lots of drinks, and an atmoshpere of friendship,
brotherhood and fun.
Last night, my niece Cecile and her husband Marc who is deployed here as
military, welcomed me to their home for dinner, and very kindly will let
me use their car while they are going on a week-end of relaxation at the
"Ile des Pins".
On the boat, only one problem, but a serious one. Again, three travelers
on the main sail have come loose and the fitting to maintain two of the
battens have craked. I have seen the sail maker and he says there won't
be any problem fixing it. However, I may have, like in Tahiti, to chase
him day in day out until I get the sail back. As a matter of fact, the
sail is still on the boat as he was supposed to pick it up today but did
not show up.
The marina of Port Moselle is a great one. It is right in the middle of
town and everything, post office, markets, bakeries, etc.. are within
easy walking distance.
At the end of the visitors dock, there is a bar restaurant called "The
end of the World" which will soon become my headquarters.
Right now, the weather does not look good. It looks like 25 to 30 knots
on the nose, which makes it impossible to go. I hope I won't have to
wait too long for a good weather window.

End of passage

I though for a while that we were going to have a glorious finish under
spinnaker at 8 knots. Well, it only lasted a little more than an hour
before the wind started picking up again, not much but enough to trigger
luffing out of control and we were back under main sail (two reefs so
that Firmin can do its job) and full genoa on the pole.
On top of that, the current is still robbing us, today 13 miles. We
covered 145 through the water but only 132 over the ground. We only
have 194 miles to go and I am confident that we will enter the lagoon
early enough to anchor inside at the Ire Bay, only 20 miles from Port
Moselle.
As for fishing, it's dead calm. We now have the line wrapped up the
"Blue Star" tong of Claude, and a bengy cord to warn us in case of a
bite, but nothing to report on that score.
The weather continues to be ideal, just like on the postcards about
sailing in the south pacific. We are looking forward to getting to
Noumea, all for various reasons, some will go home, some will party, and
a new crew will join Papy Jovial.

current the wrong way

Another beautiful day, wind pushing us in the right direction, seas at
less than 6 feet, blue sky. Almost perfect. Only this damn current going
the wrong way which has cost us today 17 miles. Fortunately, this was a
25 hours day as we pushed the clock back one hour to UTC+12.
We have covered 159 miles through the water but only 142 over the
ground. Never mind, we don't complain as we are now only 33 miles from
Port Moselle where we might even arrive 28th evening, although we would
not enter but anchor outside.
Today the fishing line quit, or rather the mechanism of the spool. My
two fishing men rigged a "manual" line which is supposed to work just
the same, except that you have to keep watching it in case of a bite.
Basically, just two more days on the high seas before a good night sleep.

The one after

I had said yesterday that it was the last of the mahi mahi because
Claude and Jean-Francois had promised me that the next one would be a
yellow fin tuna. Well, it was again a mahi mahi, this time a little
smaller yet with only 40 inches in length. But we are getting
professional at that game and the fish landed in the cockpit without a
hitch. I did not even had time to take the picture.
Apart from that, nothing to report. We continue to enjoy good wind from
the hind quarter and all we have to do is to adjust the sails from time
to time when the wind goes up or down. The only problem is a damn
current against us which cost us 14 miles for the day. We still covered
134 miles over the ground (148 through the water) and we are now only
461 miles from Port Moselle. We will probably have to anchored inside
the lagoon to arrive at the marina after daybreak.

The last Mahi Mahi

The last one ? Not yet, at least we hope so. Anyway, yesterday after one
strike and two bites with nothing to show for, we got a third bite and
this time a good one. Being a little further on the learning curve, we
slowed down, pulled the fish a little closer but not too much, waited
until it got tired, saw it flip on its side and brought it in surfing on
the water. Once alongside, Claude hooked it in the belly (Ouch ! it
hurts ) and dropped it in the cockpit for a last drink of cherry liquor.
And all that with almost no blood in the cockpit. This time, the catch
was 44 inches long.
After that, it takes almost two hours to clean the fish, filet it, clean
the boat, so much that we decided not to put the fishing line back in
action. Cocktail hour was closing in fast and we could not be distracted.
Last night was party night as we were celebrating crossing the
antimeridian. So Ricard and Kir with liver pate on toast, then dinner
with pan fried Mahi Mahi and red beans, washed down with a bottle of a
good bordeaux wine kept for the occasion. Then peaches in syrup,
improved with a good splash of Armagnac. Everybody slept well that night
(not all at the same time of course.)
During the night, the wind also decided to go to bed and the speed
dropped below 3 knots for almost 4 hours. But in the morning, things
went back to normal, even a little more as early afternoon we had to
roll 1/3 of the genoa and keep 3 reefs on the main.
For the day, we have covered 136 nautical miles over the ground (140
through the water as there is still some adverse current) and we got 131
miles closer to Port Moselle which is now at 591 miles. Arrival still
expected for 29th morning.