Hi everyone
Just departed Nuku’alofa, Tonga bound for Fiji
12 noon local time or 0000 GMT Light winds making 3 knots under jib an staysail. Electronic autopilot not working. It feels hot but not sure if it is from the the sun or the inside. I will try to find the instruction /trouble shooting book. I will it look into later. Windvane seems to be handling it fine.
0100 GMT at outer marker of Tongatapu Harbor. change of course, 310T to miss the new Island formed by the volcanic eruption in June and for Savusavu, Fiji. More wind 15 kts., sailing downwind, still jib and staysail averaging 4.5 knots. Seas are small bbut building rolling from side to side, sometimes dramaticly, stuff in lockers making noises shifting around.
0600 I set the big free standing wire luff drifter on the starboard and a polled out jib on the port side heading directly down wind wit a speed of 5.0 to 5.5 knots. I am steering to miss the last island of Tonga, Hung Ha’apai before the Lau group of Fiji which will be days away.
0800
Watched the sunset in the cockpit while having dinner of peanut lamb Thai curry on a bed of rice. Lots of colors and clouds on the horizon so no green flash.
2100 GMT
Blew out tack of drifter at 4 AM. Moon down and dark as night. Had things under control in 30 min. Proceeded more north under jib and staysail leaving the windvane to easily steer. Just as I finished, I took a moment to watch the sky for about 20 min. as it was lighting slightly, then more and more and eventually with light pinks and yellows. Greeting another blessed day.
2300 GMT
Had vitamins, powdered greens in cranberry/grape juice. Discovered the wire tack of the drifter pulled out so I need to find my swedging tool and swedges to fix. I put the drifter away and got out the cruising spinnaker. It took a while to set it all up and get it out of its spinnaker sock and flying on the starboard side with a polled out main boom and the jib polled out on the port side making 5 to 6 knots on the GPS. Wine vane is steering OK, got occasionally confused last night. The jib collapses when surfing down a wave.
2400 or 0000
I had eggs in a hole, Orange juice, and a banana. This is a hole made in a slice of bread , butter fried on each side and an egg put in the hole to keep it from running around the pan in a seaway, or in this case, rolling downwind.
that’s all for day one.
Love,
Jim