Our IridiumGo Helping Us Home

We love our IridiumGo. We can send and receive emails (text only), send and receive SMS messages plus access the web to some degree. We can make phone calls too and it would certainly come into it’s own if an emergency were to arise but the phone calls are not like you’d normally have - think of the conversations Neil Armstrong had from the Moon with NASA ground control and you’d have a closer idea. There is a delay and consequently if you don’t punctuate your sentences with “over” both people in a conversation tend to talk over each other. Hopeless if you just want to chat.

Here's the brilliant little IridiumGo device! 

It's operated via a couple of Phone Apps. It's expensive because it requires a monthly subscription but then again so would be an HF radio because of the upfront cost of installing one (between $7,000 - $10,000). At least you can take your IridiumGo off the boat!

The IriduimGo replaced our old PredictWind Satellite Communicator and is now responsible for sending the tracking info that’s visible on the front of our blog. The best function though, is getting much improved and very detailed weather information and weather routing via PredictWind. Technically, we ought not get blindsided by unexpected bad weather. This does not mean that we won’t ever experience bad weather but we are likely to get some forewarning or have an opportunity to avoid it by either staying in port or re-routing.

The external aerial mounted on the targa bar

It’s so nice to get some emails when we are on the go too. It’s a bit boring and lonely sometimes and news from home or from a fellow traveler is a very welcome distraction.

Below is an email sent to Amanda of the sailing Catamaran - The Bossa Nova, from half way across the Coral Sea on our leg from Chesterfield Reef to Bundaberg.  Amanda and husband Neville participated in the GoEast Rally to New Caledonia with us. Neville sailed The Bossa Nova home with some of his mates acting as a delivery crew, while Amanda flew home to Melbourne. Amanda wasn’t quite ready to retire from the cruise and was going to fly up to Bundaberg to help deliver the boat back to the dry stand on the Gold Coast. We corresponded a lot to bridge the days: her waiting and us sailing. It’s all the mundane stuff...

Good Morning Amanda

We heard from Neville this morning and it sounds like he's throwing everything at it to gobble the sea-miles.

We did our usual watches last night. What works for us is 'rests as needed' during the day but come late afternoon we'll each have a shower, then have 'cheesy fivers' - no alcohol, perhaps a coke or lemonade with some nibbles to see off the day. We are completely out of coke btw because Brian gave it away to the Navigator boys the other night. They have our fish knife too. Honestly B just gives anything to anyone! We don't generally drink coke but have it for those urgent pick-me-ups at night or if its too rough to get food below!

Anyway after that Brian downloads the weather while I heat up dinner. We had tagliatelle last night with a sauce I had made from egg plant, tomatoes, onion, garlic and chorizo before leaving Aore. I also threw in some chopped olives, capers and sundried toms and a dollop of cream. I'm trying to clear out everything in the fridge! Plan succeeding. After dinner Brian goes to bed until around 1am. He then does 1 til dawn after a handover.

We encountered a 2kt north-flowing current yesterday. Mud. It let us go about 6-7 hours later. It seemed less cloudy overnight which was unexpected. We had up to 90% cloud cover by dusk. So the clearer skies and lots of stars were a nice surprise since the moon didn't come up at all on my watch. It's been later and later coming since the full moon last week-end as you know. A few nights ago it was shielded by a cloud close to the horizon (around 11pm) and it startled me. The intensity of visible dots made me think of a UFO!

The sea state has been getting flatter and flatter. We expect still less wind today. A motor-fest predicted and it will likely glass-off altogether ahead of the rain and building wind associated with the trough. Brian furled the headie for a period overnight but has pulled it out again this morning. Will it give us an extra knot? Maybe. It's not flapping!

I seem to be the lucky one and see the shipping on my watches this time. There was a completely unexpected small container ship yesterday at dawn. Its arrival to its visible form heralded by a glow on the still dark horizon. Where it came from on that course is a mystery. Last night at around 11:45 a couple of dots appeared. I was convinced it was port lights but really too far for certainty. Starred it down and watched it go slightly northward so it could only have been starboard lights. It then veered over the horizon but remained as a feint over-horizon-glow until handover at 1:00am. A giant fishing boat perhaps doing bog laps?

Brian reports now that not only are we out of the adverse current, we are now with its running mate and it's with us. Yay!

I've not been allowed to get up yet except to give Brian a cup of tea. He must be running on adrenaline at the thought of landfall. Will we smell the shore I wonder? Will the eucalyptus hit our senses. I know we smelled the Vanuatu Islands. They smelled very sweet. All that coconut and paw paw!

The first cup of tea was not a success. We have 2 styles of those stainless steel thermal walled mugs. Unfortunately I made Brian's tea in the one that flares up from the base like a sundae glass. Usually we use the others which are very curvy and bulge out close to the base. They sit better in the drink holder on the cockpit table. The ride is a bit more jerky when we motor. The boat lurched to one side and then the other dislodging the mug and contents. It doesn't happen often but that's life on a mono for you! We do have those sippy mugs like commuters use in their cars for take-out coffee but we hate them. The occasional spill is the price we pay, lol!

So what the day holds is more motoring and building excitement. Rain too but not likely to dampen spirits too much. Hope N and team have some wet weather strip. You're Victorians, of course you do! It's funny though how rarely we sail in rain!

We'll send you an ETA later in the day seeing as you are tracking us all in.

Btw we joined the GoWest Rally. Thought we'd let ourselves down gently-prolonging the fun!

Have a fun day Amanda, find something interesting to bring to Bundy on Wednesday. Neville will have recovered his first hangover by then!

Love

Evz

World Gin and Tonic Day - 19th October

After day after day of ‘biblical rain’ in Bundaberg, we began to feel a bit cabin crazy. Even getting to the laundry required dressing up in sailing foulies and sea boots to have a hope of arriving anywhere semi-dry. Zofia needed a good power wash to be rid of salt and volcanic dust so we should have been pleased. After 4 days straight of drenching rain nobody was amused. Even car hire was cancelled due to flooded roads. So when on the first fine day, Geoff the marina manager, asked if we’d like to visit a new boutique rum distillery in town The Bloke leapt at the opportunity and promised to ‘fill the bus’ with our equally frazzled marina rats.

All aboard with Debbie (La Jorja)!

Geoff ushering us in

Geoff delivered us to Kalki Moon, the latest of the boutique rum distilleries that have sprung up in Bundaberg utilizing the abundance of sugar cane and it's reputation as the Australian home of Rum.

Rick is under strict supervision from wife, Kylie

Once a senior rum maker at ",THE" Bundaberg Rum distillery, Rick has branched out on his own, ably assisted by his attentive wife, Kylie and other family members. By Australian law, rum must be matured in wooden barrels for a minimum of 2 years, so to establish a good cash flow in the interim, the available pure alcohol is used to produce both Vodka and Gin. We were shown how this is done.

 

The still

Vat of botanicals for the gin. Principally Juniper Berries, but a cocktail of other seeds, leaves and roots.

The Bloke's response to the taste test

Some of the product range available to buy now.

10 botanical additions for the Gin

We were introduced to 2 of the 3 Gins in their range plus to some of their flavored Vodka. Chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut proved a killer combination and a confident purchase.

Tasting was enthusiastic

As it turned out, it was World Gin and Tonic Day - who knew? I in particular, was thrilled with this revelation and forced myself to buy a couple of bottles - and not just the ‘everyday’ one with a mere 5 botanicals. 10 botanicals were a heady mix and guaranteed the cementing of October 19th into my calendar.

Wishing everyone a most happy World Gin and Tonic Day!

To complete our gourmet experience Geoff took us for Gelato; probably to balance the food groups. Bless him!

In the spirit, sister-in-law Jan, took little encouragement to say “Bottoms-up!” from Busselton!

Chesterfield Reef to Bundaberg

Three days is barely enough time to spend at Chesterfield Reef. We were prepared to linger a week but missing this weather window would mean a stop of 10 -14 days. Many of these would potentially see us confined to the boat while sitting out 30knots. We’d be safe enough inside the lagoon but probably a bit uncomfortable and frustrated. We chose instead to head off and would have a 24 hour period of grace at the Bundaberg end of the passage before we’d need to brace for a substantial southerly storm. Too bad if we were about to arrive on a weekend and have to pay for Biosecurity overtime. We’d ascertained that an average, well prepared vessel, would take about 1 1/2 hours to be cleared by Biosecurity*. The added cost of $120 over and above the $310-360 was inconsequential in the general scheme of things. Some people slow down as they approach the mainland in order to avoid week-end rates thinking they would be whopping, but that has changed in recent times. We were not entertaining any such malarky and in light of the impending bad weather, getting ‘IN’ was a priority and an additional $120 a drop in the ocean as compared with the excess on an insurance claim and a proper fright!

Where is this reef exactly?

We updated our ETA with Australian Borderforce by email** before departure. We’d already sent our pre-arrival notification before leaving Luganville and had a case number. No way were we going to create a problem by failing to provide 72hours notice! Compliance failure could mean fines plus the prospect of being met at the dock by 10 or more officers in black uniforms, packing glock pistols + wrangling sniffer dogs. No thanks! Customs and Immigration are now a combined organization and are a Force as distinct from a service: serious business for which we can probably thank people smugglers!

The specks show some of the low, low cayes at Chesterfield Reef and our exit gap.

We left the lagoon via a gap in the reef as recommended by other yachties. The Bloke had captured a outbound track via our AIS during the departure of a small Aussie vessel the previous day. A sneaky tactic that saved us 5nm! We motored out after sun-up in plenty of water both beneath our keel and through the gap.

  

What followed was 18 hours of the best sailing we’ve every enjoyed. SE trades in the low 20 knot range with seas under 2m. Zofia was in her most perfect slot and rushing along with speed over ground (SOG) reading between 7-9 knots. For the 24 hours we logged 170nm. We’ve never achieved that before. We thought we'd grown an extra hull. For the first 18 hours our average was 7.6 and several 1 hr sessions of 8+knots !! Unheard of. Perhaps that's what can happen when the wine locker is empty? We knew this couldn’t and wouldn’t last. On that basis, we chose to keep the mainsail up rather than ‘put it to bed’ at dusk, as is our usual practice, and put as many sea miles ‘in the bank’ as possible while we had such fabulous conditions. We altered our usual watch-keeping pattern for the duration too knowing that we’d have plenty of opportunity to ‘catch up’ on sleep during the calm weather to follow.

 

When the wind died we were then committed to motoring and motor sailing. It was essential to keep moving. We expected to encounter pre-frontal rain on Day 3 day but miss the building wind. ETA Sunday - really early. Josida, Heemskirk and Navigator 1, who'd followed us out of the lagoon only half an hour after us where behind somewhere but too far to pick up on AIS, proof that we were absolutely screaming along! As it happened we reached Bundaberg at around 10pm on Saturday night. We knew we were in range as soon as we began to get welcoming text messages from family.

    

Swapping the French courtesy flag for the Pratique/Q flag.

While we obviously did expect to motor sail for Days 2 and 3 we hadn’t really guessed we’d encounter a current providing 2knots of hurt. Luckily we reached a counter current that gave us some assistance for a while too. What a relief. It was like sailing into mud when we first encountered it.

Our AIS was at last showing the outline of the Australian coast rather than just ‘blue’ ocean.

The first of the pre-frontal rain bands announcing land.

As we approached the continental shelf, The Bloke suddenly realised that the chart detail was a somewhat 'lacking' and remembered we'd need to swap over the SDK card back to Aussie charts. We recalled how we had crossed the Great Australian Bight only to discover our chart details stopped at the West Australian border and had to rely on the Navionics on the iPad to navigate into a very shallow Streaky Bay. We had only noticed that oversight at the last minute. The depth sounder had a 5 day holiday while there was 5km below the keel during our Bight crossing. While there was plenty of depth crossing from Vanuatu back to Australia we did need to avoid a bit of 'seabed furniture' like reefs and sea mounds. The currents we'd experienced were largely an expression of these.

 

The Bloke was thrilled to be eating up all our fresh supplies with extra helpings.

During our passage home we decided to join the GoWest Rally; not for help getting home, we were almost there, but we thought there were sufficient benefits for us with discounts and events thrown in for it to be cost neutral, so why not?  Maybe we just didn't want the fun to be over!

Home, just over the horizon and we could smell it's eucalypts and dampness before we could see it.

* The Biosecurity overtime fee as it turned out, amounted to merely $80. We didn't have any exotic timbers and refits nor was there any fresh food left. Perversely we ate much more than we would normally just to get rid of it. We didn't really need to do this, we could have just handed it over. Just one of those weird psychological things - the thought of somebody 'taking' your food and then just throwing it away was unbearable!

** For information about arriving yachts see:- https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Avia/Maritime/Requirements-for-yachts-and-pleasure-craft/Important-Information

Chesterfield Reef Navigation

This is an interactive map of our track into and out of Chesterfield Reef. Click on the way points to see our position information. We have taken all possible care in creating this map and we have confidence in it. You should, however, always use extreme caution in such locations.

Holy Smoke! Passaging to Chesterfield Reef

The Bloke was quite keen to be done with the passage home and compared it to a (Great Australian)Bight crossing. To be more precise, two of them back to back with intermission at Chesterfield Reef. Oddly, I felt better prepared leaving Chesterfield Reef (part 2) than the resort at Aore. Possibly squeezing in the dinner with Babmboo Band plus traditional Ladies Water Music at the resort on the eve of departure was a bit to blame.


Our first 2 days out of Luganville/Aore were as strenuous as anything we've experienced. Side-on swell that was mostly 2.5m (OK) but extended periods of 3 and 4m. We kept being pushed over from port side rollers.  Sometimes the starboard stanchions were cutting through the water. We took greenies on the bow, occasionally over the dodger and we'd get funny little fellows splosh in the side of the cockpit and shoot out the other side. We've never been so wet. Even the log book got sodden despite its hiding place under the cock-pit cushions.

The consequence of the port side pounding was that sea water got in (we can only think) through a stanchion base that will now need re-seating. The drips, because of the heal, missed a timber ledge intended for this kind of thing and dripped onto a 240v fuse/connection on the electrical panel below. Think electrical fire, smell and a small amount of smoke that we couldn't isolate. It was 2:30 am and neither of us could comfortably leave the cockpit - except we had to go below to attend to this situation, no matter what! We were still afloat and worked around it, enabling us to continue on and use the Honda generator to maintain battery charge.  Zofia is a hungry beast when all the navigation instruments, lights and autopilot are in action. We were not on fire nor burning down to the waterline - all good!

 

Scene of the trouble

 

Water sponged up from the leak!

Uncomfortable sea-state. Dinner service cancelled!

  

A busy sea and busy sky

It was an interesting passage and by the 4th night we had to actively work the sail trim to slow down our arrival at the Chesterfield Reef system. We logged every hour to ensure we met our goal to arrive to our entry way-point at dawn but not in the dark. Supa Trooper (a catamaran) arrived the evening before us taking a calculated risk on the way-points they had being accurate. They were doing 15kts in the end to arrive just after dusk. Amazing. We on the other hand, tiptoed in, in broad daylight having sailed through the night with barely 'frilly knickers' flying.

Having departed Vanuatu, it was time to swap the courtesy flags.

     
Permission from French authorities to call in at Chesterfield Reef and Huon Reef can be obtained by emailing dam-nc@gouv.nc.

Easing Out

05:30 and our mooring has been slipped off. Next adventure begins: 1,000 nautical miles to return to Bundaberg, Australia via Chesterfield Reefs. All the paperwork is in order. Australian Borderforce notified of impeding arrival mid-month. And now you know we are on our way home too!






We leave with our hearts full of treasured memories and unimagined experiences. We'll fill in the gaps once we are home to our own BIG ISLAND.

On The Blue Highway

Blogposts piling up. Internet in Vanuatu not crash hot. We leave tomorrow.


Outward clearance went well and we were all done by 10:24




Bundaberg will be our destination and we hope to travel via Chesterfield Reef. We have permission from the French.



About to enter internet 'black hole'

Getting Your Papers in Order

The Bloke and I nearly got a proper fright. We'd arrived into Vanuatu via Port Resolution in Tanna and had obtained special permission from Vanuatu Border to do so. Port Resolution is not the designated arrival port on Tanna. Lenakel is the standard port and where there is  a Customs/Immigration office. Our confirmation document was very friendly and requested only that we call into the Customs Office when we reached Port Vila to offer some identification details of our vessel and to collect our Inter-Island Cruising Pass. All fees would be calculated and payable prior departure from Vanuatu, it said. Also, would we please refrain from landing any items ashore that might be subject to Quarantine. No problemo.

Abandoned and wrecked Pilot vessel - oooops

On arrival in Port Vila we had visited Customs as per their request and to collect an Inter-Island Cruising Pass. Next Quarantine and Immigration for good measure, despite the emailed clearance document not specifying that we should do so. It stood to reason however that Immigration in particular, would need to stamp their 'chop' in our passports, if not ask for more Vatu for the pleasure! So in a way, it's only down to our common sense that a Visa was noted at all in our Passports. Other crews who'd also got permits to arrive in Port Resolution were adamant that it was not necessary (they should be glad we persuaded them otherwise). We were granted a 30 day Visitor Visa. No charge. This despite having noted on ALL forms that our estimated length of stay would be around 2 months. Even pointing this out to our friend 'Lyn' at the immigration counter did not elicit a 'Would you like to apply and pay for an extended Visa right now?" (6,000Vt each). It would have saved so much angst in the long run but probably would have required more work and receipting of money. Poor lady was highly stressed. Her whole building was a 'war zone' due to extensive building renovations. Entering the former French Embassy compound was like stepping into a film set of the Fall of Saigon!


On reaching Luganville on Espiritu Santo, the largest of all islands in Vanuatu and the administrative centre of the northern zone, we promptly went to visit Customs (as required) to present our still sealed Inter-Island Cruising Pass. Had we have wanted to cruise further north we would have been issued a new one for the areas north from Luganville. Despite 37 years as a nation Santo still likes to control Santo and its northern zone. Money collected in Santo stays in Santo. Money collected in Vila stays there. The Inter-Island Cruising Pass has more to do with flexing administrative muscles than anything else as far as we can tell.

The Bloke, after a trim at a hair salon called Head Hunter.

Local humour hahahah!

While on this job we also visited the Ports Office and Immigration to get their forms so we could pre-fill them, check the sequence of office visits and discuss the ramifications of leaving on Monday rather than Friday - in particular because our Visas were valid only until Friday. We actually didn't actually want to leave until first thing Monday (at the earliest) due to a period of ‘reinforced’ Trade Winds. Timing was weather dependent. Not one office indicated a problem. Port fees would be calculated at 100Vt per day beyond the first 30 days (which attract a base fee of 7,800Vt). Customs would allow us to clear out on Friday afternoon after 1:00pm allowing for a ‘stupid o’clock’ departure on the Monday morning. Immigration were more focused on the fact we 'migh't leave on Friday, the last day before our visa ran out. No helpful suggestions or warnings about what the ramifications might be if we did not leave on Friday. We felt comforted that we knew to visit Ports first and pay 7,800Vt + pro-rata Vt , then Customs who would provide permission to leave if we had the appropriate Ports Fee Receipt. Immigration would be the last office to visit and is conveniently located upstairs next to the Ports Office, thus completing a circuit. We felt confident we knew what we needed to do.

Customs counter

The Bloke continued his twice daily ritual of downloading weather forecasts and routes from Predictwind and determined 'Friday no good'. We would take a mooring next to Aore Island and sit out the extended period of 'reinforced trades'. Departure would more likely be later in the following week.

Some local artifacts. 

Not even given a 2nd thought. An impossible idea for Australian Biosecurity.

To our horror we learned that some of our cruising partners had been lulled into the same false sense of relaxation with regards their Visas with expensive consequences. While attempting the clear out and visiting the final office in the loop (Immigration), they discovered that they would not be paying 'extra' as we'd all supposed. They were actually slapped with fines for overstaying 13 days + the cost of a Visa extension. What about our 2 days that looked like stretching to 4?

All the crews who had used an agent to clear in at Port Vila had automatically obtained an extended Visa of 4 months. The agents obviously know to demand them, since those of us who’d managed our own arrival clearance were only given a free 30 day Visa. The extended one required taking and receipting money which equates to more work. We'd seen this type of thing in Brunei. A trap for young players and we'll know for next time.

Water Taxi

What to do? We’d overstayed! Sunday became a nervous day. Nothing could be done until the next day. We gathered all our documents and emails etc... in case we needed them and headed off first thing on Monday morning to see Hudson, the boss man at the Immigration Office. The Bloke did the talking while I sat on a bench looking as small as I could. Could he please help us? The Bloke asked. We didn't know what to do. We were unable to leave when we’d hoped because of the weather, The Bloke explained. Although we didn’t know it at the time, bad weather is the ONLY mitigating circumstance for a visa extension after your Visa has expired. Hudson made us confirm that bad weather was the reason for overstaying. Nodding wildly in agreement was our response. Absolutely. Hudson handed us a form to take to the Government Cashier down the road while telling us the penalty we were avoiding. OMG!  We took a taxi to the Cashiers Office and back again pronto stopping only at an ATM for the cash. Quick, quick before Hudson changed his mind. He was the same person who'd imposed the fine on our friends on Friday. 12,000Vt later (approx $120AU) we were legal for a further 30 days in Vanuatu even if we only needed a couple more days. Phew!

Two days later, our ‘clearing out’ circuit was completed in under an hour and a half! The now  improved weather resulted in at least half a dozen crews from foreign flagged yachts marching about on the same mission.

To help celebrate the completion of all formalities and wish us well for the homeward leg of our trip, we had lunch with Hugh and Julianna from Sans Souci. A splendid finale for out first ever overseas tour aboard Zofia.