Graptolite - The Niue World
Graptolite's Sailing Log
Martyn Pickup & Heike Richter
Fri 30 May 2008 22:53
and Niue, Friday 30th May 03:00
Wednesday night was a bit rough with northerly swells inside Avatiu harbour
although the lines held. An old orange fender that joined our boat in the
Galapagos decided to continue on alone but after a night dithering about
near the harbour entrance came back to us on the wash of a departing island
freighter.
Thursday lunchtime the voyaging canoe Graptolite once more set sail to
discover strange new lands to the west. Our decks fully loaded with taro,
drinking coconuts, chickens and pigs for the journey. The animals are
actually in the fridge but the rest is more or less true.
Thursday night at sea was fairly horrible with steep waves throwing us
around. It's not just a simple porpoising motion that non-yachties might
expect but it's also a rapid clockwise and/or anticlockwise corkscrewing
movement and a repeated slamming of the hull onto what feels like wet
concrete. It makes it hard to sleep. Especially if you head is also down the
toilet.
M