New Caledonia towards Australia
JJMoon Diary
Barry and Margaret Wilmshurst
Sun 14 Jun 2009 06:35
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One thousand six hundred and twenty miles
at between four and six miles an hour. It is no wonder that these longer
passages seem to stretch away into the dim distance. We have been
going for two days now and it seems like a week. We appear to have made no
impression at all on the little window that gives estimated time to go before
arrival. We are pootling along in fine weather with a light wind from dead
astern. With such a distance to run we do not want to use the engine
unless we have to - particularly because it might not be easy to
refuel on Thursday Island.
We had a false start on Thursday.
An hour out from the fuelling dock the autopilot stopped steering the boat,
exactly as before. Frustrating! It was very difficult to maintain my
usual sang froid. We had to turn back and negotiate a return to the marina
- not easy because we had been asked (very politely) to leave to make room for
others. The electronics engineers were back on board within fifteen
minutes and this time they diagnosed worn brushes in the linear drive motor (we
had had the drive unit serviced in New Zealand as part of our programme of
routine maintenance). Of course they had already sold us a new course
computer at vast expense but they suggested that it was always useful to
carry a spare! We were not amused. On the other hand they were
delightful chaps, doing their best with the information they had
been given and they turned up pronto. At the same time we thought we
had a problem with the new alternator but this turned out to be a false
alarm. We left again after twenty-four hours and after two
days at sea all appears to be well.
We made good use of the extra time
ashore. We had another good meal in the marina cafe and sailed the
following day in a more relaxed frame of mind.
All in all we greatly enjoyed our
time back in Noumea. The social life on A pontoon (Visiteurs) was
particularly pleasant. We made new and met old friends. Our
neighbour Gerard kept us amused with endless advice and stories including vivid
descriptions of a schoolboy's life in occupied France during the war. We
were delighted when, three days after we arrived, Destiny came
in with Aussies John and Shauna de Launey, longstanding members of the
Ocean Cruising Club that we first met in Port Vila, Vanuatu last
year. We spent two great evenings with them.
We are settling into the routine now and
hoping that time will pass more quickly as we get on.
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