the last few miles to New Caledonia
Moonshadow of London
Peter Mantle
Tue 4 May 2010 20:47
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The wind continued to strengthen and we had the reverse problem of trying to slow down so we would arrive in the pass in daylight. As the day progressed the wind steadily rose to gale force 8 (35 to 40 knots) & as our speed increased we reefed the sails to stop us charging along like a train in a tumble dryer! We hove to outside the pass and waited for the sun to come up and then very carefully went through an impossibly narrow channel through the reefs passing the Amidee lighthouse to starboard and then losing visibility as we were hit by a 40 knot squall. Safely tied up on the quarantine berth we were visited by the environmental lady who wanted us to break our eggs so she could keep the shells and impounded our potatoes. All these countries are very aware of crop and animal diseases and protect their borders assiduously. Noumeia was a mixture of muggy,raining and windy and we were pleased after sail repairs ( thank you Sheena who joined us here) and batteret charging problems to set sail to Vianatu. Get a new e-mail account with Hotmail - Free. Sign-up now. |