At Sea
NORDLYS
David and Annette Ridout
Sat 22 May 2004 04:38
LETTER FROM NORDLYS
At sea between New Zealand and
Tonga
pm 22nd May
As I write this the log tells me that 488 miles
have passed beneath Nordlys's keel. I have to say we have felt most of
them. Leaving Opua on Wednesday morning was the usual tense and slightly
emotional departure. Customs had been visited, duty free delivered and
marina office work sorted. Thus came to an end many months of very
happy times in New Zealand. The forecast was for fifteen to twenty
knots of south easterly breeze with showers. By the time we were five
miles offshore we had two reefs in the mainsail and there was water
everywhere as the wind was from well forward of the beam. We were both
feeling rather queasy. Two hours later and the third reef went in due to
the anemometer showing up to forty knots in gusts and never less than
thirty. Passage baptism by water if not by fire. Annette's
description of meteorologists cannot be printed here. The first night was
a cold wet windy affair with rather upset stomachs. The third reef had not
had to go in since Cartagena and both of us took more sea sick pills during the
first twenty four hours than we had since leaving the UK.
The wind slowly eased but stayed stubbornly
in the east and was of such variety that we seemed to be forever changing sail
settings and size. After some thirty six hours we were thirty miles down
on our desired track. This did not really matter over such a long
distance. Time passed, stomachs got better and the wind went light leaving
us with the other great evil of offshore sailing, sloppy seas and little wind,
the result being a terrible slatting and wearing of the sails and rig. You
get the picture.
I am writing this on our third afternoon at
sea and things are very different. The forecast westerly has filled in,
the old girl is rolling off the miles on a broad reach and the sun is
shining. It all began in the middle of last night. Slowly the
endless rain showers and the slow run before eight knots of wind with
terrible sounds coming from the rig gave way to the present conditions.
Before dawn came climbing out of the east the skies had cleared and we were
treated to the unbelievable sight of the southern night sky viewed with no light
pollution. It was a fresh revelation as I had
forgotten just how magnificent it is. If there is one thing about offshore
sailing it gives one great experience in going from misery to nirvana and
alas sometimes back again.
Nuku'alofa on the island of Tongatapu lies some
five hundred and fifty miles to the north north east of us. Today is the
22nd and Jago and Claire fly there on the 29th so if the weather gods are
vaguely kind and Nordlys does not let us down we should be there to meet
them. This morning's sky and today's sunshine has given us a glimpse of
what it will be like to be back in the tropics. Thermals, snugs, sea
boots plus oilskins will be a thing of the past for the next six
months.
Our best wishes to all our readers. There
is too much motion for me to tackle sending pictures. Anyway who wants to
see either Annette or myself looking rather unkempt. Not however
unwashed as showers were had this am to celebrate the change in
conditions. I was too taken up with watching the beauty of this morning's
dawn to get my camera out to try to capture it.
David and Annette