Storyteller, Part 2
Storyteller
Sat 2 May 2009 06:12
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Position: 35.18S 174.07E
Sue writes:
On a cold, wet, windy day in Opua we are
waiting with 18 yachts for the start of our passage to Tonga, hopefully with a
stop at Minerva Reef en route if the weather is kind. We knew as soon as we
heard from Bruce that the planned 2 May start was not going to
happen. There were to be 20 vessels in the Island Cruising Association
rally, but unfortunately one yacht was sunk after hitting rocks only 3 miles
away from Opua on the passage north from Auckland. I hope it's not going to be a
case of "20 little yachts on the way up to Tonga, one hit some rocks,
and then there were 19...". The crew were airlifted to safety with some nasty
injuries. Of course the safest place to be is well off shore, in the
open ocean, which is where we will be this time tomorrow.
It has been a very busy (and expensive) time since
we took possession of the new Storyteller on 1 April. A Selene 53 Ocean
Trawler, it was previously called Private Life with a tender charmingly named
Private Parts! Getting the Selene ready for an ocean crossing in a period of 4
weeks (including Easter!) has been quite a task. The previous owners spent
freely on items such as a luxurious mattress, dvd players in every cabin and a
wonderful sound system, but we had to start from scratch with the essentials
such as a life raft, a single sideband radio, an Iridium phone and so on. The
boat had been wired for the US system so would only run American appliances.
We've had a huge amount of electrical work done to simplify the system and of
course to run our coffee machine and bread maker. We've also invested in some
very serious fishing gear thanks to Ben who is the engineer making the trip
up to Tonga with us. As well as being an ardent fisherman, Ben has a gorgeous
Tongan wife, Tassie, so we will be very well connected when we
arrive.
The trip to Opua on Monday was a big learning
experience in a rather rough sea, with the wind right on the nose. Our
new storm shutters sent from China were cleared off the ship just in time to be
fitted before our departure from Auckland last Monday, and then we were off on a
new adventure. We felt quite apprehensive, given that we had never taken
the boat out of the pen, but Gary the Yachtfinders Global broker was
probably feeling even more nervous as we are the first Selene to
head up to the Pacific Islands. The rough shakedown cruise was just
what we needed, and we were pleasantly surprised that the different motion was
quite bearable and didn't cause any sea sickness. We had intended to anchor at
Tutakaka on the way up but after poking our nose into the anchorage at 2 in
the morning and seeing breakers either side of us, we decided to carry on
to Opua.
We've found that the chart plotter and radar on the
Selene, although the same make as the ones on the old Storyteller, have
completely different commands, which was a bit of a shock as we navigated our
way up the coast in pitch darkness. No doubt we'll have learnt all the
new systems by the time we arrive in Tonga.
We're all looking forward to setting off tomorrow
in ordinary clothes rather than our heavy weather gear. The forecast is looking
better for us than for the yachts, with quite light winds expected after an
initial windy start. The meals are all cooked and in the freezer and our three
fishing rods all rigged for mahimahi, tuna and other creatures of the
deep.
Had better close now and swot up the manual on how
to use the radar.
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