First day out

www.kanaloa55.com
David & Valerie Dobson
Mon 23 Aug 2010 23:36

09:17.14S 144:51.67E

Tuesday 24th August 2010

 

 

We left Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea just before 7am on a beautiful, but a little hazy morning and motored out through the pass to be met by a confused sea left over from the wind of the previous days; this added to the backwash from the reef, left poor Ollie feeling a little queasy again. As we motored away and left the confines of the reef structure the sea took on a more orderly pattern and smoothed itself out.

DSC02157 Local island.jpg

By 0900 we had enough breeze to set some sail to help as along, and by mid-day were able to stop the engine. Although progress was a little due to a strong 2 knot counter current.

DSC02156.JPG

First night of our 7 day passage gave us not an amazing sunset, but enough to attract some of the birds flying around us to land on Kanaloa for a night’s rest

DSC02159 Trying to land.jpg

This brown booby tried several times to land on our crosstrees

DSC02169 Noddy landed.jpg

This noddy managed to find perch on the engine cover

DSC02178 Noddy's resting place.jpg

But decided it was a steadier platform on the aft deck, that’s the full moon rising just behind, which lit every one of the six nights we were on passage.

DSC02189 Brown Booby's resting place.jpg

The brown booby nearly flew in through our front window after he landed

DSC02191 Booby's resting place.jpg

But eventually rested on the horizontal window, which made it easier to clear up its droppings!  It did not mask the foul smell of guano wafting in through the open window however.

Yet another booby slept on the solar panel above the dinghy at the back of the boat, also making it easier to clear up its droppings next morning!