1800 Sailing close-hauled starboard with double reefed main and about 40% of the jib at 3 to 4 knots south. Sometimes up to 195º. With waves from previous wind coming up from on the beam, heeling us more than normal. Which is better than being thrown violently up and down by waves and no wind. Still in Western Hemisphere. Now five miles from Dateline. October 6 South Pacific Ocean: Tuesday 0745 This is not much fun, but on the other hand it isn’t getting the job done either. We are close-hauled on port tack making 4 knots to the northwest. I got tired again of heading south on starboard. I went to bed last night wearing my clothes in expectation of getting up when the wind shifted. Unfortunately it didn’t. The sky did clear, until the full moon was shining through the companionway like a searchlight, and we sailed well until about midnight. We finally crossed the International Dateline around 2200, after being within a mile of it six hour earlier. Even now we’ve only made twenty more miles to the west. At 0400 the wind picked up and we began bashing into and leaping off of waves. I had finally undressed about 0200. So got in my clothes, foul weather gear, and went on deck, where I found the wind to be 28 knots. Furled the jib down to storm jib size. Eased the main traveler. Improved our motion, if not direction. Back in the cabin, I pumped several buckets of water from the bilge. Then had orange juice and coffee. Can only do one thing at a time. Making coffee, even instant, difficult. I spilled some onto my hand when the boat heeled. Fortunately not quite boiling. Heard the weather on New Zealand radio. “Fresh southwesterlies” as far as Auckland and beyond. After coffee, I went back on deck--you can assume foul weather gear until further notice--and managed to tack. Sometimes we get to 300º--this is COG, which includes considerable leeway in these seas--but mostly around 315º. All this has only brought us 60 miles closer to Opua since yesterday noon. Now 301 miles and on this heading not being reduced much. Cabin very wet. Many leaks around new hatches. Disappointing. I installed them carefully with double beads of sealant. Had to put plastic tents over head and foot of berth last night to keep water from small hatch and mast falling on feet and companionway on head. Temperature in the 50sF. 53º when at 0400. 58º in cabin now. Barometer rising. Up to 1011. Sunny with scattered low clouds. 1200 Continued strong SW wind. A half hour ago we leapt off four waves in quick succession. I went on deck and reduced jib to a few square feet. Waves 8‘ to 10’. Wind 25 to 28 knots. We weren’t getting anywhere anyway, so no reason to get beat up. SOG: 4.3. COG: 314º. Noon position: 33º 02‘ South; 179º 26‘ East. Day’s run: 67 miles. Opua: 297 miles, bearing 243º. 1630 Wind has moderated slightly and backed so that we are able to point almost west. I just went on deck and let out a little more jib. Perhaps too much. We’ve leapt off a couple of waves in the past few minutes. I’ll give it a little longer before going on deck and furling again. Barometer 1013. A cloud with rain to the south. Cold on deck. October 7 South Pacific Ocean: Wednesday 0800 The wind dropped from the 20s to the teens last night. I got up at 0200 and went on deck, without foul weather gear, to let out a little more jib. Unfortunately the wind has remained southwest. New Zealand National Radio used to give detailed marine weather forecasts at 0300 and 0500 (0200 and 0400 ship’s time). I listened to the 0500 broadcast, which did not include the marine forecast. What it did say is that the North Island will have showers, clearing this afternoon, and continued southwest wind. There was also mention of a possible gale Friday, but I am not sure where. Today is partially sunny, partially cloudy. Two showers visible. One off our port bow. We are sailing at about 4 knots at 290º. Mostly this morning we have been around 285º. The seas dropped quickly and dramatically last night, going from 6‘ to 8‘ at 1800 to 2‘ to 3‘ at 2000, but have since increased again a foot. I’m keeping our speed down to avoid crashing off them. Last time I checked, Opua was still 260 miles away. If this wind had been from any other direction, we would have been there tonight. We need only 48 hours of fair wind to be in. I don’t know when we will ever get it. Less cold. 60º F. Barometer continues to rise. Up to 1014. I heard on the radio of the tsunami a week or so ago that killed people in Samoa and Tonga. The Australian boat on which I had a drink in Bora-Bora were headed for American Samoa. I wonder if they were there or still safely at sea when it hit. Rain cloud over us. COG 270º. Momentarily. Opua is now bearing 240º. 1210 By far the two slowest weeks of the circumnavigation back to back. The sky has largely cleared. Wind 18 knots. Seas 4‘ to 5’. Wind still southwest. The bearing to Opua has changed by 13º this morning. I’ll tack after lunch and see what we can do going south. Managed to get two chores done this morning, in addition to pumping the bilge twice. Shaved and took cat bath and replaced a valve in the head, which stopped in-taking water. Two valves in the head wear out and need replacing. I assumed I knew which one had failed. I looked to be sure I had a spare. In order to get replacements, you have to buy an entire spare parts kit. This head is easy to work on, thought less so going to windward. Got it done. Wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t. I could have flushed with salt water carried from the galley pump, or used a bucket. Bouncing around and heeled over, every bit of work tries both energy and patience. Noon position: 32º 31‘ South; 177º 46‘ East. Day’s run: 90. Week’s run: 661, which only brought us 556 miles closer to Opua. Opua: 247 miles, bearing 227º. 247 miles away and I have no idea when I’ll be in. 1300 Well, that didn’t work. Got in foul weather gear, went on deck. Tacked. COG 160º. Let us head off that way for a while, then tacked back. COG 280º. These are not compass heading, but take in account leeway. I expect we are tacking in around 90º. Boat actually sailing well. Nice afternoon except for, as always, wind direction. 1745 Birds hunting around stern as I dumped buckets of water from bilge over the side a few minutes ago. Sun about to set. Wind 18-20 knots. Still southwest, but has backed a few degrees so our course is west. The bearing to Opua is now 225º. THE HAWKE OF TUONELA heeled 20º. Sometimes pounding. Sailing well for conditions. Cold. Tired. Having my last cup of Lapsang Souchong tea. October 8 South Pacific Ocean: Thursday 0730 I heard the coastal weather forecast at 0300 ship’s time this morning and wished I hadn’t. Today will be all right with west wind. Tomorrow and Saturday we have a gale with 40 knot wind, and even Sunday after it passes the wind is predicted to continue at 30 knots from the south. If we had gotten in today, as only a few days ago I expected we would, we would have missed this storm. Now I can look forward to being hammered for several more days. The wind dropped some at sunset and I let out more jib. At midnight I was on deck removing the reef from the main and going to full sail. I tacked back and forth several times, but ended up still going west on port tack. By 0500 we were becalmed and I got up and turned on the engine. Not really to get anywhere, but to run the engine while the boat was level and to give the batteries a boost. The wind now is very light from the west. I keep having to go on deck and turn us back up to the wind. When I do, we can sail at 4 or 5 knots on course for Opua, whose heading is now 219º and 209 miles distant. I still have no idea when we will get there. Fallen off course. Have to go on deck. 0930 We are making 6.4 knots smoothly close-reaching under full sail toward Opua beneath a sky covered with a thin layer of low overcast. If this wind holds, we will be within 50 miles at this time tomorrow morning. And then it will depend on when the gale reaches us, how strong, and the wind direction. We might make it in. If. If. If. I’ll set an alarm tonight to hear the 0300 coastal forecast. I changed from the large light-air plastic vane on the Monitor to the smaller standard stronger plywood vane. Found my long underwear. Pumped the bilge. 1210 For most of the morning we were sailing as noted earlier. But in the past hour, the sky has increasingly cleared, the sun has come out, and the wind has backed. We are now making 5 knots close-hauled on port tack heading about 205º. Two days of that would put us in easily. But we don’t have two days. Noon position: 32º 48’ South; 176º 22‘ East. Day’s run: 73 miles. Opua: 187 miles, bearing 217º. That is my mooring. A new waypoint near Cape Brett at the entrance to the Bay of Islands is 12 miles closer. Just felt the wind decrease. SOG now 4.5. COG 179º. 1500 Wind has been inconsistent. Never more than 10 knots. Often less. I changed back to the bigger plastic vane, and after it, too, was thrown off by the lulls and gusts, went to tiller pilot steering. I’ve been up and down to the cockpit trying to keep sails trimmed. SOG now back over 6. Sky again mostly covered with low cloud. Barometer 1014. 1800 I tried a half hour ago to return to Monitor steering, but didn’t work. Wind still too variable. So back to tiller pilot. Conditions remain the same. We’ve made 29 miles since noon. Just under a 5 knot overage, but usually seem to be making more than 6--6.4 at the moment--or 4.0 to 4.5. Don’t know what to expect tonight. 146 miles to entrance of Bay of Islands. October 9 South Pacific Ocean: Friday 0615 This may not be so bad after all. Now the forecast is for 35 knot wind today from the north, with a period of heavy rain, possible thunderstorms, followed by showers. 35 knots from the north is behind us. Tomorrow the wind is predicted to blow from the southwest. Hopefully we will tied to the Customs Quarantine dock by then. Last night the wind continued to veer and strengthen. With the wind behind us and from the north, it was not as cold as it has been. At midnight I changed from tiller pilot to Monitor with small vane. At 0200 I lowered and furled the mainsail, which was starting to blanket the jib. At 0500 I deeply furled the jib, moved the Monitor control chain a length to windward, put on the mainsail cover, and pumped a bucket of water from the bilge. Sky is covered with low cloud. Some light rain. Wind 20-25 knots from the north. We are 90 miles from the mooring. The Quarantine Dock is the north end of the marina breakwater float and about 400 yards/meters from my mooring. The entrance to the Bay of Islands is 77 miles away. We will either be there or close by sunset at 1900 ship’s time. The Bay of Islands is one of the few places I will enter after dark. In fact I did so on my last return passage from Fiji. And particularly when faced with a southwest change tomorrow. I have us sailing a little to the north of the rhumb line, so I can fall off and put the wind further toward the stern when it increases. SOG 5.5 TO 6.0 knots. 0920 We’re moving along relatively smoothly. A few waves have hit us. They are not large. 4’-5’. Wind mostly 25-30 knots, with higher gusts. I saw 35 knots one of the times I was in the cockpit. I’ve been on deck several times to adjust the amount of jib. I’m trying to keep us between 5.5 and 6 knots. 6.6 SOG at moment. Now 5.9. Interesting with only a scrap of jib showing how much difference a single roll in or out on the furling gear can make. Usually at least a half knot. Intermittent rain. Low sky. Grey sea. Barometer at 999. Quite a drop since yesterday’s 1016. This storm is supposed to m