Around the block

We had foggy, cool conditions for our move up north to Whangaroa Harbor.

The entrance to the harbor is narrow and quite steep

We found a great road bike loop from the clinic along a scenic highway with little traffic.

Mmmmm... bikes! Riding quite similar to the terrain in northern California around Sonoma County. Similar steeps to the Geyser's loop and King Ridge, just not as big. Oh yeah, and stay on the left.

On the move again

We have left Opua after five weeks of socializing, rest, repairs, and upgrades. Pau Hana is in top shape (except for those second tier projects we didn't get to.) We have enjoyed sharing stories with the friends we've made along the way. Many boats arrive at Opua every day as pacific sailors escape the tropical cyclone season. This afternoon we are anchored in the Cavalli Islands at S 35°00.8'  E 173°56.4'  We are headed to Whangaroa where Pau Hana will spend the summer.

cash n' splash

Pau Hana is back in the water. We've moved out of the marina and are having Thanksgiving dinner on our friend's (bigger) boat with some other adrift Americans. Repairs went well. This weekend we're moving the boat up north to Whangaroa Harbor, where we'll spend the summer.

View from the deck at the staff housing we're staying in while I work at the Whangaroa Health Center. It's pretty far north and as you can see, rural. The tile rooftops in the distance are the clinic facilities, the helipad for emergency evacuations is just downhill.

On the hard

Pau Hana got hauled out of the water for the first time in 18 months today. Overall, we're happy with how things look. But after 12,000 miles, we have some repairs and maintenance to do! We're hoping to be on the hard for about a week, depending on how much "project creep" we get. Project creep describes the experience of starting to fix one discreet thing and then realizing that there's about 5 other projects that need to be done in order to address your primary project. Ahhh... the joys of boat ownership.

 Pau Hana gets new standing rigging. It's no fun being in the middle of the ocean thinking, is this rigging (all the stainless line holding up the mast) really 30 years old?

 On the way into the travel lift today. The current was at least 3 kts and pushed us into the downstream post, putting a scratch in the blue shear stripe. Good thing it's not the first one.

 Getting moved into our new slip. We're hoping that our repairs will only take about a week. It's no fun living in a boat yard.

 This lovely announcement is cast into the travel lift. I guess it's a good thing that I'm starting work on Monday.

 Martin uses advanced tools to disassemble the rudder post. 

Road trip

So happy to have the bikes! We're along the west coast of the north island on a small 2 lane road.

Girl loves bike

Martin tries to straighten the curves.

Checking out the surf near Raglan, a cool little surf town on the west coast.

We headed out for a week in a rental car (downgrade from the van, bigtime) with the bikes and had some fun seeing some of the north island, including Wellington. We're back at the boat now, hauling it out of the water in a week to do some repairs and projects. Many of our friends have now arrived in NZ, so we'll be catching up with them and trading stories of our recent passage.

Landfall NZ

I'm happy to have arrived in New Zealand. The Bay of Islands are gorgeous and we're enjoying spring weather, seafood and craft beer. Martin got the bikes put together and we'll be getting some miles in on the impressively steep terrain soon, right after we solve the forgotten helmet and shoes situation.

...and it was done.

Pau Hana has arrived in New Zealand!
12 months, 12,000 miles, 11 countries!
Our last leg from Fiji was our most challenging. We sailed hard upwind for over 700 miles, then burned most of our fuel motoring 300 miles, and then faced strong headwinds and steep waves for the final 100 miles.  We broke more gear on this leg than on our entire trip prior.
We cleared customs last night and slept well. It is spring in NZ, so rather cool. Our road bikes are being delivered to the marina today. Perfect timing!
More later
Martin

Pau Hana - hopefully the final day

[pos]34 42s 174 21e
[sp]5.5
[h]250 T
[w]wind 15-18kts SSW seas 1.5m
[s]Motorsailing. Difficult progress past 24 hours. 28 nm to Opua

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beginning of day 9

[pos]33 27s 173 47e
[sp]5.9
[h]180 T
[w]wind 13kts SW seas 1m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua. 1023mb. Motorsailing. All is well 103 nm to Opua
Barring any problems, we should be at the Opua marina about 2am.

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Pau Hana begins day 8

[pos]31 27s 173 28e
[sp]4.5
[h]175 T
[w]wind 8-10kts SE seas 1m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua. 1026mb. Motorsailing. All is well 224 nm to Opua.
Slow progress but comfortable. Unidentified sea bird grabbed my lure and got to meet Martin and his pliers. He survived and was fed tortillas and cheese the rest of the afternoon.
I was hoping to finish in 8 days but it seems this will carry into nine days.

Martin

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Pau Hana

[pos]29 37s 173 14e
[sp]4.5
[h]180 T
[w]wind 10kts ESE seas 1m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua. 1026mb.
sea state improving.
all is well 335 nm to Opua

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Pau Hana

[pos]27 42s 173 10e
[sp]4.5
[h]175 T
[w]wind light to 12kts ESE seas 1.5m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua
all is well 458 nm to Opua

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Pau Hana halfway to NZ

[pos]25 57s 173 44e
[sp]5.7
[h]200 T
[w]wind 15-20 kts ESE seas 1.5m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua
Conditions still improving. 90% low clouds. we got our desired wind shift and are steering for Opua
just about half way. 575nm remaining. optimistic ETA monday PM, October 19. all's well

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Pau Hana beginning day 4

[pos]23 37s 174 14e
[sp]5.0
[h]205 T
[w]wind 18kts SE seas 1.5m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua, NZ
Conditions improving. Hoping for wind shift to ESE or E
all's well
We may have to tack to the ENE if we don't get a favorable wind shift in the next day or so.
We're leaving the tropics -currently 68* F - hats and boots are coming out for night watch.
Martin

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Pau Hana to Opua Day 2

Conditions improved from yesterday. Still beating upwind in lumpy seas.
Boats ahead of us that we're in contact with report wind shifting from SE to E

[pos]21 32s 176 23e
[sp]5.5
[h]195m
[w]wind 18-22kts SE seas 2-3m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua NZ

working upwind towards 30s 173e
all's well
Martin

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Pau Hana is underway

[pos]19 33s 176 10e
[sp]5.5
[h]200m
[w]wind 20kts SE seas 2-3m
[s]underway from Lautoka Fiji to Opua NZ
working upwind towards 30s 173e
all's well

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Look both ways before you cross!

Happy Birthday Martin!

 Best Cap'n ever takes a break to go dive.

 Diving with Megan Ross

 We've had overall mediocre sailing conditions here in Fiji but yesterday coming back to Viti Levu we had 15-20 kts of wind, great sailing.

Happy 45th Birthday Martin! Tonight we'll celebrate with a well travelled box of Ghiradelli chocolate cake mix(it has made the same trip as we have, from NC) and dinner at the Boatshed restaurant. We're making final preparations to leave Fiji on Saturday and make the passage down to New Zealand, about a 1,000 mile trip. We'll wait out the cyclone season there until May 2016. Pau Hana will get some rest and a tune-up after the big trip.

Dolphins ride the bow wave

No matter how many times this happens, it's always a complete delight. Footage from the Galapagos, pre-GoPro.

https://vimeo.com/141604143#t=NaNs

Megan goes boating

Clown fish in an anenome, Mamanucas

We had a great time with Megan on board this week. She was a great sport and even got certified for scuba while here. She delivered lots of goodies from home and generally brightened up the place. She even even endured a showing of Jack goes Boating. Thanks for the great visit, Megan!

 This little damselfish was very curious with the camera and swam right up to me several times.

Fantastic coral formation in the Yasawas.

This little yellow chromis fish was giving the manta ray a run for its' money. Mantas only eat plankton, so I can only think he was just catching the wave made by the big ray. Martin thinks he was showing off for his friends. These 2 rays were 10-12 feet in wingspan and swam 6 feet under us while we were snorkeling. Just curious, I guess. 

Yasawa Islands

currently anchored at
S 17*10.3'
E 177*11.3'

We got buzzed by two Manta Rays while snorkeling this morning.
Tonight we'll go ashore to a nearby resort that has a beach bar and wood fired pizza oven.
No cell signal so no posting photos from here, but I got some great pics of these Mantas.
Low clouds with slight drizzle and about 72* F

Martin

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Mamanutha Islands

Currently anchored at
S 17*27.5'
E 177*02.6'
Megan Kempt is aboard and recently completed her SCUBA training.
The water clarity is excellent here, and the sun is rising after a few gray days.
All is well on Pau Hana
Martin

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Lexi Gulbranson shared a video with you on Vimeo

To ensure delivery, add no-reply@vimeo.com to your address book. Hi! Lexi Gulbranson shared a video with you on Vimeo: Follow this link if you like whales.... Humpback whale calf, Tonga by Lexi Gulbranson / 10 minutes ago I've recently been accused of bottle feeding humpback whales and am using this video as evidence of my innocence, I only got to within about 10 feet! We watched this 1 month old calf surface to check us out, then return to mom and start feeding. Forward this email to your friends and family so that they can watch the video too. Change your notification settings: https://vimeo.com/settings/advanced TM + © Vimeo, LLC 555 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011 Terms | Privacy Policy

Sailing into the calm, Fiji

We arrived a couple days ago and have been busy with boat projects and getting ready for my friend Megan to fly in on Monday from Bozeman. We're gonna head off to a group of islands called the Mamanucas for a week of sailing and diving. There's a famous surf break here called Cloudbreak that I'd like to check out, too. Tom Hanks' movie Castaway was filmed here. The infamous TV show called Celebrity Love Island was also filmed here as was a movie called The Blue Lagoon (yep the Brooke Shields one). Go Megan!

Sent from my iPad

Lexi Gulbranson

S/V Pau Hana

South Pacific 2015

Safely Anchored in Fiji

Five days, Four nights, 550 miles sailed from northern Tonga to western Fiji.
Upwind, Downwind, light wind, heavy wind.
The lil' swede motored for 37 hours straight so we wouldn't have to spend a fifth night out. Fresh oil and filters for the engine tomorrow.
As we approached the Navolo Pass the wind kicked up to 25 knots.
We're now safely anchored in a empty bay with no other boats.
S 17*55'
W 177*16'
speed: zero.
Later I'll check out with the radio net and sleep well.
Martin

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Day 5

We have completed a nighttime transit of the Kandavu Passage.
None of the navigational aids shown on our charts were illuminated.
Luckily the digital charts are good enough and the passage is quite wide.
My new autopilot that I installed at Tahiti died at 4am. Charming. Luckily there is enough wind for the Hydrovane to steer.
Current Position:
S 18*28'
E 177*47'
Course 285* M
Speed 6 kts

We will likely anchor at Momi Bay and not press on to Lautoka so we can be anchored before nightfall tonight.

All'a well

Martin

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the far side

Pau Hana has entered the eastern hemisphere!

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motoring

Wind went light at about 3 am so we're motoring along our path with the mainsail up for a little extra push.
We've just passed Totoya Island. It seems unlikely that we will reach Lautoka on Tuesday.
Alas.
There is one sailboat within 100 miles of us that we've been speaking with twice a day on the SSB radio.
No ships seen last night.

0600 local time
S 19*06'
W 179*55'
speed 4.8 knots
course 272* magnetic

slow and steady

Martin

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upwind

320 miles remaining to Lautoka, Fiji.
We are just about to pass the southern end of the Yangasa Group, but we cannot stop because there is no opportunity to clear customs and immigration there. Disappointing. If we were to come back here we would have to sail upwind for over 200 miles.
As it stands we're sailing upwind anyway. The wind is coming out of the SSW at about 15 knots.
It's harder on the boat but better for sleeping as the boat does not roll uncomfortably.
One ship passed us last night but never got within 5 miles of us. Venus snuck up behind us again.
As of 0630 on Sunday Sept 13; 1830 UTC Saturday:
S 19*26'
W 177*59'
Speed 6 kts
Course 243* magnetic
We'll change course to WNW later this morning and sail between Matuka and Totoya Islands, heading for the Kandavu Passage.
Martin

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To Fiji

Good Morning!
Pau Hana is on the move and headed for Fiji.
As of 0715 local on Saturday, which is 1830 UTC on Friday:
S 19*03
W 175*51
Speed 5.5 knots
Course 245* mag
Wind 10 kts SSW
Sea <1m

Sailing through the night last night there was no moon, so the stars and biolumenescence were very bright.
This morning before dawn I was sure a ship was approaching us from the east, but after more than 20 minutes I figured out that it was Venus rising above the horizon. Oops.
Comfortable sailing so far. Beam reach to close reach so no rolling. We're headed towards Lautoka, in SW Fiji to pick up our friend Megan Kempt who is arriving for a visit.
I replaced the antenna feed line while in Tonga so my radio works much better.

All's well aboard

Martin

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Bye bye Tonga

Martin showing off with dinner- red snapper

 At an outlying anchorage near whale alley. We heard whales singing through the hull of the boat and saw them everyday.

 Home sweet home. We're heading to Fiji today, a trip of about 550 miles. Tonga has been amazing, one of my favorite places on this trip.

More Vava'u

Now we're anchored at
S 18°43.3'
W 174°06.1'
Good sailing inside the island group today. 20+ knots from the SE and minimal waves in here.
Martin

Humpback whale with calf, Kingdom of Tonga

Arrived in the Kingdom of Tonga

We arrived in Tonga after a 2 day passage that started with some good wind that died half-way across, so ended with a day of motoring. I'm happy to be here with calm anchorages, gorgeous islands and 30+ meter visibility underwater. We'll be here for 3-4 weeks sailing, diving and checking out the islands. There's a lovely fruit and vegetable market here along with migratory humpback whales that will keep me happily occupied.

A week on The Rock

We went fishing for parrot fish while we were on Palmerston Atoll. This is our host family and Mart reeling in the gill net. We harvested about 75 fish from the net, which they both eat and export to the Cook Islands. See pics below.

Diving on Niue, (AKA The Rock) is dramatic as there is no protected atoll, just a coral uplift island in the middle of the Pacific. The visibility is awesome, up to 100m regularly. I've never seen such clear, blue water.

There were several cave formations and caverns to swim through

Swim through at about 40 feet.

Humpback whales come from Antarctica each winter season to breed. This one was surfacing 50 feet from Pau Hana. Last night we were awakened several times by the blow hole action of nearby sleeping whales.

Gorgeous swimming holes all over the island

We got a Go Pro camera in Tahiti, yeah!

Parrot fish from Palmerston Atoll

Martin tried to spear a parrot fish with this handmade spear that weighed about 30 lbs.  He got an A for effort. 

We'll be heading for Tonga in a couple days, just waiting for some nasty weather to blow through. Hope everyone's well!