This is the story of the voyage of Ocean Pearl, 53 foot Amel ketch, from Mangonui to the Marlborough Sounds. Crew Danny Simms, Adrian Osborne, and Tony Foulkes, all with enough ocean miles under their belts to make your eyes water.
Planned date of departure 1st of February, weather dependent, course from Mangonui past North Cape and Cape Reinga and down the west coast.
Forecasts for a week of NE to E winds had us on the way on the 28th. We suffered light head winds for the first day leaving Mangonui and there were left over seas from earlier gales so it was a pretty lumpy ride North motor sailing close hauled. Half way across Great Expedition Bay I noticed a hole in the headsail by a spreader.
We had to drop the sail to repair it with sticky back, not too much fun in the rolling lumpy sea. Repair completed but because of possible wind up over 30 knots in the next few days I decided to change to the high cut heavy weather jib. The light head winds continued so we decided to stop the night in Tom Bowling Bay.
Good chance for the crewto settle into the boat. Left the mizzen up at anchor and it made what could have been a rolly night comfortable.
29th. Auckland is getting pasted with gales and rain but we have 10kn North Easterly and are on our way at 8am. As we approach Cape Reinga the Columbia and Pandora Banks are breaking impressively in the competing solid SW and NE swells, a good reminder to stay well clear.
Wind is now 10 to 12 kn N giving us a stern quarter ride and we put the mizzen staysail up, four sail reaching, sun is out, ketch heaven. Soon the wind is 15, gusting 20, the boat doing 8 to 10 knots and we are surrounded by rain squalls and the competing SW and NE swells are giving us an interesting ride. By 2100 the rain squalls are gone.
Going into our first night at sea we set four 3 hour watches 2200 hrs to 0800. I took the first and last and the others one each in the middle.
On the first watch with the wind at 15kn we were making 8 to 9 kn boat speed and in the steep swells the forward cabin was a lively place for Tony to be. She was dipping her nose often. All good things come to an end and by the end of the first watch the wind dropped to 5 and came on the nose. Mizzen staysail down and sheet in.
We had course options. Straight line it to Cape Egmont which would put us many miles off shore or stay inshore and follow the coast. The inshore route was longer but given the off shore wind potentially getting to 30 knots I thought it best stay closer in and get calmer seas and cover us if the wind headed so we laid a course for Manukau heads. At times we were headed off this line and were making 5 to 6 kn close hauled in 12 kn wind.
30th 0600, the wind headed us going from NE to East but we were still laying inside Cape Egmont, the wind is shifty and then freed and got up to 18 knots, furled the mizzen.
0700 heavy rain squall 20kn, boat speed 10 plus
0715 tried to reef the main by furling it into the mast using the Amel electric furling system. Motor didn’t work. Checked the breaker, no joy.
The Amel has a manual back up system to furl the main in the case of an electric failure. By slacking 4 bolts the motor and its gear box drop 25mm and frees the foil which can then be operated with a winch handle. However, in the wind and rain this was less than attractive as an option so I took the load off the boat by dropping the traveler and easing the sheet while I considered what may have gone wrong.
The breaker was in, the relay was clicking so first choice was stuck brushes. Sometimes this can be fixed by bumping the exterior of the motor. If not, the motor needs to be opened up. Not a good idea in pouring rain, so I waited. Perhaps the rain would stop and the wind drop.
1000hrs. Neither the wind nor the rain stopped so rain jacket and harness on and out I went onto the wet and bucking deck. This wasn’t in the voyage brochure.
Going for the simplest option I tried external blows to the motor and signaled the warm and dry crew in the fully enclosed cockpit to try the switch. No joy but by putting my ear close to the motor I could hear it trying to turn.
I slacked the four bolts and dropped the motor its 25mm. To check if the foil turned, I put the winch handle in and yes it turned freely. Now to see if the motor would operate with no load. Signals back to the cockpit, and yes it did.
Got them to run it back and forth many times, success. Lifted the motor back into place and tried again. Success is becoming a habit, it worked and continued to do so for the rest of the voyage.
I guess there was a build up of crud on the armature that limited electrical current and by spinning it load free it cleared itself. Whatever the cause we got it going.
Back to business. Still on the Cape Reinga to Manukau Heads leg. Sailing with heavy weather jib and 2/3 main. Wind 20 degrees forward of the beam and we are doing 5 to 7 knots. The sea is very lumpy and I have to keep the speed down to avoid crashing and bashing. The wind angle is improving and allowing us to work further inshore in the hope of smoother seas.
The alternative option of bearing away for Cape Egmont would have given us wind over the beam or perhaps the stern quarter which would have made for an easier ride but carried the risk of the wind heading us and being in a worse situation in bigger seas. Particularly if the wind got up to the potential 30 knots plus.
So we made the choice to continue inshore.
It was notable I was the only one to have breakfast this morning.
The wind up to 20 to 25 knots, 90 degrees true on the beam. I reduced the main to half, still doing 8 to 9 knots, the seas are not so steep now so I can let the boat have her head And my log says “we are blasting” and “we are fair chucking water”. Boat is perfectly balanced, it was a very good call to go for the heavy weather jib. We are sailing well and fast with not much sail.
We note that reducing sail increases speed, she likes to be balanced and “on her feet” The sea is getting less now but it has been pretty rough. One wave we hit threw solid water right over the cockpit covers. The wave we hit wasn’t that big, but steep and nasty and we did hit it at 9 knots
Log 5138, just 14 miles from Manukau heads. Had lots of rain but now warm and overcast. We are in 20 to 25 knots off Manukau while just a few miles away the Waitemata is being blasted with 45 knots
1700hrs. Off Piha by 5 miles, turned for New Plymouth. Perfect wind angle 120 degrees true on the stern quarter. 20 knots, 3 sails and doing 8.5 kts Boat Speed
1815 hrs. Wind down to 15 knots sea much smoother, mizzen staysail up. Back to ketch heaven, four sail reaching at 9.5 Boat Speed.
2100hrs. Wind building so mizzen staysail down. On track for New Plymouth, wind 120 degrees on quarter 16 to 20 knts BS 9.5.
31st Over night through all the watches the boat has been going like a train. On his watch Adrian saw a burst of 12.1 knots boat speed. And then in the morning 12.9 No drama, on auto helm, she just does it. Been going 8-10 knots all night. Perfectly balanced boat
0530. I haven’t been able to get an updated forecast for the last leg from Cape Egmont to Queen Charlotte Sound. A mate has arranged a mooring for us in New Plymouth in case we need to wait there for weather to improve.
We had discussed it earlier and agreed on the forecasts we had that we would carry on. The others are asleep and I need to decide, continue for New Plymouth or bear away for Cape Egmont. This way, that way. Carry on won, course change for Cape Egmont. Wind has been constant from the SE at 20 knots, magnificent sailing. Log says “Covering lots of ground. Been going 8 to 10 knots all night. Magic Carpet Ride”
0745 Mt Egmont visible through the haze. From Piha to here is 138 miles and we did it in 17 hours and by GPS that gives us an overnight average speed of 8.12 knots, the equivalent of a 200 mile off shore day.
However, as I said before, all good things come to an end. Mt Egmont stole our SE wind, and it is down to 2 knots.
1250hrs Started motor and took the chance to set the water maker going. It desalinates the sea water to give top quality drinking water.
1430 hrs Wind up to 12 knots, stopped motor.
1530. With light winds forecast we changed up to the big headsail. Full headsail, full main, full mizzen
1930 Wind has headed us and gone from NE to E, we cant lay Queen Charlotte and are pointing for Nelson. (they say Nelson is a nice place but not where we need to go) At times we are as low as Golden Bay
2030 hrs Wind lifting, ( 9kn ENE) now almost clearing Durville Island, that’s better. We hope the wind angle continues to improve. Looking at the weather graphics on the forecaster Windy we see gales to the West and Gales to the East and we are in gentle breezes and calm seas in between. Tony says someone is looking after us and I agree.
The log records we are up to 7 knots in 9 knots true wind. Sadly didn’t last.
1.2.23 0530. Overnight it has been a beautiful sail although Tony suffered very light wind on his watch. After rounding Cape Egmont, the wind went very light on the nose and we were laying Golden Bay. After we put the big headsail on it was much the same until the wind, degree by degree began to swing towards the NE. We were also helped by the current running West to East and as we crossed it it carried us in the right direction.
We had a choice of short tacking along the North Island coast or sailing across towards the South Island. We chose the latter on the old rule, sail the long leg first and take best effect from any wind change. The favorable current was a bonus. We made the right choice.
As the wind lifted our course track on the chart plotter was a long and extensive banana and by 2300hrs it had given us a course line tracking above our target
Now at 0530 it is steady on the beam at 10 to 11 knots and in the smooth seas we are doing 7.5kn BS
Its been a beautiful nights sail but then the wind decided to give us a hard time dropping and coming on the nose. Then a confused sea coming out of Cook Straight had the boat rocking back and forth and shaking what little wind there was out of the sails and at 0720 we started the motor just 6.5 miles from Queen Charlotte Sound
0840 Two dolphins greeted us and then some seals and more dolphins
1000hrs 1.2.23 We enter Queen Charlotte sound. I cooked a celebratory breakfast for all:
2 eggs, two rashers of bacon, fried tomato and fried bread
In still overcast conditions with drizzly rain we motored up to Waikawa Bay where we dropped anchor at 1320 hrs
2.2.23 Up anchor at 6am and motored around to Picton to drop Tony and Adrian off to catch the Cook Straight ferry to begin their homeward run. Yvonne joins me on Tuesday.
Author: Danny Simms
Photos: Tony Foulkes
with thanks to Lou Coburn and Andy for the loan of pfd and tether
Ocean Pearls voyage back from Picton in the Marlborough
Sounds to Mangonui. By coincidence we went down a day or two ahead of the RNI
fleet and back just ahead of them again.
Like them we had intended the return to be up the East coast
but for the same reason decided on a West coast return. We didn’t like the
thought of sailing through stray logs out from Hawkes Bay
We left Mangonui on the 28th of January and after
spending February in the Marlborough Sounds were back home just before midnight
on the 5th of March. My crew
home was Carolyn who races on the same boat as me in Mangonui, and Hannah whom
I found through the Island Cruising crew search.
We left Picton on the morning of the 1st As expected there was no wind in Queen Charlotte
Sound, so we motored all the way out to Cape Jackson. Having been coached by
locals we made our way through the inner pass between the light and the
headland without difficulty. This was the pass that sank the Russian cruise
liner Mikhail Lermontov, they were a bit bigger than
us, we fitted through, they didn’t. Then, we were close hauled with three sails laying through to Durville Island
in very light wind. We decided to stop there for the night
After
trying three times to anchor but just scrabbled on a rock bottom we gave up and
headed out but Carolyn noticed on their chart that there was a club mooring
there. We turned around and found it. Beautiful spot. Quiet night.
2.3.23 Left
in the morning and went between Stephens and Durville islands with Hannahs local
knowledge leading the way. Exciting swirls and currents much stronger than we
experienced in French Pass and Cape Jackson.
In light
air we sailed close hauled across to the North Island and as the wind headed us
laying quite a bit south east of Cape Egmont. At 1930 we are getting near the
land. Rather than tack through the oil rigs and the approaching RNI fleet we
furled the Headsail and motor sailed.
Passed Cape
Egmont light at 2350. YB tracking had showed a
mass of RNI boats coming at us but the very light head winds sorted that out
and they trickled past us. Wired was in Waikawa before most of them passed Cape
Egmont.
3.2.23 0500 Beam reach 3 sails. 0700 wind gone South and
6kn, wallowing but we have a favourable tide under us SOG better than BS.
0800 Mizzen staysail up and at 1100 down again. Rocking
shaking wind out of sails. 1130 tight reach in 6-7kn.
1650. Several RNI boats passing. 1900 we are 64 miles out
from Manukau heads. Very quiet day, wind 3-4 knots at times but we didn’t
motor, can’t motor all the way!! We headed out to sea to get better wind angle
with mizzen staysail up.
4.3.23. Continuing with 4 sails but sailing above course
line to get better speed, if you can call 4.5 kn speed. 0130 a big temporary
wind shift back winded the sails and we did a loop de loop. No damage in the
light air but once we sorted it we put the mizzen staysail away. Hannah came on
watch at 0200 and it went back up.
1030hrs the wind is directly behind us so we put the twin
headsails up. 1500hrs wind South 8 -10kn, doing 4.5 -5 SOG and BS.
1700hrs. Huge long powerful SW wells coming up behind us. 58
miles to Tauroa point and 98 to Cape Reinga. At current speed puts us off
Pandora bank midday tomorrow.
2030 radar on, the swells are so big they are showing on the
radar like rows of hills. I have never seen that before.
As evening came on we
had a discussion as to whether we would carry the big twin headsails through
the night. The course line showed us hitting the coast just north of Tauroa
point in the dark hours before dawn. Don’t have much room to change course with
them up. So, we had to consider a night time drop.
We left them up which was a good call because by 2145 wind
has swung slightly E of S allowing straight line to the waypoint off Pandora
bank. Wind rising to 10 to 15, and then increased more through the night.
5.3.23 0500hrs I took over from Hannah and she was pumping. Wind had been
gusting to 20 and she had a sleigh ride watch. Peak speed 13.7 knots with the
wind on 17. She must have caught one of those big swells.
0530. Wind gusted to 25 so used the genius Amel system and
rolled the two headsails partly in.
It is a brilliant
system that allows the hoisting of a second headsail on the foil and clips it
to the top. Then the endless halyard is dropped off allowing the two sails to
be rolled in together if necessary. The two big poles go out at right angles to
the boat secured up and down and fore and aft. To reduce sail the sheets are
eased and the furler rolled as far as needed with the poles remaining extended.
0615. Wind increasing,
sea getting boisterous, boat rock and roll so raised pole tips to prevent them
hitting the water.
0830hrs the wind has gone further east and we have rounded
Pandora and turned to clear Columbia so had to roll the twins up. With gusts to
30 and rough sea we cant unroll them to drop the second one off. . We laid the
poles back to the rail and secured them there. The sea is big and wild. Those
big swells have reached the shallower water. We are broad reaching under main
and mizzen, then beam reach.
The boat is handling it well. I have laid a course well
clear of Pandora, Columbia and Cape Reinga. I am acutely aware of the rogue
wave that took out the charter boat Enchanter off North Cape a few months back.
I closed off the companionway.
1200 Around Cape Reinga. Now looking for a sheltered spot to
unfurl the two huge headsails and get the second one down. We turned in and sailed
close into and along Spirits Bay but no luck. The wind is constantly 20 kn. I
want less than 10. Not to be so we did it in 20.
Turned flat off, put the poles out again and unrolled the
sails. Carolyn on cockpit control. Hannah and I on the fore deck. Pulled the
unclipper up the track and pulled the sail down the track and I controlled the
front and tack while Hannah tried to bundle it up. Carolyn misunderstood the
hand signals and turned beam on to the wind and little Hannah was nearly picked
up by the sail.
Got it done. Took the poles down and stowed them. Headed for
Tom Bowling bay to see if it was a suitable anchorage for the night. It would
be a 20kn plus wind closed hauled from North Cape to Mangonui and I thought
that would be a bit ugly. I reasoned the wind would drop over night and give us
a kind start in the morning. Not to be. Swells and wind hitting Tom Bowling Bay,
so we headed home
1700, past North Cape. Close hauled. ¼ headsail 2/3 main,
sea state, heavy chop wind 20 -23kn SE Boat well balanced and sailing well. Powering
through the seas with very little pounding.
Almost laying Karikari but the wind is shifting 10 to 15
degrees back and forth. 1930 As we cleared Great Exhibition Bay the sea calmed
but the wind dropped to 17kn and headed us. The heading got worse and the wind
got less so at 2100hrs rolled the headsail and we motor sailed the rest of the
way under main and mizzen. Last segment of Doubtless Bay flat calm and moon
lit.
On the mooring in Mill Bay Mangonui Harbour 2350hrs 5.3.23
539 miles from Picton and a total voyage Mangonui to
Mangonui and cruising the sounds, 1400 miles. I could not have asked for better
crew and the whole voyage was a lot of fun, of course mingled with its challenges.
Danny Simms
SV Ocean Pearl. Amel Super Maramu
12.3.23
