Tag: Fiji

Junior Weatherman
2022 New Zealand to Fiji, Weather

Junior Weatherman Merit Badge

All those years listening to Dr. George Fishbeck and Johnny Mountain tell us about what the weather would be in the Los Angeles area must have caused me along with countless other want-to-be junior weathermen to have received a subliminal degree in weather prognostication. After all if they were right more than 50% of the time they were very good. Hell, with my subliminal weatherman degree I’ve got a shot at my Junior Weatherman Eagle Scout merit badge. Wahoo!

Preparing for the New Zealand to Fiji trip is one of the more daunting passages. Because it’s only 9-10 gays long or because it’s 9-10 days long. You see weather is very dynamic and constantly changes. Even from the multiple weather models available. Each has their individual algorithms that they use. I had to look up how to spell algorithm let alone know what it’s used for. I do know that it’s a fancy new age term for scientific mumbo jumbo or in layman’s term a calculator with lots of extra do dads and buttons. I just let the weather modeling people do their thing and then use them nine ways from Sunday for our passages.

Many hours of pouring over the models does cause you to see trends. You can see how a small weather depression on a chart suddenly starts sucking wind from a nearby high pressure system and bam! A low pressure system complete with storm force winds and rain is formed. Maybe even a tropical storm or cyclone/hurricane. It actually happens more than the average land dweller knows. Because the land surface is only about 1/4 of the surface area of earth where the other 3/4ths is covered by water. Sometimes looking at how the different systems are all lined up across the Southern Hemisphere from the southern India Ocean toward the southern tip of New Zealand is scary how many of them there are and how massive they become.

For the last five to six weeks I’ve been dwelling on weather. Sometimes with coffee and sometimes with a beer. It’s odd how the view with a beer has some thoughts like, “Hell Yea, we could make that. Watch this, hold my beer!” The coffee experience is a little more mature and realistic. Anyway, countless hours have been spent looking and analyzing our upcoming trip.

In fact, once we left Town Basin Marina and arrived at Marsden Cove Marina it was looking like we would possibly be leaving in short order. We had a possible weather window that was looking good. However, three days out of leaving the weather models started to display a trend. One of those possible low pressure phenomenons that suck up the outer rim of a high pressure system causing a squash zone. That’s not a field for a sporting event either. As it turned out it did develop and I am glad we held off our departure. One Captain we know that did leave on that window was blasted with 40-45 knots winds at the end of his trip. That’s a little more than the Dazzler crew wants to deal with out here.

About a week later a new window of opportunity was starting to develop. Keep in mind that weather is not a static animal. It is always moving and changing. What looks good today could not be good tomorrow. This new opportunity had some issues, but was nothing the crew of Dazzler couldn’t handle. It appeared that if we departed, we would have some light winds that would allow us to motor sail to the east a bit before turning north toward Fiji. And we would have about two to three days of sailing on a beam reach in 18-20 knot winds from a 90° true wind angle.

With an apparent wind angle of 55-65° depending on which factors you equate into the calculation. Closer to the angle of the wind than I or most sailors like. It can be a fast point of sail with the downside of being healed over in the 30° range. We have a hard enough time trying to walk on flat ground. Imagine doing everything while having your floor at a 30° tilt. Even brushing your teeth becomes more of a challenge because you have to calculate the angle from mouth to sink and hope your aim is on target. The water from the faucet even comes out an angle. Try to pour boiling water from your kettle into your coffee mug. Meddles to say, your brain has to make careful algorithmic equations factored in with a 30° coefficient of dangle. Not for the faint of heart.

Weather outside of three to four days can become problematic at best because of the dynamic issues with this beast. What looks good today may not in three days and vice versa. The weather models have improved drastically over the years, but short of owning a boat friendly Chrystal ball or having Madame Zelda on speed dial there is still a high probability factor for change.

We decided after a shake and throw of the bones sprinkled with a little fresh chicken blood that we would be checking out of the country and head toward Fiji.

Dazzler Has Left the Building

We cleared out with NZ Customs and we’re set to depart Monday around 1000 hours, Pacific Dazzler Time. All was happening as planned. The stars were aligned. The whole Dazzler crew was in their happy place including Grape Ape. Smiles abounded.

Knowing that we would be on a beam reach for a few days was acceptable. With one night of travel in the history books, the new downloaded weather indicated we may now be in for a few more days of the beam reach. Damn! Okay, we’re here now and those are the conditions we’ve been dealt so we decided to make the best of it. Into day two the winds increased into the high teens and the sea state increased its size to 3-4 meters at about 6-8 seconds.

Time for a sail change to make our life a little more comfortable. We double reefed the main, filled the staysail and used about half of the jib to pull us along through the water at a comfortable angle of heel. The recent weather indicated that we should start seeing the wind with a little more southerly component which would be nice if it happened that way.

With the next weather update, it looked like we were going to be in 26 knots of true wind in two days from the east. Wow! Not what I’d like to be in. So we decided to roll up the jib and reef in the staysail to slow our speed down to 3-4 knots during the evening. This went a long way to reducing our heel angle and would slow us down enough to perhaps avoid the stronger winds in our future. Basically, they’d have moved on by the time we get there. Hold on a minute. Honey? Where’s that chicken blood? I want to check the weather again.

Until our next underway weather update. Remember, fair winds and following seas. Because you never heard any sailor say, “Fresh winds and a Beam Reach to ya!” LOL

Cheers!

Captain Dan

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our “Where in the world is Dazzler” button on the right where you can track us across the ocean.

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2022 New Zealand to Fiji

From Bad To Worse

As preciously stated, this passage can be a tricky one. Let’s start that on a boat the size of Dazzler it takes 8-10 days to get from New Zealand to Fiji and, well, even the best weather forecast is only good for about three days. Add in the fact that this passage takes you through an area where three giant bodies of water collide…the Coral Sea, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, each bringing their own weather system, and I’m sure you’re beginning to get the picture. Yeah, it can be a challenge even for the very best of sailors. And so, from time to time you’ll find things going from bad to worse.

The first eighteen hours or so of this passage was delightful. Nice winds and the seas were fair enough. Big but at 8-10 seconds apart they were okay…nothing too painful. Then came the morning of the second day. Dan came on watch at 0430 and the winds were picking up into the twenties. Oddly enough the sea state was actually calmer with the increased winds as it dropped to 2-3 with longer rollers. Bonus!

With the ever capable Captain on watch I made my way below to get some much needed sleep. The thing is, with all the bouncing and rolling in the prior day I didn’t sleep much but that’s to be expected so I tried sleeping around the table for a few hours. Being in the center of the boat it has a lot less bounce than the forward bunk and it seemed to allow me to get bettter rest.

The day went on and the sea state began to get a little chunky while the winds continued in their boisterous velocity. I wasn’t feeling all that well but I decided it was due to fatigue and the fact that I wasn’t eating much. When the weather is rough it’s hard to want to spend time in the galley whipping up a meal. You tend to find yourself thinking it’s just not worth it. But, oh, it is….it’s so important to keep up your strength.

By the following afternoon I was downright miserable so Dan took over making dinner and I rested. It’s amazing what a salami and cheese sandwich and a little sleep will do for your attitude. When my watch came around later that evening I was feeling pretty normal again. I wasn’t even dreading going into the cockpit and getting slapped around by Poseidon as he tossed handfuls and even buckets full of green water into my face.

Remember the other day when I was boasting about my skills and how I could serve up hot stew on a rolling boat and not spill a drop? Well, this is not the place to be boastful as the moment you do Poseidon will step up and toss you a little reminder that he is the one in control out here and you are merely a toy to be trifled with at his whim.

As Dan headed for the bunk I followed my normal routine of rounding up a soda, apple and granola bar. I stood on the companionway steps and strategically placed them in the well of the cockpit. I stepped to the top step and before even stepping into the cockpit I attached my tether to the jackline. I ALWAYS do this. If I’m going to fall I want to fall into the boat not out of it.

All tethered in I made my way to the high side of the cockpit placing one hand on the bar around the nav pod with the other firmly gripped to the starboard side jackline. You see, unlike many sailors, we keep our jacklines about a meter off the deck rather than running them along the deck. They actually run from our stern arch across the dodger to the mast pulpit then over the dinghy that’s inverted on the foredeck and finally down to the bowsprit. Why do it this way? Well, aside from generally making it easier to walk the decks when you are clipped in; it provides an added layer of safety as even if you go over the lifeline you won’t go into the water and you can climb back over. At least in theory.

Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve got a firm grip on Dazzler. I’m standing on the seat watching and waiting for the right moment to step into the well behind the wheel so I can check the instruments. I see what looks like my golden opportunity and I begin to step down. About that time a huge wave comes racing through the darkness and slams the side of Dazzler like a semi hitting a scooter. The force is so great I lose my grip and my footing and the next thing I know I’m hurling across the cockpit like a rocket headed into space. Of course the sudden stop as my chest hits the teak combing around the cockpit seats lets me know I won’t be seeing Jupiter up close but stars, oh yes I’ll be seeing plenty of those.

The four letter expletives are flying so freely you’d think this was a pirate ship on a Friday night. I’m now curled up on the seat in a ball literally writhing in pain. Dan, hearing my screams, comes flying up from the bunk to see what’s happening. I can barely speak except to say, “It’s my ribs”. Funny how the expletives come so freely in a moment like this but a simple answer to the question as to what happened and I can barely utter a word.

After asking if they are broken and if I’m okay he starts to offer some safety tips. About a half a sentence in and, given my facials expressions that screamed “shut up!”, he stopped. He is a smart man after all.

I knew Dan needed rest so when he asked if they were broken I said it wasn’t likely and I could do my watch. Honestly I really thought my boob and my life vest padded the fall a bit and was pretty sure it was just a bad bruise. From here I settled into my seat in the cockpit with my Nook book hoping the pain would be milder as time went on.

Like I said before, sometimes things out here just go from bad to worse and yesterday was no exception. While the weather was a bit nicer with calmer winds and seas I decided to take the opportunity to do some housekeeping in the galley to prepare for dinner. Now there’s a saying amongst sailors and that is this… “You get one hand for you and one for the boat.” What that means us you can do whatever you like with one hand but the other better be holding on like your life depends upon it because, well, it does.

The things is, when seas are calmer than normal it’s easy to get overly confident and forget this simple rule. Sure, maybe you have a hand on the boat but you’re not necessarily gripping for dear life. It’s times like this that Poseidon delivers yet another not so subtle reminder of who is in charge out here. Apparently he assumed I’d forgotten in the past twenty four hours.

This time he tossed a rogue wave of sorts into the gentle rollers that sent me flying into the stove hitting the very ribs I’d beat up the night before. Dan was on deck tightening some screws on our boom gallows when he heard the screams and curses from his salty sailing wench come screeching up through the companionway.

This time however, they came complete with a flood of tears as it was a thousand times more painful than last night. At this moment, we, and by that I mean me and the little voice in my head, determined that yes, in fact the ribs are broken. This is when Dan took over demanding that I sit down and stay there. I think we was actually looking for some old tires to tie around me like they do on tugboats.

Now I sleep around the table with pillows wedged between me and the table to prevent rolling or bouncing. It’s tight and slightly claustrophobic but it works and if that’s the only way to get rest then I’ll deal with it. I’m actually looking forward to a flat calm, no wind day where we have to motor so I can sleep in the bunk for a bit.

And while a little rest is needed there is still work to do so I will have to rest between my duties. I have watches to keep and meals to cook and we’ve still got another four to five days on this passage. In the meantime I’ll take some mild pain relievers and hook up to the tens unit. Have I said how much I’d like a stiff drink about now?

It’s times like this when you learn just how tough you are and what you’re willing to endure to reach the prize at the end of the passage. For me… It’s the beautiful smiles and friendly faces of the Fijian people, the warm, clear waters and sandy beaches and the fru fru cocktails with the little umbrellas and extra shots of rum with a side of Mongolian Beef served up at The Boatshed at Vuda Marina. Yes…the prize will be worth the pain to get there.

Until next time,

Jilly