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What started as a fairly orthodox solo voyage from Vanuatu to New Zealand turned
into a nightmarish fight for survival – and the eventual loss of a cherished boat.hen I turned 50 my father in-law gave me a
card saying he was passing the family yacht
on to us. Waimanu – a Townson 32 (9.6m) –
wasn’t ideal for ocean passage-making, but
others had done it, and so would I.
I spent five years getting her ready for
our Pacific adventure. Part of the process was renewing the
mast, rig and sails. A good friend and I set off on a two-handed
shake-down around the North Island. In Nelson my crew
got an emergency call, leaving me to solo up the Tasman and
home. I loved it.
After the summer race season last year (2017) I hauled her
and got stuck in. In addition to getting Waimanu ready, I did
an Advanced First Aid Course, Life-raft Training and bought
the gear to meet Cat 1.
I cleared customs at Marsden Cove. It was so easy; load
up at Sandspit Marina, day sail up the coast, clear, and away.
But right at the Whangarei Heads, I got caught by a massive
williwaw gust – well over 50 knots. Boat speed climbed to over
11 knots. My home-built self-steering (SSG) somehow got
caught and we were over-powered. Letting the #2 fly, we ran
off, down the wind-against-tide chop. With some repairs to
my SSG, I was on my way.
The rest was easy. Good air behind us all the way – 800nm
on one tack. The biggest issue was trying to get the rented Sat-
phone to text my position to those back home. But even that I
got sorted. At exactly the 800nm mark I gybed and completedthe run to Port Vila on the same tack.
The last day, wanting to get into port in good daylight, I
put the pedal down. To help things along I had a spell at the
helm and got her to 12.8 knots! Then I shot below for a sleep
and returned to find I had been trumped: the SSG had gone
to 13.2! We covered 164nm in 24 hours, not bad for 27 feet
of waterline.
Jenny, my wife, flew in a day or so later and we had the
time of our lives. We found secluded anchorages that weren’t
even in the cruising guides. A simply unforgettable four
months. Our daughter came up for a week to enjoy the fun. It
was absolutely worth all the dreaming and work.
After checking out the active volcano and getting to know
a lot of the locals really well, Jenny flew home on November- While dropping her off at the airport on Tanna Island, I
cleared Customs and Immigration, with no fees to pay, and
prepped for my voyage home.
Waimanu set sail at dawn on the 12th. It was overcast and
a bit snotty but very doable. The skies cleared but the wind
increased. Over the next few days I had to reef down more and
more. She was going so well! The second day out I managed
to make myself a really nice omelette. It would be the only
cooked meal in nearly a week. A bit rough and with little
motivation to cook, the peanut butter jar slowly emptied.
I discovered water over the cabin sole late on the first day.
That night I found there was a lot of diesel in it. I bailed every
20 minutes throughout the night. The fuel tank had definitely
W
ABANDONING
WAIMANU