Boating New Zealand — February 2018

28 Boating New Zealand

ruptured. I calculated the ingress to be about 25 litres per hour

• not good. Everything got slippery and stank of diesel.
  The water was still coming in, so I charted a course for
  Noumea. I spent a good chunk of the day moving gear and lifting
  floor boards. The diesel had gone but the water was still coming
  in. Then Eureka! I found it. Right up by the forward bulkhead a
  squirt like a little boy taking a pee; evidently a plugged cable hole
  from an old transducer from years and years ago.
  I made a new tiny wooden plug and tapped it in: problem
  solved. During the night I spoke with a ship and threw a 12-
  inch flying fish out of the cockpit. At 0415 the SSG had a fit. A
  gudgeon had parted. I spent an hour or two taking the thing
  apart, rebuilding it and getting it going again perfectly.
  The main was well-reefed and the #3 headsail had several
  rolls. I spent time below, out of the howling wind, and listened

to podcasts. Later that night I spotted a ship and shone a bright

torch on the mainsail. The wind moderated just after dawn and I

made some muesli. Only hours later we had 10 rolls in the main

and only the storm jib up forward. I figured if the wind got up

too much more we would deploy the series drogue like I had in a

70kn blow in the Tasman.

At near 0400 on day 6 we fell off yet another big wave – the

fifth that night. The downside of a SSG is that it can’t see the

waves and so every now and then we would fall into the hole at

the back of the wave. It can be very unnerving; a sudden jolt and

heavy crash.

I got up and saw a ship off to port out of the saloon window.

I put on my leggings and started to get my harness on as we

dropped off yet another big one. Crash! I got into the cockpit

and the boom was at my left shoulder: that’s odd. Then I saw

RIGHT Things looked

bleak when the cabin

sole was under water.

It would get much

worse.

FAR RIGHT Getting

from the tinny to the

ship was challenging.

MAIN IMAGE

The circling Hercules

• a welcome sight


• dropped a smoke
  flare to guide the ship
  to my life-raft.

CORDLESS

WINCH HANDLE

for Halyards/Sheeting/

MOB/ Dinghy raise-lower.

Great for short handed or

fatigued crew as it can take

over when they don’t have

the strength to manually

winch.

Add 10 years to your

yachting for a fraction

of the cost of electric

winches.

Powerful lithium-ion

battery, the unit offers

150Nm of torque.

After a full day sailing it is

quickly charged with 220-

volt shore or inverter power

or 12 volt trickle charging.

$1,247 incl GST plus P&P

Full info plus purchase direct

from NZ agent at

http://www.marinegear.co.nz

or call 021 991 357

TANGAROA ARARAU

iminz.ac.nz (03) 546 2477 ENROL NOW

Gain the skills for your Maritime NZ licence

to be Skipper or Master aboard a small

vessel carrying passengers.

> Navigation

> Commercial

maritime

knowledge

> Survival

training

 'JSFÝHIUJOH

> Electronic

navigation

systems

> MROC (Radio

Operation)

> First Aid

> Engineering

Skipper

Restricted Limits