Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
Ditto...BTDT ... similar age sail... 12 years...
Should we be worried about Jeanne Socrates
- Thread starter TQA
- Start date
Ditto...BTDT ... similar age sail... 12 years...
TQA
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- Carribbean currently Grenada
last blog post
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This will be a brief report... Sufficient to say we're safely tied to a buoy in Timaru Hbr, close to where the two anchored vessels that I passed yesterday will be offloading shortly.
After the nightmare of being so very close to total disaster yesterday morning, when I only just realised in time that we were heading in very light wind onto the totally unlit rocks of a big, long breakwater, not shown on my plotter's chart, and having had very little sleep for two nights running - I've slept for over fifteen hours - from 3pm NZT Friday until 5:30am today - and then turned over for another hour...!
Many thanks to Magnus and his crew on the Timaru Pilot boat who had several people on board from local media who wanted to get us on camera as we headed towards the mooring buoy where I'll be stationed for the next few days getting repairs done after my recent knockdown.
Initially, the wind slowly picked up and we made good progress SW, from where we'd been overnight, toward the main harbour entrance. Thinking ahead to picking up the buoy, and expecting the wind to stay up until around midday, I'd reduced sail, not realising the large distance involved - this is a very big harbour and the entrance was wide open. Pity I hadn't been able to heave to just off it when we passed that way the night before - but those two anchored ships were too close and I was worried we might drift onto them, so went further on.
We headed toward the main channel with buildings on shore a long distance away still and I was constantly questioning Magnus over the VHF radio as to which way I needed to head to reach where the mooring buoys were situated. I'm used to small harbours and this is a big commercial port, dealing with big ships, so everything is that much larger... Not having the plan of the harbour available on my chart plotter was a big unexpected hindrance, despite photos of the harbour area having been sent to me by friends.
When I was fairly close, the Pilot boat came out, along with a tug (I'd been thinking I might have needed that last night!) and we exchanged waves and greetings - all very pleasant. The cameras were unexpected - not sure who told them or how they got there. The Timaru Herald, I was told, was present plus another cameraman taking video.
All good fun... until the wind started to die around 10am - a lot earlier than the midday expected and with the buoy I was heading to within a tantalising few hundred metres - easily visible. I increased sail but it was no good .... The wind finally died away completely, not long after I'd had trouble staying clear of some structures in the harbour close by, with the light wind heading us.
We drifted around in the harbour for an hour or two - I lost track of the time, needing to be on deck by the wheel then - waiting for the wind to pick up helpfully from the N, as Magnus was convinced it would. I was wondering whether my 'unassisted' status would disappear since I had visions of only getting to the buoy with a tow... maybe after drifting onto something in the harbour. But I did manage to stay clear of a few obstacles and finally, sure enough, a light N wind did arrive and ruffled the water surface. I waited a bit longer to make sure it filled in more and had also picked up in the area where the buoy was located. At last, I was able to sail over to the small pick-up buoy and finally cleat off the loop of line to the main buoy - relief once that was done and I could relax and thank Magnus who had stayed close by until I was safely tied up.
As we were sailing up the channel, before increasing sail in the ever-lessening wind, to my disbelief, the port side lazyjack broke and the stowed sail fell down to the deck unhelpfully - yet another job suddenly added to the list while here. That meant that, when dropped, the mainsail ended up all over the deck, making it that much more of an effort to tie it all to the boom later. In doing that, I noticed that where the sail was torn in a few places, the tears had increased - more work to do while here.
Once the mainsail had been stowed, I had a very quick snack and got to my bunk soon after 3pm with no alarms set - sleep was needed badly and I happily snuggled under my double thick duvet in the low temperature - 5C/41F is being forecast for overnight now.
Older »
This will be a brief report... Sufficient to say we're safely tied to a buoy in Timaru Hbr, close to where the two anchored vessels that I passed yesterday will be offloading shortly.
After the nightmare of being so very close to total disaster yesterday morning, when I only just realised in time that we were heading in very light wind onto the totally unlit rocks of a big, long breakwater, not shown on my plotter's chart, and having had very little sleep for two nights running - I've slept for over fifteen hours - from 3pm NZT Friday until 5:30am today - and then turned over for another hour...!
Many thanks to Magnus and his crew on the Timaru Pilot boat who had several people on board from local media who wanted to get us on camera as we headed towards the mooring buoy where I'll be stationed for the next few days getting repairs done after my recent knockdown.
Initially, the wind slowly picked up and we made good progress SW, from where we'd been overnight, toward the main harbour entrance. Thinking ahead to picking up the buoy, and expecting the wind to stay up until around midday, I'd reduced sail, not realising the large distance involved - this is a very big harbour and the entrance was wide open. Pity I hadn't been able to heave to just off it when we passed that way the night before - but those two anchored ships were too close and I was worried we might drift onto them, so went further on.
We headed toward the main channel with buildings on shore a long distance away still and I was constantly questioning Magnus over the VHF radio as to which way I needed to head to reach where the mooring buoys were situated. I'm used to small harbours and this is a big commercial port, dealing with big ships, so everything is that much larger... Not having the plan of the harbour available on my chart plotter was a big unexpected hindrance, despite photos of the harbour area having been sent to me by friends.
When I was fairly close, the Pilot boat came out, along with a tug (I'd been thinking I might have needed that last night!) and we exchanged waves and greetings - all very pleasant. The cameras were unexpected - not sure who told them or how they got there. The Timaru Herald, I was told, was present plus another cameraman taking video.
All good fun... until the wind started to die around 10am - a lot earlier than the midday expected and with the buoy I was heading to within a tantalising few hundred metres - easily visible. I increased sail but it was no good .... The wind finally died away completely, not long after I'd had trouble staying clear of some structures in the harbour close by, with the light wind heading us.
We drifted around in the harbour for an hour or two - I lost track of the time, needing to be on deck by the wheel then - waiting for the wind to pick up helpfully from the N, as Magnus was convinced it would. I was wondering whether my 'unassisted' status would disappear since I had visions of only getting to the buoy with a tow... maybe after drifting onto something in the harbour. But I did manage to stay clear of a few obstacles and finally, sure enough, a light N wind did arrive and ruffled the water surface. I waited a bit longer to make sure it filled in more and had also picked up in the area where the buoy was located. At last, I was able to sail over to the small pick-up buoy and finally cleat off the loop of line to the main buoy - relief once that was done and I could relax and thank Magnus who had stayed close by until I was safely tied up.
As we were sailing up the channel, before increasing sail in the ever-lessening wind, to my disbelief, the port side lazyjack broke and the stowed sail fell down to the deck unhelpfully - yet another job suddenly added to the list while here. That meant that, when dropped, the mainsail ended up all over the deck, making it that much more of an effort to tie it all to the boom later. In doing that, I noticed that where the sail was torn in a few places, the tears had increased - more work to do while here.
Once the mainsail had been stowed, I had a very quick snack and got to my bunk soon after 3pm with no alarms set - sleep was needed badly and I happily snuggled under my double thick duvet in the low temperature - 5C/41F is being forecast for overnight now.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
As a matter of interest, why a buoy and not mooring alongside (I can't see any pontoons with a GIS)? Are you still allowed to claim "non-stop" if you picked up a mooring but not if you tie up, or is it simple availability?
Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
There would appear to be a handful of local yachts med moored along a rock wall in the northern part of the port.
Getting tied up in there without an engine and without assistance would be... how you say... interesting ...
Diff between buoy and anchor as far as 'the rools' are concerned... no idea....
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Yes, I saw them. Maybe that's where she is.
I guess they are huddled there for shelter - the whole port looks horribly exposed to the north-east.
Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
No, she is in the ESE corner..east of the wharf Nord Jewel is tied up to..
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:171.258/centery:-44.389/zoom:16
Hydrozoan
Well-Known Member
From https://svnereida.com/blog: 'Feeling a little sad to be leaving Evans Bay in Timaru port and this part of New Zealand - some very kind people there who would have liked to have helped if they could - but understood they couldn't.'
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
It's surely a whole lot easier to slip and get under way again, using sails only, from a mooring buoy than from alongside..... if you're not an Instructor doing RYA Courses every day, that is.
Frank Holden
Well-Known Member
It would have been a very difficult exercise - if not impossible- to get out of that port under sail alone in the dark.. by yourself .. if you were where the other yachts are on the sea wall or if you were in the fishing boat harbour.
Pretty impressive just getting underway from her buoy and clearing the entrance ...
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
I think she's quite good at this 'sailing' business.... 
TQA
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 20 Feb 2005
- Messages
- 6,815
- Location
- Carribbean currently Grenada
Some good news from Jeanne on her blog.
She can now raise her mainsail fully.
She seems to have sorted her battery charging problems to a degree but is reducing her use of the power hungry devices.
She has got her electronic nav working.
She can now raise her mainsail fully.
She seems to have sorted her battery charging problems to a degree but is reducing her use of the power hungry devices.
She has got her electronic nav working.
GHA
Well-Known Member
She's nearly home!!!
https://www.svnereida.com/blog
Less than 500Nm to go. Lack of wind must be frustrating.
Some gal!!!!!!!
https://www.svnereida.com/blog
Less than 500Nm to go. Lack of wind must be frustrating.
Some gal!!!!!!!
Seajet
...
Some understatement ! :encouragement:
GHA
Well-Known Member
This looks like her maybe...
And lets not forget another amazing voyage not yet over, Randel Reeves heads through the north west passage>>
http://figure8voyage.com/blog/
https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/figure8voyage/
And lets not forget another amazing voyage not yet over, Randel Reeves heads through the north west passage>>
http://figure8voyage.com/blog/
https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/figure8voyage/
Last edited:
armchairsailor
Well-Known Member
Good grief, there’s a chance I might be able to see her come in if she’s back early next week. Anyone know where she docks in Victoria?
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
She has now just under 100 miles to go, in light winds..... according to her blog. https://www.svnereida.com/blog
I guess she'll have moved a few miles east of that plotted position by now - 0715UTC04Sep
A momentous voyage!
I guess she'll have moved a few miles east of that plotted position by now - 0715UTC04Sep
A momentous voyage!
GHA
Well-Known Member
Showing up in vesselfinder now >>
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?mmsi=235070185
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?mmsi=235070185
bbg
Well-Known Member
She's getting close to Swifsture Bank (not a hazard). Not long to go now.
newtothis
Well-Known Member
She has now just under 100 miles to go, in light winds..... according to her blog. https://www.svnereida.com/blog
I guess she'll have moved a few miles east of that plotted position by now - 0715UTC04Sep
A momentous voyage!
So, to answer the OP: No, not really. She's seems to be doing fine.
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
Actually, now might be an appropriate time to worry about Milady Jean S.
She's presently stopped - 'under way, not making way' - close to the Outer Mark/light-buoy at the western end of the Juan de Fuca Strait TSS. That's one of the world's busiest straits - just 11 miles wide in places - and she has about 90 miles of it to run before she can turn north for Victoria.
Rather more than most, she knows what she's doing.... but in many environments 'it's the last long mile that's the most dangerous'.
She's presently stopped - 'under way, not making way' - close to the Outer Mark/light-buoy at the western end of the Juan de Fuca Strait TSS. That's one of the world's busiest straits - just 11 miles wide in places - and she has about 90 miles of it to run before she can turn north for Victoria.
Rather more than most, she knows what she's doing.... but in many environments 'it's the last long mile that's the most dangerous'.