Nelson to Fiji May 2012
Ten days before departure there were 8 on the crew including me. Then over the next 8 days someone new and unexpected joined the crew each day.
As an example, a woman called from Fox Glacier saying she just found out about us; and starts asking questions. I asked her, “Have you seen our web site? She said no, so I gave her the web address and told her to call me back. An hour later she called to say she had a bus ticket and would be in Nelson the next day. That was Peggy. It seems Facebook and You Tube has a way of spreading the word. We had stored provisions for 12 people for 4 months, but decided to buy extra provisions just to be supplied.
A few days before our departure the crew was made up of 4 Germans: Charlotte, Sibel, Jef, and Dennis, 3 Yanks: Will, Tawney and Evan, 2 Kiwis: Lou and Haden and Kevin from France, Mikael from Belgium, Pepe from Argentina, Dan from Italy, Peggy from Holland, Nina from Denmark and Kanuk Canada; in all there were 16 crew representing 10 nationalities.
There were Storm Warnings for sea area Stephens just to the north of Nelson. The weather delayed our departure 4 more days.
It took 11 days to get out of the Tasman Sea and into the South Pacific. After that we had the first day of sou’east and a good run to the north east.
A large high pressure ridge stalled over New Zealand, followed by 10 days of fresh easterlies. Close hauled we sailed north by east.
With the flying jib furled and the fore, main and mizzen single reefed we were making 50 miles a day. As we crossed into the tropics we were entering Trade Wind territory. Another four days would have us half way between Fiji and Vanuatu and a 250-mile upwind slog to Suva.
There was another large high-pressure cell moving over from Australia. So, I decided to heave to and wait for a wind shift.
After 4 days hove to we had our first fair wind since leaving the Tasman Sea. Running before a moderate sou’westerly; We set the fore square top’sl and used the engine for 75 hours motor sailing east by north. We reached the dateline in just over 3 days. After that it was a beam reach to Suva.
We found our way in through the rain in the morning of the 43rd day.
Here are some points of interest among the crew. Charlotte, our First Mate in training, is a 19 year old who sailed on Fritjof Nansen and had been following Alvei on the Internet for years. She saw our Crew Wanted flier at her hostile and came to visit. She had been picking apples at Greg and Stephanie’s place.
Since then she decided to cancel her plans to see South Island in order to sail to Fiji with us. More recently she had almost decided to cancel plans to go to University and stay with us till we return to Nelson.
Kim-Danielle aka Kanuk is our Canadian nurse. As ship’s doctor and accommodation officer her job is to keep us all healthy and remind us to turn off the lights when not in use and to keep the place tidy.
Lou is our Kiwi chef. She loves to cook and eat. She helps the young back packers with their cook days and keeps the galley clean. I have invited her to be ships cook for our new Honour Fiji Journey project this season.
All three women are a collective fountain of positive energy.
In a unique way Lou had done her job a little too well. When I would go to the galley to get food I noticed they would all pack into the same table, literally squeezed in shoulder touching shoulder. The vibe at the table was very animated. As soon as the first serving was consumed there was a rush back for seconds.
I noticed one mid day there was a large pot of soup filled nearly to the brim. I expected we would be having it for dinner as well, but it was gone a half hour later. Those young back packers were really packing it away. As we started to run out of food I realized she had created a socially induced feeding frenzy.
By week four we ran out of fresh stores. Feeding time expanded to the midnight and 04:00 change of the watches. Any left overs were consumed on sight. Flour, cabin bread and coffee vanished. The weekly jar of Nutella chocolate spread was consumed in a day and became a point of contention for not allowing them an uninterrupted supply of chocolate spread. Then it began to disappear from the store area. Even the beans and rice were nearly gone by the time we reached Fiji.
Most of the back backers had little or no interest in learning the lines; but preferred playing cards, back gammon or the guitar.
Often, during the passage I had to ask myself why I keep doing this. And then at other times I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I was looking forward to Carrie’s Honour Fiji Journey project; with the hope we would find some educational substance in what she had organiz
After going on line we learned Carrie’s Honour Fiji Journey was stalled. It seems she hasn’t been able to find the funding for the other half of her project. Two of her proposals for funding were turned down with two more pending. She wanted to charge $700 a week for participants in Honour Fiji Journey. Alvei was to receive the usual $250 a week with the other $450 going to fund the local activities and pay her a small wage. Her funding was to cover the other $450 a week.
I suggested we should scrape together a crew and do it anyway. I have Lou the cook, Kanuk the nurse, Charlotte the Mate and myself, plus Nina and PNG Pete. We have enough money to buy provisions and fuel. The venue is already organized, we can just show up and do the best we can with what we have to work with. Make it happen, take photos and try for funding again next year; but in the meantime show them we can do it.
Carrie and volunteer Cami joined in early June.
We will be back again in August with the Coral Reef Ecology report.
Evan
As an example, a woman called from Fox Glacier saying she just found out about us; and starts asking questions. I asked her, “Have you seen our web site? She said no, so I gave her the web address and told her to call me back. An hour later she called to say she had a bus ticket and would be in Nelson the next day. That was Peggy. It seems Facebook and You Tube has a way of spreading the word. We had stored provisions for 12 people for 4 months, but decided to buy extra provisions just to be supplied.
A few days before our departure the crew was made up of 4 Germans: Charlotte, Sibel, Jef, and Dennis, 3 Yanks: Will, Tawney and Evan, 2 Kiwis: Lou and Haden and Kevin from France, Mikael from Belgium, Pepe from Argentina, Dan from Italy, Peggy from Holland, Nina from Denmark and Kanuk Canada; in all there were 16 crew representing 10 nationalities.
There were Storm Warnings for sea area Stephens just to the north of Nelson. The weather delayed our departure 4 more days.
It took 11 days to get out of the Tasman Sea and into the South Pacific. After that we had the first day of sou’east and a good run to the north east.
A large high pressure ridge stalled over New Zealand, followed by 10 days of fresh easterlies. Close hauled we sailed north by east.
With the flying jib furled and the fore, main and mizzen single reefed we were making 50 miles a day. As we crossed into the tropics we were entering Trade Wind territory. Another four days would have us half way between Fiji and Vanuatu and a 250-mile upwind slog to Suva.
There was another large high-pressure cell moving over from Australia. So, I decided to heave to and wait for a wind shift.
After 4 days hove to we had our first fair wind since leaving the Tasman Sea. Running before a moderate sou’westerly; We set the fore square top’sl and used the engine for 75 hours motor sailing east by north. We reached the dateline in just over 3 days. After that it was a beam reach to Suva.
We found our way in through the rain in the morning of the 43rd day.
Here are some points of interest among the crew. Charlotte, our First Mate in training, is a 19 year old who sailed on Fritjof Nansen and had been following Alvei on the Internet for years. She saw our Crew Wanted flier at her hostile and came to visit. She had been picking apples at Greg and Stephanie’s place.
Since then she decided to cancel her plans to see South Island in order to sail to Fiji with us. More recently she had almost decided to cancel plans to go to University and stay with us till we return to Nelson.
Kim-Danielle aka Kanuk is our Canadian nurse. As ship’s doctor and accommodation officer her job is to keep us all healthy and remind us to turn off the lights when not in use and to keep the place tidy.
Lou is our Kiwi chef. She loves to cook and eat. She helps the young back packers with their cook days and keeps the galley clean. I have invited her to be ships cook for our new Honour Fiji Journey project this season.
All three women are a collective fountain of positive energy.
In a unique way Lou had done her job a little too well. When I would go to the galley to get food I noticed they would all pack into the same table, literally squeezed in shoulder touching shoulder. The vibe at the table was very animated. As soon as the first serving was consumed there was a rush back for seconds.
I noticed one mid day there was a large pot of soup filled nearly to the brim. I expected we would be having it for dinner as well, but it was gone a half hour later. Those young back packers were really packing it away. As we started to run out of food I realized she had created a socially induced feeding frenzy.
By week four we ran out of fresh stores. Feeding time expanded to the midnight and 04:00 change of the watches. Any left overs were consumed on sight. Flour, cabin bread and coffee vanished. The weekly jar of Nutella chocolate spread was consumed in a day and became a point of contention for not allowing them an uninterrupted supply of chocolate spread. Then it began to disappear from the store area. Even the beans and rice were nearly gone by the time we reached Fiji.
Most of the back backers had little or no interest in learning the lines; but preferred playing cards, back gammon or the guitar.
Often, during the passage I had to ask myself why I keep doing this. And then at other times I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I was looking forward to Carrie’s Honour Fiji Journey project; with the hope we would find some educational substance in what she had organiz
After going on line we learned Carrie’s Honour Fiji Journey was stalled. It seems she hasn’t been able to find the funding for the other half of her project. Two of her proposals for funding were turned down with two more pending. She wanted to charge $700 a week for participants in Honour Fiji Journey. Alvei was to receive the usual $250 a week with the other $450 going to fund the local activities and pay her a small wage. Her funding was to cover the other $450 a week.
I suggested we should scrape together a crew and do it anyway. I have Lou the cook, Kanuk the nurse, Charlotte the Mate and myself, plus Nina and PNG Pete. We have enough money to buy provisions and fuel. The venue is already organized, we can just show up and do the best we can with what we have to work with. Make it happen, take photos and try for funding again next year; but in the meantime show them we can do it.
Carrie and volunteer Cami joined in early June.
We will be back again in August with the Coral Reef Ecology report.
Evan