Day 11 290410
Daily run: 150M
A nice sight met us in the morning. It is less wind and swells. Slightly
to the north of Te Matau we can make out Hine Moana, Uto Ni Yalo and
Marumaru Atua in one line. We rendezvoused during the evening after being
scattered by the gale force winds. All the vaka took a pounding in the
high winds and the mountainous breaking swell. Hine Moana got some issues
with her kiatos and wanted to slow down to reduce the stress on the hulls.
Yesterday morning Te Matau slowed right down to meet up with her. Hine
Moana came charging from the south in good speed and spray around the bow
and passed close to our stern. We could see happy smiles on the crew.
Hine's problem is not serious but she needs to be cautious. Marumaru and
Uto had met up during the night before and were waiting for us 26M north.
While Te Matau and Hine made their way down wind towards them they looked
after their canoes and repaired some of the damage the previous day had
caused. We are lucky enough to have some excellent support vessels
following the vaka. They are here to assist if the vaka run into trouble.
To have them close when the bad weather hits is very comforting. This
morning after the 0600 morning vaka FM, as some calls our morning round up
of positions on the vhf, we shook out the reefs and speeded up to 10kn
under full sails. Now all four vaka are flying along in a very bumpy ride
only a few miles apart. Beautiful sight! I have to hold on to the
computer so it doesn't fall of the little chart table in the whare. Ups, a
big wave crashed over and almost through me over the table! So please excuse some spelling errors! Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui
290410 Time Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 34'26S 154'19W
Hine Moana 0600 34'24S 154'18W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 34'24S 154'18W
Marumaru Atua 0600 34'25S 154'20W
Samoa Voyaging Society - Aiga Folau O Samoa
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Va’a Hinemoana: day eight of Pacific Voyage
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 12:10
Talofa all, we are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we are learning from each other more and more every day.
We are catching a lot of fish. 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our Pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.
So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily mileage is about 150... in the last five days we did a third of the southern latitude, trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.
A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.
Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va’a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va’a “Hine Moana” with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.
We’ve now been at sea for a week (and haven’t forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We’ve had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and
experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing.
Not all days have been sunshine however. We’ve had a couple windy and rainy nights and days which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours, our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by.
Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va’a).
Everyday we’ve been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn.
We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it’s not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will learn more about ourselves.
It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we’ve all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day “Why did we decide to Sail?”. It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 12:10
Talofa all, we are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we are learning from each other more and more every day.
We are catching a lot of fish. 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our Pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.
So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily mileage is about 150... in the last five days we did a third of the southern latitude, trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.
A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.
Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va’a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va’a “Hine Moana” with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.
We’ve now been at sea for a week (and haven’t forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We’ve had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and
experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing.
Not all days have been sunshine however. We’ve had a couple windy and rainy nights and days which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours, our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by.
Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va’a).
Everyday we’ve been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn.
We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it’s not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will learn more about ourselves.
It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we’ve all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day “Why did we decide to Sail?”. It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Hinemoana's Day 8 on her Pacific Voyage
Following is the latest Report from the Vaa Hinemoana, where 9 of the crew members are Sailors from Samoa.
Talofa all,
We are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we learning from each other more and more every day.
We are catching a lot of fish 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.
So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily millage is
about 150... in the last 5 days we did a third of the southern latitude
trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.
A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.
Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va'a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va'a "Hine Moana" with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.
We've now been at sea for a week (and haven't forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We've had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing. Not all days have been
sunshine however. We've had a couple windy and rainy nights and days
which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours,
our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by. Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va'a). Everyday we've been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn. We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it's not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will
learn more about ourselves.
It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the
laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we've all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day "Why did we decide to Sail?". It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.
Day 8 260410
Daily run: 176M
The wind is here now. At noon yesterday Te Matau and Hine Moana got
overtaken by a southerly front. Like a grey wall it came thundering onto us with 25-30kn SSE winds and rain. A dramatic wind shift from the light W winds in split seconds. We quickly reduced sails and called Marumaru Atua and Uto Ni Yalo who were 10M north to warn them of what was coming their way. The two groups of vaka are still sailing parallel to each other about 10M apart. In the strong SSE winds we can't keep our due east course but are slipping slowly to the north. The morning had been very nice with sun and lighter winds. Many of us on Te Matau had taken the opportunity to do our laundry which still hadn't dried when the first squall hit. Now the bunks where we sleep are full of wet clothes that won't dry for days. This weather is good training for the crews. Not too much wind and the sails
are still easy to manage. The forecast shows that we might get up to gale force winds in the next days. The conditions now already make life hard on the vaka. Nothing is dry and everything upside down. Even typing this is a challenge. Sitting squeezed into the whare in the morning light, Mama Liz, Murray and Ema trying to make an omelette; Murray and Ema steadying the pans and Mama Liz stirring. Even the simplest task becomes a mission. Now it is important to get the crew together, encourage everyone and work as one team. We are only just halfway to Raivavae. Nga Mihi Te Matau a Maui
260410 Time (UTC -11) Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 36'20S 162'44W
Hine Moana 0600 36'22S 162'46W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 36'08S 162'47W
Marumaru Atua 0600 36'08S 162'42W
Talofa all,
We are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we learning from each other more and more every day.
We are catching a lot of fish 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.
So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily millage is
about 150... in the last 5 days we did a third of the southern latitude
trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.
A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.
Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va'a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va'a "Hine Moana" with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.
We've now been at sea for a week (and haven't forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We've had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing. Not all days have been
sunshine however. We've had a couple windy and rainy nights and days
which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours,
our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by. Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va'a). Everyday we've been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn. We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it's not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will
learn more about ourselves.
It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the
laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we've all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day "Why did we decide to Sail?". It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.
Day 8 260410
Daily run: 176M
The wind is here now. At noon yesterday Te Matau and Hine Moana got
overtaken by a southerly front. Like a grey wall it came thundering onto us with 25-30kn SSE winds and rain. A dramatic wind shift from the light W winds in split seconds. We quickly reduced sails and called Marumaru Atua and Uto Ni Yalo who were 10M north to warn them of what was coming their way. The two groups of vaka are still sailing parallel to each other about 10M apart. In the strong SSE winds we can't keep our due east course but are slipping slowly to the north. The morning had been very nice with sun and lighter winds. Many of us on Te Matau had taken the opportunity to do our laundry which still hadn't dried when the first squall hit. Now the bunks where we sleep are full of wet clothes that won't dry for days. This weather is good training for the crews. Not too much wind and the sails
are still easy to manage. The forecast shows that we might get up to gale force winds in the next days. The conditions now already make life hard on the vaka. Nothing is dry and everything upside down. Even typing this is a challenge. Sitting squeezed into the whare in the morning light, Mama Liz, Murray and Ema trying to make an omelette; Murray and Ema steadying the pans and Mama Liz stirring. Even the simplest task becomes a mission. Now it is important to get the crew together, encourage everyone and work as one team. We are only just halfway to Raivavae. Nga Mihi Te Matau a Maui
260410 Time (UTC -11) Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 36'20S 162'44W
Hine Moana 0600 36'22S 162'46W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 36'08S 162'47W
Marumaru Atua 0600 36'08S 162'42W
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
The countdown if officially on, and we're off in two nights-waahhhooooooooo!!!
They last couple of days have flown by as we continue to prepare the boat and crew for the upcoming voyage. We've had fascinating discussions on navigation, and the route we'll be taking from this land mass to some little green dot out in the pacific. It will be inspiring to work with (and learn from!) the navigators going with the crew from the cook islands and the Tahitian navigator travelling with the NZ crew.
We'll primarily be relying on the stars and the sea to tell us where are va'a lies, and the direction we must take. It will be a great excersize (and for some of us a great stretch) to tell the time by our bodies clock and the position of the stars (including the sun), and to measure our speed by the time it takes a bubble to travel from one point on the boat to the next.
Must jet now... there is so much more to say, but the time is getting late, and there is much to do. Check out the link below for a little more info
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3560420/Traditional-vaka-to-make-Pacific-journey/
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/04/the-pacific%E2%80%99s-challenge/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636979
Manuia Le po
They last couple of days have flown by as we continue to prepare the boat and crew for the upcoming voyage. We've had fascinating discussions on navigation, and the route we'll be taking from this land mass to some little green dot out in the pacific. It will be inspiring to work with (and learn from!) the navigators going with the crew from the cook islands and the Tahitian navigator travelling with the NZ crew.
We'll primarily be relying on the stars and the sea to tell us where are va'a lies, and the direction we must take. It will be a great excersize (and for some of us a great stretch) to tell the time by our bodies clock and the position of the stars (including the sun), and to measure our speed by the time it takes a bubble to travel from one point on the boat to the next.
Must jet now... there is so much more to say, but the time is getting late, and there is much to do. Check out the link below for a little more info
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3560420/Traditional-vaka-to-make-Pacific-journey/
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/04/the-pacific%E2%80%99s-challenge/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636979
Manuia Le po
Monday, April 12, 2010
It is hard to believe that only one week ago we were enjoying breakfast out at Sinalei, sweating in the sun, and swimming in the pristine turquoise waters of Samoa. While it's not nearly as warm, and the waters aren't even a fraction as blue as home, it has been great to be here amongst many of our brothers and sisters from around the South Pacific
Miraculously, all of the Samoan team managed to make it (in one piece even) to the Auckland airport where we were greeted by our Skipper. After a few laughs, and a couple of hugs from various other family members that had come to meet some at the airport, we were off to a little holiday park in Takapuna, our new home for the next week or so.
Not used to these cold temperatures (you can even see your breath at night), we loaded up with all of the blankets we could, and bundled up (thanks for the Jackets Joe!!!).
We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some breakfast items, and for many this was their first trip to one of those giant, huge, ridiculous, open all the time- supermarkets. Not quite like our little Samoa, and the selection here can be overwhelming at times.
After dining on fish and chip takeaway, we snuggled into our little caravans for our first nights sleep away from home.
Wednesday morning (April 7th), we headed to Salthouse Boat builders to launch the beautiful va'a "Hine Moana". As our boat "gaualofa" is still in Samoa this newly launched boat will be the craft that takes us around the South Pacific. It was fantastic to be at the place that crafted and created the 7 va'a (boats) dedicated to this project.
With a moving Maori ceremony and blessing, the Hine Moana finally touched the water, and good news- it floats! With large solar panels driving electric motors and wind at the sails, Hine Moana is completely free from reliance on fossil fuels to drive her through the water- how fantastic!
The Samoan crew of nine will be joined by five members from Vanuatu and one from Tonga. While these are the three main countries represented, when you look at the number of passports on board, one realizes that our crew is truly a united nations boat. Hopefully we'll see flags flown from all ten countries represented on board- Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, France, Ecuador, Canada and Tokelau.
A regatta was held on Sunday, April 11th, and it really was a treat to see all four va'a from NZ, Fiji, the Cook Islands and the Hine Moana, sailing with traditional sails around Auckland Harbour. While the wind made for a relatively slow sail (we ended up having to motor), it was awesome to pull up onto Mission Bay beach. The beach was packed with onlookers waiting for the airshow as well, so we had quite the audience.
We had better wind for our sail back to Bayswater Marina, and our hard day was made complete with a Kava ceremony put on by the Fijians, and a BBQ... mmmmmmm.
The rest of our time here has been full of preparing the boat for her voyage. With pots and pans to buy, decks to paint and safety equipment to mount, the list of things to prepare just keeps growing. With all hands on deck however, this list will be complete in no time.
Miraculously, all of the Samoan team managed to make it (in one piece even) to the Auckland airport where we were greeted by our Skipper. After a few laughs, and a couple of hugs from various other family members that had come to meet some at the airport, we were off to a little holiday park in Takapuna, our new home for the next week or so.
Not used to these cold temperatures (you can even see your breath at night), we loaded up with all of the blankets we could, and bundled up (thanks for the Jackets Joe!!!).
We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some breakfast items, and for many this was their first trip to one of those giant, huge, ridiculous, open all the time- supermarkets. Not quite like our little Samoa, and the selection here can be overwhelming at times.
After dining on fish and chip takeaway, we snuggled into our little caravans for our first nights sleep away from home.
Wednesday morning (April 7th), we headed to Salthouse Boat builders to launch the beautiful va'a "Hine Moana". As our boat "gaualofa" is still in Samoa this newly launched boat will be the craft that takes us around the South Pacific. It was fantastic to be at the place that crafted and created the 7 va'a (boats) dedicated to this project.
With a moving Maori ceremony and blessing, the Hine Moana finally touched the water, and good news- it floats! With large solar panels driving electric motors and wind at the sails, Hine Moana is completely free from reliance on fossil fuels to drive her through the water- how fantastic!
The Samoan crew of nine will be joined by five members from Vanuatu and one from Tonga. While these are the three main countries represented, when you look at the number of passports on board, one realizes that our crew is truly a united nations boat. Hopefully we'll see flags flown from all ten countries represented on board- Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, France, Ecuador, Canada and Tokelau.
A regatta was held on Sunday, April 11th, and it really was a treat to see all four va'a from NZ, Fiji, the Cook Islands and the Hine Moana, sailing with traditional sails around Auckland Harbour. While the wind made for a relatively slow sail (we ended up having to motor), it was awesome to pull up onto Mission Bay beach. The beach was packed with onlookers waiting for the airshow as well, so we had quite the audience.
We had better wind for our sail back to Bayswater Marina, and our hard day was made complete with a Kava ceremony put on by the Fijians, and a BBQ... mmmmmmm.
The rest of our time here has been full of preparing the boat for her voyage. With pots and pans to buy, decks to paint and safety equipment to mount, the list of things to prepare just keeps growing. With all hands on deck however, this list will be complete in no time.
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