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
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