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Radio dispatches: >> ItascaDay21.mp3 (very faint)
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June 24, 2004 Hi All, We are currently about 160 nm from Hilo; this translates to an arrival of Friday...probably early morning to mid-day sometime....it will be a nice birthday gift to Gildi as she is looking forward to some solid ground. However, this passage has been good; it was (is) about 2300 nm, just 100 nm less than NZ to Tahiti, but the big difference has been favorable winds and seas....for these reasons, the NZ-Tahiti took 25 days (for those of you who counted 24, remember we crossed the date line, so we had to repeat a day), and this passage will be just under 17 days. The other remarkable thing is that we have done this entire passage under a double reefed main...so you can judge that we had good winds. The only real hassles we had were squalls during the night...usually requiring a sail reduction under lively conditions. We thank our lucky stars that we are not (as our friends Tomi and Yuki are doing) sailing to Japan this summer...they have just dodged their 6th typhoon! My guess is that we will be about 2 weeks in Hilo. We want to take a little time to revisit the Big Island, and friends there... then on to Oahu...we hope to stay in Ko Olina marina, but do not know if we can get a spot there...After Itasca is cleaned up some...and dried out ..we will be visiting family and friends on the mainland (that serves as a warning to some of you!). We are looking forward to these visits. I believed I mentioned that we will stay in Hawaii for the year...then, according to "Plan A" we'll return to the mainland next summer... Speaking of summer, hope it has arrived for you in the northern hemisphere....except, of course, in Denmark where summer doesn't show up until late August... Hope you are all happy and healthy. Best, Mel & Gildi
June 16, 2004 Hi All, It has been just a week since we left Papeete, and we are pleased with the passage, so far. Unlike our first week from NZ, we have had favorable winds and tolerable seas. We have made just over 1000 nm since leaving and we would be quit pleased to continue with this sort of mileage (1350 nm to go). We are now almost to the equator (1 degree 05 S, at 2400 GMT); so by the time you read this we should be back into the northern hemisphere. Within the next week we will pick up the NE Trades, and we will begin a slow turn and head more directly towards Hilo. Life has been pretty routine...the exception was the first few days for Mel, who contracted a loathsome cold in Papeete...probably from kissing frogs. But life is better now, if not a little on the warm, humid side. Gildi and I have decided to stay in Hawaii for the year....we hope to find a spot at Ko Olina, a relatively new marina on Oahu. We still plan to make landfall at Hilo, to refresh some old friendships....then on to Oahu is we can secure a spot. Craig and Vicki are again supplying us with weather info...we like what they are sending us, so keep it up! We are checking into Pacific Seafarer's Net @ 0330 GMT, 14,313. They have been posting the Yotreps based on our reports to them. Hope all are happy and healthy, Mel & Gildi June 6, 2004 Hi All, For those of you who are interested, Gildi and I will be leaving for Hawaii Tue or Wed. We will be checking into the Pacific Seafarer's net at 0300GMT...the open session...with the roll call beginning at 0330 GMT on 14,313. Also, we will report our position to Yotreps as we did for the NZ to Tahiti leg. The sailing strategy between Tahiti and Hawaii is to get as much easting as possible. Hawaii is at 155° W; we are now at 149°, but we will still head somewhat east so when we get into the NE Trades we will have an easier point of sail. It is about 2300 nm; with luck it should take us about 23 days. We do have to watch for developing Lows to the east of us, as it is hurricane season. If one develops we have to wait below 10° N. We have enjoyed Papeete again....Gildi at the market and shops, Mel at the Tahitian dance shows. However, enough of a good thing....so we are off. We will miss our nightly sunset over Moorea. Best to all, Mel and Gildi May 22, 2004 Hi All, Well, here we are, just 25 short days out of NZ happily anchored at Maeva Beach near Papeete. Overall the trip was better than expected...we could have the weather of the first 2 weeks for the whole trip. As it was we were very clever (lucky) to go east and pick up the easterlies for the last 2-3 days...so we made good time for the last of the trip. As usual, at the end of these passages there is plenty of work to do...Gildi is attempting to dry out the forepeak, where we normally would be sleeping...but since Itasca was playing submarine for the first of the trip we took a lot of water through the anchor, chain locker...Next on the list is a wash of very ripe clothes, sheets, etc....but enough of this sort...Yes, Tahiti is very nice...warm, nice breezes and a wonderful view of sun set over Moorea as we sit here at anchor. Yesterday, we went to town and tried to check in...no go, come back Monday or Tuesday...OK. The quay in Papeete is a mess, as they are constructing new docks...usually there are many boats there, but not now...so these outlying anchorages are a little more crowded than usual. Most of the boats here are local...the "American Fleet" has not yet arrived, as they are mainly still to the east, but heading this way (The American fleet is the group of boats that leaves No. and central America in April/May, and works westward towards NZ and Australia). As we mentioned before, we should be here about a month, then on to Hawaii....another 2300 nm as the crow flies. We now intend to enjoy our stay here.... Cheers, love, kisses and hugs.... Mel & Gildi May 15, 2004
Hi All, We are now into our third week of NZ to Tahiti passage. For those of you who have followed the journey on "yotrops" you can see some slow days initially, then some fairly decent runs....well, we are back to slow, primarily because the wind is coming from the direction we wish to go; so we will be putting in a few tacks. With any luck we should make landfall Wed or Thur, If the wind continues to be in our face it could be 2-3 days longer. Itasca has been doing well...just a few minor cuts and bruises, and a failed check valve in the bilge...so it runs more often than it should. Our main concern has been with the rigging, sails and lines, since they have been under considerable stress at times...we try to keep the sails small in heavy weather to reduce possible damage. The weather has been mainly overcast, strong winds, lumpy seas, but (until yesterday) the winds have been favorable. We have noticed the increase in temperatures as we head north towards the tropics...warm clothing has been put away. Gildi and I are doing well...losing all our hard won, land fat...the "South Pacific" diet! The diet consists of limited meals and constant hanging on...even when you sleep! We are looking forward to some down time in Tahiti...we should have a month's visa there. We don't have a schedule for the next leg (Tahiti to Hawaii)...we won't stay in Tahiti longer than our month. This will put us in Hawaii around mid-to-late July. We hope you are all Happy, Healthy and wise...(2 out of 3 is OK). Best, Mel & Gildi, S/Y Itasca May 6, 2004
Dear Matt & Julia, We have had much better weather the past couple of days...so the sailing has been very nice. We are now at 35 32S, 164 31W (0130 GMT). Have you tried to get our position from "yotreps'? I thought that data might be accessible. We remember that Julia was going to go east for some training...when does that happen? did you like Australia? Was it as nice, or better., or just different from NZ? We will probably have an address in Hawaii, but not before then...we are looking forward to seeing your pics.Would you mind checking hotmail for me...don't have to forward, unless it looks serious...thanks Last night I dreamed I was taking care of about 30, 8-10 week old Labrador puppies....all yellow...what does that mean DR. Freud? Take care, Love, Dad & Gildi May 4, 2004 Passage to Fr. Polynesia Hi all, Gildi and I are into our second week on passage from NZ to Fr. Polynesia (Tahiti). Time has a strange way of passing..hours and days blend, so that we keep referring to the log to see the day/date. Tonight (May 4th here, 5th in NZ) we are again "Hove-to", not so much because of immediate weather, but waiting to see what a Low to the east of us decides to do....we want to pass to the north of it to pick up favorable winds....we do not want to be south, or in the middle. It may dissipate, or move south. Also, we have an eye on a frontal system that should pass over us early this morning. We have actually had favorable winds so far (strong, usually in the 20 k range), but rough seas have kept us moving more slowly...anything over 5.5-6 knots starts to cause havoc. We have been making daily radio contact with Des, of Russel Radio in NZ...Also, we have been getting excellent advice from Craig and Vicki, who keep us up to date on weather patterns. Otherwise it is pretty much boat and body maintenance...and that takes up most of our energies...it's like trying to do normal, everyday chores while in a washing machine....makes one appreciate a quiet anchorage. But, we are about another 2 weeks before we find the next one. We have appreciated hearing from you and we are sorry if we haven't responded to all questions. For those of you interested, you can follow our progress from the web site, "yotreps." Incidentally, if you noticed as returning west after we crossed the date line, it was my error because I did not to switch to longitude "west" after we crossed for the first reported. We hope you are all well and happy....or not far from it! G.W. writes: Today, 5/4, is the first sunny and relatively smooth day so far, and we are grateful! Have taken time to finally to prepare something resembling human food: rice, lamb & vegetable curry, coleslaw and vanilla pudding for dessert. The mere thought of wine with a meal sours our stomachs immediately...so we are enjoying our daily water ration or tea or cocoa if we really want a treat. The sound of silence out here always mystifies me, especially after a week of squalls, high winds and frothy, gray-green seas....this vast peacefulness is astounding, especially when one tries to imagine its expanse....today there are even some occasional sea birds feeding and no doubt wondering what this great white winged bird is doing in their territory...is it friend or foe? love to you all, Mel & Gildi We have been pleasantly surprised to find these latitudes to be relatively warm most nights, and we have yet to don all our fowl/cold weather gear! April 29, 2004
Hi all, Looks like I'll have some time to write a short message, as we are now hove-to here in the southern ocean. We decided to heave-to this morning, after beating all night into 20 k winds and uncomfortable seas...there is the potential for damage, so why push it? It turned out to be a good decision as winds are now over 30 k...with accompanying 3 meter seas. So here we are, all cleaned up and fed...waiting for a change. Both Gildi and I had a hard time saying goodbye to our friends in NZ, and to NZ itself....we'd like to visit again,,,,most likely by air... We still have about another 1700 nm to go, so if this sort of interruption of progress continues, it could be a long passage. Hi, and health to all, Love, Mel & Gildi April 20, 2004
Hi Matt and Julia, You are probably home by now...hope all your travels were great... We are still waiting for favorable weather patterns....lots of head winds out there....a boat, Lootka Rose, left 8 days ago, and reported a position of only 260 miles away...hove to...It's much more comfortable here at the dock..... Would you mind getting the pics out of my hotmail?...I'd like to save them...can't do that easily here. After you get them you can dump the files to make more room. Hope Willy and the house were in reasonable shape upon your return.... Really enjoyed your visit.... Love, Dad Nov 2, 2003
Hi all, We are now safely in NZ. We arrived in typical NZ passage style; both Gildi and I thought we might make a complete passage without the usual hammering, but...We picked up our third frontal system about 80 miles out....It wasn't as bad as we had anticipated from the issued Gale warnings (It's always more stressful waiting for the system, than dealing with it)...we did have high winds, but they were off the beam, so it was a broad reach...exciting as we made 7-8 knots under triple reef only. We arrived in Opua at about 0430 (rain of course), and made it up to the marina and customs area....checked in in AM and slept. We are now ready to move on to Whangarei, and will do so probably tomorrow...catch the tide to arrive on Wed. At least that is the current plan...could be modified by weather considerations. After the tropics (Fiji) we are discovering cooler weather...even wearing sweaters (jumpers, Fred). Itasca needs a little attention, but nothing serious...as mentioned earlier, leaky water pump, bad fuel, and a broken fitting on the boom...then the usual...changing oil and filters and general clean up... We are happy to be here again...hope you are all healthy and happy, too. Love, Mel & Gildi Oct 31, 2003
Hi all, Just a quick note to let you know we are probably going to Plan B, which is to make landfall in Opua (north of Whangarei) rather than at Whangarei....we will proceed to Whangarei later in the week... We changed because of a combination of weather, contaminated fuel and a leaky fresh-water pump... We are doing fine, and should be in Opua by early Sunday AM....maybe even ahead of the next front coming through...we have gone thru 2 fronts lately...very interesting fireworks (lightning activity)... sometimes you wish that mast was a little shorter.... Take care, Love, M & G Oct 27, 2003
Hi all, We have just entered a "High", with light, but pleasant winds...slow progress, but easy sailing compared to the lumps of a few days ago. We can normally make about 120 miles/day...however head winds mean we must slow down, so we are averaging about 85-90 mi/day. At this rate NZ is about a week away...a slow passage. Today we had to change out fuel filters, because of some poor quality (dirty) fuel. It was much easier to do in the calm weather. Craig and Vicki have been giving us weather updates, so we can anticipate what's coming down the line....We hope to get to NZ without getting too beat up....that would be a first for us. All is well aboard...we'll keep in touch.
Oct 26, 2003
Hi all, Just a quick note to let you all know we are currently enroute to NZ from Fiji. So far it's been a day of motoring (no wind) and now wind on the nose...so a "beat." We hope to have smoother sailing soon, but it's not something to count on when traveling to NZ. We should arrive to Whangarei by Sat...is that the 1st? Love to all Mel & Gildi Arrival in Fiji Hi Folks and friends....
Best, Mel Dear family and friends,
Mel did an admirable job of calming the ride aboard "Itasca" as she rode out gale winds of 35-45 kts of wind and awsome waves cresting with foam and froth. Because our Canadian friends, "Merida" sustained damage to their forestay we decided to change our Fiji destination in order to accompany them to Lautoka, Viti Levu (Fiji). The next several days were uneventful, thank God! They were shower and shorts shorts days as the weather and temps were improving! Then another grey day with lumpy, foamy seas,...another boiled potatoes and cracker day! On Mothers' Day Mel caught a lovely Spanish Mackerel!!! We have digital camera photos to prove it's size and mass...about plus or minus 40 lbs! He gaffed to land it. This was our "box of fluffies" day, as our NZ friends would say. May 14 we made landfall in Fiji! Total passage time, 9 days (May 5-14). The fish we dedicated to our Mothers, GM who lives in San Carlos, CA, and Gretl (who has already made her own passage). Cheers! Don't get gobsmacked by these Kiwiisms, just trying out all these new idioms. Love and hugs to you all, Gildi Mon, 11 November 2001 Hello to All from NZ,
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