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Circumnav NZ?


SanFran

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The weather is predictable and the weather forecasting is excellent.

:shock:

I think you meant to post this in the Friday funnies, David.

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I do use MetVu, but Swell map gives even greater and often even more accurate detail. (SwellMap has wind also). But it didn't help us re the rounding of east cape. However, the info it gave me made the decision that it was of no point going further and hence us turning back. Both showed that the conditions we were encountering were going to at the very least remain the same and perhaps more than likely, become worse. In which it did. However, neither weather programs, nor Maritime Weather reports suggested 60kts in any reports 12hrs or more earlier. The reasons for this will be because of the time of the year and the type of weather patterns we have had so far this winter. Extremely fast changing patterns. You get a resonably accurate idea upto three days out, a good indication, but expect variances upto 5 days out and 7 days you can almost consider the exact opposite of what the prediction is.

This is one reason why we chose the East coast, even though many very seasoned sailors suggest we take the West coast. I figured that because the the very changable nature, we at least had somewhere to go to if things changed, which it did and we did. I shudder to think how we would have faired out in the Tasman in some of that weather. But as David has said the weather forcasts made our decision not to go that way, because it would take at the very least 5 straight days with no where to go if we needed and we simply were not getting 5 straight days of one particular weather pattern or even without some nasty weather event happening ruffly every 3 to 5 days.

So I guess you could say, we used the weather programs to our advantage and planned our passages to suit with the ablity to seek shelter if needed within what the predictions suggested we could get. Hence why taking the chance somewhat that we might have been able to squeeze through between weather events and managed to safely seek shelter when the events closed upon us. We certainly did not go out there in complete neivity expecting great weather and then wondering why the nasty stuff suddenly appeared. We always knew there was a possible it could turn to custard. Also why I experience the nerves before hand and push the boat so hard, because I know how changable things are at the moment and know the possible outcomes. I did make one poor judgment. I arrived at the East cape a couple of hrs ahead of schedule. I should have slowed down and arrived in daylight. I rounded in the dark against what I told myself I would do. (that might have been fine for someone else)I had a plan and I didn't stick to my plan. If I could have seen a bigger area around me I may have been able to judge going into the stuff better. I don't know if I simply was not far enough out to avoid the nasty sea area around the cape, or if those sea conditions simply continued on. Maybe I could have gone around, maybe I was going to experience it all the way across. I will never know.

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I like Metvue, also marineweather.co.nz.

The low that was lying over us the week Wheels is talking about was freaking huge, I guess bigger than Australia. Being so large I think makes them more predictable over a longer term. Smaller systems seem to be more lively. These lows that seem to race across the tasman, even forming from seeming nothing are the freakiest things.

I've been reading Webb Chiles stuff on the net and he is so relaxed about being at sea no matter what he is onboard. He circumnavigated on a 20 foot dinghy! I guess we all need a couple of storms at sea to learn to respect our yachts abilities and indeed our own. Without that experience and the character building that evolves from it one is always going to be ready to dive for cover. The trip from the east cape to aukland is a serious offshore voyage that needs respect. Trying to hug the coast is looking for trouble as few places to go if it goes lee shore so probably best to head straight across if the conditions allow. A good southerly for a couple of days, experienced crew onboard and it should be a sweet sail across. Its the work commitment that makes this stuff hard.

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Sailing to a time table is always likely to be fraught, people are prepared to die because of a time table, Think of Lionheart trying to get into Whangaroa in the dark. Or they abandon a yacht that has lost its steering because it would be too difficult and take too long to sail it (possibly in the opposite direction they were heading in) to somwhere it could be repaired.

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Sailing to a time table is always likely to be fraught, people are prepared to die because of a time table, Think of Lionheart trying to get into Whangaroa in the dark. Or they abandon a yacht that has lost its steering because it would be too difficult and take too long to sail it (possibly in the opposite direction they were heading in) to somwhere it could be repaired.

 

Hear Hear.

 

I was chairman of the NZYF offshore committee at the time of the Lionheart disaster.

 

It was ugly.

 

We made the point that we checked boats (and insisted on Cat 1) going to Fiji but we had no control on who sailed them back. We (that is the NZYF) survived that bit of political nastiness but I'm not sure whether we actually won.

 

I get the impression that (a) on the one hand standards have dropped but, of course, (B) ease of navigation though GPS etc and © the sophistication of weather forecasting has leveled things out.

 

Maybe some of my old colleagues on the Offshore Committee might care to comment.

 

DL.

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Cat 1 on return wouldn't have made any difference, attitudinal change would have.

They (not all) were sea sick, they were close to home, latest technology Sat Nav, lee shore, extremely difficult entrance in those conditions.

nothing beats sea room.

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This is my plan for the summer of 2012/2013

 

I'm keen for this for this sort of timeframe.

 

Two to three(ish!) day legs seems a nice sort of way to do things AK - TG - Hicks Bay - NR - CH - (TU?)-DN - Catlins - Half moon bay - (around Stewart island - Half moon bay - NV ....Fiordland.....up the West coast..... you get the idea........

 

And wherever in NZ you are is where you start the journey, so those not in Auckland get 'picked up' along the way.

 

Who's in???

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Didn't mean to mislead there Contest, that comment was moore a comment on my state of mind than anything.

 

But, second daughter will start uni at the end of next year, so maybe late 2013 to make a start.

 

I had thought of selling the website, but another option would be to keep it and on our trip try and visit every YC on the coastline of NZ and write about what they do and how friendly they are, maybe do a race or volunteer to help for a day.

(Then I think my trip becomes tax deductible as a business expense).

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Sounds like a damn fine plan to me! Has a visit to every yacht club on the nz coastline ever been done before? Sounds like the sort of expedition a few from across the Tasman might even come over for! (I'll tell you if that's a good or bad thing after the world cup!!) :lol:

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Would certainly be interesting, especially if there was a competition for "The BEST RUM COCTAIL" per leg.

 

That should allow time for some tourist sight seeing whilst the mental fuddles clear before the next leg starts.

 

Thinking more of Fiordland where there are more sights than yacht clubs, but would suggest following Capt. Cook into Dusky Sound for some beer brewing. He was the first to have a yacht club there, was he knot :?: :oops: :oops:

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Sounds like a damn fine plan to me! Has a visit to every yacht club on the nz coastline ever been done before? Sounds like the sort of expedition a few from across the Tasman might even come over for! (I'll tell you if that's a good or bad thing after the world cup!!) :lol:

 

We would need to ask Ralph van Kohorn, of Wellington. I believe he did a motor launch trip around NZ visiting every harbour. The shallow draft allowed him to get into Hokianga, Raglan, Wanganui and other shallow / river bar ports.

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