Big Hop Update – The Strait Awaits

Sharon and I were both feeling a little apprehensive about leaving Vanuatu. Our next passage westward to Indonesia would be long – over 3,100 nautical miles. To put that in perspective, flying directly from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver is only 2,712 nautical miles (or 5,023 KM).

Depending on the wind along the way, we expect to be at sea for between 20 and 24 days, and nights, with a brief pitstop for clearance formalities at Kupang (Indonesia). Our only passage of comparable duration was the one we made from Mexico to French Polynesia – 3,048 nautical miles in 21 days.

However, on that trip, we had the benefit of having our friend Shawn Brayman aboard. With three people, night watches are much easier. Each person gets six hours of uninterrupted sleep after standing their three-hour night shift. With just the two of us, we only get three hours sleep before our next watch starts. You do acclimatize to the three-on-three-off routine. But it’s a grind.

The days immediately prior to our departure were spent loading on food and fuel, checking the boat over and completing various maintenance tasks.

It’s now Day 9, and we’ve covered 1,470 miles. The winds and seas were relatively moderate for the first several days. Things picked up over the last three days with stronger winds pushing Turtlebones along at close to 200 miles per day. Of course, more wind brings bigger seas.

Increased speed comes at the cost of reduced comfort. The constant jerky movement makes handholds a must for getting about, and necessitates a wider stance. Sleep is more fitful amidst the creaking, and ever-present reverberation of waves crashing into the hull. Food-prep becomes more interesting as pots and pans dance about and occasionally attempt to take flight.  

I was awakened one previous night by a loud thud and the sound of breaking glass. The medicine cabinet had dislodged itself from above the sink and was dangling from the electrical wiring that powers its lighting. We swept up the shattered glass shelving and provisionally screwed the cabinet back onto the wall – slightly akilter, a spirit level having not been employed. So far, the only mishap.

The next 48 hours will be navigationally intense. We’ll enter the Great Barrier Reef from the deep waters of the Coral Sea today – thankfully during daylight hours. Then pick our way through a myriad islands, shallow reefs and other obstructions, working up along the northeastern coast of Australia. At the upper tip we’ll make a sharp turn west and transit the Torres Strait.

This narrow pinch-point between Papua New Guinea to the north and Australia to the south is one of the world’s busiest, and most formidable, shipping corridors. Strewn with islands and shallow reefs, and featuring big tides, strong currents, and the occasional tropical cyclone, the Strait has claimed countless ships and lives.

Technology advancements like GPS, satellite imagery, and improved weather forecasting, have greatly reduced the risks. Still, we approach with the utmost caution and respect, cognizant of the Strait’s reputation. Following a disciplined daytime napping schedule to maximize our alertness.  

Before departing Vanuatu, we added a new navigational tool. Developed by a Kiwi sailor, the Project X is a rugged, water-proof Android tablet. It utilizes an open-source navigation software – OpenCPN – and comes loaded with a terabyte of nautical charts and satellite imagery.   

Project X augments our existing onboard chart plotters and the commercial charts we purchase from Navionics, giving us access to more nautical charts from different sources, plus importantly, much improved capability to display our position in real time on satellite imagery from multiple sources. It’s a big step up from the old iPad we’d been using for satellite images.

We were originally attracted to the Project X because, in June, the world’s primary chart supplier, Navionics, abruptly discontinued selling charts for Indonesia, citing ‘new contractual obligations from the Indonesian Hydrological Office’. The unprecedented move unnerved the sailing community in these parts. Garmin, the parent company of Navionics, promised to make new charts for Indonesia ‘available in the 3^rd quarter’.

It’s September, we’ll be in Indonesian waters within a week – crickets from Navionics, and charts still unavailable.  In any event, in this part of the world, Navionics charts are notoriously inaccurate. Supplementation with satellite imagery is a must.

Needless to say, we’re very happy to have taken the plunge to acquire Project X – our very excellent plan B.