Fast Cat, Dawdling

Turtlebones is a “fast cat”.  We average 160 to 175 nm per day – 200 nm on a good day – faster than the average monohull cruiser of similar length.

So, we figured on 4 to 5 days to complete our 700 nm journey from the western Societies to Suwarrow.  And for the first few days, we were bang on target.

Well, we’re now into day 6 of this passage.  It’s 8 o’clock in the evening, and we’re managing our speed to arrive tomorrow morning – 12 hours from now, after daybreak.

Bill has taken down our French and French Polynesia courtesy flags. We won’t be needing them anymore. Now we fly our yellow quarantine flag or “Q” flag – until we’re cleared into Suwarrow when we can replace it with the flag of the Cook Islands.

No reply yet from Rarotonga to our request for entry approval. Not sure what to make of that. It’s disappointing and admittedly a bit nerve racking. But we have no reason to think they might turn us away.

Last night at this time, we were still on track to arrive early today.  With 12 kts of wind, nice and steady, good direction, and pleasant seas, Turtlebones was easily moving along at 9 kts.  Just 90 nms away from our destination –another 10 hours and we’d be there. 

And then our wind died – just like that – suddenly we have less than 5 kts of wind, and we’re struggling to do 3kts.  Suddenly we’re looking at another 30 hours to our destination.  Huh. Just like that.  Another whole day.  Another whole night.  But also something else, something unexpected:  another bright full moon, on a mostly clear night, out here on the open ocean.  Sweet treat!

Of course, the wind eventually comes back.  And now it’s back, blowing 11 kts. Bad timing for us. Now we’re just 30 nms out, and we need to kill 10 hours before sunrise.  We couldn’t possibly have any less sail up – no headsail at all, and 3 reefs in the main.  Even so, Turtlebones is sliding along at 5+ kts. Oh brother! We don’t want to arrive at 2 in the morning. But it’s hard to hold a fast cat down.

At sunset, we were heading almost due west to our destination.  Now we’re deliberately overshooting to the north of the atoll.  Killing time. We’ll pick our way back down in the wee hours.  The sky is now completely clear, and we’re dawdling out here under the moon.