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Published: December 20th 2017
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Leaving Whangarei, NZ, May 14My Trip
or
How to fix your yacht around the southwest Pacific
Doug Nicol
Hakura
The Overview
• Left Whangarei 26 May 2014.
• Returned 28 Oct 2016
• Travelled 13 052 nautical miles (24 172.3 km)
• 42 crew (including Lorraine and John both twice)
Ocean Passages
• 5 830 nmiles offshore in 6 passages
In 2014
• 1
st Whangarei to Neiafu Tonga
– 1494 nmiles and 12 days @ average of 5.2 knots
• 2
nd Neiafu to Savusavu, Fiji
– 529 nmiles, 3.5 days @ 6.3 knots
• 3
rd Veda Pt Fiji t Noumea, New Caledonia
– 765 nmiles, 6.2 days @ 5 knots
• 4
th Noumea to Coffs Harbour Australia
– 896 nmiles, 6.2 days @ 6 knots
• In 2016
5
thGladstone to Noumea
– 970 nmiles 5.5 days @ 7 knots
And finally
• 6
th Noumea to Whangarei
– 1176 nmiles over 7.1 days @ 6.9 knots
Coastal Sailing
• Tonga - 467 nmiles over 84 days
• Fiji - 311 nmiles over 50 days
• New
Ready to clear CustomsCaledonia - 10 nmiles
• Australia - 6434 over 680 days
Major Work
• Neiafu - engine rebuild
• Noumea - fixing battery charging
• Bermagui - gearbox (not) fixing
• Hobart - gearbox (better) fixing
- New engine room hatch (wonderful)
• Sydney - gearbox replacement
• Brisbane - gas jets on the cooker fixed
• Airlie Beach - engine stop switch needs replacing (still not done)
• Brisbane - New BRS (wonderful), plus bags (big red sail)
• Townsville - replace spray dodger (wonderful)
Highlights
• Getting there and back again
• Spending time with my kids
• Reconnecting with old friends
• Meeting and working with great crew
• Being in the warmth (tropics or subtropics for 19 moths, 14 continuously)
• Seeing lots of marine mammals
• Humpback whales – Tonga, Fiji and Australia (about 300 in 2 weeks Sept 16).
• Sperm whales – Fiji and New Caledonia
• Dugong – Australia
• Dolphins (bottlenose, common, Indo-Pacific humpback, spinner, Risso’s, Melon-headed, and False killer whales) and seals – lots
Sunrise over the Kermadec Islands, 400 miles NE of Whangarei• Plus a Croc - Australia
A great big thank you for all the people that crewed with me, whether for a couple of days or several months. I would not have been able to do it without your help.
To all the fellow cruisers I meet long the way, including some several times, thanks for including me and sharing stories and good times.
If you want more details of the various legs of the voyage, please feel free to read my earlier blogs.
Thanks Doug
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Cruising South Pacific
What an adventure. Loved the blogs.