6 Days at Sea

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Matt and I left Marsden Cove Marina on a beautiful day.  We cleared out with Customs and had to leave immediately after fueling.  No time to dilly dally.  The passage from NZ to Vanuatu was scheduled to 8 days according to Predict Wind (using our customized boat polars).  Ugh…being at sea is my least favorite part of being a cruiser/sailor.  Sounds ridiculous right? But we are only at sea about 20% of the year and the other 80% is truly enjoyable.

Our first day started out rather nice. We had consistent, medium strong winds (18-20kts) on the beam with a 1m swell both coming from the SW.  Pushing us along really nicely.  In fact on the first 24 hours we averaged 8kts and we made the elusive 200nm day.

Alas, it is still super cold so I find myself bundled up and hiding from the wind.  A few of you have inquired as to what we are wear during these cold and chilly passage days at sea.  Long under garments (merino wool), pants, and my foul weather overalls (plus socks and rain boots). On top I have 2 merino wool long sleeve shirts, a jumper (sweater), and my foul weather jacket plus ear coverage.  Matt has long undergarments, jeans, 2 shirts and his dry suit on.

The moon is almost full and lighting our way at night which is lovely.  

First Breakage

Day 2 found our first breakage.  Our pretty new Harken jib car lost a nut and the piece broke off.  We had to do a “make-shift” solution until the sun came out and we could fix it properly.  Of course our jib sheet is under a lot of pressure as the wind is howling!

There is a lot of pressure on the working jib sheet which then gets transferred to the jib car.  Now she has a backup line in case she decides to quit on us again.  Which she did the following night.

With so many storms came lots of rainbows and even a moonbow at night.  Night 2.

Night 2 at sea

Night 2 at sea

Doing our daily dance with the squalls all night.  At least it is a full moon so we can see to the horizon and prepare ahead of time.  The two photos on the right are from sunset night 3 and the one on the left is the beautiful moon at daybreak on day 4.

Day 5 at Sea

Somewhere in the early evening of night 4 we lost the wind and could not find it anywhere.  We knew this was coming as it was on our weather models but it still was a bit disappointing.  We had such great conditions and boat speed for almost 3 days.  Running the motor has its pros and cons.  Pros: still gives us forward movement and it gives us a good night shifts as you don’t have to worry about constantly trimming the sails.  Cons: it is loud, vibrates the boat, costs money and we don’t go as fast as when there is wind in our sails.

We flew both our 125m2 and 175m2 parasails to see if they could fly in the light winds and the answer was not really.  So not even enough wind to keep our light sails full.   This is our brand new ISTEC Parasail and she is gorgeous!

Day 6-6.8

The wind tried to come up several times.  Each time we would unfurl the genoa bring back the engine and give it a whirl.  It would last for a few hours and then the wind would disappear again.  This went on until our last night.

On our last night the wind picked up!  At first we thought it was a massive squall but to be honest we were not sure.  We were seeing 30-35kts of wind and 3.5 meter seas.  Absolutely horrible conditions.  We really wanted to arrive after day break so we kept furling the genoa (the main was already down).  Finally around 3am we rolled up the genoa and turned on the engines and kept them in neutral and we were still making 6kts! Crazy.

We had all of our equipment on using them for navigation into this new pass.  (2) iPads, (2) computers, Garmen, B&G, and my phone.  Each had a different chart of the same area.  This ensured we stayed safe and off the reefs.  Lucky for us, the winds calmed to 20-25 kts and the seas came down to 1.5-2 meters.  We had a safe entrance and are anchor down.

Vanuatu

Port Resolution is on the island of Tanna.  It is famous for Mt. Yasur a very active volcano.  As we approached the island we could see the bright red and plumes which was so very cool.  On the top photo you will see the volcano and the little nook (far right) where we anchored.

Passage Stats:

  • Total Moving Time:      6.8 days (marina to anchorage)
  • Total Miles Sailed:      1,030 (only had a 17nm cross track)
  • Estimated Miles:         1,013
  • Max Speed:                 14.7
  • Average Speed:            6.4 (first 3 days average speed was 8kt)
  • Sails Used:                  Working sails (main & genoa), 125m2 & 175m2 parasail
  • Hours Motors:            Port: 30 hours & Starboard:  34 hours

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events. This passage at sea took place the  few weeks in May.  In our last blog post you can read about formalities clearing out of NZ and clearing into Vanuatu.

Formalities and Tons of Paperwork

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We have received several inquiries about formalities and what it entails when you clear out of a country and clear into a new one.  Each country is different, but I will give you a run down of clearing out of New Zealand at Marsden Cove Marina.  And then clearing into Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu.

Preparing for Departure

We splash Sugar Shack with the expert and professional team at Norsand Boatyard in the rain.  Not ideal, but not a big problem until a storm descended upon us.  We only had 9nm to go from Norsand to Marsden Cove Marina.  However, the winds kicked up to 25-33 kts with gusts up to 40kt.  The current was going against us, the rain was pounding and the wind howling. Not how we wanted to start our trip.  So, we decide to hide in a small anchorage for the night.

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful rainbow as if Mother Nature was apologizing for the terrible conditions the night before.  Made for a nice short trip to the marina where we fuel up and clear out of NZ.

New Zealand Departure 

New Zealand (NZ) requires “advance notice of departure” which is “Form C2B.”  You complete this form and send it by email to customs at yachts@customs.govt.nz at least 48 hours in advance.  We are clearing out at Marsden Cove Marina which requires the Customs official to travel so we gave them 72 hours in advance in order to schedule our departure interview.

At the interview you have to bring the following documents:

In addition, you have to go online to notify Maritime NZ (even if you are not a NZ registered boat), this is a short and simple form to complete.  They will send confirmation upon receipt.  

Once we are cleared out of the country, we remove our NZ flag, get lots of duty free diesel and gasoline, and cast off the docks.  We needed so much diesel that the counter clicked over and had to start at zero. We wore out our poor NZ flag, its a good thing we have a new one for our return. A friend of ours captured us leaving.

Notifications

We send out notifications whenever we go on passage.  The first one is Passage Guardian which is a free monitoring service.  We file a float plan and email our position (lat/long), wind speed/direction, swell, barometer, boat speed, and any other pertinent information every day while at sea.  Peter, at Passage Guardian, provides this service for free.  He tracks our movement and will notify our emergency contacts with any anomalies.  In addition, he notifies us if there is anything in our trajectory (fishing fleets, or container ships).  It is a very important service.

We also notify Viki Moore with the Pacific Rally.  She also tracks us using our AIS and ensures we have all of the necessary documentation to depart NZ and arrive Vanuatu.  She offers amazing service and I am eternally grateful for her spectacular efforts.

Gulf Harbor Radio is an SSB radio net that meets once at night.  We call in to report our position, wind/sea conditions, and get weather.  It is another free service.

Lastly, we will notify our emergency contacts and family members.  We provide our float plan and all of our important information so that they can find us in case of an emergency.

Entering Vanuatu

Formalities for Vanuatu include a lot more forms.  We have to provide them with advance notice of arrival, prior to arrival.  In addition, we are seeking special permission to clear in at Port Resolution which is NOT an official port of entry.  We will have to pay a fee to cover the officials travel.  The reason we are asking for special permission to clear into Port Resolution rather than Lenakel (official port of entry) at Tanna is because the anchorage at Lenakel is awful.  

The email with the “Inward Report” (Advance Notice of Arrival) has to include a lot of basic information (see below) and must include the Inward Report, a photo of the boat, and the bio pages of all crew passports.  This email is sent to CustomsBorder@vanuatu.gov.vu. 

  • Name of the vessel;  
  • Vessel registration;  
  • Vessel Radio Call Sign; 
  • Country of registration: 
  • Home Port:  
  • Voyage (last 3 ports);
  • Estimated date & time of arrival; 
  • Port of arrival; with approval, 
  • Estimated length of stay;  
  • Purpose of Visit: 
  • Port arrived from; 
  • Name of the master or skipper of the vessel; 
  • Name & contact of person providing data; 
  • Names of passengers on board; 
  • List of goods to be landed (if any) 
  • Crew list:  
  • Photo of your boat.  

I do all of the paper work before we leave New Zealand, since I get sea sick pretty easily. And off we go on passage.  See next post titled “6 Days at Sea.”

Mystery / Anatom Island

We originally wanted to clear into Mystery island as it is the furthest southern island in the Vanuatu Island chain.  And it just seems super cool to go to an island called Mystery Island.  However, we would have to receive permission to clear in at this island as it is not a port of entry.  In addition, we would have to time our arrival with the cruise ship schedule, which comes twice per month.  Why do you ask?

Officials have to be flown in, given housing, and food which costs a lot of money  So, if you time your arrival with the cruise ship you don’t have to pay to get the officials to Mystery Island since they will be there for the cruise ship.

It just seemed like too much trouble to leave on a good weather widow for us and arrive at the island when the cruise ship is there (which is only for 9 hours).  

So, we decided to get special clearance for Port Resolution at Tanna instead.

Change of Heart

While we were at sea, we realized that if we slowed the boat down, there was a good possibility that we could arrive the day before the cruise ship arrived.  So, I reached out to Vanuatu Customs with the hopes of being approved for this special entry.

We got approval and nearly jumped for joy.  But, it was short lived because 5 minutes later our approval was revoked.  What?  Evidently there is a large storm coming and they are re-routing the cruise ship so the officials are not going to be there.  What a huge disappointment as we had lost about a half day sailing at painfully slow speeds.

Well, onward to Port Resolution.

Arriving Vanuatu

Once we arrive, we fly our Yellow Quarantine Flag, notify the Yacht club on VHF 16 of our arrival and make arrangements to meet the officials.  When we meet the officials we have to bring the following original and signed forms (forms found here):

  • Inward Report
  • Yacht Master Certificate
  • Inter-Island Permit Application
  • Maritime Health Declaration
  • Biosecurity Passenger Card (one for each crew)
  • Exit Forms from NZ
  • Passports of all crew
  • Boat Registration

The Rocket Guide is a very valuable resource if you require additional information on clearing into Vanuatu.

Some Hiccups….

Evidently the Immigration officer was sick so he could not come which means we have to go to Lenakel to finish the process.  We have to get our inter-island cruising permit, stamps in our passports and our 90-day visas.  Not much of a big deal as we planed to take a taxi to Lenakel anyway.  We need local SIM cards, more Vatu (local cash), and some fresh produce.  Plus it will be fun to see the inner island.

One thing to note is that all attachments, for all countries, should always be labeled with your boat name, the name of the document, and date.  For example, “Sugar Shack Inward Report_May 2024”

One of the benefits of joining the Pacific Rally is having Viki verify all of the necessary documents for NZ and Vanuatu.  Usually, I am on my own to figure out what is required, who it is sent to and in what time frame.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred around the end of May.  In our last blog post I share all of the amazing donations we plan to distribute in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

Donations for the Locals

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Many of the villages in the remote islands are in need of basic supplies like food, medical, clothing, tools, fishing gear, and school supplies.  So, we always try to stock up before heading out to these items to bring them much needed supplies and donations.

We are lucky enough to be a part of the Pacific Rally again this year.  It brings loads of benefits to us as cruisers crossing the Pacific. One of the benefits is having access to organizations who want to donate items to the remote islands but don’t have any means to get the supplies out to the locals.  So, they team up with the cruisers who collect the donations and distribute them to the islands along the way.

Glasses

The Papakura Lions Club is an amazing organization that collects glasses.  They receive between 350-500 glasses each month. Every Wednesday a group of volunteers led by Kevin sort the glasses. 

First they, sort damaged or broken glasses into large flour bags to be trashed, then they sort sunnies (sun glasses) into their own bin and lastly they sort eye glasses.  This is a photo of one of their two rooms dedicated to just glasses!

The yellow boxes are new donations, the white “Cotene” bags are discarded or broken glasses, the red and blue crates need to be sorted.  The eye glasses are first cleaned, then dried.  Next they measure the strength of the prescription and ensure that both lenses are the same strength.  Next they put them in little plastic bags and mark them with a label showing their prescription strength.  

I originally signed up to take 25 eye glasses.  After I emailed with Kevin he assured me he could give me more so I decided to take 50 eye glasses (25 for Vanuatu and 25 for Solomons).  But when I got to the facility and saw how many they had in stock, I left with a box of 350 eye glasses and 400 sunnies.

The sunglasses had to be cleaned and sorted into prescription and non-prescription and then they are all ready to go!

Clothing

The Pacific Rally received over 20 large pillow cases of clothes.  They were then distributed to the boats to distribute.  I volunteered to take 2 bags. One bag has 35 adult women’s items and one has 50 baby items.  

Medical and School Supplies

A local heard asked us to bring their donations of medical supplies and children’s books.  We had lots of extra medical supplies and some supplies that were expired so I added it to our pile of donated goods.

Fun Stuff for Kids

I purchased a lot of goodies before I accumulated the eyeglasses, sunnies, clothing, and medical supplies.  Not to worry as I am sure we will find lots of children excited to be on the receiving end.   We had lots of school supplies, goggles, and stickers, planes, jewelry, etc….  I can’t wait to hand these out!

Our blogs run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog occurred around mid-May.  In our last blog post we share how we provision for 6-months at sea.