The following is the transcript of the log we kept for the duration of the voyage.

New Zealand here we come

26/10/99 Tuesday 7am

• S 33.04.674
  E 152.29.407
  Light north easterly winds, poled out headsail, goosewinged
  Spent 1/2 hour trying to figure out date and what day it was.
  Saw a stack of dolphins
  Steak for dinner.

27/10/99 Wednesday 8am

• S 33.15.122
  E 154.44.844
  150 miles
  10 knots, North, overcast.
  Stormed last evening. Charley gibed the boat and laid it over. None of it his fault, gave us some interesting moments.
  Good lightning show, torrential rain.
  Added more and more (all) reefs during night.
  Ivan didn't like his dinner and so threw his peas all over the wall?

27/10/99 Wednesday 5pm

• S 33.15.200
  E 155.30.700
  188 miles
  10 knots, light winds overcast
  Found a small flying fish on deck. Quite a few birds. Some big birds like Albatross or something.
  Meatloaf.

28/10/99 Thursday 7am

• S 33.33.215
  E 156.03.290
  Speed 2.5 knots
  218 miles from Newcastle
  Boiled egg breaky.
  Suns out. Rained all night, very heavy. Need more wind.
•  
• 10:30 am
  Suns out, wind light on nose doing 3 knots.
  Took reef out of main. Charley repairs Genoa turning block.
  Seen heaps of great big birds.

28/10/99 Thursday 5pm

• S 33.17.500
  E 156.32.700
  No wind, no wind, no wind. Idled along all day on autopilot.
  Lots of blue bottles - some rubbish.

29/10/99 Friday 7am

• Good sail overnight. Rodney saved the day with a tin of creamed rice.
  We had to gulp it down as a big black cloud appeared from nowhere.
  It was a fizzer. Seen dolphins.
  

29/10/99 Friday 5pm

• S 33.37.100
  E 158.19.670
  Speed 3.4 knots
  331 miles
  South winds 10 knots
  Flat ocean. Odd fluffy cloud. Spectacular day. Light winds.
  MPS up all day. MPS tack wore through.
  To New Zealand (Three Kings Island) 691 nm
  Solitary albatross around on and off.
  Ivan had us in stitches, telling us about his staffing woes.
  Charley reminiscing about his days on a freighter.
  1 reef main + MPS. Reaching all day.

30/10/99 Saturday 8am

• S 34.07
  E 158.57
  Speed 5.2 knots heading 120 degrees
  Beautiful day, light N/easterly puts it on the nose.
  Charlie put last nights cross on the chart in the wrong place, so this morning,
  instead of having the excitement of seeing us move ahead, we had to rub his cross out,and our new cross was behind where Charlie's was.
  It was suggested maybe the chart was wrong, not Charlie.
  Full main, Genoa and "staysail' for effect.
  Sardines for breakfast, Charlie refused these because of the smell,
  and ate his biscuits dry. Rod was here to organise weevils for him.
  Auto pilot steering as plenty of sun for the solar panels.
  366 miles from Newcastle
  655 to New Zealand
  156 Miles to Lord Howe Island in the north

30/10/99 5pm Saturday

• S 34.36.387
  E 159.45.452
  Speed 5 knots
  Wind N/east 15 knots most of the day
  3 reefs in main. Charlie spliced some ropes.
  Auto pilot most of the day
  Most of the day on 120 degrees, now on 90
  To Newcastle 411
  To New Zealand 612
  51.5 nm to 7am 30/10

31/10/99 7am Sunday

• S 35.00
  E161.17
  Speed 7.8 knots and flying along
  489 miles from Newcastle
  537 to Three Kings Island
  236 to Lord Howe Island
  513 miles is half way. We should do this today
  Spirits are high with speed.
  2 reefs in main, stay sail out, Genoa reduced to hanky.
  At least no rain.

31/10/99 5pm

• S 35.11.800
  E 162.46.800
  Speed 8.4 knots
  Lunch, Plate Du Jour 'Salad au cans'
  Repaired water tap in galley
  Wind 16 knots at NNE, overcast
  To Newcastle 570 NM
  To NZ 457 NM
  24 hour distance 159 NM

01/11/99 8:30am Monday

• E 35.33
  S 164.50
  A bit late today. Helmsman to busy and everyone else asleep.
  Wind 20 knots from N/East. Overcast.
  Speed 7 knots, seas 2 metres on 3 metre swell.
  Saw a whale just on dusk yesterday. It ran with us for a while.
  Some sort of pilot or killer whale. Saw a flying fish this morning.
  Over night looks like we've cracked the skeg and rudder on hull plate,
  don't think it will be a problem
  Wind increasing 25 hours for 179 nautical miles.
  To Newcastle 668 NM
  To NZ 363 NM

01/11/99 5pm

• E 35.26
  S 165.44
  Winds easing, seas moderating.
  Course 60 degrees, speed 6 knots
  3 reefs, inner headsail and furled gib.
  Dolphins turned up for a short stay
  Water now increasing through skeg.
  Saw a ship 'Cape York' at 2:45 at E 35.30, S 165.28,
  going from Cook Straight to Melbourne
  Charlie called him on the radio. We even had to change course to avoid him.
  They blew their horn and waved.
  Bilge pump handling water.
  To Newcastle 709 NM
  To NZ 319 NM
  24 hour 140 NM

2/11/99 7 am Tuesday

• S 35.21
  E 167.15
  Winds light N east 5 knots.
  Speed 2.5 knots
  Full main and genoa
  Muslie for breakfast
  Calm night. Charlie saw a boat and proceeded to watch it climb into the sky.
  Called us and we thought it looked like the moon. SS Moonship.
  To Newcastle 782
  To NZ 245
  24 hour 118 miles
  Hot showers all round and fried eggs and ham. 2 rotten eggs thrown to fish.
  Melbourne cup a bit of a fizzer.

2/11/99 5 pm

• S 34.59
  E 167.37
  Been going one week!!
  Overcast, bleak, little wind and right on the nose.
  Mainsail up and motor just idling. 3 to 4 knots. On autopilot. 28 miles today. Grrrr!!
  24 hour 96 miles
  To Newcastle 798
  To NZ 255 miles
  Bearing 69 degrees, track 51 degrees

3/11/99 7 am Wednesday

• S 34.11.500
  E 168.23
  Wind S/east, 28 knots showers
  Bilge pump still a problem.
  Sighted merchant ship last night, bound for Melbourne.
  Called him up (Italian), passed to north of our position.
  Steak and lentil minestrone for evening meal.
  24 hour run 89 NM
  To Newcastle 832 NM
  To NZ 190 NM
  Bilge pumps packed in after three days solid pumping. Now full time on buckets.
•  

4/11/99 6:30 am Thursday

• S 33.44
  E 168.44
  Inevitable, we are going to sink. Pumps no longer handling water.
  Bailing with buckets.
  Approx 7 am we had a meeting and decided to let rip with the Epirb.
  Its only a matter of time before we are in the raft. Est 10 hours.
  Seas horrendous. Water pouring in stern

4/11/99 10 am

• Had soup waiting for rescue.
  If the right boat comes with pump we may be able to save her and tow her in.
  Motor is running charging batteries for radio etc.

5/11/99 Friday

• Night spent on 'Sagami'
  People incredibly friendly
  Captain Korean, 1st and 2nd officers Japanese, crew 28 Philippines
  Language difference is fun.
  Cook complaining, 3 recipes and now 4 with Australians.
  They keep bringing us beer and mineral water.

THE END!!

Read more about: The published Newspaper Story and: Final Comments & Thoughts

Copyright © Rod Flannery, Australia 1999 - 2007 - All Rights Reserved