Minerva Reef to New Zealand Passage Summary

Hi everyone,

Here is a summary of our 800nm passage between the North Minerva Reef and Opua in New Zealand.  We sailed in loose company with at least a dozen other yachts.  We had a wide range of conditions.  During the first four days we motored for 50 hours in very light wind.  Then we had to cross a stationary front which gave us 20-30 knot E winds.  On the final night we had to motor for another 10 hours in flat calm and fog.

Bound for New Zealand

Here are the usual plots...

Track

Arrival

Graphs

Here are the vital stats for the passage…

    • Distances/Speeds

        • Route Distance = 790 nm

        • Logged Distance = 763 nm, so we had current assistance overall

        • GPS Distance = 828 nm

        • Duration = 7 days

        • Average speed = 4.9 kt

        • Minimum boat speed = 2.0 kt

        • Maximum boat speed = 6.1 kt

    • Weather

        • Minimum wind speed = 0 kt

        • Average wind speed = 15 knots

        • Maximum wind speed = 25 with gusts to 32

        • Apparent wind angle range = 70 to 150

        • Seas 1-2m

        • Swell 1-3m

        • Cloud varying from 1/8 to 8/8

        • 3/4 to full moon

    • Engine

        • Total = 60 hour

        • Driving = 60 hour

        • Charging = 0 hours

    • Failures

        • None

    • Stars

        • The boat - as always

        • Pelagic autopilot in the light airs

        • WindPilot vane gear in the breeze

The weather for the passage was interesting.  We had always expected to encounter a front since they come through too frequently for us to avoid.  But we ended up with a stationary front to cross, with mid--level troughs above too.  Here are two synoptic charts from the middle of the passage.

Synoptic chart from Fiji met service

Synoptic chart from NZ met service

The stationary ftont had some big embedded storm cells but thankfully they were scattered and we didn't encounter any.  Some boats had 50-60 knots to contend with.  The nastiest part for us was before the wind set in but the sea state was ugly with 3m breaking waves on the beam.  I reckon they came from a storm upwind we missed, but we got its waves which were tumbling once out of the wind.

Through the front under storm staysail & trisail-sized main

Seaway

Looking at NoForeignLand showed over 70 yachts enroute to New Zealand with us, from Tonga, Fiji and elsewhere.  The officials told us they were setting a new record for the number of boats being cleared in one day at Opua.

So it was an interesting passage!  It was great to arrive in New Zealand - our primary goal for the year.  Now we have an entirely different country and climate to enjoy over the summer.

Trust all's well where you are!

Opua Arrival

 Hi everyone,

We arrived in Opua at 0630 on Wednesday 5th, making it a 7 day passage.  We'll post a passage summary soon.  We docked at the Bay of Islands Marina Q (for Quarantine) dock.  It was fairly crowded but we found a spot.

Bay of Islands Marina

Tuesday afternoon saw us reaching towards the Bay of Islands in a slowly fading breeze.  By 2100 we were losing steerage way and the sails were slatting in the low swell so the engine went on.  We slowly motored the 35nm to Opua.  On entering the Bay of Islands we were enveloped in fog which made it an interesting arrival.  Visibility wasn't too bad at 100-200m.  We did one 'circuit' to delay our arrival until after dawn.

Into the foggy Bay of Islands

Approaching Opua

At the Q dock

At about 0800 officials started to visit all the waiting yachts, building a queue based on their arrival times.  Very fair but we were well down the queue.  A few hours later we were searched by a NZ Navy guy on loan to Customs.  Then we were interviewed by a very friendly and efficient Customs lady.  Then in the early afternoon we were interviewed by an equally friendly and efficient Biosecurity lady.  She had seen our Biosecurity document and asked to see our video taken after the most recent hull cleaning.  She then used a GoPro to inspect the hull herself.  All good thank goodness!  The many hours of hull cleaning paid off.

By mid-afternoon we were in a pen on E dock of the marina.  At 1700 we joined an OCC get-together on an Amel 56, then dinner at the Opua Cruising Club.  The beer was good, as were the sausages.

In the marina

Opua sunset

On Thursday we did our laundry then joined the crew of OCC sv Wild Iris to taxi into the nearby town of Paihia.  There we got fresh fruit & veg at the farmer's market, followed by a great lunch at Charlotte's Kitchen.

Marina office with great facillties including laundry

Laundry time!

Lunch!

After lunch we walked the 2km to the Woolworths supermarket in Waitangi.  The town is famous for the treaty signed there between the British and Maoris.  The supermarket is pretty good.  We taxied back to the marina from there.

 

Heading home with booty

Back on board we filled our water tanks and jerries, and washed off the salt on deck.

Today we filled our fuel tank and jerries, did the remaining laundry and started spending at the two on-site chandleries.  Busy busy busy but fun too.

Trust all's well where you are!

Opua Inbound Day 3

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 34 07S 174 44E steering 185M, sailing under double-reefed main and double-furled yankee at 6 knots.  The wind was 15G18 from the E.  Our noon to noon distances were 122nm by the log and 127nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 688nm and 745nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 79nm.  Just a Freo to Bunbury.

Into the blue

Yesterday afternoon the wind held in at 20G28 fro the E to ENE until mid-evening.  Then we broke out of the cloud and wind decreased gradually to 15G20.  We had a 7/8 moon which lit the scene wonderfully and made the brighter stars conspicuous.  Twas a very nice overnight sail.

By dawn low cloud had re-emerged and the wind continued to slowly ease.  Then mid-morning the sky began to clear again with only mid-level cloud remaining.  The 'long white cloud' perhaps! 

The screenshot below shows our position at noon and the few other yachts still at sea in our group.  Two days north are EBBYC SVs Moody Rudie and Island Kea II.  They spent only one night at Minerva Reef before departing.  We've been between a few days and a couple of weeks ahead of them all the way across the South Pacific, apart from a few brief get-togethers.

PredictWind Tracks

We've updated our ETA with NZ Customs from noon Thursday to dawn tomorrow (Wednesday).  We'll be very pleased to have made the passage in a week.

Trust all's well where you are!

Opua Inbound Day 2

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 32 18S 175 57E steering 190M, under double-reefed main and storm staysail at 5 knots.  The wind was 20G27 from the ENE.  Our noon to noon distances were 113nm by the log and 120nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 566nm and 618nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 204nm.  Just a Freo to Geraldton.

Into the grey

Yesterday afternoon the engine was shutdown at 1400 when a new breeze appeared.  We'd been fooled by two preceding new winds, thinking they were the predicted wind arriving at last.  But this one was the real deal.  Since the wind was predicted to increase and boats ahead of us reported strong winds and nasty sea state we double-furled the main and set the storm staysail.

Kazi the WindPilot at work in 3m waves

Overnight the winds stayed moderate but the sea state was pretty ugly with 3m waves falling over themselves.  Very rolly and a little concerning since we were beam on to them.  But Zen Again handled it well and by midnight the seas had calmed to match the 15G20 wind.

By dawn the wind had built to 25G30 and the waves were building back up but not breaking.  The sea scape was quite impressive under a low overcast sky with light rain.  Temperature dropped from 19 to 16C.  We were passed through the stationary front shown on the synoptic chart below.

Synoptic Chart showing stationary front

The screenshot below shows a set of boats which departed Minerva Reef on the same day as us.  All except one are much bigger than us.  The top left blue boat is Swedish sv Aura, a 32-footer, and we're to their E.  It seems they're determined to overtake us.  We're taking it easy for a Wednesday morning arrival.

PredictWind Tracks

Trust all's well where you are!

Opua Inbound Day 1

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 30 40S 177 12E steering 210M, motoring at 5 knots.  The wind was 8G12 from the SE.  Our noon to noon distances were 116nm by the log and 123nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 452nm and 498nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 320nm. 

Rugged Up

Yesterday afternoon we had the motor on for an hour, then in the evening for 7 hours.  And since 0800 this morning.  Winds have been very variable and we've been sailing when possible.  This morning's motoring was due to a very confused sea which shook the wind out of the sails as we pitched and rolled.  And it rained for much of the evening.  Champagne sailing it is not!

We believe we're at last getting clear of the stationary front and mid-level trough we've been battling through.  We hope to get into the E winds soon and they should take us all the way to Opua.

Another cloudy dawn

Below is a screenshot of the group around us and current forecast winds at noon today.  We are the middle blue dot in the top 'row', on the S edge of the 'blue hole'.  Almost into the wind!

PredictWind Tracks

Trust all's well where you are.

Minerva Reef Outbound Day 4

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 28 54S 177 56E steering 190M, motoring at 5 knots.  The wind was 5G8 from the E.  Our noon to noon distances were 107nm by the log and 124nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 346nm and 375nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 432nm.  Nearly half way there, and just a Freo to Albany to go.

Dawn this morning

We've been motoring on and off for the last 24 hours.  We had a good sail yesterday evening when a cloud line passed overhead giving us 20 knots of SE wind.  Before the cloud the wind had been very light W and afterwards it became light again but from the SSE.  This morning we sailed for 90 minutes in a nice 8G12 SE wind until we got into the lee of a big raincloud.  Happily we seem to have dodged that one.

The screenshot below is from NoForeignLand.  It shows the number of boats streaming towards NZ.  New Caledonia is at top-left and southern Tonga at top-right.  We're in the area where the boats from Fiji and Tonga are merging.

NFL boats on passage towards NZ

And here's today's version of the PredictWind GPS tracking page.  We're all making pretty good progress.  Like us I expect everyone is looking forward to escaping the blue hole.

We're expecting some wet and windy weather when we initially find the ESE winds ahead.  Can't wait to have some good wind which should take us all the way to Opua.  Hopefully it won't rain all the way!

Trust all's well where you are.

Minerva Reef Outbound Day 3

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 27 08S 179 05E steering 200M, motoring at 5 knots.  The wind was 3G5 from the WNW.  Our noon to noon distances were 96nm by the log and 103nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 239nm and 251nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 551nm.

The screenshot below shows weather and boat positions at noon today.  We are the third blue dot from the left in the 'bunch'.  We're 'in the blue' meaning there ain't much wind here!

PredictWind Tracks at noon today

Yesterday afternoon we continued sailing in light 5G7 airs from the ENE.  We were down to 3 knots of boatspeed for much of the time but it was pleasant enough sailing.  The 1.5m S swell didn't help.  We continued sailing until 0500 when the wind lightened further and our boatspeed fell to 2 knots.  The autopilot was struggling so it was time for the donk.

We had a 60% moon last night and after midnight the broken cloud broke up to reveal a wonderful starscape.  The Southern Cross rose above the horizon but not the 'pointers'.  Orion was high in the sky.

We've continued motoring this morning.  For a short period we tried motor-sailing but without success.  We expect to be motoring for another 24 hours or so.  A 'blue hole' is opening ahead of us.  On the far side we expect to find wind and possibly thunderstorms with E winds.  We should have E-N winds all the way from there.

Trust all's well where you are.

 

Minerva Reef Outbound Day 2

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 25 42S 179 44E steering 205M, sailing with full main and full yankee at 5 knots.  The wind was 7G11 from the ENE.  Our noon to noon distances were 123nm by the log and 126nm over the ground.   Overall we'd logged 143nm and 148nm respectively.  Our distance to go was 647nm.

Gentle Sailing

Early yesterday afternoon we motored over an almost glassed-out sea.  By 1500 enough wind had come in for us to start motor-sailing.  Then at 1815 we were finally able to sail, just in time for the Gulf Harbour Net on SSB.  We've been taking part in this net whenever at sea since arriving in Samoa.  On this passage we're following it with a chat session with other NZ-bound boats.

Cirrus clouds - not seen for a while!

Overnight the wind held in at around 9G13.  This was enough for us to keep sailing.  The wind gradually backed into the ENE which reduced our apparent wind.  Mid-morning today we chatted with two boats on the VHF, both much bigger than us.  Both were motor-sailing.

At 0418 local time this morning something significant happened...

Before

After

Yes, we crossed the Date Line from the Western to the Eastern hemisphere!  These are screenshots from a video of our Maretron DSM410 which can display all our NMEA2000 data in user-customisable screens.

We hope the wind holds in but it's predicted to gradually decrease over the next 24-36 hours.  We'll probably be motoring again eventually.  In the mean time we're enjoying very nice sailing conditions.

Trust all's well where you are.

Minerva Reef Outbound Day 1

Hi everyone,

We departed North Minerva Reef at 0745 this morning in very still conditions.  We've been motoring all morning.  We're in company with at least six other yachts.  At noon we'd covered 22nm of the 790nm in our route direct to Opua.  Our ETA is Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Dawn Today

Most of our preparations were done yesterday afternoon.  So this morning it was simply a case of a last tidy below, attaching the main halyard, starting the donk and weighing the anchor.  The latter is still very heavy.

We expect to have several days of light airs, several thunderstormy days crossing a trough, and several in moderate to strong E-N winds.  Bu only time will tell!

Departing with sv Thestral following

Trust all's well where you are!

Minerva Reef

Hi everyone,

We've spent 5 days at Minerva Reef.  What an absolutely wonderful place!  We spent our time snorkelling, socialising and completing hull cleaning.  We were anchored in 15m over deep sand.  Going in further would have put us amongst bombies and the sand is reputed to be shallow.  We shared the NE anchorage with 25 to 35 boats which some say is a record.

Anchored at Minerva Reef (sv Deriska photo)

View towards the pass (sv Deriska photo)

Great Sunsets

In NE anchorage

Anchorage from the shallows

There are a host of snorkelling spots around the reef.  Sadly our soft-bottom dinghy and electric outboard limited our options.  The best spot we visited was the "Aquarium".  Small but full of fish and one small shark.

The "Aquarium"

Small (1m) white-tipped shark circling

Fish!

Fish nursery under a coral ledge

On Monday afternoon we hosted a dinghy raft-up for OCC and friend's boats.  At least 17 boats attended including Aura, Bandit, Bengt, Beyond the Stars, Clair de Gouet, Deriska, Flora, Kerpa, Magic, Muna Nui, Paikea, Scout, Tarpan, Thestral, Wanderlust & Wild Iris.  Possibly others too!  Ralf of OCC sv Flora brought along his drone and got some great shots.

All aboard Zen Again

Raft-Up (sv Flora photo)

Raft-Up (sv Flora photo)

Insta360 view

The raft-up concluded after sunset

It was great meeting new folks whose boats we'd seen on AIS for months and to catch up with folks we've seen only intermittently across the Pacific.

Completing the NZ Biosecurity mandated hull cleaning started with an overall scrub of hull and appendages.  This was followed by thorough cleaning of: thru-hulls; cockpit drains; keel bottom; rudder top & bottom; skeg shoe; rudder-skeg gap; stern tube; shaft; and propellor.  The latter was the toughest due to its complex shape and moving parts.  We're happy with the result.  Hopefully the NZ authorities will be too.  We can only do what we can do!

Looking Good?

Bow View

Stern View

Stern Gear

We expect to depart tomorrow morning towards Opua.  It should be a 7-8 day passage.  Initially winds will be light and we may need to motor for a day or so later in the week.  Mid-passage we'll have to pass through a trough containing thunderstorms and strong winds.  Then we should have an E wind backing to N as we approach NZ.  The next front isn't expected until 2-3 days after arrival.  It's about as good as it gets for a little boat.

Trust all's well where you are!