S/V Code Blue

2014 in review December 29, 2014

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

s/v Code Blue – Merry Christmas December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas to all

s/v Code Blue Followers, 12-24-14

Just thought I’d send a Merry Christmas note to everyone. We’re in
Whangarei Marina, New Zealand. Here’s our Christmas picture for you. They
are having a potluck at the marina for Christmas eve. We’re headed into
Auckland to spend some time with fellow boaters for Christmas dinner and
then some activities in Auckland the next day.

We’ve decided on 393 Hydra Net by Dimension Polyant sailcloth for our Genoa
with tri-radial cut pattern and 8.77 Marblehead Dacron by
Challenge Sailcloth for the main. Both of these are about 8.5 oz.
material. The Hydra Net is a woven material with Dyneema in the cloth.
Here’s a link for Hydra Net.
http://www.dimension-polyant.com/en/pdf/DP_Hydra_Net_radial_E.pdf
Our choice of sail maker is Calibre Sails who designs and makes the sails
in their Whangarei sail loft.

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s/v Code Blue — Arrived Opua, New Zealand, 3am Nov 12, 2014 November 11, 2014

Code Blue Folks, 11-12-14 5:22am

Left Nuku’alofa, Tonga 9:33am 11-3-14
12381 miles
3182.0 Engine Hours,

Arrive Minerva Reef 3:59pm 11-5-14
12673 miles
3189.1 Engine Hours
Left Minerva Reef 4:34pm 11-5-14

Arrive Opua, New Zealand, 4:00am 11-12-14
13756 miles (less 163 GPS function error as below)
3239.6 Engine Hours

Totals
1375 Miles, less 163 GPS function error for, 1212 miles total
57.6 Engine Hours so rough guess is 300 miles motoring, 912 sailing.
8 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes

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Left N. Minerva Due to Bob McDavitt’s Warning About Low November 5, 2014

Code Blue Folks & others, 11-06-14 Thur. 10:30am

We crossed the International Date Line around 7am this morning. The excitement on the boat was over the top. Well at least we kissed and wished each other well.

We left Nuku’alofa on Monday the 3rd at 9:33am made good speed for us of 147 miles mostly sailing of about 140 miles. Then 110 miles sailing the next day, then motoring since 10am on the 5th morning to get to Minerva during the daylight due to lighter winds. Anchored at 3:59pm, talked with Anthem who was at Minerva earlier, on SSB and they and everyone left due to Bob’s warning about a low coming in. We Left at 4:34pm (but I did a short snorkel) and still motoring due to light winds and getting out of the area. Light winds here of 6 to 10 kts. North Minerva is a circular reef, with a 150 yard wide opening, about 3 miles across in the middle of the ocean, kind of like the top of a volcano that comes close to the surface, then coral grows to get closer. There is a South Minerva too with a different shape about 20 miles away. We saw the light on it and some waves crashing into the reef due to the near full moon and binoculars. Maybe we’ll get lucky on the way back north and spend more time here.

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s/v Code Blue – Heading to Minerva Reef and New Zealand & Halloween Pictures November 2, 2014

Sven and Lisa from a big 65 ft. custom sailboat s/v Dana Felicia

Code Blue Folks, 11-3-14

OK, we got up early 6am local and tied the dinghy down so we can use the staysail. We tested it out also a bit while on the hook. We’re just leaving Nuku’alofa, Tonga at about 9am.
Here’s a short email from John Martin considering the weather we expect at Minerva Reef and on to New Zealand

“Hello Steve and Judy, weather certainly looks good for Minerva. If you carry on past there you will likely see a light patch thursday between systems and the new high developing on Friday with S or SSE winds backing to east by Sunday.

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s/v Code Blue – Tonga Mid & South Island Groups November 1, 2014

Freighter Wreck

Code Blue Folks, 11-2-14

10/19 & 20th we did an overnight sail – While at Lifuka Island, which is where the main village Pangai is located we checked in and checked out at the same time. We walked around some but the village was devastated by a cyclone in Jan. 2014. We had a beer and dinner at Mariner’s Café then headed to the boat. The next morning we took the dinghy into the Holopeka Village near where we were anchored. Many houses were in disrepair due to the cyclone. We walked to a Morman school in great shape and since it was recess there were 8 girls about 14 years old near the bus stop area. We talked to them for a while. When we asked how they were doing due to the cyclone, one volunteered they were still living in a tent. Her father was helping rebuild houses for others in the area where they live. Her uniform was in perfect order like the other girls. Recess was over so we took off back to the boat.

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s/v Code Blue – Vava’u to Port Mourelle, then to Lape Is, and now at Ha’api October 19, 2014

Gazebo

Code Blue Folks, 10-20-14

We left Vava’u 10-17 at 4:14pm sailed a short distance to Port Morelle, mostly motorsailed total of 7 miles to a wind protected anchorage, arriving at 6:19pm. Nice anchorage. Judy and I worked on the hull to clean and get ready for transit to New Zealand. Took about 1 1/2 hours of diving, snorkel and working on the water line with the dinghy from both of us.

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s/v Code Blue – Rally Race, Go Kart Tour and Solar Farm October 16, 2014

Beach view

Rally Race, Go Kart Tour and Solar Farm 10-17-14

As part of the Vava’u Blue Water Festival they held a Rally Race, that we finally entered. The Rally Race was to Anchorage # 11, Tapana Island at Ano Beach from Vava’u on Wed Oct 8th,, about 13 miles by water. (Moorings/Sunsail sells a chart with anchorages by numbers as some of the names are hard to pronounce.) Normally we never enter races as our boat is slow with a 32.5 foot waterline and doesn’t go to weather great. At first we declined to enter, then we found out the race was free and lots of good prizes for almost every boat that entered. Plus we needed to get to anchorage # 11 anyway for the dinner and show. We ended up winning a Double Go Kart Tour worth 300 Tongan, ($150 USD) that lasted 4 ½ hours, after trading in the one we picked for a voucher they didn’t know where to redeem it, or what it was for and only worth $20 that no one had picked in an upside down blind display choice.

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s/v Code Blue – All Points Rally Pub Crawl at Vava’u, Tonga October 15, 2014

Group Picture

All Points Rally Pub Crawl at Vava’u, Tonga

As part of the Blue Water Festival 2014, Oct 6th thru 12th, the Opua, NZ boat supply community put on a 5th Annual Opua Fancy Dress Pub Crawl in Vava’u, to promote their All Points Rally that starts Nov 12th.

We visited the following bars Friday October 10th and the like in Vava’u: The Pool Side Bar, The Beach House, The Dancing Rooster (AKA The Marina Wine Bar, AKA The Marina Bar), CocoNet Café, Bounty Bar, The Basque Tavern, and The Moteli. Here are some of the contestants.

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s/v Code Blue – Sailmail Radio and Antenna October 9, 2014

Another view of the wire antenna in foreground. Note the tall one in the background

Sailmail – This email has pictures and such that mostly boaters and radio folks might be interested in.

We checked out of Niue on Thursday 10-3. We were at the Niue Yacht Club and the lady there gave a call to the Customs folks. They arrived about 5 minutes later at the club. Two guys were in a van. We paid our exit fees and they stamped our passport and gave us a clearance sheet of paper.

We then asked if they would take me to the Weather MET station at the airport to see the Sailmail radio and antenna. They didn’t know what I was talking about but they said they’d take me up there. Judy wanted to get dropped off at the gas station on the way. They said, sure no problem.

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