Tainui Internet Log
November 2000
Recorded by Brian Fairweather
This should be the final ocean-crossing log for our Y2K voyage around the South Pacific - I wonder if anyone will remember what Y2K means in 20 years? We have seen some awesome stuff out here, and I personally have learned a lot about myself and what is really important in life...
By the way, if you are reading this from the confines of a desk somewhere in an office building, I just want to say, "Don't forget to get out there and LIVE your life a bit!" It took a lot of nerve to give up the security of a great job and head off across oceans, but it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I am pleased to recall the fact that a couple years ago, moving to Australia was the best experience of my life - hopefully, each year to come will have a similar theme...
So, on to the latest...
November 1 - To be honest, we've been in Noumea for so long now, all the days are sort of blurred together! We have spent a fair bit of time doing the 'touch up' things that the boat needs before we sell her, like servicing the winches, putting on some more varnish, cleaning, etc. Not exactly thrilling stuff, but rewarding...
We did have a great time today, though - rented kite surfing gear and went out to give it a try, along with Justin from Good Eye Deer... it was a very blowy day, wind a westerly wind (very odd), so we had to drive across the island with our 'instructor' to another bay...
Kite surfing involves, well... flying a kite while on a surfboard. Sounds a bit odd? It is... first you have to learn how to fly a kite... we walked out in the water after spending a long time getting all the lines set up, then the kite is launched - it's about 5 metres square sail area, in a good blow, it can lift you off the ground! Or, more importantly, out of the water - this is what the good surfers do - use the kite to pull yourself along, hit a wave and fly vertically with the kite pulling you through the air, then land again on the water and keep surfing along. Needless to say, we did not achieve this on the first day...
Learning how to fly the kite involves standing in waist-deep water hanging on desparately to a rod with a couple kite strings attached, getting used to the kite behaviour... after a thrilling hour of this, I was finally given a surfboard. The trick is now to lay on your back in the water, get your feet up on the board and into the straps, then maneuver the kite so that it ducks back and forth, starts to pull, lifts you up to stand on the board and pulls you in exactly the direction you want to go..... yeah right.
The part where you get your feet on the board and into the straps turns out to be a serious challenge, as the second your feet leave the ground, the kite starts to drag you through the water - knocking the surfboard away and when you look down at the board to re-orient, the kite goes for a wild dive...
After a couple of tries and nearly plunging the kite into the ocean, I actually managed to work out a technique of getting my feet in the straps - from there, it was a lot easier to get up than I thought - my first ride lasted about two seconds and ended with me falling backwards, but not crashing the kite! This is actually a big success, relatively speaking - got up again, but this time managed to get the kite going fast enough to pull me forward over the board and headfirst into the water. Down goes the kite into the water, but fortunately, they are not too hard to relaunch, as they have a leading edge inflated with air. (Other high-performance kites can't be relaunched, so you have to be very good to use those!)
After a couple more rides, where I actually cruised along nicely for several seconds each time, I ended up on a bit of reef and that's where it got interesting. The kite ended up in the water, me on the shallow reef (no shoes on) and not very happy. So the kite is velcroed around my right arm, the board around my left leg, the waves are knocking me towards the reef, the kite is in the surf pulling at me, and I'm trying to get back into deep water. Without all the details, I spent a good forty minutes trying to get the damn thing going again and get off the reef, but finally gave up and reeled the thing in, walked back and went ashore - we were out of time anyway...
It was still good fun and I can see how it would be great with a bit less wind, no reef, and an 'instructor' who actually was there to help you... we were all a bit annoyed at the lack of support from the 'pros,' but as Justin pointed out, it's a new sport and just because somebody is good enough to open a kitesurf shop, it doesn't mean they know how to teach it...
November 2 & 3 - We recovered from kite surfing, had a nice dinner out at a Thai restaurant and got ready to go away for the weekend, as the radio still has not arrived...
November 4 - Left Port Moselle to go for a sail back to Canal Woodin, as the winds are still blowing from the west. Arrived into Baie de Koube and anchored just off the helicopter dock of a private house - good life! Dan and Scott went for a run ashore, while I walked around the gardens of the house, with permission from the owners...
A few other boats joined us for the evening in the anchorage and we read books and went to bed relatively early.
November 5 - Motored back towards Noumea, stopping off at Isle Amadee, which is a small marine park with a lighthouse, 14 miles from the coast and just inside the reef. A fast ship brings weekenders out from the mainland, so the place was crawling with locals and tourists, including many who came in their own speedboats. We swam ashore, climbed the lighthouse and had a beer on the beach... not a bad way to spend the weekend!
Swimming back and forth to the boat, we saw lots of fish, including a few sharks - fairly big - swimming nearby... we had managed to catch a small tuna or similar thing on the way over and very carefully prepared it, after our recent experience with the big sailfish!
We motor-sailed back north towards Port Moselle, entered the harbour just after 1600 hours and got our old berth back!
Ate a nice fish dinner...
November 6 - We are getting ready to leave today, the winds are light, but finally changed from westerlies to northerlies, so we can go today... just a few chores and a trip to the web cafe and we are off! See you soon in Australia!!! Hooray!
And now, for the long-awaited conclusion..............