Daily updates describing the voyage of the yacht Aldebaran

13 November
We were met on the radio by a very grumpy Andrew and he said everyone was really grumpy today (however, he cheered up once we managed to reposition ourselves to be able to talk to each other more easily, and we had discussed the problem). Last night they had one of the worst nights they could remember as a trough came through last night with strong winds coming from everywhere, very changeable and it really whipped up the sea and made it very lumpy and choppy. The wind has mellowed a bit but they are having to use the motor again just to head in the right direction and only achieving about 3 or 4 knots. They are going to have to turn the motor off very soon to leave enough fuel to motor into Opua if they need to.
The forecast looks quite good for tomorrow and even better for Tuesday but I can only see the barometric pressure gradients and the wind and wave predictions, I can’t see any little fronts that may be approaching. Despite the pessimism from the yacht today they have managed to achieve about 100 miles in the right direction in the past 24 hours and have only 200 miles to go. Assuming they do get some useful wind and less chop they should still get in Tuesday, but late in the day. Their position this afternoon was 32° 28’S, 175° 02’E. Maps and stats are on the web as usual. http://angnz.com/aldebaran/
They saw a motorboat approach last night and go past them rapidly with motors going flat out, obviously in a hurry to get to NZ. It left them behind quite rapidly.
Till tomorrow
14 November
I’m the one with a problem tonight as we arrived in Opua (actually a few km up the road at Paihia) yesterday and stayed in a motel last night. We had good internet connection for updating the report, email etc, however today we moved to accommodation more suited to entertaining and relaxing with 5 motley sailors and my notebook PC won’t connect to the internet here. However I have a cunning plan and hopefully I will get out this update tonight, but won’t be able to update the web unfortunately.
The yacht has not traveled very far today, in fact I don’t think they actually want to get here anymore! They had an interesting last 24 hours in ‘paradise’ (well I keep calling it that, but they certainly don’t), last night because of the wind they went due west (sailing, no motor) till about 1am, then they tacked back to the south again, but the wind changed and they went back west again. At that point Don and Andrew had a lot of trouble trying to sail in the conditions, so eventually the turned on the motor again for the next 4 hours. When the wind came up a bit they turned off the motor and then found that the prop wouldn’t feather at all, and that slows them down of course. Don eventually got in the water and discovered that when they were mucking around trying to tack all the time, Carl’s fishing line got tangled around the prop. Don, Andrew, and Carl spent about 3 hours from 9am this morning in the water slowly cutting away the line. They got nearly all of it and will know if it helps next time they use the motor. This afternoon they went south again for a while and then had to tack wsw which they will hold till about midnight tonight if the wind allows, and then tack back south again. It is interesting that they are in radio contact with four other yachts that are within 20 miles of them and they are all having the same difficulty getting anywhere, especially south towards Opua.
Their current position is 32° 51S, 174° 10E, and if you look at the attached map they haven’t got very far in the right direction. They still have an estimated 30 to 40 hours of fuel remaining so things aren’t desperate yet.
The crew are all feeling OK and in a better frame of mind than last night but they are all very tired and wanting to get here. It could potentially be late tomorrow looking at the forecast winds, but probably will be Wednesday. I have attached a map showing their position and the table with the voyage stats, but I have no way to update these on the web tonight, maybe tomorrow.
Cheers
15 November
Hi all,
At last we are getting some movement again in the right direction. They sailed south again last night for a while and then had to use the engine to continue bashing into the sea, however the wind picked up again and the sea has mellowed considerably so they are now sailing quite well in the right direction and all are feeling much happier as they are nearly here. At 4 pm local time today they were at 34°07S, 173° 57E (I have attached a map and stats sheet again) and when we spoke at 5pm they had about 60 miles to go, although looking at their location we think it is more like 70 to 75 miles to go! They expect to reach the heads about 6am, but again we think it will be later than that unless the wind really helps more than it has been. We will find out in the morning.
Everyone is fine and looking forward to completing the leg, even Raleigh is fine. Lisa is due to get up early to provide pancakes for breakfast (a real treat) to use up some ingredients that will be destroyed by customs if not used.
We have a sked at 7am tomorrow morning to see where they are and if they aren’t coming in till a bit later we will go and sit on a hilltop to view the end to the final chapter of a magnificent voyage from San Francisco to New Zealand that has taken 8 to 9 months to complete.
I have another cunning plan for a method of updating the web tonight without the normal internet access but can’t guarantee anything (it does appear to have worked though).
Till tomorrow and probably my final update.
16 November
Good morning all,
Just a brief report to say that Aldebaran arrived safely this morning and berthed about 7.15. A lot of waving and yelling from some tired adventurers. They now have to wait for Customs and Quarantine which could take some hours, as about 10 yachts were all waiting.
A couple of photos attached.
I'll do a final yacht report later
Hi all,
Well the adventure is virtually over. Apart from a few issues like selling the yacht, deciding what to do in NZ, and how long is Raleigh going to be in quarantine, the trip destination has been reached and the targets achieved. The final maps and statistics are on the web at http://angnz.com/aldebaran/ or via the blog
I was wrong yesterday when I thought that they couldn’t get to Apua by early morning, they actually reached the heads just before daylight, and slowed right down for 30 mins to wait for us to get up. We got an email last night from another yacht changing the arrival time to 6am, so we got up at 5.30 (it was still dark!) and drove the short distance down to the beach just in time for Andrew’s call on the radio. They then came into the harbour over the next 40 mins followed by 3 others. When within earshot there was a considerable amount of yelling and yahooing and it was really great to see them arrive after so long. They were all dressed for the cold (it isn’t the tropics here), but the day turned out quite warm – in the low 20s – so it was really a lovely day. They moored on the Q (quarantine) dock about 7.15am.
We hung about the marina for an hour or so but it was clear that they wouldn’t be cleared till at least late morning so we went back to our accommodation till they called on the radio. When we left there was a considerable noise coming from Aldebaran as because of the lack of action from customs, the crews of a number of the other yachts had arrived and Lisa was supplying them all with banana pancakes! When they were cleared they lost very little food, even able to keep foods like cheese which surprised us. Raleigh has to stay on board till he is picked up in the weekend to go into quarantine, but probably only for 10 days or so. In the meantime the yacht has to be anchored away from the wharf area so that Raleigh can’t get on land in the meantime.
The five crew are all bright and cheerful, fit and well, but tired and some have lost a bit of weight over the trip
We picked the crew up about midday and after a very brief tour of Paihia everyone settled in here for continuous snacks of cheese, bread, crackers, salami, avocado, and wine. We had a great chat this

afternoon. Andy went and had a short sleep and then we all had dinner of a mix of our homemade tomato pulp, chick peas, spinach, and halloumi on a barley salad. We had strawberries and mango with yoghurt for dessert. Fresh food does seem popular.

Andy and Lee ran the others back to the yacht about 10 this evening.
Well that’s about it. Unless there is a real need this is my last ‘yacht update’, I’ve retired. All the crew now have as good an access to the internet as I have, so no doubt you will hear further from them in due course. I have really enjoyed the year, got to know a great crew without ever meeting two of them, corresponded with a lot of lovely family members and friends, and discovered a lot of Pacific Islands that I had never heard of before. I have really enjoyed discussing some intriguing island customs and listening to the beauty that the crew experienced. All in all I have really enjoyed our 9 month on the ocean - and I didn’t even get seasick!
A special thanks to Jack, ZL1UA in Tauranga, for his help when conditions were difficult and when we were in Australia,
Kind regards to everyone
Graham
28 November
I thought it appropriate to give one more update seeing the yacht is at sea again.  I talked to Andrew late afternoon today and he and Don are sailing the yacht down to Auckland where it will remain until it is sold – hopefully.  They left about 10am yesterday, spent last night anchored in the bay at Tutukaka and have continued down the coast today.  They plan to probably anchor overnight at Tiritiri Matangi Island and then continue to Auckland tomorrow morning.  They have a berth available from tomorrow at Bayswater Marina.  The last two days have been calm seas and up to 10 knot winds from the north.  They have motored a lot of the way but with a sail up much of the time which gives them an extra knot or two.  Picture of their current voyage attached

 

Lisa and Leslie are driving A & L’s car down to Auckland today and tomorrow to meet the yacht.  Carl is staying in Opua but they expect him in Auckland later this week.

 

We have had a great week with the crew.  They have all slept and eaten quite a lot but also socialised a lot as many yachts they have met or talked to on the radio have also arrived into Opua over the past 10 days.  There were a number of organised events on the marina and we were involved in some of those as well.  Many of the crews knew of me from conversations with Andrew about the weather and I invariably got called ‘Dad’ by everyone.  Not sure 60 year olds calling me Dad is all that complimentary but it was lovely talking with such nice people!  We were impressed by the friendliness of all the yachties and also got the definite impression that the Aldebaran crew were highly respected by them all.

 

During the week we visited Kerikeri and drove to Cape Reinga one day – the top of New Zealand – about 5 to 6 hours driving.  Stopped at Mangonui for fish and chips for lunch at 3pm on the way back.  Two days ago, after we had left for home, the crew visited my brother’s farm on the east coast out from Whangarei and enjoyed exploring all the improvements and additions that have been done on the farm.

 

That will do for an update to keep you all up with the play.

 

Kind regards

 

Graham