Logs from Lille Ø

After several windy days, we knew the pass would be in a 24/7 ebb. Constant outgoing current means that you can only choose how fast you are being shot out of the pass. So based on available information we decided that at 2pm we should be ready at the pass. We hoisted the anchor around noon. It was a bit of a workout as it had dug itself deep into the white sand. We motored through the atoll and were greeted by two other boats on their way out. It is always nice when someone else has come to…

In the morning we completed the boat’s provisioning by rowing to get some fresh croissants from the village bakery. Then we waited for the sun to move to a better angle and hoisted anchor. Soon we were able to fly full sail, and ghost along the still atoll on a gentle breeze. Sun was high and behind us, making bommie avoidance easy. And with this wind direction, the sails provided a nice shade for the lookout. Now we are anchored in the east end of the Makemo atoll. Water is very clear here,…

There are passages that are easy, and there are passages that are nice. This was neither. We were supposed to sail on beam reach from Raroia to Makemo, following a gentle curve of a backing wind. With this plan, we timed ourselves to slack water at the pass. And indeed there was no current, but as a sign of things to come, quite big and sharp waves that carried through the pass. We exited together with Plan B. We were hobbyhorsing quite badly in the swell, and soon they overtook us and headed…

Anchor got up slightly after planned departure time, but it came up easily. The pearl floats make hoisting anchor by hand lighter. Then we started motoring to the other side of the atoll. We needed to keep a extremely vigilant lookout, as the Raroia East anchorage has a lot of unused pearl farm ropes and floats partially submerged around it. On many occasions we needed to turn the engine on neutral and hope we glide over the ropes without getting tangled. In this kind of a place a full keel is…

The Raroia northeast anchorage was very comfortable, and the facilities of the “Twin Palms Yacht Club” fun. But we still wanted to explore the rest of the atoll. And so in the morning we hoisted anchor and followed Plan B on a slaloming motoring course between the coral bommies. Now we are anchored next to an abandoned pearl farm, and very near the spot where Kon-Tiki did their crash landing after the Pacific crossing in 1947. Distance today: 10.9NM Lunch: not yet Engine hours: 2.7

The sea state grew a bit more rumbunctious than before but Lille Ø made decent progress. In the morning we poled out the genoa and continued wing on wing untill our speed dropped a bit too much. If we could keep up 5kn, we still had a chance to make it through the pass with a favorable current. Or so we thought. Timing the entry to an atoll is not an exact sciense. There are no measurement devices around, nor pass schedules provided. The best tool available is Guestimator, and that gets it…

The light and easy conditions continued as we sailed past the Isles of Disappointment, aptly named for their lack of anchorages. As the atolls draw nearer, the boats that chose this weather window from the various Marqusan islands are starting to converge. At the time of writing we have three visible on AIS, one - Norwegian Alissa - which actually shows above the horizon. Distance today: 98NM Lunch: navy bean soup Engine hours: 0

After the night, it was time to hoist the main fully up. It has been a while since we have had the full main and genoa out. The conditions at sea are absolute bliss! The waves are small, the swell calm and the wind on the beam keeps the boat steady. We are edging closer to the calm patch but it should fill in over the night giving us nice steady conditions for the whole way. Distance today: 120NM Lunch: tofu curry Engine hours: 0

As we got out of Nuku Hiva’s shadow, the wind filled in and we could start sailing on a brisk beam reach. Windvane was set, and since we’ve only had to roll the genoa out or in a bit to adjust to the wind speed. The night was dark and without a moon. Milky Way stood visible above, and the Southern Cross and Orion guided our way. After some light morning rain, the wind settled into a steady 13-15kn, allowing for fast and relatively easy progress aided by a favourable current. We hope not to sail…

Exploring the islands of Marquesas has been fun. But it is time to go find something new, the atolls. We are heading to the next island group called Tuamotus. At noon we had the boat ready to go. Every nook and cranny full of vegetables and fruits bought from a local who sells the surplus of his garden to us cruisers. After anchor was stowed away, we readied the staysail and hoisted the main. Seeing a squall behind the peninsula, we set 1st reef and motored until it passed. Then we enjoyed a…

The main bay of Nuku Hiva is convenient for logistics, but quite rolly. So having done our shopping, we decided to seek better anchorages and find Plan B again. Getting past Cape Tikapo required some tacking. Big seas with light winds makes for slow and quite uncomfortable going, especially as we hadn’t packed the anchor away. After passing the cape we could loosen the sheets, and things got more comfortable. We enjoyed a pomelo, and then soon gybed into the protected bay at Anaho. Books have…

Few hours before sunset we hoisted the anchor and left the beautiful, but crowded anchorage. The distance to Nuku Hiva is enough that you can’t do it during the daylight hours, so we opted for a night sail. The sound between Hiva Oa and Tahuata gave us a fllying start. We had dolphins playing in our bow wave untill we reached the windstill behind Hiva Oa. We motored through it and continued under sail power. The sea was lumpy and wing on wing guaranteed we were thoroughly stirred and shaken. At…

We woke up again before the sunrise to prepare the boat. We packed away the dinghy and replaced the hydrogenerator fastening washer. Then it was time to fight the anchor up. Hoisting anchor by hand from 12m is never easy, but the gale-force katabatics of previous night had truly dug the anchor in. But with enough patience, it came up. As Havis Amanda had receiced her hat by the time we were underway, Suski also wore her Vappu gear for the sail. Manta rays escorted us out of the bay. Mantas,…

In the darkness we prepped the boat for leaving. Mentally we weren’t quite ready but this weather window was too good to pass. Most people arrive to Fatu Hiva after the passage without checking in to avoid the beating to the wind and waves that have the whole Pacific time to build up to arrive to an island they already passed. We being us did it the proper way. But instead of beating we had a nice beam reach sail with minimal swell after we were out of the shadow of Hiva Oa. This was something…

We had a great week exploring Hiva Oa. However, the muddy river water wasn’t suitable for swimming or running the watermaker, and so we decided to move over to Tahuata. We still hadn’t had a chance to clean the hull, but the local crab population had done a great job eating away most of it. We hoisted the main into first reef in the shelter of the breakwater, and sailed high into the wind. As the Haava Channel got closer, we could slowly lower the course, eventually to wing on wing. We arrived…

The night was dark and filled with squalls turning the wind. Our track was coming out like an plan for uneven stairs. The wind mostly stayed between 20 and 25kn and Lille Ø was behaving magnificiently even though the waves were tossing us around. Inside even sitting required 3 points of contact to ensure stability. We were fast. Even the barnacles agreed it is go time and streamlined themselves against the hull. As the sun was slowly rising there hadn’t been any sight of land yet. As this pr...

Boat number 17, sailboat number 3, was spotted behind us in the darkness. An Oyster Rally boat Alpenglow sailed past us at double speed. We had a small conversation over VHF and soon they had disappeared into the darkness. The morning didn’t turn bright, it turned grey. Squalls and lulls woven to each other like a gray wool blanket. The winds were varied as if they already could sense the land, and ebb and flow up and down simulating the tall volcanic slopes of the Marquesas. Eventually one ...

As our target draws nearer, we need to start paying a bit more attention to navigation. It is no longer enough to follow a roughly westerly course whichever way the wind blows. And so, we gybed right after dinner to gain a bit more northing. The night was a bit lighter than forecasted, but with the easterly wind. Sunrise brought more wind, and from the southeast, and so we gybed again. Now the bow is pointing straight to target. Distance today: 100NM Lunch: pea soup Engine hours: 0

Slightly after watch change, it was time to roll in the genoa and go wing on wing with the staysail. The night came with variable windspeeds littered with occasional squalls and rain. As the sun rose, the skies cleared but the wind stayed. We were moving fast, with the whole barnacle farm. Even the windvane servo rudder is rocking its first few small individuals. The boat starts showing the length of the passage. The sun cover strip of our genoa needs some re-stiching, we moved the windvan...

The light winds prevailed through the night. Light enough that we actually let the tillerpilot steer for some time, as there wasn’t enough for the windvane. In the early hours we watched a slow-motion chase scene, as the French sailboat La Bulle approached behind the horizon, and pulled ahead in about 7h from first contact. Boats are getting closer as we all head for the same islands. This was our 16th vessel sighting, and the second sailboat. Just before dinnertime we gybed again, as now...

With the evening came a bit more wind, but only for the dark hours without moonlight. The boat bobs gently on, accompanied by periodic bangs from the sails. Not the most pleasant sailing wise. The Pacific isn’t pacified. The swell is constant, large and confused. At all times there is at least two swell directions and when they meet at your position, the boat lurches into a random direction. The barnacles are plentiful and their growing size brings the slow speeds even slower. But there is...

At night the boat was visited by a pod of whales. Large black shapes rose out of the dark sea all around the boat. They stayed for a few minutes, and then continued on their way. Sailing-wise today has been a rehash of yesterday. Winds are light, just barely enough to keep the three-sail setup filled. Distance today: 100NM Lunch: paneer coconut curry Engine hours: 0

We sailed into the night with the Parasailor up. A bold move for sure. With the moon and the motor light on, the sail is fully illuminated and easy to control. Just after 23 the wind started picking up. At 23:20 a gust of 17kn was enough to prompt a early wakeup call for the off-watch, and we packed the Parasailor up and went back to wing on wing. Since the sail change the day has been a steady progress towards our destination and the rest of the cinnamon rolls have been eaten as watch sna...

The wind kept dropping throughout the night. At midnight we packed away the mainsail to keep it from slatting. And then at sunrise the Parasailor came up. As always, this big sail with its built-in wing stabilises the boat, as well as making it possible to sail in lighter winds than otherwise possible. Outside of the doldrums this passage has been surprisingly windy, meaning that until now it hasn’t made sense to deploy the Parasailor. While today’s mileage has been low, that additional s...

In the morning we saw a sail in the horizon. Mastegot was the 15th vessel we’ve seen on this passage, but the first sailboat. We had a brief VHF conversation, and learned that our AIS wasn’t transmitting. Some investigation later, it turned out the problem was that the transceiver didn’t have a GPS fix. Moving the antenna outside helped, but it is curious for this problem to occur now, as the particular antenna has worked fine in its original location since 2021. At noon wind dropped substa...

At sunset a gust came through incentivising us to go to second reef. After that was set, we also went back to wing on wing. The southerly component in the wind was gone. The night was boisterous with wind gusting up to thirty. The second reef had indeed earned its setting. We also made good miles and at dawn we saw it. 999NM to destination. Mere 3 digits! Numbers so small that we had started to doubt their existence. As the day grew older, we were at the edge of grey and blue skies. We too...

The latest GRIB changed the forecast quite a bit, and we now have couple of days with stronger wind ahead of us. In anticipation to that, we rolled the genoa away for the night watches. Unlike forecasted, the wind only picked up around midday. But at least we were ready for it, with staysail and main in 1st reef, and well-slept free watches of the night behind us. Today’s wind has a slight southern component, meaning that we’re now on port tack instead of poled out. Distance today: 10...

By 10pm the wind had picked up enough for a change back to staysail. The moon lights the sea even in cloudy conditions and the dark grey sea creates a calming backdrop for the watches. At around 10am the wind dropped and we changed back to genoa, staysail and main in 1st reef setup. The watermaker ran today for laundry purposes: a set of clothes for the next week got washed and hung to pre-dry on the mainsheet before being moved to dry inside for the night. Life at trade winds is a repetit...