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August 10, 2000
Solomons to Australia voyage - Update #23
Lat/Long as of 14.30 hrs local time
14 degs 29. 97 S
148 degs 21. 28’E
Day 24. Wind SE 15-20 knots. Heading 172M
Our southerly purchase seems to be gradually running out of steam. A couple of days ago it looked as if our chance of reaching Cairns was high. But our failure to keep to a 1:1 ratio of miles made south to miles made west over the past 48 hours has rather weakened our advantage. If we don’t get a change in current within the next three days I reckon we’ll be hard pushed to make it to Cairns, having to navigate through the reef somewhere between Cairns and Cooktown and go for Thursday Island instead. It’ll be cruel if this happens. But there’s nothing else we can do our end – all the stops are pulled out and there’s only so long we can maintain this level of pace.
For the past three and a half weeks it seems like we’ve been riding the tail of a giant fish, being swung first one way and then the other by the current. Right now we’re in the northerly trend, meaning we’re essentially pedaling against the current and going nowhere fast. We hope and pray for this situation to change in the next few days to a more southerly trend so we can recoup miles south. It seems as if we’ve had two of these cycles during the voyage: one window for a southerly push starting14 days ago for 3 days when we successfully skirted the Louisiade Archipelago and the other window starting 5 days ago for 3 days. The rest of the days have been dominated by northerly drift.
What’s baffling to us is the lack of mention of this cycle in any of the literature we have on board, including charts, pilot charts and the local cruising guide. The most we have on the charts for example is a small wiggly arrow running across the Cora Sea indicating a westwards current of around 1.5 knots. Whereas in reality, as we are discovering being so closely connected to every twitch of the ocean through Moksha’s relatively thin skin, the current is actually anything but following a straight path. If we were in a motor powered boat or a yacht, we probably wouldn’t even notice.
OK, eyelids are starting to droop – have to go and sleep…
Jason
Posted on August 10, 2000 2:51 PM