After clearing the Torres Strait and spending a few days at Thursday Island we headed off due West to cross the Indian Ocean, one of the major but less traveled oceans of the world. The Indian Ocean crossing wasn't going to happen immediately though, first we had to sail across the entire top of Australia, crossing the Gulf of Carpenteria and the Arafura Sea. We also had to cross the Timor Sea squeezing underneath Timor in Indonesia before finally entering the Indian Ocean. This entire area is similar to the Gulf of Mexico in that it is very large and shallow (averaging only 30 meters) and one is always sailing out of sight of land. I suppose the shallow depth means you could anchor anytime but the seas are rolly and confused making sailing or anchoring uncomfortable. The weather forecast didn't hold a lot of hope; the daily announcement remained the same for 6 days. "A strong wind warning in effect for all of northern Australia with SE winds of 25-35 knots and moderate to rough seas." This was due to a 1046 Hector-Pascal high in the Australian bight. This high was expected to move eastward and weaken but not for the next week. We made fairly good time averaging 180NM per day but it was punishing and we were down to no mainsail and only a staysail (small forward jib) most of the time. The high did finally move and we were down to 18-25k of wind, as promised, 5 days later.
We had decided to skip Christmas Island since we were already a week behind, the anchorage was reported to be very rough. Also, we didn't want to get too close to Indonesia having received several reports of pirates. To break up this 2600NM trip, we thought a stop at Ashmore Reef would be nice to get a full night sleep, straighten up the boat and do a little swimming. The reef is right at the start of the Indian Ocean and about 1200NM from Thursday Is. with only a few oilrigs along the way. This will leave us with a 1400NM trip to Cocos-Keeling. Ashmore Reef is supposed to have a caretaker living on a boat to help protect the area environmentally and to discourage Indonesian smugglers. The reef is also famous for sea snakes, boasting the greatest number of species and the greatest number of each species anywhere on earth. Sea snakes are noted for their bite. Once bitten a person barely has time for a quick Hail Mary before starting to seizure and die. Their venom is one of the most potent neruo toxins known. Fortunately, unless provoked, they are very friendly and a bit inquisitive coming right up to look into your facemask. All sounded great as we slowed the boat down to time our arrival for daybreak to enter the lagoon. We spotted a boat, but it was customs, not the caretaker as we expected. The wind was blowing 25 knots and since the reef was completely submerged it provided no shelter from either wind or waves. We anchored near the customs boat in 20 meters of water letting out 100 meters of chain and another 30 of 3/4 inch nylon rode. The anchor held well but the boat was jumping around in the waves. We wondered where this placid lagoon with its clear water, beautiful fish and sea snakes could be. "This is it" replied the Conservation and Fisheries man as he visited our boat. We were given a nice brochure showing what we wanted to see but this was the wrong season, too much wind and one had to have local knowledge to find the good areas and the Conservation and Fisheries man admitted no local knowledge. Since it wasn't prudent to stay there in those conditions overnight I decided we would stay for a few hours, fix a few things, make a nice meal and leave. Not much rest at our Ashmore Reef rest stop. The customs presence was there to monitor Indonesian smugglers and was uninterested in foreign sailing vessels. We cleared the reef entrance at 4PM, crossed the 1000-meter curve just past the reef and within two hours were in 4000 meters of water and the Indian Ocean.
After two days the confused choppy seas gave way to more gentle swells typical of deep water and the winds abated to the 15-20 knot trade wind range. All this coupled with no rain and a very bright moon greatly improved our sailing experience. Even the local dolphins felt playful. Night watch attire became T-shirt and shorts rather than full foul weather gear and safety harnesses. We were running on a port gibe with reefed main and poled out Genoa for two days but the wind shifted east making our course difficult to achieve. As the wind speed diminished, once again, we thought it time to get out the spinnaker. We got it up and flying, always a beautiful sight with its multi colored panels billowed out leading the way like a huge kite flying downwind, but with the rolling seas and light wind it was a handful to manage. The wind vane was having a difficult time and we were considering taking it down and replacing it with an easier to handle sail plan. A 2000sq.ft. spinnaker is tough to handle when you are on watch alone. Suddenly a loud bang woke up the off watch, the guy (line holding the lower corner of the sail) had parted right at the spinnaker pole allowing the pole to swing wildly around and, of course, releasing the spinnaker which was flapping furiously out in front of the boat. It had already wrapped itself around the forestay and I was concerned that I may never get it down in one piece. It did come down with a major effort and was stowed safely on deck. Time for a break and some lunch before starting the 2-hour job getting it untangled and re bagged for the next use. We opted to run downwind wing and wing with the polled out Genoa (large foresail on the bow of the boat) on the port side and the mainsail out to starboard. With this sail plan we were maintaining a comfortable 8 knots on course so we left it at least until the wind would change in a few days. The wind did change and this time as the Genoa was being rolled up it wrapped upon itself and left a section 40 Ft. up flapping wildly. I was afraid the whole thing would end up in shreds and there is no sail maker for new, used or repairs within an ocean and a continent distance. All this in darkness at midnight but after some maneuvering the clew was located, the sheets cut, and the whole thing untangled. By the next day the winds were down so much that even with the spinnaker flying we were only making 4 knots. 4 knots is the arbitrary decision point, and the engine came on during a cloudless, brutally hot day 1000 NM from Cocos/Keeling.
For the second time the collision tube on the self steering wind vane, affectionately dubbed Shirley, broke. This has been discovered to be a design error in the updated rebuild equipment necessitating re drilling holes and fitting the last spare tube to the wind vane on the stern. Drilling stainless steel is difficult enough in a shop but in moderate seas on a pitching deck and climbing out over the stern to reconnect has been exhausting. I'm thinking it's probably just as well that I can't speak to Scanmar about this right now. The catch of a medium sized yellowfin tuna reclaimed the day.
The winds on this leg have not been especially kind, first way too much and now hardly enough to sail on. The forecast calls for SE to E at 15-25 knots but we are getting mainly ESE at 8-12 knots. We don't worry about being overpowered in these light winds but it's difficult to steer a 270-degree course and make much speed. There is also a 2-meter swell that throws the boat around knocking the wind from the sails and causing a lot of slating. Sailing is almost always with a polled out Genoa with or sometimes without the mainsail since it blocks so much air the Genoa can't fill. The wing and wing configuration is also used a lot, slow at only 6-7 knots, but it does get us there eventually. I will probably wish I were back here when we reach the 30-knot headwinds of the Red Sea. We hosted an uninvited overnight guest. A storm petrel or gannet (I must get a book of sea bird pictures) circled for hours with his mate then landed on the stern rail while she flew off somewhere else. He balanced on that small bar with his webbed feet all night as the boat rolled back and forth. At dawn he woke up and started looking around, I thought for his mate. He stretched and groomed all the while looking, I was looking too. Then I saw the other bird come around, so did our guest, he left in a flash and they flew off together. I think she kept up with the boat all night. It is easy for them to sleep on the water and catch up later if they know the direction. Our guest must have been a male, he came uninvited, stayed the night, made a mess and left without saying thanks or I'll call you.
The home stretch is just 3 days and approximately 580 miles to go. We have a nice 18 knot NE breeze that allows us to finally look like a sailboat with both sails up and on the same side. CHRISTIANNE is traveling at 7.5 - 8 knots, which is comfortable for these seas, and since we will probably arrive in the dark early Monday morning, we are not interested in going faster. Arriving on a Sunday sometimes incurs large overtime fees from customs so it is best to plan a weekday arrival. Since we know very little about this port all the important questions run through your head hoping the eventual answer will be positive. Will fuel be available and at a reasonable cost? Will there be potable water and should we fill the water tanks with it or take no chances and continue desalinating with our water maker? Will there be a phone for international calls, an Internet facility, and maybe most important a laundry? Keep checking this site for the answers to these and other questions on the next installment from Cocos/Keeling Island.
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