The Roaring Fourties

Typical - no wind!  Motored south to Port Pegasus.  We are experiencing either no wind or too much wind! Spotted our first whale who was heading north.  Big swells coming in and 40 knot westerlies.  We are really in the Roaring Forties with huge wind gusts, breaking tips of the waves, spray.  Rugged, inhospitable coastline.

Had a holy crap moment while furling in the staysail in 40 knot gusts and a sheet not released soon enough ... we tripped the circuit breaker (located under forepeak - boat tossing and rolling in rising swells, sloppy seas, had to go below to strip bed, mattress thrown through the bathroom to the next cabin, sheets flying through the air, plywood panel lifted to reset staysail circuit breaker.  Staysail flapping, turned off the wind to reduce flogging and then furled successfully.  The worst sound onboard a sailing yacht is to hear a sail flogging.

Motor on, experiencing really severe wind gusts.  Wind and seas behind us, see sawing motion. We are definitely in the Roaring Forties!

We were followed by lots of friendly mollyhawks who would swoop down towards us then settle in the sea right beside the boat, almost as if they were showing off.  Absolutely beautiful sight to see.

Arrived Port Pegasus just on dusk 6pm.  Port Pegasus another huge inlet, known for it’s tin mines and remaining tram line.  We lost the light as we searched for a safe anchorage protected from the screaming westerly winds.  In the dark and using the powerful spotlight we dropped anchor, using bow thrusters to bring the stern around to tie off a stern line to shore.  It was “intense” stuff.  Pitch black, scarily close to the rocky coastline. 

Claire and Simon got one line to shore, tied to a rata tree and we then placed a second line so that we had a stern line off each quarter.  Claire, an absolute legend, scrambling up the bank in the pitch black to tie a rope around a tree.

We needed a drink at the end of this and enjoyed Taco Tuesday down below with the heating on.

We had an evening briefing with the satellite forecast - front coming through, wind turning southerly for a time then turning easterly.  Wind strength dropping to 15 knots.  Wet front coming through at 3am. Decision making time - do we stay or do we go?