Hihifo, 253NM W of Niue
In the darkness we crossed over the Tonga Trench, the second deepest trench in the world! Few hours later, at midnight, it was time to change the ship’s clock. From Saturday 12th of September straight to Monday 14th of September. From UTC -11 to UTC +13. A day lost to the abyss. Yet another milestone on this trip!
At dawn Swiss catamaran Raija flew past us. Around midday the wind picked up enough to require 1st reef on the main and genoa rolled in about 30%. That also meant that finally we had enough wind to go wing on wing, so we adjusted our course to pass Vava’u from the north as it became clear we cannot make it to Neiafu during daylight hours. After turning the northern corner we could enjoy sailing in flat seas and good wind! We dropped the hook in 15 meters of water. We’ll continue to Neifu tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.
- Distance today: 114NM
- Lunch: tomato cashew pasta
- Engine hours: 0.9
| Time |
Position |
Course |
Speed |
Log |
Weather |
Remarks |
| 13.09. 0:48 Z |
18°35'59"S
171°51'32"W
|
253°
|
4kt
|
489.8NM
|
wind
11.1kt
149°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Watermaker 259ppm
|
| 13.09. 0:59 Z |
18°36'6"S
171°52'21"W
|
242°
|
5.5kt
|
490.6NM
|
wind
12.3kt
142°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 1:59 Z |
18°36'39"S
171°56'38"W
|
266°
|
4.3kt
|
494.8NM
|
wind
11.6kt
152°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 2:28 Z |
18°36'47"S
171°58'55"W
|
279°
|
4.2kt
|
497NM
|
wind
10.6kt
164°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Stopped watermaker, 214ppm
|
| 13.09. 2:38 Z |
18°36'50"S
171°59'43"W
|
248°
|
4.9kt
|
497.7NM
|
wind
11.4kt
153°
sea state 4/10
clouds 4/8
visibility 7/10
baro 1013 hPa
|
Halfway point, 128NM behind, 128NM to go. Bearing to SV Matilda 102°M
|
| 13.09. 2:59 Z |
18°36'56"S
172°1'24"W
|
284°
|
4.6kt
|
499.4NM
|
wind
11.9kt
159°
baro 1012 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 3:59 Z |
18°36'57"S
172°6'4"W
|
277°
|
4.1kt
|
503.9NM
|
wind
14kt
154°
baro 1012 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 5:00 Z |
18°36'37"S
172°10'59"W
|
277°
|
3.7kt
|
508.6NM
|
wind
10.8kt
144°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Suski on watch
|
| 13.09. 5:59 Z |
18°36'33"S
172°15'35"W
|
286°
|
4.5kt
|
513.1NM
|
wind
14.9kt
150°
baro 1013 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 6:59 Z |
18°36'47"S
172°20'13"W
|
259°
|
3.5kt
|
517.6NM
|
wind
13.2kt
131°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 7:59 Z |
18°37'9"S
172°24'46"W
|
273°
|
4.2kt
|
522NM
|
wind
12.3kt
145°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 8:59 Z |
18°38'0"S
172°29'21"W
|
279°
|
5kt
|
526.5NM
|
wind
14.6kt
154°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 9:59 Z |
18°39'11"S
172°33'8"W
|
263°
|
4.9kt
|
530.4NM
|
wind
12.5kt
136°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 10:11 Z |
18°39'19"S
172°33'54"W
|
262°
|
4.5kt
|
531.1NM
|
wind
11.9kt
134°
sea state 3/10
clouds 8/8
visibility 7/10
baro 1015 hPa
|
We are sailing over the Tonga Trench. It is the deepest trench in the southern hemisphere and the second deepest on Earth after the Mariana Trench.
|
| 13.09. 10:55 Z |
n/a |
|
|
|
|
Pumped the bilge
|
| 13.09. 11:00 Z |
18°40'4"S
172°37'20"W
|
239°
|
4.5kt
|
534.5NM
|
wind
14.5kt
126°
baro 1015 hPa
|
bergie on watch. Switched ship's time to UTC+13. We left Sunday behind in the Tonga Trench
|
| 13.09. 11:28 Z |
18°40'14"S
172°39'24"W
|
258°
|
5.8kt
|
536.5NM
|
wind
15.9kt
133°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Sails set: Main, Genoa 1 (10% furled)
|
| 13.09. 11:59 Z |
18°40'49"S
172°41'37"W
|
257°
|
5.4kt
|
538.7NM
|
wind
15.4kt
121°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 12:59 Z |
18°41'14"S
172°45'53"W
|
272°
|
3.8kt
|
542.9NM
|
wind
13kt
128°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 13:59 Z |
18°42'7"S
172°49'57"W
|
247°
|
5.5kt
|
546.9NM
|
wind
12.8kt
131°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 14:59 Z |
18°42'33"S
172°54'11"W
|
274°
|
3.1kt
|
551NM
|
wind
11.4kt
137°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 15:59 Z |
18°42'47"S
172°58'26"W
|
232°
|
5.5kt
|
555.2NM
|
wind
14.7kt
128°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 17:00 Z |
18°43'42"S
173°2'36"W
|
276°
|
5.6kt
|
559.4NM
|
wind
15.6kt
145°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Suski on watch
|
| 13.09. 17:59 Z |
18°43'35"S
173°6'33"W
|
275°
|
4.5kt
|
563.2NM
|
wind
13.3kt
145°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 18:00 Z |
18°43'35"S
173°6'38"W
|
282°
|
5kt
|
563.3NM
|
wind
14.3kt
146°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 18:59 Z |
18°43'45"S
173°11'9"W
|
290°
|
4.5kt
|
567.7NM
|
wind
11.9kt
146°
baro 1016 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 19:59 Z |
18°44'3"S
173°16'51"W
|
269°
|
5.8kt
|
573.1NM
|
wind
15.7kt
137°
baro 1016 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 21:47 Z |
18°44'8"S
173°27'18"W
|
282°
|
6.2kt
|
583.3NM
|
wind
20.4kt
151°
baro 1016 hPa
|
Sails set: Main, Genoa 1 (30% furled)
|
| 13.09. 21:59 Z |
18°43'57"S
173°28'37"W
|
289°
|
5.5kt
|
584.6NM
|
wind
16.4kt
134°
baro 1016 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 13.09. 22:11 Z |
18°43'42"S
173°29'50"W
|
276°
|
5.1kt
|
585.8NM
|
wind
17.3kt
139°
baro 1016 hPa
|
Sails set: Main (1st reef), Genoa 1 (30% furled)
|
| 13.09. 22:52 Z |
18°42'52"S
173°34'13"W
|
311°
|
5.8kt
|
590.1NM
|
wind
16.1kt
139°
sea state 4/10
clouds 2/8
visibility 7/10
baro 1016 hPa
|
Finally enough wind for wing on wing
|
| 13.09. 23:00 Z |
18°42'24"S
173°34'54"W
|
310°
|
5.9kt
|
590.9NM
|
wind
19.1kt
142°
sea state 4/10
clouds 5/8
visibility 7/10
baro 1016 hPa
|
bergie on watch
|
| 13.09. 23:12 Z |
18°41'42"S
173°35'58"W
|
302°
|
6.5kt
|
592.1NM
|
wind
21kt
136°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Land ahoy! Can see what's likely the NE tip of Vava'u
|
| 13.09. 23:59 Z |
18°39'9"S
173°40'4"W
|
313°
|
6.7kt
|
596.8NM
|
wind
17.3kt
143°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 0:32 Z |
18°37'29"S
173°42'56"W
|
284°
|
7.4kt
|
600NM
|
wind
19.5kt
122°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Inside Tongan waters
|
| 14.09. 0:59 Z |
18°36'30"S
173°45'16"W
|
300°
|
4.9kt
|
602.5NM
|
wind
15.8kt
128°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 1:59 Z |
18°34'13"S
173°50'42"W
|
303°
|
7kt
|
608.2NM
|
wind
20.3kt
141°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 2:43 Z |
18°32'29"S
173°54'51"W
|
276°
|
6.5kt
|
612.5NM
|
wind
17.4kt
131°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Back to port tack, rounding Vava'u from the north
|
| 14.09. 2:59 Z |
18°32'44"S
173°56'30"W
|
258°
|
6.4kt
|
614.1NM
|
wind
18.3kt
134°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 3:10 Z |
18°32'54"S
173°57'40"W
|
256°
|
4.9kt
|
615.2NM
|
wind
14.9kt
132°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Pumped the bilge
|
| 14.09. 3:59 Z |
18°34'35"S
174°0'46"W
|
224°
|
3.8kt
|
618.8NM
|
wind
11.7kt
148°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 4:15 Z |
18°35'43"S
174°1'26"W
|
206°
|
3.7kt
|
620.1NM
|
wind
11.3kt
136°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Sails down, motoring
|
| 14.09. 4:40 Z |
18°37'23"S
174°1'45"W
|
305°
|
0.7kt
|
621.9NM
|
wind
2.4kt
322°
baro 1014 hPa
|
Anchored
|
| 14.09. 4:53 Z |
18°37'23"S
174°1'45"W
|
199°
|
0.5kt
|
621.9NM
|
wind
2.6kt
275°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Anchor up, motoring
|
| 14.09. 4:59 Z |
18°37'28"S
174°1'54"W
|
150°
|
1.4kt
|
622.1NM
|
wind
2.3kt
324°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Hourly position log
|
| 14.09. 5:02 Z |
18°37'26"S
174°1'54"W
|
105°
|
0kt
|
622.1NM
|
wind
1.2kt
34°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Anchored
|
| 14.09. 5:09 Z |
18°37'28"S
174°1'54"W
|
63°
|
0.7kt
|
622.1NM
|
wind
6.3kt
314°
baro 1015 hPa
|
Stopped main engine
|