WRITTEN BY HANNAH, BONITA, ELAYNE & JACKIE
ON THE SOUTH PACIFIC EXPEDITION FROM BAY OF ISLANDS TO TONGATAPU
From Hannah: Hello from all on board SV Wind Shift on day four of our voyage. We have cycled through all the types of fun since leaving the Bay of Islands on Wednesday – the weather has not been overly kind to us, but Skipper Maisie and Mate Hannah have taken it all in their stride with aplomb as the rest of us find our sea legs. I was hoping mine might be mermaid like but they still very much look like legs.
Getting wiped out by waves aside, highlights include shooting stars, flying fish, rainbows (accompanied by lowlight, rain) and an albatross swooping around us. The weather has been too rough to do any water testing yet (we have all tested plenty of it on our faces), but we did some good land-based surveys in Opua before departing, and are hopeful the weather will perk up enough to get testing soon!
From Bonita: The last few days onboard SV Wind Shift have been truly challenging, for all, with the weather conditions being more severe than expected or hoped for. This has resulted in great camaraderie and support for each other. The weather has been an equaliser for all on board and we are no longer strangers.
Best experiences so far have been how beautiful the stars are at night with the Milky Way so bright. A truly humbling experience was on a night shift when a wave actually broke into the cockpit like the biggest bucket of water being tipped on your head and watch as the cracker snack box floats down the cockpit towards the helm. The only thing a very wet team could do was laugh.
From Elayne: The sea has humbled us and made us bow on bended knee (and splits!) when her rogue waves crashed into the cockpit, not to mention in the heads as well… She’s reminded us of her power but also beauty. Cold starlit nights and sunny days interspersed with rain and 4m swell has tested our crew, some to their limits, but with teamwork, encouragement, ginger gummies and morale boosting chocolate cake (courtesy of Auntie Raewyn) we rallied through, wearing our bruises like badges of honour and our foul weather gear like a suit of armour.
Despite the challenging sailing conditions, damp bunks and 20 degree (but feels like 45 degree) living angle, I’ve loved our voyage so far! Making friends in a such a short space of time is priceless and I’d do it all again! Bring on the rest of the voyage!
From Jackie: It’s been a rough first few days at sea for me.
Literally and figuratively, with sustained wind speed at 25 knots with gusts up 35 knots and confused seas of swells from 3-5 meters, keeping my wits up and my food down has been a bit of a challenge. Our Team Leader along with our Skipper and First Mate have been working double duty keeping the boat on course us all fit and fed.
Now I know why we were wished “fair winds and following seas”.
We are into day 4 our journey and although we haven’t had favourable weather, today has showed some glimpses of sun, plenty of rainbows 🌈 and I am in better spirits and able to hold down some food. The crew has bonded in unexpected ways and we are looking forward to sharing our stories and doing science aboard when the weather allows.
