On what promised to be
an easy downwind run of 20 miles under sunny skies we departed from our
anchorage at the Cousteau Resort in a light westerly breeze. Unfortunately, the SE swell was making the
passage less than comfortable with more than the occasional uncooperative wave
from the south hitting us broadside and with not enough wind in the sails to counteract
the motion it became quite snotty (not actually an exclusively nautical
expression, but suffice to make my point).
The only way to settle things down was to head south toward Namena far
enough that making the ‘turn’ to the west would put the swell farther back on
the boats hip to allow for some surfing as opposed to rolling motion. Altho this added a few miles to the journey,
it was after all…a beautiful day and a short enough passage that we had plenty
of time. A note to all new cruisers…always
allow more than enough time for your passage and as soon as possible remove the
word schedule from your sailing vocabulary…it will make your cruising life so
much more …!
The most exciting part
of this passage was coming thru Nasonisoni Passage which is the entrance thru
the reef running past Savuna Pt into what is a quite nicely protected
anchorage. However, getting thru this
pass demands your full attention. With a
full 4 knots of current running against the hull and now almost 20 kts of wind
from the stern, with the associated swell and wind waves, causing a wind over
wave motion of surfing against the tide…the boat wants to fly but the drag
pulls the bow down…there are moments when you feel like the boat is about to
submerge and a very steady hand is needed on the helm….YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET
TURNED BROADSIDE…so with the chances high of either turtling or broaching…one
is quite happy to make it safely thru this nasty little stretch of water.
Once thru however, you
are greeted with a very quiet anchorage with soft water and a very peaceful
view. It was time to put the hook down
and despite having not even a nibble on the fishing lines…be grateful for a
safe passage.
We awoke the next
morning to see a catamaran also in the anchorage…some distance away, but
recognizable by the bright yellow canvas…it was Pogeyan…our long time friend Rixzene
and her puppy Olivia.
We first met Rixzene in
the San Blas islands in 2012. Olivia was
just a few months old…having been rescued by Rixzene in Trinidad. Since then, Rixzene and Olivia have sailed
across the Pacific and spent the last few years in the Marshall Islands. We enjoyed keeping in touch and were
delighted when she told us of the ‘new man’ in her life. James is from Ireland. They met ‘online’ and soon became sailing
mates and along with Olivia, a family.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch visit with them and learned that Rixzene had
just sold Pogeyan and she and James and Olivia are about to embark and the next
leg of life's journey…wherever that may lead.
We wish them well and look forward to hearing of their adventures.
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