Sunsets

FLEET UPDATE 2022-05-28

South Pacific Posse

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SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
FLEET UPDATE 

May 28, 2022

TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

1) ROYAL SUVA YACHT CLUB 🇫🇯   FIJI 
2) SY LEEANNE RUDDER FAILURE 
 
 

South Pacific Posse 13 Particpant Flag States

1) ROYAL SUVA YACHT CLUB 🇫🇯 FIJI    
SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

RSYC ROYAL SUVA YACHT CLUB 🇫🇯 SPONSORS THE SPP

 FREE 1 MONTH Honorary Membership for South  Pacific Posse 

If
any members of the Pacific Posse arrive at Suva I am happy to inform
you that the RSYC will recognize them as a bonafide member of a club and
grant them the privileges as if they were members of a Yacht/Marine
Club!

Royal Suva Yacht Club

Patrick Todd  

R•S•Y•C

 http://www.rsyc.org.fj/

+679 992 2921

gm@rsyc.org.fj

https://pacificposse.com/royal-suva-yacht-club-fiji

Suva Harbor, Fiji  on the other side of the Dateline 

Royal Suva Yacht Club

2)  SY LEEANN RUDDER FAILURE 

SY Leeanne Rudder Jury Rig Video

The Story:

You
may have noticed we are back in Mexico and not in our original
destination, French Polynesia. As it is a bummer we didn’t make it, we
are so happy to be back with ourselves and the boat in one piece! Long
story short, we were about 500 miles out and found our rudder tube was
cracked and leaking seawater. The fiberglass tube was delaminating from
the hull of the boat. Not good. Trip over. Luckily we noticed the
problem right before we made it to Clarion island which is the last
possible place to stop for another 2000 miles so we pulled over to get a
good look. It was determined by our shoreside support network of expert
sailors that our only course of action was to drop our rudder, epoxy
the leaks, fiberglass some wood gussets around the tube for support, and
sail 550 nautical miles home with no rudder. And that’s what we did.
Luckily we have a @hydrovane that has its own little rudder that we
could use to help get us home. We could not get it to self steer without
the input of a main rudder so Carson and I had to hand steer the little
windvane rudder two hours on, and two hours off, for 5 days and 550
miles under constant threat of the tube breaking and sinking us the
whole way. This is the very very short version of the story, we will
eventually do a full write up of the whole thing soon. We have a lot of
people to tag and thank for helping us through this which will come with
a full write up. We just wanted to get a short explanation out to all
our friends on here who are wondering what’s going on with us! We are
safe, the boat is safe, and most importantly we are happy as ever! 

 Yes, we did have issues with our rudder. We started to hear “knocking” from our rudder post near the top bearing about a day and a half from clarion island so we stopped there to wait for better wind and do some inspections. When we took a look down at our rudder post we found that the fiberglass tube was delaminating and was seeping seawater. So, with our team of experts we all agreed that the rudder had to come out. With the help of the Mexican navy, we were able to successfully drop the rudder in the water at clarion island. Then we built gussets to stabilize the tube and fiberglassed all around the tube. Once that was set and the tube was more stable, we got towed out to sea, set the sails, and sails back to PV using only our Hydrovane rudder. We had to had steer 2 hours on 2 hours off for 5 days. The seas were big and we fought the boat rounding up every few minutes. We used dragging devices and had the sails reefed the entire time. We are now resting in a hotel in PV getting some much needed sleep!

 We
have spent the last few days doing repairs so that we can safely sail
back the 550 nautical miles.it will take us roughly 5-6 days and we will
continue to update daily. We thank you all for your support through
this journey.

Back in Mexico

We are docked! After 17 days we have arrived safely back in La Cruz, MX .

Yes,
we did have issues with our rudder. We started to hear “knocking” from
our rudder post near the top bearing about a day and a half from clarion
island so we stopped there to wait for better wind and do some
inspections. When we took a look down at our rudder post we found that
the fiberglass tube was delaminating and was seeping seawater. So, with
our team of experts we all agreed that the rudder had to come out. With
the help of the Mexican navy, we were able to successfully drop the
rudder in the water at clarion island. Then we built gussets to
stabilize the tube and fiberglassed all around the tube. Once that was
set and the tube was more stable, we got towed out to sea, set the
sails, and sails back to PV using only our Hydrovane rudder. We had to
had steer 2 hours on 2 hours off for 5 days. The seas were big and we
fought the boat rounding up every few minutes. We used dragging devices
and had the sails reefed the entire time. We are now resting in a hotel
in PV getting some much needed sleep!

Rudder jury Rig

We
are now headed to London!! A big pivot from our South Pacific plans but
we are determined to make the best of it! Getting in a lil belated
honeymoon trip exploring Europe over the next few weeks 🥳 SV LeeAnn
will be hauled out next week, repairs done, put back in the water and we
will return to her whole again! 

We can’t wait to explore a new place! 

With love, 

LEEANNE

With love, 

SY LEEANN 🇺🇸  Jamie & Carson - Beneteau Oceanis 46′

Carson
Jamie

3) ENTRY INTO GALLEY GOD(DESS ) AWARD

Galley Godess

Thought I’d send through some pics for Galley Goddess Award.

Below is Pizza cooked on the Cobb at Punaruku, Makemo, and above Fried Chicken on the Cobb, Fakarava.

BLue Heeler

Cheers!

Blue Heeler update on our time at Fakarava. 

Useful info if you’re heading that way. 

http://blueheelerhr39.com/2022/05/26/fakarava-tuamotos/

WALL OF SHARKS!! Fakarava Tuamotos by Sailing Blue Heeler
Vessel leaving Passe Tiputa at Rangiroa one hour before high tide. Increased swell in region causing strong outflow. The guy on the bow is having fun!

Vessel
leaving Passe Tiputa at Rangiroa one hour before high tide. Increased
swell in region causing strong outflow.  The guy on the bow is
having fun!

Passe Hiria de Tiputa - Rangiroa

Passe Hiria de Tiputa - Rangiroa 

SY  BLUE HEELER 🇦🇺  Ally & Wayne - Hallberg Rassy 39‘

BLuee Heeler
Alison

4) SUPPLY CHAIN 101
 FAKARAVA, TUAMOTUS 🇵🇫 FRENCH POLYNESIA 

Fakarava Magasin

This
is the Tumoana magasin in Fakarava on Wednesday morning when the supply
ship arrives.  Thirty three boats are in the anchorage are vying
for the limited fruits and veggies at this small table as each box of
items is set out.  Nearly all the fruit/veggies were gone in two
hours.   Same thing happened at the boulangerie south of town at
15:00.  Plan your arrival the evening prior to get into town early.

Magasin

Inside
the atoll is a lagoon.  The atoll is comprised of coral reefs
called motus.  Between these motus are small channels that are
created by seawater coming through the atoll from the ocean.  Carl
and I spend hours snorkeling and floating from the edge of the atoll
into the lagoon.  The channels can be shallow or very deep. This
one was about 200 meters long and 30 feet deep.  Loaded with bright
coral (purple, pink, yellow) and school of brightly colored fish.
Floating with the inbound tide current over these wonders is like
flying in your dreams.  After painting from my paddle board, I dove
in.

ROxy

SY SKY POND  🇨🇰   Carl & Roxy - Seawind 1160 38′

Roxy
Carl
Fakarava

Fakarava, Tuamotus, French Polynesia is in Good Nautical

5) PICTURES OF THE WEEK 

 

The Ibex  Sunset Series

Ibex

Tuamotus  Sunset  1 

Tuamotus Sunset

Tuamotus  Sunset  2 

Tuamotus Sunset

Tuamotus  Sunset 3 

Ibex and the Coconut Oil Factory

Ibex and the Coconut Oil Factory 

rotosieve

Classic Rotosieve add coconut meat on top oil comes out of the front 

End product once packaged

End product once packaged

SY IBEX 🇦🇹  Florian & Waltraud - Sunbeam 42′

FLorian
Vicky

6) SY RHAPSODY ARRIVES IN 🇵🇫 FRENCH POLYNESIA 
 

 About
3:00 am. Morning of day 20, graveyard watch as usual. Sarah mentioned
seeing skimming birds feeding at dusk last night when we were just under
100 nm. from land. Birds are always our last send off and first
greeters on passage. Also, as is usual since leaving Panama, a red
footed booby has chosen our bow rail to rest for the night. We marvel at
the flexibility and unwavering tenacity their webbed feet display in
gripping slimy, salted 1” stainless steel pipe bouncing about for hour
upon hour.

4:00
am. The chart plotter shows we are nearing our first possible glimpse
of terra firma since leaving views of San Cristobal, the western most
volcanic landscape of the Galápagos Islands, in our wake almost 3 weeks
ago. UO-HUKA, at the eastern edge of French Polynesia, is for now just a
lurking, dark, blurry shape resting nebulous on the southern horizon
under overcast and moody skies. The waxing half moon set 2 hours ago.
We’ve been getting scattered spit, drizzle, and mini squalls since
sunset causing the need to put away cushions and pillows to dry corners
only to return them minutes later.After 20 days at sea,

Over 3000 nautical miles,

5 trips by Bob into the back lazerette to fix the autopilot

One broken halyard

One Code Zero sail retrieved from the water

3 days of on and off hand steering  Land Ho! 

LAND HO RHAPSODY

Exerts from their blog https://www.rhapsodyontheblue.com  

In
finishing up our passage from the Galapagos Islands to French Polynesia
I asked my family if they had any questions for us. They came up with
some great ones. My answers are in blue, and Bob's are italicized

 

What
was something that you loved that you didn’t foresee and what was
something you were worried about that you didn’t need to be? 

Although
it was not technically on this section of the passage, I loved the
Doldrums. Admittedly we had a motor and so we were not relying on the
wind to get us through, but I loved the stillness of the ocean. The
absolute glassiness of it. The things that I worried about I am not sure
that I didn’t need to concerned about. We worried about them so that we
would do everything we could to stop them from happening. 

Better
than I thought was how fast the time passed, with special thanks to
reading.  I worried that sleep loss could become a cumulative
problem, but that wasn't really the case.

 

How
was your experience extending a strange alternating sleep schedule over
the long time period? Did you ever fall asleep on watch? 

Our
watch schedule is a natural extension of our typical habits. Bob tends
to fall asleep earlier than I do, and thus wake up earlier. We just push
this schedule to its limits and it works well. Bob falls asleep as
early as he can, sometimes as early as 7, then wakes up at 1 or 2 and
takes over from me. I like to stay up reading, so I just push that to
staying up later and later, then I get to sleep in the morning. There
were certainly days that our rhythms were interrupted by weather or
equipment breakage, but then we just take turns napping during the day.

My
experiences on previous passages prepared me well mentally, however on
this passage the motion of the boat was a greater challenge to both
getting and staying asleep.

What would you do differently if you did it again?

I
would download more podcasts, they are great company on nightwatch. I
thought I had done so, but most of them were gone by the time I wanted
to listen to them.

I agree with more podcasts, but if we could find the right person, another crew member would be worthwhile.

What food that you provisioned did you wish you had more of and which food did you never actually eat?

We
would have liked to have more non dairy ice cream but the freezer just
couldn't hold any more. Also more lettuce would have been nice, but it
is difficult to get it to last.

I
agree with the lettuce and ice cream, and would add more hummus. We did
not use many canned goods, but those are really provisioned for our
remaining months before large groceries in Papeete.

Did
you think about people who had made this crossing before access to
technologies you have? Anyone in particular? Did you feel connected to
past explorers and sailors in some way out in the vast open blue? 

Thank
goodness for technology! To do this without GPS, our chartplotter and
our Sat phone would have been a totally different experience,  and
not something that I believe it would have enjoyed. I did think about
those who came before us and how their experiences differed from ours.

Certainly
one cannot discount the advantages of GPS and the security that
knowledge feeds you every day you are out of sight of land. When I think
of the Polynesians, that for thousands of years, explored these same
waters by reading the waves, the wind, and determining their location by
holding their hand up to the stars, I am humbled. 

All
who have gone to sea before us, and all our fellow cruisers today
readily share information. Technology and information properly applied
keeps us safe, and allows us to continue following in the path of the
real explorers.

 

At what point in your crossing did you feel most isolated?

For
a while our text messaging app was not working.  When I wasn't
getting any messages from the outside world I definitely felt isolated.

When
the autopilot had troubles twice in one day, along with battery
charging issues, I felt we could be out there days longer with constant
handsteering and maybe a loss of refrigeration. But isolation is
relative when you know you just have to fix things the best you can and
keep going.

 

What was the most: Fun? Rewarding? Emotionally moving? Boring? Challenging? Unexpected?

Wow,
that's a lot! Boring is easy - the lack of being able to do many things
I love to do, go for a walk, make art, make music. There was just too
much motion of the boat to feel comfortable enough to do the last two.

Unexpected
would be the number of small (4-5 inches) squid that would be found on
deck in the morning at the beginning of the passage. At night I could
shine a bright light into the water and see the light reflecting in the
red eyes of the squid. They disappeared about halfway through the
passage, but on our list of things yet to do is to clean up the squid
ink on deck.

Most
fun was ten minutes with dolphins swimming along in our bow wake. Most
rewarding was finally getting to prove we could do it. Getting the
battery charger and autopilot to work again, thus avoiding minor
calamities was a real emotional lift. Most boring was the first third of
a book by William F. Buckley I gave up on. Most challenging was
remaining able bodied and more or less upright for 20 days straight on a
broken carnival ride. Unexpected, was how quickly the time passed.

Were there times when you were nervous or scared? 

We
have made enough smaller passages that I wasn't really nervous or
scared, but as is often the case, the most nerve-wracking is usually at
the end. In this case in the last 24 hours we had winds up to 25 knots
and 3 meter seas. We have had continuing issues with our bio growth in
our fuel and clogging the filters. We (and by we, I mean Bob) changed
the filters for safety reasons for the last hour before entering the
harbor at Nuku Hiva. The winds we gusting up to 22 knots and the waves
were 3 meters and coming at us from the side. We were motoring at this
point to get into the harbor. At the mouth of the harbor are two very
large rocks they call sentinels that we had to pass between. We were
making plans as to what to do if the engine failed at that point (pull
out the sails and turn back out to sea). For me this was definitely the
hairiest part of the passage. All ended well, the engine didn't die, we
made it past the sentinels, into the harbor and safely set anchor. 

Sometimes the way Sarah looks at me when she's handing me the hammer is pretty scary.

Favorite constellations as viewed mid-ocean? 

Transit of Venus and Jupiter every morning just before first light.

I
loved watching the Milky Way and seeing the Southern Cross, but I have
to admit that for all the hype that the Southern Cross gets, it is
pretty small in comparison to Northern Hemisphere constellations like
the Big Dipper or Orion. I think that the Souuthern Cross must have a
pretty good agent promoting it.

How did the food provisioning work out?

Our freezer is not big enough for everything that we would like to bring, otherwise excellent.

Our
chocolate stash of artesian chocolate from Chocolopagos lasted until
the very last days, then we knew it was time for landfall. We still had
some carrots, cabbage and potatoes left at the end, we did not have to
resort to a totally canned meal.

How do you navigate? Do you shoot the sun just for fun?

We
have no sextant aboard. We rely on satellite GPS, either through our
chartplotter or our handheld radios. GPS is worldwide accurate. Besides,
too many billion cell phone users, militaries, and Uber drivers need it
for it to fail. If by the strangest twist of fate GPS failed we would
fall back to our compass, paper charts, the position of stars and
planets if visible, and dead reckoning. You adapt.

We
plot a course on the chartplotter before we depart and then over the
length of this long passage we attempted to stay on course, often
correcting for the wind and the currents which seemed to want to take us
further south than we wanted to go.

What is the deepest part of the Pacific that you have crossed?

I think about 19,000 ft.

When
we are sailing over the top we can't really tell if the water is
several hundred feet deep or several thousand,  it all looks the
same. And once the numbers go over several hundred feet our depth
monitor just says: depth - - -

 

RHAPSODY ARRIVES

SY RHAPSODY 🇺🇸 Sarah & Bob  - Jeanneau 49′

Bob
Sarah
BRAVO ZULU

7) MEET THE FLEET 

MEET THE FLEET

Retired medical doctor sailing  with my wife Guylène from Marseille to New Zealand with our  42' aluminum sloop.

SY KAWAINE II  🇨🇭 Guylène & Jean-Dominique - C.M.P.F. – Fecamp 42′

8) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
AWARDS CATEGORIES 

 

HERE ARE THE  CATEGORIES 

    BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT* ✔ 

    PICTURE OF THE YEAR ✔  

    SPEEDY AWARD – SEVENSTAR AWARD ✔  

    THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD ✔ 

    MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD ✔ 

    HIGHEST WIND RECORDED ✔ 

    SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION ✔ 

    GALLEY GOD(ESS) ✔ 

    GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR ✔  

    NEWLY ADDED – BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR ✔

*no bill-fish

Clarity of Kandavu Waters

50 feet visibility at anchor in Kandavu 🇫🇯  Fiji 

9) OHANA 🇵🇫 THE OTOGI PASS 
TOAU, TUAMOTUS FRENCH POLYNESIA 

 passe otugi slack Toau - Otugi Pass, Tuamotu Archipel by SY OHANA

Video of  Passe Otugi slack tide Toau  Tuamotus, French Polynesia

Bays

Anchored at Anse Amyot Toau, French Polynesia 15°48'10.5"S 146°09'07.7"W  TOAU

Tuamotu 2

SY OHANA 🇮🇲  Aisling & Darryl - Lagoon 46′

Aisling
Darryl
Anse Amyot Toau in Good Nautical

10) CHRIS  SCOUTN SYDNEY 🇦🇺  AUSTRALIA

Seaglub

Meet
Chris on SeaGlub - Lead Vessel of this season's South Pacific Posse
currently scouting the Australia Routes at select whiskey bars in
Sydney 

The Baxter Inn - Sydney

11) MO'OREA  🇵🇫 WINDWARD ISLANDS 
FRENCH POLYNESIA

Gargoyle

Cooks Bay,  Moorea, Society Islands, French Polynesia 

Mo'orea

Mo'orea history

According to recent archaeological evidence, the Society Islands were settled from Samoa and Tonga around 200 AD. 

Nine
tribal principalities emerged in the enclosed valleys, which in turn
were subdivided into individual clans. The stratified society was
characterized by a hierarchical leadership whose elite combined both
political and religious power. The leading families of Mo'orea remained
linked by marriage and kinship for centuries with those of the
neighboring island of Tahiti. These connections led to important
alliances, but at other times were also the source of bloody
conflicts. 

The
marae, a stone platform, was where the gods communicated with the
Polynesians and political, social and religious decisions were made. The
marae was tapu—sacrosanct. To violate it was to call down the gods’
wrath.

On
Mo‘orea  the largest collection of maraes is in the Opunohu
Valley. More than 550 structures have been uncovered, including more
than 100 maraes. 

On Mo‘orea, 10 minutes from Tahiti by plane (30-45 minutes by ferry), the largest collection of maraes is in the Opunohu Valley. More than 550 structures have been uncovered, including more than 100 maraes.

SY  GARGOLYE 🇨🇦  Kevin & Carla  - Beneteau 50′

Kevin
Carla

12)  MARINA SPONSORS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC  POSSE 

🇺🇸  Safe Harbor South Bay – Chula Vista - USA

🇲🇽  Marina Chiapas – Mexico   

🇨🇷  Marina Papagayo – Costa Rica   

🇵🇦  Shelter Bay Marina – Panama  

🇪🇨  Marina Puerto Amistad – Ecuador  

🇫🇯  Vuda Point Marina - Fiji 

🇻🇺  Yachting World Marina - Port Vila - Vanuatu

🇳🇿  Marsden Cove Marina - New Zealand 

🇦🇺  Rivergate Marina  - Brisbane  - Australia 

🇫🇯  Denarau Marina - Fiji 

🇫🇯  Royal Suva Yacht Club  - Fiji 

13) SAMOA 🇼🇸  

Samoan Dancer

Polynesian Samoan dances in Apia 🇼🇸 Samoa

Aggie Grey's

The ancient art of fire (sword) dancing originated  in Polynesia
Taking
his inspiration from the Samoan warrior, a  fire knife dancer
takes center stage twirling, tossing, catching and throwing a flaming
machete at high speeds. 

Fire

Taking
his inspiration from the Samoan warrior, a  fire knife dancer
takes center stage twirling, tossing, catching and throwing a flaming
machete at high speeds.

The
fire knife itself, called “nifo oti," is an ancient Samoan weapon that
features a 14-inch blade with a hook on the end.  Before the
addition of fire, the traditional Samoan knife dancer portrayed the
movements of the warrior at battle. The custom eventually evolved into
performance art, with the dancer slicing objects in mid-air.

nifo oti samoa

Human migration  from Indonesia into Micronesia, Melanesia and  Polynesia 

Cultures

During
Colonial times Samoa consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i,
Apolima and Manono  was a German protectorate from 1900 until the
takeover by New Zealand forces during World War 1

German Colony

The
takeover of Samoa was New Zealand's first military action in World War
I. In late August 1914 with landings by the Samoa Expeditionary Force
from New Zealand on behalf of King George V. The Samoa Expeditionary
Force remained in the country until 1915. 

MAP

Vailima,
a German-style lager brewed in Samoa here are two versions to choose
from, the normal 4.9% strength and the the export-only 6.7%.

Vailima, a German-style lager, has been brewed in Samoa since 1978. There are two versions to choose from, the normal 4.9% strength and the the export-only 6.7%.

14) HOW WE FLOAT OUR ANCHOR CHAIN 

Picture of the Week

Where and why we float the chain: 
At
anchorages with (lots of) coral heads to avoid the chain tangling on
those coral heads. If the chain would tangle on the coral heads it would
have a couple of adverse effects: the catenary effect of the chain is
reduced (or even eliminated if tangled very close to the bow of the
yacht), lifting the anchor might be difficult or even impossible without
diving, the galvanization of the anchor chain chafes off faster, more
coral gets destroyed. The adverse effect of floating the chain is
obviously to loose the friction of the part of the chain which is
floating. The way we position / deploy the buoys we end up with some 10m
chain on the seabed. There is obviously a residual risk of even that
chain tangling, but less likely given of the length of the chain
thereafter and rather stable wind direction of the trade winds.

Floating your anchor chain over coral explained

Which buoyancy devices we use: 
When
we arrived in the Tuamotus we started off with fenders as we did not
carry anything else. The disadvantage of fenders is that they compress
if they submerse, one gets growth on them, etc. Those hard plastique
pearl farm buoys are much better. Some people say, they are washed
ashore everywhere in the Tuamotus. Well that was not our experience.
Kauehi was our first atoll and in any reasonable distance from the
village the shore line was cleaned by the locals. Nevertheless, many
villagers have their stash of pearl farm buoys in their gardens. So we
simply walked to one obviously very friendly fellow and asked whether we
could have four of them. He actually picked the four nicest he had, of
the same color, including lines attached to them and did not even want
to have anything in return. We put on clips/little carabines to the ends
of the lines for fast attachment / detachment to/from the anchor chain
and were ready to go.

 

What kind of clips we use: 
We
use little stainless steel carabiners, the size is basically driven by
the diameter to fit through a chain link, i.e. it needs to be
sufficiently thin (we have a 10mm DIN chain, so carabiners end up being
like 4-5cm in length), we use different sorts, i.e. whatever we found in
our related spare part bag

 

Where we position the buoys: 
Our
approach is to put the first buoy typically / normal conditions at 10m
plus water depth from the anchor, then a buoy every 5m of chain, after
the fourth we let out another 7-8m of chain and then hook the bridle.
There are other recommendations which take a multiplier to water depth
(like 1.5x or 2x water depth), but we just find that not suitable to
accommodate for all ranges of water depths. The 10m basically decides
how much chain ends up on the seabed, one could do less if the sandy
patch is really small or more if there is a larger sandy patch to anchor
(in case one sees that at all).

With
this approach we end up with a few meters more chain out than based on
our non-floating chain length rule under normal conditions (we apply
waterdepth plus 30m) – in bad conditions we obviously deploy more in
both cases (non-floating and floating).

 

How we deploy the buoys: 
First
we explore to find the spot we want to anchor as usual. If possible we
would look for a sandy patch for the anchor itself, but despite the
clear water, when anchoring in deeper water we are not able to see for
good and/or be able to drop the anchor that accurately. We put out as
much chain as we feel comfortable to “drive in” the anchor. Then we pull
up the chain again to the first spot for the first buoy (the 10m +
water depth), then put out 5m chain, attach a buoy, etc. (lifting the
anchor is as usual, just stopping at every buoy and unclipping it, it
does not really delay the process once one gets the hang of it).

 

How we clip on the clips: 
For
us it is exactly the same as putting the chain hook / bridle on. So in
our case we have to bend over the pull pit and downward to clip them on,
but as said, that’s the same as we do with the bridle as well and
“normal procedure” for us. If we had a set-up where the chain hook would
come through the bow roller, the clips could go through as well as they
are way smaller than our chain hook and in our case it would be easy to
get a clip and line from the front through the bowroller back on deck.
Difficulties I could only see arising if it was – due to bow design /
set-up – tricky to get to the chain outside of the bow or the clip from
the front through the bowroller back on deck or into the chain locker,
but that’s set-up specific, hard to comment in general (in the worst
case I would deploy by dinghy).

 

General experience:
 In
general, the boat swings easier than with a non-floating chain, due to
the missing friction of the chain length towards the yacht. In places
where the wind is dominant anyways and is stable trade wind from the
same sector all the time, that’s no issue at all. In places, where
swinging is dominated rather by current or tide, one obviously has to
check for the space.

In
our case only the buoy closest to the yacht is floating on water level
in a low wind situation, the others are submersed. We actually measured
in one instance the depths of the clips on the anchor chain on an
anchorage where the anchor was at 11.5m depths: the clips of the buoys
were at 7m, 4m, 2m and 0m water depth respectively (starting from the
anchor) at low wind.

Floats

SY IBEX 🇦🇹  Florian & Waltraud - Sunbeam 42′

FLorian
Vicky

15) TRACKING THE 22' PACIFIC POSSE  FLEET 
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PREDICT WIND

Tracking

Visit https://pacificposse.com/tracking to view the progress of the 22 South Pacific Posse Fleet. 
To be added visit https://pacificposse.com/add-to-tracking

16) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE SPONSORS 

  • PREDICT WIND
  • SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT
  • CENTENARIO PANAMA CANAL AGENTS
  • YACHT AGENTS GALAPAGOS 
  • YACHT SERVICES NUKU HIVA 
  • NOUMEA YACHT SERVICES
  • SAFE HARBOR SOUTH BAY MARINA EVENT CENTER
  • WESTMARINE PRO
  • SAILMAIL 
  • OCEAN TACTICS WEATHER ROUTING
  • CLOUD 9  FIJI

17) SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT

 SPONSORS THE SOUTH POSSE

More info on Sevenstar™s services can be found on https://www.sevenstar-yacht-transport.com/

Sevenstar

Who is Sevenstar Yacht Transport?

Sevenstar
is the world’s leading provider of yacht shipping services on a
lift-on, lift-off basis. Sevenstar has access to the Spliethoff fleet of
over 120 company owned vessels. With an impressive 1,500+ transports
per year, they are calling over 100 ports in more than 40 countries
worldwide.

For a quote with the Panama Posse discount please contact 
Kris Caren

email: kris@sevenstar-usa.com

web: sevenstar-usa.com

18) PANAMA 🇵🇦 CANAL AGENT 
CENTENARIO CONSULTING ERICK GALVEZ

To
arrange for transit with the Panama Canal Authority please contact Eric
Galvez our dedicated Panama Canal agent and sponsor of the Panama Posse
and the Pacific Posse

Erick Gálvez

info@centenarioconsulting.com

www.centenarioconsulting.com

Cellphone +507 6676-1376

WhatsApp +507 6676-1376

Erick
https://panamaposse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/new-panama-canal-graphic.jpg

19) STRATEGIC PARTNERS
 

SEVEN SEAS CRUISING ASSOCIATION

Abernathy – Chandlery – Panama

Panama Posse 

Atlantic Posse

Advertising Partners – Las Vegas

Safe-Esteem.com – Delaware

SIGN UP FOR 
THE '22 SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE  

WE OPERATE UNDER INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW

YOUR VESSEL · YOUR CREW · YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 

VAVA'U

Vessels at anchor in Vava'u 🇹🇴  Tonga

South Pacific Posse

south pacific posse communications 
 @ 9811 w charleston blvd 2262 89117 Summerlin USA

 

© 2022 South Pacific Posse / Ocean Posse LLC


ua pao french polynesia harbor anchorage

FLEET UPDATE 2022-04-09

South Pacific Posse

April 9, 2022

SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
FLEET UPDATE 

TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

1)  GARGOYLE ARRIVES IN NUKU HIVA

2) VANUATU 'S SOFT OPENING 

3) VUDA MARINA INTEL

South Pacific Posse 13 Particpant Flag States

THE HEART OF VOH 🇳🇨 NEW CALEDONIA

The Heart of Voh

The Heart of Voh is a natural clearing formed by mangroves.  
Vook” in the local Kanak language is found on the west coast of Grande  Terre, 300km from Nouméa, in New Caledonia.
In
1999, the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand made it the cover photo for
his book, Earth from Above, a UNESCO-sponsored inventory of the world’s
most beautiful landscapes. 

1) SY GARGOLYE 4,000 nm, 30 DAYS
DIRECT FROM COSTA RICA TO  🇵🇫  FRENCH POLYNESIA 

Kevin and Carla Arrived

Arrived in Huku Niva. 30 days! Thanks for all of the support and information, as always! 

SY GARGOYLE 🇺🇸  Kevin  Carla & Ron  - Beneteau 50′ arrived Sat Apr 02 2022 0800 Local Time

4,000
miles and 30 days later, we’re here. We dropped the hook at 0800 local
time and we are just adopting to the feeling of stillness. A lovely
island though a busy anchorage with a portion of the Oyster World Rally
at anchor as well as a large number of other cruising boats. And of
course a sign that civilization has returned post covid, a cruise ship
is in as well.

So
for now we’ll enjoy the calm of the anchorage and get some rest before
we head out to explore. With a chilled glass of champagne in our hands,
this is Gargoyle signing off for this passage.

Cheers,

Kevin, Carla and Ron

Kevin
Carla

A FEW EXERTS FROM GARGOYLE'S SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE CROSSING 
LOG ENTRIES 
Under a Forever Sky

Sun Mar 20 2022

Tonight
we are once again motoring at our most fuel efficient rpm as we
continue to hunt for wind. Our forecast and weather router all told us
today we have wind that would allow us to sail in the general direction
of Nuka Hiva. Sadly all were wrong as our winds were 100° west northwest
of predicted. Not that big a deal really, if our destination was say,
Tokyo.

So
we spent the day sailing slowly in the wrong direction, all the while
hoping for a wind shift that never materialized. After dinner we tossed
that plan overboard with the leftovers and decided to again use our
precious remaining diesel to forge further southwest in hopes of finding
the elusive trade winds.

Now
we motor slowly under a spectacular sky awash in stars. The sky here is
different from anything I’ve seen elsewhere. Everything from the sheer
horizon to horizon span to the towering clouds to the brilliant
constellations seem to dwarf what we’re used to seeing. Add in the still
brilliant light of the waning moon on a calm sea and its pure magic.

I wait in this fairy tale
setting for a wind to fill in from the east while the engine sips
gently and Gargoyle rumbles through the night, searching. The crew is
asleep. I am alone, waiting.

Nuku Hiva

A Symphony at Sea

Wed Mar 16 2022

As we close our 2nd week at passage I wanted to invite you to join me at the helm

A
spectacular sunset has finally faded just off our starboard bow as we
make a course of 260°. The wind is ten to fifteen knots with gusts to
twenty and we are sailing downwind under a poled out
Genoa at 145° apparent. Speed is consistently over five knots with surges to seven when the gusts kick things up.

Sitting
to starboard, having enjoyed the sun’s last display of color, the first
thing you notice is the rolling motion. As is their tendency, sailboats
will roll when generating power from a large sail poled out to one
side. To counteract the roll I have a small amount of mainsail rolled
out. Not enough to block or cover the front sail but enough to add a
touch of stability. Does it stop the roll, no. But as a friend just
pointed put, imagine beating into these same twenty knot gusts and the
roll becomes much more tolerable.

The
cockpit is lit in red from our instruments on the port and starboard
helms. In addition, both helms have compasses that glow red at night as
well. It’s time to log our hourly readings and I don my trusty headlamp
to light the log book and record our position, heading, speed, wind
single/speed and barometric pressure. I then walk the cockpit and spend a
few minutes scanning the horizon on all sides and to stern for shops
lights. Then a scan of our instruments for AIS targets or the sharp
silver line of a ship on radar. All clear as expected so far from land.

With
the hourly work completed its time to settle back and enjoy the
symphony of a sailing vessel running across the ocean at night. The air
is cool and the breeze over my left shoulder brings the low hum of our
hydrogenator at work punctuated every 12 to 18 seconds by the two meter
southerly swell slapping our ass with a gentle push before rolling under
our keel. The sea state remains a bit confused so I’m surrounded by the
sound of water but it’s a welcome sound reminding me of where am I am
in the moment.

The
genoa up front pulls us forward with only an occasional ripple as the
wind and roll get out of sync for a moment, then with a snap of dacron
the rhythm is back and we resume our graceful glide. There’s also the
accompanying creaks of taut sheets, topping lift and vang all adding
their own notes to this wonderful harmony.

I’m
often asked what music I listen to for different sea states and tonight
its Diana Krall and the lush sounds of Live in Paris. The moon is
nearly full and hangs ripe over our stern, lighting the sea and a
distant line of clouds that surround on all horizons. There’s always a
chance of a squall but that just changes the key of this magic ocean
symphony. Night watch on the Pacific. A study in sensory perfection.

Made it
BRAVO ZULU
Track from Costa Rica

For more info videos and log entries visit https://www.svgargoyle.com/

2) VANUATU 'S 🇻🇺 SOFT OPENING 

MAEWO VANUATU

MAEVO ISLAND - VANUATU 

Vanuatu will begin reopening its border starting next month.

The
Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Russell Tamata, said this
is possible because high vaccination rates have been achieved on Efate
and the outer islands.

Tamata also says hospitalization rates and deaths have remained low.

Vanuatu's vaccination program, access to rapid testing, social distancing, and mask-wearing are paving a way forward.

From
May 1 to the end of June there will be a soft opening  for over
5,000 Vanuatu nationals and residents who are stranded overseas to
return home.

OPening

Tamata
says reducing restrictions on travel to Vanuatu will provide a stimulus
for economic recovery and free up health resources to focus on
vaccination and future planning.07 April 2022  20,400 Moderna
COVID-19 vaccine arrive through COVAX for booster doses

Vanuatu welcomes the arrival of 20,400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine supplied through the COVAX Facility .

This
is the first lot of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines received by the country.
Moderna would be the fourth vaccine to be used in Vanuatu, apart from
AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and the single-shot Johnson and Johnson (J&J)
vaccines.

Efate Island, Vanuatu

Efate Island, Vanuatu 

VANUATU

VANUATU IS IN GOOD NAUTICAL - 83 Islands and hundreds of  anchorages 

Vanuatu

3) VUDA MARINA, FIJI  🇫🇯 CYCLONE HAUL-OUT INTEL 

Gathering
intel and living aboard here in Vuda. Great owners and staff, you can
get just about anything you need done to your boat here, there's a yacht
shop, cafe, mini market, and excellent restaurant.

VUDA MARINA

Vuda Marina tucked  in Cyclone Hole

VUDA MARINA

Zazoo and Seaglub next to each other 

Placed in mudholes in VUDA MARINA

Cyclone storage in the tire lined pits at Vuda Marina

It's a location for your yacht

So
after several days of being here in the Vuda Marina, getting to live a
little here, meet with the owner / operator and walk around to get a
good view of the place, I have a VERY HIGH opinion of this place for
storing your boat. I've included several pictures. There are 60 pits but
they go fast so call or email NOW to make a reservation. I only
see one open right now. Monohulls can also sit on jack stands and
catamarans sit comfortably almost directly on the ground then tied down
to buried cement blocks. The entrance is straight forward. I came in at
extreme low tide (5' tide swing) during a new moon and had just 1 foot
beneath the keel but I probably could've timed it better. I draw just
over 6' or 190cm. There's a new basin being added with docks but you'll
likely med moor to them with help from the staff. In the circle you will
definitely get help from the fantastic staff as they get you tied off.
The downside in the circle is getting on and off the boat requires a bit
of gymnastics. There's a marine store, a cafe, market, and restaurant
as well bathrooms, showers, washing machines. 220 power is available, I
use a step down and works great. I believe power is available at some of
the pits as well.

SV SEAGLUB 🇺🇸 Chris - Hylas 46′

Chris on Seaglub
https://pacificposse.com/vuda-marina

4) MARQUESAS, FRENCH POLYNESIA 
  🇵🇫 REPORT FROM SKY POND

Marquesas

The
unofficial flag of the Marquesas Islands was first raised on December
14, 1980, upon the opening of the airport on Nuku Hiva, and has been
regularly used since 1994. A simplified version, without the tiki
design, is sometimes flown. 

All is well here. 

Kevin,
the agent here on Nuku Hiva is excellent and we would recommend him to
everyone .  He’s not only an agent, but a “fixer” ..meaning either
he will get what you need done or knows someone who can.  

We three got our shell back tattoos in the style of French Polynesian tattoo designs. 

We
have a great photo album documenting our trip, including the Pollywog
ceremony, but haven’t had the bandwidth to publish it publicly via
iCloud. 

Setting
sail from Nuku Hiva tonight for one of the most southern Marquesses
islands then crossing to the Tuamotus a few days later.  

Rainy season starts here in a month according to the locals.  

I
also recommend provisioning dried eggs.  It can be a week or more
between egg availability here.  Eggs were a rare find the first
time we sailed south pac six years ago so this time I brought a big bag
of dried eggs.  Glad I did.  The main veggie market in Nuku
Hiva is pretty well stocked daily and what they don’t carry the 4
magazines do..but it requires diligence to find fruits and vegetables.

The
Oyster rally arrived this week.  I spoke to the advance team and
they said that they all used the provisioning delivery service out of
Tahiti to get re provisioned.  I don’t know how they delivered
those provisions to the island to coincide with the 34 boats’ arrivals.

Thanks for the email response.  Hope all is going well for you.  

Roxy 

Sky Pond

toasting the arrival in Nuku Hiva 

SKY POND'S ENTRY INTO BOAT YOGA POSE

Boat Yohga

SKY POND'S 3 ENTRIES GALLEY GOD(DESS) AWARD

galley goddess
SKY POND'S ENTRY INTO GALLEY GOD(DESS)
SKY POND'S ENTRY INTO GALLEY GOD(DESS)

SY SKY POND 🇨🇰  Carl & Roxy - Seawind 1160 38′

Carl
Roxy

5) GOOD NAUTICAL NEEDS YOU 🇹🇴

Over the last 12 years we have added over 7,000
anchorages into Good Nautical - and   are looking to enhance this
information with first hand accounts from you - please add pictures,
details and updates as you see them.
 

Anchorage @

Tonga 🇹🇴  is in there and most important we will collect and display tracks. Including the infamous Niuatoputapu reef
passage. To safeguard them for those who will attempt them after you
please email your tracks ( any format )   to
registration@pacificposse.com 

TONGA IS IN GOOD NAUTICAL

Anchorage @  Niuatoputapu 15° 56.436 S  173° 46.077 W 

Track

The snaking path to go through the reef in Niuatoputapu, Tonga 🇹🇴 

6) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
AWARDS CATEGORIES 

 

HERE ARE THE  CATEGORIES 

    BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT* ✔ 

    PICTURE OF THE YEAR ✔  

    SPEEDY AWARD – SEVENSTAR AWARD ✔  

    THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD ✔ 

    MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD ✔ 

    HIGHEST WIND RECORDED ✔ 

    SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION ✔ 

    GALLEY GOD(ESS) ✔ 

    GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR ✔  

    NEWLY ADDED – BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR ✔

*no bill-fish

7) THE  BARS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC 

Danny Doolans Auckland

Danny Doolan’s Auckland Harbour 🇳🇿   NZ

 36° 50.56' S 174° 45.8233' E 

Danny Doolans

One of the top sailing bars in the South Pacific  
Maybe a suitable setting for a South Pacific Posse Rum Party ? 

8)  MARINA SPONSORS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC  POSSE 

🇺🇸  Safe Harbor South Bay – Chula Vista - USA

🇲🇽  Marina Chiapas – Mexico   

🇨🇷  Marina Papagayo – Costa Rica   

🇵🇦  Shelter Bay Marina – Panama  

🇪🇨  Marina Puerto Amistad – Ecuador  

🇫🇯  Vuda Point Marina - Fiji 

🇻🇺  Yachting World Marina - Port Vila - Vanuatu

🇳🇿  Marsden Cove Marina - New Zealand 

🇦🇺  Rivergate Marina  - Brisbane  - Australia 

Hauled Out The Boat Yard / Vava’u, Tonga

Haul Out in TONGA 🇹🇴 The BoatYard Vava’u 
From @ https://www.sailingcalypso.com/the-boatyard-vavau-tonga/

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=1483391155030863

9) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE SPONSORS 

  • PREDICT WIND
  • SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT
  • CENTENARIO PANAMA CANAL AGENTS
  • YACHT AGENTS GALAPAGOS 
  • YACHT SERVICES NUKU HIVA 
  • NOUMEA YACHT SERVICES
  • SAFE HARBOR SOUTH BAY MARINA EVENT CENTER
  • WESTMARINE PRO
  • SAILMAIL 
  • OCEAN TACTICS WEATHER ROUTING

10) PICTURE OF THE WEEK 

Entry

UA PAO - MARQUESAS 🇵🇫 FRENCH POLYNESIA 

 SY KISMET 🇺🇸  Kevin - Passport 41′

Kevin

11) THE ORIGINAL GUNK HOLES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

LEVUKA 🇫🇯  FIJI

Levuka

Levuka Signpost and town entrance

Levuka

Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau. 
Up until 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. 

Currently
this strangly haunted town has a population of about 5,000. It is the
economic hub and the largest of 24 settlements on the island.
Levuka was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2013,
in recognition of the port town's exceptional testimony to the late
colonial port towns in the Pacific 

Levuka view from the Anchorage

The
modern town of Levuka was founded around 1820 by European settlers and
traders as the first modern town in the Fiji Islands, and became an
important port and trading post. A disparate band of settlers made up
Levuka's population – traders, missionaries, shipwrights, speculators,
and vagabonds, as well as respectable businessmen

LEVUKA Historic streets

Much of Levuka's unique heritage is in its wooden architecture (highly vulnerable to fire).

Levuka

The South Pacific's first Masonic Lodge is Levuka's only Romanesque building. 

It was built in 1913 and housed the Freemasons that were established in Levuka by Alexander Barrack in 1875.  

The South Pacific's first Masonic Lodge is Levuka's only Romanesque building. It was built in 1913 and housed the Freemasons that were established in Levuka by Alexander Barrack in 1875. Plenty of myths are surrounding the Freemasons and the building.

There
is much controversy about the Masonic fraternity in Fiji, the dominant
traditional Christian faiths consider Masons to be
devil-worshipers. 

 It was burned down in the 2000 Fiji coup d'état

 The Lodge contained priceless historical artifacts and records of Levuka's history dating back to 1875. 

The arsonists have yet to be identified and prosecuted.

Levuka Anchorage

A stunning anchorage behind the reef 

Admiralty Chart No 905 Suva Harbour to Levuka, Published 1960

Admiralty Chart No 905 Suva Harbour to Levuka, Published 1960
Nautical
chart of Suva Harbour to Levuka, Fiji Islands. From surveys by Captain
H.M. Denham 1855-6; Lieutenants L.S. Dawson and W.U. Moore 1875-7;
Lieutenant G.E. Richards 1881-2; and by Comdr. J.S.N. Pryor, 1959. 

Not current - not to be used for navigation!

12) TRACKING THE 22' PACIFIC POSSE  FLEET 
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PREDICT WIND

Tracking

Visit https://pacificposse.com/tracking to view the progress of the 22 South Pacific Posse Fleet. 
To be added visit https://pacificposse.com/add-to-tracking

13) SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT

 SPONSORS THE PANAMA POSSE

More info on Sevenstar™s services can be found on https://www.sevenstar-yacht-transport.com/

Sevenstar

Who is Sevenstar Yacht Transport?

Sevenstar
is the world’s leading provider of yacht shipping services on a
lift-on, lift-off basis. Sevenstar has access to the Spliethoff fleet of
over 120 company owned vessels. With an impressive 1,500+ transports
per year, they are calling over 100 ports in more than 40 countries
worldwide.

For a quote with the Panama Posse discount please contact 
Kris Caren

email: kris@sevenstar-usa.com

web: sevenstar-usa.com

https://panamaposse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/new-panama-canal-graphic.jpg

14) PANAMA CANAL AGENT 
CENTENARIO CONSULTING ERICK GALVEZ

To
arrange for transit with the Panama Canal Authority please contact Eric
Galvez our dedicated Panama Canal agent and sponsor of the Panama Posse
and the Pacific Posse

Erick Gálvez

info@centenarioconsulting.com

www.centenarioconsulting.com

Cellphone +507 6676-1376

WhatsApp +507 6676-1376

Erick

15) STRATEGIC PARTNERS
 

SEVEN SEAS CRUISING ASSOCIATION

Abernathy – Chandlery – Panama

Panama Posse 

Advertising Partners – Las Vegas

Safe-Esteem.com – Delaware

SIGN UP FOR THE '22 SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE  

WE OPERATE UNDER INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW

YOUR VESSEL YOUR CREW YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 

Locals

In the Emae, Vanuatu local residents will visit your yachts and insist on flying your drone

South Pacific Posse

panama posse communications 
 @ 9811 w charleston blvd 2262 89117 Summerlin USA

© 2022 South Pacific Posse / Ocean Posse LLC

 


Tjibaou Cultural Centre New Caledonia

FLEET UPDATE 2022-03-17

 

 

South Pacific Posse

 

Mar 17, 2022

SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
FLEET UPDATE 

TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

1) NEW CALEDONIA OPENS UP 
2) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE GROW TO 
31 YACHTS FROM 13 FLAG STATES
3) RIVERGATE MARINA 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA
 SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

 

South Pacific Posse 13 Particpant Flag States

 

1) NEW CALEDONIA  🇦🇺  OPENS UP 

 

Tjibaou Cultural Centre

 

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre Noumea designe by Renzo Piana 

 Our maritime borders to New Caledonia which boasts 
 the worlds largest continuous barrier reef are finally open!

Forms needed for entry:

-Medical Health declaration

-Border control temperatures to be sent back to us 48 hrs and 1 hr prior to arrival

-Every person should send us their vaccination certificate prior to arrival.

A test will have to be done 2 days after arrival (48hrs)

Tests can be done in a pharmacie (drug store)

Download the forms here: https://pacificposse.com/new-caledonia#documents

 

Noumea Light House

 

Amedee Lighthouse 

Audrey

+687 70 90 09

Nouméa Yacht Services

40 ter Rue Austerlitz

B.P 1263

98 845 Nouméa Cedex

Contacts: +687 24 01 23      Gsm: (+687) 79 56 01

Email: nys22s@hotmail.com

Website: www.noumeayachtservices.nc

The beauty of the New Caledonia lagoon islands from the sky

The beauty of the New Caledonia lagoon islands from the sky 

2)  SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE WELCOMES 
THESE  MEMBERS TO THE FLEET

30    SY MARIA   🇳🇿 David, Nicolas, Naomi & Aisha - Bavaria 46′

31    SY ALOA TOA   🇬🇧  Tim  - Wharram 30′

 

South Pacific Posse '22

 

3) RIVERGATE MARINA 🇦🇺  AUSTRALIA
SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

 

Marina

 

We are exited to welcome the Pacific Posse to Australia and offer a 10 %  discount off marina fees and no live-aboard fee.

Andrew

GM Andrew
 
Office             +61 7 3907 1600
Dockmaster  +61 421 585 027

Email              info@rivergate.com.au

7 Rivergate Place, Murarrie QLD 4172 Australia

 

Rivergate Marina

 

Brisbane is striking distance of the renowned  Tangalooma Ship Wreck Bay l and Moreton Island

Tangalooma

4) ENTRY INTO BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT  

Seaglub's FIsh

To put the catch in perspective Chris lies next to the fish head

SV SEAGLUB 🇺🇸 Chris - Hylas 46′

Chris on Seaglub
Seaglub

Captain Chris this season's lead vessel SY SEAGLUB currently sailing in Fiji 

5) PUERTO VILLAMIL 🇪🇨 GALAPAGOS

Puerto Villamil is a small port village sion the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands.

Trafficjam in Villamil

Traffic jam in Villamil Galapapgos.
On
the southwestern edge of town a boardwalk was created by the park with
assistance of US Aid. At the end of the walkway is the Tortoise Breeding
Center  which was built in order to help preserve the many species
of Isabela Tortoises. 

Puerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands.

 It leads through mangrove environments passing along saltwater lagoons
filled with flamingo, black-winged stilts, Hudsonian whimbrels, Bahama
pintails, and  gallinules that search the lagoons for shrimp. 

Villamil Flamingos

 Poza de los Flamingos is a lake in the western part of the town where flamingos can be observed. 

 

Puerto Villamil is a small port village located on the southeastern edge of Isla Isabela in the Galapagos Islands.

 

The untouched shore of  Isla Isabela

White Tipped sharks

To
the southeast of town are a series of small islets including one known
as Las Tintoreras where a colony of white tip sharks can often be seen
resting in the lava channel

 Las Tintoreras

SY IBEX 🇦🇹  Florian & Vicky - Sunbeam 42′

Vicky
Florian

6) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 
AWARDS CATEGORIES 

 

HERE ARE THE  CATEGORIES 

    BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT* ✔ 

    PICTURE OF THE YEAR ✔  

    SPEEDY AWARD – SEVENSTAR AWARD ✔  

    THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD ✔ 

    MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD ✔ 

    HIGHEST WIND RECORDED ✔ 

    SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION ✔ 

    GALLEY GOD(ESS) ✔ 

    GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR ✔  

    NEWLY ADDED – BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR ✔

*no bill-fish

 Bora Bora Yacht Club 16°29'20.6

The Bora Bora Yacht Club 🇵🇫

 16° 29'.3433' S    151° 45.5783' W 

A suitable setting for a South Pacific Posse Sunset Rum Party  

Sunset in Bora Bora

Sunset in Bora Bora, French Polynesia

7)  MARINA SPONSORS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC  POSSE 

🇺🇸  Safe Harbor South Bay – Chula Vista, USA

🇲🇽  Marina Chiapas – Mexico   

🇨🇷  Marina Papagayo – Costa Rica   

🇵🇦  Shelter Bay Marina – Panama  

🇪🇨  Marina Puerto Amistad – Ecuador  

🇫🇯  Vuda Point Marina - Lauotka - Fiji 

🇻🇺 Yachting World Marina - Port Vila - Vanuatu

🇳🇿 Marsden Cove Marina - Northland - New Zealand 

🇦🇺 Rivergate Marina and Boatyard - Brisbane - Australia

 

 Rivergate successfully managed a six month refit of the vessel, which included a complete exterior refinish, teak deck refurbishment and overhaul of stabilisers.

 

Advanced yacht services available in Australia.
Rivergate’s
shipyard carries out more than 500 haul-outs per year, making it one of
the busiest shipyards in the Southern Hemisphere

8) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE SPONSORS 

  • PREDICT WIND
  • SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT
  • CENTENARIO PANAMA CANAL AGENTS
  • YACHT AGENTS GALAPAGOS 
  • YACHT SERVICES NUKU HIVA 
  • NOUMEA YACHT SERVICES
  • SAFE HARBOR SOUTH BAY MARINA EVENT CENTER
  • WESTMARINE PRO
  • SAILMAIL 
  • OCEAN TACTICS WEATHER ROUTING 

9) MEET THE FLEET 

Meet the Fleet Kevin

SY KISMET 🇺🇸 Kevin - Passport 41′
currently at 02º  28.261 N  124º 07.788 W 

Kevin
 

Kismet

 

10) TRACKING THE 22' PACIFIC POSSE  FLEET 

 

Tracking

 

Visit https://pacificposse.com/tracking to view the progress of the 22 South Pacific Posse Fleet. 
To be added visit https://pacificposse.com/add-to-tracking

11) THE BEAUTY OF SOUTH PACIFIC CURRENCY 

Cook Islands 3 Dollar Bill

Cook Islands 3 dollar bill 

Although
the Cook Islands operates on the New Zealand dollar, there is still
some Cook Islands dolalrs in circulation that is equal in value to NZD.

The
$3 note which is more of a collectors or novelty item. These can be
picked up from the Rarotonga Philatelic Bureau or given as change when
paying departure tax.  

The official Cook Islands currency is the New Zealand dollar.  

 In
terms of cost of living in the Cook Islands, its price point is fairly
middle range in that it is a little more expensive than Fiji but a lot
less than French Polynesia and Tahiti. Part of the Cook Islands economy
is the VAT or Value Added Tax. Charged at 12.5% of the price, the tax is
added at the point of sale to almost everything however refunds are
available for tourists upon exiting the country.

Old Cook Island Dollars

12) SEVENSTAR YACHT TRANSPORT

 SPONSORS THE PANAMA POSSE

More info on Sevenstar™s services can be found on https://www.sevenstar-yacht-transport.com/

 

Sevenstar

 

Who is Sevenstar Yacht Transport?

Sevenstar
is the world’s leading provider of yacht shipping services on a
lift-on, lift-off basis. Sevenstar has access to the Spliethoff fleet of
over 120 company owned vessels. With an impressive 1,500+ transports
per year, they are calling over 100 ports in more than 40 countries
worldwide.

For a quote with the Panama Posse discount please contact 
Kris Caren

email: kris@sevenstar-usa.com

web: sevenstar-usa.com

13) QUINTESSENTIAL ANCHORAGE #13 🇹🇴TONGA

Hunga

Hunga / Valetoakakau  Vava'u Tonga aka Anchorage # 13

The Pass

During World War II many lagoons and closed harbors where blasted open to allow vessels to enter 

Valetoakakau

The
tight Pass into Hunga Valetoakakau ( # 13)  is 30 foot wide - 12.5
feet deep cut at high tide. Located at 18° 41.7216' S  174°
08.1816' W 

Wayward Wind

Wayward Wind a 11' draft schooner made it in with help from Captain Kurt.

Anchor inside a dormant volcanic caldera in the large depression formed after a volcano erupts and collapses.

The Moorings map of vava'u

The
archipelago of Vava'u - a hand drawn Moorings map which uses numbers to
make identifying locations  easier for Palangi's . Ta
pan-Polynesian term for a white person or Caucasian. The term has gained
widespread use throughout much of western Polynesia including Tonga,
Tokelau, Tuvalu, 'Uvea and Futuna.

Vava'u

Aerial view of a portion of the Vava'u Archipelago   in northern Tonga 

Don
Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa, commanding the Spanish frigate Princesa,
was the first European to come to Vavaʻu, which he did on 4 March 1781.
He charted Vavaʻu as Martín de Mayorga, naming it after the man who was
the Viceroy of New Spain at that time.  Captain James Cook had
known about the islands a decade earlier, but the people in Haʻapai had
told him it would be no good for him to go there. they told him there
was no harbour. ( THIS WAS A LIE ) They may have told him this to
dissuade him from going there; but Cook heeded their advice.

As
it turned out, Mourelle found excellent anchoring, in Vavaʻu, which he
desperately needed, because he had failed to find a harbour at the last
two places he had tried to land, Fonualei (Bitterness island) and Late.
He gave the harbour at Vavaʻu the name Port of Refuge, although his original port of refuge had been the bay on the west coast of the main island, near Longomapu.

Twelve
years later, in 1793, Alessandro Malaspina visited the area for a
month, following up on Mourelle’s investigations, and formally claiming
the islands for Spain. 

Captain Cook and the 'Friendly Islands

Captain Cook and the 'Friendly Islands

13) PANAMA CANAL AGENT 
CENTENARIO CONSULTING ERICK GALVEZ

To
arrange for transit with the Panama Canal Authority please contact Eric
Galvez our dedicated Panama Canal agent and sponsor of the Panama Posse
and the Pacific Posse

Erick Gálvez

info@centenarioconsulting.com

www.centenarioconsulting.com

Cellphone +507 6676-1376

WhatsApp +507 6676-1376

Erick

15) STRATEGIC PARTNERS
 

SEVEN SEAS CRUISING ASSOCIATION

Abernathy – Chandlery – Panama

Panama Posse 

Advertising Partners – Las Vegas

Safe-Esteem.com – Delaware


SIGN UP FOR THE '22 SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE  

WE OPERATE UNDER INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW

YOUR VESSEL YOUR CREW YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 

 

Notice of a rally

 

 

Hello

 

SY Reflections on approach in Lamen Bay  Vanuatu

With few cruisers in far flung places friendly rendezvous' on each other's yachts are the norm - prepare to be boarded ;-)  SY Reflections on approach in Lamen Bay  Vanuatu 

south pacific posse communications 
 @ 9811 w charleston blvd 2262 89117 Summerlin USA

© 2022 South Pacific Posse / Good Nautical Inc


Brisbane Harbour

RIVERGATE MARINA & SHIPYARD 🇦🇺 SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

RIVERGATE MARINA & SHIPYARD 🇦🇺 SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE
27° 26.6216' S  153°06.4666' E

RIVERGATE MARINA & SHIPYARD

We are exited to welcome the Pacific Posse to Australia and offer a 10 %  discount off marina fees and no live-aboard fee.

GM Andrew

GM Andrew

 

SERVICES

  • Official Customs ad Quarantine Port of Entry for Australia in South East Queensland
  • Berths and deep water access for vessels up to 90M
  • 24/7 on-water high-speed fuel facility and fuel bunkering
  • Single and 3 phase power up to 400 amp
  • Secure gated site monitored by patrols, CCTV cameras and floodlit at night
  • Clean marina certified
  • Onsite storage

AMENITIES

  • Concierge service 7 days a week
  • Service berths with vehicle access
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Laundry
  • Washrooms
  • Showers
  • Two Cafes

CONTACT

Alexander Binks
Marketing Coordinator
 
M  +61 (0) 4 5226 3318
T   +61 (0) 7 3907 1600
E   marketing@rivergate.com.au
7 Rivergate Place, Murarrie QLD 4172 Australia
rivergate.com.au

RIVERGATE MARINA & SHIPYARD
RATES 

Berth rates in AUD
Daily  Weekly Monthly
Up to 40 74 394   874
Multi Hull 85 492 1,231
41-50 80 457 1,022
Multi Hull 97 555 1,475
51-60 96 530 1,376
Multi Hull 125 702 1,992
61-66 119 658 1,787
Multi Hull 154 848 2,342

 

Live Aboard Fees:
$10 per day $275 per month

 

Berth Rental: Prices are in Australian dollars and are GST inclusive.
Berth Rental must be paid in advance.

A “Credit Card Authorization” form must be completed upon arrival.

All fees will be deducted from the nominated credit card.

All fees paid in advance are non refundable.

Marina Agreement:
A “Marina & Shipyard Agreement” must be completed upon arrival.
Insurance:
All vessels must have full comprehensive Insurance.
Wi-Fi:
A pass-code will be issued by the marina office on arrival and after payment of berth fees.
Security Access Keys:
Keys will be issued upon arrival and must be returned prior to departure.
If they are not returned, a $50.00 replacement fee will be charged per key.

Power:
All berths are powered and some have 3 phase power.
Berths with 3 phase or metered power are charged on consumption based on the meter readings.

Credit Cards:
A service fee applies to all credit card payments
1.3% MasterCard and Visa, 1.8% American Express and 2.5% Diners Club.

Direct deposit, cash and cheque payments do not attract this fee.

 

LOCATON

OFFICIAL WEBSITE >>
https://rivergate.com.au/about-us-index

 

NEARBY

  • Mount Tamborine Winery
  • Tangalooma Wrecks
  • Natural Bridge & Springbrook Waterfalls
  • Brisbane Story Bridge
  • Gold Coast Hinterland Heritage Museum
  • MacArthur Museum Brisbane
  • Queensland Maritime Museum
  • Commissariat Store Museum
  • Queensland Museum