Wilderness Cruising | Nautitech Open 40 blog

Cleats: base of mast, trampoline, transom Non return values: engine bays and under stairs Electronics: inverter breaker wiring, shunt bi basses Owners door catch Standing rig diamond chafe protection Safety line backstay chafe protection Running rigging for bauber haul lines Reseal emergency tiller fitting Saloon door height Teak steps Gale floor sanding

As a skipper, your number one concern is safey,  thinking always of saftey makes you think about others in distress, especially others on the water.  We have just made a monthly berth booking in Whangarei, New Zealand, and we didn't really expect to be doing any more boating adventures. When we were cruising, we often wound up in unexpected situations, but we thought this was all over after signing up for a long term berth. We decided it would be nice to go for a sail over the weekend and planed to go to Munro Bay, a favourite local anchorage, pretty and remote. There are hills, a farm, a reserve, and a couple of houses. Its shallow, good holding, muddy bottom, and good protection from North - NothEast winds. Also scallops and good fishing if you're a Kiwi.  Anyway, an hour out we heard a distress call from a boat in Paura Bay. This was sort of on the way, well its actually out of the way, but we did have to go passed the entrance. There's usually tons of boats there. The...

Taking a sabatical Our life in the UK was really good. We lived in a leafy Surrey suburb, with an active local church, a farmers market, links to London, lots of social activities, and we had jobs we enjoyed. But after two decades of work we felt the need for a sabbatical. Our dream was to explore, and to sail. So we quit our jobs, bought a boat and set off for a life of world cruising.  What happened We knew we could travel for two years, but had no fixed destination, this was the extent of the plan. It turned out that we loved the lifestyle, and our 2 year sabbatical turned into 4. Every day on the water is different, and we accumulated many stories.  The Pandemic Ultimately we found ourselves in New Zealand, and were thrilled and relieved to arrive here. We were two years in and it felt like the end of our journey. We had seen more than we dreamed of, we made it across the Atlantic, and Pacific, sailing over 20,000 nautical miles, and visiting 17 countries. Sailing into Opu...

I mentioned that Kiwi fisherman gave us fish for helping him, but this is not the first time we've been given fresh fish by Kiwis. We eat fish, but we're no good at catching them. Luckily for us New Zealanders are very good at catching fish, and also happen to be generous with them, or perhaps we just have a hungry look. Over on Great Barrier Island we saw a familiar boat, but when we went over, the owner was not who we expected. The boat had been sold, and the new owner was onboard. We got to talking about boats, and the next thing I knew I'd offered to take a look at his watermaker for him. They had an Open Ocean 30L DC model. We have the 60L model, and they are basically the same. Watermakers are a sensitive bit of kit. Despite the sophistication, they feel like a cottage industry, not at all like a dishwasher home appliance. You need an understanding of electrical circuits, reverse osmosis membranes, filters, plumbing, high pressure, power, etc, before you even go near ...

I thought I'd learned my lesson, but it just will not stick.  Here's some of our tender exploits; jungle river exploration, lost in dingyy, lost the dinghy, rescued the dinghy, rescued another dinghy, caught speeding, soaked, swamped, flooded, starved, flipped on davits, floated away on tide, forgot to tie on, caught dingy painter in dinghy prop, caught dingy painter in yacht prop, hit a reef, hit a reef at night, dinghy drifting, dinghy drift snorkel, towed snorkel, towed boat to harbour, rescued yacht using the dinghy, and more... One of the lessons I thought I learned through all of this is, don't be a hero!  In the Marquesas, Nuku Hiva has the main port for cruisers. There is lots to see on other islands, but the access to town, plus the large protected harbour, means Nuku Hiva is one of the most popular spots for cruisers. The town has a wharf that locals and cruisers use to tie up. It's not uncommon to see 20 dinghies tied up. Sometimes dinghies can be three deep ...

We've met many interesting characters on our travels. The memory of this Texan sailor always makes me smile. It was November, and the end of cruising season on the US East coast. Many boats had gathered in Norfolk in the lower Chesapeake to make the dash across the gulf stream. Rallies were staging, sailors were partying, and plans and stories were exchanged.  Although there is lots going on, everyones first priority is the criticaly important weather routing to safely pass Cape Hatteras, and the Gulf stream. We met all kinds of characters here, solo sailors, couples, families, and those with pets onboard. Sailors with movie scripts, sailors on multi-million dollar yachts, sailors still busy repairing critical systems, even sailors without a boat. One cruiser let us tie up to his fancy Fountain Pagoit, a well known French Catamaran. We got talking, swapping stories, and the Outremers came up. These catamarans are well known. They look amazing, they are high performance, but expensi...

One of the best things about having a boat is the sense of freedom you have in choosing your destination and setting off.  Due to some essential tasks we needed to complete, we spent three days up the Whangarei river. But now we're out! Days of early starts and late evenings muddled our sleep patterns. One more early start is needed for us to get to Mahurangi harbour to clean our boat bottoms.  A haul out is scheduled next week, but the last time we hauled out, a high pressure wash damaged our copper coat. So we didn't want a repeat of this, and decided to forgo the pressure wash this time. As we didn't want to lift out with dirty bottoms, it means we have to clean them, so this why we are heading for Mahurangi. We prefer super settled, almost glassy conditions, and shallow waters for bottom cleaning, and Mahurangi provides this.  So we were up before dawn, the waxing moon giving us just enough light to get ready. We made it back round the gap between the isolated da...

Our bilge blowers are Rule 24v 76mm. I know this because one recently died. This is how you get to know your boat better. By focusing on an area each time essential repairs or preventative maintenance is needed. It really confused me to find the 24v version installed as my boat is 12v, so where would the fan get 24v from? I could see it connected to a relay, perhaps that increased the voltage supplied to the fan somehow? I measured just over 13v with my trusty Fluke multimeter. This means the 24v fan was only running 1/2 speed. Sourcing direct replacement parts was difficult. Both Burnsco and L&P told me there were no 3" 24v blowers in the country. The 24v version is not commonly used and I worried that switching to 12v might cause problems.  It may still be possible to repair the old rule blower by cleaning the motor brushes. But I decided to just replace them with 12v blowers instead. I also decided on the TMC model. The ends of the TMC blower are still 3" but the housi...

The sea is a harsh environment, and even sturdy marinized gear breaks down. 4 years of UV damage has turned my Lewmar #4 track stops into crumble.  This is why I found myself making do with a tube of Sika 291 and a bar of soap to replace my track rubber stops. Out in the wilder parts of the world there is not the same access to parts and services that we are used to in the West. Sometimes you need to get a little bit creative when cruising. Even out in New Zealand some parts can be hard to source. Although my track stops were on order, the expected delivery would take months. I decided to try a temporary replacement. With my last intact rubber stop, and a bar of soap, I heated the soap, and when it softened, enough, I stirred it, put in the rubber stop and waited for it to cool down.  I carefully removed the rubber stop, and with my new mould, and a tube of sika 291, I made up enough temporary stops to get by until the replacements arrived. The lesson I learned is that Sika 29...

In 2019 we spent a week exploring the remote Darien river, the natural jungle border between Panama and Columbia. We had just sailed out of one creek when we saw two yachts heading up the next inlet. Over the radio we heard "Oh! We have company".  "Yeah, but he must be a local, he's got his sail up". That is how we met Agape and Halcyon.  This is the account of their lockdown on a boat, on the other side of the world. It's an inspiring read, deep, and thoughtful.  You can tell they have been on a voyage, and learned lessons on the way. Yachting Wolrd : Pacif Castaway

Yesterday I said, light winds in the Americas Cup were more exciting as they add the possibility of the boats falling off their foils. Today I have to eat my words. Stronger winds are just as exciting, especially in boats so evenly matched. Watch race 9 here.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/2411813889062536/permalink/2852516351658952/ By now the sailing characteristic of both boats are known by all. Luna Rossa can point higher, but Emirates can sail faster, and make better VMG on downwind legs. Considering the size and speed of these boats the sailing is close! Race 7 and 8 saw passes, lead changes, close starts, and boats coming off their foils.  Skipper of American Magic Dean Barker stated in the TVNZ coverage  "It was the most bizzare race." Today, the wind strrength was up, we saw 12 - 18kts, averaging around 15kts, the teams were practicing on the course, and different jibs were going up and down. There was a sense that the days racing would be even more exciting th...

The marine enviroment is tough. Even on a new boat metals suffer from oxidation, corrosion, stress, electrolysis.  One particularly annoying task is dealing with seized bolts. So there are lots of ways to get seized bolts out. Overnight application or CRC Impact driver Persuasion Tapping Drilling Cutting a slot *Taps *Not much success with taps. Anyway, now that you have removed your bolt, I'm guessing that you do not feel like doing that again any time soon? Well, there is a simple and easy answer. Make sure you have a tube of Tefgel onboard.  If you have any concern about seized bolts, just coat the thread with Tefgel before you put it back. I've tried it, and it works well. So either buy and use this product on your threads, or get used to unseizing blots. About to replace old track stops, these bolts will get a Tefgel topup.

What a dramatic Americas Cup race. Yesterday's race was cancelled due to light winds. But light winds actually make for a more interesting race. If you missed it, here's the link. Its worth watching. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2411813889062536/permalink/2851674165076504/ With winds over 12kts,  the race can feel like more of a parade. The boat that selected the best sail, or the boat that wins the start wins the race.  If the winds are light, like they were today, around 8kts, there is a chance the boats fall of their foils. If this happens it dramatically changes the race. We saw this in the Prada Cup, the feeder series of the Americas Cup. Today was the first time we had light patchy winds in the Americas Cup, and it was super exciting. It can be tricky to follow the racing from the water with a poor angle. With a lag in the broadcast coverage you are constantly trying to piece together a strange view and a delayed commentary. We managed to get a good spot overlooking t...

I'm so thankful for our davits. On the Open 40 it means that raising and lowering the dingy with the 3:1 pulley setup is simple and can be done with minimal effort.  We are in our fourth year as liveaboards over 20,000 nm sailed. We have left our Highfield CL130 with Suzuki 9.9 outboard on the davits throughout. That's pretty good going, to think that we can prepare the dingy to cross an ocean in under three minutes.  Often overlooked when securing the dingy are the cleats placed specifically to stop sideways movement. It's horrible to see someone sailing along with the dingy crashing from side to side, when it is so simple to tie up.  To secure it from sideways movement:  Lift up the dingy, aim to get the dingy side tucked in right up to the bottom of the davits.  Take the painter to the cleat just behind the main sheet winch, and tighten the so that the side of the dingy presses firmly up against the back of the boat.  Take a line from the stern of the di...

6th March - 2 years ago Fung and I left Panama for the Marquesas, a 3800nm sail that took us 30days. We did not know what to expect from this long passage, but we had lots of adventure, and even met new friends. One Booby bird joined us as crew for several days, and even helped on watches and sail changes. Fung put together this vid of the fun with our Pacific crew. https://youtu.be/jNK3Z6kAwYk Read our Pacific Crossing 2019 Passage Log here We couldn't imagine that we would wind-up in New Zealand, or that we would still be here onboard Wilderness 2 years later.

Lazyjack tips The Open 40 comes with lazyjacks running inside the mast. At some point they cross and emerge towards the second spreader. Running the line outside the mast makes them run smoother, and easier to maintain, and less likely to chafe. An added benefit is that if they break they wont get stuck inside the mast. To make this change you will need: A cleat Two small blocks A spare line to secure the blocks to the spreader A Bosun's chair, and a helper Simplfied procedure: Add a cleat to the base of the mast so that there is a cleat at either side. You could double up on the existing one. But I think it makes sense to have a dedicated cleat for each lazyjack line. Uncleat the lazyjack lines.  Remember to add/leave a mousing line, just in case you want to run something else up. Ascend the mast, and tie the blocks on the second spreader, 6" from the base of the mast. While you up at the second spreader, take out the lazyjack line and run it through the new block straight d...

Looking back, I can see that a few key decisions have had a major impact in my life.  Living on a boat, we make decisions that affect us everyday, and these decisions are more frequent, and their effects are amplified. A bad decision could cost lives. At best you get lucky and a bad decision doesn't lead to any loss. So you need to develop good decision making skills. Yesterday was another example. New Zealand - already in covid lockdown - went into Tsunami alert. Anchored in Mahurangi harbour, we had another decision to make. Abandon the boat and head for a Tsunami evacuation zone. Head up river. Stay put. Head out to sea. Sailing friends on their own boats, have their own decision to make. Civil defense, harbour master, or coast guard. no matter who offers advice, they are not the one making the decision, and while good intentioned will not live with the consequences. Decisions you make about the boat are entirely your call. We already learned this lesson about good intentioned a...

What chain hook do you use? This is one of those eternal boating questions among cruisers. It's almost like asking for an anchor recommendation, except that more sailors can agree on anchors. Chain hooks are a problem because there isn't a bullet proof, simple, and generally recognised answer.   People want three things out of their chain hook. 1.       Simple to operate, easy to put on and take off 2.       Reliable, it must be secure, and do its job when conditions worsen 3.       Marinized equipment, it must be robust, and stand up to a harsh environment   In a old poll on Cruisers Forum 13 chain hooks are compared.  https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f118/anchor-chain-hook-poll-95248.html   Eye Grab Hook 37 Rolling hitch knot 20 Other 15 Mantus Chain Hook 12 ABI Chain Grabb...

The autopilot is made up of an electronic compass, a controller, and an arm -  a kind of piston that attaches to the steering quadrant. The response is how quickly the system moves the rudder back and forward to keep the boat on track. I'm writing about this as we went through a set of setting cables, this can be unnerving when you are out sailing on the ocean and suddenly have no steering, but that's another story. Anyway, we are not the only ones to see broken steering cables. So what's the issue? It could be wear and tear, but we have now done more than double the miles on the new cables than we had on the old ones, and they are still in good shape, so we must be doing something else right. We are careful to keep the right amount of tension on the cables. Too tight and the steering will feel stiff, too loose and the cables could slip out their tracks. We keep them greased where they run through pulleys and the quadrant, but the main thing we do is balance the boat, and t...