25/6/2024 – 2/7/2024

We have opted to take a slight detour from the direct route to Fiji so that we can visit the Minerva Reefs. These are two submerged atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Fiji, Tonga and Niue and we couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to visit what looked to be a very special place. We have around a 1000 nautical miles of sailing to do before we reach the atolls and, as we set off, it seems a long, long way ahead.

This is our weather map as we head up the coast of New Zealand in darkness after leaving the shelter of Marsden Cove Marina at around 1pm.

Our passage log recorded ” Sea sloppy. Gusts to 32 knots. Double reefed main and double reefed Genoa.”

It was all very exciting as we managed 7-9 knots SOG (speed over ground) with occasional spurts of up to 13.5 knots as we surfed down a wave. Unfortunately, the sea state worsened and we were forced to furl the Genoa further and slow down to around 6.5 knots.

24 hours into the trip the swell peaked at 3-4 metres but the wind was dropping and the sea becoming a little less choppy. By midnight on the second night we were enjoying downwind sailing under the mainsail only and Claire, who had been suffering from sea sickness, managed to record in the log “Pretty moonrise” – she must have been feeling a little better!

At 8:30 on the morning of our third day we gybed and set the Genoa wing on wing with the wind almost dead behind us and the boat pointing directly at Minerva. By 2pm we recorded “Much calmer seas (2-2.5 metre swell, more consistently from the south). First load of washing done. Crew feeling much better”

By 11:00 am we hoisted the spinnaker and, with the wind less than 7knots apparent, felt confident enough to fly it all night.

We enjoyed an uneventful night with clear skies and a wonderful view of the Milky Way.

It was all going too well. At 5pm we discovered that the spinnaker sheet had almost frayed through – the block that it ran through had broken and provided a rough edge that had frayed the rope. So the spinnaker was brought down and the Genoa reset.

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. During the night several squalls brought crazy swirling winds which would have made a mess of the spinnaker. As it was, we had to start the engine and furl the Genoa for an hour or so until the wind settled and we could return to some downwind sailing.

July 1st brought our first fish of the trip – not including flying fish which managed to get onboard unnoticed and leave a trail of scales all over the decks. Nigel was first to the rod and brought in a good size skipjack tuna. Enough meat to keep us going for a while – we even managed smoke some on the BBQ.

Somewhat at odds with the carnage pictured above, we have signed up the a group called Citizens of the Sea. We have volunteered to take daily samples of the sea while on passage. This involves towing a ‘torpedo’ which has a sieve to filter the water. The fine mesh is then stored in a preservative and kept in the fridge until we hand over the whole collection once we arrive in Fiji. We collected three lots of samples each day and some clever technology records our exact position, speed, depth of water and the water temperature. The samples will be analysed for DNA and can apparently tell exactly what species have been in the vicinity. We are looking forward to seeing the results later this year.

A few wind shifts meant that our course led us somewhat to the west and north of Minerva. An early morning tack had us pointing vaguely in the right direction but we were forced to start the engines to be sure of entering the reef during daylight hours.

As we approached North Minerva we had one more exciting episode. The log recorded “Chaos (splendid chaos) this morning as Nigel shouted ‘fish on’ closely following by ‘two fish on’ and everybody scrambled out of bed to help.”

It turned out that there were fish on two rods and one hand line. We lost one of the ones on a rod but Nigel pulled in one on a hand line while Jonathan reeled in the second rod. Final result was two yellow fin tuna which were vacuum bagged and despatched to the freezer as we head to Minerva – all the scraps provided us with a delicious lunch. Notice Sue’s homemade bread in the images below. We are eating exceedingly well. Unfortunately everyone likes the crust. So, to avoid fights, every crust needs to be cut into four pieces!

After lunch and with some trepidation, we made our approach to the entrance to North Minerva Reef. Before leaving New Zealand we had purchased a Cruisers Guide to Fiji and Tonga. From this we had obtained GPS waypoints to guide us through the reef. This was our first chance to test the guide. No pressure. Just an isolated patch of rock 1000 miles from home surrounded by water 3km deep.

We need not have worried. The waypoints took us smoothly through the centre of a reasonably wide passage and into the tranquil waters of the lagoon. A calm oasis in the middle of an ocean that had behaved like an old agitator washing machine until now.

955 nautical miles covered and time for a rest.