Fenix in Panama

[Zeida]

HURRAY FOR FENIX AND ONE HUNDRED CHEERS FOR ITS TREMENDOUS SKIPPER!

lOOKING FORWARD TO FOLLOWING YOU ON SHIPTRACK
AND MAY GOD BE WITH THE TWO OF YOU ALL THE WAY UNTIL YOUR SAFE RETURN HOME.

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Had a chance to relax a bit. Last night had a "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

Raratonga is a very nice volcanic island with all the lush tropical greenery typical of the south Pacific. It is delightful to be back in an english speaking country again. To be perfect it only needs a great harbor. This is the first island that has charged me harbor fees, about $10/day. Maybe they are using the money to improve or enlarge the harbor, a difficult and time consuming job since it is either coral or volcanic lava.

The folks here are very friendly. The island seems quite prosperous. Autos, scooters and trucks everywhere. Only trouble is they drive on the wrong side down here.

Like many of the islands, with the advent of air travel, it has become a tourist mecca. You can rent a scooter for less than $20 a day and drive around. Cars are also available.

Prices are less than French Polynesia but still it is more expensive than the USA.

Think I will depart Saturday for Aitutaki, another of the Cooks about 140 miles due north. It has a pass through the reef made by explosives. 1.8 meter max draft at high tide only. Fenix's 4'4" or so will make it easily. The I will be in very well protected waters.

Then it is onto Suvarov, and American Samoa. Finally Tonga before heading to NZ for the storm season.

More feedback on boat mods.
The chainplates and new rigging have performed flawlessly.
Tight sheeting angles really aren't needed in the trades, especially on a 28' boat. I rarely sail closer than 60 degrees to the wind. The boat can do it, I can't. Believe me, hard on the wind in 15-25 knots and 6-8' seas is seriously not fun.

As for reduced cockpit volume. That is a result of building the LPG bottle locker into the cockpit footwell. The lessened volume is a side benefit. I have not be pooped as yet. And have only had a few large splashes in the cockpit area so far. Had much more water in the cockpit during the delivery from Viginia to FLA., but nothing that was evert a threat to the boat's safety.

I debated moving the rudder further aft, right to the aftermost part of the hull below the transom, than I did during the building phase. Now I kinda wish I had. Mainly because I could have attached the trimtab directly to the trailing edge of the rudder. This would have done much to simplify the self-steering system.

I will say that moving the rudder aft and making the rudder post verticle has made a big difference in the boat's responsiveness. The helm is also much lighter. Even in the big wind and seas of the last couple of days it was easy to steer the boat with one hand.

If you are cruising the Pacific Islands, chain is a must for anchoring, because of coral and often deep anchorages. I bought a new manual windless but usually still pull up most of the chain by hand because it is faster. Main anchor is a 35lb plow and 200' of 1/4 high test chain. I can easily add 50 ' to that from the secondary bow anchor.

Although self-tailing winches would be nice, they are way out of my price range. So far this has not been a difficulty. Four winches in the cockpit are needed with the cutter rig.

The staysail and Yankee combination give the boat tremendous drive on the wind. But cruisers should avoid windward sailing if possible.
The main and about 120% Genoa that I have are by far the most used sails.
Big overlap light air Genoas aren't needed out here. But I sure miss my drifter.
I have used the cruising chute once.
The storm sails only for adding weather helm through sheet to tiller lash-ups while experimenting with the windvane.

Fresh water has not been a problem. Nor Diesel.

Thanks to all my well wishers out there.

Take care all,
Fred

[John Ring]

Way to go Fred!

How is the mid boom sheeting system holding up? Did you stiffen the boom up in any way? Are you using the block just starboard of the mast for the mainsheet? If so, how is that holding up?

Best,
John Ring
CD28 #241
s/v Tantalus

[bill2]

Very cool - sounds like your extensive prep has made the boat very sound and reliable ( sitting below reading while 50 knots winds are howling seems pretty impressive to me )

Fair winds ( but also please keep the updates coming - we're addicted to them )

[fenixrises]

Hi John,

The mid boom sheeting has performed well.

The boat came with a very heavy duty Harken ball bearing traveller set up. This I moved to the cabin top with the addition of two custom made SS brackets.

One day while slatting around in a near calm between Panama and the Galapagos if memeory serves, the traveller popped off the track spewing the little plastic balls everywhere. About half the balls went over the side. Jury rig time.

I had a spare boom bail aboard. I installed it with the rounded part up, the through bolt under the traveller track and some scraps of PVC pipe to act as "bearings". So far it has worked very well. Of course it is harder to move back and forth but the system came with 4:1 purchases for moving the car so it still slides back and forth OK.

This looks like a permanent fix because I think it works better overall than the traveller car. I have a picture of the set up that I will post to the website later, probably from New Zealand.

I used three bails on the boom. One directly over the track, which is located just forward of the aft end of the turtle, the other two are spaced one foot then two feet further aft. I works great. The boom shows no sign of bending that I can detect. The main is loose footed and battenless.

I bought a used Harken mainsheet set up on e-Bay. Three single blocks and a fiddle with becket. The main sheet leads forward to a block under the boom on another bail then to the stand up block that used to be for the jib sheet off the jib club.

This block is a series 5(I think ) Shaefer block. The block works great and shows no sign of strain. This gives me a 5:1 purchase and at times it is needed. I use the jib sheet cabin top winch for a main sheet snubbing winch, don't think I ever had to use a winch handle for the main sheet.

I also retained the original boom bail at the end of the main boom and I added another on the same through bolt. One bail is below the boom for a preventer if needed the other has more depth and the bail is above the boom.

This is used with a snatch block for sheeting the Genoa or Drifter when off the wind. Because the clews on these sails are high the sheeting angle when off on a broad reach is above the main boom end. This set up works great.

You can't have too many snatch blocks!! I have six, two smaller new and four older used, all bought on e-Bay. Yes there are times when I have used all six.

Take care all,
Fred

[John Ring]

<img width="540" src="http://www.yachttantalus.com/Tantalus%2 ... et/aft.jpg">

Thanks Fred!

I was inspired by your work on FeNIX, and decided to follow suit on Tantalus with a nearly identical mid boom arrangement. I'm glad to hear it is holding up well!

Safe & Swift Sailing to FeNIX & Crew,

John Ring
CD28 #241 Tantalus

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Had a quick overnight sail from Raratonga to Aitutaki.
Left Rara at 9 AM, Saturday was anchor down in Aitutaki by 10:30 AM the following day.

Did 136 miles from Rara to Aitu in 24 hours under just the Genoa. Needless to say the wind was still strong here and has continued to be so.

I am in a small clear area near the only place to access Aitutaki. There is a trench cut through the reef. But if your draft is much over 5' forget it. My depth sounder registered just over 6' coming in at high tide. And then we bounched three times on coral heads in a secondary channel after clearimg the pass. But no damage done other than a few minor scratches.

Aitutaki is a beautiful place and the huge lagoon is fabulous with a million shades of water from dark blue through almost white over the shallowest places.

I'll be off on Sunday I think for Suvarov... but maybe I'll stay a bit longer 'cause it is so nice here.

Helped a French sailor jury rig his port shroud which partially parted on his passage here. Hopefully it will hold to get him back to Raiatea where he will leave the boat untill next year.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Its Monday and I am still here. It is so terrible that I had to force myself to stay five more days.

Also I can't leave 'till Friday. That's the next high tide at a time, 9AM, when I can see the pass clearly. You know the cardinal rule for navigating thru coral...Sun high and behind you so you can see through the water.

Saturday night was spent at the "Blue Nun", a well known watering hole. Had a buffet dinner. This was followed by a show of the local people. Dance and drums. I love the drums. A very primal sound.

Do not miss Aitutaki if you ever come this way. It is delightful here. A population of about 1,600 and almost all smiles. Beautiful beaches, fabulous coral and colorful tropical fish all abound. With a wetsuit you can enjoy it all.

I just wish the water were a bit warmer. Since I am a "weenie" and do not like cold, to me, water I could not go swimming here without at least a spring suit.

I hope the nastiest of the winter weather is past. Had a real howler come through the other day. Winds up in the 30's but small waves because of the reefs all around.

My dingy almost sank from being filled with splashes. Had a panicy few minutes getting it secued to the jib halyard after the wind took the end of the main halyard out of my hands. Hoisted it clear of the sea, which dumped the water but my engine was under water for a bit.

I immeadiatly flushed it and oiled it and it seems to be fine, still running great.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

After a very pleasant interlude in Aitutaki, Fenix and I headed for Suvarov atoll. It was about a 380 mile trip and was accomplished in a bit over three days. The wind went away for a bit on the second night and left behind a nasty swell from three different directions, ugh! So I used the engine for a bit just to keep the boat moving.

We arrived at Suvarov just enough before sunset to be able to safely get through the pass and anchored in the lagoon.

I spent a week in the lagoon and it was wonderful. There was a Cook Island man and wife with their four young sons living on the main motu. They are caretakers for the atoll. They help and keep an eye on the yachties. Very warm and hospitable folks.

The third day we all, me, the family and the other yachties went on a day trip to one of the other group of motus. Mostly eyeballing the sights and a little snorkeling. Amazing the amount of trash that washes up on these little specks of land, out in the middle of nowhere.

There was a computer monitor up on the windward side of one motu and the CRT was still intact! Increadible to think of it being washed above the high tide line over the coral and undamaged. Also there were many fishing floats, all manner of bottles both glass and plastic. And for some reason flip-flops found a home here. Hard hats as well. A couple of unbroken flourescent light bulbs were also present.

While we were off on our day trip Fenix decided she didn't like her anchorage and moved about a 1/4 mile away;). The anchor drug. Fortunatly one boat and crew didn't go on our excursion and rescued Fenix from jaws of the coral. Since they departed before our return I did not get a chance to thank them for saving my boat in my absense.

On my last night I joined everyone ashore for one of the cruisers favorite celebrations. A big pot luck on the beach. There were crews from 9 different boats and John and Veronica with thier 4 boys. We all had a great time.

Then it was off to AS the next morning. A trip of about 450 miles was made in 4 days. Generally it was easy sailing. We slowed down intentionally the day or so before arrival so as not to come into port at night.

We have been here for only a short time. I am awaiting a new pair of glasses from the states and just relaxing and enjoying my visit. Am Samoa has changed quite a bit since my last visit, 14 years ago.

I had a BIG surprise when I first went ashore in the dingy.

Looking at the man made pier where a number of long term boats are tied up I saw a small double ender in next to the beach.
I though to myself, that looks like a Pacific Seacraft 25. And it was. In fact it was the PS 25 I built 25+ years ago!!! Sadly it is now in a state of terrible neglect. The before and after pictures are shocking.

They along with many other new pics will be on the Fenix website sometime after I get to New Zealand. The internet connection here on Samoa is still far too slow to upload over a gig of files.

Next I think we are going to try for Niui(sp), south and a bit east.
Then Tonga.

Take care all,
Fred

[Kent Martin]

Fred,

Keep up the posts, I am living vicariously through you!

Well done,
Kent

[SeaBelle]

Fred,

Knowing that another CD28 with a skipper more eperienced and talented than I is living my dream is mostly encouraging and sometimes dissapointing (why don't I live my own dream?).

Sail on.
Jack

[Neil Gordon]

Fred,

Knowing that another CD28 with a skipper more eperienced and talented than I is living my dream is mostly encouraging and sometimes dissapointing (why don't I live my own dream?).

Sail on.
Jack

I suppose you don't have to live the whole dream... you can live parts of it and practice for the rest while you do it. That way you don't lose the dream even while you're not living it.

A friend of mine at the marina lives year round on a CD30 and has now gone through five New England winters. His dream became reality when he decided to sell his house and buy a boat to live on. I suspect the dream started somewhere around age 11; the reality started at age 75.

I'm also reminded of a very lonely O'Day 28 that was across the dock from me for two years. It was launched in the spring, never rigged, never visited and then hauled in the fall. I never met the owner but the story is that he was older, not healthy and not capable of even coming down to the boat. He was capable of dreaming of coming back, though.

Keep the dream alive. You never know.

[Sailing Soldier]

Any word on FeNIX's voyage? Last I heard she was in the South Pacific?

John Walsh
CD 28 #177
"Liberty"
Rhode Island

[SeaBelle]

Neil,

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words.

I'm not in a complete funk that I'm not sailing the world (or even the Pacific).

I'm sailing Penobscott Bay and points East. I'm grateful for that; heck, I'm grateful to be sailing at all.

Last January I sailed the Virgins for a couple of weeks on a friend's Saber 45. In May I sailed it back from St. John to Maine with a stop in Bermuda. It had always been a dream, a goal really, to do a real offshore passage. I had done many 24 and 36 hour sails but on every occassion we were all up the whole time, too much adrenalin to stand a proper watch.

That was the trip of a lifetime. While we suffered the lack of wind from St. John to Bermuda, we made up for it on the 2nd leg. Days of 30-35 kn winds gusting to over 50 kn and sailing comfortably under a triple reefed main and a hankerchief sized jib. On the edge of the Gulf Stream we were met with a fierce thunderstorm with Lightening close to the ground and horizontal. Moondance had taken a direct hit while in Maine the year before and it fried $50k worth of electronics, Captain Bill was understandably nervious. We looked for a hole through it and found none; we tried to wait for it to pass until we realized the futility of out waiting a stationary front; finally we punched through. When sailing the West Indies we often said we were sailing in Paradise, here we were sailing in Hell. In the midst of Hell's fury I was confident in boat and crew and although the sight and sound were hellish, I was calm and could just take it in. All of this is etched in my failing memory. Thank God.

As you suggest, Niel, I'll keep my dreams and I'll remember to be grateful for what I already have.

Sail on.

ps,

I lived in Cincinnati for 2 years and was always surprised and amused when some one said they had been to Paris, France. I wouldn't have added the ", France". I soon learned these folks or their neighbors may have come from Paris, KY so the ", France" was appropriate even if it sounded foolish to me (21 and recently out of Jersey City, who foolishly though himself cosmopolitain).

I was emphatically told that St. John, USVI was NOT St. John's. This subtely is lost when I say I had sailed from St. John to Kittery, ME. New Englanders assume I'm speaking of St. John's, New Brunswick, Canada. So at the risk of seeming parochial I say ST. John, USVI.

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

It is now Thursday morning. I am still waiting for my glasses. Flights come into Samoa twice a week, next one is tonight. I hope my stuff is on that plane otherwise I have to wait 'till Monday, 'cause the next flight isn't 'till Sunday night.

Conditions here have run the gamut from blustery and cool with strong wind and driving rain to beautiful warm sunshiney days with high humidity.

A number of boats have come and gone as the normal flow of the "Coconut Run" slowly drifts ever westward.

One boat, "Quest" a Westsail 32, just came in from Hawaii. Bill, the captain is starting his second circumnavigation. He and I had a small chat after he got his anchor down. Bill said that this time around he is going to take his time going round. His boat definitely has the look of a long term sailing home. He knew about Cape Dorys and at first though mine was a 36. I wish!! Little Fenix certainly was puffed up by that remark.

AM Samoa is a good stop for provisions and access to stateside parts and materials. For Americans it is one last slice of Americana before venturing off into foreign realms again.

Cruisers are of course divided about where to go next. The main schools of thought are:
South to Tonga as a jumping off point to New Zealand.
West to Fiji as a jumping off point to New Zealand.
Spending the cyclone season in Fiji.
North to the Marshalls to get out of the cyclone area.
And probably others of which I know nothing.

I wanted to upload some new info for the website but can't do that from here on the public library computers.

Jack and Seabelle.

On a plaque below the bust of Tom Neale at Suvarov it says
"For 25 years he lived his dream"
He never sailed anywhere.
Because his dream was to live on Suvarov.
Different people, different dreams.

It doesn't take talent or experience to sail about on the ocean.
Heck if you had to have experience first, no one could ever go.
Talent comes in many forms, some useful to sailors and some not.

The biggest thing it takes to go sailing anywhere, whether for an hour or a decade, is making the decision to do so. In fact the biggest thing it takes to do anything in life, is making the decision to do so.

Totally pointless to berate one's self for not doing something.
Because we are all doing something. That something is what is within our capabilities or limitations, right now.

Dreams inspire us but do not always come to fruition. Probably a good thing for most of us.

Take care,
Fred