Uto ni Yalo's carvings (Update 47)
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Date: Thursday 10th June
Time: 1600 hours Samoa Time (GMT – 11 hours)
Position: 16* 05.9’ South/ 169* 27.6’ West (180 n.m. from Sinalei)

Bula Viti, Rotuma kei Vuravura

Since my report yesterday we have covered 150 nautical miles. The wind stayed with us most of yesterday at around 12 – 15 knots from the East South East although it deserted us through the night dropping to under 8 knots with some spells of 4 – 5 knots.

Te Matau was undertow by Foftein at 6pm last night as they fell some 40 nautical miles behind us and was able to do 8.5 knots through the night. They left the tow at 7.30am 19 nautical miles ahead of us and by lunch we had halved their lead.

We have had 10 – 12 knots all day and now have Hine Moana and Te Matau a Maui on our Port bow approximately 5 nautical miles ahead and 4 natical miles South West of us.

Our Watch Captains for this leg, Unaisi, Kelekele and Ratu Manoa have been plotting our position every three hours and we are staying very close to the layline (a straight line between Rarotonga and Upolu), never straying more than 5 nautical miles from the layline.

As the wind shifts, we gybe back towards the layline. It is very tricky gibing the Gennaker without dropping it but we have figured out a system that works really well.

First we transfer the tack of the Gennaker from the windward bowsprit to the Leeward hull using a 6mm braided line. Then we bring the sheet forward while turning the canoe square downwind and running the sheet around the forestay and Gennaker attachment point on the bowsprit.

Then we gybe the Mainsail and Mizzen and change to the new course (60 degrees) and fill the Gennaker.

The tricky part is avoiding a twist in the Gennaker as we gybe. The best way is to keep some wind in the sail and gybe it across at the last second.

Our old faithfull Gennaker is getting a lot of use on this leg of the voyage and I suspect it will get a lot of use on the journey to Tonga and Fiji as we sail with the trade winds.

Yesterday afternoon right after I sent off my report, a pod of Spinner Dolphins visited us briefly and showed us some acrobatics before heading off in a North Easterly direction.

They were obviously on a journey somewhere and only stopped by to say hello.

We had a treat this morning for breakfast with Rupeni cooking Lolo Buns (buns in coconut milk). Like most of the crew, I dug into the buns before having fruit and cereal.

The rest of the day has been spent doing repair work, organising accommodation in Samoa by e-mail, laundry and magimagi work.

Salome and Kai’afa have been weaving magimagi on the handrail posts to replace the old magimagi that has been damaged during the voyage.

Vilisoni, Paul and I repaired the damaged hardwood deck boards that ripped up during rough weather from Auckland to Raivavae. We found some longer screws and used Sikaflex to fill the old screw holes and to glue the boards down again.

One of the points of difference of our canoe when we are in port is the carving and magimagi on Uto ni Yalo. Each canoe has its own unique carving on board. But the Uto ni Yalo has much more carving as it is carved along the handrails, backs of seats, bowsprints and mast steps.

Kai’afa also weaved a wonderful pattern of magimagi on the steering paddle shaft that all our visitors comment on. Even the beams that hold our solar panels are held down with a magimagi pattern.

The website www.fijivoyaging.com has just been updated with a bunch of shots of Kai’afa carving and the end result so be sure to have a look at the wonderful work throughout the Uto Ni Yalo.

We should sight Tutuila tomorrow morning as we pass to the South heading towards Upolu. At our current speed, we will be close to Upolu late tomorrow afternoon.

Moce

Colin/Uto ni Yalo

Report by Satellite Phone courtesy of DIGICEL