Rayfiki

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Rayfiki

Rayfiki - Beautiful Blue Lagoon

As always Blue Lagoon lives up to its exposure! The golden beaches, blue sea, sunshine and NO wind - well had 2 windless days. Just love where they feed the fish!! We have taken our breadcrumbs and been surrounded by millions of fat little friends. Always love watching the flyer come in and the pandemonium which ensues as the ducklings have no idea where Mama duck will stop

Rayfiki - KIck Arse Yacht

Parko, my good sailing buddy from Whanga, always refers to Rayfiki as that Kick Arse Yacht. Well today it lived up to its name. Sitting up on the tramp in the sun as we clipped along at 10 k with a true wind speed averaging 15k was fantastic. I even got a screenshot of us doing 10k in a TWS of 10.3k a peak of 18 was great. The seas were calm with about a 2 to 3 m swell with a long period so that was pleasant and helpful. All crew just enjoyed the shear excitement of the speed and like an albatross Read more...

we seemed to skim over the top of the sea. By 4.30 the wind kept coming up, so first went the screecher, and so ended a most pleasant day in the sun. We just kept reefing down: next came the main and then the headsail. Unfortunately with the wind has come a lumpy sea so we just tootled along at a more sedate rate.

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Rayfiki - U going the wrong way!! WHAT me??

 So we leave Minerva entrance and turn to head to Fiji?a nice Tuna for lunch decides to jump on and a small battle with Joel ensues. We slow Rayfiki down and land lunch. Soon afterwards the VHF goes and it is a nearby yacht "Where r u heading Rayfiki??" "Fiji" replies Rayfiki "Well u r going in the wrong direction" oh dear there is water all around - no trees or hills to take a bearing from - so we could be heading wrong way .mmmmmm. Check my old tools: Compass - thats showing we heading North. Read more...

"How do u know" I reply "Your position on our AIS has given yr course as 180T" Ahhh - someone else has spotted the problems we have been having with our brand new Vesper AIS transponder - and the item which has made the bad weather in Minerva rather welcome as I have been absorbed most of the time trying to figure out the problem. Once we knew we are heading generally in correct direction, up went the screecher which we kept up most of the day That evening we received the twice daily Predict Wind weather routing. Our next few way point were South - WHAT !!! Is there BIG winds or something ahead??? An email to Predict Wind resulted in a response. We had not gone directly to a Waypoint off Minerva so the programme was taking us back to do it properly!!!

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Rayfiki - Excitement in North Minerva

Two days of sitting couped up on Rayfiki aint too bad - when u wonder how others are getting on in smaller quarters. However two days of having the wind howling so loudly that you could not hear the surf and most books on board getting exhausted, it was a welcome relief to hear the forecast that the wind was dropping this morning. Well it did subside but only really by lunchtime?when the sun came out as well. We were also joined by a Tongan Navy vessel who circled the reef so we could see how Read more...

big the waves were as they ploughed up and down and rolled around. After demonstrating their naval skills they thought they should come into the lagoon to seek shelter and deal to their collywobbles?. Any thoughts of being invited onboard for Kava cocktails with the Captain were dashed when they anchored as far from us mere yachties as they could. Anyway wasn't long before the VHF radio crackled with the voice of NZ Airforce Orion heading to Minerva and he wanted all yachts to identify themselves and provide departure and arrival details. OOOPs on his first fly over and getting the first report he spotted said Tongan navy also ensconced in the lagoon. ooohlala,,,he tried to call them as well and got a rather mumbled kava induced and inane response. He advised us that he would get back to us. Sure enough he did 10 minutes later?..i bet there were frantic calls to Wellington as what to do next. (There is conflict between Tonga and Fiji as to ownership of Minerva Reef. At the moment with the whole Tongan navy protecting us and NZ fire force above it look like we are safe form Fiji invading - for the moment.) Once the diplomatic channels had cleared the way the interrogation continued. In all 28 yachts in N Minerva with a few more in South Minerva. Once our man in the sky had satisfied himself that all yachts were accounted for he (as requested by Ross) he put his lights on and did a low fly past and headed back to NZ and the rain and cold. We exhausted by all this excitement decided to cool off with a much needed swim. At the weather sled on Radio Minerva in the morning I had suggested we all meet at low tide around 4.30 on the reef for a meet greet reunion and drink. What a sight: at 5pm with 50 people standing on the reef - dingies lining the reef wall and the water cascading off the reef. The wind had dropped but was still cool so we left to get back to Rayfiki and lift dingies, stow engines and get ourselves ready for a after breakfast departure tomorrow.

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Rayfiki - The Oasis of North Minerva

position 23 39.4s 178 54.1w We were greeted this morning with a dull and overcast day with rising winds. This was overshadowed by the forecast of increasing rain and wind. Sure enough by tonight we have hit 50k and have probably 1/2 m swells which Rayfiki is riding nicely. Everyone read and I tried to get the AIS going again. Miracles on miracles it has started working and the Raymarine chart plotter once again appears on our iPads or iPhones?.very very useful for the crew as they lie in bed Read more...

listening to the wind in the rigging and watch our track as we swing back on forth in an arc on the end of our tether. And the yachts continued to pile in. So now there are a total of 25 yachts facing into the wind and waves. Rather be here than 1/2 a mile east in 3, 4 or possibly 5 m swells.

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Rayfiki - Great to be at North Minerva

position 23 39.4s 178 54.1w The weather was quite good - a bit of sun squeezed through. Went for a snorkel near the reef in the lovely warm water?.as crystal clear as it comes. Unfortuneatly there is very little coral. However, it was so lovely to see all the familiar tropical fish swimming around. The excursion was topped off for me by spending a few minutes in the company of a half metre turtle and later on with a 1m reef shark.
The tide was going out mid morning and by midday we were Read more...

able to walk across the reef to the ocean side?what an experience. To think I was standing on the ocean with nothing around for a few hundred miles.
The edge of the reef at low tide is about half a meter above the sea level and has been eroded away with time but equally has much growth on it. The waves crashing on the ocean side of the reef send water across the reef to the inside of the lagoon so there are a myriad of waterfalls along the ledge. It all makes it look like the terraces of Pammukele or even what I imagine the pink and white terraces may be like with a different hue.
Decided to take my copter for a whirl?over the reef. Despite the cloud cover I am rather pleased with my photos. Went up to 220m and from that altitude have some very good pics all the way to the pass. You get such a different perspective of the reef looking down on it. I will post some when I get WiFi. I hope the wind dies and the sun comes out before we leave so I can get some more pics?however I doubt that will be the case After lunch took the dingy down to look at the lighthouse. Mark & Joel climbed to the top! Mark was looking for some surf :) They then spotted a wreck in the distance so took off to examine it. Only when they were nearly ontop of it did they realise it was a lump of rock or coral that had been weathered to look like a wreck.

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Rayfiki - Awesome North Minerva

Its quite awesome being in here...waves crashing on the reef outside & then calm water - 14 boats in here last night. 1 came in about 7pm in the dark and there are 3 boats outside about to come in with daylight with I think some more behind that Just dancing around beautifully. Ross & Pam Vixen7 anchored next door...they arrived soon after. Had a chat with Citrus Tart as we came past South Minerva - they heading up here today. There were 2 other yachts in S Minerva. Fullcloud cover and Read more...

intermittent rain. N Minerva is 3nm in diameter and all yachts are clustered down the SE end - closest to the direction of forecast wind. We had a bit of a sail yesterday before coming in as the wind got up in the morning. Had a tooty around & then came down to where the other yachts were found a nice spot on sand in 14m and dropped anchor in crystal clear water. I was controlling the process from bow and holding ourselves over the anchor as I wanted to see it touch the bottom and check it had dug in. The next thing a 45k knot squall hit - & just had to go backwards and feed the chain out. 70m of chain out I felt we were IN and we held against this gust which lasted about 5 minutes...then dropped to 25 or so and now down to about 8. N. Minerva is a more pleasant drive around as 2/3 of it does not have all the bommies that S. Minerva has. If I look out the hatch above our steps it is a lovely view looking at reef and waves crashing onto it.

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