Pacific Ocean part 3: Rolling, Rolling, Rolling down the waves

Finally, my night shift is over. The variable winds and high waves kept me busy adjusting course the entire time. Jeroen takes over from me. With a tired sigh, I stumbled to my bed, my hands clutching onto anything that seemed sturdy enough to keep me upright. A huge wave crashed into the boat, forcing me to stop even for a moment and regain my balance. The rough ocean tossed us back and forth, which took some getting used to after our calm sailing so far.

Once in bed, I lay there, my eyes heavy with fatigue, but sleep seemed to flee. Not only because of the endless rocking and rolling but also because of the ominous sound of tinkling cups and sliding pots in the cupboards. Like a detective on the hunt for peace, I went to investigate, determined to find the source of these annoying noises.

With Sherlock Holmes’s precision, extra towels and tea towels were strategically placed to cushion anything that might move. Jeroen checked all the lines outside, and the hook on the fishing rod was firmly reattached, which stopped the tapping against the rail. Nice weather sailing brings that kind of “sloppiness.” Once back in bed, I only heard the familiar sounds.

Since we live on the boat, we quickly realise that silence is a scarce resource. The sound of lapping water, sometimes gently lapping and sometimes banging against the boat like a rebellious teenager, the wind singing through the sails, and the constant symphony of waves outside… and that’s just the beginning! The boat itself also happily joins in with its own orchestra of sounds. There’s the rumbling in the hull, to the rhythmic ticking of the power lines running through the mast and the gentle hum of the autopilot that seems to have its own idea of the course.

For light sleepers like myself, earplugs are, therefore not just an accessory but an absolute lifeline, a must-have in my survival kit.

The sun disappears behind the threatening clouds that spread around us. Rain falls in abundance from various squalls around us. The waves are getting higher and rougher, coming from different directions, and the wind is swelling into a powerful roar. Every morning we provide an update in our WhatsApp group about our position and weather conditions. One of them described that the crashing waves made them feel like they were in a washing machine. I think that is indeed the best description. Amid the torrential rain that rages around us, we remain undisturbed for the time being, and we do not receive even a drop of rain. Beautiful rainbows appear, which in turn produces colourful pictures.

How many fishing lures would you consider reasonable to lose on a 30-day sailing trip? Well, at this point, we already count ten, thanks to some true sea monsters that are putting our fishing tackle to the test. Our lines can carry up to 40 kilos, but after asking around in our WhatsApp group, we feel like rookies. Most sailors have lines that can handle up to 90 kilos, some even reinforced with dyneema line! Even they have already sacrificed the necessary fishing lures to the sea. What kind of giants are actually swimming under our boat?

Every time our rod starts to rattle, an emotional rollercoaster begins. First, there’s the excitement of the bite, then the suspense of whether we can get the fish on board, the hope of a tasty meal, and sometimes, honestly, just sheer frustration as the fish outsmarts us and escapes – and believe me, that happens more often than we want to admit.

For nine days, we had strong winds and high waves, which, of course, led to a lot of damage. Sometimes, you wonder how that is possible. For example, Jeroen noticed that two solar panels at the back were no longer charging. Upon investigation, he and Rajesh discovered that the cable had burned out. Fortunately, replacing them was a simple job, after which solar energy fully charged the batteries.

The watermaker also gave a high-pressure alarm after just ten minutes. This was usually due to a clogged filter, which was checked first. But even after solving this problem, the watermaker stopped again after ten minutes with the same alarm. After consulting the manual, it turned out that the membranes of the device needed to be cleaned with acid and alkali. This did not seem illogical, considering the quality of the water in Panama was very poor. Together, we completed this job, even though the rocking of the boat did not make it easy. However, as Jeroen optimistically noted: “Sailing around the world mainly means repairing boats in exotic locations!”

After half a day of work, we were full of enthusiasm when we turned the watermaker back on. Unfortunately, the same alarm went off again after ten minutes. We decided to ask Akko and Liza from Choctaw for advice, and Akko pointed out the pressure regulator to Jeroen. Unfortunately, we can’t really do anything about this until we get to Hiva Oa. For now, we bypass the pressure regulator with a trick to still be able to make some water until we reach Hiva Oa.

While I was in the kitchen one evening, I noticed the gas had run out. Jeroen decided to go to the back of the boat to replace the gas bottle. However, he also discovered water at the bottom of the storage container. Had a jerry can be broken? Or was something else going on? After Jeroen had changed the gas bottle, Rajesh and he decided to get everything out of the “garage”, as we call it. It turned out to be salt water. Is there a leak in the boat?

Jeroen noticed a drain hole that would normally be above the waterline, but due to the heavy weight of our loaded boat, this point was at the waterline, allowing some water to enter without causing further damage or problems. For now, we pumped the water out of the garage, poured the spare diesel from the jerry cans into our diesel tank, and then put everything back in the garage.

With only 170 nautical miles to go, it looks like our journey is breathing it’s last – literally because the wind has died down, which is a bit of a shame now that our Genaker is broken. Will we still arrive in Hiva Oa this Sunday? To be honest, it is still uncertain, but we continue our sailing trip quietly. Still, we can’t help but fantasize about the joys that await us.

What will it be like to finally feel solid ground under our feet again? Will it feel awkward after all that time on the heaving ocean? And oh, the smells of the land! We can almost imagine how the aromas of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers will tickle our noses.

And let’s talk about colours! No more endless shades of blue, blurry white foam, or gray tones. Will our eyes be dazzled by the country’s vibrant greens, exuberant flowers, and warm earth tones?

Oh, and let’s not forget the taste of fresh fruit! Will juicy mangoes, sweet pineapples and crisp apples bring our taste buds back to life after missing them for weeks? I can already see Jeroen and Rajesh’s eyes lighting up and their mouths already watering at the idea.

So, as we travel our last nautical miles, let us fill our hearts with hope and anticipation. Because at the end of this long, rollercoaster journey, the land’s rewards await us – and we’re more than ready for them!