Gresham Family Exodus

May 16-21, 2015

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Logbook – May 16, 2015 (South Minerva to North Minerva)

Passage Log Highlights

• 1227 Engines on
• 1248 Engines off. Main + genoa
• 1331 Main + genniker
• 1600 Engines on
• 1615 Engines off arrive N. Minerva

Daily Notes

• Wrapped a coral head while raising anchor
• Sailed through the pass at N. Minerva
• Lobster dinner

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Logbook – May 17, 2015 (North Minerva)

Daily Notes

• Moved near lighthouse, much much better
• VHF call s/v Windstar – water tank leak, needs water. Responses by Caminante and Local Talent
• Boat with no mast – Tim watching Code Blue arrive via binoculars and notices a sailboat with not mast. s/v Malara dismasted just outside of N. Minerva. No one hurt. No assistance required. En route from Fiji to New Zealand, will now turn back to Fiji.
• Awesome potluck on Caminante with Field Trip, Lumbaz, and Et Voila. Kids perform play. Dress up.

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Email to Family and Friends dated May 17, 2015

Subject: Exodus – North Minerva

We sailed from south to north Minerva yesterday afternoon, and it was a great day sail and we made good time. And since we had been here before and had our own track and waypoints and knew the anchorage, we sailed up to the pass, jibed, and then sailed on through. The conditions are pretty crappy now with 20 kt winds and a very bouncy anchorage. Yesterday, before we left S. Minerva Tim and Brenden went spearfishing with two of the other dads, and it was pretty funny that Brenden got the biggest fish. A whopping 31 lb. grouper. He could barely hold it up for the photo shots.
Our latest thinking is that we will depart here on Friday for a Monday arrival in Savusavu.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 18, 2015 (North Minerva)

Daily Notes

• T – Field Trip fix dive compressor
• T/Theo – Dive the pass, no fish
• Trip to “the beach”
• Alex tries kite surfer trainer with Gustav
• Happy hour on Et Voila

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Logbook – May 19, 2015 (North Minerva)

Daily Notes

• T/B dive pass. B 16kg Almaco Jack. T rainbow runner
• A – snorkel with Jenny & Tina, play games with kids on Lumbaz
• Sashimi on Exodus with Caminante and Lumbaz
• B not feeling well

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Email to Family and Friends dated May 19, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Beach Day

Here at North Minerva under normal conditions there is a beach that dries at low tide on the south end of the atoll, right in the vicinity of where we are anchored. However, we haven’t had normal conditions, we’ve had strong winds which push a lot more water than normal over the reef inside, and the beach isn’t quite drying out. But yesterday we had a couple of dry patches and we all headed to “shore” to enjoy some land for a change. We only had about an hour before the tide came back up, but it was a good hour. Alex had a great time, because he got to try out a kite surfer trainer. He did really well, and I feel a new hobby coming on…
Day before yesterday our friends on Code Blue arrived, and it’s always good to see them, since they are one of the few boats out here that we still know from our days back in The Sea of Cortez. Anyway, Tim had the binoculars out to watch them come through the pass, which had gotten a bit lively from all this wind, and then Tim noticed a boat near the pass inside with no mast. He got them on the radio, and it turns out they are a vessel that dismasted just outside the pass. No one was hurt, and they did not think they needed assistance, and they made their way over here to the anchorage to take stock. Very sad. They left yesterday morning to head back to Fiji.
We were hoping the conditions would be light enough to move back and anchor near the pass, but we’ll have to see how it goes.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 20, 2015 (North Minerva)

Daily Notes

• Moved back near the pass
• Heard Fluenta try to check in on Gulf Harbor Radio
• T – scuba, borrowed from Gustav
• Alex – paddle over to FT to play with the kids
• Field Trip – happy hour on Exodus, sashimi, sushi, fresh baked bread

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Email to Family and Friends dated May 20, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Brenden’s White Whale

During our first stop here at North Minerva, you may recall that Brenden shot a huge Almaco Jack, they played a bit of tug o war with neither side gaining ground, and ultimately the fish got away with the spear. Tim even made a movie of it called “Brenden versus Fish” on our youtube page. Well, Brenden has talked about that fish ever since. Yesterday, he got his revenge. He speared a 16 kg Almaco Jack and fed the entire anchorage last night. He went to sleep very tired and very satisfied last night.
-D.

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Logbook – May 21, 2015 (North Minerva to Fiji)

Daily Notes

• Family snorkel at pinnacle N. side of pass also with Judy (Code Blue), Lumbaz, and Caminante

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Email to Family and Friends dated May 21, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Fiji Bound (Maybe)

Well, after studying and discussing weather this morning over breakfast, we’ve made the last minute decision to leave N. Minerva this afternoon. It will be a long, slow passage, but it should be comfortable, and that is preferable. We won’t have the pressure of having to keep our speed up like we did between NZ and here, so we shouldn’t have to run the engine too much. If we wait until Monday, we’ll be leaving right on the tail of a cold front so the seas will be a mess and the winds will be stronger. Of course, I’m downloading weather again now, so all of this could change…

P.S. Liz, I’m so sorry it was right after I sent you that email saying we were likely here until Monday that we looked ate weather again and decided to go. I hope we didn’t raise anyone’s hopes… We are very disappointed we will miss you guys.

May 15-16, 2015

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Logbook – May 15, 2015 (South Minerva Reef)

Daily Notes

• Family snorkel w/ Field Trip and Lumbaz. Alex plays with kids, throws Noa in the water. T- spearfish (jobfish)
• Quadcopter flyover
• Et Voila arrives
• Potluck on Lumbaz

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Logbook – May 16, 2015 (South Minerva to North Minerva)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0903 Engines on to move near the pass (at South Minerva)
• 0938 Engines off near pass

Daily Notes

• B speared a 31 lb grouper

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Email to Family and Friends May 16, 2015

Subject: Exodus – South Minerva

We had a great day here, but we were so spoiled with beautiful weather last year during our Minerva stop that it’s hard not to notice the difference. The snorkeling is, of course, amazing, and while Tim and Brenden didn’t shoot the tuna they were looking for, Tim did get a jobfish, which was a tasty addition to the potluck we had on Lumbaz last night. It is so much fun watching all the kids together, they reminded me of a group of cousins getting together. There were 8 kids last night, Alex the oldest and Nils the youngest (age 5) with boys and girls of all ages in between, and they were all singing and playing and the youngest and oldest were always together. The guys all went for lobsters last night, and Nils wanted to go so bad, and when they told him the other young boy (Michael from Field Trip) wasn’t going hoping then he wouldn’t want to go either, he said, “it’s OK, Alex is going!” So cute! Anyway, there are bags of lobsters hanging off the back of Exodus this morning so it seems they were successful! We intend to move 20 miles away to N. Minerva today.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

May 8-14, 2015

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Logbook – May 8, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 1139 Engines on
• 1150 Depart
• 1309 SB engine off. Main + genoa + Port engine
• Fish on! 25 lb yellowtail
• 1600 P engine off
• 1800 SB engine on + Main
• 1945 B watch
• 2139 B watch over

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Email to Family and Friends May 8, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 1

We had a smooth departure process, and after we had loaded up our duty free alcohol delivery and did final stowing, we pushed away from the dock in Opua around noon. We stayed just one night at the dock, because that way we could get our duty free diesel the day prior to leaving and didn’t have to worry about it on departure day. Overall, it hasn’t been a bad start. The sea state is bigger than the corresponding wind due to the low that just blew by, so we are rolling around a bit. But when I was laying in bed earlier I noticed that at no time was I catching air, so in that case this doesn’t even come close to some of our worst seas. Even though the winds are pretty light, we are still reefed, because we have quite a bit of squall activity around us.
Just as we were leaving the Bay of Islands, Tim put the fishing poles in the water, and not two minutes later we had FISH ON! It was about a 25 lb yellowtail, and it put up a good fight, but it’s now filleted and resting in the fridge for our sashimi day tomorrow. Our freezer is full of beef and lamb, so we will need to eat the fish quickly.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 9, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0155 Squall – 28 kts
• 0410 P engine on to raise main
• 0436 Engines off. Main (1 reef) + genoa (1 reef)
• 0449 Second reef in genoa due to squall
• 0530 Unreefed genoa
• 0800 Isabella net (net control)
• 0810 VHF call to Caminante
• 0815 VHF call from Waratah Lass (boat off of our port stern)
• 0830 Main (1 reef) + genoa
• 1200 Main (1 reef) + genniker
• 1730 Engines on to shake out the reef & jibe
• 1745 Engines off. Main + genniker
• 1900 Generator on
• 2000 B on watch
• 2200 B off watch

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Email to Family and Friends May 9, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 2

The sailing has been great yesterday and all night. 12-15 kts of wind on the aft quarter, and since the seas have calmed down quite a bit it’s become almost comfortable. The wind is supposed to die today and then be nonexistent tonight, so we are enjoying the sail while it lasts. The air and water temperatures are going up ever so slightly, and we have heard from boats ahead of us of nice warm water in Minerva, so we are getting excited. Leaving New Zealand would have been a much more sad affair for me had it not been for how cold it was getting. The boys are doing their night watches so I don’t have to get up for a watch until 3-4 am, and it’s great. I think today I’ll be fully in the swing of things and may even think about cooking some of that fish in the fridge for dinner. Typically, on passage I precook several meals and put them in the freezer so I don’t have to cook the first few days out. Last night we had pasta bake. Fish will be good tonight…
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 10, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0130 A off watch
• 0308 D on watch. Main + genniker
• 0800 Isabella Net. NC = me
• 0815 VHF call to Chiquita (Vessel on AIS < 1 mile away. Dean + 2 crew on board)
• 0820 VHF call to Caminante
• 0825 VHF call from Waratah Lass
• 1425 Main + genniker
• 1330 Generator on. 1520 off
• 1600 VHF call to Waratah Lass
• 1804 Main + genniker
• 2000 B start watch
• 2200 B off watch
• 0000 A off watch

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Email to Family and Friends May 10, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 3

After a lovely 2 days of sailing we are now motor sailing again. Overall, it’s not too bad though, the seas had gotten a bit lively again yesterday afternoon, and now it’s pretty flat. The big news for me this morning is that I didn’t need a comforter to sleep last night.
I think I may have found Tim a new spear fishing buddy over the VHF radio yesterday. I guess that’s like the cruiser spear fishing version of internet dating. I think he’s still mourning Jack’s departure (s/v Iguana), and I’m thinking, you know, he just needs to get back out there. Anyway, this is just a boat in the vicinity that I’ve been talking to, and hopefully we’ll meet at Minerva.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 11, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0331 Main + port engine
• 0345 Chartplotter reboot
• 0457 Caminante on AIS (18.2 nmi, brg 233 deg T)
• 0658 Realigned compass +15 deg
• 0720 Gulf Harbor Radio
• 0750 Port engine off
• 0756 Main + genoa
• 0800 Isabela Net (NC = Field Trip)
• 1152 Fish on! Dorado (Alex & B bring it in. No help from sleepy dad)
• 1400 VHF call to Caminante
• 1413 VHF call from Waratah Lass
• 1458 SB engine on. Furled genoa
• 1832 Genniker + port engine
• 2000 B watch start

Daily Notes

• Tim starts filming “Happy Video”
• Pass the fish to Caminante

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Email to Family and Friends May 11, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 4 – Pass the Fish

Today’s excitement was a 4.6 ft Dorado (Mahi Mahi) that the boys landed while Tim was asleep. Brenden was the only one up when I saw the fish being dragged behind us on the handline. I told Brenden, he harnessed up and clipped on, and then started the business of pulling it in. As it got close and we saw how big it was, we realized we couldn’t handle it just the two of us, so I woke Alex. And let me be clear… I was the weak link in that operation, not Brenden. Well, Alex and Brenden managed to get it on board, but not after I annoyed the hell out of Alex asking if I should wake Dad. He was struggling to lift the fish up after he got it on the stringer. But I think my suggestion of waking Dad opened his reserve fuel tank, because his next heave up was successful. Brenden cleaned the whole thing, and we enjoyed BBQ Dorado with Creole seasoning. Just like old times.
But that’s not the best part. Our friends on Caminante were only about 5 miles away when Tim told them we had fish and if they catch us they can have some. Just before sunset they arrive only a couple hundred meters away, and it was quite a sight, because Caminante is a huge (60+) metal sailboat and they had 3 sails still up, needless to say the photo op was priceless. Tim was able to pass them the fish by tieing a line to a float and trailing the float behind us. Then Caminante picked up the float with the boat hook, and with the bag of fish secured to the other end of the line, Tim tossed that in the water. It was so much fun to be that close out here in the middle of the Pacific!
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 12, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0357 SB engine, no sails
• 0700 Rag of Air Net
• 0715 Gulf Harbor Radio – checked in
• 0800 Isabella Net (NC = Judy, checked in)
• 1010 SB engine off, P engine on
• 1208 Genniker + P engine
• Watermaker 3 hrs (stopped after 1.5 hrs due to leak, port bilge started running)
• 1327 SB engine on to raise main
• 1336 Both engines off. Main + genniker
• 1826 Main + genniker

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Email to Family and Friends May 12, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 5

Today the temperature reached 80 deg F (~27 deg C, I think) and I sat at the helm in my underwear. That is all for today.
-D.

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Logbook – May 13, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0327 Main + genoa
• 1200 Main + genniker
• 1635 P engine on

Daily Notes

• Engine stats as of 13 May (Wed) 0430 – Port only – 13:58, SB only – 30:18, Both – 1:58

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Email to Family and Friends May 13, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva Day 6

After sailing for a day and a half on mostly a nice beam reach, we just turned an engine on. The wind is dying and shifting behind us, so we decided to motorsail. We’d really like to make it to South Minerva tomorrow by about 3 pm to have light to navigate the reef, and we have 122 miles to go at 5pm local time. We are just about to cross back over the dateline again, but unfortunately that doesn’t help. Last time we only went to North Minerva, so we’d really like to maximize time to go to both south and north minerva before the weather tells us it’s time to leave. We should be converging with at least 2 other buddy boats tomorrow, maybe more, so it should be a lot of fun again. This is a pretty special place.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 14, 2015 (New Zealand to South Minerva Reef)

Passage Log Highlights

• 0337 P engine + genoa. Crossed the date line
• 0705 Gulf Harbor, listen only
• 0800 Isabella Net
• VHF call to Chiquita, NR
• VHF call to Field Trip
• 0846 SB engine on to raise main
• 0858 P engine off. Main + genoa
• VHF calls to Chiquita and Waratah Lass, NR
• 0913 VHF call from Lumbaz
• 1225 Main + genoa + SB engine
• 1227 Watermaker 2 hrs
• 1340 P engine on, sails dropped
• 1458 Engines off South Minerva

Daily Notes

• Pass waypoints – out 23 56.121 179 08.159, inner 23 56.255 179 07.571
• Bombie – 23 56.378 179 07.571 = Vessel wypt w/ bombie on port side
• Day 7 stats – Hrs underway 2:33, miles = 827-814 = 12
• Engine hrs since 13 May 0430: Port only – 16:11, SB only – 4:42, Both – 1:30
• T/B – spearfishing right away. Alex manned the dinghy. Trevally got away from B
• D – drinks with Sarah & Jenny on Exodus

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Email to Family and Friends May 14, 2015

Subject: Exodus – NZ to Minerva The End

Departure from Opua, New Zealand: 8 May 11:50
Arrival at South Minerva Reef: 14 May 15:58
Days at sea: 6 days 4 hours

Max wind: Mid to high 20s briefly during a squall our first night out. Other than that, max wind ~18 kts. Wind mostly in the 8-12 kt range.

Engine hour summary: 2.9 days with only one engine (motor sailing or motoring with no wind), 3.5 hours with both engines (departing, arriving, and main sail changes.)

It was a good passage, and I’m breathing quite a sigh of relief that we made to NZ and back without getting hammered. Once again we picked a good weather window, even if it meant doing more motoring than we normally would do.

We arrived with great sunlight to enter the pass and navigate across the atoll. It’s very rolly for an anchorage, but more than tolerable given we’ve been at sea for 6 days. Tim and the boys are already in the water hunting, and I’m waiting for friends from two other boats (Field Trip and Lumbaz) to come over for safe arrival drinks. We arrived ahead just a bit ahead of them, but they left a day later than us, both being bigger and sleeker catamarans than Exodus.

Cheers!

-D.

April 30 – May 7, 2015

We waited for a good weather window before leaving New Zealand.

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Logbook – April 30, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Back to school
• Drinks and dinner at OCC w/ Field Trip, Tusitala, Caminante

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Email to family and friends dated May 1, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Final Preps

Well, it’s a sad momma that dropped Andrew off at the airport on Wednesday evening. Now, we are back in Opua taking care of final preps for the passage north and waiting for weather. Weather looks like crap for at least the next week, so we aren’t really pressed for time for the last few boat projects and final provisioning. We are happy there are still a couple other kid boats here, and we will all likely be taking the same weather window, so maybe we’ll have company in Minerva Reef again. There is a big, organized rally starting from here, and it’s about 50 boats all leaving tomorrow, so it will be nice and quiet again in Opua until we leave. So, why are they leaving when the weather looks like crap? I really have no idea. Maybe they know something we don’t, and maybe this is as good as the weather windows get, but it looks to me like bashing into a head wind for 5 days, so we will wait and see.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 1, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Tim fixed port sail drive
• Dinner on Exodus with Novae

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Logbook – May 2, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Bye to Novae
• D- Kerikeri shoping
• Loving Spotify

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Logbook – May 3, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Laundry day
• D- run

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Logbook – May 4, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Tim up the mast

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Logbook – May 5, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• D- run
• D/T to Paihia, drinks w/ Andy & Lynette

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Email to family and friends dated May 6, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Trying to get out of NZ

I slept with 2 sweatshirts on last night and I pretty much wear my Uggs all day long on board, so yeah, we are ready for warmer weather again. Finding a good weather window for departure is turning out to be very challenging though, much more so than any of our previous passages, even the trip down here. We have submitted forms to customs for a Friday afternoon departure (2 days from now), but we will have to keep watching the forecast and decide at the last minute if we really leave. Today, all four of us are headed to the grocery store to provision and then tomorrow we will take the van down to Whangarei to leave it on a lot to be sold. That’s pretty much all we have left to do in order to leave.
Love and miss you all,
-D.

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Logbook – May 6, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Holy Provisioning!
• Dute Free @ New World

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Logbook – May 7, 2015 (Opua)

Daily Notes

• Diesel
• Stayed night @ marina
• Pouring rain
• Briana over for drinks
• Tim to Whangarei to sell the car

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Email to family and friends dated May 7, 2015

Subject: Exodus – Departing NZ Tomorrow

We are still planning to leave tomorrow, but we will be leaving right on the tail of a cold front, so it will be a bumpy start. We hope to stop at Minerva Reef again and the go to Savusavu, Fiji. Some of our friends are there already and we are jealous of the warm weather. Will keep you posted if things change.
-D.