As you can see from the title, things did not go as planned. I arrived on the bridge at 05.45 and came face to face with a very unhappy Officer of the Watch. The wind had not shifted to the North West. It was still North East and blowing 25 to 30 knots, while we were 4 miles from the entrance through the reef. Shortly after the pilot arrived on the bridge and he was not very happy either. This was not going to work. Uturoa is located on the East of the mountain that makes up most of Raiatea. To get to there you have to enter a small gap in the reef of about 300 feet wide (the Statendam is 105 feet wide) then a sharp turn to starboard and then sail through a narrow passage towards the dock. Here there is a turning basin of about a 1000 feet where you swing around to dock starboard side alongside. If that does not work you can let yourself blow against the dock with a portside docking and if that is too dangerous you can sail on and leave Raiatea through a passage at the North West side of the island. But to do this all, you either need wind from the North West so you are sheltered by the large mountain, or you need very lights winds, if from other directions. 30 knots is not light winds.
The entrance in the reef. The round island splits the passage in half and you have to keep that island to the left.
The weather forecast had been indicating all night long that the wind was supposed to shift to the North West and the latest simulation on the weather charts indicated that this would indeed happen, sometime in the morning. One could only hope that this would be for Raiatea early in the morning and thus I decided to wait until such a time that a call would not be feasible any longer. Thus we started to make circles 1 mile of the entrance, keeping a close eye on the wind in the port which we could see easily from the bridge as it was only separated from us by this reef.
The way the place is supposed to look like. Sunny and no wind. With a cruise ship safely docked along the pier.
Then between 8 and 9am the wind started to move even more to the East and to intensify. Both pilot and I knew then that this was it. If there was to be a change for the better, it would not be before the early afternoon. So I decided to cancel. A big disappointment for all of us, but safety comes first and with that we do not play games.
What to do next. Well, first of all check the latest weather forecast for the area. That was not good either. Yes the wind was going to change to the North West but also increase in velocity to 20 to 25 knots with wind gusts up to 35 knots in squalls in the late afternoon. That put me in a predicament as the port of Papeete, our next call, is fully open to North Westerly winds. That is one of the main highlights of our cruise and a port that we could not afford to miss at all, also as we had to bunker fuel here in order to make it back home again. So the best solution was to get in there before the bad weather would really start to come across. That was supposed to happen in the early evening.
Thus we set a speed of 15 knots that would bring us to Papeete by 17.00 and be docked by 18.00 hrs. Going faster was hardly possible as a deep long swell was making the Statendam pitch at times. 15 knots just kept it under the moment when the up and down movement changes into a slamming movement. So we sailed around Huahine, just East of Raiatea, which would have been an option if the wind would not have been from the NE as well and headed for Papeete. Behind us the dark clouds were gathering and indeed we were racing ahead of the approaching storm. Coming closer to Papeete the weather forecasts were becoming more and more ominous but the harbor master was advising that it was 10 knots of wind in the port, the wind angle just being right to give a little bit of shelter.
The entrance to Papeete harbor is 110 meters wide (330 feet) and looked very unsettling with the swell rolling in and the current racing out. The port is protected by a natural reef over which the high swell slams into the lagoon behind. The only way for that water to get out, is through the opening in the reef. That makes that opening look like a sort of washing machine. Very unsettling if you do not know what is causing it, or how to deal with it.
The best way to deal with it is basically to ignore it. Keep focused on keeping the ship in the leading lights and check if you stay an equal distance from each buoy. I advised the guests to be careful while we were going through as we did move a bit on the swell when surfing through.
By 18.00 we were alongside and 45 minutes later a solid curtain of rain started to descend over the port. The wind is supposed to keep blowing outside for the coming night and tomorrow but if the angle stays the same, we will have shelter at our dock. We just have to hope that this wind angle is also good enough to keep most of the rain away from the port. We will now spend two nights here, with a day in between and then we have to hope for favorable winds again, as our next call is Moorea and that is an anchor port.
December 11, 2012 at 3:26 pm
From an ex-US Navy “ship-driver” and navigator, it is a thrill (and pure joy) to read of your adventures each morning! Even though I am now “retired,” I learn something new from you with each and every post! You bring back so many vivid memories of my own navigational conundrums over the years.
With much thanks….and deep respect, Captain!
December 11, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Instead of “so close”, you used to call this kind of unplanned change in the itinerary : “—, well, almost.” It shows your sense of humor better ! — Having not (yet) sailed in the Pacific, it is a joy to read your posts every morning, and get a taste of what will await us on our next sailing. — Please thank your wife for the wonderful photographs she posts !
December 11, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Captain, I stopped reading my thriller, yours is far more exiting. It is really a cruise with a lot of interesting situations for the bridge, unfortunally not for the passengers . But as you write it down, Safety first, than a long time nothing and than pleasure. I will hope the next ports, will compensate the missed ports.