Bump on a log

Not our log, just one floating by at anchor. The
picture doesn't do justice to how big it is but the one
that got us was much bigger.

When I was growing up, we knew a Filipino family with the surname 'Alog'. The running joke was to come up with new names for kids that went with 'Alog' (think 'Sit on', 'Trip on'). Yes it was juvenile, but we were kids.

The difference in water from the outflow of the Mamberamo River.
This is 16 miles offshore.

Well, you might as well call us 'Hit Alog'. There are big logs floating in the waters here.  Indonesia has some very large rainforests, in which grow some very large trees, which fall into very large rivers, which flood after very large rains and carry the trees out into the sea.  Where they float around for a very long time. So just because you aren't near a river mouth doesn't mean you're safe.  Some of the logs are small and stubby, some are the size of telephone poles and some are really massive.

After sailing in Indonesia waters for nine days and nights, we saw logs around but hadn't hit (or even needed to dodge) any. Then one night, after purposely slowing down in case we did hit something, we heard a couple of big thumps and raced outside.  We shone the spotlight on a big log slowly emerging from under our port transom. It pulled clear after a few seconds, but the damage was done.

The propeller strut had bent and the shaft pulled backwards with enough force to pull the engine off one mount and twist another two.  The movement of the engine caused the oil pressure sensor to be sheared off (which is how we discovered the damage--we only found it the next morning when the engine low oil pressure alarm wouldn't immediately shut off and Matt turned off the engine and headed down to see what was amiss).  Strangely, the shaft saver (which is supposed to be a sacrificial piece that takes the brunt of the impact and protects the engine and transmission) was slightly deformed,  but still in one piece. To prevent the out-of-true shaft from spinning and doing any further damage, Matt put the transmission into reverse to lock the prop down.  This resulted in losing a half knot of speed since the large 3-blade fixed prop had now turned into nothing but a sea anchor.  Luckily our friends on Field Trip had a puller and Matt was able to get the prop off the shaft, so at least we don't have excessive drag any more. Our next step is to decide whether to head down to Australia, where there are facilities to haul us out, get parts and do the appropriate machine work.

The stretch since we left New Zealand almost two years ago is the longest we have ever been away from 'civilization.' So there are a number of tasks we should get done anyway. Besides the auto-pilot issue, our windlass is acting up and our generator needs a new rear seal, so some proper boat expertise and access to parts is sorely needed.

Besides the propeller damage, there was just a light scuff on the bottom paint. The copper coat is sturdy stuff. Ever since the log incident, we have only sailed during daylight hours. This isn't so bad since our first couple overnight sails in Indonesia brought sudden squalls that seemed to hit with rapid shifts and gusts of high wind.  So shutting the boat down for the night has its benefits...

Crabby Mary, Quite Contrary

More updates via the sat phone!  Sorry, but no pics for now...

As we approach two weeks straight on the boat since leaving Ninigo, with a brief stop in Vanimo and a beach visit, the natives are getting restless. The kids seem to be bickering at the drop of a hat, and Matt and I are--try as we might--not too far behind (do as I say, not as I do?--yup, right here). Although we have had other passages that were almost as long and, in the case of our trip across the Pacific, much longer, this one is different.

On our other long journeys, even the uncomfortable week-long passage to New Zealand, we didn't have the same stress factors. There have been many moving targets (logs), frequent unpredictable squalls popping up willy nilly (usually in the wee hours when we're extra tired) and wreaking havoc, and almost constant wind shifts. On top of all that, we are navigating a new language and culture during our brief rest stops. This is the first place we have visited where the language isn't one we have some familiarity with (Spanish or French) and where almost no one seems to speak English.

Hitting a log and damaging the boat doesn't help things (blog post to follow when we get Internet).

I could just be blocking out the unpleasant parts of our other longer voyages, like the pain of child birth. Anyway, I think we'll all survive this trip without anyone getting thrown overboard (except in our fantasies perhaps). Reading back over this post makes me realize that I have made things sound a lot worse than they really are. We're doing pretty well, though everyone will be happy to stop and relax a bit. Gotta go--it's early to rise tomorrow to start the final 200-mile leg to Sorong. There's no wind predicted, but that's better than a headwind.

Vanimo to Indonesia

Our last stop in Papua New Guinea was Vanimo, on the mainland of Papua. We had mostly avoided the mainland because of its reputation for high crime. We spent most of our time in remote islands. Our friend Sarah on Field Trip likened it to visiting the United States and going to Hilton Head, while avoiding Chicago and New York.

We had to go to Vanimo to get our Indonesia visas. Although Vanimo is considered safe during the day, a cruising boat had been robbed at night earlier in the year. So we (along with Field Trip) resolved to get there and out in one day.

We left Ninigo Friday evening. After the first evening (when we caught a nice wahoo) the wind died down and we mostly made our way slowly at about 2 knots, which was all from the current. We motored the last few hours so that we could get to Vanimo in time to get to the consulate when it opened.

We were successful (despite the Indonesian consulate's leisurely opening time) and were pulling up anchor with time to spare.

Around the second day on our journey to Indonesia, the auto-pilot started having fits. Matt figured out that the rudder transducer was sending wrong signals to the autopilot so that it was not turning when it should. Fortunately, the auto-pilot seems to work without the port rudder transducer, except that it has fits when we are going very slowly (which seems to be a lot of the time lately!).

Can you canoe?

 

The villagers in Ninigo sail outrigger canoes. When we visited Longan, we (along with our friends on Field Trip) were privileged to be taken out sailing in one of these sailing canoes. It was a welcome change to speed along in a sailboat that rivals Hobie cats for their speed. Our captain and crew were two local boys who expertly raised and trimmed the sails by tying knots and bracing wooden posts against one another. It was truly impressive what they could do with a wooden canoe and plastic tarps.

 

They also showered us with local delicacies like lobster and sago pudding, after a joyous welcome song. We were presented with handmade gifts, including a miniature outrigger sailing canoe just like the one we had sailed in. We had to draw the line at their proposed goodbye feast where they wanted to kill a pig in our honor. It was just much too generous for our short stay.

It has been a running joke that Matt has a knack for making the village babies cry, just by virtue of being  Big White Guy. I always thought it was pretty funny but the tables were turned the other day when I looked and smiled at a tiny toddler, only to have her start bawling.

Here are a few pictures we couldn't post with our sat phone while we were in Internet exile. Meanwhile, it's off to Indonesia.

Sunken Japanese WWII mini-sub

 

 

 

Just happy as a...

 

Dinner!

 

 

Nice manta just happened to stroll by while we were diving.

Tunung, The Hermits and Ninigo

Our time since leaving Kavieng has been relaxed and full of friendly villages, beautiful corals and abundant fish. We spent a day at Tunung and dove the World War II submarine and ship wrecks there with Clem. Clem runs a laid back surf resort and is about as well-spoken and savvy as any Papua New Guinean that we have met.

We had heard so many rave reviews of welcoming and generous villagers in The Hermits and Ninigo that I thought there was no way that it could live up to the hype. I was wrong, especially about Ninigo. We have been greeted everywhere with friendship and gifts. We have been enjoying the diving and snorkeling as we wait for a wind and weather window to Vanimo, where we need to get our visas for Indonesia.

Life on the Chain Gang

Mark celebrating the availability of locally
grown carrots at the market

After waiting a month for the ship from Lae to bring our new anchor chain, it was finally due to arrive on Monday. Unfortunately, the ship was stuck in another port because two other boats were unloading ahead of it. The ship eventually showed up on Wednesday and by the time it was unloaded and unpacked, it was Thursday morning before we could get our chain.

Koki Kai Kai at Nusalik Resort

To get the chain, Matt and Conrad navigated an hour and a half of dealing with Swire (the shipping agent that employs the Stevedores for the shipping company, Consort) and Kavieng Port Management (managing to avoid the involvement of Kavieng Port Services and Kavieng Port Transportation--all three apparently separately run divisions of the same small port complex). At the end, Matt and Conrad were able to get the 55-gallon drum full of 500 or so pounds of chain into the inflatable dinghy.

That was just the start of the fun. As Conrad and I floated the dinghy underneath the bow of the boat, Matt brought up a hundred meters (310') of new chain and lowered the old rusty chain back down as Conrad and I tried not to get bits of raining rust in our eyes. The engines on the big boat idled (and were occasionally engaged) as Matt brought up the anchor, disconnected the old chain, and reconnected the new chain. As we fed the new chain through the windlass, we had to straighten out a million kinks that had worked their way into it. To make a long story relatively short, we eventually fixed it by dumping the chain into the water and winching it up twelve feet at a time. Matt got the most vigorous arm and back workout he's had in years and we eventually got the chain in place.

We were all ready to check out the next day but found when we visited the Customs office that everyone had gone home for the day, even though it was early Friday afternoon. So we're in Kavieng until at least Monday. We had another nice dinner at the Nusalik Resort, hung out with new friends, and are finishing up some last minute errands.

I leave you with some critter pictures from Conrad...

Around Kavieng

Blow holes on Nusa Island

We have taken advantage of the supplies in Kavieng to stock up for the next couple of months. Kavieng has better than average provisioning for a South Pacific town filled with mostly Chinese-owned shops. The bellwether for us is usually ice-cream, but this town even has such hard-to-find gems as potatoes (yes, the lowly potato becomes something you crave and usually can't have), cream cheese and bacon. We even scored lots of avocados and mangoes, which are apparently out of season. The other day, Mark and Conrad caused much amusement amongst the locals as they lugged a package of 40 rolls of toilet paper down the street.

Mark standing on a Japanese anti-ship gun from WWII

While our anchor chain is making its way on a slow boat from Lae to Kavieng, we have kept busy enjoying the sights around Kavieng, including some diving. Papua New Guinea has its share of World War II relics, both in the water and out.

A sunken bomber

The anchorages we visited near Kavieng were bit of a mixed bag. Two ward captains asked for pretty hefty anchoring fees (which we didn't pay--we left one anchorage and the fees were 'waived' in the other when we said we wouldn't pay). One anchorage was within view of three islands with villages and we got a multitude of canoes visiting, plus a rather strange vibe. We were told of other boats that had gotten boarded and had items taken. One guy asked if we had a dog. A couple of young men from one of the villages asked if they could "provide security" by fishing behind our boat overnight to prevent any raskels from coming on board. We weren't sure how to interpret this. Were they just being nice or did they want to be close to the boat so they could get first dibs at us?  Or was it a shake down scam for protection money?  Being from Chicago, my money was on the latter.  As it turns out, they were a couple of nice guys that probably were genuinely concerned for our welfare.  They spent the night fishing and we spent the evening sleeping lightly and unrestfully due to our paranoia. We decided to leave the next day.

Alan near some of the leper graves

We had a great stay at the vocational school (which was a former leper colony). Alan showed us around and gave us a watermelon and a bagful of mangoes. The final anchorage before we returned to Kavieng was not nearby any village. While we were away snorkeling for about half an hour, someone came aboard and took a couple mangoes and a fishing lure, which appeared to have been gnawed off the line we keep on the back of the boat. The lure had gotten us many fish in its short tenure and we were sorry to lose it. After that, we decided to make our way back to Kavieng to sort out payment for the transport of our anchor chain.

Garcon and Lucas after a night of fishing behind our boat.

If all goes according to schedule, the chain should be here on Monday. The Independence Day holiday is in the mix, as well as Papua New Guinea's general adherence to 'island time'.

Kaki Kai Kai can talk and dance, even though his legs
no longer work. He lives at the Nusalik Resort.