Tuvalu to Madang (August 16 - September 4, 2006)

When we originally set out from the US last December our goal was to reach Madang by the end of July 2006. After waiting a month for our Panama Canal transit and a couple other shorter but substantial delays along the way we had to move that goal to the end of August and then to mid-September. By the time we left Tuvalu both of us were ready just to get to Madang and put the ribbons on the voyaging for awhile. So rather than make the last 2100 miles in three jumps with stops along the way in the Solomon Islands, we decided to just set off and make one long passage. If all went well we would be in Madang in about three weeks but if all did not go well the intermediate stops would still be possible should we need rest or repairs along the way.

On Monday the 14th we went in to complete the check-out procedures. Our plans were to check out and then leave bright and early on the 15th. The check-out was straight forward and painless and by noon we were ready to return to Stap Isi. Sunday afternoon a large freighter had arrived and began off loading containers on the main wharf. On the way back to Stap Isi we stopped at the grocery store and discovered that this freighter was apparently the long-awaited supply ship. Where the store had been meagerly stocked for our entire stay, now the freezers were bulging and the coolers contained a large stock of fresh produce. What a blessing. We had just enough Australian currency left to buy fresh fruit for the passage to Madang.

Tuesday was a gorgeous day - with the exception that it was windless. Rather than leave just to bob around outside the atoll, we decided to spend another day in Tuvalu and try to depart on Wednesday. Kyle downloaded some weather information that indicated that the winds would pick up to the 8-10 knot range by Wednesday. So we rested and read and enjoyed a final day at anchor.

Wednesday morning the wind, as predicted, had built back up a little so at 8AM we raised the anchor and began motoring out of the atoll. The pass by which we had entered the lagoon looked a bit more tricky going out so we aimed at another pass on the northwest corner of the atoll. It took a couple of hours to get to the pass, which was deep and wide and very easy to negotiate. Clearing the atoll we soon were on course to the Solomons. The sails were raised, the motor was shut down, and we sailed along comfortably in small seas and light winds. It was a perfect start to what should be a 18-20 day passage.

By Thursday the 17th the wonderful weather began to deteriorate. Small storms were all around us and the wind began to lay down. As the wind laid down our speed dropped throughout the day from 4 to 3 to about 2.5 knots until finally about midnight the wind disappeared altogether and we dropped the sails and drifted. Up to now these calms had usually lasted only a few hours but 12 hours after dropping the sails we were still drifting quietly. Friday afternoon the wind finally came up again but only for a couple of hours. In our first two days we had only made about 140 miles and the prospect for much more on the third day looked bleak.

Saturday morning found us still drifting, just 170 miles from where we had started. Even though we did not have enough fuel to make a substantial dent in the 1850 miles left, we needed to do something to lift our spirits so at 8 AM we started the engine and began motoring. That was all it took. By 11 AM the wind had started to fill in and by noon we were able to resume sailing. Mid-afternoon found us making 5.5 knots in 12 knots of wind. What a wonderful feeling.

Our course through the Solomons to Madang was going to take us right through the heart of the South Pacific Convergence Zone (or SPCZ), an area of disturbed weather running southeast from Solomons. Low pressure systems forming over Tonga and Fiji during the southern hemisphere's winter would produce troughs and lines of convergence in the SPCZ along which thunderstorms and squalls would develop. We would get to know the SPCZ very well in the coming days.

The next several days were some of the best, and hardest, sailing that we encountered on the entire trip. There were beautiful starry nights when we slept well and enjoyed our hours on watch counting shooting stars. And there were nights of rough seas and squalls when sleep was elusive and the sight of a star was rare. The winds were never below 15 knots and usually were blowing 20 or more. For an entire day we experienced 25-30 knots and were able to make well over six knots under a storm jib and triple reefed main. The winds, even though they were a bit variable in strength, hardly changed a bit in direction. Once the sails were trimmed we were often able to leave them untouched for a day or two.

During this time the higher winds produced fairly high seas in the 10-12 foot range. This made cooking, as well as every other activity, difficult. For the most part we subsisted on MREs and snack foods. The high seas were bringing a lot of water into the cockpit so running the generator would have been impossible. But fortunately the wind was strong enough that the wind generator was able to meet our power needs for most of the eight days. This was the only time we really felt that the wind generator had been worth the cost.

On the 24th we came through the Santa Cruz islands, the most southeastern of the Solomon Island chain. We sailed within 10 miles of the port at Ndendi, the first of our potential stopping points. A rest would have been nice but we were making such good progress that we decided to stick to our plan and just keep going. Two days later we passed the half-way point as we sailed along the south coast of San Christobal. From here to Madang we would never be more than a couple hundred miles from land. Passing San Christobal we were able to alter course for Madang, a mere 1000 miles away. Now the wind was almost directly behind us. It was strong enough that we decided to drop the main altogether and sail with just the genoa. Even under the single sail, Stap Isi was moving nicely at over 6 knots.

Over the next few days we discovered that our proximity to land was presenting a new problem. Rain storms in the tropics generate localized flooding that washes a lot of debris, including entire trees, into the ocean. As we sailed along the Solomon chain, we began to see debris, limbs, logs, and occasionally entire very large trees floating in the water. While the big stuff was visible and avoidable in the day time, at night there would be no way to see it. And needless to say, smacking a 5 ton tree at six knots would be enough to take the shine right off our day. At night we just had to say a prayer and hope that we did not hit anything large enough to damage the boat.

By the end of the day on the 27th we had completed an amazing 8 day run; our best of the entire voyage. During that time we had averaged between 135-145 miles a day for a total distance traveled of 1100 miles. There had been a lot of storms and by the 27th it had been over a week since we had last seen a sunrise. As nice as the fast passage had been, we were ready for things to settle down a bit. We needed a break.

And a break we got. During the night of the 27th, the skies began to clear and the wind started to lay down a little. On Monday the 28th we saw a sunrise. Kathy was sleeping but this was too good to miss. I woke her up so that she come on deck to witness our first sunrise in a long time.

With the seas calming into the 3-4 foot range and with a bright beautiful sunny day, it was time to put out the fishing gear again. At 8:30 AM I started trailing a lure and an hour later was rewarded by the sound of the reel singing as something began taking out line. Kathy got the gaff and cleared the cockpit as I reeled in what turned out to be a nice 3 foot dorado. That would be our lunch and dinner for the next two days.

The high point on the 29th was crossing 155 E longitude and formally entering PNG waters. Home was getting closer and closer each day. By the end of the day we were less than 600 miles out from Madang. During the day we also saw our first ship in days and days. For literally months we had been out of the shipping lanes but now were entering a very busy shipping area. Ships traveling between SE Asia and Australia often take the route along the Solomons and PNG. We would have to start watching carefully.

Each day we were able to make between 100 and 120 miles and each day we were getting more excited about seeing the end of the voyage. Both of us had imagined countless times what it would be like to sail into Madang harbor. And in just a few days our dreams would become reality. The closer we got to Madang, the more elusive sleep became. We were just too excited and did not want to miss anything. I doubt if either of us got more than 8 hours of sleep total the last three days.

On September 2nd we entered Vitiaz Strait between New Ireland and the mainland of PNG. This was probably the busiest shipping lane that we encountered in our entire trip. For most of the night we were never out of sight of at least one ship and a couple of times there were three or more visible at the same time. The only scary time occurred when a ship appeared to make a course change that quickly took it almost on top of us. Kyle was at the helm. He started the engine and made a 90 degree turn to get out of the way. As the ship passed aft of Stap Isi, way too close for comfort, a spotlight came on on their bridge. Apparently they were only then aware of our presence.

The morning of the 3rd we were able to see the PNG mainland for the first time. We were filled with emotion to think that just one more day would see us at the end of our voyage. With a good wind and a strong following current we were making over 7 knots towards Madang. It was obvious that if those conditions held we would be off the harbor entrance in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Kathy had the 6-10 PM watch. When Kyle came on deck to relieve her, she showed him the lights of Madang in the distance. By the time his watch ended at 2 AM, Stap Isi was only about 5 miles out. Even though we know Madang Harbor well, it seemed safer to heave to and wait for daylight before continuing. So we took down the sails, drifted, and tried to sleep and waited for dawn.

At about 5:30 AM it was light enough to see so we started the motor and headed in. Mark Shreve, a friend who was in Madang at the time, had agreed to be at the harbor entrance at 6:30 to get some photos of our arrival. The dawn revealed the lighthouse at the harbor entrance and all the familiar landmarks. Jan Messersmith came out in his boat to welcome us as Mark took digital photos and video. It was an absolutely perfect sunny morning with calm seas and by 7:30 we had entered the harbor and dropped the anchor. Stap Isi had arrived safely, nine months and 11,000 miles after we had set out from Mobile.

There was one thing left to do - check in to PNG. Jan waited along side of us in his boat while his wife Eunice arranged for an agent to bring all the appropriate officials to the dock. Then Jan shuttled them over. We were a bit concerned about the clearance procedures and how much they would assess us for importing the boat to PNG. In addition we had a lot of foodstuffs left that could be confiscated. Finally importing the cat could be a problem.

When the officials arrived we began chatting and found out that one of them was from Marangis and another was from Kayan - two of the lower Ramu language groups where we are working. We filled out the paperwork, got our passports stamped, and the officials trooped off the boat - without checking our food or making an issue of the cat. Even more amazing, nothing had been said about import duty on the boat! Having friends in high places sometimes does help.

A few days after arriving in Madang some friends asked us if we would do it again. Both of us responded with an enthusiastic "yes." It was an amazing trip and our only regret is that we were not able to spend more time visiting the wonderful places along the way. We met some fantastic people and saw, time and again, God's hand at work in His protection and the way he worked out the details of the trip. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and as happy as we are to be home again in PNG, part of us are sorry that it ever had to end.