Waiting for the wind to die down (sigh)
On the one hand it’s frustrating that we haven’t been able to do any diving because the wind hasn’t come down from the high teens and mid-twenties. On the other hand, we’re getting some boat projects done that have been low on the priority list. We’ve figured out how to use the digital radio functions that allow for automated calling between boats and even more importantly today I finally figured out how to get the SSB to accept Lat/Lon/Time data. OK, sounds geeky, but will be hugely useful. It means when we’re sailing with other boats we know, they can “poll” us on our radio and automatically get our position sent to their boat without us having to tell them anything. Also, it automates the “auto-distress” call. In case, of emergency all we need to do is push the “distress” button on the radio and it will send out a distress call and automatically include our exact Lat/Lon position. I’ve been trying to make this work from time to time for a year and haven’t hit the solution. I’ve felt it was a software issue, but finally today it occurred to me how I could fix it. [For geeks only: I found a way I could “see” the NEMEA sentences in the network box and change them. I found directions on how to access the box, checked and found a GPS position NEMEA sentence was turned “off”. I turned it on, and voila; the Lat/Lon/UTC time appeared on the SSB]. The stupid/frustrating thing was the VHF made by the same manufacturer (Icom) worked fine connecting in exactly the same way. It was just something in the SSB that would only accept a different nav sentence. Oh well-lots of hours wasted, but ultimately success!
Even more important, I beat Ann in Cribbage today pulling even in games won. Go Bob! (From Ann: VERY close win. VERY lucky.)
We’re likely to leave this beautiful place tomorrow. The weather reports are showing that these passing fronts that are throwing so much wind will not abate for the rest of the week, so it doesn’t seem worthwhile to sit here and rock like crazy for a week just to get some snorkeling in. Our current plan is to check the weather reports tonight and unless there’s a really promising window in the next 24 hours, leave tomorrow around 1100 which is high slack water for this atoll. We’re going to try and snorkel around the boat at the very least in the morning since the water is so incredibly clear.
Next stop from here. Niue. Yes, it’s a country so we’re going to have to buy a new courtesy flag. I never anticipated we’d go there so didn’t buy a flag. There are moorings on the west side of the island. As with many of these islands, there really isn’t an anchorage, just coral so mooring is the best option. There’s not even a beach to dinghy into. You have to dinghy to a wharf where you pull your dinghy out of the water with a crane and store it on the dock while you’re ashore. They call Niue “The Rock” if that gives you some hint of the shoreline. Apparently there are a lot of caves on the island that are fun to explore. We’re looking to rent a scooter again and maybe even a car for one day to explore.
We’ll see!