From Larry Rick aboard the Nordhavn 40 Done Dreamin' Pacific Crossing Numbers for Done Dreamin' From Puerto Vallarta to Brisbane Australia April 14 to August 25, 2005 THE NUMBERS: Total Fuel Burned 2737 Total Engine Hours 1392 Total Wing-engine Hours 14 Total Genset Hours 666 Total Nautical Miles 7677 Cost of all Fuel Burned $7064 Shore power was never used at any port after leaving Mexico. The watermaker chocked up a total of 309 Hours, producing an estimated 4500 Gallons (34 gallons per day). Only water from the watermaker has been used. THE AVERAGES: Average Speed (includes engine warm-ups and shutdown) 5.46 mph Miles per Gallon (includes use of Genset) 2.805 Gallons per Hour (includes use of Genset) 1.922 Average Cost per gallon (US $) 2.58 SIGNIFICANT ITEMS: 1. One of the most surprising things to me was the ocean currents. Miles from any land you may encounter anywhere from .5 to 2 knots of current. Most of these were somewhat predictable from Pilot Charts and prevailing winds. However, often there were some surprises, which could play havoc with your float planning. 2. Paper work on entering and exiting each country was tedious and time consuming, a real nuisance. Mexico is the worst (although you can hire it done there) with Tonga and Australia coming in a close second. However, all officials were polite and helpful. Fees varied from $0 in New Caledonia to over US $250 in French Polynesia. 3. I only fueled up in French Polynesia $2.51 (export fuel permit required), America Samoa $1.97, New Caledonia $2.60 (export fuel permit required), and Australia (estimated) $3.60. Fuel prices are in U.S. Dollars and have been converted to U.S. Gallons. 4. The system I appreciated most on the boat was the watermaker. It produced approximately 4500 gallons during the 133 days we were enroute across the Pacific. We made generous use of fresh water for everything including wonderful long showers on the back deck, washing down the anchor chain, hosing down the boat, and laundry. 5. The most frustrating system was the watermaker. While it did the job, it required a considerable amount of messing around. I was constantly trying to keep air out of the system and had to bleed it almost every hour. I am now planning to make some more changes to the system and seal all joints with 3M 5200. I may also put in a different 50-micron filter housing. 6. All three Navigation lights failed. They could not withstand the constant spray of salt water and soon deteriorated. The seals failed and the lights practically disintegrated. I had to jury rig them and put sealant around the housing to keep out the water. All three are being replaced. 7. It is very important to carry all the filters (fuel and oil) and enough spare oil for the entire crossing. The right filter can be impossible to find and you may need to have it shipped to you from the US as great expense. However, we did find that FedEx was very quick and efficient from the US to New Caledonia. 8. I consider the o-ring failures that occurred on the transmission cooler to be an anomaly. The engine has 3500 hours and I have been on the boat for every one of those hours. During that time, I have never seen the engine temperature gauge above 200 degrees even at full power. I still consider the engine very reliable, but I will carry some spare o-rings and necessary gaskets. 9. Perhaps the most amazing thing on the boat is the effect of the para-vanes. These worked flawlessly, and reduced roll to less than 15 degrees in each direction—most of the time considerably less. This greatly reduced the fatigue factor and made performing routine functions a pleasure. While I am sure that hydraulic positive stabilizers do a wonderful job especially for shorter cruises, the ability to take the passive ones out of the water in smooth conditions (fuel savings) and to use them effectively at anchor is a great benefit. In addition, their simplicity, initial cost, and low maintenance make them very desirable for long-range cruising. 10. I have been extremely pleased at the comfort and seaworthiness of the Nordhavn 40. The layout is wonderful for efficient long range cruising. I did the complete crossing with only two persons onboard, and after the first couple of days adjustment to the new routine, we found ourselves rested and ready to enjoy each destination. I realize that if we had had a major failure (i.e. autopilot) it would have been nice to have a third or even fourth person onboard. 11. I consider the acrylic storm plates that I purchased for the side windows to be an absolute necessity. They were used for the entire crossing and gave a degree of security when an occasional abeam sea would smack the plates. In addition, a large and sturdy hook should be placed just outside the door on the overhead of the aft cockpit. This will allow a good sturdy place to attach a harness. Working in the aft cockpit can be very dangerous without a harness in rough seas. 13. Another option, which I carried but never used, was a drogue and para-anchor. They would of course be useful in extreme conditions. I also considered that the para-anchor would be useful in strong headwinds and head seas, perhaps greater than 30 knots, where fuel was critical. Sitting out a storm with a drift of .5 knot is far more efficient than trying to power your way forward with little results. Furthermore, a para-anchor would give a shorthanded crew a chance to get some rest if the autopilot should fail. 14. If you wear glasses—carry a spare pair. Mine are resting comfortably on the bottom of Morton Bay near Brisbane. If it can happen, it will! Fortunately, I had a spare pair with me. 14. There were some special moments such as the look on a little Tongan girls face as she hugged a stuffed animal that we gave her, the heartfelt "Thank You" from the mother of four children for the used clothing we distributed, and the wonderful papaya and bananas that we gorged ourselves on. Finally, the privilege to enjoy beautiful sunsets at sea, and a full moon rising out of the eastern sky is something you cannot put a price on. Standing on the Portuguese bridge and savoring this splendor has been etched in my memory for the rest of my life. There were times when I wondered, "Why in the world am I doing this?" Perhaps these great contrasts are what make cruising so special. Start out with a good boat, a good plan, and then (to steal a slogan), JUST DO IT! FUTURE PLANS: I will be leaving Australia for a visit back to the US this week, returning around the middle of October. I plan to pull the boat when I get back and have the cooling system drained and flushed, the hull cleaned, and new zincs installed. After that is completed, I want to head north and get my scuba diving certification and do some supervised diving along the Great Barrier Reef. After completing the above, I plan to proceed down the coast at a leisurely pace, arriving in Sydney around the end of December. February should see me visiting Tasmania, which of course are the summer months down here. After that, my plans are a little ambiguous. Perhaps a crossing of the Tasman Sea to New Zealand will be the next step. I want to thank my Son, Gordon for doing a fantastic job of keeping up the web site. He has spent many hours working on it. In addition, a special thanks to my daughter, Wendy for her help in forwarding messages, and checking her e-mail so often. I have received many messages through the web-site address that were forwarded on to my satellite e-mail system. Your kind thoughts and encouragement were greatly appreciated. I apologize for not being able to answer all of them but satellite time is very precious (at least that is my excuse, and I am sticking to it.) If any of you still have some questions or wish to write me during the next month, here is your chance. <mailto:lrick3@yahoo.com>lrick3@yahoo.com I will endeavor to answer each one. Crossing the Pacific does not make you an expert. I am still learning everyday and there are times when I'm still amazed at the dumb things I do. However, one must press on and with careful planning and preparation, cruising becomes an enjoyable way of life. Life is a Cruise Larry Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/