FROM FRENCH POLYNESIA TO RAROTONGA IN THE COOK ISLANDS

Rarotonga, in the southern group of the Cook Islands, lies 540nm distant from Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Because of our previous light wind passages, we were looking forward to the forecasted wind speeds ranging from 15 to 25 knots. The winds during our southwesterly passage were expected to shift in a counter-clockwise direction and were predicted to turn full circle. While this would mean that the wind would be right on the nose during part of our journey, the wind was predicted to only be brief and light from the southwest and would soon return to moderate SE trade winds (25 knots predicted). We sailed out of the cut in the reef of Bora Bora on July 20th in ideal conditions. Once outside the pass, with calm seas and 20 knots abeam, we were reaching in the SE trades at a swift 6 knots under full sail. For the next day and a half, we enjoyed pleasant sailing as the wind gradually shifted to the east and then the NE. By mid-day on July 22nd, our wind stopped. We could see squally weather in the distance and we sat and waited for our expected shift in wind. When our wind returned, it hit with surprising force. It was blowing 30 knots, which would have been fine except that the wind was coming straight out of the southwest (the direction we were trying to go). The wind also came with stronger gusts in the 40s and lower 50s. We beat our way forward into the building seas. By morning, the winds (still from the SW) had increased with sustained wind speeds between 40 and 45 knots with gusts in the lower 50s. The seas were confused and were probably around 20 feet in height. We could feel Chandrika being lifted by the swells and then dropped into the troughs with a loud thud against her hull. By this point, we were both beginning to grow sea-sick. The thought of food was nauseating. Periodically, we would poke our heads outside to look for ships and to check the sails. If we needed to venture outside to alter course or make an adjustment, we would quickly slide back the hatch, jump outside, adjust our Monitor self-steering system, and then leap back down below, trying to do so quickly before a breaking wave would douse us with salt water or splash through the open hatch. Occasionally, as Chandrika dipped into a trough, green water would pour over her bow and rush along the deck. Due to the confused nature of the seas, a breaking wave would periodically hit her sideways with a loud thud, sending spray flying. With our double-reefed mainsail, we decided to heave-to, a technique in which the sailboat lies with her bow quartering the oncoming waves as the vessel slowly slips downwind, creating a slick of calmer water upwind in her wake. As soon as we hove-to, the motion felt more comfortable. As we lay on the sole (floor) of the main salon on our settee cushions, we managed to struggle down some much needed dry cereal. We remained hove-to for 18 hours, as we slowly ate and regained our strength. The wind was gradually shifting to a more favorable direction; although at the time it seemed to be doing so incredibly slowly. At 4 am on July 24th, we resumed sailing in a gusty 25 to 45 knots of wind at a beam reach using a triple-reefed mainsail and our staysail. Within 24 hours, the wind had shifted to the East and had subsided to 20 to 30 knots, The seas had also decreased to 12-16 feet. At 1pm on July 25th, we finally dropped sail and motored into Avatiu Harbor in Rarotonga. After a lot of anchoring, re-anchoring and shifting around, there was eventually space for us to tie to the wharf next to the other sailing vessels. July 2009