Rota Island to Faraulep Atoll

Escapde continue to send news of their trip home.

We fluffed around anchored off Rota island harbour until 4pm in the afternoon cleaning up, properly stowing stuff we acquired in saipan including plenty of payola for the locals on any islands we happen across. We have an ample supply of lollies, soccer balls, swimming masks and goggles, fishing gear, tomahawks, practically everything they already have.
The 4pm departure was based on calculating that it would take 2.5 days to cover the 340 miles and since I'm tired of arriving in the middle of the night I thought we'd aim for an early morning arrival. Well, what a dream run, #3 and 2 reefs all the way, wind on the beam at 12 - 15 kts, assisting current .5 - 1 kt for 80% fo the time with the occasional squall to push the SOG past 9. Nett result is we arrive at 1830 today just in time to discover that the islands are charted correctly but are about 2.5 miles WSW of where they are shown on the chart and in the pilot book so no night entry using the chart plotter for this one. There was however, a supply ship anchored outside the lagoon and they left just after dark so we took the opp to anchor right were they had been. Anchor seems to be holding as I type this but I'll need the lee cloth to avoid being rolled onto the floor tonight. Into the lagoon at first light I think.

Wasabi catches a ride home.....

Some Osaka entrants are enjoying the leisurely cruise home and some have ventured further afield.

Wasabi has departed via ship!

Bye Bye Saipan........

Escapade posted 6/6/2013

Well, after a fun filled, very hot week in Saipan we have done everything, been everywhere and managed to order custom made davits to carry the dingy. The davits had a test fitting this morning and went back to the Pacific Marine workshop for the finishing touches. Tic and Anthony will be back at the smiling cove marina tomorrow morning for the final fitting. Then we have to shove off as our visa was a Parole Visa only good for 7 days and we turn into pumpkins sometime tomorrow night.
We've been around the usual WWII tourist sites and checked out a few of the beaches as well as provided the usual stimulus to the local retail economy. This is definitely a tropical Island and the rainfall is regular each day as well as heaps of sunshine so the vegetation in the forested areas is impenetrable. Also done a bit of drinking at the beachfront bar and sleeping.

Brian left us last Sunday morning after a three week sail and no-one has turned up to crew the next leg which is a pity as it looks like the most interesting. Having Brian aboard was a great help and I think he both had a good time and wished we hadn't had to rush so much to get him on to his return flight. We have picked out 3 or 4 tropical atolls as candidates for a visit and got the latest info on all of them via a blog site from a Cat called Downtime which went through the islands and atolls from east to west about a month ago. Check out places like Lamotrek, Woleia, Urithi and Chuuk. After a short stop at one or more of those we will continue on our way to the Solomons where Joey will look after the boat, while Felicity and I return to Melbourne to finalise the sale of our old house and move into the new one.

Cheers, Felicity and Robert

 

Escapade visits Pagan Island

1300 Thursday 30th May 2013
Escapade made a brief visit to Pagan Is. (18 07.2N 145 46.1E) this morning. As usual, we arrived in the dark and hove to waiting for the sun to come up. Principal reason for the visit was for Brian and Felicity to see a real smoking volcano which is a feature of Pagan. The island is also inhabited and we happened upon the vessel from Saipan delivering supplies so we stopped for a chat, first of all with the chap in the dinghy and then a quick hello with the small village which seemed to inhabit the actual boat. They asked if we were going ashore and informed us that visitors are welcome. We replied that we first had to get clearance and permission in Saipan but that we would like to return especially if we were welcome. The Island itself is relatively large and there are signs of crops being grown as well as the few buildings of the village under the palm trees. Not sure how many flat roads there are for my new folding bike.

Blue Marlin

Pagan Island volcano at full steam

Yesterday we visited the Maug Is (20 01.2E 145 13.3E) group which consists of three islands in a ring formation being the remains of a collapsed volcano. As usual we arrived in the middle of the night so waited for the moon to rise before attempting entry then drifted around inside the caldera until sunup whence we had omelettes and hot coffee while enjoying the view before leaving.
Have been motoring for over 24 hours now as we have to get Brian to Saipan in time to clear customs during business hours on Friday. Past Alamagan Is (17 36.1N 145 49.8E) about 2 hours ago and now coming up on Guguan Is (17 18.8N 145 50.1E) which is also an active volcano but not as distinct as Pagan.
Its beer o'clock leading into happy hour at the moment as time has moved on through lunch (salad wraps) to 1700.

Latest news from aboard Spirit of Downunder

"Pos: 23 51N 143 32E 1530EST Current cons: 15knNE Sunny Boat Speed 10kn FRO
up All well now hangovers have worn off Happy hour in progress Trivia on
deck under beach umbrella Fruit fermenting in alcohol for Cocktail Hour
Veggies marinating for dinner - Update Fish biting FRO down MUST get
fish boat speed 6kn
Left Chichijima 10am 23/5 after a full month in Japan it will be weird to
not to continually speak in broken Jenglish to all Too much fun (all
nighters) were had with new local friends Cadibarra & Escapade crews New
Karaoke stars - Pottsie Barnes Ryan Twist n Shout & Labeeto (Bladderly)
Pinball Wizard New friends - Masa (Customs Officer) scary man at first then
he & Terrumi (Fiancee & Reggae singer) are new BFFs of the SOD crew they
met the others but WE are favourites taking us to dinner lunch drinks
Parting gifts pen pal status & non-official seeing off More parting gifts
from pier construction crew who had been jack hammering next to our heads
and from the Crazy Japanese Cruising boat captain who was berthed aft
Yankee Town - Great bar ran by local who spent 20 years in USA local
knowledge in English with alcohol cant ask for more Awesome beaches people
bars & food Hobbos tour next destination Saipan via Maug Island & Pagan
Island (Active volcano) Love SODs"

Escapade in Io-Jima

Made it to Io Jima at day break 25 May. Rounded Kita Io (North Io) at mid-night and got a spectacular view thanks to the moon. The island rises several hundred metres but the sides are incredibly steep. I estimate that most of the sides rose from the water at 50-60 degrees. We spotted one shallower slope and estimate it at a miserly 40 degrees! Miserable weather then developed in the last 4 hours before dawn. Good news - the promise by the pilot book of moorings in behind point Kama (active volcanically) at Io SHima was a good one and we found 4 very substantial, well maintained moorings. Then the fun started - they are small ship moorings about 3m in diameter so no convenient rope hanging off to pick up and hook on but a shackle the size of a tractor wheel in the middle. Option 1 - pull up 5m upwind, drop Brian in the water with a line let him drift down climb aboard and attach the line. Brian voted against this one. Option 2 - nose up to it (they also have a very nice rubber bumper strip around the edge - nice these Japanese people) and hold station while Brian works out how to lasoo the shackle. All going well, so well in fact that Brian decides to climb on to the bouy to attach the line - Option 2 turns rapidly into option 1, if only he'd tied off to the bouy before he went for a swim. Good news - iPhone was in a brand new zip lock bag! NOT classified as Escapade's first MOB as he fell off the bouy, not the boat. SSSC students will note that the air trapped in his gear (in full oilies) allowed him to stay afloat long enough to swim to the boarding ladder and climb up without deploying his PFD.
Spent the day complaining about the rain and trying to enjoy the view of the island. Did do omelettes and pancakes for breaky and three course japanese lunch both courtesy of Vladimir avec la jocks (and not much else). 2230 now and the wind has finally started to abate, the rain stopped at about 2000. Should be off in a few hours now.

Morning of the 26th and at least it is not raining - touch wood. Pictures of the island,  you can see steam venting in the middle of the frame. Note the wrecks littering the beach.

 

 

Escapade on the slow road to Oz.

Escapade continue to send updates on their cruise home from Osaka.

Southern tip of Honshu, Friday morning 19th May, heading into what turned out to be 3.5 days of non-stop 1.5m chop from 3 or more different directions, occasional large waves.

 

Chichi-jima main street looking East- very busy work day - note the traffic

Harbour entrance is on the right of the big rock.

Main street looking West - the weekly ferry in the midground, traffic police (one each end) to handle the chaos caused by the cable works - yes, it looks like Chichi-jima is getting NBN too.

Dinner at Boudin restaurant (Mark and Ryan from Spirit of Downunder met some girls who worked there

 

Yes, the photo of Vladmir includes
Escapade: Vladimir, Ms Vladimir, Brian

Spirit of Downunder
Mike, Tim, Georgie, Mark from McKay (empty plate at bottom, no turtle for mark), Ryan (hands grabbing his piece of green turtle)

Spirit headed off this morning just after 9:00, headed for Saipan, expecting
to be there in about 5 days.

Escapade is heading out this afternoon, about 17:00, destination Saipan via
a number of stops on the way, 1st may be HaHa-shima, but weather conditions/night
time arrival may preclude and may end up further south instead.

Did washing today, sitting out on the boat, and now bucketing down and me in town. Oh well.
130524 Escapade pos 24may 1500 26 10n 141 43e cse 215 spd 6kt Next stop io jima shabu shabu for lunch Haha jima last night, beggs(bacon and eggs!) for bfast.Vladimir.

2013 Sayonara from Escapade to Melbourne House.

As the last of the Osaka entrants make their way home or onto other destinations, Max sent us this update from Hokko Yacht Club.

'Escapade left Hokko yesterday. Optimus Prime, Turbulence and Kiss Goodbye to MS are still
here and enjoy their life in "Melbourne House"
Olivia, daughter of Robert, left her drawing of Escapade and Melbourne
House with her message "Sayonara=Good bye".
This is really heartwarming and we are all happy to have it. We are
going to put it in the frame and put them on the wall of Melbourne house."
Max Yamashita

Escapade sails again... avec Vladimir

Escapade has set sail on her return voyage. First stop, some place called Chichi Shima which is a bit ironic since I'm not sure I've actually found it on the chart yet. Never mind, in the immortal words of Captain Ron "Its out there somewhere". I'll turn my attention to the charts shortly.
Time 1630 EST May 19. Position 28 56N 138 10E Speed 5.5 Cse 120ish.
ETA Chichi thingo First light/pub opening on Tuesday 21st.
Up until about Four hours ago the wind had been 14 - 20kts close hauled and even then we were 10 degrees off course. Would not have been too bad except for the very unsociable 1.5 metre seas - all three of them. Net result is the waves aren't that big but 20% of them have no backs so its "thump" as you go over and pitch and roll the rest of the time with the odd yaw for good measure. However we are now into proper cruising mode - Main only, engine running at 2500, crew asleep and a decent lunch - which is why I really sat down to drop you an update.
Vladimir has made a welcome reappearance in the galley (pictures available) After three weeks of intense training at the hands of Mr Nakumura and Mr Kondo, Commodore and Vice-Commodore of the Osaka Hokko Yacht Club, in Melbourne House, he has produced Tuna sushi on day 1 (Friday) and the piece de resistance today - Chabu Chabu, complete with the odd drop of sweat and a few body hairs, making use of the first pairs of the pack of 500 chopsticks and the provisioning which was conducted with no less than 3 club members helping push the trolleys around the supermarket. The shopping trip followed a general trend of " my recommendation" followed by me saying arrigato and tossing it in the trolley. Unfortunately the tomato beer was not one of their recommendations and following Felicity's first tasting, its not hers either. Pickled baby squid for happy hour tonight ( just remembered they're in the fridge somewhere, and we better eat them sooner rather than later along with the octopus). After that it's little yum cha pillows and those funny baby sausages along with umpteen packs of noodles.

... and wait til you see the size of the bottles the local whisky comes in.

Cheers Vlad.

2013 Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed Race

Adventure Safety Trophy Winner.

Our thanks to Jeff Dusting from Adventure Safety who provided a trophy for Line Honours and two Kru Lifejackets for the Melbourne Osaka Double Handed race.
Wasabi were winners of the award and it was graciously accepted on behalf of Bruce and John by Owen, seen here with George Shaw.

Along with their Line Honours win,Wasabi were placed 2nd on AMS and 3rd on PHS.

 

2013 Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed Race -A very special occasion

The Melbourne to Osaka 2013 Award Ceremony held earlier this week at Temmangu Shrine was unforgettable. The three part celebration began in the inner sanctum of the Shrine with a hauntingly beautiful Shinto blessing for the safe arrival of the fleet. The lucky group of 100 invited guests then moved to the nearby tatami room for the Award giving ceremony, then on up to a more contemporary function room where the first party was held.
No more needs to be said. The attached photos, taken by volunteer Ag who is a member of the Osaka Hokko Yacht Club, speak for themselves. Robyn Brooke –Osaka Ground Crew.

Victory Speech from Robert Bradley, Escapade. Overall Winner of the 2013 Osaka Cup.

Unaccustomed as I am to speaking in front of a crowd I will be a bit shy but I'll do my best.
There have been many thank you’s said over the last few days to the organizing committee, volunteers and supporters so I will only add my appreciation and say well done to all. I thank my wife, Felicity, and my family for not just allowing me to do the race but supporting me in doing so. To my fellow competitors thank you also for entering. Without entrants there is no race and while we get the greatest reward we also have a great effort as we see from the 40+ initial expressions of interest to the 13 entrants and the 11 actual starters. Just to make it to the start line requires months of planning and preparation, a deep pocket and a supportive family. Thank you also for entering into the spirit of the pursuit format and the game of fox and hounds that ensued, although at times we felt more like the lure being chased by a bunch of greyhounds. If only we had the same controls they use to keep the lure just in front! I am humbled by the accolades we have received and the achievement is still sinking in as I realise that we join an elite group of seven winners of this great race. And a great race it is, being a shorthanded race it is more challenging than a Volvo or a Clipper and second only to a solo round the world race. To cross 5000 miles of open ocean in what at times felt like a plastic toy boat is no small feat, even those who had to motor to get here should be proud as most of us only carry enough fuel to motor 10 - 15% of the total distance.

 

However, what I really want to talk about briefly lies in the future. As the overall winner I feel I have a responsibility to do my best to ensure the next race is even more successful than this one has been. I call upon my fellow competitors to do the same, either as entrants or supporters. Those of us from Melbourne will have plenty of opportunity as we become "the old guard" and allow George, Robyn, Rosie, David and company to put their feet up and bask in the glow. Julie, of course, will be back again.
We can begin by going back to our clubs and talking about our experiences, the challenges, the great moments, what we would do differently next time. Hopefully, this will lay the seeds for the up and coming sailors to aspire to add their names to the list of the elite competitors who have made it from Melbourne to Osaka, as I was inspired by Bill Feore and Kim Girdler when they returned to HBYC from the 2003 race. We automatically become ambassadors at large to promote the event. From Newcastle to Perth and Osaka to Scotland, Joey, Yasa, Masu, Trevor, Dan, Ivan, Will, Bruce and John, let’s make this a race for all. As the next race approaches we can promote the information sessions and give thought to lending our experiences both individually and at such sessions. Thank you again and fair winds to all.

Escapade Overall Winner of the 2013 Osaka Cup

Spirit of Downunder 1st on PHS, 2nd IRC

Cadibarra 8 2nd Line Honours, 3rd AMS, 1st IRC,

Gusto 3rd Line Honours

Optimus Prime 3rd IRC

Dan from Optimus Prime- Navigator's Award

Ivan and Will from Funnelweb

Eric Marsh from Turbulence

Tony Warren and Andrew Hibbert - Kiss Goodbye to MS

Yasu and Masa from Southern Cross

 

 

 

2013 Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed- The Missing Link

Robert and Joey from Escapade have sent us many wonderful snippets from their journey to Osaka.
Now the festivities and celebrations are over Robert has had time to forward the next/final instalment (will Robert surprise us again) from ‘Off to the races”.

Off to the races
..."and as they come around the Marianas Islands and into the home Strait, its Escapade by 150,000 lengths to Optimus Prime and then a few thousand lengths back to the pack. They straiten for the run home and Escapade looks to be fading. What a gallant effort from the tiny boat by Farr out of Binks, she's led them all the way as the pace maker (plenty of pace makers on board as it happens) but looks to be tiring a bit now as the pack start to reel her in. The crew are riding her hand and heels (there seems to be a glass of wine in the other hand) and they've given her one last call (hope they're not calling her on the satphone) ... yes, she's responding, look at her go! The pack seem to have lost their spirit (Escapade's down to their last 2 rations of rum as well) and Escapade is showing them a clean pair of heels (finally had enough water for a wash - last week). Past the 700 mile post and it’s still Escapade. Can she hang on to the finish? Wasabi now has broken free from the pack (as opposed to some of the competitors who are just plain broken) and has joined Optimus Prime in the chase. It's neck and neck (or stem and stem since boats don't have necks) between Optimus Prime and Wasabi as they start to close the gap and both boats are at full stretch. What's Escapade up to now (might as well ask the boat since the crew are clearly out of their minds) - looks like she's decide to go wide looking for the better running and it seems to be working and the hounds are still struggling to make a dent in 150,000 length lead as they Pass the 400 mile post. The dogs/hounds/expensive lumps of plastic or whatever they are, now look to be wound right up and the gap is starting to close, just 100,000 lengths now and it's still any boats race . They're at the 200 now and the margin is down to 30,000 as they go stride for stride. Optimus Prime kicks clear of Wasabi as they finally overhaul Escapade (and boy, does she need overhauling) as they cross the finish line it's Optimus Prime by 35 miles with Escapade a further 25 miles back (yep, got tired of trying to divide 1852 by 12/14/15 or whatever) clinging to third place. What an exciting race, but wait what's that? The stewards have called for a swab. Looks like Optimus Prime has been injecting performance enhancing hydro carbons into her cast iron sails."

Robert Bradley

 

Melbourne Osaka Double Handed Race- Finale!

Beyond Outrageous and Southern Cross arrived in Osaka at 09:54:00 and 15:03:40 on Friday- the last of the race fleet to finish their epic journeys.
Deputy Race Director, Rik Head said “This is appropriate time the say an enormous thankyou to the volunteer race management/incident coordination team for the work they have done prior to and during the race. A special thankyou to the duty Race Directors who, for their week on duty, were available 24hrs a day and have been up each morning at a very early hour ready for the 0600hrs sked and then each evening for the 1800hr sked.”

Principal Race Office, Simon Dryden posted, “The results for the Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed Yacht race have been published. Congratulations to all the competitors in the race, what a fantastic achievement. Who would have thought with over thirty day of racing and Escapade won the AMS division by 7 hours, Cadibarra won the IRC division by 9 hours and Spirit of Downunder won the performance division by 7 minutes.I would like to thank everyone who made this race possible as it was a fantastic success.”

Presentation was held at Temangu Shrine yesterday. We are eagerly awaiting some photos and information from the ground crew!

Melbourne Osaka Double Handed Race 3.5.13 0700

Turbulence finished 03:46:00

The race draws to a close with Kiss Goodbye To MS now in Osaka Bay and Southern Cross some 27nm behind. They are both expected to finish later today. Well done to Turbulence for finally finishing earlier this morning.
I am sure there will be big celebrations in Osaka all day today
RikH

A difficult race, a fabulous reception for Turbulence at the finish of the Melbourne to Osaka 2013. Congratulations Eric and Paul on an outstanding effort. They arrived, looking fabulously fit and still smiling at 03:46:00.

George Shaw waiting for Turbulence! Only two more to arrive...

Melbourne Osaka Double Handed Race 2.5.13 0600hrs

The wind is on the nose and the seas heavy, making it a slow tacking trip for the three remaining yachts. Turbulence reports a 4M NE swell, 21kt of wind and a boat speed of 7.5kt. The weather forecast suggest winds will remain from the NW for at least the next day or so. Southern Cross and Kiss Goodbye To MS are still in excess of 100nm off shore and about 175nm from the finish. 

Meanwhile on shore the partying continues.
RikH