Unlike the vulnerable and manipulated Iris in the movie “Taxi Driver”, this one was was strong, demanding and in charge of the first half of our race.
As we now approach the Eastern tail of PNG it is a relief to have put her behind us.
Iris was always going be an issue to avoid, but unfortunately became something to sail through.
Our initial plan was to sail NE after Gabo Island to pick up the North flowing Eddy of the East Australian Current, then sail North on this Eddy keeping well East (at least half way to New Caledonia) to pick up Easterly winds, then send it towards the Solomon Islands, leaving Iris to Port and causing havoc on the Qld coast.
Not to be. The high pressure ridge extending from NSW became far bigger than predicted and where it crossed our hoped-for current-Eddy, it was so wide (North to South) that we would have parked up for days. So we instead had a change of plan and cross the ridge at its narrowest, which was only bout 100 miles off Sydney (our initial route had us over 250 miles off). So, in the end we had no helpful and often opposing current, right up the East Coast of Australia.We crossed the High pressure ridge in 10 hours of light N- NNE but positioned well West of where we had wanted to be in order to get East of Iris. After that, the wind and seas built – and built -and built and we had the prospect of sailing close hauled to get back to the East. At first we tried but the large swell and breaking seas caused by friend Iris were such that after 6 hours we weren’t sure whether it would be the yacht or Greg and I which would break first. 600 miles of that upwind could have ended our race.
So, plan B – try to get around Iris leaving her to Starboard, then pick up the Southerly, then Westerly flow on it’s far side to get to PNG. We would have to squeeze between the center of the low and the Swain Reefs. The only problem with this plan was, that the BOM had the cyclone moving back toward the coast which would close that gate on us ! We decided to go for it, so put the bow down to just clear the North tip of Fraser and sailed in fresh to frightening Easterlies for 48 Hrs, often at speeds high enough to take paint off the deck !!
We “cut the corner” under the center of the low which was further East than shown on the models and had it’s part of the cloudless center often over us.
We finally found our lift, with wind moving from ESE to SE and then the magic 180 degrees telling us we had got around it. So here we are finally, having overtaken Iris to the South and got around to the West, then North side of her, sending it towards Roussel Island in 15-20 knot Westerly which we hope to pass this evening.
Now for the challenges of the Solomon Sea !!!
All well on Chinese Whisper – Rupert & Greg.