Have a read below of the amazing adventures of a J/45 'Sassafras' in the South Pacific, written by its lucky owners.
To cruise the South Pacific is a dream for many yacht owners, this season we were finally able to take off from Australian shores and make it happen. This was a big change after years of competitive yacht racing to go cruising.
Of course you can’t just take off, there is a lot of preparation and education. After cruising the new boat for one season in north Queensland, which we are very familiar with, we were better equipped to know how to provision and prepare the boat for 6 months away from home.
Sassafras is equipped with 750 watts of solar, 450AH AGM batteries, a portable generator, 3000 watt inverter, Spectra T200 watermaker, full suite of Raymarine electronics, IridiumGo, 30kg SARCA anchor and 100m of 10mm anchor chain, bimini, dodger and full shade awnings. All of this allows us the most time ‘off grid’.
We left Brisbane in late March 2024 bound for Opua, New Zealand sailing 2 handed. The Tasman crossing proved challenging. Choosing an appropriate weather window is difficult, the longer the passage, the less certainty the forecast has. The first 2 days were to windward with intermittent squalls after which we were expecting a reaching course, heading SE below Lord Howe Island and moving across with the high pressure system. On the third day the squalls settled after which the 4th day was a breezy reaching sail passing between spectacular Lord Howe Island and Ball’s Pyramid (below). Unfortunately, the high pressure system remained stationary resulting in 5 days to windward which was not forecast. Gotta love the Tasman! Much time was spent under reefed mainsail and staysail. All our reefing is single line and comes back to the cockpit which made these conditions easier to handle. After 9 days we were finally able to tack over and head south towards Opua for a champagne sail down the northeast coast of New Zealand to the Bay of Islands.
After 5 weeks in the Bay of Islands preparing and provisioning for the New Zealand to Tonga passage and waiting for the Island Cruising Rally to commence, we left Opua with an extra crew member in early May. The first stage of the passage was a 5.5 day 800nm passage to Minerva Reef. We passed from the very light New Zealand variables into easterly trade winds shedding our woollies for t-shirts. Sassafras’ ability to sail to windward allowed us to put more east ‘in the bank’ so that as the wind rotated north and increased to 25kts, we were able to crack off and fetch Minerva Reef comfortably in one tack.
Minerva Reef is an amazing, isolated atoll in the middle of the South Pacific only accessible by boat. It provides a comfortable resting place at anchor whilst waiting for the next favourable weather system. Teeming with marine life, coral and crayfish, it provided a stunning interlude.
After 2 days rest and swimming, we left Minerva bound for Nuku’alofa, 260nm, with cracked sheets on a 20kt NW which eased to 10kts during the passage. We’re still getting used to the passage planning on a boat which loves these conditions, arriving 6 hours earlier than expected in the dark so we heaved to and waited for daylight to enter the harbour shipping channel.
After clearing customs and immigration which was an easy affair, we set anchor at Pangaimotu Island (below) ‘Big Mama’s Yacht Club’ and began our tropical adventure with the other rally participants. This venue and much of Nuku’alofa was devastated by the 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami and the residents have done an amazing job to recover and offer their kind hospitality. Tongatapu is southern most of the Tongan island groups and has low lying picturesque, palm fringed tropical islands and turquoise clear water.
After Nuku’alofa we headed straight for the island group of Vava’u (below), sailing up the western fringe of the archipelago. We had a champagne sail for the 160nm trip with cracked sheets, a 12-15kt NE breeze and had to slow the boat down to enter Vava’u in the daylight. During the passage, there were numerous pods of whales who have started their annual migration north.
Vava’u is a stunning cruising destination, deep water between abundant small islands and bays many of which have sandy beaches and palm trees. Care must be taken at all times to mind fringing reefs and outcrops but the area is well charted and with the addition of OpenCPN and satellite images with GPS position, we are better equipped to venture further. Sheltered anchorages can be found at many of the small islands and bays depending on the wind conditions. 100m of chain comes in handy with many of the anchorages being deep, some with a mix of sand and coral bommies. This expanded our choice of places to visit. The whole island group is approximately 20nm wide so its fun to choose a different place to visit each day. The town of Neiafu is easily accessible and serviced by a wonderful, highly protected deep-water harbour with mooring balls. The shore is a short dinghy ride giving access to the fresh food market and local shops. There are several great places to eat out with fresh caught fish on the menu.
They say cruisers should plan to have no plan so we will wait for the best weather to sail the 400nm or so to Fiji and enjoy a new culture and continue the adventure.
