Port Moresby by Zac

Intrepid in Port Moresby, PNG

Photo thanks to Mr. Phil Sutton

Thursday, August 28, 2008
As you know, I found out why my engine wasn't starting (water in the oil) and that I couldn't fix it at sea so I decided to head to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for repairs. PNG was only 80 miles away. Remember my friend Wil from Oahu? His grandfather knew someone who knew someone in PNG. My mom had been in touch with him a few weeks before this and so sent him an email informing him of my decision. He made a few calls and everything was in place for me to be towed in by Search and Rescue and to moor Intrepid at the Royal Port Moresby Yacht Club. I wouldn't be able to be towed in pass the reefs outside the marina until 9:00am (20hrs away) so I reefed down the main all the way and put away the headsail but I was still going at 5-6 knots so I zig-zagged my coarse to add more miles. Around 4 in the afternoon the wind picked up from 20-25 knots to 25-30 knots. The swell also got bigger and sharper and continued to build through the evening. By 9:00 pm it was up to 30 - 35 knots and the swell was breaking into the cockpit which was a pain because I was hand steering. The conditions remained the same and I was flying along at 7.5 knots and hitting tens down the waves. I was getting thrown side to side down the waves and when I was down below I let go of a handle right as the boat learched and went flying across the cabin and slammed in to the stove cutting my hand on something.

Friday Ausgust 29, 2008

Me onboard Martin's boat, PNG

Photo by Phil Sutton

The conditions died down around 5am to 25kts and the swell was about 10ft. I got to the entrance of the marina in Port Moresby around 1:00pm. The Search and Rescue boat had come out to meet me but because the wind was good and the passage wider than I thought, I sailed through the reef passages and into the yacht club mooring area. I hooked up to a mooring and cleaned the boat while I waited for my quarantine check. After I put everything away, a guy from another boat, Martin, came over and we talked for a while. Martin is also attempting a solo circumnavigation from Germany. While sitting in my cockpit we saw the quarantine guy go over to Martin's boat so I grabbed my paperwork and went over to Martin's boat and got my quarantine papers filled out.

There has been a lot of concern over safety in Port Moresby (POM). As I looked out of my cockpit I saw an armed guard standing in a guard tower overlooking the marina. Another armed guard was pacing back and forth across the breakwater outside the marina. I learned 2 things; POM definitely is a dangerous place and also that I would be safe where I was. The security at the Yacht Club is pretty elaborate. It has the feel of a military compound. Fortunately, there are most of the services you need inside the compound.

Royal Port Moresby Yacht Club

From Royal Port Moresby Yacht Club
Photo thanks to Mr. Phil Sutton
I went back to Intrepid, got my dinghy going and had some dinner at the club. Then I went back and had the first uninterrupted night's sleep since Majuro.

















Saturday August 30, 2008

Saturday I hit the showers early and then the yacht club for breakfast. There is a definite Australian feel here with lamb sausages, Vegimite and lots of meat! I met up with Phil and his wife Janelle, who are Americans currently working in Port Moresby. They took me to the airport so I could get my visa and exchange some dollers for kina (the local currency). Then we went to a grocery store and a gas station to pick up some engine oil and then back to the boat to start work on the engine. That evening I worked on the engine til dark and then had a second good night's sleep. So awesome as I was still recovering from major sleep deprivation. I had heard about the dangers of cuts in the tropics. The cut on my hand had become infected in that short time. It was good to be able to stop and rest for a few days and get that healed.

Sunday August 31, 2008

















At the Kipo settlement

Sunday Phil, Janelle, and a few of their friends who were in town waiting for visas for Oz picked me up and brought me to their English-speaking church. They were speaking English but it was still hard to understand because of the accents. After the service we went back to their house and while Janelle was making lunch we went out to a settlement (tribal village). All the houses in the village were raised several feet off of the ground and also dug in to the side of the valley. We met a bunch of locals and hiked to the top of this steep valley and looked down on Moresbey. This area is broken up into settlements arranged by family group/tribe. After the hike we went back to Phil and Janelle's for a good homemade lunch and then back to the boat for more engine work. That night I hit the yacht club with Martin. It was BBQ night and we both got massive steaks - the kind that you can only dream about while making a passage.

Kipo Settlement

At The Kipo Settlement

Monday September 1, 2008

Monday I got my laundry done and did a second oil change to flush out the last bits of saltwater and cut open the exaust hose to put in a valve to stop seawater from making its way back up the line. The valve I had was too small so Martin and I went over to a local marine store half a mile away. They didn't have the part I needed and Martin needed to exchange more money for the part he needed so we walked back to the yacht club through downtown Moresbey, always looking over our shoulders.

Tuesday September 2, 2008
Tuesday Phil, Jannelle, Aron and Joel picked me up and we went to the airport to try to get checked out but there was no one there so we went to a couple stores Looking for the exhaust valve I needed. We finally found one and went back to the bank where there were still no customs officers so we went to the grocery store where I did a big stock up for the next leg and back to Phil's where he gave me some of his home-roasted coffee and then back to the airport. I finally got stamped and went back to the boat with all the groceries. I got my diesel jerry cans and Phill and Aron filled them while I tried to put the valve on the exhaust which was the wrong size! So it was back to the store to get a new one. It installed easily and now everything was done on the engine and it was time to try it out. I started it up and the alarm was still on. I ran it for ten minutes, turned it off and started it again. Everything looked and sounded good except that the alarm wouldn't go off. Phil brought me down to the local Yanmar dealer, Lobergers, where I wasn't going to be able to have anyone take a look til Wednesday! When I told them what I was doing some of them had heard of me and suddenly I had 2 guys out at the boat in 10 minutes. They thought that it might be the oil pressure sending unit inside the engine and took it off to test it.

Me at Lohbergers



And that brings us to now I'm sitting on my boat wating for a call from a mechanic who is coming around 8:00am. So I've got to go continue the stowing.

Cheers,
Zac




















From mom:
Sorry for the delay in writing. Zac has been busy and pretty insistant on writing his own updates. We are still awaiting a final clearance from the mechanics at Lohbergers. Hoping that the trouble is only with the sending unit and not something more serious. Please fire away with quaestions for Zac about PNG. It is a lot to cover in one post and I know from our conversations that there is still a lot to tell...


Darwin address:

Mr. Zac Sunderland

c/- Darwin G.P.O.

Cavanagh Street

Darwin, NT 0800

Australia

Mark it: 'To Be Collected'



Zac should be arriving in Darwin in about 2 weeks and staying for at least a week. If it seems that mail will take too long to arrive, you can always mail it to Zac's mail box here at: 1710 N. Moorpark Road #212, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 though I'm sure that is not as fun!