LeSueur family cruise aboard Chaotic Harmony: Gavin and Catherine LeSueur and their three children - Estelle, Baden and Fletcher, moved aboard Chaotic Harmony in April 2006 for an extended cruise through the South Pacific. Leaving Australia in July 2006, Chaotic Harmony has travelled through the Lousiades Islands (PNG), Solomons, Vanuatu and Fiji. Chaotic Harmony is a 13.7m Catana catamaran. Accompanying the crew are two ships cats - Tuska and Matilda. The journey continues...

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Home » Archives » June 2007 » Never again (we hope)

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06/07/2007: "Never again (we hope)"


Cathfletch (79k image)

Leaving Futuna was a mistake. Although the anchorage was uncomfortable, it was secure. The ocean was not. The forecast abating strong wind warning and low moving away did not happen. The low intensified and stayed. Chaotic Harmony roared away on a beam reach straight into it. Intense rain squalls, three metre seas occasionally breaking and up to 38 knots of wind. We reefed down to three reefs and heavily furled headsail. Still we thundered on at 8-10 knots. OVernight we dropped the main and under headsail alone in blinding rain drove at 6 knots southward. It was only as we approached Fiji and headed for the lee of Rabi island that we got out of the large seas. We were exhausted after a hard night and rested in the lee until daylight when we continued on in a new weather pattern - absolutely no wind... Motoring with one motor through the reef system we eventually arrived in Savusavu on the second morning. Not one of our better crossings and one not to be repeated. We hope. Young Fletch found a most comfortable spot to fall asleep although the helming was made a bit more difficult for Catherine.