Kiwi Sailors Blog Waiting For The Tsunami - Noumea

New Zealand Sailors Blog The Tsunami Live From Noumea

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/solidaire/?xjMsgID=104115

Tsunami Incoming
Ella and Eric
10/07/2009, 22'21.2S 166'57.8E
Well we're as ready as we'll every be, stowed, lashed, locked down. Shaking a little bit, feeling slightly nauseous but remaining calm, we wait in the middle of the bay, south, too late to make it out to sea now, our satelite phone has perhaps saved us with knowledge, to short a time to make it up hill and supposedly this bay will be safer anyway. All alone, we count down, life jackets on, grab bag ready and everything stowed under. Waiting....

Tsunami Live blogging
Eric + Ella
10/07/2009, same as previous
We'll we're t-2min to the tsunami warning time for Noumea, to the north of us. We're expecting to see something any minute. It's raining a bit and the wind is around 15-20kts.. Overcast skys make everything a bit ominous. There have been 'SECURITE' warnings over the VHF every 10min or so since we've turned it on so. The military gunboat idling past the reef entrance to our little bay gives us some measure of confidence. It doesn't look too concerned - but then again it's hard to tell the expression of a boat.

We'll continue to put updates up every now and again. Please remember no news is good news, it may simply start raining harder and force us to put the laptop inside.

Tsunami past due
Eric + Ella
10/07/2009, ditto
Well the Tsunami is a few minutes past due, assuming it would hit us at the same time as Noumea (I would have guessed even earlier in fact). I guess when they issue warnings they probably err on the cautious side but what is the world coming to when even forces of nature aren't on time. Some badly accented English just came over the radio - someone requesting clarification of all the warnings in French I suppose, they reckoned that since the tsunami is meant to hit from the east, and Noumea (the only tsunami warned port on New Caledonia) it might account for the tardiness.

We don't really associate wind with tsunamis but every time there is a gust we look up expectantly - feels strange.

We saw a truck down by the wharf before as we finished pulling up the anchor (the wharf is the only man-made looking thing in this bay) and we motored over to warn them but as we approached they got back in and drove away. Perhaps they had seen us anchored and come to warn us - then left when we appeared to be on the move, or perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Time slows
Ella and Eric
10/07/2009, still the same
Time going slowly, - It is funny how advanced we feel with our live updates, being able to get through disasters blogging through it, feels slightly out of place but is probably the best distraction technique. Eric is plotting the Epicentre on the map and I wonder if that 10cm wave that passed us, or this one here is the Tsunami. Perhaps there are more waves than their was before or perhaps than is just blind hope. The New Caledonia lagoon is the biggest lagoon in the world, this probably offers protection. I cant understand any of this French that is coming over the radio...

Disaster averted

Eric + Ella
10/07/2009, same little bay
Well we just heard over VHF that the tsunami warning has been lifted and our tsunami email warning thing says the warning has been cancelled for all of the pacific.

So we live to blog another day.

Apparently the 7.8 magnitude earthquake didn't create nearly as exciting a surf break as was feared - nice to know however that the warnings go out fast and early, and a good preparation drill for us.

So we're going to catch the tide out through Havanna Pass and continue with our voyage. Thanks to those who have been worried, we're happy to report our safe survival.

All the best, blog ya later

Eric and Ella

ENDS

© Scoop Media