Bob Blog

Bob McDavitt's ideas for sailing around the South Pacific.
Disclaimer: Weather is a mix of pattern and chaos; these ideas are from the
patterned world.
Compiled Sunday 24December 2023

As a fitting topic for this Christmas edition of my blog, THREE KINGS
ISLANDS
The Muriwhenua Maori of the far north tell how navigator Kupe discovered and
explored the region.
They inhabited these offshore islands and named the largest MANAWATAWHI ---
(panting breath).

New Year 1643
On 6 January Abel Tasman came across the Islands and since this was the
Epiphany (12th night of Christmas) he named them Drie Koningen Eyland (The
Three King Islands). He noticed the largest was inhabited and didn't hang
around.

December 1769
Rounding The Top Of New Zealand
It took Endeavour from 11 to 30 December to round the top end due to light
winds and then a passing front.
On Christmas day they identified Three Kings, as reported in the log, as
seen at
www.captaincooksociety.com/cooks-voyages/first-pacific-voyage/october-decemb
er-1769

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As Endeavour neared North Cape, the weather could be calm. On 11 December,
Cook recorded "Gentle breezes at NW and pleasent weather. Kept plying all
this day, but got very little to windward". Banks praised the ship, "we
turnd [tacked] all day without loosing any thing, much to the credit of our
old Collier, who we never fail to praise if she turns as well as this". Two
days later, "heavy squalls attended with rain... split the Main topsail in
such a manner that it was necessary to unbend it and bring another to the
yard... At Noon had strong gales and hazy weather—tack'd and stood to the
westwd. No land in sight, for the first time since we have been upon the
Coast" of New Zealand. In the evening, Cook "brought the ship under her
Courses having first split the fore and Mizn Topsails". The next day he "Set
the Topsails close reef'd and the people to work to dry and repair the
damaged sails".

On 14 December, Cook "Saw land bearing SW being the same North-Westermost
land we have seen before and which I take to be the northern extremity of
this Country as we have now a large swell rowling in from the westward which
could not well be was we covered by any land on that point of the compass".
Banks agreed, "a heavy swell from the west made us almost conclude that
there was no land to the Northward of us".

The next day, Cook "stood to the westward with as much sail as the Ship
could bear". The next day, he "got topgt yards up and set the sails, unbent
the foresail to repair and brought another to the yard". And, on the next
day "the people at work repairing the Sails, the most of them having been
split in the late blowing weather". John Ravenhill was the sailmaker in
charge.

On 18 December, Cook named the land they could see "North Cape judging it to
be the northern extremity of this Country". Banks spotted some­thing. "On a
rock pretty near us an Indian fort was seen through our glasses which we all
thought was encircled with a mud wall; if so tis the only one of the kind we
have seen".

Two days later, Banks had "hopes of a fair wind in the morn but they soon
left us and it began to blow hard with violent claps of thunder, on which we
again stood out to sea". The following day there was "a great swell from the
West". On the next day "the wind has come more to the Southward so that we
cannot come in with the land at all".

Christmas Time

On Christmas Eve Cook saw land "bearing SSE distant 8 Leagues... It proves
to be a small Island which we take to be the Three Kings discover'd by
Tasman: there are several smaller Islands or Rocks lying off the SW end and
one at the NE end". It was, wrote Banks, "Calm most of the Day: myself in a
boat shooting in which I had good success, killing cheifly several Gannets
or Solan Geese so like Europaean ones that they are hardly distinguishable
from them. As it was the humour of the ship to keep Christmas in the old
fashiond way it was resolvd of them to make a Goose pye for tomorrows
dinner".

On Christmas Day "Our Goose pye was eat with great approbation and in the
Evening all hands were as Drunk as our forefathers usd to be upon the like
occasion". Not surprisingly, the following day "all heads achd with
yesterday's debauch". Cook did not record the meal in his journal.

On 30 December, Cook "wore and stood to the SE and being pretty moderate we
set the Topsails close reef'd, but the SW Sea runs so high that the Ship
goes boddily to leeward. At 6 Saw the land bearing NE distant about 6
Leagues which we judge to be the same as Tasman calls Cape Maria van
Diemen".

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As for the inhabitants, local Māori farmers stayed on the Island until the
late 1830s, then gave up on it and returned to the mainland.

TROPICS
JELIWAT brought some rain to southern parts of the Philippines.
The MJO a burst of extra energy in the tropics, is now weakening and leaving
the Pacific, so the next few weeks should be quieter than normal.

WEATHER ZONES
The South Pacific Convergence zone is strong near 3 to 5S as far as
Tuvalu/Tokelau and then in a line from Niue to Tahiti.

HIGHS and LOWS
HIGH H1 to east of NZ should continue moving off to east.
Low L1 is crossing NZ for Christmas then moving off to the east, followed by
clearing weather as H2 visits NZ mid-week.
Low L2 is expected to deepen off Sydney mid-week and cross NZ this weekend
as a trough.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you would like more details about your voyage, then check metbob.com to
see what I offer.
Or Facebook at /www.facebook.com/metbobnz/
Weathergram with graphics is at metbob.wordpress.com (subscribe/unsubscribe
at bottom).
Weathergram archive (with translator) is at weathergram.blogspot.co.nz.
Contact is bob@metbob.com or text 64277762212.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>