After a dramatic few days and being faced with the idea of a broken engine for the remainder of his voyage, Mike has truly earned the title of “Macgyver of the Seas” after modifying a bilge pump to replace a broken water pump shaft and repairing Cavatina‘s engine! As of Saturday afternoon, Mike was motoring along happily across Hawke Bay.
“It works! I can run the engine up to cruising rpm and there’s no overheating, the exhaust is cool after the injection point and … I am quite overcome with emotion – I am no longer going to become the Marie Celeste of Hawkes Bay.”
– From “Across Hawkes Bay” blog post on Saturday 3 October 2020
The first few days after Mike discovered the broken water pump shaft saw moderate and controlled winds, allowing Cavatina to cover a decent distance on wind power alone. Rounding Banks Peninsula on Tuesday, 29 September, extreme winds of up to 60 knots brought with it a dangerous and intense situation that resulted in one sail ripping and Cavatina nearly demasting as Mike made for cover at Akaroa.
“In a big gust, the furling line let go and the full genoa instantly deployed. This was disaster […] I lost control on a big wave and the boat broached, we slewed on our side and the sheet snapped. I managed to haul the helm around, frantically winch in the other sheet and bring us into a heave to situation with the sail aback. […] There was far too much sail up, it was flogging terribly, the rig was shaking and the remaining sheet was rapidly sawing itself through on the shroud. […] With considerable difficulty I rove a new sheet, made my way back and got the furling line onto a winch then let go the windward sheet. It took me five minutes to laboriously furl the sail while it did it’s best to self destruct and shake the mast out of the boat.
– From “What happened this morning” blog post on Tuesday 29 September 2020
Fortunately, Mike and Cavatina both made it out OK with no additional breakage. Frustratingly, a huge wave crashed down on top of them on Wednesday and squirted between the washboards to enter the cabin, filling his stove and drawers with water. Even more frustratingly, the winds died right down around 10 miles off the coast of Cape Palliser and left the boat going nowhere. Though grateful for a bit of a rest after “having the stuffing kicked out of [him]”, the events of the last few days and thought of the tough journey ahead were clearly weighing on Mike heavily. But, in Mike’s own words: “Ah well, this too shall pass.”
Thursday 1 October brought wind back into Cavatina‘s sails as she beat up the Wairarapa Coast… but only temporarily. Contemplating the difficulty of sailing home with so little wind and really missing his motor in such a situation, Mike came up with a “desperate idea” to potentially repair the broken water pump shaft to get the engine going again. Heavy winds returned yet again, though, and distracted Mike from the idea for several days as he needed to put his energy into tacking back and forth on his way towards Mahia Peninsula.
Looking down the Wairarapa Coast to Cape Palliser. 
Passing Castlepoint.
After two days of tacking into the wind and making slow progress up the Wairarapa Coast and past Castlepoint, Mike clearly had enough of wind-only sailing by Saturday morning…
“I frowned at my spare bilge pump. My Desperate Idea was coming back. I had looked at the weather patterns over the next few days and everything was against me; if it wasn’t no wind it was wind right from where I wanted to go.”
– From “Across Hawkes Bay” blog post on Saturday 3 October 2020
In an incredible feat of Macgyver-ing, Mike managed to modify a bilge pump and some other things lying about into a working replacement water pump shaft. Pumping cool water successfully and efficiently meant the engine was good to go once more!
The engine’s original pump setup. 
Mike’s altered pump setup, complete with fan-assisted cooling!
Unfortunately, the bilge pump setup gave out on early Sunday morning after sustained use and overheating. Mike held an “executive conference with [himself]” and determined he will, in fact, sacrifice his only remaining bilge pump – the one in the bilge – to keep the engine going as he can manually operate the bilge from the cockpit if needed.
“Anyhow, they say the best bilge pump ever invented is a frightened man with a bucket…”
– From “Of rocket men and bilge pumps” blog post on Sunday 4 October 2020
As of Sunday 10 October, Mike’s ETA for return to Matiatia is currently sitting around later this week, possibly Thursday or Friday. However, conditions in the weather or with Cavatina could change and make things go faster or take longer. Watch this space for more updates!
The fundraiser for Waiheke Working Sail has officially raised more than $6000 towards the restoration of the Kate and WWS’s other goals. We are so very thankful to the generosity of the Waiheke community and our supporters elsewhere! Kate still needs a lot of TLC to fully restore her so any donations are helpful towards her repairs. If you are at all able to donate, please consider doing so through our Givealittle page.
Hi there, I’m coming to the story late, but I’m interested to read Mike’s blog and though it is referred to heaps I can’t find the link to it anywhere. Maybe it’s me 🤔 but it seems like it should link directly from the top, where it says real time updates. Anyway, love to read it of I could find it. Thanks
Hi Davina! Thanks for stopping by to read about Mike’s adventure! You are correct that the Real Time Updates page accessed from either our main homepage or from the News > Real Time Updates menu at the top of the screen houses Mike’s blog posts. Mike’s posts are visible through the PredictWind tracker that loads on the page at the bottom of the map itself. You’ll need to click on each white blog window to read the full entry. Please let us know if you are having any trouble loading the PredictWind tracker map. Cheers!