Wednesday 31 December 2014

New Years Eve
Thank you to everyone who follows this blog, I seem to update and use fb as it is more user friendly
We need to get our main sail and the gib sorted (bit of repairs) at Waikawa/Picton before we head off again in the New Year. We have the marina berth until the 3rd of Jan but realise it may have to be a bit longer before the sail repair people can get us sorted.
We are planing on making our way out to the far side of Durville for a bit and then probably back over and spend a bit more time around Tasman .
.

Monday 15 December 2014

Tuesday December 16th
Well we are slowly getting braver with the sailing and mostly sail with both main and gib up. Today and yesterday are the first real summer days with no clouds and very hot but of course the down side with a 'high' is not much wind. We do need to have the motor going for half and hour a day to keep the fridge/freezer cold. We are now back in the Queen Charlotte sound and have booked a berth in Waikawa from Dec 24th until Jan 3rd and will spend Christmas and New Years with family and friends. I have had a lot of trouble with my bottom front teeth and gums they are often very sensitive and sore but I have no idea why (I'm a bit over the top on cleaning - maybe exposed the gum and nerves) so I'm going to go to the dentist on Wednesday 17th and will see if they can shed any light on the matter. Or if anyone else can help from their own experience I'd be most grateful.
Right now we are motoring in to Ruakaka bay to visit a friend.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Well there you are !!. They say, " Worse things happen at sea" well the temperature has dropped 10 degrees it is raining/hailing and thunder is rumbling AND ...the boat is having a fresh water wash.

Friday November 28th
4pm
We are on a mooring in Ferndale Bay in the Kenepuru Sounds. I can feel the wind stirring up the surface of the water and gently moving us about. Every now and then the bilge pump clicks on and off. The Skipper is having a power nap (no snoring yet) lying flat out across our double berth. I can hear the click of sea-lice (or whatever they are) under the boat. A glop glop noise is the water against the hull, the wind is causing a rustling in the foliage that surrounds us and ever so gently - around we go on our mooring - a home that turns 360 with ever changing panoramic views .
More sounds ! Slop slop lap lap slap of the water at the shore a slightly louder whisper from the wind - the birds in their element each adding their tune - Tranquil

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Wednesday 26th November
Here we are out in the Pelorus Sound making our way past Maud Island toward Tennyson Inlet - the water maker was not behaving so we filled our tank (one was empty - we have 2 which hold 200 Lts each ) from a waterfall fed pipe in Waterfall Bay. Weather is sunny but the wind has quite a nip.
Roll on Summer

Tuesday - I woke at 5.30am and went up on deck with coffee and a ciggy the water was so flat and a beautiful deep emerald green like silk. I hopped back into bed again and slept until 10.30am Colin was up when I woke up - we both did Boat-keeping jobs until 4.45pm then we went off in the dingy around the corner to Waterfall Bay and said hello to a young couple who live there. I walked back over the hill while Colin came back in the Dingy to pick me up. Off we went again out further to a few different rocky points and caught 6 Blue Cod then came back and I cooked up a delicious coconut/curry fish (from yesterdays catch) chowder while Colin filleted today's fish. It's been warm all day with the odd gentle misty bit of rain. 5-6.30pm we had a power-nap 7pm turned the engine on to charge the freezer /fridge and made use of the water maker to top up the water tanks. The wind has gotten up a bit and the misty rain is still here. Nice and snug inside so it's movie time.
We watched a movie called 'Cyrus' and went to bed about 12.30 - now it is ...
Wednesday 1.35 am and I am not asleep ...Because I am so busy getting accustomed to the energy charge all around - yes wind gusts of up to 38 kts before we went to bed - I have not turned on the instruments, but I,m sure we've been copping 50 kts at times...So it's a bit like the G-Force during take off and landing in a Big Jet with the addition of wind noise and water adding a continuous adrenalin rush to the trip - Of course there are no flight attendants advising us to fasten our seat belts as we are having moments of turbulence ! ..
Being firmly attached to a mooring (6 ton concrete block on the sea-bed) with a line as thick as my wrist is somewhat comforting. Now Colin is up and he's telling me how he can understand how useful the 'lee-cloth' would be at times. So yes we are galloping about and experiencing the ride. Now the Skipper has opened a can of Billy Maverick ( we might as well get into the spirit of things) and I'm going to join him as first mate ."Hello world" he says, as he pushes back the hatch
OK so we are finished our drink's - I ended up putting two cap fulls of Rum in a can of coke and then it fell over during a tipping moment - so half a can was my lot. The highest reading on the wind instrument (while we were watching) told us 48 kts . The weather report did state " very rough seas" and Homestead Bay is sheltered from all winds !!!
Goody.
10.55am
We woke up at 10.30am Colin made coffee, I did some washing and now sitting outside, the wind is a bit nippy, the sea is a picture of innocence and the sun is hot and beautiful. There is a launch on the mooring a bit further out into the bay - I trust it has it's own tale to tell about getting there.
1.30 We are heading out of Homestead Bay and thinking of going to Penzance, in Tennyson Inlet

Friday 21 November 2014

Saturday evening all 'shipshape' and ready to leave in the morning somewhere around 7 - 8 am  for Homestead Bay in the Pelorus Sound . Clive and Wendy in 'Iranui' and another new friend in 'Westerly' are leaving around the same time. We had a beautiful time out sailing yesterday Andy and D from 'Salishan' came out with us and we so appreciated Andy's helpful tips on sailing