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 .
.

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.

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

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

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

Thanks Lyn - hope you can get over while we are here. miss you xx

Moonglow is tied up in the Nelson Marina, and we are hoping Summer will show up soon. The weather is very unsettled with rather cold wind.  There is a gale warning for Tasman area so we are quite happy sitting tight for a few days - making new friends and catching up with mail etc.
Nelson is really good as far as being close to the city. Just a five minute walk from the Marina to the Library, supermarket etc

Wednesday 13th Nov
We are loving all the bays around Nelson, we spent a couple of night anchored in Torrent Bay now we are tucked in behind  Adele Island it is sunny and calm and so peaceful. Have a Roast of Wild Pork in the oven and it smells so yummy. Colin has been sitting up on the fore-deck getting rid of some whiskers!

Motored all the way from Queen Charlotte Sound to French pass, very rough following sea at the head and around Cape Jackson all the way to Clay Point. Catherine Cove overnight was just Beautiful with a full moon. We sailed around and about waiting for the tide and then went thru French Pass. Lovely day Fri as we made our way to Nelson, almost no wind and right on our tail all the way. Berthed up in the Nelson Marina just as the sun was going down. Ricky and Kate and 2 more

Monday 2.45pm sailing across the bay from Nelson to Torrent Bay

Monday and we are sailing back into Waikawa to buy a new boat hook - Opps lost it overboard - yes we had quite the night in Resolution Bay last night. Gale force winds and my goodness we took a hammering and survived but the boat hook was not lashed down ( neither of us fancied a dive to 20 odd meters to go find it!!) so now it's now safely stowed in Davie Jones Locker. Also wooden chopping board flew across the galley and took out one of the nobs on the gas cooker. She's all 'Ship Shape' now and we have had a giggle at our latest experience.
Colin and Deb

It's Friday 31st Oct all our family and friends are here. It's party time and tomorrow we are off 1 more sleep on land/

Hi everyone, just 3 weeks to go until we are living aboard and setting sail. Renting our home out for a few years.

Hi there,
"There's no need for words right now
cos I can feel you breathe

"Breathe"

I can feel the magic floating in the air
Being with you gets me that way
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've
Never been this swept away

All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze
When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms
The whole world just fades away
The only thing I hear
Is the beating of your heart

'Cause I can feel you breathe
It's washing over me
Suddenly I'm melting into you
There's nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be
I can feel you breathe
Just breathe

In a way I know my heart is waking up
As all the walls come tumbling down
I'm closer than I've ever felt before
And I know
And you know
There's no need for words right now

'Cause I can feel you breathe
It's washing over me
Suddenly I'm melting into you
There's nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be
I can feel you breathe

Hi everyone
Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Phew... we're here it's Saturday - we are putting some of our stuff in the boat getting to know each other as it were.
This will take us about a week so we will update just as soon as we are physically able to do so.

At 3.30 this afternoon we got to see 'her' bottom it fact the whole beautiful boat We were aboard as they hoisted her up out of the water and she truly is a beautiful shape Yes it's OK for us to say this ... form is purely artistic
We stepped up off ...more like took a big leap actually onto terrafirma and were hands on during the haul-out inspection. Then back we took her back and gently placed her in her parking slot in the marina, plugged her back in and put her to bed all tied up safe an secure
Signed papers shook hands

House for sale
Open Home this Sunday
come one and all it's hurry up time

Wow!!! SO so much has happened since our last blog
Were do we start ? ....................................................................................................right the sea-trial was uhh maize zing. Such an incredible amount of info over-load. Poetry in motion, you could literally 'feel the lines' and catch yourself gasp a hold at the strength of her as she harnessed the energy and made you come alive a part of a complete new body.
So yes that trip was a life changer, stripped of our old selves and a total overhaul - in fact we got to know what being totally aware is, like a fountain of youth and we are so hungry for this knowledge." This too will come to pass"

today is the day
we are so excited to be going out
the weather seems to be cooperating so thats a good start

Got our first sailing date

Yipee
We have a date for our sea-trial on Moonglow 1330 Sun

Roll on Sea-trial

Today's the 9th of Sept and the owners of Moonglow are home from overseas YIPEE now we are waiting to hear when we can go for the Sea-trial. This will be our first time feeling her under sail and we are SO so excited for it to come about. Then the next step will be a Haul-out inspection.
Waiting ever so patiently