Time to head back to Perth
10 December 2016 | Taurange Bridge Marina
Extremely Windy
It is finally time to leave Echo Echo and head back to Perth to start living back on land. It has been a busy time here in Tauranga, trying to do a few jobs on the boat and also pack up everything. The jobs have been very frustrating as we have not resolved them. The chart plotter is maybe a software issue and something that will take weeks as we have to send off the chartplotter to get the software updated or fixed, so we can’t do that now. We have been trying to work out if our solar controller which was new in Tahiti actually has a fault or not. We get error messages which have stayed on the screen for the past couple of weeks, even after rebooting the system. However, today we got up and the error message had gone. An electrician did note that the fuse appeared hot and so we replaced that two days ago. Maybe that has been the issue, but we are not sure. We are also not sure if our starter engine battery and house bank are both charged by the solar panels. If the starter battery isn’t charged by the solar panels, then we will need to get a small solar panel to keep up the charge to the battery so they are maintained in a charged state. Batteries cannot be left for such a long time without have some trickle charge going to them. We got an electrician around and he was not very helpful, so we are having to work out everything ourselves, much to Neil’s frustration. Reading my blog to Neil, he says he is more sure now that the battery bank is not linked. So he will be off to Bursnco tomorrow, to buy a small solar panel.
We have enjoyed seeing Laurie and Chris from Moonraker while here at the marina and had farewell drinks on their boat last night. We have also spent some time seeing Neil’s family and some old family friends have visited the boat. Tonight, we will be having a yummy lamb roast cooked by Neil’s sister Anne. It will be my farewell to Neil’s family until we come back to visit again sometime in the future. Neil is hoping to catch a flight by the end of next week to Perth, as he is keen to find work. There is a possible job opening and so he is very keen to get the position. So keen in fact, that we both went to the hairdressers yesterday. Yes, Neil actually stepped into a unisexual salon and had his hair professionally done, more than just a cut. No more haircuts by me in the cockpit. It has made a big difference and a big improvement. The people in the salon could sense Neil’s anxiety and were so sweet. He got the royal treatment, they spent heaps of time doing his hair and in the end I think he loved it! They spent less time on me, but the price to do my hair was a lot higher, so not sure how that works?? But it was a nice treat and the head massage was excellent.
Yesterday, we also went to the shops to buy Neil a business shirt and I bought a pair of sandals as I haven’t got a decent pair on the boat and I want something to wear in Melbourne and Adelaide. I have packed my suitcases and they are bulging. I think one of them is way too heavy, so I am not sure how I will go at the airport. I have also packed a third bag with camera gear, some kitchen items, boat documents etc which Neil will bring back with his bag of clothes. By the time I take two computers, two ipads, spare phones, GPS and Iridium Go gear that takes up my hand luggage bag. I have decided to take the things home as they will possibly just corrode if left on the boat. Together, we will have 4 suitcases to take back to Perth which is better than the 8 suitcases we took to the boat.
I have packed all linen, cushions into vacuum bags so I hope they will all be ok. We don’t know how bad the humidity/mould will get while the boat is on the hard stand closed up. Many of our books, shells and hanging things have also been put into plastic bags. I have also packed up most of the food and alcohol. I gave some to Laurie and the rest I will give to Neil’s mum and his sister. The boat is in such a mess and it is hard to move around. Neil has decided to leave me to it and has gone off for a walk for a couple of hours, as he hates the mess. There is not much space to sit down and he would rather leave me sort it out. The boat has not looked like this since we first arrived with our 8 suitcases. I am happy to do it as I know, after I leave tomorrow then he will be flat out doing the final packing away of boat gear. Sails have to come down, but today the wind is fierce and so that is not a job we will tackle today. He will have to take off all the lines, put away safety gear, wash lines, clean and paint anchor chain and ask his mum if she can wash our bed linen and towels and at this stage Neil will stay at their house. The dried linen can then be put into the final vacuum pack bag. Neil will get Chris and possibly Alan, a friend of friends of ours to help him take the boat to the other marina and get it hauled out. Neil is hoping he can get the boat taken out on Wednesday, so he can do the anchor chain and then maybe fly to Perth on Friday. He will also have to fit in catching a bus from Tauranga to Auckland Airport.
I am catching the bus early tomorrow morning and it will drop me off in Auckland city. My dad will pick me up and I will stay with him until the early hours of Wednesday morning when I will catch a flight from Auckland to Melbourne. It will be nice to see him and Jen again. Once I land in Melbourne, I will catch a bus to Box Hill, where I will be picked up by Peter. I suppose you could say Peter is a blog/video friend. He started emailing us, just after we started making videos and has been very supportive of our journey. We have enjoyed getting his emails and as I am going to be in Melbourne we are finally meeting face to face and having lunch. I will also meet Peter’s wife and his friend Byron who sails. Peter lives not too far from Jess and Thil’s place and so he will drop me off after we have lunch which works out perfectly. Jess will be at work and so I will see her when she gets home. I am looking forward to seeing Jess and Thil as I have not seen them since they got engaged and I have not seen the new home they built. I will also be so excited to see my dogs which live with Jess. I really miss not having them. While in Melbourne, I will be able to find out all about the wedding plans for next Easter.
I will be in Melbourne for 6 days and then I will fly to Adelaide to see Amy (my youngest) and Ryan her boyfriend, plus Neil’s brother Iain and sister-in-law Tania. I will have Christmas morning with Amy and then I hop on the plane and fly my last flight to Perth. I arrive just after lunch and will spend the rest of Christmas with Emily (my oldest) and her husband Ross. Depending on what happens in Perth with the job situation, Neil will either fly to Adelaide and then back to Perth with me on Christmas Day, or he might stay in Perth if a return flight price to Adelaide is ridiculous. It would be nice if he can get to see his brother, so I am hoping the price won’t be too bad.
This journey has been such an awesome experience. It has been a mixture of ups and downs. It has gone way too fast, but also what we did was too much in so little time. Learning how the boat worked, plus sail so many miles in two years we feel was too much. I would recommend anyone doing the Pacific to consider staying in French Polynesia longer, but you do risk being there in the cyclone season. We wish we had more time and would have loved to stay in the Caribbean longer. Many people stay years in the Caribbean and we understand why, more so now. We achieved what we wanted to do, but we also felt we were always rushing and not getting to see many of the places thoroughly. Unfortunately for us and many others, there were times where we had to wait in one place to get boat parts or get the boat fixed and this wasted so much of our cruising time. Also, weather played such a big part and restricted our movements many times. If we did it again, I don’t know how we could do it differently apart from doing it over more years. People have asked us where we liked it the best. We visited some of the most beautiful and isolated places in the world, but for us we both loved cruising in the Bahamas. We loved visiting Palmerston for its uniqueness, Niue for its friendly people, Huahina and Moorea for their beauty and less tourist oriented lifestyles. Their communities haven’t yet sold out, says Neil. I also loved the deserted islands of the Tuamotus and San Blas Islands, where you felt like an explorer and appreciated the solitude.
I am starting to feel a little emotional about leaving the boat. I look at the radio and think how I will miss talking to others on their journeys. Writing my blogs has been a big part of my life for the past two years and so I will miss that, but I will still do updates on our progress and future plans. The cruising community is such a wonderful group of people and I will miss chatting, helping and socializing with them. I think I will make an effort to get to know the people in the street we live in, as I will miss that community feeling. I do have a great bunch of friends and workmates and I am so keen to see them all again. I also hope I won’t forget everything I have learnt, as it has taken a while for me to grasp some aspects of sailing and to feel confident and there is still so many things I need to learn. Lots to look forward to in the future. I might look into doing some sailing at one of the yacht clubs. There is a women’s sailing group at Fremantle Yacht Club and even though I don’t have a boat there, maybe I could get to do some casual sailing or even closer to where I live maybe some Twilight sailing on the river at one of the yacht clubs. I will still be making videos of our adventure for a while as once back home I will be able to upload them easily. I have started writing a book and so I plan to continue that and I also have a few more ideas for some more articles for magazines. Lots to keep me busy, as well as begin work as a Year Three teacher and I also have been asked to do the Science Coordinator role for the school, which was a role I used to have. I am very happy to be teaching Year Threes and I just found out, I will have one of my best working buddies in the classroom next to me. So definitely, a good start to 2017!