GaP Here
29 December 2012
Susan
We were so stuffed after the wonderful Christmas dinner we had, we didn't manage to do much on Boxing Day. Doug was spoiled rotten by our bud Colin and given a "Sweet As" t-shirt - the NZ saying. I think it was his way of saying, "You can stop saying it now, just point at your shirt." It's working so we don't have to hear "sweet as" all the time. Problem is that even if Doug isn't wearing the shirt, people think he's pointing at his nipples. Sweet As....
We have forgotten how to set an alarm clock so it didn't go off but fortunately we still were able to hit the road at 4am (30 min late) to drive down to Auckland to get Gigi and Pops. They were only waiting 2 minutes for us so we were golden. They looked pretty good considering the 15 hr flight and they didn't have near the bags we expected them to have. We had many items shipped to them for the boat. We loaded up and high-tailed it heading back to Whangarei arriving at 9am. The kids came sprinting up and leaped at their grandparents - life is good!!! It took all of 30 min to meet everyone on the dock and then start loading Lo ng Shot II with all the loot. Within an hour we were celebrating Christmas...again. The Long Shot II's crew scored big - we should have asked for more :) The day went by fast, and they were still looking great at dinner time on board Pacific Bliss. That's where they spent the night thanks to our wonderful friends as Long Shot II just doesn't have much room for seven people. I was even more impressed that they were ready to hit the Farmer's Market at 7am where we loaded up on produce then hit the road. You are restricted to high water departures from Whangarei given the one foot clearance we have in the channel, not to mention the 15 mile river run is nice to do on an ebb tide. GaP were beaming on our departure and looked like they could do this cruising forever. Pops assumed his post at the wheel just like old times. Doug and I worked the sails and he kept us true. It's nice to have another set of hands again though Doug figures we may have to retrain him - he now demands a beer in his hand while steering. Gigi kept hopping about wondering where she should sit to stay out of the way. We had a tough sail into the wind to get to the next harbour at Tutukaka - sounds like something we did in a diaper. The marina is beautiful - we spent one night here three weeks ago so we knew it was a great stop. This is where we plan to spend New Years Eve but also there is a beautiful hotel right at the foot of the dock. That's where we put GaP when the bulkheads start closing in for us. It's a little cozy onboard.
Looking forward to doing some hiking now that my leg is all fixed. Can't say I like being made into a porcupine but that acupuncture sure works. GaP tell us we have to post more blogs. I guess they'll have to give us something to write about.