We had some fun neighbors for our last few days at the boatyard. Griffin(4) and Tansyn(9). We'd play games like "Wash the Deck" and "Scrub the Floor" ; )
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A thorough sanding and polishing to reveal a shiny Propspeed-ed assembly.
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05/16/2012, Great Barrier, NZ
This entry brought to you by Amy, Secret Agent Man's newest, and very green, addition. Before last week, the only passages I had on record were in unseasonably placid waters off of Australia and Panama. At 3am you were in little more than a bathing suit, with hot drink in hand, while smalltalk was made with a fellow watchmate to stay awake and to pass the time.... too easy. Back to 3am present day and I'm rounding Cape Brett on Secret Agent Man... shivering, white knuckles gripping the companionway, and eyes peeled on the navigation system as we get tossed about like a shuttlecock. Uh-oh, did I just wet myself? No, I just spilled hot tea all over my lap... thank goodness. The only thing that calmed my nerves was seeing Eric below, sleeping like a baby, so clearly, this was business as usual... and I just needed to grow a pair. But rather than whine about the shakedown from Great Barrier to Opua, and what otherwise would have been the deal beaker had Eric not convinced me that 35 knot winds on the beam were not your average passage.... I share it as an uplifting trial... giving me the stuff one needs to pursue a proper passage... lunacy, I think is what it's called ; ) But I kid... this is just how it appears to one not brought up on a sailboat. After 29 years of living with solid ground under my feet, I just need to re-calibrate my sense of security now that I'm at sea. Fortunately, Eric is better than any teacher I could ask for, and with that, my confidence builds each day. Goodbye sweet, stable land... you will be missed...*sniff*
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Hello all,
Amy and Myself are still out on Great Barrier island. The weather window we wrrived with gave us the chance to get up to Bay of islands fast, but we chose to stay here for a period because it is epic. As with any place you go we have learned the ropes over the last few days. We have learned how to catch the fish. We have learned that there are abundant clam beds here. And we have discovered the hot bath. The hot bath is a community beach porperty (which is epic) that an owner made into a spot for everyone's enjoyment. It is located in Smokehouse Bay, and boasts a cabin with a bath tub, massive fish smokehouse, composting toilet, rope swings, camp fire and BBQ facilities. The water comes from a spring fed cistern and is heated for the bath by a wood fire. The point is we are set even though it is starting to get cold down here. We are looking at leaving in the next weather window but are going to be pinned down by some strong NE breeze tomorrow. The next stop in the Bay of Islands for some bottom paint and then Northward. I hope this finds you all well.
Cheers,
Eric
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Snapper and an unidentified fish that have become stapels for us along with clams.
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Port Fitzroy
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Afternoon clam digging on Great Barrier Island
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We estimate that this harvest of clams weight at least 30 Lbs.
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Clam stash
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Uma-Rapiti Farm
Cable Bay
Waiheke Island
New Zealand
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Hello All,
Sorry for the lack of posts. A lot has happened in the past couple of months. Mom and dad came for a visit in March, My girlfriend Amy is coming to The tropics with me in a week or two, and the boat is in great shape thanks to lots of boatwork. Thanks to Mom and Dad and Amy who all did heaps, the boat is better than it ever has been and leaving New Zealand looks like it might go smoother than previous departures ... I met mom and dad in Australia and spent some time with Auntie Laura and Kate. We then flew back to Auckland and sailed out into the gulf. We spent some time on Waiheke Island where Amy works, or should I say worked, as the manager of an awesome permaculture farm. She hosted "WOOFERS" from all over the world, ouyt them to work in the garden, and taught them about permaculture farming. She is now coming with me to Fiji. It will be nice to have company on this part of the trip. Amy is awesome and I think she will do well at sea. NZ - Fiji will be her first passage... After Waiheke My parents and I spent some time at Islington bay which is a very nice anchorage and climbed Rangitoto volcano and explored some Lava caves. We were chased back to auckland by some weather and spent several days in Westhaven working on the boat. Mom and dad were great. We rebuilt the holding tank. Mom was the instigator. I would not have dont it with out some peer pressure. Mom and Dad were great to have aboard as usual. We had a lot of fun, made new friends and caught up with old ones. Stay tuned for a departure report.
Cheers
Eric
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Getting passed by Groupama exiting Waitemeta harbor into the Huraki Gulf.
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Dad and Groupama
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Mom and Dads visit coincided with the Auckland stop over of the Volvo Ocean race. We got to check the boats out at the race village and watched both the inport race and the start of the next leg from Westhaven marina. It was quite nice to walk to the top of the dock and watch a live Volvo in-port race! Here are the boats in "Viaduct harbor" downtown.
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