12/12/2007
Yes, we past all the islands and rocks to the north of New Zealand and turned the corner for home at 0550 today, so now it really is Australia here we come.
If you want to follow our track and haven't tried yet, just go the right hand side of the blog page and click on current position. This chart tracks our trip when we input our latitude and longitude. We just type away on a sailmail email putting all the correct codes in, and push the button and a computer sets everything out on the blog page for us. Except for times when human error intervenes and the codes aren't put in the correct place and oooppsii the posting doesn't get done, like yesterday. You can also follow the instructions if you have Google Earth on you computer and you can actually see our live position, neat isn't it! If we had satellite communication on board we could also post the pictures at the same time. Unfortunately, we don't so we have to wait till we get to land and get wi-fi coverage to do that.
The trip is going well, we're averaging about 6.5 - 7 knots, wind is from the NE at about 15 - 20 knots at times, with a 2 metre swell, "Volare" is still moving along nicely on a beam reach. We move between having one to two reefs in the main and the genoa furled in depending on the breeze. Captain Greg doesn't like to over extend the boat, especially in confused, cross seas. We could sail a lot faster if we put more sail out but no use over extending the boat and making it a lot less comfortable for the crew. So we're pretty snug, except now and again when we go over a big undersea trench and we notice the sea gets a lot more confused and choppy.
Current ETA into Newcastle (where we will clear customs) is next Thursday, 20th Dec, but this will be updated as we get closer. We'll have a quick stopover, change of crew, my Dad 80 year old Harry Parsons (nearly 81) is going to do the last leg into Sydney with us. After all, he is one of the reasons why sailing is in our blood. Dad has done about 5 Hobart's in his days and sailed many thousands of miles himself. For the intrepid sailors or motor boat people amongst you, Dad may have even rescued, towed or taken your position when he was on watch at the Sydney South Head Coast Guard Station, as he was very involved in Coast Guard Sydney for approx 6 years and Commodore of the Sydney Flotilla for the last few of those years, until last year when he switched from the Coast Guard to his new passion, Bowls. #
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With Debbie flying back to Sydney for a reunion with Japanese friends and Jade's first birthday, it was time to get stuck into some maintenance work on Volaré.
She was hauled out at Ashby's Boatyard Yard, Opua on November 19th for antifouling and other work. I painted her bottom with International Ultra, a hard antifouling, hopefully with similar properties to the product we used in Mexico nearly eighteen months ago. I decided to drop the rudder and give it a close inspection. There are tremendous forces operating on a spade rudder that is not supported by a bottom pintle and you need to be careful there is no sign of corrosion where the stainless shaft goes into the actual rudder. The rudder was perfect, however there were other signs of wear after 8,000 miles of sailing.
When I was removing the steering quadrant in order to drop the rudder I found one of the steering cables hanging on by a few threads of wire - it would have snapped in the not too distant future. I had a new cable made up and was ready to put the rudder back in after replacing the packing around the gland.
I had the hull acid washed to remove any of the left over Pacific Ocean and then the hull was polished.
We have been annoyed a few times with water coming down the mast when it rains heavily because it drops straight onto Debbie's head and pillow. I think I may have fixed this problem with a product called Spar Tite - a two pot mix that you pour into the mast partners that replaces the rubber wedges needed on a keel stepped mast and (hopefully) provides a permanent water tight seal.
While out of the water, I took the opportunity of replacing all the toilet plumbing in both heads (the pipes had a cholesterol problem with severe calcium build-up).
I had an articulated bow roller made up by a local engineering shop that will make it easier to launch and retrieve our Delta anchor. It's now self launching once the brake is released.
The mainsail went off to the local sailmaker for an overhaul - primarily repairing chafe, replacing a broken leech line and importantly putting in a third set of reef points. I also had them do a little nip and tuck to take out a wee bit of stretch on the leech that had come about because we have sailed so far with two reefs in the main.
Finally, we had been getting a few bubbles in the gelcoat on the cockpit seats because we have had cockpit cushions down for the entire time we have lived aboard. This causes the seats to sweat and water finds its way under the gelcoat causing an air bubble. It was an easy matter to grind these out with my new Dremmel tool but it meant repainting the cockpit seats after the bubbles were filled. I decided that I would put non-skip paint down on the seats and the cockpit coaming as well as the cockpit floor. Even though there is a deck pattern moulded in these areas it can get a little slippery from time to time, so now we'll stick to them like glue.
Today I have been doing some varnishing around the companionway that gets a lot of sun. I'm just about done now in time for Debbie's return on Thursday and a departure, hopefully, over the weekend.
Oh, just remembered - about halfway through the work schedule after the boat was back in the water I went out in company with Magnum, firstly to Russel where we tried out the new Thai restaurant then to a little bay on Urapukapuka Island (try saying that after a few rum punches). At low tide we took the dinghy across to a little reef that had dried out and found the mother lode of blue lip mussels. We filled a 5-gallon bucket, stopped off at Magnum to get a few beers, then went ashore to clean them.
As the sun set slowly in the west Uva and I sat on a rock telling stories, cleaning mussles, drinking a beer each and shucking and swallowing oysters to accompany the beer.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
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09/11/2007, Bay of Islands
This is the most rain we've had for 1˝ yrs and we have our first lot of visitors on board Volaré who aren't family since we took delivery of the boat. Alan and Robyn Seale are our neighbours from Drummoyne, Sydney, both sailors, so they know what it's all about. They really wanted to come to the Bay of Islands as they'd been here over 20 years ago and had loved it. Robyn said she re read her diary recently about that previous trip and her comment then was that they'd love to come back again to the area but do it on a yacht, and here they are.
The only problem is the rain started the morning Alan and Robyn arrived and really hasn't stopped since. It hasn't stopped us getting out into the Bay and going to some of the really spectacular anchorages and seeing the very pretty countryside along the way. Lots of rolling green hills that you could feel you could walk forever (except it's raining), tracks to spectacular lookouts over the Bay and the surrounding areas (except its pouring).
First day we headed over to explore the quaint little town of Russell and had breakfast ashore in a little seaside café. After a rainy night on board, where we were all cosy inside with candles keeping us warm, we headed out to Roberton Island. After overnighting there, we decided with the rain we needed a diversion (ie. shops) so headed across towards Kerikeri.
We pulled into Kerikeri Marina and decided to stay the night, as the yacht club was serving dinner that night and chef Debbie wouldn't have to cook. After tying up in the pouring rain, we all ventured to the Marina office and booked a taxi to take us into the little town of Kerikeri. The Taxi driver was an ex-cruiser who had ended up his cruising life in the area and just fell in love with it as you would. It is just so pretty. On the way into town we passed the oldest standing house in New Zealand and the Stone Store, The house was established in 1819 by the Church Missionary Society and was the sole survivor of the Musket Wars of the 1820's. The house and the nearby Stone Store were built to house the Rev John Butler in 1821-1822. Both right built beside the waters edge, so a very pretty setting.
Wednesday, Nov 7th: Hurrah, the sun is shining, we are sailing in a very pleasant 10 knots of breeze through the Bay to we don't know where and at last some nice weather for Alan and Robyn's last two days on the boat.
Whilst heading down the bay, trying to look for an anchorage in southerly winds, we had a call from friends on their charter yacht Phantom saying they were in a bay behind Moturoa and it was a great southerly anchorage. If we got there in the next hour before they left, they would pass over a bucket of fresh green lipped mussels. Without delay we changed course and headed there. Fascinating anchorage, quite different scenery to what we had been used to around the Bay because of these black rocks circling the anchorage. Phantom guided us in between the scary looking black rocks and we anchored in this very protected bay. Rick was over in the next few minutes with our bucket of mussels. Last night with the bay all to ourselves, we feasted on a fantastic meal of spicy seafood bouillabaisse, which I served with freshly baked bread, straight out of the oven. Yum!!!!
This morning (Friday Nov 9th), it was a walk ashore with all the sheep, then we tried to collect more mussels, but failed dismally. Rick had the touch. Now as we head back to Opua, we feel the week has gone too quickly, Alan and Robyn leave tomorrow to Auckland then back to Sydney on Sunday, having the boating experience on the Bay that they had pictured 20 years before.
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