Wetnose: SailBlogs

Wetnose at rest

Jim — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:59:47 -0600

Wetnose is enjoying a well-deserved rest and a long sip of shore power! (View Post...)

Leaving Opua

Capt. Jim — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:07:00 -0600

We had a very pleasant check-in with customs, immigration and agriculture at the Q dock in Opua on Saturday afternoon. The customs officer, Gary Burton, said they'd checked in 20 yachts already that day, and over a hundred more were expected for the coming week. After clearing, we left the Q dock for the anchorage, then headed ashore in the dinghy for a well-deserved celebration of a fine passage. At the Opua Cruising Club we met a few old friends. Tom and Betty Lee of Quantum Leap were there, who we'd cruised with in Fiji in 2007. Also on hand were Sven and Jola of Dana Felicia, with whom we talked by VHF radio throughout our passage. So it was a fine reunion, and nice to have a meal prepared by someone else! Yesterday (Sunday) we had a tour of Dana Felicia (check out their beautiful website to see what a nice job Sven, who is a retired design engineer, did designing and building). Sven and Jola, who is also a former engineerand now a full time yacht crew, came over for a look at Wetnose. By then it was time for lunch, so we all jumped in a 3-wheeled taxi and headed for Paihia for something to eat and some cultural and historical education. The latter was undertaken by Steve and me by walking to the Waitangi treaty grounds and having a look around. Dinner at the club again, then to bed early as we wanted to provision and leave Opua by 8am. That accomplished, we are now well past Cape Brett on our way down the coast toward Gulf Harbour, where Wetnose will be spending the rest of the year. We're planning one more night at anchor somewhere near the half-way point, probably Whangarei. Today is the best sailing we've had, with 20 kts of offshore breeze on a nice easy reach. Perfect conclusion for our voyage. Cheers, Jim, Steve, Joel SY Wetnose (View Post...)

Almost to New Zealand

Capt. Jim — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:45:00 -0600

There's a saying in New Zealand that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. It was one of those days on our passage today. We started the day under blue skies with a steady NW breeze sweeping us along at over 9 knots toward our destination. Then the sky clouded over and a light rain started to fall, and before you knew it the wind switched from NW to S, and the temperature dropped by 10 degrees. Since we are headed south, nobody aboard ordered S winds! After a few more hours of bashing upwind in a gray drizzle, the clouds completely disappeared. Unfortunately the S winds remained, but much diminished., so we are able to motorsail at reasonable speed in the general direction of our goal. At this rate we should reach the entrance to the Bay of Islands about 1pm tomorrow afternoon. Cheers, Jim, Joel, and Steve SY Wetnose (View Post...)