Well, it is way past time to update you on our latest happenings. The past few months have been a whirlwind of plans made (and changed), boat work, tears, and major changes.

We worked hard on the boat going through all the lockers, and tidying up. The woodwork looks fabulous, and the stainless steel is sparkling once again. We hauled her out of the water for the usual bottom paint and zinc chores. Unfortunately, this time would be our final voyage on Tender Spirit. She has a "For Sale" sign on her and within two weeks an offer was made. The last of the surveys are being completed and paperwork is being finalized. It looks like this chapter of our lives is drawing to a close.

I write this with a sad, broken heart, but realize it is the right decision for us. We arrived back in Alaska a few weeks ago and have been busy building a new life for ourselves. I will be returning to my teaching career. I will be teaching at Point Hope, on the North Slope. Right now we are in Anchorage planning our summer travels. That's right, with every close to a chapter, a new one begins.

We originally planned to spend spring and summer in the big city of Anchorage renting a high rise apartment. It was on the 14th floor and located on the corner with great views of the mountains and Anchorage. We thought it would be something new to try that would give us a place to stay until we left for Point Hope, but as you know, all of our plans are written neatly at low tide for a good reason. Instead of paying rent and watching those funds fly away forever, we decided to go cruising, only this time, we will go with a pick-up truck and camper.

We just aren't good at looking out of a window.... and, well...watching the same view for the 717th time would get terribly boring in a hurry, and what about the rest of the day? So we hatched a new plan before we even moved into the apartment. We plan to explore North America by road during the summers and teach in the the winters. As we explore our own country, we may even find some property to do the "homestead" thing with a big garden, chickens and other assorted critters. Between you an me however, I doubt we can settle in just one place. We can't seem to agree on the perfect climate any more than we could agree on the perfect boat!

I will keep this blog up for awhile until I can get a new blog up and running for our new cruising plans. I finally have a decent internet connection to get started on this new adventure blog.

The weather is warming up and the record snowfall is slowly melting. We are waiting another week or two for a warmer weather window to leave Anchorage to explore by land.

As everyone knows there comes a time in our lives where we come to a crossroads. We stare down those roads as far as we can. We weigh our options and make a choice based on a mired of circumstances. This time has come for us. As you know, we love Tender Spirit to pieces. She is our magic carpet, taking us safely across the ocean in all sorts of weather. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be saying these words, but Tender Spirit is now for sale. We are looking for someone that will care and love her as much as we have. Somebody that won’t keep her in the harbor, but take her to far away exotic locations.

We will continue to post our adventures on our blog. Selling the boat and starting a new life will be a big new adventure for us as we make the transition to the land. The boat market in New Zealand appears to be strong, so this may be a good place to sell her before we change our mind! I will be picking up my teaching career and I will also continue to pursue my writing life. Chuck will be busy designing our new home. We aren’t sure where we will live, but we would like a place where we can have a large garden, some chickens and maybe some horses. This will definitely be a big change for us as we shift to a land based life.

If you know of anyone that would like a very well loved Hans Christian, Tender Spirit is ready for the passage back to the South Pacific Islands!

It's Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas Everybody!!

We found an oyster farmer nearby, and we have been enjoying this fine delicacy. Tonight I made oyster stew for Christmas Eve. It's been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. We still marvel at the holiday season in the southern hemisphere. Kiwis celebrate Christmas with summer picnics on the beaches.

This will be our 5th Christmas in the warm weather. I must admit though, it's been unusually cold here this year. We have been chilly, especially in the mornings. Sleeping under the heavy quilt has been a pleasant change from the equatorial heat.

We sincerely wish everyone a happy holiday and hope everyone finds time to enjoy the season!

It has been awhile since I've posted. We have been busy since arriving at Opua. We have found some great deals, renewed old friendships and made new ones as well. We have even been working on the boat and doing some planning for our New Zealand adventure. Pearl is finally back from two weeks of quarantine. We sure missed her, and she is happy to be home again. Now for the first time since leaving New Zealand, she is allowed on land. She sure is loving the walks and is learning to be a good dog with other dogs and people. She is shy, but polite, so that is just fine with us. She is learning that people walking by the boat do not need to be greeted with a noisy hello! Other than that, she is making a great transition.

Water
We have been dreaming about a water maker since we purchased Tender Spirit. Unfortunately, it never made it to the top of the list. Other, more critical items kept bumping it down. It was still not even close to the top of the list. Like any good cruising plan, it changed. A cruiser was selling a new, in the box water maker for an incredible price. It is engine driven and produces 20 gallons per hour. The water makers on the market are in the $5,000 range. So our quarter berth is now filled with water maker parts and pieces. We are still undecided about where and how to mount this contraption, but we will get some help. Soon, we will be truly independent of the dock! In the meanwhile, we are enjoying being tied to the dock and having unlimited access to a water hose. We have tons of boat projects to keep us entertained and having access to a boat yard and marine stores is a real luxury.

Wheels
Returning to New Zealand was an easy choice because we left with huge regrets. We did not have the opportunity go get out and see the country. We promised ourselves that we would see more of North Island and also venture down to South Island. We kicked some tires at a local used car shop, but the prices had gone up since we were here last. We were also looking at circumnavigating New Zealand. The trip would be tricky with bar crossings and unpredictable weather. We were back at the used car lot again; still shaking our heads. We kept passing a Land Rover that we really liked in the marina parking lot. Naturally it was not for sale. On the morning that Pearl arrived back from quarantine, a "for sale" sign was in the window. The price was very low and we were hot on it. So, our plans have changed again. We are the proud owners of a green Land Rover. We are planning extensive inland traveling down to the South Island by vehicle. This is our first adventure driving on the left side of the road, so we will do some short range exploring first!

Work
Yup, I am working in exotic locations. I am actually starting to make an income with my writing. It's nice to see a few dollars trickling into the poor old bank account. I have a few freelance projects going on so we will be tied even closer to the internet. Hopefully I will be able to balance boat projects, road trips and writing.

We made landfall at 0300 this morning. We felt comfortable entering Opua at night since we have been here before. We are just now getting caught up on a few chores. We are cleared in through customs and bio-security. Pearl will be going to Auckland for quarantine tomorrow morning. She should be back after ten days if all of the papers and testing is in order.

We have had another great day of sailing. We are now on a race with some bad weather heading in our direction. We are 60 miles out and hope to make landfall in the middle of the night. We hate night arrivals, but we don't want to get caught in this weather system. A large pod of porpoises have been visiting today. That's been quite entertaining. We are also in visual contact with S/B Sidewinder, a vessel we met two years ago. We are looking forward to sharing the quarantine dock with them!

Just before sunset, last night, we had a beautiful rainbow that would please any pot of gold seeker. To make this sign of good luck even better was the albatross that soared in circles in the middle. This sure was an amazing sight! The wind was light all night, beautiful calm seas, and then the fog came. I haven't seen fog in a long time. It sure made for an interesting halo for the crescent moon that I could see through the thin fog layer. The wind picked up this morning and we had some stellar sailing. Lovely 15 knot wind was just forward the beam. We are still enjoying SW 18 knot wind with SW 2 meter seas. We have been averaging 6 knots most of the day. We are now 198 miles out of Opua. All is just fine on board.

The sun is shining once again. The winds are down, N at 10 knots. Seas are N at 2 meters. We are 295 miles from Opua. We are looking at landfall in about 3 days. We saw porpoises today. One was huge, laying on its side looking up at us. That was awesome. We are doing well, and getting a few things dried out and looking forward to the light winds on the horizon. Ok, I hope they aren't too light so we can sail at a decent speed.