Things are progressing well in the boatyard but we did wonder why we had to pick the hottest week of the summer to be without the cooling effect of having the hull sitting in water. Completed tasks include: replacing the rudder-post packing (to stop water trickling in where the rudder-post enters the hull); installing two new thru-hull fittings for the outflows from the water-maker and one of the bilge-pumps (hopefully stopping another ingress of water when underway that had been quite annoying); having fabricated and attaching the new plate and spinnaker block to the top of the mast; and replacing the corroded and broken strip of copper foil that runs through the bilges about half the length of the boat and which is necessary for the single-side band radio.

The hull is almost ready for the bottom paint but we did have a bit of a scare when it was shown by an electronic device that the fiberglass below the waterline seems to be saturated with water. The paint crew tested this because they found a couple of weeping spots on the keel and rudder and they cannot guarantee their paintwork if the hull is not completely dry. We were assured that there was no risk of Tregoning sinking and if we were not finding water in the bilges (which we do not when she is not underway) this might only be a superficial saturated layer. The only fixes would be to leave the boat out of the water until the hull dried sufficiently or a very costly sanding down to fiberglass, reapplication of barrier coat and repainting...as we had done in México. There had not been any issues before with the bottom paint flaking off, and the readings had decreased a bit after a couple of days, so we decided to let the painters proceed and forego the guarantee.

Since we still want to apply touch-up paint to the mast and to complete a listful of other smaller projects, it looks as though we may end up in the boatyard for almost three weeks, about double what we originally anticipated. But doubling or even tripling the predicted time in a boatyard is pretty typical so we will still be happy if we are splashing-down (the haul-in) well before the end of the month. That will still give us two to three months exploring the New Zealand coasts before heading back to Tonga.

Having been back in New Zealand for three months, we were partly relieved when Randall received an email from the NZ Immigration Office saying that he was permitted to stay in the country while they continue to work on his visa extension. If he does not get the extension, he will have to leave the country (try to find a cheap flight to Australia) so that he can get another automatic three-month tourist visa when he returns. Using my British passport, I automatically got a six-month visa. The delay in making a decision about Randall's visa extension is because the immigration is particularly busy with immigration applications from the US and UK. No prizes for guessing why.

We have made friends with some of the other cruisers in the boatyard, but unlike a marina, there is a fast turnover and people are so focused on, or tired from, getting work done that there is little socializing. At noon on Monday (February 6th and a national holiday here, Waitangi Day) we did take some time off to watch the Super Bowl (played Sunday evening in the US). A couple of other crews from the US joined us and we shared various snacks for a game that despite a rather lopsided start, ended-up being quite exciting.

Our other exciting link to the US was the opportunity to have lunch with friends from Florida who had just arrived in New Zealand. We were most honored that Linda and David found the time to stop in Whangarei to see us as they headed north from Auckland to Paihia at the beginning of their two-month driving-tour of New Zealand and Australia. Well-seasoned travelers (NZ is country number 46 for them), they had a full itinerary planned for their stays in the North and South Islands. We took them to lunch at The Quay restaurant, overlooking the Town Basin Marina and we were thankful that the sunny weather make it all look very welcoming because rain was predicted for the next day.



The Town Basin Marina, Whangarei, seen from the canopy bridge

By tacit agreement and having no wish to spoil our happy moods, we avoided the subject of US politics. Randall doggedly follows events online but, with some shame and a wish for protecting myself from developing ulcers, I have adopted a complete head-in-the-sand attitude to US politics. I hope that I will become brave and mature enough to face the reality of it eventually, but in the meantime, please forgive me if I continue to enjoy the benefits of being on the other side of the Pacific and hiding away in our boat, protected from constant US news reporting.


Note 1:
Before our boatyard work took over my life, I managed to start adding photos within the text of the blog posts. I had not realized that this could be done until I saw the blog of my school friend Clare who had recently starting cruising full-time. She and her husband, Andy, are currently sailing in the leeward islands of the Caribbean and their blog is well worth a look:
Clare and Andy's Blog http://www.sailblogs.com/member/tintamarre/

The photos that I am adding are ones that I had planned to put into a photo gallery on our blog website, but by integrating them into the text as well, they should have much more relevance. I have started adding those photos from the beginning of 2016 so even if you have no wish to read back that far, there are now more pictures to look at. I have also added five new posts; one from the US on July 3rd and four from our trip to the UK, from the 9th to the 14th of August. (I still have posts to write from the UK and US from 17th August to the 14th October, plus additional photos from mid-October to end of 2016 so please keep the faith even if the current reporting of boatyard life seems rather dull!)

Note 2:
I am including some photos of people that we met along the way but I do not always manage to take good pictures (if I remember at all). So please do not be offended if you do not find yourself included in the pictures even though you get a mention in the text. On the other hand, if you are bothered that I have used a photo of you and you would prefer it to be removed, either send me an email (faster) or add a note to this post.