Matauhi Bay, Bay of Islands, New Zealand 2 Nov 2010 35.2734S 174.1270E
Six and a half days underway, 7 knots average, 180-mile days, 1-2 meter seas, plenty of fresh food – all add up to a very satisfying passage. Silver Lining may be heavy, but give her the reins, and she’s fast to plow a steady path through even choppy seas. We kept pace with the catamarans the whole way and arrived at Opua Thursday night at 10 p.m. Friday morning we celebrated with champagne and Alaska smoked salmon (items we expected would be confiscated), and waited for the customs officials to tear into our ships stores. We had stacked our table and counters with any and all goods we were in doubt about, to make their job as easy as possible. Our inspector went through quickly checking country of origin and contents. He tossed a lot, but mostly sproutable beans, fresh meats, eggs and produce – as we’d expected. He looked with interest at my fly tying kit, “Hmmm, nice hackle,” an anglers eye, not his inspector’s eye. He didn’t even enter the forepeak (smart man). I guess he trusted us to have pulled out any contraband from that zone – or he figured any banned substances were not likely to leave the forepeak for our next 6 months here. I’m certainly not planning on removing anything from that zone and scattering it across this pristine landscape anytime soon. In fact, I think our best solution for dealing with that teen scene, would be to seal it off and call it a watertight bulkhead – extra flotation if we ever ram an iceberg.
A year ago, New Zealand seemed so far away, a distant dreamland, yet here we are staring out in amazement at Middle Earth. It does not feel like a different country, but like a different world. The air is chill with new and foreign fauna sounds and flora scents, the soft rolley hillsides surrounding this Bay of Islands are a patchwork of dark green forests and bright green pastures. Every house, every building looks like it was just painted or newly renovated. Yards are immaculate. Stores are filled with picture perfect produce. Median strips are full of vegetable and herb gardens. And I think that’s English they’re speaking, but I’ll admit I’m having a tough time understanding the accent. At Sunday market, we stocked up on homemade japonica jelly, kiwi chutney and banana-rhubarb jam – every jar hand labeled, and obviously collected from family or neighbors – all shapes, all sizes, some of the glass containers a bit dull from use. The locals seem very happy to see the yachts arriving, or maybe they’re just happy to see spring arriving. They’re all decked out in shorts and are quick with their friendly greetings, ever happy to help with directions or to just stop for a chat. I feel a little out of place with my fleece cap, fleece jeans, wool socks and turtleneck, but my skin is acclimated to tropical temperatures, and there’s no way I’ll shed these new layers just yet. Overall, you’d think it was heaven on earth, but we did get a quick reality check when our dinghy gas tank was stolen while we were dining with friends. Just something to keep us on our toes; this may be Middle Earth, but the Goblins and Orks are never far away, and who knows where Gandalf is when you need him. I sure wish I had one of those swords that glows when they’re near. Instead, we bought 18’ of stainless cable and a lock, we’re now in search of some elves to sing an anti-cablecutter song to enhance the alloy. A little invincibility would be just the ticket.
What’s next? We’re not exactly sure. There is so much to see and do here, we ought to have a plan. Some friends and family have made noises about visiting. We also have lots of boat projects that we’ll need to tackle (If you took your house and sailed it over 10,000 miles for 10 months straight, far from any Home Depots, I’m sure you too, would have a longer than usual maintenance list). And as we approach our one year anniversary since departure, we’ll need to step back, look at our budget, look at the charts of islands we hope to get to next year, look at our wish lists of gear we’d like to buy/replace, evaluate our school’s performance, and draft up next year’s blueprints. Interesting, my friends and former colleagues back at UCLA are probably all working on their annual reports now too.
Happy Planning! xoxomo