Opua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand 26 Nov 2010 35.3141S 174.1186E New pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/margoreveil/BayOfIslandsNewZealand#
In typical landfall style, I’ve neglected to keep you in the loop. We’ve been out reconnecting with cruising friends, exploring this Bay of Islands, and taking advantage of the abundant scenic paths to redevelop some thigh muscles to support these wobbly sealegs. Rumor has it that in a few weeks all of New Zealand shuts down for summer vacation, and like the French abandoning Paris in August, the Kiwis will flee Auckland and flood these coves and bays, that we now find so quaint and quiet. The one to a thousand ratio of pictures to words will be much more effective, so I’ll post some pictures for a more complete description of all we’ve been doing since we arrived. Now we have to get to work and get some stuff ordered before the shops in this country close their doors to go fishing.
Our project list is reasonable all things considered. I grow more thankful at it’s length, with each new arrival we greet in the ship chandlery. Many have projects that sound more daunting than those on our list. I’m even feeling a little sheepish about my own sense of overwhelm, at our list of what others would consider standard maintenance items. Still, after months of focusing on feeding, educating, and cleaning up after a family of four, and transporting them across the Pacific, I’m finding the project management hat a little big for my new pinhead. When did decision making get so difficult? What happened to my getting-things-done skills, the ability to break down tasks into subtasks and schedule to a deadline starting with the next actionable item. In some ways tasks that the cruising life generates are a lot like tasks generated by email, the most recent arrival gets the most attention, until an even more recent one arrives and you drop the previous one finished or not, to slay the new beast. Slowing down the ship for assessment, maintenance and repairs, requires a completely different mindset. I used to be a master at stepping back, looking at the big picture, not letting the daily tug of urgent messages derail my projects and plans. But growing boys must be fed 3 times a day, dishes done, laundry sorted, books read and…oh is that Kamaya that just arrived? … sure this afternoon is perfect for sewing lessons come on by anytime…and hey that boat is dragging anchor, no one is aboard Red Alert!…was that a Eastern Rosella on the shroud!…look, squirrel!
No we’ve not seen any squirrels yet, but this life does foster a dog’s ADD. Discipline, that’s what we need now. OK, first on the list, 14 year old tired dinghy, options: repair, build new, buy new, buy used. Task one do a total cost of ownership analysis of each option. If “buy new”, must determine material: inflatible, plastic, or aluminum. If “buy used” must define minimum requirements and hidden costs. If “repair existing” must consider life expectancy and hidden costs. If build new, can expect to meet all custom requirements, but at what cost. It’s feeling a lot like a software development shop around here. All we need is a governance committee so I don’t have to take responsibility for any repercussions from making this decision on my own. Alright crew, time for a meeting.
xoxomo