New Zealand |
| FINAL THOUGHTS, TRUE CONFESSIONS & CRUISING HIGHLIGHTS Monday, November 26, 2007 Back in California! We’ve been back “home” in California for a few weeks now and are slowly acclimatizing back to civilization, traffic, multi-tasking, and the dry desert air. New Zealand and sailing are still fresh in our minds though, and will hopefully stay that way for a while! But before we entirely forget, this log will complete the story of our 2007 cruising season. During our last entry we were 3 days into what turned out to be a short and safely uneventful 7 day passage from Tonga to New Zealand. With winds mostly abeam from the east, we traveled fairly quickly until 6th day, when the winds shifted to the south, coming straight on our nose. With less than 100 miles to go, we had to alter course and head west for a 6 hour period, then south, setting our arrival to Whangarei back by one day. No harm, no foul – but our time in New Zealand was limited to just four days before we were due to fly back to the States. Thankfully Jim Todd on s/v Cardea was eager to help us out and became our boat project manager, handling multiple end-of-season repairs and upgrades on Far Niente in our absence. Now looking back on the last 8 months at sea, we chuckle at some of our experiences, and wonder how we may have changed because of them. These are our true confessions and observations: • Not until Vava’u, Tonga did we realize our knot meter had been overstating the wind velocity – by about 25%. As a result the 35, 45, and 50 knot winds we saw on the Puddle Jump were really about 25, 35, and 40 knots, respectively. But the exhilarating experiences were very real and probably made more exciting by the hyped-up wind speeds. When we did finally adjust the anemometer, it took us some time to adjust to the “wilder” ride at lower wind speeds. • They say that every sailor likes their liquor, and we were no exception. Except during passages, we rarely missed a happy hour. We never went overboard (pun intended), but a day just didn’t end right if it didn’t include a “sun-downer”. Maybe it just was our way of savoring each day for what it was. • Believe it or not, we became TV junkies. Many evenings we either watched a DVD movie or an episode of a TV series. Between those we brought along and those we exchanged with other yachties, we must have seen close to 100 movies or TV episodes. Our favorites though, and most popular with all our cruiser friends, were the multi-season TV shows: five seasons of 24, two seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, six seasons of The Sopranos, and three seasons of Deadwood. These were perfect for helping us stay awake during passages. Thanks to The Sopranos and Deadwood, we developed the filthiest and foulest language that would make any sailor blush. We’ll make sure that this $&%*@#^% habit doesn’t follow us back to shore! • Knock on wood, we were never seasick. (Other yachties experienced different degrees of seasickness – from nothing to total wipe-out, which made passages very tiring for two person crews.) • Food management was more of a challenge than we expected. In general, we were over- provisioned, especially since we had stocked up on lots of canned and dry goods in both the US and Mexico. But most of these last a few seasons, so no problem there. After finding only small food shops in the Marquesas and Tuamotus, we were like kids in a candy store in Papeete’s gourmet mega-store, Carrefours. After that our motto became, “When you see it, buy it,” in anticipation of future needs. Also, before approaching new countries, we usually cooked any fresh meats and vegetables, and squeezed all our citrus into juice, so as to pass potential boarding inspections and not to have to throw it away. But entering New Zealand waters was the worst in terms of food waste, since we arrived 1-2 days earlier than expected, and not only did we have to get rid of (throw overboard) all fresh foods, we couldn’t even cook anything for later because … there was no “later”. Yet after all is said and done, we probably won’t do anything different next time because, except for one very lousy canned dinner, we always ate delicious, varied and nutritious meals that incorporated the foods and flavors of the area – even during passages. • Wanting to stay fit, we brought along two Boxflex 60 lb. dumbbells, exercise bands, a mini- pedaler, yoga DVDs, and as of Nuku’alofa, a hula hoop. Other than during our long stint waiting for our batteries in Papeete, we barely used any of these; the hula hoop actually saw the most light of day, thanks to having to wait so long at Big Mama’s Yacht Club for a window to head to New Zealand. Regrettably, beyond cranking winches (no automatic buttons on Far Niente), our minimal exercise came from walks, hikes, swimming and diving - unless we count the hours trolling in shark- infested waters for our stern anchor in the Marquesas as exercise! • We were happily surprised at the number and quality of restaurants. Starting with the Pearl Resorts in the Marquesas and Tuamotus, and all across the South Pacific, we found many tasty, and at times gourmet, eateries and ate out fairly regularly when we were in the more populated areas. Our favorites? The Pink Coconut – Papeete, Pinapo Beach – Moorea, Jean-Georges at the St. Regis – Bora-Bora, The Aquarium – Neiafu, and Friends Café – Nuku’alofa. Best breakfast was the pancakes with fruit at The Café in Rarotonga, although the fluffy omelet at Café Escape in Nuku’alofa was almost as good! • We were astounded by the amount of rain we had, which started towards the end of June. Although the rain was mostly warm, it was the frequency and duration of the torrential downpours that surprised us. We encountered white-out storms while trying to enter Papeete’s busy harbor and then again anchoring in Bora-Bora and had to either turn back out to the obstacle-free open sea or just hover in one place, waiting for the skies to clear. Another time, in the Ha’apais, it rained so hard overnight that when we woke in the morning, our 10’ dinghy was completely filled with rain water and our gas tank was nearly floating over the edge of the transom. That’s a lot of rain, especially when compared to the measly 2” we average annually in Southern California! • Before undertaking this adventure, we acknowledged that although Far Niente was a well- equipped and comfortable sailboat, it certainly would never sail near the front of any pack. Throughout the various passages, Far Niente surprised us as to her extreme comfortableness under rough conditions and especially as to her unanticipated speed in “fresh” winds, which (along with our strong engine and large fuel capacity, both in the boat and in extra jerry cans) attributed to our record times for both the Puddle Jump and the passage to New Zealand. • As we were preparing to leave last March for the South Pacific, an acquaintance remarked, “You two must really love each other to want to spend so much time together in such small quarters.” Yes, we really (still) do love each other, but to no surprise, we did go through an initial adjustment period before we got on an even keel. Although we still had our invariable flare-ups, we each respected each other’s need to retreat into our own tasks and thoughts, so much so that at times hours could pass where we didn’t talk to each other. No different than on land, it’s all about ebb and flow. We think this cruise strengthened our love and relationship, as we shared so many great adventures and worked through challenges together. Celebrating our 30th anniversary in Bora Bora certainly was icing on the cake. • We were fascinated to see the blending of the modern world with traditional Island cultures, and the influence/control of France in French Polynesia (Marquesas, Tuamotus, Societies) and New Zealand in the Cooks. Islanders are proud of their heritage, but two centuries of missionaries and foreign domination have left their mark on the native cultures, wiping out some of the traditions, which is still resented. A cartoon sums up the cultural change in just two frames: the first shows two European colonials a century ago pointing at half-naked Polynesians, exclaiming “Those savages!” The second frame shows two modern-day, conservatively dressed Polynesians pointing at half- naked tourists in tiny bikinis, exclaiming “Those savages!” What goes around, comes around. CRUISING HIGHLIGHTS: We tried to identify the best parts of our cruising and jointly agreed on the following overall, in no special order: • Mother Ocean – Both sailing on her surface and diving her coral reefs; being continuously mesmerized by her many colors; appreciating her beauty and realizing how endangered her fish and reefs are becoming. What are we doing to protect them? • Passages – Sailing in the open seas under expansive skies without anyone else around; great lazy days without a real need to do anything in particular. • Swimming with the whales in Vava’u (Tonga)! Great cafes and cruising grounds, too. • Diving with sharks and the geographically amazing atoll lagoons in the Tuamotus • Sharing the Far Niente experience with visiting family and friends • Cultural festivals in Tahiti and Rarotonga • Cook Islands – no opinion beforehand, but surprisingly beautiful and fascinating • Austere (and weird) communal family life on Palmerston Island (Cooks) • Pristineness of the Ha’apai Islands (Tonga), both above and below water • Cruiser friendships that will last a lifetime • Diving, diving, diving! We logged 43 dives and over 33 hours underwater! This is above and beyond the hours we spent snorkeling. May our memories, logs and pictures lure us back for more sailing adventures soon! PATIENCE PAYS OFF! Monday, November 05, 2007 (1/3rd of the way to New Zealand) Lat: 26.12 S Lon: 178.42W Today is the third day of our passage to New Zealand and we are making great time. The sun is shining in a mostly cloudless sky, but already there's a bite in the air! A light rain bade us farewell as we weighed anchor Saturday morning, exited Egeria Channel and finally rounded Tongatapu's western point into the open ocean, along with a string of 15 - 20 other boats. As we motor-sailed the first 24 hours in light winds, the number of boats around us slowly dwindled from 6 to 3 to finally none. Although we can't see them now, we are within 15 to 30 miles of each other and are keeping in contact over VHF radio (our single side band is on the fritz) and email. Most boats, including us, have decided to skip the Minerva Reefs because of this late start date and the need to get south fast, ahead of developing weather. The initial light winds are perfect for landing an 18" yellowtail tuna (sashimi!) in the early evening of the first day. Shortly after, the winds kick up beyond forecasts to 20-25 knots, but from the east rather than more southerly, and we just rip down the rhumb line towards New Zealand, averaging 8+ knots, logging a record 205 miles in a 24 hour period, and cutting our passage down by an entire day. How sweet it is! After waiting (patiently and not) for 19 days (the same amount of time it took us to do the Puddle Jump!) to leave from Nukua'lofa, it is wonderful to be making great time. Guess the weather wizards knew what they were talking about when they told us to stay put! Forecasts call for light winds again today, tomorrow, and possibly Wednesday. An intense high over Australia may push a trough over New Zealand right into us on Wednesday-Thursday, bringing very cold air and strong southerlies, so we may have to head west a bit, then south again before making landfall in Whangarei. We hope to get as many miles under us now in calm weather to minimize our exposure to this later system and allow for a Friday arrival. We'll just have to play it by ear… Although seemingly never ending, our days in Nuku'alofa were spent hanging around with yachties from 30 other boats, in and around town (eating out, provisioning - again and again, and reading Time magazines from the last few months) and enjoying play days at Big Mama's Yacht Club, just off our anchorage on Pangaimotu Island. Ping-pong, bocce balls, hula hoops, volleyball, a Halloween pirate party, and lots of beers and fish & chip dinners kept everyone happy, including Big Mama. The day we left the anchorage, Big Mama got on the VHF to wish us all a safe passage and thank us for bringing them so much business. For not wanting to be there, in retrospect we certainly had a great time. And now we're quietly biding our final days on Far Niente, settling once again into three-hour watches, reading, sleeping, doing small boat chores, figuring out Kakuro, and playing Up- Words. Our frig and freezer are full, so we're also aiming to finish up all our fresh food before landfall. Trying to avoid the introduction of foreign pests and diseases, New Zealand has very strict laws about what can and cannot be brought into the country. Although actual practice varies, most boats are boarded and thoroughly inspected for a laundry list of prohibited goods, including fresh foods, honey, feathers, seeds (including those in jewelry), pesticides, etc. etc. Boat and dinghy hulls are also inspected for barnacles and algae, tennis shoes for grasses and soil. We have done our due diligence in preparation and hope to pass muster uneventfully. The end of our fantastic South Pacific adventure is sadly near. Only 4 -5 days till landfall, then another four until we fly home. Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday we were itching to leave Puerto Vallarta. Since then we've sailed over 6000 miles, visited 7 countries and 35 islands, gathered a lifetime worth of memories - and finally experienced the art of Far Niente! |