BITS and BITES
We continue to live, as one person recently said to us, “Like second class citizens” in a modest and partially self-sufficient way aboard our floating home s/v GRACE. While we are somewhat shielded from global and local events, we still have many of the same concerns and responsibilities as those who are land-based: We are still parents, children, tax payers and so forth. Our isolation, at times, makes all these roles a bit more difficult, but we do our best.

Whangarei, NZ:

We both really enjoy New Zealand. It is simply a gorgeous country with really hardworking, nice people -- whose values we both embrace. We have added a few new expressions to our vocabulary – like “rattle your dags” (hurry up -- it refers to sheep behinds) and “flash” (elegant or fancy), and yet we have not adopted the habit of walking around town, including going into grocery stores or restaurants bare-foot.

The whole town of Whangarei, where we have spent most of the southern hemisphere summer, makes cruisers feel extremely welcome. If you need a part, store clerks will help you; even they need to send you to a competitor for the best deal. If you need to get from one section of the town to another, “sweet as”, someone from behind the counter will pop out to their car and give you a ride.

Last week, Whangarei hosted a “goodbye” dinner for visiting yachtsmen, and we were all sent off with a heartfelt traditional Maori blessing for good weather and pleasant seas. As one of the organizers told us when we thanked him for the meal, “We know what you will face out there when you leave New Zealand, many of us are mariners too, and we want you to know that we will be sending you out safely”.

Working on the Boat:

We have been up to our eyebrows in boat projects of various sorts for the past two-plus months. During six weeks of that time, we lived aboard Grace in a working boatyard, in the water, with people painting their boats right next to us, or machine sanding them at all hours of the day. With only our aft berth and head to ourselves --about 45 square feet (about 4 square meters), ‘togetherness’ was certainly the operative theme. The main cabin was a workshop, and the forward cabin and head were for storage of all the books, papers, ropes, lines, wires, safety gear, sails, etc. The 7:30am to 4:00pm sound of grinding metal, the smell of fiberglass resin or diesel, the sight of dust, dirt and metal shavings, all conspired to keep us from relaxing too much.

Yet, it was a generally good experience. Believe it or not.

We had the shroud chain plates (the three on each side) replaced. This was THE major project of the season – taking much more time to accomplish than originally planned because nothing at all on a boat is symmetrical or straight – including the port and starboard sides of our GRACE. We had the new chain plates fabricated of 316 stainless steel, opened up the old ones from the inside of our main cabin, cut-off the tops and bolted the new ones through the old. The objective is to have a secure rig. We don’t want to lose our mast while at sea. These new fittings should help keep the mast where it belongs. In the process, we also had filled/re-glassed the tops of our bulwarks in-the-way of the chain plates to eliminate some troublesome leaks. It is 'joyful' to think about the fun of replacing the two backstay chain plates next year.

A partial listing of some of the other work done will provide a sense of the scope of this year’s refit: inspected, adjusted, re-built or replaced various parts of our diesel engine, including several bits related to the exhaust system; had all of the deck canvas (dodger, fly [Bimini] sail covers, etc.) re-stitched and GRACE’s sail wardrobe checked-over and repaired/tuned-up where necessary; sanded and re-varnished most of the on-deck teak, cleaned the rust off the “stainless” steel, made up and swaged-on new lifelines; tore-down, inspected and partially rebuilt the two toilets on-board; blasted all the paint off the steering pedestal as the paint was showing massive signs of electrolysis (it looks much better now); replaced some of the running rigging; added a few new rope clutches; had made new companionway screens, etc., etc.

We also went on a large-scale deck-leak search-and-repair mission. We knew that we had two fairly minor deck leaks prior to heading south for New Zealand last November. That passage made us aware that we had a somewhat greater problem when we discovered a steady stream of water running towards our electrical panel while at sea. The final straw came in early March when, having just returned from the Auckland boat show at night, we found about a gallon of water in our sleeping berth. After a few weeks of trial-and-error leak detection, we seem to have corrected all of the problems (we have been dry now through several days of heavy rains).

Occasional Complications:

Of course, refits and repairs in a boat are always subject to a huge domino effect. For example, in the process of removing old, non-functioning stereo speakers from behind two forward bulkheads, we found that moving these big magnets had a notable effect on the compass. We were forced to put back the speakers and will have to carry them around until we find a compass adjustor and can swing the compass for accuracy after removing the speakers.

Just about the time that the chain plates were done, our refrigeration, which was original to the boat (almost 30 years old) decided to give up the ghost for good. We consider ourselves very lucky that this happened here in NZ -- at the dock -- rather than in some hot, distant anchorage with no supplies or services. We now have a new compressor and evaporator plate, and hopefully a much more efficient system to keep food safely. Wouldn’t you know it, just at the time of the broken fridge one of the woodworkers at the marina came by with some beautiful “NZ snapper” which he had caught fishing from his kayak. We happily accepted and made it that night – it is a supremely delicious fish.
The interesting thing about all the above is that s/v GRACE left the U.S. two years ago having just completed a very extensive re-fit. The wear-and-tear of long distance cruising (combined with the fact that GRACE is 28 years old) is significant, leading to the (accurate) adage that cruising is just “working on the boat in exotic locations”.

During our time in Whangarei, we got to know a group of exceptional Kiwi craftsmen, both young and old. All were just incredibly able to make things work. The Kiwi “can do” attitude is quite refreshing. While we had to scrape the bottom of the cruising kitty to pay for the work that was done, we feel as if we got very high quality work for a fair price. With fingers crossed, we should be done with major cash outlays for the time being.

Friends and Food:

We were treated to a typical Kiwi Sunday Roast dinner by crusing friends who live in Whangarei. It felt like a bit of home to us, being surrounded by friends we have met along the way.

Easter was a quiet day. Somehow, the Easter bunny found a way to hide some eggs aboard, and then came by in the guise of a Swedish female single-handed sailor, Liza, who brought us each a chocolate Easter egg. Kazu-san, a single-handed Japanese sailor shared his delicious local honey-soaked lemons.

For fun, we did take a Saturday off to attend a local school’s class in cheese making. No, Geoff has not suddenly decided to find his “inner chef”, but he does like to EAT food, so he thought it would be fun to learn a bit about how to make use of the product of the NZ dairy industry. Despite the excessive amount of “hands on and in” the milk, we did both learn how to make mozzarella, cheddar, and even parmesan-like cheeses. Unless we find a way to tether a cow or goat to the aft rail, we won’t be making any on this voyage, as cheese needs fresh milk (within 12 hours of milking) to be made properly.

They say that smell is one of the strongest memories humans have. In Sally’s case, she was transported decades and thousands of miles back to Colombia and her youth when we were presented with a gift of a bag of feijoas. Lance, the brilliant young “bloke” who effectively lived aboard during his work on the chain plates, brought them by s/v GRACE along with a jar of honey that had been gathered on his family farm. Friendships are formed based on unexpected things. Lance’s quiet professionalism and sense of humor have certainly endeared him to us. The feijoas and honey didn’t hurt either. Sally is happily at work finding ways to use, eat and preserve this precious fruit and nectar (Geoff likes the cupcakes best).

What’s Next?:

Our visas are almost up and we are about ready to head off again to go north, probably to New Caledonia and then on to Vanuatu. We hope to get a weather window (if the rains would ever stop – it is worse than the Pacific Northwest here these days) and do a short sea trial, taking the boat back up to Opua, NZ where we will await passage weather and clear out of the country.

INTERMISSION:
In the spirit of Valentine’s day, we LOVE our friends!

From Dubai to Darfield, from Bogotá to Bainbridge Island to Blenheim, from Sweden to Sydney, from Paradise to Paris, from Atlanta to Houston to Mauritius, from Tokyo to Tasmania, our travels have given us pause to appreciate our spectacular friends and treasure the opportunities we have to communicate with all.

With GRACE safely at the dock in Whangarei, NZ, we flew half-way across the world to Connecticut for Christmas. In a whirlwind 10 days we were able to help Doris (Sally’s mother) move to Essex, Connecticut. Despite several large snow storms the move was made smoothly, and Doris is now happily ensconced in her new digs – still with Samba of course. Does anyone know of a good buyer for a lovely, free standing condo in Greenwich? (This is not the ideal time to put real estate on the market).

Christmas was spent in Essex with parts of both Sally and Geoff’s families.

We then high-tailed it west to Bainbridge Island for New Years and a couple of weeks with Chris and Peter (and Peter’s girlfriend, Lea). We continue to be proud of our two sons and are quite fond of the men they have become. We made a point to see our friends Liz and Gary, Brian and Mary Alice, Bob, Leah, Rob, Mary, Laurie & Heikki, John, and our cruising friends Karen and Gary. Oh, and we were treated to a couple of snowstorms there, too.

As strong as the pull of family and friends was, we left Bainbridge late in January, confident that our sons would continue to thrive and that Sally’s mother and Geoff’s father were both in good stead.

As our plane tickets routed us via Sydney, Australia, we decided to spend a few days there on our way back to NZ. We made the stop into a 4-day holiday to see dear friends from our Tokyo days. We spent an amazing time with each of two couples, Marilyn & Max and Alka & Ravi. Each couple showed us different parts of their home city. What we found most compelling was how durable and deep these friendships have proven to be. In fact, if there is an overall “theme” of the past few months for us, it would have to be the value of the friendships that we have been able to make as adults. We fell in love with Sydney and hated to leave.

As we were flying from the US to the South Pacific, we found it ironic that most people travel by sitting strapped into seats in a hermetically sealed airplane watching endless movies which are often about other people and their adventures. We are privileged to have traveled so far, experiencing our own adventures in the process.

Back in New Zealand, we were able to connect with our friends on s/v Bear before Chuck and Dianne sailed from NZ bound for Australia (what romantic words, even in the 21st century). We also were able to visit with friends Pat and Steve whom we met originally off the wild west coast of Vancouver Island almost two years ago.

We took a short break from our boat projects and flew down to South Island to call on our friends Gina and Paul from s/v Solace on their farm outside of Christchurch. Gina and Paul were with us on that day exactly a year ago when Sally was hit by the motorcycle in Mexico. While visiting, we enjoyed several days in the gorgeous house that Paul built with his own two hands, amid paddocks of sheep and lots of fresh air and beautiful scenery. Between sipping Paul’s homemade wine and eating Gina’s Kiwiana meals (have you ever eaten a “mouse-trap”?) We were chauffeured around to see all the sights and even shared in a holiday get-together with their Kiwi friends’ – this time a BBQ in a camper holiday park. Gina and Paul will be out on s/v Solace again this year, making the trip to NZ from Raiatea.


A train ride along the east coast of South Island brought us to Kaikoura where we hiked along the bay and then up to Blenheim where we met Pat and Steve again. Here the four of us stayed in a guest house (with full kitchen and washing machine) set in the middle of the Isabel Estate Vineyard (at US $50 per night per couple!). We probably tasted over 35 wines at the various vineyards in this famous wine growing region of NZ, hiked the Wither Hills, and ate some delicious food. We do love New Zealand and still enjoy it just as much as we did eight years ago when we first visited with Chris and Peter.

We are now back aboard GRACE, working in earnest to keep her shipshape and safe. On Monday we will move GRACE down the river to a work dock where we will begin the process of replacing her chain plates. For the non-sailors, chain plates are the structural elements to which are attached the various wires that keep the mast vertical. Ours chain plates are, unfortunately, inside the fiberglass of the hull and as old as GRACE herself. So we are going to change the design so that these critical parts are accessible and can be inspected periodically. To allay any potential concerns, we have not yet had a problem with the chain plates; we are just being careful and doing preventative maintenance.

Otherwise, we are doing a lot of painting, varnishing and regular mechanical maintenance. We anticipate 3 – 4 weeks of living on a boat that is having its mid-section torn apart. While it will be awkward, we hope the result will be a boat that will continue to keep us safe in years to come.

Thanks for staying by us. As our thank-you, we send along some photos we took of the wonderful New Zealand flora and fauna.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

(note: if you click on the photo of the olive branch with the brown at the end you will be quite surprised at what it is)