West of the South Island, New Zealand 29 March 2011 43.3865S 173.8349E
We’re out the gate, almost. I don’t think we’ve ever been this ready. Yesterday the customs official came down checked us out, gave us our certificate of departure, and took our picture as we left. The weather looked good for a 3 day crossing to the Chatham Islands, where we’d like to spend a few days before heading east back to French Polynesia. But last night’s weather report, shows a change in Cyclone Bune. To quote Bob McDavitt a local weather guru speaking of Bune and the other highs and lows in the area “they may waltz or they may tango, we will not really know until it happens” Bune was predicted to stall well northeast of the Chathams, then dissipate. Instead, it has sped up, and is wandering more west. So instead of heading south and east, we’re just heading south. Our plan is to sit this dance out (no one on board can Tango or Waltz) and tuck into Akaroa on the Bank’s Peninsula (close to Christchurch). We’ll anchor there for a day or two and let the low that kept us awake the night before we left, do it’s job to cool the hotheaded tropical beast – meanwhile we bask under this nice high that pushed that low west (and would have pushed us west too, if we weren’t such sissies). I won’t tempt Bune today by wishing for wind, the little blue engine that could chugs along – and burning a little diesel now, might help our waterline. We should be pulling in to Akarora around daybreak tomorrow, and it looks like we can make another attempt to break away in a day or two. from there it should be a straight shot east to the Chathams. And for those of you familiar with the weather patterns and characters here, Bob says the westerlies are moving north, so they should be primed to take us backwards around this big Pacific. We may be far enough south now to catch that westerly train. Any further south and it will be a fast chilly ride indeed, and we’ll be dreaming of the easterly trades.
All the little and big projects and fixes are working well. The new dodger is amazing. The new dorades seem to be helping keep H2O outside (mostly). The waterline is low with full tanks and larders (no we did not raise the line again when we painted this time). The fridges are working full time to keep a nice stock of fresh food fresh. We now have two windvanes mounted on the back, and we didn’t have to start the engine once in last night’s 20 knot winds. We have French visas in hand, taxes sent in, bills paid, hours of podcasts and volumes of ebooks loaded. We even cleaned and vacuumed before we left (although that doesn’t seem to be lasting long). A very fresh start at any rate. There are a few nigglies acting up,a new water pump, that won’t start, a small oil leak, from an engine too long quiet, and a perfectly decent new lee clothe at the settee looks like it will go unused – we all still prefer the cabin sole for sleeping underway. So an easy first day and a half, on this half start. And I’m mostly able to glance around the boat as we motor along and not have the constant list of things-to-fix popping into view – so many done! Our cruising kitty will love that we’ll be spending most of the rest of the year in less civilized country. This year’s goal, avoid islands with cash registers.
There is an amazing quantity and variety of Albatross out here, many just floating around waiting for better winds. They rarely bother to attempt flight as we motor by. We often pass close enough to see the flees on their backs – almost. They are huge, and beautiful (except for those take-offs and landings…not high on the execution points there)
I have to recommend to you all to add New Zealand to your vacation destination list. And if you manage it between November and March of next year, maybe we’ll catch up to you here.
xoxomo