A Relaxing Chrstmas Cruise

We got up early on boxing day and were underway by 06:30 on the way to Te Kouma Harbour on the Coromandel Peninsula.  No wind, flat seas, clear, blue sky, idyllic really.  After spending some time calling family in Canada to wish one and all a merry Christmas, I went to use the head.  For the next three hours, the relaxing Christmas cruise was all about stripping and cleaning the waste pump and all the outlet lines. Down to the through hull.  In a word, YUCK!  Anyhow, job done, and we motored slowly onwards.  We dropped anchor in Sargents Bay, a few power boats closer to shore, but not crowded at all.  More boats arrived, and by 19:00 there were 19 boats in the bay, all quit, and no worries, lots of room.  The next day, the weather once again looked terrific, so out for a tour in the dinghy.  We headed off, I throttled up, the engine died, we rowed back to Tarun.  An hour later, after stripping and cleaning the carburettor, we headed off again to the beach at Rangipukea Island.  A nice sheltered beach, and some handy rocks to perch on while sitting and watching natures beauty all around (that and the no trespassing signs that is).  Back to Tarun to see if the ocean temperature was high enough for me to at least get in the water and clean off the propeller.  We only managed 4.5 knots under power on the way out, I was pretty sure it was the prop.  The water was actually pretty nice, and to my surprise, the prop was pretty clean.  I polished it up and then looked at the rest of the hull, it was a mess.  The keel had a bunch of weeds growing out of it, the zinc and cooling shoe for the fridge were covered in oysters, and the hull was completely slimed.  Oh well!  An hour or so of free diving later, the hull was in pretty good shape, and I wasn't.  Back on board for a nice warm shower.  We had to had back the next day so up at 06:30 and underway by 07:00, again motoring, no wind!  We were however up to 5.5 knots, much better.  It's amazing that little wavy plants can cause so much drag.  We motored until we were about 10 miles to the marina.  The wind came up so we tacked our way down the harbour, hitting 6.8 knots to weather, not bad for a big ol ketch, and we easily outsailed a Benetau, too much wind for the poor fellows.

 So a relaxing Christmas cruise, just like the cruising brochures promise.  My advice, read the fine print, be prepared to fix stuff, and, of course, LOVE DOING IT.

Waxing Philosphical at Christmas

Christmas day in New Zealand is one for the books this year.  It's a sunny, warm, calm day over almost the entire country.  As the newspapers say, finally, a perfect Christmas.  It still seems odd to get up Christmas morning, put on your shorts and tee shirt, and keep blinds drawn to try and keep the boat from getting too warm.  I seem to retain a residual "Christmas" memory of snow on the ground, fireplaces and it being dark until 8:30 or so in the morning and getting dark again around 4:30-5:00 in the evening.  Suns up here at 5:00 am or so and it's still pretty light at 9:30 pm.  Decorated houses are fairly rare here, too light to see the effects of the lights.  This is time of year for family and friends.  We are having dinner with friends today, but alas, family is far away and spread out around North America this year.  Mom and Dad in a hotel in Portland, my brother and family spending their first Christmas without Erika (Karin's mother passed away a few weeks ago).  They are having Christmas at the family home in Ottawa and likely continuing a lifetime of traditions.  Cathy's mom is in Belleville having Christmas with Alan and family (Cathy's oldest brother) while younger brother Iain is having a family Christmas in PEI; everyone celebrating in their own way.

I think back over the past 20 years and where we have spent Christmas's.   Our parent's homes in different parts of C|anada  a hotel in the British Virgin Islands, Sweden, and New Zealand.  Our first year in New Zealand in 1996, we had Christmas day with a family who we barely new, they were friends of friends, now good friends of ours.  We've spent 3 Christmas's with them over the years, but this year we had to pass, not enough time off work.  Instead, we will go up and spend time with fellow sailors in the marina starting at noon today and later on we will drive over to our friend's house for a nice meal and get together in their backyard.  A relaxing, easygoing day, and why not, after all, it's summer time and as the song says, "the livin is easy"

 

Merry Christmas All, and no matter where you are, or what you are doing, raise a glass and know that we are there with you in spirit if not in body