Christmas Greetings from Opua in the beautiful Bay of Islands, New Zealand

    Christmas Greetings from Opua, in the beautiful 

                Bay of Islands, New Zealand

15 December 2014

  

Yes, New Zealand is a very beautiful country and we are yet to visit the South Island. This we’ll do in February. The weather is far from beautiful though…….we’ve just survived the most severe winter in living memory. Nearly every week throughout winter we’ve had a severe weather warning.

 One storm had boats dragging their 4 tons mooring blocks all over the place, leaving at least 2 sunk on the Quarantine Dock. As I write now, we are expecting 30-40 knots winds and lashing rain for the next few days. But when, occasionally, the sun comes out and the wind dies down, it’s gorgeous out here on the water.

I’ve just read our last Christmas letter which covered the biggest year of sailing and travel that we’ll ever do! By comparison, this year has been very static. We planned it that way, as Sheer Tenacity and ourselves needed some long overdue TLC.

An early highlight to the year was a pod of Orcas coming to visit us in the anchorage on Boxing Day! There were about 13 of these magnificent creatures including one baby…..it was a first for us and something we’ll never forget.

In January, we travelled down to Auckland and I had a new lens fitted to my right eye. What a difference! I still need reading glasses but my far vision is 100%! Amazing that I managed my night watches without any oopses!

Kate came to visit in March……..she arrived with the tail end of Cyclone Lusi and a dose of flu which she generously passed on. So we spent the first few days of her visit hunkered down in Roberton Bay recovering from the worst flu I’ve ever experienced……maybe it was Swine Flu!!

We left Sheer Tenacity safely tied up on a mooring and set off in Mrs P on a round trip of North Island. It was a great trip and we had loads of fun.

We sadly dropped Kate off at the airport in Auckland and made our way back to Opua and the yacht.

In May we flew over to Sydney where we met up with old friends Lin and Et. Together we travelled via the Hunter valley, and up the Sunshine coast past Brisbane as far as Noosa, before returning via the inland route. Rod and I then rented a little car, and headed down south to the Blue Mountains, Canberra, and returned along the coast from Batemans Bay, back to Sydney.

We have spent the better part of 2014, restoring, replacing, improving Sheer Tenacity so that she’ll be fit and ready for the next cruising season……Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and a haulout somewhere for the next cyclone season. 

For those gluttons for punishment, who wish to read about all the details, and see more pics, you can view it all on our blog site svsheertenacity@blogspot.com

We plan to do a long overdue home visit which could mean being in Cape Town for Christmas 2015! That would be so good. We have a couple of new family members we have never met! My sister, Shirley, has 2 granddaughters and another on the way.

Kate is still with the Bank of Portugal and doing more global travelling than is healthy. Steve and Kim are now property owners in Cape Town and working hard to transform their home. We have a few more years cruising left in us before we finally swallow the anchor.

Best wishes and love to you all. May 2015 be happy, healthy and fun

Rod and Mary

Bay of Islands moody and colourful weather!

14/12/2014

As we sit out, what must be at least our 15^th “Gale warning” this year, with sheeting rain and 30-40 knots of wind, one cannot help but think about the incredible speed with which the weather can change in these parts! One moment it’s placid and beautiful, and then in a nano second, or so it seems, it’s wild and horrible!!

Red in the morning........

Sunrise

When it gets nasty.......

Moonset

 Here we are 7 days away from the mid-summer solstice, and we have had but a handful of warm sunny days….. but when we do… it’s gorgeous!

My heart went out to some visitors who chose this week to charter a yacht and explore the BOI. At 4.30 am we heard his appeal for help, as he was dragging anchor,  in a bay on the island of Urupukapuka, in gale force winds, and could not start the motor. Luckily his anchor suddenly dug in, and as he sat out the last hours of darkness, the winds died down, and he was able to hatch a plan with another yacht, to be towed away from the rocky lee shore, recover his anchor, and sail to Opua. Hopefully he will get in before the gale force winds that are expected to return again this afternoon, this time from the SE!

We have been able to watch the weather, and pick and choose our trips. Now that we have nearly completed all of our major projects, we are looking forward to the rest of summer… when it finally arrives!

The windlass main shaft, keyways and clutch had been damaged in an altercation with a coral “bommie” in the Tuamotos, and needed some machining. We replaced the last of our old rigging (backstays), and fitted a new Schaefer roller furler for the staysail.

The new Schaeffer rollerfurler and repaired windlass

As soon as all this was back in place we picked what looked like a good weather period to head out to Motorua Island, and anchored in “Army” bay for 4 glorious days.  Motorua is the second largest island in the BOI, and is a nature reserve. Army Bay is well protected in almost all weather conditions, and allows one easy access to the well maintained walks around the island.

Hobbit house?

Seconds after this shot, hermie jumped out of his shell and flatly refused to return to it

Many of the NZ wild flowers are also found in the Cape, South Africa

These are typically NZ ..........tree ferns or Panga as the locals refer to them.
They influence many Maori designs

 “Blazing Shadz” (the yacht under the rainbow at the beginning of this blog)  is a very striking aluminium Staysail schooner, built, owned, and sailed, single handed, by an equally colourful individual!  Known  by his New Zealand acquaintances, as Craig,  for the majority of his life, he welded and built Blazing Shadz  by himself, from scratch.

Blazing Shadz racing on Friday

Very eyecatching........Proudly Kiwi

 His mission is to carry out the longest non stop, single handed, unassisted sailing voyage ever. He is hoping to get sponsorship to help him reach this goal.

Now, however, he is in the process of undergoing an unusual transition, and has changed his name to Julie. She takes part in the Opua Cruising Club's Friday evening ladies races, sailing the 27 meter Blazing Shadz on her own!

Julie has a great liking for the colour pink, and often sports pink jerseys, hotpants,   sundresses, or hats, and told us that she “loves the name of our boat!” Just google Blazing Shadz if you’d like to find out more.

Well, to go through with all her plans, she will certainly need more than just a little tenacity!

The Hokule’a and the Polynesian Voyaging Society

24 November 2014

This was one of the more interesting events which we were pleased to have been able to watch and follow.

The controversial book  “1452 – the year the Chinese discovered the  world”,  described celestial navigation techniques used by Chinese, long before the discovery of the  chronometer enabled western mariners to determine longitude. Ancient Polynesian voyagers also used only the stars, currents and birds,  to navigate. They also used the deck layout on their twin hulled craft (waka)to  represent their compass. They divided the horizon into segments and knew the times that various stars rose and set in each segment. This was the key to their ability to navigate sans instruments. They are using special master mariners for each hemisphere.

Thor Heyerdahl, with his Kontiki Expedition, claimed that the Polynesian islands had been settled by people on rafts, who drifted westward from South America on the currents. This concept stuck in the craw of the Polynesian people who had their own ancient legends of how their people navigated long voyages.

Hikianalia-the support vessel with engine, solar panels and satcoms

Hokule'a under tow to Waitangi for their traditional welcome

40 years ago, the Hokule’a was built in Hawaii, recreated from ancient paintings. Manned by a crew of 16 including a Polynesian master mariner,they set sail for New Zealand to disprove the Heyerdahl assertion that Polynesians could not navigate!   

   

This successful voyage has now been repeated by the same Hokule’a which has just arrived, and been welcomed at Waitangi by the Maori . This time she is accompanied by another bigger waka mother ship (the Hikianalia) – one that is fully equipped with an engine, satellite communication and a team of National Geographic photographers! This time New Zealand is not the destination, but just the first leg of their” Around the world” venture.

The ceremonial Maori waka from Waitangi

Bringing the Hokule'a crew ashore

What can we say.........

The haka and welcoming challenge at the Marai

They are scheduled to visit Australia and Cape Town.  Of course, the big issue., as far as I’m concerned, is whether their ancient mariners’ return to Hawaii was via Cape Horn, or through the Panama Canal, which of course ,never existed at that point in time!

As can be seen from these photographs of their route plans….. the Panama Canal is their chosen route! Given that no vessel is permitted to transit the canal if they cannot maintain a speed of 6 knots, then a motor less  Polynesian Waka is on a hiding to nothing……… Unless the sponsors stump up big bucks to arrange a special towing exemption……., which is obviously what is going to happen!