Back in MacKay

Bill Worthington - our new crew member

MAGGIE on her way to launch

Golum in Wellington airport

   

Back in MacKay

Sept 25 2015

This past week we have been back in the marina. We have spent more time and money than we had expected here. But the boat is in good shape now. Yesterday we launched from the yard to a slip. Despite my poor first attempt to dock in the wind, it feels good to be back in the water. The unexpected repair was to raise the engine as the mounts were letting it sink which affected the prop shaft angle. Sails, stays, organizers, hull, swim ladder, dinghy all had work done.

The biggest change this week for us is the addition of crew again. Bill moved on board yesterday. He has been crewing for Joyful from the BPO Florida start. Ann has been having issues with her heart so she and Jeff are withdrawing from the rally here. Bill wanted to continue with the BPO. It is too soon for Joyful to have made alternate plans yet but they will likely stay in Australia for awhile. They arrived from Vanuatu after a boisterous trip while we were in NZ. We will miss them.

 It took a day for me to empty out the back cabin. It is amazing how you can spread out into the space you have. We felt we could handle the Aus. and Indonesian trips on our own but not going on from there into the Indian ocean. But 3 people certainly make the work load lighter. Bill is helping Rob get the sails back on while I write this. And there are lots of overnight and longer trips in the next legs.

Tahawas and Chapter 2 also launched yesterday. Tim from No Regrets returned from the US yesterday where he has been since we were in the Tuomotos. He, Zeke, and Zeke's son, Jessie, will be doing the next trip to the end of Nov.  Blue Wind crew are not back from Brazil yet. All are likely to be leaving in the next few days. If today goes well we hope to get going in the morning, Sept 26.

The Whitsunday Islands are a day's travel north of us. That is a large, popular cruising area that we look forward to seeing. Unfortunately it won't be long enough. We would like to stop at Cairns, a few days further north. Otherwise we need to stay moving. It is 860 nm to the north tip of Australia. And another 640nm to Tual, our first stop in Indonesia. We need to be there at the latest, Oct 14.

Hawke's Bay area, Wine Country and Art Deco in Napier

View from Te Mata overlooking the Tararua mountain range

View from Te Mata looking towards Napier and Hawkes Bay

Cape Kidnappers Golf Course

Great fun getting together with Jeff and Beverly who we met in Tonga

Fun to find a Starbucks - coffee was twice as expensive as at h!ome; no wonder there where no lines out the door

Our refurbished Art Deco hotel - The Masonic

Another of the many Art Deco buildings in downtown Napier

Hawke's Bay area, Wine Country and Art Deco in Napier

Sept 15-17,  2015

Tuesday we took a relaxing drive to the east coast, over the Tararua Range and into wine country. A lot of it reminded us of the Niagara area only more extensive. With the mountains blocking the NW prevailing winds and the sea to the east the climate is warmer than in Wellington, about 20C. It felt like we drove into spring for a few days with the daffodils, magnolias, and fruit trees in bloom. We stopped occasionally along the way and found a hotel along the ocean in Napier.

In 1931 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Napier. Besides 7000 acres of land lifted from the seabed, massive fires finished the destruction of the downtown area. In 2 years it had all been rebuilt, all in Art Deco, the style of the 30's. Nearby areas that survived are mostly from the inter wars years and also tell a story of the mood of the times. There is an info building offering walking tours, movies, and self guided booklets. We staedy at one of the classic hotels downtown, the Masonic, with a balcony looking out over the beach, for a reasonable price in low season. The land for the beachfront and road along it were all created by the earthquake. Not all bad!

On Wed we drove out to Havilock North. We were tracking down Jeff Whittaker and his wife, Beverly, who we met on their sailboat in Tonga. He has a pharmacy there and we were lucky enough to catch them at work. Lucky also to get an invitation to dinner and to see their beautiful new home up on a hill overlooking the bay. Jeff did most of the building and landscaping himself in a modern style. It was hard for me to believe what 7 years of growth can look like compared to Toronto. With the moderating effect of being on an island the winters rarely get below freezing so there is a long growing season. The evening was a chance to swap more sailing stories and to hear about the passages we each had done since leaving Neiafu. Our sail to Fiji was fine compared to Jeff's with 3 days of winds about 65kn! And then ending their trip with going on a reef near Musket Cove. Repairs are being done near Vuda Point Marina and then Jeff and his son will fly up to sail it back to NZ for the cyclone season.

There is a high mountain in Havilock North, Te Mata, that was worth the drive to view the sights from above. The hills remind us more of Scotland or Ireland. Lots of sheep and cattle as we had been told, about 7 sheep for every inhabitant. Another good viewing spot was at the end of Cape Kidnapper's which is the home of a world renowned golf course by the same name and ranked number 22 in the world by Golf Digest recently. We had to go see it even though we weren't going to play. Green fees are $349 in low season, over $500 in summer. We also needed to stop at, at least, one winery for a tasting. Thurs we returned along the west coast for a change of scenery.

We wanted to be back for Thursday night when Becky teaches swing dancing. A new session for beginners was starting and Rob and I decided to try it. We survived! Dan was in a more advanced class. He has kept at the practicing to be able to do it with Becky for fun. And it did look like fun in the social dance time following classes.

There is a cable car that you can take from downtown up to the university. Friday we took a ride on it, and spent some time browsing through a museum for the cable car and others like it over the years. It gets a lot of use. We also returned to Te Papa, the national museum. Today, Saturday, we are having dinner with Becky's family in Upper Hut, about a half hour from here. We are looking forward to meeting them. It is raining for the first time this week and a number of spring flowers have come out around the house. Sunday we fly back to Australia and back to summer. Looking ahead we see the temperature in Singapore and Jakarta is 34C. By then we'll be wishing for some of this cool air.

Thanks to Dan and Becky for letting us take their car for a few days. 

New Zealand "Nothing Goes to Windward Like a 747"

View from Dan and Becky's window

Carol with the Max Patte "naked man" sculpture along Wellington harbour.

Wellington and harbour from atop Mt Victoria

Dan, Carol and Becky on Mt Victoria

Zealandia park in the city, - ten minuets from Dan and Becky' place

Kaka - Zealandia

Te Papa - New Zealand's National Museum

Carol - shopping on Cuba Street

New Zealand  "Nothing Goes to Windward Like a 747"

Sept 18, 2015

New Zealand is not an easy place to reach by boat, so we were happy to make the trip by plane. We have been enjoying our week away from the boat, a holiday in our trip. The highlight, of course, is a good visit with Dan and Becky and getting to know where and how they live. Since we have a short time, we have concentrated on the Wellington area and the Hawkes Bay area for sightseeing. We will be back another time, we're sure.

We are staying in their rented house near Victoria University where Becky is working. Dan is working downtown which is about a half hour walk. What we didn't appreciate is how hilly the whole city is. It is a challenge for us climbing at the end of a day after walking around town. The local roads are also very narrow-no room for the parked cars and 2 cars passing. But that makes the scenery spectacular, with lots of places to get a good view over the city and harbour. In particular, we drove up to Mt. Victoria, the highest spot in the city and in a park with many trails. Great views in all directions. The house is set on a hillside with surrounding gardens. So, even though it is on a street of homes, you cannot see other houses once you take the path down.

We have spent a few days just walking around, shopping, looking at the sights, checking out a chandlery, eating out, seeing the sailboats in the marina. One day we all went to Zealandia, a nearby nature preserve. It is a large area, completely fenced, where predators have been virtually eliminated. The purpose is to attract native birds back to the area to save them from disappearing. As well, trees are being slowly replaced. The plan, and it is a 500 year plan, is to return the area to the state it was in when the Maori came to New Zealand. We saw many different species of birds that we had never seen before. The park is meeting with some success as rare birds are finding their way back to this protected area.

 At home we are trying to get internet jobs done while we have a decent connection, a great treat. Twice we have visited the national museum, Te Papa. And today, we toured the huge Botanical Gardens which runs from the top of town into the city center. These and other public spaces are free in NZ. The museum opened in 2000, is spacious, beautiful, and modern.

The major areas we visited in the museum were geology, immigration, and a special on NZ forces in World War 1 in Turkey, 100 years ago, specifically Gallipoli. You have heard of earthquakes happening here but I hadn't realized how active the earth's crust is in the country. There are about 20,000 quakes a year, about 4 of which are severe in strength. There were 4 in the 2 to 3 Richter scale range just while we were in the museum. Much of the reclaimed land along the waterfront in Wellington came about from a rising of the land by several meters with an earthquake. The citizens have added more land over the years for building and dock spaces.

The museum floor dedicated to the people of NZ chronicles their arrivals in history and their cultures. Much of the Maori culture is similar to other South Pacific islanders. They came from French Polynesia and Hawaii. Many of the European immigrants were Scottish. This has been the area of Becky's research. She has just published a book on the topic so we can read more about it. The use of Maori names for towns and rivers is extensive.

The weather has been normal for spring in Wellington, but certainly not what we have been used to this year. Several days have been under 10C with high winds so it feels cold. Last Sat we went to a church rummage sale and I bought a cheap wool coat, mitts and scarf that are getting a lot of use. We hadn't realized how far south New Zealand was. We left Mackay, Australia at latitude 21 degrees South. Wellington is around 42 degrees south, 1200 nautical miles further south.  It is approximately the same latitude south of the equator as Toronto is north of the equator, however the climate is far more moderate due to the water surrounding it. A tidbit of weather trivia for Wellington- winds are over 32 km/hr for 173 days of each year. Gusts today were forecast for 100. The winds funnel between the two islands and around the mountain ranges.

Tuesday to Thursday we drove to the middle of the east coast of the north island, by Hawkes Bay. It is on the other side of the mountains from the prevailing winds so was much warmer. There it felt like spring, with the daffodils and magnolias in bloom. I'll write some more about that excursion in the next blog when we get the photos downloaded. 

MacKay Marina

Modern marina at Mackay

High pilons and floating docks to accommodate the 15 foot tides

MacKay Marina

Sept 9 2015

As you can see from the title of this blog, we haven't seen any of Australia yet except the boatyard. But that was the purpose of this week, to get boat jobs done in a place with good supplies and expertise. Four of our boats are hauled out in the yard and the work has been steady since Fri for us. Joyful hasn't arrived yet, and Bluewind crew returned home to Brazil before they tackle their list. Ruy had the flu on the passage here and hoped to get some rest first.

This has been the best haulout yard we have ever  been in. The cockpit looks out over the Coral Sea and Harbour entrance with a good breeze to keep things comfortable. We can watch the tugboats bring in the freighters. The two main products shipped are sugar cane and coal. Instead of the usual ladder we have a staircase with a platform and railing to enter the boat. The washrooms are nearby. Also there is a bar and several restaurants often with entertainment. It has been great to cleanup, relax and visit in the evenings.

Of course, I'm missing the most important part of a boatyard-the jobs being done. At 7:30 each morning all the trades people who were supposed to show up were here and getting to work. We had a pretty long list and as expected it has gotten even longer as they check out the boat. One new project is replacing a seal for the prop shaft which was wearing on one side. We got the bow and stern gelcoat and paint damage repaired from 2 encounters with a dock. With that and a serious desalting and polishing by the pros, the hull looks better than it ever as. Several coats of bottom(anatifouling) paint are next. The sails have been sent away for repair. The head has a new thru hull that closes now. The leak in the dinghy has been found and is waiting for patching. Rob worked again on the steering cables to get the wheel centered. The forestay needed removing to fit in the travel lift. In that process we found some fittings getting loose .New parts have been ordered for deck pieces that have cracked, as well as new lines for ones too badly chafed. I have mostly been cooking and cleaning. It is a good chance to be more thorough with lots of water available.

The town of MacKay (pronounced mackeye) is about 6 km away. We have been in briefly to the mall to buy food and a few other things .Before we leave here we will need to rent a car to reprovision. We are in Queensland, the sunshine state. It hasn't rained yet this week and the farmers are experiencing a drought. There are acres of sugar cane in the surrounding land. The big tourist area is 40 miles north- the Whitsunday Islands.

Our tourist time will be a visit to New Zealand. We have flights for tomorrow, Thurs afternoon and returning Sun Sept 20th. We had hoped to spend a few days in Sydney on the way back but decided we won't have the time. The rally is scheduled to be in Tual, Indonesia Oct 14. Before then we have the 860 mile trip to the Torres St and then 640nm to Indonesia. We'd like some days to wait out bad weather and some evenings anchored to sleep. We will be seeing the Whitsundays and Cairns along the way. Dan and Becky have a few ideas of things we should see near Wellington. Looking forward to it!

Following the Yellow Brick Road, and Arrival in OZ

Full moon over calm wagters

Boobie attempting to land on mast - amazing control with the mast swinging side to side

Success! - at least from the Boobies point of view

Sunset with spinnaker flying

What could be better than one boobie on the pulpit!

Dolphins playing in our bow wave

First look at Australia - islands offshore

Approaching Mackay

Following the Yellow Brick Road, and Arrival in OZ

September 3, 2015

Our light wind days did arrive as forecast. We spent 22 hours motoring one day before getting enough wind to fly our spinnaker. Ran out of wind again in the middle of the night and had to take it down in the dark. Luckily we had a full moon to provide some light.

The boobies continued to return. One night we tied a boat hook to our spinnaker halyard so when a boobie landed on our mast we could raise it above the mast height and shoo it off. The next night we were using that halyard to fly the spinnaker, so a boobie remained atop the mast all night. It looked like a parrot, with the red port navigation light reflecting off its head, and the green starboard light reflecting off its tail feathers.

The entrance to the Great Barrier Reef is 125 miles offshore in the Mackay area. As the reef is a national park there is one well defined shipping channel to get through it. While small boats don't have to use this channel, all larger boats must use it, and must use a pilot as well. Given the distance from shore to the channel entrance, pilots are transferred back and forth by helicopter which land on the deck of the freighters. It was very interesting to watch the helicopters and listen to them talking to the freighters on the radio.

Tides in this area are 15 feet which generate a very strong current when the sea is being forced between the reefs. We timed our entrance into the channel for 8:00pm which was slack tide preceding a flood, or incoming, tide. Currents reached 5 knots or more which made steering interesting. It certainly confused our autopilot when our boat was drifting in the current and not much water was actually flowing past the rudder. We stayed outside of the main channel as there were several freighters that passed us on the way in. They also time their passage to take advantage of the tides. Given the narrowness of the channel area it was somewhat unnerving to see these large vessels passing so close in the dark. The pilot of the last freighter radioed us to thank us for clearing the channel for all the boats saying it made the pilot's job a lot easier. As morning arrived we had one freighter pass us heading out, taking advantage of the ebb tide. The freighters are all heading to Hay Point, not too far south of Mackay and will all carry coal for burning somewhere else.

We had originally calculated that we wouldn't be able to make it to the marina in Mackay in daylight the next day so planned to anchor in a bay off a small island about 25 miles from Mackay. We were buzzed by a Border Force airplane whose officer radioed us and asked us lots of questions, however we had already provided the mandatory 96 hour Advance Notice of Arrival information and had no problems. We asked the officer if we could proceed with our plan to anchor overnight and were advised at it was our right to do so providing we didn't have any contact with any other person. We exercised that option and spent a very wakeful night as the wind shifted and the anchorage was exposed to the swell. We were very glad to get out of there as soon as it was light in the morning.

Yesterday we sailed to Mackay arriving just before noon. About an hour out we were radioed by Border Force requesting our ETA. As soon as we tied up to the quarantine dock two of them appeared and spent an hour on board. They were very pleasant and accommodating. When we advised we had anchored the previous night they indicated that this was not allowed, and wanted the details of the officer in the airplane who gave us apparently wrong information. Seems Customs officers are the same everywhere. You get a different story from each one you talk to!

Next we had the Agricultural officer who checked out all our food. He also was very pleasant and informative, and in the end confiscated once small bag of rice that had some weevils in it. Things were not nearly as draconian as we were led to believe! As soon as he left we removed our quarantine flag and hoisted our Australian courtesy flag. It felt really good to be back on firm ground again, and we feel quite accomplished having arrived in Australia. Seems like a long way from home, although still a long way to go!

We arranged haulout for the following day, and talked to several of the trades businesses in the haulout yard. We don't think it will be a problem getting the work we need done. The BPO  rally organizers have hired an agent who is in the yacht business and is familiar with what can be done and who is best to do it. This will be very helpful.  We're confident that we can get things organized well enough to head for New Zealand at the end of next week.

We met up with the other rally boaters at various times of the day, and had dinner with the No Regrets crew, including Bob. Then enjoyed a stable night as we were allowed to remain tied to the quarantine dock overnight due to our early haulout.

More on the marina and Mackay later