(Return to The Sailing Adventures of La Boatique)
Getting Ready to Cruise, Again
August was spent getting Haven ready to be a cruising boat. We also spent a great deal of time selling and marketing the book, The Sailing Adventures of La Boatique. We took cruising trips to Erieau, Ontario and Port Clinton, Ohio.
We set a departure date for September 15, depending on the weather. As I write this on September 10th I am realizing that we will soon be cruisers again. Back at the beginning of the year I thought I would really miss cruising. I wanted our adventures to continue. Now after seven months of living in Ohio, I must have developed roots again. I have mixed emotions about our departure. I believe that once we get going, I will be ready for new adventures.
Pete has been more careful concerning developing roots. He is mentally ready to go.
I am concerned about the book, The Sailing Adventures of La Boatique. The book has been a great project and a lot of work. Sales have been good, even with our high expectations. However, without continued marketing effort by both of us, I wonder if our sales will fall dramatically. We will do what we can while we travel and hope it will be enough. BookMasters at 800-247-6553 will be minding the store (the sale and distribution of books) while we are gone. My sister, Carol and my mother, Joyce will be keeping an eye on the what ever else needs to be done.
Soon we will be off across Lake Erie to its eastern shore. But we won't be alone at the start of the trip. Mom and Dad plan to join us through the Erie Canal. Four of us living on a 34 foot boat! Eak! I hope we all get along and that everyone stays healthy.
Our Erie Canal Trip
Our desired departure date was September 15. However, the weather forecasts for that day did not look good. So instead, we departed Vermilion Friday Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. A man from Vermilion that had cruised to Florida and back about 18 times suggested that he favored heading strait to Buffalo, New York. That meant that we would have a 24 hour day across Lake Erie with no stops in places like Cleveland or Erie, Pennsylvania. Because of the weather forecasts, we decided to follow his suggestion.
The trip across Lake Erie was a long 24 hours. We had some chop, some calm, and then back to choppy seas. However, we never had rough conditions and the wind was mostly from the rear quarter of the boat. For Lake Erie, the traveling conditions we had were very good. Even with the good conditions, Mom got seasick. She was managing OK until the engine quit about 3 p.m. Pete believed that the fuel filter got clogged. About a half hour later we got the engine going again. During the time we drifted, the ride was not comfortable.
We arrived at the entrance to Buffalo at 10 a.m. on September 14. We welcomed the calm waters of the Niagara River. We turned off the Niagara River where we entered the Erie Canal. At the town of Tanawanda we noticed improvements; but along with the improvements came a $10 charge for staying the night and using electricity.
It did not take us long to pick up traveling companions. For our entire trip through the Erie Canal we traveled with Larry and Denise Schmid and their two dogs from the fishing boat, Grand Finale. Larry and Denise were in the process of moving their boat from Lake St. Clair, Michigan to Pine Island, Florida. Their boat was a good boat for a day of fishing but was not a comfortable cruising boat. Their cabin area was tiny. They carried only 30 gallons of water. We had a luxury yacht by comparison.
During the first few days out Larry did all the driving. We took turns so that driving the boat was never a chore for anyone. About a third of the way through the canal near the town of Clyde Larry's concentration on driving the boat wandered. He tinkered with his GPS while he tried to stay in the center of the canal. Suddenly, crash! Larry drove Grande Finale right into the bank. The bow plowed into a tree hanging over the shore. Larry quickly put his engines in reverse and was back in the center of the canal in seconds.
Larry cried out, "Help, help!" He figured that he had certainly punctured a hole in the boat from the rocks near the shore.
We quickly turned around to come to his aide. As Larry and Denise pulled tree branches off the boat, we circled the boat to look for damage. We found none. It seemed that the tree stopped the boat and kept it off the rocks. Larry and Denise were lucky because if the tree had not stopped them, a steal pier jutting out from the shore would certainly have done some damage. From then on, Larry and Denise took turns at the helm.
Immediately ahead of us was a bridge. A rescue unit passed over us with sirens blaring. Pete kidded me that the rescue truck was for Larry's boat accident. Sure enough, someone had called in an emergency call stating that two boats had crashed in the canal. Since we were the only boats for miles around, they must have heard Larry's cry for help and assumed the worst. Even the local newspaper man showed up to take pictures and get the gory story. He was disappointed but took our pictures anyways. I guess local news was hard to come by in this part of New York State.
During our cruise on the Erie Canal we stayed in Tonawanda, Middleport, Spencerport, Lyons, Baldwinsville, Little Falls, Amsterdam, and Waterford (Troy). The weather was unseasonably warm and pleasant. Our trip through the Erie Canal ended all to soon on September 22.
Heading South on the Hudson
Across the Hudson River from Albany is the town of Rensselaer, New York where we stopped for the night. Late in the day Mom and Dad caught a train bound for Ohio at the brand new Amtrak station. The Rensselaer Amtrak station is one of the busiest passenger rail stations in the U.S. Also within walking distance from our dock was an Aldi's grocery store, one of our favorite stores.
The next morning we were back to cruising the Hudson River. In the late afternoon we were ready to anchor for the night. We followed the book, Skipper Bob's, advice up the creek at Kingston. His advice was wrong. There was no place to anchor in the creek. So, we anchored outside the creek in the Hudson River just as we had done in 1998.
The weather was supposed to deteriorate into a nasty tropical storm named Isadore. We had planned to get a mooring ball in New York City. However, because of the weather forecast we decided we had better get the better protection offered by a marina. We stayed at the 79th Street Boat Basin on Manhattan Island. Since we were spending $66 per night at a rundown marina with no bathrooms or showers, we wanted to get our money's worth. After all, we were in the heart of Manhattan. We road the subway and walked during the dreary morning. We viewed ground zero from many angles. Many buildings in the area were still damaged and much construction was going on. We ate lunch at Big Nicks, got on the Internet to check our email at the library, and sold books to Barnes & Noble. We shopped at the famous Zabar's gourmet and epicurean emporium on Broadway where we bought a baguette. When the weather cleared, we road our bikes over 16 miles on a very scenic bike trail. We stayed 2 nights.
Our next night's anchorage was in Great Kills on Staten Island. Great Kills was nearly filled with marinas and mooring balls but we found a place to anchor way at the north end of the bay.
The New Jersey ICW
From Great Kills we set out for the open Atlantic Ocean along with many other power and sailboats heading south. Our 25 miles at sea were not comfortable but were as good as we could expect for the Atlantic Ocean. We went back to calm waters as we entered the Manasquan Inlet in New Jersey. But before we entered the calm we had to go through the inlet with ocean swells crashing around us on either side as they smashed into the rocky break wall.
We were pleasantly surprised with the New Jersey ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). It was very scenic. We spent the night of September 29 in Manahawkin Bay about half way through the state. The bay was large and shallow. We were the only boat in the 2 by 3 mile bay. The night was quiet. We read and went to bed at 8 p.m. without TV or radio. The only sound was of tiny wavelets gently lapping next to the hull.
The next day we bought 120 gallons of fuel at Beach Haven, New Jersey, the oldest seaside resort in New Jersey. Fuel was $1.179 for diesel and was very convenient. Off in the distance was Atlantic City.
We got to see a whole different side of Atlantic City by traversing the town through the New Jersey ICW. Our first impression was of the high dollar casinos. It was the view nearly every other boater gets. The casinos there charge $4 a foot per night to dock. That would have been $132 per night for us. Instead, we kept moving on through the canal. Our next view was of the stinking sewage treatment plant. Near the sewage treatment plant were some rundown homes along the water. The further we got from the sewage plant, the nicer the homes got. Pete commented that he was ready for a McDonald's meal. Minutes later he spied the golden arches ashore. Wouldn't you know it, there was an empty dock with a ramp nearby. Pete asked the bridge tender within sight of the dock if it was OK to dock there and the bridge tender said that he sometime sees boats tie up to the dock. So that is just what we did. We lunched in Atlantic City with a great view of the casinos at a free dock. After lunch we continued weaving our way through the town of Atlantic City paralleling the boardwalk. That night we anchored in a protected bay just outside of Atlantic City in Ventnor. We were surprised to see two of the buildings in Atlantic City light up with various colorful designs, kind of like turning the entire building into a lighted billboard. We were far enough off so we could not see how they were doing the lighting.
The Chesapeake
On October 1 after Atlantic City was Cape May, New Jersey. Then we had to go out into the big water again to traverse the Delaware Bay. The Bay was a little choppy at the start of the trip but as time went on the seas flattened. From the Delaware Bay we entered the C&D canal and stayed the night in a protected bay in Chesapeake City. October 3rd we made it to Anchorage Marina in Baltimore. We stayes there one night since they doubled their prices and won't let us wash down the boat. They were having a severe water shortage.
At least Anchorage Marina provided a phone outlet for our laptop computer at no charge. Before we left Ohio I arranged for Internet Service with Access4Free. Access4Free costs $5 to set up and then is free if I only use 10 hours of Internet per month. After the first 10 hours the cost is at most only $10 per month. The service worked good in Baltimore.
So far since we left Ohio we have had great weather helping to make a great trip.
From Baltimore we decided to head to Annapolis to visit the boat show. Friends from Toledo, Dale and Bernie Overly, joined us there. While in Annapolis we stayed for 8 days on a mooring ball in Spa Creek next to the bridge very close to the boat show. The price of the mooring was $20 a day and included the use of showers, laundry and a phone jack with local phone service for email. To use the facilities we had to dinghy to a dock and then walk to the Harbor Master's office. I did not like transporting my laptop in the damp dinghy, but I took the chance of dropping my PC in the drink to check our email.
We were always looking for places to sell my book. I was able to set up book signings at two local stores. Signing books at the stores ended up being a great alternative to the boat show because the weather was cold and rainy for most of the show. I would have had a difficult time trying to keep the books dry at the show since the tents leaked. Besides, many people left the show for the local stores to get out of the wet weather. I sold about 100 books at the boat show, plus I was able to make the contacts needed to get reviews in Lats&Atts, Cruising World, and Ocean Navigator. So, staying there a week was worth it.
Dale and Bernie accompanied us south. Our first day of cruising with them took us from Annapolis, Maryland to Solomons, Maryland on the Patuxent River. We tried to ride up on Haven's top deck but the cold air drove us below to the protection provided by the main cabin. The lower helm station was comfortably warm and dry.
The Chesapeake was choppy the following day but Haven plowed through the waves providing us with a good ride as long as we stayed off the top deck. Bad weather was brewing with high winds and flooding rains. Already a storm surge was flowing into the Chesapeake. We skipped lunch and decided for an early supper once we reached protected water. We were all ready for a warm dinner followed by a hot shower at the marina.
We arrived at our destination, Irvington Marina on the Rappahannock River in Virginia, in the late afternoon. We moved Haven under a covered dock. Being under the covered dock was a new experience for me. As the tide rose, Haven's upper deck became quite close to the roof with its roosting pigeons. Pete had already lowered Haven's short mast and the bimini top. We would never be able to use a covered dock with La Boatique because of her tall masts. Minutes after we had Haven secure, the rain came. Before dinner was over, the flood water rose so high that showers were out of the question since the water was nearing the level of the bathrooms. The night brought high wind and very hard rain but I felt as if we were in a cocoon. When dawn arrived I realized we were high and dry but most of the marina was under flood water. There was no way to walk to shore without trudging through knee deep flood water. The flood meant no showers ashore again. A cold wind was blowing and the rain was still coming down hard. It was not a nice place to be.
Bernie and Dale had decided to head back to Ohio. We wanted to get the rental car loaded without getting drenched. Pete lowered the dinghy into the river so we could ride to high ground. I decided to travel to Ohio with Bernie and Dale since I had plans to fly from Cleveland to New Zealand in less than a month. I would get back to Ohio a little earlier than planned, but my chances of catching another ride later were slim. Pete drove the three of us in the rental car back to Annapolis to get Bernie and Dale's car.
I arrived in Vermilion, Ohio the night of October 16 while Pete and Haven were still in Irvington, Virginia. Pete could only stay at Irvington Marina a few days because all the docks were reserved. Pete decided to head back north to Annapolis to try to find a sail for our tiny mast. He shopped, but found no suitable sail.
The Dismal Swamp
On October 23 Pete called me twice. He was in the Dismal Swamp in North Carolina. Earlier he got caught out in 8 foot waves on the Chesapeake. The waves were short and close together. Even the sailboats were heading for cover. Pete kept plowing along with spray engulfing even the top deck of Haven. Haven performed well except that a fresh water hose near the galley sink came loose and he lost all 200 gallons of fresh water into the bilge. He noticed he had a problem when water spilled out of a galley locker. The hose was easy to re-attach and he was able to get water at a military base. The food in the galley locker was ruined.
The Great Dismal Swamp spans the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina. The Dismal Swamp Canal ended near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Pete found the people there very kind and friendly, especially after he sprained his foot trying to assist another cruiser coming into the dock. The weather turned cold and windy and stayed that way. One day lead to another and another. Since Pete found the community very homey, he decided to stay for at least a month. During the time Pete would be in Elizabeth City I would be traveling from Ohio to New Zealand to North Carolina.
Because of the high cost of travel, Pete and I decided that I alone would make the New Zealand trip. Pete previously got his chance to return to New Zealand in May while I stayed in Ohio to complete writing my book.
Return to the South Pacific
Pete stayed with Haven in wintery North Carolina while I flew half way around the world to rejoin La Boatique for summer in New Zealand. I think I got the better deal.
Because of crossing the international date line, I left Ohio on November 11 and arrived in New Zealand on November 13. Flying to New Zealand is grueling. The nearly cross country flight from Chicago to Los Angeles seems like a short hop compared to the 12 hour flight from Los Angeles to New Zealand. The airplane flight to New Zealand was full and I was stuck in a middle seat. This 747 seemed to have very narrow seats. Sleeping was difficult. But the light of dawn brought the sight of green jewels on the blue ocean, New Zealand.
John and Colleen Mathie from the boat Bow Bells met me at the airport. They had just found out that their residency had been granted, a great cause for celebration. So from the airport we drove immediately to downtown Auckland to complete their paperwork. The next stop was Westhaven Marina in Auckland. Westhaven would be La Boatique's home for the last few days before La Boatique would be loaded onto the ship, Dockwise 12. Because of the America's Cup races, I wanted to be sure La Boatique would have a slip in a town filled to the brim with yachts. Then John and Colleen, both in a euphoric mood over becoming permanent New Zealand residents, drove the three hour trip to Opua.
Once in Opua I checked into the Opua Marina office to get my marina slip number. Arial from the boat Stella was working in the marina office that day. She offered to have her husband, Terry, use his dinghy to run me out to La Boatique. I had no idea what condition La Boatique would be in after having sat on a mooring ball for nearly six months in brackish water. I knew oysters and other barnacles would be trying their best to make colonies on any surface they could find including the propeller and clogging up the engine intakes. If Peter from Sea Power had been running the engine every week or so as requested during the time La Boatique was waiting for me, then maybe I would not have much trouble.
John and Colleen climbed aboard La Boatique as Terry waited in the dinghy along side. I peered down into the dim cabin of La Boatique. All looked well. We prepared the mooring lines and fenders for the dock. The engine started easily and ran smoothly. I put the engine in gear and we could see that the propeller was pushing water. But we could not see how many things were growing on the propeller making its function ineffective. John let loose the mooring line and I began to motor toward the marina. I decided to circle out in the bay before heading into the confines of the marina to determine what kind of maneuverability I had. La Boatique seemed to have much less acceleration than normal. But it had been a long time since I had been at the helm and the propeller probably needed a good cleaning. I hoped I could get La Boatique into the dock without bumping into anything. The wind was down and the tidal current was not extreme. Conditions were good for moving the boat. Terry stood by in the dinghy just in case I got into trouble. I turned into the marina entrance. So far, so good. Then I turned into the narrow channel lined with moored boats. I knew that this is where most boats got into trouble because of the current. I did not want to go fast, but I did not want the current taking control. As I motored down the line of boats I eventually saw my slip. I (thank goodness) calculated correctly when to start making my turn into my slip. I was lined up perfectly. La Boatique slipped right into the dock. I put the engine in forward and reverse a few times to keep the boat in the correct position. John and Colleen secured the mooring lines.
The first major hurdle was over. La Boatique was secure at the dock without incident. Even though I felt like a rank armature, a pro could not have done better.
John and Colleen headed back for home and left me on my own. My next major task would be to find crew for the trip to Auckland. But that could wait a day. For now, I needed to air out La Boatique and calm my nerves. I was over-tired and got some much needed rest.
I have never liked the idea of having crew. I was not keen on having some stranger alone at sea with me. So my first choice for crew was cruising couples I knew from our ocean crossings. I struck out there. Everyone was busy with important boat jobs or was employed and could not get off work. One single-handed cruiser was friendly and helpful. I had never met him before. I considered asking him, but he seemed to be a sailing purest. Pete had told me not to use the mainsail and to use only the headsails for the trip. It seemed to me that this guy would not do the trip without raising the main. So, for the time being, I decided to hold off asking for his help.
John and Colleen had offered that if I could not find anyone, they could take off for a weekend and help me run the boat south. But I did not want to ask them for help again.
Pete had given me a list of local New Zealanders, known as Kiwis, to try. The first person was too busy with boat jobs. Another person was in Fiji. I thought I might have a good chance of getting crew in my next choice. After all, I had purchased a large set of wrenches in the U.S. for this guy and been lugging the heavy things around with me through the airports. And, he had yet to pay me for them.
I hoped that I did not look too desperate when I stuck my head into David Mair's office. I had sent David a few emails while I was in Ohio to confirm the types and quantity of the wrenches. But I had never met him before. Would he be willing to be my crew? And, if he were, would I want him for crew? To my relief, he said yes, he would consider being my crew.
Yikes! Now that I had someone who might be my crew, I had to determine if he would agree to how I wanted to travel. I would be the "captain", not him. A lot of guys might have trouble with this. I was not even sure I could be the captain since Pete had always been the captain of La Boatique until this trip. What if I got into trouble? Pete would not be there for me. Would this Kiwi guy be able to do more than just catch lines at the dock and not get sick? Ideally, I wanted someone with knowledge of running a boat the size of La Boatique down the coast of New Zealand. If David and I were to be a team for the trip to Auckland I needed to make sure he understood the workings of La Boatique. He needed to understand and agree with what I wanted him to do. I also needed to consider his requests. Could I spend not only the days, but the nights with this stranger out at sea?
During my time in Opua, I had little time for fun. The weather was cold, rainy and just plain lousy much of the time. I purchased some food, got the refrigerator running, and filled the fresh water tanks. Vinegar came in handy for cleaning the mold away from inside La Boatique's cabin. I arranged for La Boatique's bottom to be cleaned by a diver. I tried to get the computer working but the screen was black for a long time. Eventually the screen came on so I spent a few hours checking out the computer system and trying out single side band email. I could not count on using the computer to assist with navigation and setting my way points. Sure enough, I was never able to get the screen to work again. I pulled the paper charts out of storage and wished that they were more detailed since I did not have a good cruising guide.
On Friday November 15, I took a break from working on La Boatique to race on an optimist. The optimist prams are very small sailboats designed for children. One thing going for me in this race was that I was small and didn't weigh much. I made a good showing against the other adults, but I was no where near the winners circle. After the race I enjoyed the pig roast at the Opua Cruising club.
I was right back to work the next day. I had brought along my brand new laptop from the U.S. However, I would need a day of software configuring to get single side band email and my chart programs working. The single side band email would allow me to communicate to home once I set sail. If I had problems with the boat during the trip, the email would not be fast communications, but at least I could contact Pete. I might get a response a day or so later. Getting my chart program working would be a great help in setting my waypoints.
I needed to spend some time with my crew. About the only time Dave Mair had available was evenings, so we planned to have dinner together. During our dinner discussions I believed that I had found an excellent crew member, and Dave was still willing to take off work for a few days to make the trip.
The wind had been from the south since I my arrival in Opua. I needed wind from the north. I hoped to see a change when I was ready to depart. Dockwise Yacht Transfer sent me an email informing me that I needed to be in Auckland no later than November 26. The days were slipping by faster than I would have liked.
On November 20 I was able to go for my much anticipated walk most of the way to Pihia. As I walked along the bay I could feel that the wind was blowing hard. The walk did not relieve the knots in my stomach. On this day the conditions would be awful at sea. But I knew that time was running out. Soon I would have to leave, whatever the conditions, since I needed to be in Auckland before November 26.
Opua, New Zealand to Auckland
First Day, Thursday, November 21
I wanted to leave yesterday but the wind was nasty. There were gusts of 40 knots. I did not want to try to get the boat out of the marina under those conditions. My nervous stomach lasted all day and into the night. During the night the wind died.
David Mair and I got started from Opua at 8 a.m. with barely a breath of wind. Minutes after we got under way I noticed a hot smell coming from the engine room. When I looked at the engine I saw a small amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. I wanted to believe that Pete may have painted the exhaust flange. The smell disappeared promptly.
About the time the smell was gone I noticed that the boat had an unusual vibration. I checked the engine and it was running smoothly. I then checked the shaft and noticed that it was not turning smoothly. The shaft was vibrating quite badly. I had Dave look at it and he did not like what he saw. I put the boat in reverse and then back in forward to see if I could dislodge whatever might be on the prop. No good. The prop still vibrated. On the trip down from Tonga ,Pete and I had a similar vibration that unexpectedly disappeared. I wished the vibration would go away, but it did not. Because of the vibration problem we agreed not to run the engine at normal cruising speed.
Then Dave said, "watch out for that brick!"
I had no idea what he was talking about. There were no "bricks" in site. There weren't even any buildings in site. I found out that a "brick" is a rock jutting out of the ocean. We gave the "brick" plenty of room. We weaved our way between the islands that make up the Bay of Islands. The scenery was spectacular. We took lots of pictures. We even saw little blue penguins. We were having a great time. But Cape Brett loomed ahead. And around Cape Brett was the open ocean.
"No worries mate." At first the ocean was a piece of cake, nice and calm. But as the day wore on the wind picked up with gusts to 30 knots. At times we were down to 2 1/2 knots because we had head winds and could not sail. The stress level was building.
Thankfully, as we traveled along the craggy shoreline the wind became more offshore and the seas stayed slight. We were able to do some sailing and for a time got up above 6 knots.
We anchored for the night at 5 p.m. We only made a disappointing 40 miles. I wanted to make nearly 60 miles on our second day. I popped a small leg of lamb in the oven (one of Dave's requirements for being crew). While the lamb was cooking Dave reeled in a snapper, New Zealand's most popular eating fish. We would have fresh fish the next day for sure. The trip was becoming fun.
Second Day, Friday, November 22
We would have only 35 miles to go after this day, but the day would be long and end with surprising danger.
We were up at dawn to try to make the miles we needed to cover before dark. The day started out with a light easy wind and dark gray sky. During the calm conditions we took turns taking hot showers. As the day worn on, the wind built from the southwest, a much better direction than south like the previous day. At least we could sail and the sailing was good. We kept the RPM's low because of the vibrating shaft. As morning became afternoon we were able to take naps and had time to read. It looked to be an easy day as we counted down the 60 plus miles.
Once in a while the bilge pump kicked on for a second as we sloshed through building seas. There was a little water in the bilge but I could not determine where it came from. I suspected that the shower water had drained into the bilge instead of overboard.
About 40 miles out with a close reached jib we heard a "bang", not a good sound at all. It sounded to me as if something gave away in the rigging, but I could see nothing wrong. I hoped that the sound was just the taught rope on the winch.
As the miles ticked by the bilge pump kicked on more often. The pump did not seem to be pumping out the water.
The sail into the anchorage was upwind in 25 to 30 knots. I asked Dave to close the sink drain. He told me "it's taken care of." We had to tack back and forth because we did not want to push the engine with the vibrating shaft. Dave went down below because the bilge pump alarm was on solid. While below he saw the galley sink full of water. He had misunderstood me and had not closed the galley sink before we had started to tack. To get the water to drain he asked me to head upwind. The jib was out full and before I knew it a bad gust of wind back winded the sail. The wind blew La Boatique right around. I needed to get the sail in because I had no steerage.
Here we were with the bilge pump screaming, Dave screaming about the water in the galley, and me screaming about the sail. By the time we got all this sorted out we thought the trip would be downhill from then on. After all, the anchorage was in sight. Little did we realize that the worst news was still to come. As Dave was lowering the anchor in a quiet bay he asked me to come forward to look at something. He pointed into the water. I expected to see a penguin. Instead, I saw the bobstay dangling, hanging perpendicular into the water. With the 30 knot winds we had been through we were lucky that the bowsprit did not pull off the foredeck, which would have caused the mast to come down.
By the time we got the anchor set after 12 hours at sea and all the excitement we both decided we had had enough for the day and would tackle the faulty bilge pump and the bobstay problem in the morning.
Third Day, Saturday, November 23
Dave found a broken fitting connected to the automatic bilge pump. We used the manual pump to get the water out of the bilge.
We arrived at Westhaven Marina in Auckland at 3:15 p.m.
For most of the trip we had light or no wind. About noon we traveled right though the Ameriaca's cup race course. The race was to start in about an hour so we got to watch the boats do some practice runs.
The wind began to build from the northeast in the afternoon. With northeast winds the seas would get rough since the wind would be on shore. But before the ocean got rough La Boatique was in protected water. I was nervous about putting La Boatique in the dock. But I had no trouble at all. The marina sent someone to grab lines from Dave. Dave's wife and some friends of theirs came soon after we were in the slip. We took a short walk to their very prestigious yacht club to have coffee. Their club was the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, home of the American's cup. Behind our table were pictures of all the team members. I was in a very special place and felt quite insignificant. After coffee they showed me the America's cup on proud display at their yacht club. Dave told them about my book. They then all came aboard La Boatique and both couples purchased copies of my book.
On retrospect, we certainly had problems but I am glad I did the trip. The trip along the coastline is very beautiful and the anchorages were great. Dave was a very good choice for crew. We got along very well.
I was ready to relax. It had been a tense few days. I had a few days to take it easy before I would need to get La Boatique loaded onto the Dockwise Yacht Transfer boat, Dockwise 12.
While I was traveling south toward Auckland, Ken from the boat Someday is Here was traveling north to Auckland. During our Pacific crossing we often cruised with Ken and Wendy on Someday is Here. His boat was also going to travel on Dockwise 12. His crew also left him soon after his arrival in Auckland. We were hoping that we could help each other move the two boats. But we found out otherwise. In fact, there was no way we could help each other. Lucky for me, Dave was still in Auckland and offered to be my crew once again.
In the bay where we loaded the wind, seas, and current were slight. The loading procedure was easy and smooth.
The next morning La Boatique was back out on the South Pacific. Only this time she was along for the ride.
From New Zealand to North Carolina to Florida
During the month of December La Boatique traveled aboard the ship Dockwise 12 from Auckland, New Zealand to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I spent the first half of the month relaxing and enjoying myself in New Zealand and the second half on a mad dash aboard Haven from North Carolina to Florida.
Julie and Barry Dobbs had been our closest cruising companions during our Pacific crossing in 2001. Then in February of 2002 Barry died of a heart attack. Julie's life would certainly be a lot different. Julie put their boat, Cherokee, up for sale. During my visit with Julie in December a buyer came through with the money for Cherokee. I helped Julie with some final projects aboard Cherokee. We reminisced about our cruising life together in the South Pacific and shed a few tears. But we also made time for fun.
On December 13 I flew back to the U.S. Pete thought that La Boatique would arrive in Florida February 4. He had not received the email stating that the arrival date had been moved up to January 4. So as soon as we could depart we were off aboard our trawler, Haven, on a fast cruise from Elizabeth City, North Carolina to Florida.
December 16 was our first day out. As I write this note we are traveling along the ICW in North Carolina. I have had a headache and sickly feeling since about the day after I returned. It's either jet lag or I picked up a bug on one of the 4 airplanes since leaving New Zealand. We are making good mileage and the ride is very comfortable. This morning there was frost when we started but we have been warm in the cabin. I can sit at the dinette in a tee-shirt, enjoy the scenery, and type on the computer while outside it is windy and cold. We just passed a sailboat and the people on board were in snow mobile suits and ski masks. They looked very cold. It is too bad that we have to travel fast to get as far south as possible. La Boatique is supposed to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on January 4 - 6. We are attempting to make 74 miles today.
On December 21 we were traveling through South Carolina. We woke early at 4 a.m. to the sound of outboard motors. Whizzing by us every few minutes were small boats. I was not sure what the men in the boats were doing at such an early hour. By 4:30 we were both wide awake. We had plenty of sleep since we both were in bed the previous night by 8 p.m. The moon was full. The water was calm. We considered departing but were hesitant to traverse the ICW with over 2 hours to go before sunrise. We heard the low rumble of a big diesel engine and soon saw the bright navigation lights of a tug boat. The boat seemed to be creeping along through the winding channels of the ICW. If we got going immediately, we could follow the tug. And that is just what we did. In the quiet darkness before dawn we followed the tug. The tug's search lights light up the red and green channel markers. The tug was not going as slow as we thought. Some of the time we had a challenge keeping up with it. As the hours ticked by the light of dawn slowly overtook the light of the full moon. We had easily covered 15 miles during the dark hours before dawn. Traveling was good all day with light winds and bright sunshine. We stayed inside the cabin and drove Haven from the lower helm station since the temperature was in the 40's and 50's for most of the day. If we had not been delayed 2 hours by a bridge we would have made 100 miles, instead we still made a record 94 miles.
The days passed by as we continued our journey south on the Intracoastal Waterway.
We arrived in St. Augustine, Florida on December 26. I was able to contact my cousins, Toby and Karin Erwin, who lived there. Toby's parents, Dick and Laurie Erwin, were in town from Pensacola. I had not seen them for many years. After 10 days of hurried constant moving on the boat I felt strange sitting and visiting. But it was about time we relaxed a bit and enjoyed some holiday spirit. We decided to leave Haven in St. Augustine and rent a car for the remainder of the trip south to Ft. Lauderdale. Then we would sail La Boatique north to St. Augustine. We decided that St. Augustine would be a good place to put La Boatique up for sale.