something to do with the port receiver here which is either not receiving and/or communicating positions of all the vessels out here. Oh well – no geeky fun to be had. At least I know the transponder works.
In the afternoon we had a visit from Peter Cronk who bought Lagoon 420 hull #26 around the same time we bought Dignity. We’ve been in touch with him over the last 7 years and met him for the first time yesterday. He was one of the folks giving Helen tremendous support while I was seriously ill. He’d even offered to sail the boat over from Fiji but was understandably glad he hadn’t. It was great to finally meet him and thank 
him in person for everything he’s done.
Shortly after Peter left, Ed and Cornelia from A Cappella arrived to take us out to dinner. We went back the nearby Chinese restaurant and had a very pleasant evening together.
Back to my rant from yesterday. Have I calmed down? Yes. Am I more sympathetic? No. Calling out faults that simply don’t exist is deceitful. Completely misidentifying parts of the boat is simply incompetent. Just one error like this implies the surveyor had, at best, a broken/faulty process which exposes everyone involved to harm. Bad, bad, bad.
What’s done is done. Moving forward we can learn some lessons. For our next trial we will have someone aboard who will make sure the surveyor points out all the faults they are going to list in their report and to make notes of each issue. If the surveyor later adds anything we simply won’t accept it. I’ve wasted too much time on this. If I were the previous potential buyers I would want my money back. If I were the surveyor I would be ashamed and either improving the way I work or looking for a different profession.
]]>The wind was in the high teens to low 20s and ahead of us so we were on [...]]]>
We had another lazy morning in before readying to depart the anchorage just before midday. The Jacksters did stop by as we had a bit more dive gear for them so another round of goodbyes were had.
The wind was in the high teens to low 20s and ahead of us so we were on a close haul all the way back. We put two reefs in the main and headsail as we knew we would be close to and indeed the apparent wind was occasionally as high as 30 knots though mainly in the low 20s. Again we were against the current as we left earlier than before and low tide was now nearly 3 hours later than before. Despite this we easily averaged over 7 knots over ground (over 8 through the water) and later were doing 8-9 knots over ground around low tide.
We passed west of Mud Island and then had to tack 12 times to sail into port. I loved it. Helen did too, sort of. After a while she wanted to motor in rather than keep tacking so she could clean the boat. I did not give in to this as this could well be our last sail and I was where I wanted to be.
In the end we made it back with time to spare. At the dock we were met by Niel from Attitude, Jan from Anthem, Cornelia from A Cappella and Don from Freezing rain who all stood by to help with lines. With 20 knot winds squeezing into the dock next to Attitude was a little challenging. I aborted early the first attempt and nailed it the second time. Piece of cake.
View 2012-12-12 Moreton Bay in a larger map
In the evening Sam came over. We went out for a buffet curry in Manly and were later joined by Rob from Bristol Rose who happened by by chance. We ended the evening walking with Sam to the railway station then returning to the boat when his train arrived.
Now we’re back in the marina and back connected is back to our admin. We have one or two viewings coming up this weekend so want to be ready for those.
For your entertainment here is a video taken by one of the brokers and some pics of our time in the bay.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp_y1BAmEt0&feature=g-crec-u[/youtube]
]]>Friday evening we were joined [...]]]>
Friday evening we were joined by Sam. Helen had cleaned and packed the rest of his stuff as he has found a cheap and secure place in town. It was nice to spend time with him.
On Saturday we drove down to Trish and Rob’s home in Tumbulgum to join the crowd from Anthem, Inspiration Lady and A Cappella for a slightly delayed Thanksgiving Dinner complete with turkey, ham and all sorts of veg.
Trish and Rob are now CLODs (Cruisers Living On the Dirt). And what a fine piece of dirt they have. Set on 60 acres of land their home is idyllic. Much of the land is woodland with plenty of flower gardens. Their 11 year old home was built in a rustic style sitting on the hill with fine views across the valley.
We had our Thanksgiving dinner early afternoon and spent the evening chatting and playing cards. My swelling in my trachea and esophagus had become painful again so in the morning I tried half a dexamethasone tablet. I think it helped my symptoms but it certainly got me a bit euphoric. I chatted far too much. But at least I maxed every card hand I played. My side effects from the RT should peak soon and after then I can expect things to improve naturally.
The next day the other visitors left leaving Helen and I with Trish and Rob. I spent a few hours fixing our camera flash which had got jammed as a result of a recent accident. Their home felt like our home. We needed the escape.
Later, Rob and Trish took us around their property showing us many things not at first obvious. It was all very interesting and amazingly tranquil. It felt like walking around walking around private gardens / a private estate, which is unsurprising as that is what they’ve got.
After this we headed to the coast to where Rob spent time in his youth. A place called Fingle. We bought fish and chips and ate the at a small park by the ocean in the company of some of Australia’s amazing birds. We then walked along the beach and then along a path behind to where there was a rock formation aptly name the Giant’s Causeway.
Helen retired early in the evening leaving Trish, Rob and I chatting til late.
Despite intending to leave early in the morning, we eventually ended up heading back to Brisbane just before midday. We took a long way back to see the sights.
Back on the boat we finally got back in contact with the gas man who will be round tomorrow to bring our galley up to Ozzy standards. Communications with the broker resumed with mixed results.
This evening we had a left over turkey curry followed by a TV show. Great.
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Shortly before 6pm our friends, who’d beat the weather window down here, all arrived to join us aboard. Suddenly it was just like the old times. We blasted through cruisers’ midnight with ease with most folks heading home around 10:30pm. It was nice to have the usual boating chat (sea stories and whatnot) and of course share our experiences with my health, the dismasting and with selling the boat. A great had by all. With us were Jack and Jan from Anthem, Gary and Jackie from Inspiration Lady, Ed and Cornelia from A Cappella, Steve & Vickie from True Companions and Rob from Bristol Rose. Take a look at the category links to see some, but probably not all, of our interactions with these good friends of ours.
This morning we both got down to work. We’ve now rescheduled our trip up to the Sunshine Coast to spend Tuesday and Wednesday night with Ella and Granddaughter Bau. And the whole of Wednesday. We’re really looking forward to their company.
Helen did her detailed cleaning of the boat. I pulled apart all the gas fittings and took a load of photos so I could be better positioned to understand the ragged bunch of gas fitters, inspectors and government officials that circle around us. The admin continues. We’ve sold off a few more items from the boat which will allow us to buy a few more packets of crisps.
This afternoon I suddenly came over immensely fatigued. I’ve been running so high on anticipation, excitement, challenge and drugs for the last few days I think I basically got run over by the truck of tiredness. A couple of hours of interrupted rest and I was back going again. Sam’s arriving soon and we’ll be having quality time together this evening. In the morning it’s off to see most of the same friends again for a delayed turkey dinner at Trish and Rob’s home.
We’ve had time to reflect on the first offer good enough for us to accept on the boat and what subsequently transpired. Our thoughts haven’t changed much since yesterday. Although we have our opinions I don’t think it fair to comment on the other parties as, if nothing else, we still like them. For our part we now feel we got too wrapped up in the ‘story’ of our finishing our life aboard Dignity and handing her over to a couple starting their own. We became too emotionally attached which brought a few tears to Helen’s eyes when it was clear the deal was off. Not for the loss of the sale, but for the failure of the story to emerge. When we sold our home in New Jersey back in 2008 to start our adventure we took the emotion off the table. It worked very well. We’ve taken the lesson.
]]>Helen and I stayed on the boat for the rest of the day. Sam went ashore a couple of times to hang out with some of the folks he’s met. He returned the second time around 10:30pm. His arrival woke me up so I went upstairs and chatted with him for a while.
Today we head west on our first leg to Lautoka. I have 5 legs plotted which we’ll more or less follow.
]]>But we got the job done and were satisfied. We probably won’t have to do another oil change until Australia.
In the afternoon Helen dropped Sam off ashore so he could hang out with one of the locals at Savusavu university. We met him at 5:30 ashore for dinner. He’d just met up with a crewman from another boat, Jay, who was deciding what to do next. We invited him to join us for a drink and for dinner. We also ran into the A Capallas who also joined us for the evening.
Towards the end of the evening I was feeling very, very tired so we headed back to the boat saying goodbye to everyone.
An update on my dizziness. It is getting gradually better but I still get very tired throughout the day. Recently I’ve been suffering from double vision which is easily fixed by closing one eye when I need to. In some ways it feels like progress.
Saturday (tomorrow) still seems to be the day to leave the area as the current cool southerly winds change over to easterlies.
]]>In the afternoon Helen dropped off Sam so he could hang out with the kids from the nearby village. Later, we went ashore to meet up with the Jacksters, Inspiration Ladys and A Capallas who are all [...]]]>
In the afternoon Helen dropped off Sam so he could hang out with the kids from the nearby village. Later, we went ashore to meet up with the Jacksters, Inspiration Ladys and A Capallas who are all here. We had a couple of beers before heading off for a chinese in town.
Sam manage to grab a ride and appeared on the boat around 10:30pm.
The winds are currently southerly which means we’re not going anywhere just yet. Looks like Saturday is the day to head south.
]]>Once in and connected to the internet we managed to chat with our friends (now almost extended family) Anne and John who have been fantastic help getting Sam over his last minute hurdles along with Ben and Amy. They were all involved in getting his luggage sorted and some late admin. Can’t say enough to express our gratitude to all those helping us out on this.
Our previous weekend companions John and Jose came by principally to pick up their fishing rods left behind when they departed. We’d used their visit to bring to us our repaired VHF radio which we’d had couriered to crewman Paul.
After they left I headed out to pick up our latest round of medication. Because both the Solomons and Vanuatu have malaria all three of us will need to be on medication for three months. We’ve also got some additional antibiotices, creams and, for the first time, some morphine based painkillers in case of a serious accident. To date we’ve planned on using a stiff upper lip but strong stuff is definitely better if you have a bone coming out where it shouldn’t.
I also checked out customs, which I may not have found, and the duty free store here in Auckland in case we leave from here.
Back on the boat I switched the radios and found our repaired radio to be working fine – better than the old Raymarine. And it fit the hole in the dashboard. So the one Sam is bringing will end up being a back up and the old Raymarine a backup to the backup.
Around 3:30pm we headed off towards the main supermarket. We split up so that I could collect the hire car. I met Helen in the store where we provisioned for three weeks – optimistically planning on 1 more week here and a double up on what’s needed for a one week passage.
Bringing our stuff back in the newly hired car we lugged everything back to the boat and then put the mainsail into the car before I parked it for the night.
Ed and Cornelia from A Cappella visited for dinner in the evening. Ed we’ve seen recently but it was our first chance to catch up with Cornelia in quite some time.
Today I’ll be heading up to Whangarei to sort our our mainsail and do a few extra bits and pieces while I wait. Hopefully I’ll be back by early afternoon. This evening we’re meeting up with John and Pam from Passages.
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow we’ll be picking Sam up from the airport. We’re very excited.
]]>Despite the manufacturer stating we should service the life raft every two years this was the first time we did so. I was shocked to see how much was replaced but pleased to learn what was actually in with the life raft. There is quite a substantial set of flares contained which will complement those we have in the cabin in case of distress where we don’t need to leave the main boat. Flares do have a limited lifetime so it was good we had this service done now. Of course, it is important we have a life raft that works in the unhoped for event we need it.
Once the life raft was installed into it’s slot I walked over to the workshop near Pier 21 to give them our desired lengths for the kauri trim we want to prevent our next microwave from sliding off it’s home.
After that it was time for lunch. We ate a very delicious sushi then headed off to the supermarket for our first round of provisioning. On this trip we only took what we could carry the mile or so back to the boat. (Today we’re going again but returning by taxi)
In the afternoon I made the 45 minute return walk back to the work shop to pick up our trim. It looked really nice. Had a quick chat with Pam from Passages who appeared to welcome a quick break from polishing the boat sides.
In the afternoon I managed to work out a new plan to have our mainsail attended to. We’d already decided to return to the Viaduct Marina for when Sam arrives 11 days from now. We changed our booking to come in a day early and arranged a hire car so we can drive up to Whangarei and have it sorted there and then. The last thing I want is a weather window to appear and have to miss it because we need to get up to Whangarei to have our sail fixed. The sailmaker has agreed to this so we’re all set.
Incidentally, a fantastic weather window opened for Fiji yesterday. Pity we’re not in a position to take it. Particularly considering the southerly winds we have right now have brought a bit of a chill.
Early evening Ed from A Cappella dropped by. We’ve not seen him for a year so it was nice to catch up. They have a similar plan to us for the next couple of year so we’ll be still in touch with them for a while. There is a special tie amongst all those we crossed the Pacific with in 2010 and it’s nice to keep in contact.
Around 7pm past crew(wo)man Lissa visited with sister Megan. It was nice to see them again. They’d been invited out to Waiheke for the weekend but can’t make it. She does a lot of wedding photography so weekends are inevitably busy. We shared pizza and stories. Nice evening.
]]>Helen and I picked up a small lunch before driving a short way south of town to a walk which offered good views of the town from a hill overlooking the area.
From the look out we carried on getting down to the main road east of town. Once we’d made our way back to the car we headed back to our room to read for the afternoon.
At 6pm Gary and Jackie joined us on the balcony of our room. We’d agreed on an takeaway and made our choices from the menu we’d collected earlier. Gary and I went to collect the food leaving Helen and Jackie to sort out where to eat. When we returned we found they’d set up down below in the garden which was a great idea.
Another Canadian couple ended up joining us and we had a good time – it almost felt like times back on the boat.
We don’t have a great deal to do today before our 1:10pm ferry so there will be no rush to leave our room. We’re thinking of staying in the Wellington area tonight to give us a chance to see the city but this is still not set in stone.
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