Once we were awake and breakfasted we set about a few things about the boat. I lowered the dinghy, attached the motor and gave it a test. I then set about my new nemesis, the shaft seal. I installed the new drip tray and connected the hose to the somewhat redundant A/C drain tube which I installed when first coming to New Zealand. The seal had not been dripping overnight so I wanted to test it. I had Helen put the port motor into reverse and the drip returned slightly. I pumped more grease in (deeper and more plentiful) and the drip stopped again. I left it at that. I checked the tracking page for our new seal online and was pleased to note the part had already reached the airport in the Uk.
At around 9am we received a text from our friends ashore. I called them back and suggested we go out sailing and have a picnic somewhere as the wind was up. This was readily agreed upon and by 10am Tracey, Lew and their two friends Helen and Dave were by the shore ready to be picked up. Soon after getting them to the boat we were off.
The wind was from the north east and blew anywhere between 8 and 14 knots depending on the islands between us and the wind. Once we were on the move we decided to head to Motorua Island where we’d visited with Ben in early December. We had about two and a half miles to make upwind and we made our destination tacking just the once on the far side of the Bay. Lew hand steered us all the way, this being his first experience of a sail boat. Unfortunately, the leak had returned but the drip tray was working well.
We at lunch on the back of the boat before going ashore to walk the loop around the island. By the time we’d sailed back to Jack’s Bay, anchored and checked things out it was nearly 6pm. We’d been invited ashore for dinner so the six of us piled into the dinghy, went ashore, dragged the dinghy up the beach and then ourselves up to Lew and Tracey’s holiday home which turned out to be a really nice getaway with a fantastic view of the bay area.
Helen (not mine) cooked curry for us all which was delicious. We chatted and wined until well after boater midnight (9pm). Lew and Tracey insisted on coming down to the shore with us to help us launch the dinghy. The tide, by then, had come right in so it was straight forward to get it back afloat. The new wheels are definitely helping but in the soft sand of the beaches we visited this day they sometimes sank and the rear of the dinghy had to be lifted out.
We were quite exhausted after a long day. I checked the seal and it was still dripping. I checked online and our package was on hold. I had hoped it would be on it’s way before the Easter weekend but that doesn’t seem to have worked out.
We’ve been invited to the pub in Russell to watch rugby this evening. Winds permitting we’ll do just that. That’ll be after another round of man versus leak.
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