We made it through the night. The sails were reefed and we were getting used to our shifts. The weather has been good so far. Twenty two knots overnight dropping down to 12 during the day. Connie even ventured out on deck for 5 minutes (wareing a lifejacket and tethered on).
When not on watch we got as much rest as we could while rocking around at sea. We have been making good time (6 to 7knts). We will see how long it lasts.
It was a busy morning. A final clean, pre preparing lunch and dinner for when we were under way. Then we moved to Opua to book out with Customs. We tied up to the Customs Wharf and dinghies to the dinghy dock . It was a short walk to the Customs building. Dropping our rubbish in the bin on the way. It was a pretty quick and easy process. There had been 26 boats booked out ahead of us this morning.
We piled into the dinghy, headed back to Imagine and we were off. Out into the deep blue sea for lunch and the shifts started.
After arriving in the Bay of Islands in the early hours of Wednesday morning, everyone went to bed. It was a slow day. Just relaxing and a swim.
Thursday we went into Russel to stretch our legs. The last time for weeks. The ladies did a bit of shopping as we walked around the town. It was a quiet evening with the final game of cards before we set off.
With no apparent weather window taking shape for French Polynesian from Auckland, we decided to head north for the Bay of Islands where it’s looking like something just may be opening up on Friday.
We were all woken up by an early morning tap on the hull.. Darren had noticed we had left the hand cart I had used to get the batteries. So he delivered it by kayak. The whole bay was calm so I took the opportunity to go up the mast to repair a light. After breakfast we left the comfort of our Tindalls Bay anchorage around 10am Tuesday into a comfortable 22 knot southeastern breeze with following seas off the rear quarter. Not only would the 18-20 hour journey put us in good position for what may come, it also meant the first chance for crew to practice the “2 hours on/8 hours off” helm shift rotation intended for the passage to French Polynesia.
After tucking into Whangerei for a quick examination of a leaky hatch and a quick bite to eat, we made good time on our northward journey with winds reaching 35 knots as we rounded Cape Brett. Luckily only one crew member was taken down by sea sickness, with others stepping in to cover shifts as required.
We arrived at Paradise Bay to a beautiful sunrise, where a bright and day allowed for rest and relaxation alongside completion of necessary tasks before the next leg of the adventure.
We were ready … we went ashore to get the last few things from the shops and thought we would have a good weather window to leave Auckland on Tuesday (tomorrow) to head to French Polynesia.
We passed our CAT1 safety certification, which we had to have before going offshore. As Connie and Pauline had never inflated a lifejacket, we had them jump overboard in keeping with our safety training. Once they inflated their jackets, we had them swim the length of Imagine with the other pretending to be injured.
Darren and Chrissy invited us all to a ” Bon Voyage” dinner on what was supposed to be our second to last night in NZ. Roger and Rawyn were also invited which give us opportunity to say thank you again to everybody who helped us with the refit of Imagine. A particular big Thank You to Darren and Chrissy for their hospitality and support during the last 6 months. We couldn’t make it without you! Not to mention that our Dad was there too. Thanks to Darren for the 2-hour drive to pick him up. That was very thoughtful.
Everything seemed to be perfect, except that while checking the weather on Monday morning it was a different story: a big low came on the screen and made us think that it would be wiser to change our plan.
We hope to report our departure to French Polynesia later this week. Stand by.
We are just about ready to go to French Polynesia. We have stocked the boat. We had all hands repacking the meat so it all fits in the freezer. We will do a final laundry wash, a little more shopping and we will be ready to go. Unfortunately the weather isn’t ready for us. We are watching the weather forecasts intensely, waiting for the weather window alowing us to go.
We have all the crew onboard. Pauline joined us the night before last and is getting to know the boat.
We spent a night at Moturekareka then went to Kauwau Island. We tried our luck at fishing, but nothing for dinner. B caught a couple of small snapper , too small to keep. John and Connie went for a hike on Kauwau while B and I did some more little work on Imagine.
Today was a beautifully day. We stopped at Bostaquet bay for lunch on the way back to Tindalls bay. Connie helmed all the way back and she is now assisting John preparing dinner.
