April 30 – May 7, 2015
We waited for a good weather window before leaving New Zealand.
Logbook – April 30, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Back to school
- Drinks and dinner at OCC w/ Field Trip, Tusitala, Caminante
Email to family and friends dated May 1, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Final Preps
Well, it’s a sad momma that dropped Andrew off at the airport on Wednesday evening. Now, we are back in Opua taking care of final preps for the passage north and waiting for weather. Weather looks like crap for at least the next week, so we aren’t really pressed for time for the last few boat projects and final provisioning. We are happy there are still a couple other kid boats here, and we will all likely be taking the same weather window, so maybe we’ll have company in Minerva Reef again. There is a big, organized rally starting from here, and it’s about 50 boats all leaving tomorrow, so it will be nice and quiet again in Opua until we leave. So, why are they leaving when the weather looks like crap? I really have no idea. Maybe they know something we don’t, and maybe this is as good as the weather windows get, but it looks to me like bashing into a head wind for 5 days, so we will wait and see.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – May 1, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Tim fixed port sail drive
- Dinner on Exodus with Novae
Logbook – May 2, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Bye to Novae
- D- Kerikeri shoping
- Loving Spotify
Logbook – May 3, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Laundry day
- D- run
Logbook – May 4, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Tim up the mast
Logbook – May 5, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- D- run
- D/T to Paihia, drinks w/ Andy & Lynette
Email to family and friends dated May 6, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Trying to get out of NZ
I slept with 2 sweatshirts on last night and I pretty much wear my Uggs all day long on board, so yeah, we are ready for warmer weather again. Finding a good weather window for departure is turning out to be very challenging though, much more so than any of our previous passages, even the trip down here. We have submitted forms to customs for a Friday afternoon departure (2 days from now), but we will have to keep watching the forecast and decide at the last minute if we really leave. Today, all four of us are headed to the grocery store to provision and then tomorrow we will take the van down to Whangarei to leave it on a lot to be sold. That’s pretty much all we have left to do in order to leave.
Love and miss you all,
-D.
Logbook – May 6, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Holy Provisioning!
- Dute Free @ New World
Logbook – May 7, 2015 (Opua)
Daily Notes
- Diesel
- Stayed night @ marina
- Pouring rain
- Briana over for drinks
- Tim to Whangarei to sell the car
Email to family and friends dated May 7, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Departing NZ Tomorrow
We are still planning to leave tomorrow, but we will be leaving right on the tail of a cold front, so it will be a bumpy start. We hope to stop at Minerva Reef again and the go to Savusavu, Fiji. Some of our friends are there already and we are jealous of the warm weather. Will keep you posted if things change.
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 