This time we anchored on the South side of Paradise BayThese next two photos are taken of rock formations near the Kawiti Glowworm CavesThese next two photos are of the famous public toilets in Kawakawa
Logbook – Tuesday December 30, 2014 (Paradise Bay)
Daily Log
T – 2x scallop diving. B in the dinghy the 2nd time
D – sick 😦
Brenden building his tin can robot (Thanks Grandma!)
Matauwhi Bay is not the main harbor for Russell, but it has more room for anchoring, and it’s under a one km walk to town.
Logbook – Tuesday December 23, 2014 (Opua to Matauwhi Bay)
Passage Log
1555 Engines on
1720 Arrive Russell (1)
Daily Notes
(1) by way of fuel dock – filled water tank
Dinner @ Hone’s Pizzeria in Russell. Cute town. Mulberry trees and community veggie garden. Bathroom combo C1492
Cheers! Happy to be in Russel.Hey look, The Strand!Brenden in the community gardenA blooming artichoke
Logbook – Wednesday December 24, 2014 (Matauwhi Bay)
Daily Notes
Xmas eve – hike cancelled due to gloomy weather. Game day & lunch on s/v Field Trip. Lots of fun.
Walk aroun dtown.
Pizzas and ice cream sundaes
Game day on s/v Field Trip on Christmas Eve day.Picking mulberriesAdmiring the old treeA look back at the Russell Boating Club from shoreA look back at the Russell Boating Club from shoreYes, Brenden’s did touch the ceilingIs it pizza dough or play-doughFinished off the evening with ice cream sundaesWhy is Eeyore scared?
Email to family and friends dated December 24, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Merry Xmas Eve
We’ve moved a few miles to the town of Russell, and yesterday evening we went ashore and had a great dinner in this cute little town. At the dinghy dock we met a local guy who gave us the combo to the showers at the “Russell Boating Club” and who pointed us to the mulberry bush and the community garden nearby, and the boys had a lot of fun picking and eating mulberries on the way into town. Russell seems smaller and less in your face touristy than Paihia, and they call their malecon “The Strand” so I love that I get to go running on The Strand again. We had planned a day of hiking today with our friends on another kid boat called Field Trip, but it’s gray and drizzly, so we may pass on that and just play games or something. We will be missing all of you fiercely this Christmas season. -D.
Logbook – Thursday December 25, 2014 (Matauwhi Bay)
Daily Notes
Merry xmas! Presents, breakfast crepes, on shore playing soccer & paddle board with Field Trip
D – run on strand
NZ Monopoly w/ Field Trip kids
Ham, Mashed potatoes, green beans for xmas dinner
Brenden was awake first on Christmas morningNew Zealand MonopolySunset on Christmas
Logbook – Friday December 26, 2014 (Matauwhi Bay)
Daily Notes
Heritage Trail #2 – Flagstaff & Tapeka
Dinner on Exodus with Filed Trip. Trivial Pursuit
We went on a family hike, and first stop was Maiki Hill and the Flagstaff. No flag flying that day.A view of Kororareka Bay (the main Russell Harbor) and Matauwhi Bay is in the backgroundSecond stop, a beach on the Tapeka Peninsula. Lots of Kiwis out having a nice family day at the beach
While the boys stayed at the beach, Tim and I went up Tapeka Track. The sign says it’s a 1 hr hike but we nailed it in 7 minutes up and 6 minutes down.A view of the beach where we left the boysAlmost back to Russell, a view of the wharf
Email to family and friends dated December 26, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Merry Christmas
We are still in Russell and we had a nice, relaxed, low key Christmas yesterday. The boys are too old to wake up super early to see what Santa brought them so at about 9:00 they rolled out of bed and joined me in the salon. We opened a few presents (seriously, only a few, we keep Christmas light these days. You don’t need a lot of stuff when you live on a boat.) Then we had dessert crepes for breakfast and just lounged around. It was a gray and dreary day, but we still made it to shore in the afternoon and I went for a run on the strand and the boys played soccer and paddle board with the s/v Field Trip gang. Then all the kids came back to Exodus to play some New Zealand Monopoly. We had ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans for our Christmas dinner, and it was my first ham, so we were all relieved it turned out well. I know today is Christmas for most of you, so I hope you are having a wonderful day, and we miss you all. Love, -D.
Logbook – Saturday December 27, 2014 (Matauwhi Bay)
Daily Notes
Rainy day. Nobody left the boat.
Yogurt & bread making
Logbook – Sunday December 28, 2014 (Matauwhi Bay)
Daily Notes
Boys play paddle board on shore
D – walk around town
Happy hour at brew co w/ Field Trip
Views of Russell from out on the wharfHey, nice to see the sun again
Logbook – Wednesday December 17, 2014 (Omakiwi Cove to Opua)
Passage Log
1309 SB engine on
1327 P engine on
Depart
1340 P engine off. SB + genoa
P engine on
1552 Engines off. Opua
Daily Notes
Thunder/lightning, pouring rain
Logbook – Thursday December 18, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Nots
Shopping in Kerikeri with Camille
Logbook – Friday December 19, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
Family hike from Treaty grounds to Haruru falls
Lunch/dinner at Jimmy Jack’s in Paihia
T- drinks with Jack @ Andy’s house in Paihia
5 km each way from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to Haruru FallsA view toward PaihiaThe Waitangi RiverPart of the trail was through the mangrove swampFinally made it to the fallsDon’t jump D!Don’t push Tim!
Logbook – Saturday December 20, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
D – wine tasting with Sarah (Field Trip), Camille (Iguana), Brianna (Tusitala), and Julie (Nirvana). Five wineries – Cottle Hill, Marsden, KaiNui, Fat Pig, Ake Ake
On the Kerikeri wine trail, a nice afternoon with girlfriends. This photo is taken at Cottle Hill Winery, and the owners are former cruisers from San Diego who settled here in 1992Marsden WineryKainui Winery. We couldn’t take advantage of the deck because of the rainThere was a poetry reading at Fat Pig Winery, and Gladys, shown here on the left talking with Sarah, stole the show.My haul from the day of wine tasting
Logbook – Sunday December 21, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
Back to school & laundry day
Email to family and friends dated December 21, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Busy in Opua
We came back to Opua after the low pressure system moved on and the blustery weather ended. We are very glad we stayed out and didn’t come back sooner, because apparently the last night of the blow the boats here in the Opua anchorage saw up to 50 kts with lots of fetch and boats were dragging all over the place. Meanwhile, we were in a nice protected anchorage, the most we saw was 36 kts, we had room for plenty of scope, and we had zero fetch. But overall, it’s good to be back, and here are some of the highlights so far:
Made a dent in the Christmas shopping with an all day trip to Kerikeri
Family hike, 5 Km each way, from the Waitange Treaty Grounds to Haruru Falls
Ordered a new thermostat for the freezer and a new depth sensor (it’s nice to be in a place where you can get things easily, and they even price matched an online special for the depth sensor)
The dinghy outboard motor crapped out when I was mid-way between the boat and shore to go for a run. I checked all of the obvious things (fuel container air vent, fuel level, fuel hose connections) and was just getting the oars out when a nice couple rescued me and towed me back to Exodus. Tim took it up to the mechanic yesterday, and our friends on Iguana have loaned us their outboard in the meantime (they are leaving for Auckland tomorrow).
I had a fantastic afternoon/evening winetasting with friends yesterday. The vineyards/wineries around here are very small time operations and it was refreshing that at 3 of places we were discussing the wines with the owners, hearing what they like, and why the plant the grapes they do. One of them had a poetry reading, and 80 year old Gladys stole the show and brought more than one member of our party to tears. The wines are not on par with California, but the overall wine tasting experience may have been even better.
Brenden finished 5th grade and the boys have been enjoying a few days off to celebrate That’s it for now. It’s Sunday morning and today will be back to school day and laundry day. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – Monday December 22, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
D – Run along coast in Paihia
D/T – Xmas shopping in Kerikeri
Boys play on shore w/ Lumbaz, Nirvana, & Iona
Brenden’s berth (That painting of sailboats came from a market in La Cruz, Mexico, and we still have it.)
We never left the boat while we were in this cove, because it was rainy and blustery (gale force). But we passed the time with boat projects and sushi rolls.
Logbook – Monday December 15, 2014 (Paradise Bay to Omakiwi Cove)
Passage Log
1020 Engines on
1127 Engines off Omakiwi Cove
Daily Notes
Moved to be off a lee shore & away from dragging boats
Max wind 36.2 kts SE
Paradise Bay to Omakiwi CoveOmakiwi Cove
Logbook – Tuesday December 16, 2014 (Omakiwi Cove)
Daily Notes
Wind and rain all day. Picked up in the evening. Max 34.6 kts E
Boats dragging in Opua (heard VHF traffic)
Boat project or modern sculpture?Mmmm… spicy Hamachi rollsBrenden got impatient and just picked it up like a burrito
Logbook – Wednesday December 10, 2014 (Deep Water Cove to Urupukapuka)
Passage Log
1036 Engines on
1042 Depart
1147 Engines off Urupkapuka Bay
Daily Notes
Move to Urupukapuka
D/Boys explore on shore.
T/Jack – swim with dolphins & scalloping
Deep Water Cove to Urupukapuka BayUrupukapuka BaySpecks on the hillsideThis is overlooking another bay on the other side of the islandA network of tramping trails on Urupukapuka islandScallops!
Logbook – Thursday December 11, 2014 (Urupukapuka)
Daily Notes
T/B/Jack – Scalloping – Alex in the dinghy 80 scallops
Tim perfects cleaning – 2 scallops/minute
Email to family and friends dated December 11, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Urupukapuka bay
We moved from Deep Water Cove to Urupukapuka bay yesterday morning. Urupukapuka bay is on a small island called Urupukapuka island. The Bay of Islands is reminiscent of Vava’u with many anchorages close together so you have your pick for a blow from any direction. The bay itself isn’t as pretty, but the shore is more versatile in that there is a beach, lots of walking tracks (trails) around the island of varying levels, and grassy areas where Tim and Alex are going to go play catch today if it ever stops raining. I think the last time I wrote I said that Tim and Jack were going to out redeem themselves, and boy did they ever. They came back with two 30 lb Kingfish (Yellowtail) and two huge lobsters. We had quite a feast that night. And then to top it off yesterday after we moved here they went out and got a bunch of scallops. There is a 20 scallop per person limit, so if Tim can’t get the boys to go, I have volunteered to suit up and just sit in the dinghy. That counts, right? Love and miss you all, -D.
P.S. We are slowly learning the Kiwi lingo. Jandals = Flip-flops & Trundle = Shopping Cart. And the one you really want to know ahead of time is Tomato Sauce = Ketchup. Learned this the hard way.
Logbook – Friday December 12, 2014 (Urupukapuka)
Daily Notes
Rain, rain, go away
Tim helped Jack fix the carburetor for his dive compressor
Email to family and friends dated December 12, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Tour boats and dolphins
It rained most of the day yesterday, and there’s neverending rain in the forecast. We think we are going to head back to Opua today because 1) our freezer is broken and we want to see if the part is here before the weekend and 2) We left the car parked on the street. Next time we will leave the keys with one of our friends to let them use it and look after it while we are out. Anyway, I’d like to back up a bit and share some of Tim’s stories from the past couple days. I’m sure I won’t tell them quite as good as he would, but I’ll give it a go.
When they were out spearfishing at Cape Brett, the day they got the two huge yellowtail and lobsters, there were a couple tourboats out visiting the “hole in the rock,” which is basically a huge hole in the side of the island off the tip of cape brett. It’s a big tourist destination, and apparently it’s big enough for boats to transit through. Not sailboats, because of the mast, but all the big motor tour boats go through it. Except this time one of them missed their mark a bit and hit the top of the hole and snapped off their VHF antenna. I guess it was quite a sound and a sight. One of the guides on this same boat had Tim and Jack hold up their catches for the tourists as they all snapped a bunch of photos. I wonder how many facebook pages they will show up on (unidentified, of course.) Then, yesterday after we got here to Urupukapuka and Tim and Jack were heading out to get scallops a pod of dolphins showed up. They were swimming around the dinghy when that same tourboat showed up. Well, at least the same guide, not sure about the boat, and probably not the same driver. Tim thought for sure they were going to get yelled at for being too close to the dolphins or something (and as the boys and I were watching from Exodus we were thinking the same thing.) But no, the guide recognized them and came over to them and started telling the guests about how they are two “expert spearfishermen” and maybe they would go in the water with the dolphins for them. Tim was the first one in the water, and the dolphins were really playful and swimming circles around him, and the next thing he knew there were about 20 people in the water off the tourboat with him. I guess the dolphins were huge, and we’ve seen them several times here in this bay. Twice we’ve seen them go up to an anchored boat and start jumping around and slapping their tails on the water. It’s almost like they’re saying, “c’mon…c’mon…c’mon you little human…c’mon and play with us.”
Yesterday I didn’t have to go out in the dinghy to go scalloping because Alex and Brenden did. Brenden actually got in the water with two wetsuits on, but he still got cold pretty quick. So, they brought back a huge haul. The scallops here are just laying on the bottom in about 10-15 ft of water so the toughest thing is spotting them, once you spot them you just have to pick them up. So, apparently it’s easier than clams because you don’t have to dig them out. Although, Brenden points out that they went clamming in warm water, and that makes a big difference.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – Saturday December 13, 2014 (Urupukapuka to Paradise Bay)
Passage Log
1429 – SB engine on for hot water
1613 P engine on
1624 Depart
1701 Engines off – Paradise Bay
Daily Notes
D – shore excursion solo. Lots of sheep and seep poo. Caught in the rain.
T/Jack – spearfishing at Cape Brett w/ a couple kiwis – Huge yellowtail
The fences are to keep the sheep in not the people out, so they provide steps to help you over
Paradise Bay is just around the corner from Urupukapuka. (No, we didn’t run aground, the inReach only pings on 15-minute intervals.Paradise BayBackrub for Dad
Email to family and friends dated December 13, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Staying put
We decided not to go back to Opua yesterday, because Jack met a local spearfisherman online and he’s invited the two of them out to Cape Brett today. So, they’ll be leaving in about a half hour. We are probably going to move to a bay around the corner for more East protection this afternoon because a low is approaching and winds are supposed to howl out of the east for a couple days. Yes, there is not only online dating but online spearfishing. And some of you might remember it was from the Lagoon owners chat room that Tim found Exodus, not even for sale. The internet is good, but we don’t have it here in this anchorage. Hopefully we can pick up a tower when we move this afternoon, because tomorrow is an important day (day after tomorrow for those of you on the other side of the dateline) and I will need to do some face-timing. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – Sunday December 14, 2014 (Paradise Bay)
Passage Log
0445 Call for assistance on VHF 16 (1)
Daily Notes
(1) S/V Finesse called for assistance. Whangerai Maritime radio responded. Anchor dragging, engine failure, can’t raise buddy boat Cooper in same bay. Located in bay just North of Paradise. Another vessel recommended letting out more scope, which they did. Situation Stabilized
Break in the rain. Shore excursion – catch (baseball), D- walked Paradise loop track.
A break in the rain allowed a brief shore excursionPizza to celebrate Andrew’s birthday
Email to family and friends dated December 14, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Happy Happy Birthday to Andrew
My first is all growed up and 23 today (really, it’s tomorrow, but here in New Zealand it’s today, and we are celebrating by making pizza.) I uploaded a happy birthday movie to my facebook page, and I only cried about a dozen times while making it. We love and miss you Andrew!
Other than that we are kind of socked in and stuck on the boat due to weather. There was some VHF radio drama last night as a charter boat in the next bay was dragging anchor and their engine wasn’t working. Luckily someone suggested they put out more anchor scope (which I never would have thought to suggest to them, because, well, duh!) and that stabilized their situation. We are in a nice protected spot and our average wind last night was under 10 kts with gusts up to 20, but on the other side of our bay Iguana saw average of 15 kts with gusts to 30. All manageable.
Deep water cove is the first anchorage inside the Bay of Islands near Cape Brett. We weren’t really done with everything we needed to do in Opua, but Tim needed to get in the water, and it was well worth it.
Logbook – Sunday December 7, 2014 (Opua to Deep Water Cove)
Passage Log
1020 Engines on
1027 Depart Opua
1141 Engines off. Main + genoa.
1310 Engines on
1334 Engines off – Deep Water Cove
Daily Notes
T/Jack – Spearfish Cape Brett. 2 small yellowtail!
Beers w/ Iguana
Depart Opua December 7, 2014 at 1027 – Arrive Deep Water Cove at 1334A view of Paihia as we were leavingDeep Water Cove- there’s a power boat in our spot!sv Iguana at Deep Water CoveHow’s this for a lee shore?Scouting the hiking track for the next dayA view of Deep Water Cove
Logbook – Monday December 8, 2014 (Deep Water Cove)
Daily Notes
Sound of surf
Awesome hike from Deep Water Cove to Cape Brett lighthouse
Resistance w/ Iguana. Epic win by Alex & Brenden
Hiking time!Jellyfish stranded on the beachWe went for about a 4-hour (round trip) hike from Deep Water Cove to the Cape Brett lighthouse.Taking a breakWe made it!“I think we should spearfish there”
Logbook – Tuesday December 9, 2014 (Deep Water Cove)
All suited up for cold water divingThey each speared a 30 lb yellowtailAnd a couple lobsters for good measure
Email to family and friends dated December 9, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Deep Water Cove
We escaped Opua a couple days ago and we’ve been anchored out near the entrance of the Bay of Islands in a spot called Deep Water Cove. It earns its name, because we have to anchor VERY close to shore to find a suitable depth. Tim and Jack went out spearfishing the first afternoon we were here, and they came back with just a couple small (illegal sized) yellowtail, but they are heading out this morning in the drizzly rain to redeem themselves. Yesterday, we all went on an amazing hike, about 4.5 hours round trip, from here out to the Cape Brett lighthouse. It was along ridges and up and down ravines, and the views were stunning. Afterwards, Alex and Brenden schooled us in a game of resistance, and I’m starting to get really worried about how good Alex is getting at this game… We have cell service out here, but the only device we have set up for internet is Tim’s iPad, which is why I’m not constantly on Facebook now. Love and miss you all, -D.
Our first morning in OpuaThe serenity of the Q dock early in the morning. Boats kept arriving: we were there with Silhouette and IkaExodus in New Zealand!It is called “The Bay of Islands” after all (behind that little island would become our go-to anchor location)Yes, the foul weather gear made it out of storage for this passage to New Zealand. Weather was calm, so we didn’t need it to stay dry, just to stay warm.Still with Iguana
Logbook – November 28, 2014 (Opua)
Passage Log
0955 Engines on (1)
1025 Engines off
Daily Notes
(1) To the fuel dock to fill water tanks
D – road trip to Kerikeri with Tusitala & Rigel
T/Boys – reanchor Exodus. Gusty winds – almost collision w/ Iguana at anchor. Move Exodus
Boys play on shore all day. Fluenta’s here.
Resistance night w/ Iguana and Tusitala
Our friends with a broken outboard hitched a two when we were taking Exodus to the dock to get waterRock sculptures in Kerikeri
Logbook – November 29, 2014 (Opua)
Passage Log
1127 Engines on – move to marina
1202 Arrived at marina
Daily Notes
Move to Manrina
D – run/hike along waterfront trail
Boat chores!!
“Thanksgiving dinner”
T – socialize at Danny’s (s/v Lumbaz) birthday
Exodus at the marina. Well, not the marina exactly, they don’t have many spots for catamarans, so we are on the boatyard dock.
Email to family and friends dated November 29, 2014
Subject: Exodus – No Thanksgiving (yet)
So, we still haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving yet on Exodus, but we have reasons to be thankful everyday. The night before last we all of a sudden ran out of water, and we only realized it when the water pump started sounding funny. Our first reaction was, “Boys, check the bilges!” because we could just imagine a leak had occurred and the contents of our fresh water tank were now in the bottom of our boat. Nope. They were dry. It was almost dark, and we are anchored near the mouth of a river, so we REALLY didn’t want to run our water maker in here. So, we went the night without water. I joked that we still have all the pouches of water in our ditch bag that Marsha gave us for Xmas before we left in case we got desperate. The next morning we went to the fuel dock to fill our tank with shore water, and it seems everything is working fine. I guess for the first time ever we mismanaged our water supply. But it all turned out great, because while we were raising anchor to go to the fuel dock our friends on s/v Tusitala, whose dinghy outboard engine isn’t working, rowed over and very sneaky like tied their dinghy to exodus to get a tow to the dock. It was comical. Anyway, they were borrowing someone’s car to go into town and they invited me to go. What a great day! We went to the main town of Kerikeri about 20 km away, and it has a quaint downtown area that is jam packed full of nice coffee shops, restaurants, and stores. We walked around for hours and then as a last stop hit the HUGE grocery store. It was just like being at home. Not only was it huge but it had everything you could ever want. Mexico and French Polynesia had huge grocery stores, but it was still often a challenge trying to find the things you are used to and if you did they were insanely expensive. But not here. I almost wept over the bulk food aisle. Anyway, I bought all the fixins to make steak, mashed potatoes, and asparagus (asparagus!) for our own little Thanksgiving dinner, but we got back kind of late, and we didn’t even stop at the winery on the way back (winery!) Upon my return we had a decision to make: go ahead and cook and have a late dinner OR make something quick and then play Resistance with Iguana and Tusitala. Resistance won and we had sandwiches for dinner. So…. Thanksgiving will be tonight on Exodus.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – Sunday November 30, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
More boat chores (Laundry, mattresses, etc.)
Kid (boy) movie night on Exodus. Girls on Fluenta
Look how patriotic we are…. OK, the real story is our US flag is faded and tattered, and a guy on the dock told Tim he should be embarrassed and gave him this one. It’s HUGE, 4×6 ft, but we feel obligated to fly it.Laundry Days! Do it yourself coin operated machines, and every machine worked. (It’s laundry “days” instead of “day” because I spent the better part of 3 days in here. I think I washed every piece of fabric on the boat.)
Logbook – Monday December 1, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
Even more boat chores
D – run along the bike track south
No pizza 😦 Emergency bean & cheese burritos
Going for a run on a frigid morningMy running trail. A railway line turned bike track.
Logbook – Tuesday December 2, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
T – Auckland to buy a car
D – Paihia to open a bank account
PaihiaOur new wheels. It’s a used car from Japan, so it says “konnichiwa” when you start it up (It became affectionately known as The Ex-Wagon)The boys have a lounge (just like Andrew used to)
Email to family and friends dated December 3, 2014
Subject: Exodus – In the marina
We’ve been busy in the marina, and I haven’t had much to write about, but in general, since we have internet, these emails will probably be less frequent. Just to catch you up… we’ve been crazy busy doing boat chores and laundry while in the marina. We are supposed to check out today, but we are going to ask for 2 more days so Tim can service the dinghy outboard. We’ve also opened a bank account and bought a car. Yes, that’s right, Tim went to Auckland yesterday and came back with a car. I haven’t even seen it yet, but it’s a big Toyota thing that seats 8 and is big enough we could sleep in it. I’m so excited for the freedom of having a car! We also learned that we can get our iPhones unlocked by AT&T (it’s the law they have to do it), so then we would be able to buy new sim cards here and then have data and phone service right from our phone. Can you even imagine! (oh yeah, most of you have that all the time…) The boys have done their share of boat work, but they’ve also been part of the kid pack that roams the marina. It’s mostly the same group of kids we were with in Tongatapu and Minerva, they have just picked up where they left off. It’s mostly girls and younger boys, and I think Alex might be the oldest of the bunch. It was 52 deg F in our salon when I got up at 6am this morning, and I’m still bundled up even though it’s warmed up all the way to 56 deg. I made a trip into Paihia yesterday, which is the closest town to Opua, and I was a bit disappointed to find myself amongst the entire population of a cruise ship. And apparently the library had free wifi, and you could tell this from far away, because of all the people loitering outside on their smartphones and iPads. The crowd of the ruiseshippers aside, it was WAY more touristy than Kerikeri. I think every other shop was a souvenir shop, and the cafes and coffee shops were bland and generic, like they belonged in an airport or something. I think we are going there for dinner tonight with another family (they helped Tim with the car buying process since they had already blazed that trail) and they know of a good place, so maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. I know I’ve talked to a few of you about skyping, but our internet is mostly still very spotty during the day. I think it’s just due to the load of users on the wifi hotspots, because early in the morning it’s great, but by the time the boys get up, not so much. But we’ll keep trying. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – Wednesday December 3, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
Dinner in Paihia w/ Field Trip
Logbook – Thursday December 4, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
Renewed EPIRB registration (every 2 years)
Coastguard doc renewal (every year)
Tim’s b-day – Pizza & Resistance w/ Iguana
Logbook – Friday December 5, 2014 (Opua)
Passage Log
1223 Engines on – depart dock
1243 Engines off at anchor
Daily Notes
Left the marina
Afternoon in Kerikeri
Happy to have a Subway sandwich
Logbook – Saturday December 6, 2014 (Opua)
Daily Notes
(Nothing recorded)
The trail from Opua to Paihia includes this bridge over shallow waterWho the heck is Uncle Toby?Tim needed some peace and quiet so he’s chillin in the cockpit locker. Not really… he’s trying to troubleshoot our non-functioning freezerGood boys doing their school work…
Depart N. Minerva November 20, 2014 at 1445 – Arrive Q Dock Opua, New Zealand November 26 at 2346
Logbook – November 20, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
1435 Engines on
1445 Depart Minerva
1503 Engines off. Main + Genoa. 13.4 kts SE TWS
1607 P engine on for about 15 min (1)
2302 Alex watch end
Daily Notes
(1) Huge fish on the line, got away
Good bye Minerva
Logbook – November 21, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
0310 Main + genoa. 17.5 kts SE TWS
0955 Engines on (2)
1033 Engines off. Main (1 reef) + genoa. 18.9 kts SE TWS
1843 Main (1 reef) + genoa. 19.1 kts E TWS. 606 MTG (3)
2130 Brenden watch is down – Alex coming up (Brenden’s handwriting)
Daily Notes
(Tim’s handwriting) 3am STBD genoa sheet car slid aft. Can’t shape sail for upwind. Fix in AM.
(2) Engines on to reef main & fix genoa sheet car. Wind previously 20-25 kts true.
Pizza celebration for crossing 180 deg
(3) Course change for add’l westing
(4) (Brenden’s handwriting) during Brenden’s watch, silowet disaperared from chart
We made pizza to celebrate our crossing of 180 deg longitude, but this sure doesn’t look like much of a party.
Logbook – November 22, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
0337 Main (1 reef) + Genoa. 14.2 kts NE TWS
0852 Main + Genniker. 13 kts E TWS
1344 Main + genoa 16.3 kts SE TWS
1855 Main + genoa. 466 MTG. 11.2 kts E TWS
2003 B on watch. 11.1 kts E TWS
2130 B off watch – Alex on watch. 13.1 kts E TWS
0001 Alex off watch. 11.1 kts E TWS
Daily Notes
Caught a dorado – handline
Logbook – November 23, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
0310 Main + genoa. 8.5 kts SE TWS
0452 P engine on. 1600 rpm
0538 P engine off. Main + genoa. 9.2 kts SE TWS
0816 P engine on 1400 RPM 1522 off
1511 SB engine on (1) 1740 off
1738 P engine on (2)
2200 B watch end 8.8 kts SE TWS
0000 A watch end 7.3 kts S TWS
Daily Notes
(1) needed hot water
(2) switched to port to balance weather helm
Sunset at seaSunset at sea
Logbook – November 24, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
0319 P engine. Main + Genoa. 4.4 kts S TWS
0333 “Any Station ” VHF hail s/v Starseeker (3)
0637 1 kt current in our favor, wind to SW
Port engine + main
0748 VHF call to Starseeker (4)
VHF call to Tusitala
1045 P engine off. SB engine on.
1337 SB engine + Main 11.1 kts SW TWS
2100 Both engines no sails
0000 A end watch
Daily Notes
(3) SV Starseeker requesting weather for Opua area. Currently located 20 06 S 175 22E
(4) Shared updated weather. Tony + 2 crew
Logbook – November 25, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Log
0352 Both engines. No sails
0725 SSB call to NZ Maritime radio (1)
0800 SB engine off. Wind died (2)
1130 SB engine on / P engine off 8.5 kts W TWS
Main + genoa
1238 P engine off. Sailiing again! 12.8 kts W TWS
1500 SB engine on
2200 B off watch 10.9 kts SW TWS
0000 A off watch 10.6 kts W TWS
Daily Notes
(1) Hailed on 6215 kHz, switched to 6224 kHz working channel. Provided updated ETA to Opua. Thurs 11/27 8am local
(2) Turned off SB engine & increased P engine RPM to 2000 SOG dropped 0.2-0.5 kts
VHF w/ Tonka 50 mi away!
Jellyfish in the water. Caught 3 bonito (small), kept one
Logbook – November 26, 2014 (North Minerva to Opua)
Passage Notes
0045 STBD engine off
0345 P engine on 1611 off
1358 Main + genoa 60 MTG 17.5 kts W TWS
1905 Main + Genniker 21 MTG 17.3 kts NW TWS
2120 S engine on
2346 Engines off. Arrive Q dock
Daily Notes
The water is a gross green color 15 miles out
Cloudy & damp w/ little wind coming in the bay
Albacore tuna!Land Ho!
Navigating the Bay of IslandsThe Quarantine Dock Happy to be safe and sound on the Q doc in OpuaTim savored his last Pacifico from Mexico as his safe arrival drink
If you’ve never heard of Minerva Reef, please google it.
Logbook – November 15, 2014 (Tonga to North Minerva Reef)
Passage Log
0658 Engines on
0705 Depart Tonga
0717 SB engine off
P engine + Genniker
0830 SB engine on
0853 Engines off. Main + genoa.
1858 Main + genoa
Bye bye Tonga!Koa underwayI don’t remember the name of this boat, but this is a great pic!
Logbook – November 16, 2014 (Tonga to North Minerva Reef)
Passage Log
0110 Main + Genniker
0317 Main + Genniker
0428 P engine onn
0556 P engine off
0823 P engine on – Main only
1154 P engine off. Main + genniker.
1620 SB engine on
1851 SB engine + Main + genniker
Daily Notes
Dorado!
Nasty current 1.5 kt
Email to family and friends dated November 16, 2014
Subject: Exodus – fast, then slow, then engine up
To summarize our passage to Minerva so far:
First 18 hours – fast and furious. Winds 15-22 kts close hauled, boat speed 7-8 kts. We didn’t reef the sails going into the night like we usually do because 1) The weather wasn’t squally and 2) The wind was supposed to die.
Next 12 hours – slow and determined. As expected, the winds died in the night, but mostly we were able to sail, with just a couple dead spots where we ran an engine, also to charge batteries. The seas calmed down and the boat was much more comfortable.
Ever since – engine up. We finally engined up yesterday afternoon when we were going only about 1/2 knot. I told Tim there would be mutiny if we actually started to go backwards (we had a 1.5 kt current against us).
We are still motoring, but the current has gotten better, so maybe we can arrive before dark. There’s no surprise that we’re motoring. I said before we left that if we departed on Sat morning we’d probably have to motor the last 1/4 to 1/2 of the way. If we want to sail all the way we would have needed to wait a few more days. But then we’d miss the calm weather at Minerva, so we went for it. But going into it eyes wide doesn’t make it any better and we are still hoping for a faulty forecast and a little bit of wind to push us there today.
The boys are standing night watches for the first time on this passage… Brenden 8-10pm and Alex 10pm-midnight with Tim sleeping in the salon. Alex had a hard time staying up last night, but hopefully he’ll sleep in today so he can stay up tonight in case we don’t get there in time.
We were like a parade of boats leaving Tongatapu, and I’m not sure there’s anyone still there. Some boats are stopping and Minerva and some are pressing on to NZ without stopping. This morning we still have 2 boats in AIS range, and a few more within VHF range.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 17, 2014 (Tonga to North Minerva Reef)
Passage Log
0350 SB engine + main. Current better.
1004 SB engine + main + genoa
1208 SB engine – no sails
1526 P engine on
1550 Engines off. Arrive N. Minerva
Daily Notes
Arrived at Minerva. T/B in the water immediately diving outside the pass
Excitement on all the boats re: huge tiger shark
We are here w/ Fluenta, Iguana, Nautilus, and Lumbaz. Breeze & Koa on other side of lagoon.
Depart Tonga November 15, 2014 at 0705 – Arrive North Minerva Reef November 17 at 1550Minerva reef is just a reef in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We anchored near the pass.Dragging fishing lines on passageFlat calm seas on passage. Never seen the ocean this glassy before.Boats at North Minerva from a distanceA tiger shark made the rounds. Here are a few families together on s/v Nirvana checking him out
Tiger Shark
B going up, Jack coming down
B’s gun is bigger than him
Logbook – November 18, 2014 (North Minerva Reef)
Daily Notes
Family snorkel/spearfish. B shot a bigeye jack – cleaned it and fed it to the sharks. also shot an almaco jack – took the bolt. Great snorkeling – like Sea of Cortez, bug fish just swam right up to you. To cold, though.
Party on s/v Nirvana for Julie’s birthday
Fluenta kids over to play Risk
T/A lobstering
Speeding away from the anchorage in the dinghy
Swimming pool at North Minerva
B’s big eye jack
All the fishes and sharksTim and B dragged behind the dinghy. They didn’t want me to get in first and scare away all the good fish. So, they had us drag them to the anchorage so they could pounce on the first fish they saw as we approached.A birthday party on s/v Nirvana
Email to family and friends dated November 18, 2014
Subject: Exodus – North Minerva Reef
We’ve been here almost 2 days now, and I’ve been reluctant to write, because I’m not really sure I can adequately describe this place. I was thinking that maybe I’ve started becoming numb to the amazingly beautiful places we get to visit, but if so, this place has shaken me back to my senses. I’ve taken to just sitting in the cockpit and soaking it all in, totally undistracted. It is basically just a ring of coral out here in the middle of the ocean. From a distance you can see that it is there by the waves crashing against the reef. This sort of place was definitely a navigation hazard prior to GPS as it would be virtually invisible at night with nothing to give off a radar signature, unless the surf was really big, I suppose. But since we have GPS and accurate charts and waypoints from cruisers who came before us, we entered the pass into the reef and plopped our anchor down just inside.
We are fortunate enough to be here during very sunny and calm weather, so we are feeling a little better about burning all the diesel to get here. The water inside the lagoon is shallow, and it’s like sitting on a giant swimming pool with the most beautiful turquoise water you’ve ever seen. Our first day here we were all entertained by a huge tiger shark that made it’s rounds visiting all the boats as they cleaned their fish, and I didn’t see this, but I heard that occasionally he would get really riled up and start ramming the dinghies. The squeals from all the kids as he was doing this must have been audible from quite a ways away. Our first night here two of the kid boats went out lobstering on the reefs, and again, the squeals were quite entertaining. Tim and Jack didn’t go that first night, I don’t know, I guess they were tired from the really tough passage we had. Anyway, they collected 75, I’m not kidding, 75 lobsters. They shared them with the whole anchorage and then had a lobster and cocktails party yesterday evening to celebrate a birthday. It was a lot of fun. Tim and Alex went out lobstering last night and they are still sleeping so I haven’t gotten a report yet, but I did notice our lobster bag hanging off the back is more full than it was yesterday. I guess we are having lobster for lunch and dinner, oh yeah, in addition to the Almaco Jack that Iguana gave us. And there’s the rest of that Mahi Mahi in the fridge too. We are once again living in seafood paradise.
We went out snorkeling and spearfishing as a family yesterday, and as soon as Brenden was in the water he shot a really nice looking fish. Tim was so excited, he was yelling, in that proud/excited dad way, for me to throw him the go-pro, “just throw it!” LOL. Turns out it was a big eye trevally, not so tasty, so after Brenden cleaned it and we realized what it was, he fed it to the shark. I didn’t see this one, but Brenden keeps talking about it, the one that got away. Apparently he shot a huge Almaco Jack, but it was stronger than him, and it took his spear. I think he probably dreamt about that fish last night.
The snorkeling was pretty amazing. The colors of the coral, mostly hard coral, rivaled anything we’ve seen so far, but there were so many more fish. And not just the tiny reef fish, it was like back in the Sea of Cortez where the huge parrot fish and groupers aren’t afraid of you and they just swim right up to you. The only downside is that it was cold. Air and water temp are just a couple degrees cooler here than in Tonga. I don’t think I’ll be doing any diving in New Zealand.
Sadly, our friends on Iguana have left us, because they have a friend with them helping with the passage, and he needs to catch a flight in New Zealand. So, once again, Tim is left without a fishing buddy, and there aren’t any more island packets in the fleet so I’m not sure what he’s going to do. He got over this breakup much more quickly and he was out in the dinghy making the rounds to see some of the other guys who also like to spear fish, so maybe a bond will grow rapidly here in the next day or so. Lol!
I’ve already written way too much, but I’ll close by saying we may leave tomorrow. Or maybe not. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 19, 2014 (North Minerva Reef)
Daily Notes
T – hooka and spearfish. Lobster for lunch
D – paddle – followed by sharks
A birthday party on s/v Nirvanas/v Lumbaz leaving through the pass under spinnaker.
Email to family and friends dated November 19, 2014
Subject: Exodus – Lobsters
Alex and Tim and a successful lobstering night last night and came home with 12 lobsters. Even more importantly, by setting a good example they were able to influence the rest of the fleet to not take the females with eggs. Tim said he shared his philosophy with a couple guys, and they must have talked to others, because by the time they were getting ready to head back in the dinghies, everyone was throwing the females back. I am very happy and proud about this, because it is so important for the health of the population.
Boats are slowly trickling out today, but there is still no wind here. I am sad as each boat leaves because I know this special time is ending. This group of boats that we’ve been with in Tongatapu and now Minerva have been really great, and for the first time in awhile I feel like we’ve really forged some lifelong friendships.
I will update if we don’t end up leaving tomorrow.
Gresham Family Exodus 