NZ Land Logs 51, Year 2: And Then The Rains Came Down
Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Weather Today: Sunny Morning; Rainy Afternoon; Slightly Cooler
Location: Whangarei, New Zealand
We got a reprieve this morning. The predicted rains did not come early and we were able to get the third coat of epoxy on our waterline area before 9 AM. We then got ready to go into town with Tom of Quantum Leap. We had planned to take cruiser guides to the copy shop to get copies for Tom and Bette Lee and then take Tom’s extensive chart collection to a different copy shop to get chart copies for us. We did this and then Tom took us out to see the renovations taking place on Quantum Leap. Quantum
Leap is a 48-foot catamaran that is being changed into a 51-foot boat. They are having three-foot extensions built onto the pontoons and it is quite a project. Progress is being made, but there is still much to be done. Yet everyone working on the boat assures them that they will be ready to sail away to Tonga in early May. Bette Lee was on the boat today doing inside projects, so we said a quick hello and went on our way again. We made a couple of shopping stops and then Tom took us back to
Windbird. The weather was still holding so we quickly went back to work. Mark attacked the bottom of the boat with a sander and I continued working on cleaning metal parts. In mid-afternoon the rains came down and down and down. At first there were just threatening showers, but then Mother Nature decided to get serious and let loose with pouring rain and thunder. We tried to work under the boat, but it got to a point where work had to stop for today. I spent the later afternoon doing laundry
while Mark did inside jobs on the boat.
At 5:30 PM it was time to go to Reva’s for the Tuesday Night Cruiser Special. Marie and Paul of Ranger picked us up so we didn’t have to walk in the rain. We had a great time visiting with fellow cruisers. George and Uta of Miami are being put into the water tomorrow after months of work on their aluminum boat. They had some serious problems with chain plates in Tonga and have just finished the repairs. They are very happy to be going back into the water. We also talked to Jeff of Aspect
of Aaryon. He is a physician that works in clinics in Vanuatu during the winter months. His boat is on the hard at Riverside Drive Marina right how and we have talked with both him and his wife. Tonight we had a great conversation about the prescription drugs that we will need in this part of the world during the upcoming cruising season. And then I finally broke down and had lamb for dinner tonight. I love lamb but object to eating babies. But I have been told that I really needed to try New
Zealand lamb. Well, it was delicious, but now I have tried it and can go back to my little protest. After dinner, Reva, the owner of Reva’s, brought out her cruiser memory books from the past thirty-some years. Reva Meredith came here from the US in the early 1970’s. She first had a pizza parlor that grew into what is now the waterfront restaurant in the Whangarei Town Basin. Someone told me that Reva’s brother was a famous Hollywood actor, but I have no idea who he might have been. Reva is
still going strong and has fabulous memory books from each decade. Sailors passing through Whangarei on their way around the world have signed the books and left pictures and drawings throughout the years. Tonight Pam and Scott of Starship wrote in their farewell piece. Starship is planning to leave Whangarei later this week, cruise the northeast coast of New Zealand, and leave for Australia by the end of the month. After an extensive visit in Sydey, they will then travel on to Vanuatu and we
hope to see them there. Their travel log can be found at www.blindsailing.com.
Seeing Reva’s memory books tonight inspired me to think of ways to incorporate fellow cruiser notes and sketch drawings as part of our cruising logs. Mark is really quite a good artist but hasn’t had the time to “practice” for years. Our son Justin gave him some drawing pencils and an artist pad as a going away present, so I think it is time to put these tools to use.
