Home for Christmas Dec/March 2016

Home for Christmas

We flew out of Phuket on the 16 Dec arriving in Auckland on the 17 at 2.30pm and driving straight home for Warrens 70^th birthday party. This was held at the restaurant next door and we celebrated with about 50 friends and family well into the night. It was bloody freezing too. Standing outside having drinks in the evening got us chilled to the bone and it took us a while to acclimatise to the colder temperatures. After not much sleep we got up the next day and flew down to Waikaia for the Christmas party. And after that it was Christmas and all go as we raced around the North and South Islands for a few weeks saying hi to family and friends. By the time we got back home to Gulf Harbour I was looking forward to just hanging round home for a couple of weeks letting Morg catch up with his mates.

We left home on Feb 2 and flew to Sydney, a nights stop with good sailing friends Bill, Jackie and Hector (who is the same age as Morg) which is always a fun catch up, and then we hopped on the Pacific Indian train for a three day journey across Australia. Having never been through the interior of Aussie before it sure is a vast country, from the Blue Mountains to the salt lands there is so much open space.

We missed a stop at Broken Hill which I was disappointed about (one of the locomotives had broken down) having really wanted to see the famous mining town. But we had a nice wine tour and dinner in Adelaide and got off the train for a railside outdoor dinner at Rawlinna, home of Australias largest sheep station-70 000 sheep over 2.5 million acres. That’s 1 sheep per 35 acres. New Zealand has about 5 sheep per acre!! The food on the train was delicious, 3 course fine dining and a nice selection of local wines. It was just pure indulgence for 4 days, with nothing to do but eat, drink and stare out the window. Morg and I were the youngest on the train (apart from the staff) by about 90 years.

So a few days later we hopped off in Perth and stayed with Mike and Pip (Warrens eldest son) for 10 days. Morg had fun playing with Gemima and Arch in a big back yard complete with water slide and sandpit which offered great relief in the 40 degree heat wave. I’ve never been in such dry heat, where the moisture is just sucked out of you as soon as you step outside and the washing dries in 20 minutes. Can understand why reptiles like it here.

We caught up with Warren’s family and friends here and did the mandatory visit to Fremantle Sailing Club, catching up with Rocket again- whose head I’m sure looked decidedly larger than when I saw him last. What winning does to some people………………..

We said our farewells to Perth and flew back to Yacht Haven, to a very hot and humid boat.

It was here that Warren saw an Oyster 55 on the market and so we decided to have a look. A beautiful boat, having been kept in great shape by her owner. It had most of the extras we’d been looking for, 4 separate cabins, twin foresails, lots of electrics, electric loos, winches, davits, self-furling, AC, all things that can fail, but overall easier and more comfortable to sail. Down below is like being in apartment and well………… anyway short story is we’re now living on her.

After owning and sailing thousands of miles in MS it was no easy decision for Warren, and it’s a weird feeling of disloyalty and abandonment that you get moving off the boat that has seen you safely through many miles of oceans and given you a lot of fun and victories on the way.

Kanaloa

But the thought of something a little more sedate (and slower) and comfortable in heavy weather was very enticing. It was hard for me so I imagine what Warren is going through is akin to saying goodbye to a dear old friend. But that hasn’t happened yet as MS is still his and the decision as to whether she is to be put on the market here or at home has not yet been made.

Warren went home for 2 weeks in March while Morg and I stayed on MS in Yachthaven. Not many cruisers here as mainly a base for charter yachts and superyachts. So not a lot of social interaction. But we caught up on schoolwork and used the pool up the road to cool off in the afternoons. While Warren was away we had a few very hot days and the owner of Kanaloa kindly let Morg and I move aboard and take advantage of the AC. Blimey what bliss. We slowly moved our gear on board over the next few days and got set up. You become entrapped in your own little world down in the boat as it is so comfortable and there wasn’t a lot to entice us out into the heat.