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We have been in New Zealand for 6 days now and somehow never got back to writing our blog until now. On the trip I was filled with all sorts of deep, serious thoughts about sailing and wanted to write more about how the trip was, but now that we are here and comfortable and safe and warm, it is hard to do that. The best analogy for the passage from Tonga to New Zealand is really childbirth. Before it starts you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really believe all the horror stories you have heard, and are sure that for you, it will be easier. Then it starts and for a while you just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deal with how bad it is. The “doctors” say it is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153uncomfortable\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, but it is way more than uncomfortable. All you can think about is being anywhere but where you currently are. You can weep and swear and do whatever you want, but you just have to keep going. You also want to kill the guy who got you into this predicament. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You got me into this, you ***\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153. He is standing nearby, all calm and comfortable, and telling you that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not so bad and it will soon be over. Then it is over and, within a day, you feel that it couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really have been that bad, and maybe it was all worth it. By the next year you may be ready to try it again, especially since everyone says that it really is never as bad the second time. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Ode to Hindsight<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n by Laura Pitt, “Sabbatical III”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A bunch of tough sailers in Tonga The first 3 days out were amazing. McDavitt said “Head west and hurry. For two days we headed off course. On Sunday we went through the low. By Monday the low had roared by. On Tuesday we waited in vain Kate and Jim on Asylum, the Nutcase**, <\/span><\/p>\n Epilogue:<\/span><\/p>\n Now we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all in Opua, so safe and secure-ah <\/span><\/p>\n *Bob McDavitt, the New Zealand weather guru we were all paying to get advice from <\/span><\/p>\n ** Katie and Jim on the boat Asylum were the moderators for the Hindsight SSB net. Nutcase is the name of Asylum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dinghy<\/span><\/p>\n *** Foulies are foul weather gear \u00e2\u20ac\u201c rain pants and jackets<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n What we have been doing recently in New Zealand<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Our friends on Risho Maru, Yara and Afriki, who all left Tonga about 5 days after us had a really good trip. It was much easier than ours, and it only took 8 days, as opposed to the 11.5 days it took us and 19 days for some other boats in the “hindsight” group. We are happy for them, but pissed we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hang out with them in Tonga and get their weather for the passage. Oh well, at least we are all here together, safe and sound. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n We rented a care yesterday with Peter, Alex and Finn (Risho Maru) and had a great little tour of the northern part of the north island \u00e2\u20ac\u201c went to a winery, a chocolate factory, bought blue jeans, drank great coffee, saw huge 500 year old Kauri trees and lots of sheep, took a ferry across the bay with our car and drove around one of the beautiful tourist towns here (Russell) and ate as much as we could!. It was a great day, but sad, as it will probably be the last whole day we get to spend with Risho Maru before we head down to Whangarai where we will be leaving our boat . They will be staying in New Zealand until we return, enrolling 8 year old Finn in school, and just living here until at least May. We hope we will be able to coordinate with them when we continue on to Fiji next year. <\/span><\/p>\n \n L.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have been in New Zealand for 6 days now and somehow never got back to writing our blog until now. On the trip I was filled with all sorts of deep, serious thoughts about sailing and wanted to write more about how the trip was, but now that we are here and comfortable and … <\/p>\n
\nOn our trip the boats who were within radio distance from us talked twice a day on the SSB (single sideband radio). Originally our informal radio net was called Y2K for “Yachts to Kiwiland” but after our weather difficulties, it was renamed the “Hindsight Net.” The Hindsight Net decided we would all write poems, limericks and songs to remember the passage. Last night we had a party in the Opua Cruisers Club to celebrate and share our creations. Here is mine with a picture of me presenting it and wearing our official hindsight glasses\u00e2\u20ac\u201c hope you like it. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ndecided they couldn’t stay longa.
\nMcDavitt* said “Go!
\nI promise this low
\nWon’t hit you, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m never wronga. ”<\/p>\n
\nEvery crew was relaxed and just lazing.
\nWhen suddenly all,
\nwith our forecasting ball
\ncould see trouble and worries and danger.<\/p>\n
\nThis system gives me cause to worry.”
\nSo we all took a tack ,
\nwe were scared to hang back
\nin great fear of confronting a fury.<\/p>\n
\nOur minds filled with fear and remorse.
\nThe skies and sea grey
\nWe just headed away
\nWith SSB check-ins of course.<\/p>\n
\nPerhaps you could call it a blow.
\nBut conditions like these
\nWith wind, rain and seas,
\nWere nothing we all didn’t know.<\/p>\n
\nTo New Zealand we wanted to fly.
\nBut on our way back
\nwith seas that did whack
\nwe suffered and cursed and asked \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\nas those westerly winds never came
\nWe tacked and we gybed
\nwe coaxed and we cried
\nbut our distance from port stayed the same.<\/p>\n
\nReminded us all this was no race.
\nThrough thick and through thin
\nWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll surely come in
\nand meet on the land face to face.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nOur foulies*** are hanging to dry,
\nWe all made it by golly
\nWe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re safe, warm and jolly<\/span>
\nAnd next time I think we should fly!\n<\/p>\n