Tiare Taporo III at Scawfell Is. Lat. 20 degrees 52' S Long. 149 degrees 36' E

Very thankfully we left the anchorage at Digby Is. at 0600 today. I have never experienced an anchorage as bad for swell which caused us to pitch and roll abominably. The cruising guide said it was subject to some roll but that's the understatement of the year. It improved a little when the tide went out because a protecting reef became exposed but I would not recommend it to anyone. All I can say is thank goodness for the Rocna. It held through thick and thin.
Generally speaking my opinion of the coast north of Bundaberg so far is way less than enthusiastic. The mainland anchorages (such as there are) are shallow tidal estuaries with bar or semi bar entrances which require some precise navigation. Coupled with a singular lack of scenic beauty makes them places to avoid. There is absolutely no comparison with the Northland east coast in NZ. Or even New Caledonia which was much more attractive.
The island anchorages are somewhat attractive from a scenery point of view but again fall far short of the Northland coast. And they all suffer to some degree or another from this infernal rolling. And this constant pesky SE wind which blows with considerable velocity day in day out.
However, we arrived at Scawfell around 1300 and sailed into quite a pretty bay on the north side where lo and behold the rolling was almost non existent. The wind is offshore (SE as usual) and currently blowing at 22 knots in the anchorage. But we are securely anchored in 6 metres of water with 40 metres of chain out and it's good holding. Our friends on the catamaran "Seadragon" who we had seen further south were also here along with another Australian boat.
We motorsailed the whole way to ensure that we got here in good time because it's 46 miles from Digby. We had our staysail and double reefed main as the winds were around 25 knots, occasionally gusting 30. There was a big quartering sea which now and again sloshed several gallons of water into the cockpit. It makes sailing unpleasant and difficult as the motion is quite severe running downwind. We are hoping that when we leave for Brampton-Carlisle (25 miles) we will have a good sail as the course should give us a beam reach. Only 140 miles now to the Whitsundays.
We've had sausages and sweetcorn for lunch and now going to have a kip as we didn't get much sleep last night due to all the rolling.
Watch this space
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Still weatherbound at Digby

Well, sadly we are still here. We were hoping to get away early this morning but at 0300 the wind was already 15 knots and building and now at 0800 it's close to 20 and that's in the anchorage. But worse is the direction (SE) because although blowing our way, it would be dead astern with a big sea and this old girl isn't good in that situation. OK if the wind is lighter and the sea correspondingly smaller but she rolls like a pig and we just don't fancy enduring that for 8-9 hours and hanging on by our toenails!!
So, we're here rolling around in the swell which in most of these anchorages is impossible to avoid. Still better than the aforementioned. It's playing merry hell with our daily averages to the point where we are seriously doubting whether we would make Darwin in time this year and that it may be better to break the Australian coast passage in two and complete the northern leg next year. If we did that there also are other alternatives we could consider.
But all this highlights the fact that this coast is very difficult to sail and is far from the travel brochure stereotype of white beaches, blue water and sky and calm anchorages.
Maybe in the Whitsundays that's the case but down here (we are still 180 miles away) it is not. It's a big country and until one navigates along its coast, one doesn't really appreciate that. We knew the total distance on paper but it's when you translate that into actual daily sailing that the magnitude becomes apparent.
Anyway, today is likely to involve quite a few games of Chess - hopefully tomorrow things will be better but the forecast isn't encouraging.
As always, more later.......

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Tiare Taporo III from NE Percy Is. to Digby Is. Lat. 21 degrees 30' S Long. 149 degrees 55' E

We left NE Percy Is. at 0630 in a 10 knot SW wind which was a good angle but not strong enough. However, once out of the lee of Middle Percy it settled to a steady 15 knots which was wonderful. We had a beam reach all the way with one reef in the main plus full genoa and staysail. The old girl loved it and romped along on port tack all the way with speeds hitting 6.5 knots at times. AND NO ENGINE!! A great sail over all too soon as we arrived at Digby Island at 1130. The approach was fairly easy using the chartplotter, eyes and our trusty cruising guide. We came in between Keelan and Henderson Islands into a lovely lagoon which is quite well protected - at least in this wind which by now had risen to 20 knots. We've anchored off a beautiful white sand beach in 20' of water at low tide so won't be a problem staying afloat!!
Then a beer and lunch was the order of the day. More corned beef on corn crackers with the last of our tomatoes. Tomorrow we are looking at Scawfell Is. (44 miles in a NNW direction) or Brampton-Carlisle Is. (60 miles in a NW direction.) The choice will be made in the morning as it will be totally dependent on wind conditions. At 5 knots the first option will take 9 hours or the second will take 12 hours so it's going to be a long day. Siesta this afternoon and then an early night to prepare.
Keep tuned to this space..............!!!
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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NE Island Percy Group

Today has been what is called in the Navy, a "make and mend" day. Dennis did the laundry, Jim hung it out and just wondering whether it will stay pegged in the winds we are getting! Dennis also made a loaf of gluten free bread from from a bread mix packet we found. Not too bad at all. Jim did some more passage planning - trying to make sure that (if we continue to get SE winds) we sail sailable downwind vectors and selecting alternative destinations on that basis, also keeping in mind the quality of various anchorages. Not too many that are any good around here. So, weather permitting it will either be Digby Is. (26 nm) or Scawfell (65 nm) tomorrow. Scawfell will only be possible direct if we don't get SE winds but that looks unlikely. The alternative is Digby first, then Scawfell in 2 days.
The Percys are part of the Northumberland Group and we are now about 100 miles south of the Whitsundays. This all means that we are just over one third of the way to Cairns - the northern Whitsundays being halfway. It sure is a big country! On that basis we should be in Cairns mid to end of May. Then we have a month to 6 weeks to get to Darwin so we need to keep moving. We didn't want to stop today but the pesky weather caused that. We don't particularly want to be out in 35 knots. In two day's time it is supposed to quieten down again so hopefully we can continue on. At least some of the daily distances coming up are longer than we've had for a while so we should cover more ground in a shorter time.
Over the next few days the tides get very big peaking on May 5th. with a range of 5.25 metres compared with today's range of 2.65 metres. So, it's not an east coast to sail by any means although the big plus is that the wind is with us and not against. For us this means sailing at least 30 degrees off the wind in vectors - we can't sail directly downwind in these seas and winds. Hence the passage planning and working out possible destinations which will suit the wind angles.
Cheers from us..........
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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NE Island Percy Group

Today has been what is called in the Navy, a "make and mend" day. Dennis did the laundry, Jim hung it out and just wondering whether it will stay pegged in the winds we are getting! Dennis also made a loaf of gluten free bread from from a bread mix packet we found. Not too bad at all. Jim did some more passage planning - trying to make sure that (if we continue to get SE winds) we sail sailable downwind vectors and selecting alternative destinations on that basis, also keeping in mind the quality of various anchorages. Not too many that are any good around here. So, weather permitting it will either be Digby Is. (26 nm) or Scawfell (65 nm) tomorrow. Scawfell will only be possible direct if we don't get SE winds but that looks unlikely. The alternative is Digby first, then Scawfell in 2 days.
The Percys are part of the Northumberland Group and we are now about 100 miles south of the Whitsundays. This all means that we are just over one third of the way to Cairns - the northern Whitsundays being halfway. It sure is a big country! On that basis we should be in Cairns mid to end of May. Then we have a month to 6 weeks to get to Darwin so we need to keep moving. We didn't want to stop today but the pesky weather caused that. We don't particularly want to be out in 35 knots. In two day's time it is supposed to quieten down again so hopefully we can continue on. At least some of the daily distances coming up are longer than we've had for a while so we should cover more ground in a shorter time.
Over the next few days the tides get very big peaking on May 5th. with a range of 5.25 metres compared with today's range of 2.65 metres. So, it's not an east coast to sail by any means although the big plus is that the wind is with us and not against. For us this means sailing at least 30 degrees off the wind in vectors - we can't sail directly downwind in these seas and winds. Hence the passage planning and working out possible destinations which will suit the wind angles.
Cheers from us..........
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Percy Islands lat.21 degrees 39' S long. 150 degrees 20' E

Well, after a not so good forecast we decided to vacate the anchorage at Hexham which was rolly and continue on to the Percy Islands - 20 miles further north. The forecast was for up to 35 knots from the south and although we didn't get that, it came close to 30. It was a very uncomfortablr trip with the wind more or less dead astern and the old girl rolled her guts out - scuppers under! We had a reefed main on starboard tack and motorsailed to make water and power - the usual story!!
We left Hexham at 7 and arrived off South Percy around 10 but the anchorage didn't look too inviting so we carried on to NE Percy which the cruising guide says has the best anchorage. It's also very rolly and is definitely the best of a bad bunch. Still, we'll be secure here. We're not sure when we'll be leaving given the weather forecast - apparently there's a low pressure system off the coast which is heading this way and in the process squeezing the isobars together - hence the wind. We also don't want any more straight downwind legs like today but the next projected stop (Digby) is off on an angle which would be better provided Murphy doesn't alter the wind direction!! It's by no means easy sailing this coast and we'll be glad to get some R&R at Airlie Beach.
We probably wont get to see the famous A frame hut where sailors leave there boat names on Middle Percy because the anchorage there would be untenable at the moment and it means quite a dogleg to get there now.
The islands are very picturesque and remind us of NZ a lot but there are no really secure comfortable anchorages. They are very much a pig in a poke and one just has to make do. As I write this Dennis is having a siesta and we are pitching and rolling! Hope it improves later so we get a good night's sleep!
Cheers................
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Hexham Is. lat. 22 degrees 00.727' S long. 150 degrees 21.816' E

Had a good sail today - wind dead aft but we poled out the genoa after running the engine to top up water and batteries. We left Island Head Creek at 0915 and arrived here at 1300. In the meantime the wind has got up quite a bit but we are sheltered in the bay. We're staying here tonight and then on to the Percy's tomorrow. Had a mission getting the anchor up this morning - it was wrapped up in the chain. Its a wonder it held at all; probably caused by the shifting tidal currents during the night with the boat veering around all night. We don't have internet or cellphone coverage here so this is our only means of communication probably for the next 4-5 days.
At Island Head Creek we were very close to the Australian Defence Force training and live firing area in Broad Sound and Shoalwater Sound and there was some sort of exercise announced but we were disappointed not to be buzzed by an F18!!! Never mind, there's enough excitement just sailing up this coast. Anyway we are pleased to be away fro the muddy creeks with there tricky entrances.
Watch this space.............
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Greetings from Tiare Taporo III at Island Head Creek lat. 22 degrees 21' S long. 150 degrees 39' E

As you can see, we are now at Island Head Creek, having arrived here from Port Clinton. Only a total of 20 miles today so not so far. We stopped for lunch in Pearl Bay which is a sheltered but slightly rolly anchorage in a pretty bay. We had a good sail for a time after that but then the wind died again and veered all over the place so we started motorsailing again to ensure that we got in before dark. These anchorages are very tricky with shallow entrances so it's necessary to concentrate on the chartplotter to pick the channels. In addition we are now getting into an area centered on McKay which has much bigger tide ranges than the coast north or south so takes some getting used to. Just getting in here our speed was down by a knot and a half - doesn't sound much but it represents 30% of our average speed. As we approached there was quite a nasty sea kicked up by wind against tide and we were "pooped" by a short breaking sea which flooded the cockpit. Murphy wasn't letting us get away that easily!! However, we came safely in and have had another very good dinner courtesy of Dennis - marinated steak and veges. The Laphroaig sadly is now finished but we've plenty of red wine and beer - and another bottle of a lesser brand of whisky found in the dim dark reaches of another locker!
Tomorrow we leave for Hexham Is. and then the famous Percys but one has to be very careful where anchoring because of the big tides and tidal currents. All is well on board and we are looking forward to some island hopping instead of these dingy muddy creeks!
More in due course............
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Port Clinton lat. 22 degrees 33' S long. 150 degrees 46' E

We left Gt. Keppel Is. at 0630 and commenced motorsailing as per the norm as there wasn't enough wind!! What's new? We sailed a long vector out to sea to avoid having the wind right up our bum and then turned onto port tack outside Flat Is. and sailed back to the coast between there and Peak Is. Then the wind seemed to be a bit steadier and stronger so we polled out the genoa and managed to sail (no engine) the last 10 miles or so. Total distance today was 46 miles. We then turned into Port Clinton following the cruising guide very carefully because it's a tricky entrance with a very shallow area just inside. We are also now getting into the area of big tides and tidal currents will play a big part for the next week or so. Fortunately when we entered the tide was on the turn to come in so we rode its coat tails!! We have to be very careful that whenever we anchor we calculate that we will have enough water to stay afloat!
Port Clinton is fairly unprepossing and we eventually dropped anchor beside a catamaran we had seen earlier. She's owned by an ex NZ'er and his Australian wife and they invited us on board for a drink after we'd arrived. However, the anchorage is very sheltered so we'll get a good night's sleep. Had one of Gina's premade casseroles for dinner plus the obligatory Laphroaig - it will run out soon before we can replenish!!
Tomorrow Island Head Creek is our next port of call.
Cheers from us...........

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Still at Gt. Keppel

It has been a beautiful day today but still very little wind. We stayed at Gt Keppel all day getting ready for the next move north which will be Port Clinton. 46 miles - that'll take about 10 hours. So we'll leave before 6 to get there in plenty of time before daylight. Hopefully we'll get some reasonable wind. The Laphroaig is still holding out and we had steak and chips for dinner together with a not too bad Aussie Shiraz! Returned to our earlier anchorage because the 2nd one was too rolly.
Watch this space..........
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Tiare Taporo III at Gt. Keppel Is. lat. 23 degrees 11' S long. 150 degrees 56' E

We had a short journey today - only 17 miles from Hummocky Is. so quite an easy day. We went ashore where there is an extensive resort but now completely shut up and abandoned. But beautiful setting on a glorious white sand beach. Yeppoon is just 9 miles across on the mainland. Tomorrow we are staying here and then on Monday we'll be heading for Port Clinton - 46 miles north. Of the 750 miles to Cairns we have now done around 150 so we are making progress. We are hoping for more wind because so far it has been scarce to say the least. But the weather is glorious and we should be grateful for small mercies as what there is is has been behind us.
Keep watching this space............
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
P.S. Listened to a CD of Peter Ustinov's "Grand Prix du Rock" and now got Fred Dagg on!!!

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Hummocky Is. lat. 23 degrees 24' S long. 151 degrees 09' E

Travelled about 45 miles yesterday - Pancake Creek to Hummocky Is. Off Gladstone we passed through a fleet of over 20 ships all anchored and waiting to load bits of Australia for Asia. There won't be anything left of this place shortly!! Unfortunately the wind hardly went over 8 knots and was mostly less so we motored almost the whole way. For a time (about 2 hours) we could sail but it was short lived.
Hummocky reminds us very much of the Northland coast - it's uncannily similar. Slightly rolly anchorage but we slept well after 2 Laphroaigs and some red wine plus Dennis's great cooking. Chicken Cordon Bleu (he didn't make those - they were courtesy of the chicken butcher at the Hinkler Centre in Bundaberg) and Brussels Sprouts cooked to Dennis's recipe - delicious.
Today we are heading for Gt. Keppel Is. which is only 16 miles so will be an easy day. We can see it on the horizon from here. Weather is light SW only 6 knots so might be another motorsail. Probably time we deployed the parachute again. It's now 0730 on the 21st. and about to have breakfast - spaghetti on toast methinks.
As always watch this space - www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Hummocky Is. lat. 23 degrees 24' S long. 151 degrees 09' E

Travelled about 45 miles yesterday - Pancake Creek to Hummocky Is. Off Gladstone we passed through a fleet of over 20 ships all anchored and waiting to load bits of Australia for Asia. There won't be anything left of this place shortly!! Unfortunately the wind hardly went over 8 knots and was mostly less so we motored almost the whole way. For a time (about 2 hours) we could sail but it was short lived.
Hummocky reminds us very much of the Northland coast - it's uncannily similar. Slightly rolly anchorage but we slept well after 2 Laphroaigs and some red wine plus Dennis's great cooking. Chicken Cordon Bleu (he didn't make those - they were courtesy of the chicken butcher at the Hinkler Centre in Bundaberg) and Brussels Sprouts cooked to Dennis's recipe - delicious.
Today we are heading for Gt. Keppel Is. which is only 16 miles so will be an easy day. We can see it on the horizon from here. Weather is light SW only 6 knots so might be another motorsail. Probably time we deployed the parachute again. It's now 0730 on the 21st. and about to have breakfast - spaghetti on toast methinks.
As always watch this space - www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

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Pancake Creek lat. 24 degrees 01S long. 151 degrees 44E

After heaving to last night we got going again at first light (around 0530) and headed for the Pancake Creek entrance 11 miles away. It was beautiful morning albeit a little cold. We were both feeling somewhat jaded after standing watches last night - not used to it! We found the entrance with no bother thanks to our new chartplotter and cruising guide to the Coral Coast and came inside through the entrance which is very narrow but no dramas. However, the channel is very tortuous once inside and unforgivingly shallow should one stray from the beaten path. We passed 3 boats we had previously met at Bundaberg as they left when we were on our way in - Dutch, Channel Islands and American.

We anchored in what seemed a promising spot but when we checked the tide tables in detail we realised that we would be on the bottom at low tide as currently there is a tidal range here of about 3 metres. So we moved closer to the entrance where we had more water. We've spent a very peaceful day catching up on sleep and having some of our beautiful fresh fruit from the Bundaberg market for breakfast - custard apples, passion fruit, pineapple and plums.

Enjoyed a couple of Laphroaigs (Dennis brought a bottle) and about to have steak for dinner.

Dennis was so used to the boat from his past ownership that he badly injured his little toe on the staysail sheet leads which have since been mounted on deck. However, after quite a bit of blood we fixed it all up and had another Laphroaig which cemented the cure!! Dennis is a dab hand in the galley!!

Hummocky Island tomorrow (north of Gladstone) and after that Gt. Keppel. Good weather forecast so should be a good sail.

Watch this space.............................

At sea!!

It seems bizarre to be writing this email at 1 in the morning as we lie hove to 11 miles south esat of Bustard Point which forms the entrance to Pancake Creek where we are going to anchor later this morning when we have some daylight. The wind has dropped to around 8 knots from the south and we are nearly stationary as we await the daylight. We can see the loom of the lights of Gladstone from here (30 miles away) and are keeping a vigil for commercial shipping as Gladstone is a very busy mining port. At the moment we have on AIS a vessel  (name of "Agros") 8.9 miles away from us and heading more or less in our direction. It;s only doing 4 knots which suggests it's a tug towing barges. Can't physically see it as yet. Dennis is asleep and yours truly is keeping watch.

More as we progress north.....................

Lotsaluv from "Tiare Taporo III"!!!!!!!!!!

Finally leaving!!

This morning we are leaving for Pancake Creek and points north. It is now 0615 and the forecast is benign - if anything the winds will be too light. Gina is back in NZ and Dennis joined us the other day for the sail north. All future emails should be to ZMQ5985@sailmail.com because internet could be patchy. Keep watching this space.

Lotsaluv..........................

Nearly sailing again Bundaberg - Cairns

The big news is that we now have a  working watermaker and freezer!! And no thanks to the cowboys in NZ. But big thanks to the suppliers and fitters of these items here.

The freezer saga initially involved getting a new evaporator plate which then had to be shaped (bent) to fit the cabinet. The old one had developed a gas leak because it had been damaged in NZ during removal and refitting. However, because of changes in the manufacturing between the new and old plates the new plate could not be bent as was necessary so, after a lot of toing and froing we decided to follow another more expensive path which has involved custom making out of medical grade stainless steel pipe a looped system within the box. This was a highly skilled operation and we are very grateful to Rolf (the refrigeration engineer) for carrying it out to the high standard we now have. It is much more robust than the previous system and, while we still have the problem of the inadequately insulated box, it should see us through until we can rebuild the whole system - hopefully at cheaper Asian labour rates. And we would still be able to reuse the stainless pipe fabrication. Rolf finished the job earlier today.

The new watermaker HP pump has been installed and during a short test sail last week it more than met our expectations. We now feel confident that our future voyaging should be reasonably trouble-free, at least as far as those two items are concerned.

But the fact that any of this should have been necessary together with the frustration over many months plus the extra high cost is a sad indictment of some work done in NZ. The unfortunate part is that all of NZ gets tainted whenever these experiences come to light. There is a very extensive network of communication between cruising boats and news like this quickly gets around. Contrary to popular opinion, cruisers are not made of money and are by and large great do it yourselfers. If they are getting anything done on their boats they research it all very thoroughly on the internet and opt for the best and most cost effective option. More and more this means SE Asia as costs are so much more competitive than down in the SW Pacific. There was an article in yesterday's The Australian newspaper detailing a report which states that Australia is fast becoming less competitive internationally because of high domestic costs and their high dollar - even including the burgeoning mining sector. Australia is not the only country which has iron ore and coal.

Today there is a strong wind warning in effect because of the usual situation of a big fat high down in the Tasman Sea. There is a strong wind warning out for the East Coast from Moreton Bay to Cairns so we're hoping that when Dennis and Jim set sail on the 18th. the conditions will have moderated somewhat. At least the wind is with us. Right at this moment we have 22 knots in the marina! If it's like this we'll wait for more benign conditions. Still, Dennis used to own "Reflections of Wellington" in Wellington so he probably thinks this just a gentle breeze!

The boat has been in turmoil in the last few days - getting the engine serviced, the freezer installed and Jean has been working like a trojan getting storage and food organised.  In a 38' boat whenever one opens storage bins under bunks it's always disruptive because the bed has to be pulled up and all the squabs and other paraphernalia but somewhere until the job is finished and calm reigns once more. We should be used to it by now but somehow we never seem to be.

Jean is getting ready to travel back to NZ on Monday to be with her sister for 4-5 weeks and we are looking forward to Dennis's arrival on Sunday. Then it will be off into the deep blue yonder once again........................... Tiare is straining at her mooring lines right now - she can't wait to get going after 5 months in the marina!

Cheers from us

Jim and Jean (Gina) xoxox

s.v. Tiare Taporo III

www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com

 

 

News from Bundaberg

Hi all,

We are pleased to report that at long last our watermaker is commissioned and working. We left the marina here early this morning and went about 12 miles out into Hervey Bay. We tried all the sails and systems and after some trial and error due to having forgotten which end was which with the staysail sheets, etc we eventually settled down and enjoyed the tranquillity of the local sailing scene. The wind promised to increase to 20 knots from the SE but the opposite happened and we finished up with about 2 knots. Not enough to move this old girl but maybe the elements were treating us kindly for our first nautical foray in 4 and a half months!! Anyway, it was good to be out on the briny once more - enjoying the coastal views from the Burnett River entrance to Burnett Heads, Mon Repos and Bargara.

We then came back in and took on fuel in preparation for the coastal passage to Cairns (750-800 nautical miles) which Jim will be sharing with Dennis Bouverie (the former owner of the boat back in Wellington in 1979).  Jean is flying back to NZ to be with her sister and will rejoin the boat in Cairns near the end of May for the continuing voyage to Darwin, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Tomorrow hopefully we will have our freezer back in commission and all will be well. The purists among you will say we should be able to do away with such civilised accoutrements but for us they enhance the cruising experience.

We've been reading with increasing concern developments back in Godszone. The ACC imbroglio and associated political corruption, the Crafar Farms controversy and associated concerns with state asset sales generally - watch out for even more power increases over and above those which have just happened. Alongside this is the ongoing appeasement of Maoris through the disgraceful sellout over the foreshore and seabed issue and ongoing Waitangi Tribunal settlements at a time when NZ is sliding into ever more indebtedness - mainly to China. Then see that John Key is now saying that the return to surplus won't be as robust as initially reported - this is political speak for an ever worsening financial situation. In all likelihood there will be no "surplus" at all. On that note all you have to do is look to the Pacific and see that Tonga is indebted to China to the tune of $120M - a sum that can never be repaid. The biggest building in Nuku'alofa is the Chinese Embassy!!! Fiji will have even more debt and China will be seeking some quid pro quos - of that have no doubt. Military bases perhaps? It may be instructive to read and subscribe to Muriel Newman's newsletter - www.nzcpr.com In the latest one there is an indepth analysis of the damage that so-called biculturalism is causing NZ. NZ is a country of only 4.5 million at the bottom of the world and can absolutely not afford the divisions and in-fighting presently going on with fundamental constitutional issues. The only hope NZ has is to have a Government of unity and genuine leadership to take the country forward as one - otherwise we're dog tucker!!

The overall scene is grim in our view and we are just so appreciative of the fact that we can leave all that behind and realise our dreams of voyaging by sail while we are still physically capable. But it is by no means all beer and skittles. It is fraught with anxiety when sailing onto a coast where one has never been before and then there are the on-going maintenance and preparation issues. We've just re-launched after antifouling on the hard and then there are the passage planning and provisioning matters to attend to. One cannot just go sailing off into the sunset - one has to plan in detail which involves working out daily distances, suitable anchorages and meal planning. There are also financial issues. The AUD is some 20-25% stronger than the Kiwi at present so this adds to our costs substantially. But we hope that when we leave Darwin the lesser costs we will encounter further north will more than outweigh the high costs we have had to deal with here. Hopefully in amongst all of that there may be opportunities for sitting back in the cockpit with a cold beer or glass of wine occasionally!!

All of the above is a challenge though, which we would not be experiencing had we not embarked on our chosen course (no pun intended). We will be regaling you with more as time rolls on.....................

Cheers and love from us xoxox

Fw: Tiare Taporo III

Hopefully this will be the last comment in a very long sad saga. Unfortunately the effect is that it rubs off on NZ as a whole. The only thing that NZ has got going for it is the lower dollar compared to Australia (some 20-25%) and lower labour rates. And of course the quality of work at Norsand!! Don't worry, we continually tell people about that but the reality is that boats in Australia are almost always either staying here or carrying on to SE Asia. So NZ isn't on their radar. Hope all is well at Norsand.

Cheers,

Jim and Gina (soon to leave Bundaberg)

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jim Donald <tiare_taporo@yahoo.co.nz>
To: "info@partridgeyachts.com" <info@partridgeyachts.com>; "openocean@xtra.co.nz" <openocean@xtra.co.nz>
Sent: Monday, 2 April 2012 9:16 PM
Subject: Tiare Taporo III

I had hoped that I wouldn't have occasion to have any further contact with you, but today we discovered yet another issue with the watermaker which I just had to mention as yet another example of the unbelievably shoddy work we were the victim of at your hands.

We were commissioning the new HP pump when a hose blew. When we took the hose off the fitting we found an end cap from the old HP pump which had jammed inside the hose and caused a local rise in pressure sufficient to cause the hose to rupture. This had obviously been left in the hose when the system was originally installed. I am addressing this to both of you as I think both Partridges and Opua Engineering were together involved in the installation. Apart from the aggravation, this has cost us another hour's labour and of course a new length of hose. Thank goodness it happened here and not off Cape York.

Apart from being involved with John Martin (the present owner of the ICA) in the building of the house in Landing Rd., my association with you would come a very close second.

The engineer/shipwright who has re-installed the watermaker made a comment this morning - "bloody cowboy Kiwis". This sums the situation up exactly.

Jim Donald