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