A SAIL OF TWO PARTS

We are off again after a twelve month pause to sell our family house in the UK and buy a lock up and leave so we can continue the second half of our circumnavigation with fewer worries. 

As always the process of buying and selling in the UK is torturous, but we had a particularly bad experience with our rogue estate agent, Tom, the manager from Gascoigne Pees, who we increasingly became very suspicious of. Eventually he was caught-out inventing viewings and even fake offers on our house.  He said he did it because he liked us.  Go figure!

We had 22 years of very happy memories at Thicket Meadows

Needless to say we wasted quite a few months, Greg had to come back to Australia on his own to move Viridian down to Sydney out of the cyclone zone and then back up to Brisbane, which was a tough and lonely 4 month gig, in some difficult weather conditions.  He did get to anchor in Sydney Harbour in pole position to see the fireworks though and spent time with our good friends Mel and Brian on Go and Gill and John on Mehala.

Anchored ready for the fireworks

In the meantime Ed got married to Moere in Tahiti and is now living and working there.

Moere made her own dress.  She is a very talented seamstress

Greg then came back to UK to help with the sale of the house and buying our new place. We have bought a two bedroom flat with a balcony overlooking the River Thames near to Maidenhead Bridge.  Greg is here on the balcony, admiring the views and celebrating the fact that he no longer needs a lawn mower! 

On the bright side of the delays, we have had quality time to spend with family and friends plus Miranda and I got to celebrate milestone birthdays in our old house in Paine party style. So many sailing friends that we have met around the world on our travels, over the last eight years, managed to make my birthday party and others dropped into Maidenhead if they happened to be in the UK during the year. 

The girls celebrating big birthdays 30 and 70

Taken out to lunch by the fabulous Sue Johne

Great that Tim and Shane managed to make the party between filming

We were not playing statues.  I was blowing out candles at the time, but this is a good shot of many of our friends who made the effort to help me celebrate

Sally Rae popped up in the UK last seen in New Zealand and previously Tonga and Bora Bora. It was great to see her smiling as always. 

Sally Rae and Krystina Lushey sharing a joke

Great to see Glen and Oana when they dropped in for dinner

Glen and Oana paid us a visit on their travels, last seen in Whangerai when Glen sold his beautiful boat Cloudy Bay.

My mum turned 94 while we were at home and she came to stay several times before we sold the house.  She's on good form but her cooking days are over.  Still known to manage the occasional swear word though! Here she is lounging about on a sofa in John Lewis at High Wycombe, supposedly helping me do shopping. 

Miranda bought a puppy for Jake for Christmas.  She is a Bernese Mountain Dog named Winnie. Spending the first few months of life with her has been adorable, even though she did keep wallowing in the mud in the pond then running into the house.

Its very hard to be cross with Winnie 

I was more tearful about saying goodbye to Winnie than my house!

So after many unanticipated delays we have finally got back to Viridian in Australia. 

We recently left Brisbane, wearing our sea boots, multiple layers, fishermen's jumpers, bobble hats and socks (including in bed).  It was really cold and dull, so we were keen to get going, heading north to sunnier climes.  

Trying to get into Mooloolabar was not a great experience at the restart of our journey. We ended up circling in the bay in a huge swell for several hours, waiting for the water to be deep enough for us to cross the bar at the river mouth, during which time we saw several boats floundering, running aground and being flung by the massive breaking waves towards the stone harbour wall. One lost steering and had to call a Mayday to be rescued, another broached and was full of water when they came back upright.  Not pleasant, but it seemed to entertain the crowds that gather to watch on the 'mole' when the seas are treacherous.  

Because of our deeper keel we were the last boat to get through, just before dark.  Well done to Greg for navigating us through what turned out to be very difficult conditions.  A celebratory beverage was required.  

We have now reunited with Mel and Brian on catamaran Go and over the last few days have literally had a whale of a time sailing along the same route the humpback whales use for migration.  Not only have we had some close encounters ourselves, but we witnessed Maggie and Hugh on catamaran SiSi being literally surrounded by whales playing around their boat.  No harm was done, but it was tense for about half an hour.  Once anchored in Island Head we had drinks together and watched the amazing footage.

This was one of three whales we watched playing around
SY SiSi for over half an hour

This whale leapt out of the water next to Viridian  
Greg managed to catch it as it breached about 20 metres away 

We are now in Mackay just inside the Great Barrier Reef.  We have made some changes to our plans.  We had originally intended to go north from Darwin to Indonesia, but we have decided to cross from here or Cairns through a pass in the Great Barrier Reef to the Solomon Islands, then along the north coast of Papua New Guinea and onto Indonesia from there.  It seemed silly to miss the opportunity to visit more countries when we have the chance. 

Given that the next places have fewer facilities for repairs, we are getting lots of work done here in Mackay before we go.  We have decided to get a new set of sails and to get some spares for the auto helm plus a few other repairs and improvements that we have been putting off for a while.  So we are hopeful that we will be ready to leave Australia in the next month.

I had to go right to the top of the mast in the bosun's chair this week, to help get the foresail down which was stuck.  Greg winched me up to the top.  Not doing too badly for two oldies.  We know we have to stay as fit as possible to carry on with this life. 

In retrospect I think after 8 years of continuous travelling on Viridian and getting half way round the world, we were due for a break. I had lost some of my enthusiasm and as a result I have been very negligent on writing the blog for the last 18 months; but the break has given us new energy to continue and we are feeling excited about our next phase, so hopefully there will be interesting tales to come in part two as we cover the other half of the world.

RETROSPECTIVE ON NEW ZEALAND (I FORGOT TO PRESS PUBLISH FROM THE DRAFT)

There is a symmetry to our stay in New Zealand. We arrived on 5th November 2023 in time for summer and we are preparing to leave exactly five months later in April 2024, before winter kicks in.  We arrived in the Bay of Islands and checked into Opua.  This week we will wave goodbye to the Bay of Islands and check out from Opua heading for Sydney Australia.

We were so excited after our 8 day sail from Fiji to arrive in New Zealand.  Our very good friend Pat who was at our wedding and lived in the same property as us in Tooting in the 1980s was on the dock to greet us, even though we had to go into quarantine. Pat and her husband Peter had been following us on marine traffic and jumped in their car once we got within an hour of the coast.  I was almost sick with excitement, as we had been discussing whether we would just rock up on our boat to see them, for the past 7 years. 

Sighting land after a long passage from Fiji

On the quarantine/ bio security dock.  They are rigorous on entry into NZ but we are quite used to it now and are prepared to handover foodstuffs

  

Its a long time and Ed looks very different to when Pat and Pam last saw him

The first thing to say, unsurprisingly is that New Zealand feels quite a lot like home.  Apart from the obvious ease of apparently speaking the same language, much of our experience here reminded us of an earlier version of the UK; when people had time to chat to each other, you could leave your bike unlocked and people fall over themselves to help you. We have been struck by the many at length conversations we have had with complete strangers.  Yes New Zealanders certainly can talk, but it's fun.  

We admit that we found the accent quite difficult at first.  Vowels seems to be transposed in terms of sounds.  It took us a while to keep a straight face when people kept mentioning their big dicks and I had to get the guy in the chandlery to write down the name of a company that sold cooker parts after asking him to repeat it several times.  I thought he said it was called French Stick which seemed an odd name.  Turns out it was Fridge Tech.  Silly me.

Resting on Pat's big 'dick' with stunning views of Mangonui out over the bay

Pam, Pat, Dale and Peter visiting Viridian

After following our travels over the last 7 years, we all
went out for a sail on Viridian

One of the main reasons we went to New Zealand rather than across to Vanuatu was because we have never been to New Zealand to see our very good friends living in Mangonui in the far north, who we have not seen for decades.  Miranda and Jake flew in from London to meet us all.  This was the first time we had seen Pat and Pam since the children were very young, so it was really special to spend Christmas together and for Ed and Miranda to introduce their partners Jake and Moere. We had an amazing time staying at Pat's lovely home with spectacular views and meeting her husband Peter.  Then Christmas Day in Pam and Dales' breathtaking home was a real treat which we won't ever forget.

happy days together

Christmas Day swim in Pam and Dale's pool

oysters to die for

Miranda and Jake had Budgy Smuggler matching Viridian swimwear made for us all as a great Christmas present. Mine is not the bikini!

We kept being told how busy everything is, how crowded the anchorages would be over the holiday period, but frankly compared to our European experiences, it's deserted here.  There are so many anchorages, it's not difficult to find solitude.  There are some stunning homes with spectacular views on the extensive coastline. 

Very busy anchorage at Mansion House

And it is truly beautiful and unspoilt.  We have only managed to explore the North Island, so we will have to return to do the South, but its a delightful reminder and blend of the best scenery in Scotland, Wales, The Lake District and Cornwall and Devon.  

Stunning scenery everywhere

Part of the reason for our failure to get to South Island is linked to boat works and maintenance.  We decided to take advantage of the sophistication of the marine industry here to do some upgrades, including replacing our generator, having our engine bay re-lined, some window seals needed attention and we had some plumbing and gas work done too.  All of that has gone smoothly but has taken some time in scheduling and has necessitated us being around on board more than we had planned.  

Removing the old generator which has served us well

So we have made lots of forays out from the boat into different parts of North Island by hire car. Everything has been great but there have been some absolute highlights to mention.

We really enjoyed visiting the Whaitangi Treaty Grounds and learned a lot about the history of this beautiful country and particularly appreciated gaining a better understanding of the Maori perspective and culture.  There a was an enactment where they need a volunteer to be a visiting Maori chief and of course you can guess who volunteered. I was rewarded with a front row seat for the production.

The visiting 'chief' waiting respectfully to meet and
be accepted by the real chief

The visiting chief posing with some of the performers

fabulous carvings inside 

Very long canoe carved from the huge tree below

In a land famous for wineries its hard to single out any particular one, but after quite a lot of testing, our favourite turned out to be the the Marsden winery in Keri Keri, which for some reason we just kept visiting.  The food was excellent as well. If you ever get to Keri Keri, the  Makana chocolate factory is also a must.  Do not leave without vast quantities of the macadamia nut brittle.  

Visit 1

Visit 2

Visit 3

Visit 4

In a land of interesting coastlines and multiple islands, our favourite anchorages were at Great Mercury Island and at  Mansion House Waiheke

Interesting to note there seem to be some very expensive 'bunker' homes being built in remote  offshore islands in New Zealand. We noticed a few on the otherwise very empty and isolated Great Mercury Island which we explored with Mel and Brian from Go.  

Several concrete bunker style houses built into the hill
with super yachts parked outside on a very quiet island. Bit blurred as we were not allowed to get close 

Auckland was a great city to be moored up in.  We got a great recommendation for a tiny marina in the heart of the city called Pier 21.  We were in striking distance of shopping, art museums, fantastic restaurants and a gym.  

View from the Sky Tower in the centre of Auckland.  
Viridian is parked in the red circle.  Very convenient

We met up with other friends from the UK who we haven't seen in a long time.  Steve and Bridget who moved to Auckland 15 years ago joined us with Pat on Viridian for dinner.   

All old friends from the Tooting days

Mark and Kim from the UK happened to be on holiday in NZ whilst we were in Auckland - so we spent New Years Eve together eating dinner and playing cards on Viridian and then went to Victoria Park to watch some rather disappointing fireworks. 

Greg reuniting with Mark after quite a few years

Next we met up for lunch with Kevin (of our Atlantic crew fame) and his wife Mandy who also just happened to be visiting family in Auckland.  It's amazing how many people we have accidentally connected with on our travels and managed to persuade to play one of our card games on board Viridian.  

Kevin and Mandy - we reminisced about our Atlantic crossing

Speaking of card games we got a new game called Five Crowns from Pat for Christmas.  It's now become a firm favourite. Miranda also bought us a new Shit Head hat as a Christmas present.  Here is Ed modelling it. 

He doesn't look delighted about it 

We spent quite a while in Tauranga getting our generator delivered and fitted, so it was great opportunity to join the gym.  Thanks to Nicki and Tash for some stunning Body Pump and Circuit classes.  It was sad when we had to move on.

Great Gym and classes in Tauranga.
Shout out to Tash and Nicki at City Fitness

New Zealand is riddled with volcanic evidence both past and present.  so we delighted in breathing in some sulphurous hot springs and walking the volcanic trails in Volcanic Valley. Rather alarmingly we heard about a hot geyser that killed quite a few tourists and we were reminded of the White Island disaster more recently, so we scuttled past some bits rather quickly.

Pretty stinky and hot!

I wasn't sure about whether I wanted to go to Hobbiton, in case it was a bit cheesy; but it turned out to be enchanting and a real highlight.  Greg rudely commented that I could easily live in one of these houses without ducking my head.

Definitely worth a visit to Hobbiton

New Zealand is known for its outdoor sports, making the most of the spectacular features, so Greg in particular took advantage of several opportunities to go white water rafting. Our good friends Mel and Brian on catamaran Go were also here so it was great to do some activities together.  

Loads of opportunities for White water rafting

Other interesting places were Napier with its art deco architecture, the spectacular Hamilton Gardens - well worth a visit; and strangely we really enjoyed the Whangarei clock museum which was right next to the marina. We had no idea there were so many types of clock.  Fascinating. 

So it is was with mixed feelings that we moved on.  We are always excited at the prospect of new places to visit but leaving New Zealand was particularly sad as we are not sure when we will see our friends next.  

Although we have been to Australia before and sailed the Whitsundays, it was not on own boat which makes a difference.  We are looking forward to sailing into Sydney Harbour in a few days time; to meeting up with Ed, who has been completing his Yachtmaster qualification in Sydney since January, and catching up with more friends from the past who we haven't seen in many many years. 

Goodbye New Zealand.  Thank you so much.  We are feeling happy and ready for our crossing to Australia. 

Goodbye New Zealand.  It's been fab!