New Zealand......so long, it's been GREAT to know you.....

"There is nothing  --  absolutely nothing  --  half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.  In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter.  Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it.  Whether you get away, or whether you don't;  whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular;  and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

-  Spoken by Ratty to Mole in Wind in the Willows, a children's book by Kenneth Grahame


Well, it's been quite a hectic past couple of months (sorry for lack of photos, just hasn't been time!!!).  We arrived back to New Zealand from Australia in March, to find all was good aboard Bravo, much as we'd left her.  Felt like a castle after living in the rooftop tent atop Tojo for the previous 9 months in Oz !!!  We figured just a few projects to wrap up in the boatyard, and we'd be good to splash and do a bit of coastal cruising around NZ.  Funny how it happens, though.....one project seemed to lead to another, we enjoyed the camaraderie of friends in the boatyard, and the next thing we knew, it was early May.  The southern winter is now nearly upon us, and it's nearing our time to depart this fantastic country.

Heading back to the water

So we launched one lovely autumn afternoon, waited for the tide to rise sufficiently, and slowly made our way in the fading light to the Whangarei's Town Basin Marina.  Figured just a bit of shakedown of systems on our complex (perhaps overly so) little starship, and we'd be waiting for a weather window to depart for Vanuatu.










Alas, we were quickly reminded once again that boats are happiest when in the water.  Bravo had been on the hard for nearly 2 years, (save a 2 week romp in the Bay of Islands) and the testing of several systems requires that we be afloat.  Water-cooled refrigeration compressors, generator, watermaker (desalinization machine) re-plumbing and pump, engine cooling, lithium battery system tweaking and monitoring, start battery charging system, even rewiring the running lights would all now clamor "me next" as the Bravo crew engaged in a daunting game of system Whack-a-mole.  Seemed as soon as we'd fix one issue (oh, say, tearing out the entire refrigeration system and installing a whole new one when the old Glacier Bay system unexpectedly failed us.....an expensive and several day long project), another would take it's place demanding attention.  We couldn't get the time, as the rest of the cruising yachts were doing around us, to simply work on voyage preparation.  Rigging, charting and route planning, stowing gear, provisioning of food, spare parts, and basic maintenance tasks like filter, oil, and coolant changes would all have to wait.  And this with our 2 year T.I.E. (Temporary Import Entry) expiring on May 31 (already extended for 6 months due to Cindi's accident).  (Means either take the boat out of the country, or pay the taxes and duties to officially "import" her into NZ.......$31K in Bravo's case.......Ruh-Ro).   Stressful?????  You betcha.

Bravo tugging at the docklines to head back to sea

We missed a major weather window for departure about a week ago.  Twenty boats from Whangarei and over FIFTY from Opua up north left for the tropics last Saturday.  Customs had 'em stacked up like cordwood waiting to clear out.  But at last earlier this week it was time for us to take another baby step.  We sadly bid our goodbyes to many friends in the Whangarei area, and turned Bravo down river for the two hour motor to Marsden Cove marina.  All systems were working beautifully, and we tucked into our slip here at Marsden with a bit of a feeling of melancholy, but also a sense of accomplishment of a major refit and refurbishment of our home.  A boat is always a work in progress.....there's always "The List".  But Bravo's never been better, and knock-on-wood, is ready to go voyaging again.  Hopefully the same can be said for her crew, who are feeling a bit rusty in the ways of the sea!!!

Leaving New Zealand is proving to be quite emotional.  With the exception of our 6 months in Fiji and 9 months spent recently in Australia, NZ has been our home for the past 4 years, one of the longest times that either of us have spent anywhere in our 60+ years.  We've done a fair bit of exploring, including a couple of trips down to the south island, some great hiking, wonderful opportunities for photography, and, yes, a huge amount of boat work.  We've faced some really trying times here, especially around Cindi's injuries (which have fully healed at last!!!!!).  But most of all, we've had a great time getting to know the Kiwi people.  We've made several close friends here, and have found the people of this small island nation to be some of the most down-to-earth, capable, and easy going folks anywhere.  Frequent calls of "git 'er done", "she'll be right, mate", and "if man can build it, man can fix it" kept our spirits up when they sagged a bit.  We can't say when, but we're sure NZ will have a place in our future.

But for now, we're sitting in Marsden Cove marina, waiting for our weather window for the 7-8 day passage to Vanuatu.  The low pressure systems just keep sweeping across NZ from the Tasman Sea.  Although it's raining donkeys and blowing stink outside right now, it looks like we may get a window to depart tomorrow.  Will be wonderful to be at sea again, especially without the constant internet reminders of the shameful shitstorm underway in the US, led by the SCROTUS and his slimy cronies.

The plan at this moment is to spend the next 3-4 months in Vanuatu, then a month or so in New Caledonia, before sailing down to Australia and exploring until around June 2018.  After that?  Stay tuned!!!

We'll try to post to this blog while at sea via ham radio email.  You can hopefully also follow our progress by checking in at        www.yit.co.nz   do a search for BRAVO

Cheers, mates.......

"Here comes the sun, little darlin' "

Apologies to the Beatles, but it does feel great to feel spring blooming here in New Zealand.  Days are long, and the longer "fine spells" are welcome after the winter doldrums.

Life goes on in a rainy boatyard.....not always so glamorous!!!

It's hard to believe it's been 3 months since the last post, but life really has felt a bit like the Kiwi version of Bill Murray's Groundhog Day.  The days blend into weeks and then into months, w/ a fairly regular routine....We're still out of the water, and living in the boatyard.  So the projects continue....boat work till the afternoon, then off to the gym, groceries, dinner and a movie.....repeat....

Cindi's recovery has gone reasonably well.  She continues with her excellent physical therapist, undergoing all types of manipulations and exercises, including acupuncture for both the back (helps heaps) and arm (ummmm...not as much).  The back is much better.  Her arm break didn't set quite correctly, so she's looking into options.  Possibly see a surgeon when we're back in Seattle for Thanksgiving to look into arthroscopic possibilities.

Rugby:  ALL BLACKS, Baby!!!  It's been rugby fever here in NZ, as the All Blacks won the World Cup for the 2nd time in a row (held every 4 years).  In the pub for the final game by 4:30 am to get a seat for the 5am start.  Great game, great outcome for NZ.  A real sense of pride for a little country of 4 million to win an international event like this. Richie McCaw and the boys got the job done in style!!!







Boat projects have grown as we take advantage of our year off in NZ, and the great exchange rate to get work done.  Here's the update (sorry, may be dull, but it's what the Bravo's do these days!!!)

Propeller shaft:  While repacking the stuffing box (important bit that keeps the sea water out of the boat, a good thing), we noticed a fair bit of corrosion of the shaft under the packing, a bad thing.  When stainless steel is wet without oxygen, it is prone to crevice corrosion which can extend deep.  Apparently we've been hauled out of the water so long, with water trapped in the stuffing box but not circulating, that it was the perfect breeding ground for this sort of thing.

Calling in a trusted mechanic for a look, he took a quick glance and right away said "I sure as hell wouldn't trust that thing to go to sea"!!!  Not a good thing.  So we needed a new shaft (1.5" diameter by about 9' long), new cutless bearings, and a new dripless shaft seal.  Done!

Rudder:  While working on the prop shaft, we spent a lot of time at Bravo's tail end.  Looking at the rudder one day we noticed a lot of hairline cracks on just the port side.  Grinding off all of the antifouling paint didn't give us a clue.

It ain't pretty work!!! 

Waddaya think.....remember "Back to the Future???

Not sure what the deal was, but it couldn't be good.  A rudder is not something you want to fail when it's blowing like stink in a big sea, which, of course, is when it most likely would!!!  So we decided to remove the rudder and do a bit of exploratory surgery.  Not an easy job.

The rudder lives below our bunk.  So the first thing to do was remove the bed to access the top of the rudder shaft.  Then all of the steering systems needed to be removed before Mr. Rudder would drop down.

Finally, using the jack out of our van, (aka Dirt Bravo) we lowered the beast to the ground.  Inspection proved really puzzling.

Fred Flintstone rudder repairs underway.  See the bog depth on the right.

The port side, with the cracks, had been faired with up to about 1/2" of bog (hard putty used to smooth the fiberglass).  Why?  And why none on the starboard side?  It looked like it had been there since new, over 30 years ago, but hard to say.  And why was it cracking now?  A fiberglass rudder typically has a stainless steel internal frame to transfer the steering loads from the shaft to the rudder blade.  Was this stainless steel giving us it's last gasp??   Do we need a new rudder?????   Ughhhhh.....


We chipped away the excess bog to figure things out.  It took Adam a few days of chiseling, at the Fred Flintstone Academy of Rudder Technology (fFART).  Then we drilled a bunch of holes into the rudder to figure out what the internal condition looked like.  The stainless steel looked ok, but there were some large voids where there would ordinarily be a rigid foam core.  WTF???

The only thing we can think of is that the port side of the rudder was facing the sun for the whole summer. With the black bottom paint it did get very hot, every day.  Perhaps the expansion/contraction of the thick bog finally did it in, causing the cracking.  Until we get a better explanation, that's our story and we're sticking to it!!!

Working with trusted shipwright Kris Dyer, veteran of the builds of the last two Kiwi America's Cup boats, we decided to fill the rudder with expanding epoxy foam, reglass the whole shebang, and call it good enough.  Hopefully this will be the right call!!!

Pencil lines show extent of voids that we probed with a wire

Propped up and ready for foaming

Kris pouring in one of many foam batches

Foam fully filling all the voids

4 layers of biaxial glass all around

Baking the whole rudder in makeshift autoclave to post cure the epoxy

After baking the rudder for about 8 hours (only burned up 1 space heater, and you can see the red water bucket in the background "just in case"!!!) we've been busily fairing both sides.  It's getting very smooth, so we may be ready for a trial fit tomorrow.

Planning the new sail

Other projects include new sails by sailmaker Dave Parr w/ Caliber Sails.  He built our new genoa this past season while we were in Fiji (measured before we left), and now we're having him build a new main, as our old one, after 12 years and MANY miles, didn't look like it had too many ocean miles remaining.

The fabric is plotted by the computer onto the fabric, ready for cutting

Coming together

We're also building a new nav station, as the old one was getting badly cut up over the years by the changing electronics.  The new panel will neaten things up a lot.  Cindi the varnish queen has been hard at work in the shed that we've commandeered, with both sewing and varnish projects.  And we're getting all new upholstery made for both the interior and cockpit.  Bravo's definitely stylin' these days!!!   Summer has finally arrived, it's TIME TO GO SAILING!!!

Another barrel of IPA ready for bottling!!!

We're now off to Seattle for our annual 3 week visit, then be back to Whangarei in early December.  With any luck we'll finish up the projects and be back in the water before Christmas.  Plan is to cruise around New Zealand until May.....stay tuned!

The beat goes on in Whangarei

As most of the fleet has left NZ for warmer climes, the good ship Bravo is holding down the fort here in Whangarei. 

Cindi's recovery from the accident is well underway.   She's not used to this degree of immobility,and at this point the biggest risk is death by boredom!!!   Thursday marked 6 weeks since her fall, and a visit to the clinic for x-rays and evaluation.  The news was pretty good.  Healing of the bone in her arm has progressed enough to have the cast removed.  Yeah!!!  Unfortunately it didn't wind up exactly in it's original orientation, and as a result, the radius bone is now a few mm shorter than it was before.  Likely will be fine, but could cause some issues down the road that a "simple" surgery could repair.  Ughhhhh.....  But at least getting free of the cast is a big relief! 

As for her back, the orthopod told her she could begin to wean off the brace.....The bits of the crushed vertebrae are largely done healing, and will continue to solidify over the next 6 weeks.  Will then be more x-rays and another progress evaluation.

While quite hot, the Xena the Warrior Princess look will hopefully soon be a distant memory!!!

The best news was the doc's opinion that Cindi will be able to go back to the voyaging lifestyle after physical therapy has been completed!!!!   YAY!!!!!   She will hopefully start P.T. next week.


With use of a walker, Cindi's been getting in a 3 mile walk around the waterfront on a walking/biking trail nearly every day, rain allowing.  Adam joins when back from the boatyard. 

The pile of cones waiting to be sewn!!!

Cindi's also been busy on a project, building a series drogue for the boat from a kit that we brought back from the US.  Made up of 139 sewn cones on over 300 feet of rope, the repetitive project is perfect for whiling away some hours stuck indoors. 















Projects back at the boatyard continue at a rather relaxed pace.  Currently underway:
-  Install of new B&G instruments, including forward scanning sonar, wind, depth, speedo, and chart plotter, all on the new NMEA 2000 data backbone.

depth/speedo/temp on left, forward scan sonar on right

-  Install of new electrical panels and battery monitor system

Old panels removed, circuits labeled, waiting for new panels.....Yikes, what a mess!

-  Install of new lithium house batteries
 -  Replace all mast wiring

Rewiring largely complete.  Ladder in background was site of Cindi's fall, from top.

-  Change fixed inner forestay to roller furler system, and retrofit the 2 staysails for the new system.
-  Install 2 new vhf radios and antennas
-  Nav station redesign and rebuild
-  New main and genoa sails
-  New "stack pack" main sail cover
-  Keel repair and bottom paint
-  Remove and rebed all port lights ("windows")
-  New stainless steel mesh "washboards" for the companionways to allow ventilation and security

Back at the motel apartment, Adam's inner geek called out, and he put a portable ham radio antenna outside the terrace.  He talks to friends back in Hawaii, Canada, and the Pacific NW every other evening.


Also time to brew a batch of IPA, just bottled last week ago.  Fingers crossed for a tasty brew!!!

New entry                      photo Kevin Boyle

 We've finally decided to sell our house.  It wasn't an easy decision, but keeping it as a rental from the other side of the world was just proving too much of a headache.  The Seattle market sounds good for selling and it's a great time of year to do the deed.  It's been a lot of work to get it ready from here, installing new flooring, designing a new entry, landscaping, etc., but it should go on the market next week.  A great team of builder, landscaper and realtor are making it possible.  Fingers crossed for a quick sale.  (If interested, don't be shy!!!)

New entry           photo Kevin Boyle

So that's the news from Whangarei.  Mostly good on Cindi's recovery.  We still await word from NZ immigration officials that we'll be able to extend our stay by a year to complete physical therapy, as our already extended visas expire in less than 2 weeks!!  Winter is rapidly approaching down here, but June 21 is just around the corner, bringing a promise of longer days to come.  We look forward to continued adventures and exploration in New Zealand in the coming year. 

Cheers, all, and thanks for the good wishes!


Will sign off with a couple of fun emails that had us cracking up:

Poem by Cruiser Poet Laureate Pat Ganz (sv The Rose)

There once was a  woman caught in a clam
She said "Damn! Damn! I'm caught in a clam"
Out stuck her head
Out stuck her feet
But all stiff in the middle the two couldn't meet.

IF she got an pesky itch on her toe
She called to Adam who smiled don't you know
A little to the left
A little to the right
He'd scratch and tickle till she giggled all night

And when they finally opened that clam
She said "I'm a wee bit taller I am!"
She stood so straight
And she felt so great
She could tie her own shoes and sail first mate

OR.........this one, by the Rev Glen Simms, never at a loss for words:

Down in the Land of the Kiwi,
Lies a most intrepid sailor named Cindi...
Now I can't tell you why, but she decided to fly,
And the "tail" had a terrible ending....

Cheers mates!