Monthly Archives: February 2020

Find Chimere here … https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:4999839/mmsi:503054450/vessel:CHIMERE Picton Marina, (Lat 41 17S, Lon 174 00E) Sunday 9 February 2020Our new crew member, Matt Brosnahan, enjoyed a blissful night’s sleep after a cold and windy arrival in Picton the night before. He awoke to the sound of the kettle boiling, as John and I set about the morning’s routine.Continue reading “Every Now & Then”

Picton Marina, (Lat 41 17S, Lon 174 00E) Friday 7 & Saturday 8 February 2020 After a couple of days tied up on the edge of town, we are starting to become locals.  Friday we awoke to John’s birthday and while there was no cake and candles, we did mark the occasion with a dinnerContinue reading “If it’s Not One Thing, it’s Another”

Picton Marina, (Lat 41 17S, Lon 174 00E) Thursday 6 February 2020 We awoke to a rather chilly morning, but felt somewhat refreshed after the last two eventful days; and even last night’s farewell dinner (and lemonades) at the local Irish Pub.  Dew covered every exposed surface of the boat, but pretty soon the strengthContinue reading “Then There Were Two”

Picton Marina, (Lat 41 17S, Lon 174 00E) Wednesday 5 February 2020 Our night at Resolution Bay was blissfully still, particularly after having endured the furious winds on arrival just a few hours earlier.  As the night drew on, the wind gusts diminished, till by 5:30am – our waking-up time – it was … “asContinue reading “It’s Official”

Resolution Bay, (Lat 41 06S, Lon 174 13E), AT ANCHOR Marlborough Sounds  Tuesday 4 February 2020  The magic weather continued through last night with the wind strengthening, as predicted, throughout the day. One reef in the main became two, the working jib got smaller as we continued to reef, till finally we were doing 8-9 knotsContinue reading “One Crowded Hour”

Tasman Sea, (Lat 40 17S, Lon 171 55E), Course 72 degrees (compass)(48 miles west of Farewell Spit) Monday 3 February 2020 Nine days out of Westernport, as the New Zealand coastline looms ever closer, and the cloud-filled horizon spreads away to the south, it was inevitable that land would be sighted soon. “We must beContinue reading “Land Ahoy!!!”

Tasman Sea, (Lat 40 12S, Lon 168 36E), Course 70 degrees (compass) Sunday 2 February 2020 It seems the northwest wind has been blowing for days now. Pushing us effortlessly towards our destination of Picton. The sea was a bit higher through the night, but has quietened down now to a steady swell that movesContinue reading “Where did those two hours go?”

Tasman Sea, (Lat 40 11S, Lon 165 11E), Course 75 degrees (compass) Saturday 1 February 2020 Our dream run, with wind of 15-20 knots coming in over our left shoulder, continued through last night and all of today. Our speed rarely dipped below 6 knots, with occasional flashes of 9 knots, as we surged downContinue reading “Sleep, eat, watch, read, repeat …”