Slow and Slower

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island

Saturday 5 June 2021

Yesterday was slow, today was even slower – there wasn’t even a trip to the shops to break things up.   I spent the whole day onboard – didn’t step off once.  Not that I’m complaining, the forecast rain held off all day, giving me a chance to continue my deck painting activities.

I now have an array of spots around the deck, mostly down each side, where I need to return.  Some spots require a bit of primer paint, some need undercoat, and there’s even some that is ready for the topcoat.  The end is almost in sight, however the weather forecast for the next few days – actually the next 9 days – talks about showers tending to rain.  Then strong winds, then more rain followed by showers, and no little sunny-faces, just cloudy emojis of differing shades of grey in the MetService predictions – a bit disappointing really.

As a precaution I put up a couple of tarps – over the boom and coach house – just to see if I can possibly keep things dry enough to do all the preparation painting and sanding.  It seems a bit like the Sydney Harbour Bridge – I’ll finally finish the job down aft just in time to start again at the bow.       

John has sent me a photo from his 50^th School Anniversary – seems he’s having a good time – with life aboard here in the marina slipping into that monk-like, minimalist, lockdown simplicity.  No one to talk to … captured thoughts unable to escape … punctuated by too many coffees, Tim Tams, snacks and email checking.   Sounds depressing when you say it like that.  But I’ve still got my seagulls … squawking mine, mine, mine, mine endlessly from the nearby pontoon and pretty much everywhere else they have room to stand – and even as they fly. 

One unexpected thing happened this morning – and I was in two minds whether I’d commit it to the blog.  But here goes … or should that be “hair goes”, because, with guests stepping aboard tomorrow afternoon for “Sundowners & Snacks” – just a little bit fancy – I thought I’d have a shave.  Not only clean up the boat inside and out, but also give myself a once-over.  Got to look me best.

Then I thought, why stop at just a shave.  Why not give your head a No. 4 clip to get rid of that scraggly, Krusty the Clown look.  Simples!   Only trouble was, it’s been a while since I’ve used these particular clippers – hence the need for a cut – and in retrospect I may have acted a bit in haste, or took my glasses off took early.

I say this because no sooner had I plugged the machine in, checked the guard was fitted, then taken my specs off (you can’t do a decent job with your glasses on)  I immediately started zooming up and back, from my neckline to the top of my head; reaching over the top with my right hand.  No problem so far, only there seemed to be an awful lot of hair in the basin – for me at least.  A quick feel of my scalp with my left hand revealed a new level of spiky stubbly-ness I’d never felt before.

“Yes” … the guard was fitted … “Oh, now I see the problem …”   

It suddenly occurred to me that whilst the guard was fitted, I’d forgotten to adjust it out to the number 12 … thereby giving me an all-over, regulation No. 4 length cut. What I’d just done was give nearly half my skull a No. 1 cut!  And it was VERY short – about the length of 5-days growth.  

From there it was a bit of a hack job for the rest of my head, as I couldn’t quite decide whether to continue with an unprecedented No.1 all over, or try and do a bit of a blended affair in the classic Miley Cyrus tradition.         

As my father used to say, “the difference between a good hair cut and a bad hair cut is only a few weeks” … in my case my hat will cover most of the damage … and who is there out here to impress anyway?

It’s been a few days, so it was nice to chat with Linda at home tonight – to hear her voice … and all the news.  This is Melbourne in yet another lockdown remember … so the news is fairly COVID-centric … active case numbers … new variant type … new cases today … the usual stuff.  “How’s the weather?”  … “Cold, very cold” … “The veggie garden?“ …  “Not much is growing … possums are eating the leaves on the new grapefruit tree … and the cauliflower plants … everything is under netting … hope we’ll be allowed to travel at the end of the month, so we can join you in the Bay of Islands…”  

Then I realised that my eventual sail back to Australia might again require a “suitably approved” crew – just like last year.    And on return to Australia there might be a need to “do” quarantine again – naturally in a safe and secure city hotel facility, where there’s no possibility of catching anything … rather than doing quarantine on the boat where who knows what you might catch from sea air and spray …??!!  Good thing I’m not prone to being cynical.

Anyway, I won’t be sailing back to Australia for another month or more, and with a bit of luck I’ll have a choice of clearing customs in either New South Wales, or Queensland … depending on the border status at the time.  Once cleared into the country I can then start the sail home to Victoria with relative certainty.

On the topic of sailing … if you’d like to sign up for the home crossing, or the trip down the east coast back to Melbourne … feel free to get in touch      

Smooth seas, fair breeze and slow and slower

Rob Latimer