Bay of Islands Marina, Opua, North Island
Sunday 27 June 2021
As a day of rest, this one was true to label. Pretty much nothing happened. Apart from a walk around the coast, an afternoon nap and, oh, I cooked eggs and bacon for breakfast. We also saw a few interesting birds, plus a 1 metre long fish on the beach – dead – which we think was a Ling.
Consequently, I’m having difficulty finding enough words to fill each sentence. Or enough sentences to fill the page. I see why some writers venture into fiction – just not enough happening in real life, you’ve got to make it up.
One thing that did put Linda and I on edge first thing, as we began stirring for the day, has a woman standing on the finger-wharf, next to Chimere, clutching a clipboard, in official looking dress, tapping on the hull calling … “hello, hello, anyone there?”
I actually spotted her through the saloon portholes as she walked past and it immediately put my mind into high gear, wondering and surmising exactly the nature of her mission. She didn’t see me, fortunately, but by the time I’d returned forward to tell Linda and together wondered what the lady might have wanted, she was no where to be seen.
“Oh, she’s gone”, I said to Linda as I returned back into the warmth of the saloon – the grey clouds now starting to rain again as it had through the night.
“I wonder what she wanted”, replied Linda “I suspect we’ll find out soon enough”, was all I could think to say.
And I was right.
Around 11:00am, as I got to the end of my bacon and eggs, Linda whispered … “she’s back again”, spying someone official-looking, dressed in bright coloured wet weather gear walking next to the boat.
This time I was a little quicker out into the cockpit with a friendly morning greeting, inquiring whether she had knocked earlier … when we … “were still in bed” …
“Oh, yes, sorry, I thought I would wait a bit longer on a Sunday morning and come back later” she replied.
“How can I help?” I asked innocently, to which the woman responded … “Oh, there’s just a problem with how far the back of your boat sticks out past the piles. How long is your boat? You mentioned it was 17.5 metres in the application”
“I’m not exactly sure how long she is, but that sounds about right, I thought this was an 18-metre berth, do you have any bigger berths?” I inquired.
There was then a discussion about how sticking out the back, past the posts, can be a “danger to us and others” because of the tidal current that runs through the marina. But that it might be possible to move the boat forward a little more – because there aren’t any other available, larger, berths – without obstructing the walkway off the bow.
“No big hurry, just do it later today when you get a chance” were her parting words. “No worries, I’ll get onto it”
“Oh, just one more thing”, she said … and now I thought … OK, here it comes, the real reason … “I just need to check the 240-volt breaker switch on your berth, would you mind turning off your boat’s power switch for just a minute, so it doesn’t create a problem?”
So, in the end, our concerns were for naught, because after slackening the spring lines there was easily 1–2 metres of room at the front to solve the problem of the dinghy and davits poking out the back … phew!
Having driven to nearby Paihia with John yesterday morning, Linda and I picked a break in the weather this afternoon to see if we could walk the coastal track around there. We’d heard it was a lot quicker than driving up and over the hills, but still, it was a long way on foot. In the end, we probably made it half way before deciding to turn around and come back. Just in time as it turned out, with the rain once more returning.
As mentioned yesterday, Matt and Cathy just managed to get into New Zealand from Melbourne yesterday, before the latest set of travel restrictions were imposed – by a matter of hours as it turned out. Now, the question is whether James and Eva will be able to travel here next Thursday from Canberra. Something that is definitely in doubt if the three-day freeze on travel from Australia is extended.
Also in doubt are the travel plans of the four crew who I have flying from Australia to join Chimere on Saturday 10th July. There seems a good chance now that I might have to defer my return date … but mustn’t get ahead of myself … as the Serenity Prayer by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr goes …
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Smooth seas, fair breeze and lazy, rainy, day of rest
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 