In uploading photos for the 27th , 26th and 25th of July I discovered just how difficult it was for Mike Clarke – my IT back-up-man in Melbourne – to actually post the blogs I was sending from the boat at this time.
Not only did Mike have to reconstruct my many SatPhone text messages, but as it turned out, NOT all of the text messages got through.
In some cases, words were missing, at other times whole sentences. I’ve hopefully been able to put the blogs straight, so if you read them when they were first posted, you might like to have a re-read now to get the full story.
With Melbourne having recently gone into their sixth lockdown, the states of NSW and Queensland suffering their own COVID outbreaks and the so-called, trans-Tasman bubble having pretty much burst, I reflect on just how fortunate we have been over the past few months … fortunate in so many ways.
First, there was the opportunity – when the trans-Tasman travel bubble opened up – for me to fly over to New Zealand, after a 13 month break, to be reunited with Chimere. That was in mid-May, and after preparing Chimere for sea again and recruiting a crew, we finally made it Opua in the Bay of Islands.
Then the “bubble” remained open just long enough for Linda, Matt, Cathy, James and Eva to join me onboard for a week or two and in the case of Matt and Cathy, flights from Victoria to New Zealand being suspended just hours after they arrived in Auckland
Likewise, Linda, Matt, Cathy, James and Eva were able to fly back to Australia at a time of their choosing – and in the case of James and Eva they also had to transit through Melbourne back to Canberra.
Next, there was the almost miraculous arrival of my three crew – Harm, Matt and Sam – coming just a few days after the lifting of the Victoria/NZ travel suspension, made even more complicated because Harm had been to Queensland in the 14 days prior to flying.
Then, there was the stressful realisation that the trans-Tasman bubble ONLY referred to travel by air, NOT by boat, which we finally managed to circumvent by securing a (rarely granted) hotel quarantine exemption from the Victorian Health Department.
Finally, we sailed into our home port of Westernport – near Melbourne – on Tuesday 3th August, after 15 days at sea, only to have lockdown number six introduced by the State Government two days later at 8:00pm on Thursday 5th August.
Now, I can’t even return to the boat to continue the clean-up onboard because it’s more than 5km from my home.
Like I say, we have been very fortunate!
I hope you enjoy the photos from three more daily blogs – Tuesday 27th, Monday 26th and Sunday 25th of July – just click on the links below to be taken to each page …
Here are a few shots from each day to whet your appetite …
Tuesday 27 July 2021
Tasman Sea, 370 miles east of Eden
Monday 26th July 2021
Mid Tasman
Squalls, Sausage Rolls and Sauce
Sunday 25 July 2021
Mid-Tasman Sea
NZ2020 