Author Archives: freedomsail

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island Monday 7 June 2021 It definitely seemed a bit quieter today, with traffic noise from the nearby highway having a breather from the usual work-a-day flow.  Not that everyone was at the beach taking advantage of the long week-end.  If they were, they were definitely rugged up, or wearing aContinue reading “Queen’s Birthday Holiday”

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island Sunday 6 June 2021 “Periods of rain. Strong northeasterlies” … the weather forecast was spot on … it started when the sun went down last night and has continued off and on ever since. But nothing was going to interrupt the “Sundowners and Snacks” in Chimere’s “Great Cabin” … well,Continue reading “Sundowners & Snacks Aboard”

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 chanceContinue reading “Slow and Slower”

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island Friday 4 June 2021 You know things are quiet when the feature topic of the day is an 8 minute drive down the road to the local supermarket to buy some food.  Admittedly, I did have Tim Tams on my list, along with the basics of cheese – Mainland TastyContinue reading “Slow News Day”

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island Thursday 3 June 2021 If the idyllic, mythical Hobbiton, (from Lord of the Rings fame) is located just a short drive south of here – near the town of Matamata – then Maketu, just a short drive east of here, must surely be the idyllic REAL-LIFE equivalent; only with aContinue reading “Paradise Found”

Bridge Marina, Tauranga, North Island Wednesday 2 June 2021 It was a blissfully still night, tied securely to the end of D Row, and even the noisy seagulls on the pontoon a short distance across the water eventually fell silent.   The early night meant we were up and awake that much earlier too, withContinue reading “Settling into Tauranga Life”

Bridge Marina,  Tauranga,  North Island Tuesday 1 June 2021 Sailing from Gisborne to Tauranga continued through the night as our 4-hours ON and 4-hours OFF came and went.  On that topic, it’s strange how the four hours ON seemed to extend a lot longer than the four hours OFF, as the welcoming arms of aContinue reading “Finally, some real sailing”

At sea off East Cape, North Island Monday 31 May 2021 We really enjoyed our three days in Gisborne.  It was a good chance to relax, avoid some poor weather (out at sea) , and explore something of life ashore. The all-important weather forecasts showed a switch to a southerly airflow, more suited to ourContinue reading “Back to Sea Again”

Gisborne Inner Harbour Marina Sunday 30 May 2021 After a night of passing showers, which didn’t bode well for the day ahead, the morning dawned with patches of blue sky and the promise of more to come. With the other three sound asleep in their bunks, I made my way ashore a bit after 8:00amContinue reading “Lazy Day in Gisborne”

Gisborne Inner Harbour Marina Saturday 29 May 2021 It was a lazy start to the day, with an extensive breakfast that made good use of the eggs, bacon and bread in the ship’s stores.  In contrast to the day before, the sky started out grey and overcast, a portent of what was to come. ButContinue reading “Harper hits the highway”