Captain’s Log: Marsden Cove to Auckland

Monday, March 3, 2013

9:00am:

Wow….we are back and on the water…..seems a bit surreal!!!! As I write this blog update (the first in about 4 months) we are making the 75 nm passage from Marsden Cove to Viaduct Marina in Auckland…..so far it is a trawler like day…winds around 10 kts, seas not much chop and just a little swell….but, it is supposed to blow 20-25 kts later so watch out!!!!

So…where did we leave off…..we had just arrived in late October in Marsden Cove New Zealand after a good run from Tonga (well, except for some head winds and the transmission oil cooler going out…oh, how quickly we forget the bad stuff)!! We did a bunch of boat projects…..mainly cleaning et al….a lot of celebrating with others who crossed the Pacific….and left for San Francisco on Nov 7!!!

Our almost 4 months in USA was a whirlwind of life events!!! It started a day after we arrived with our youngest son, David, graduating from the Fireman Academy!!!! Wow, was that an impressive ceremony. We were soooooo glad we made it!!! David and Dana are now enjoying the life of careers….good for them, they deserve it after working so hard to become a fireman!!

Our oldest son Josh, and the keeper of our website, did marry Courtney 2 days after Christmas. The event was held at Post Ranch Resort in Big Sur, CA. That place is just about the most gorgeous and romantic place we know on earth. It was just a small private event but one full of love and very emotional overlooking the Pacific cliffs!!

And, we are very proud grandparents of Sadie Rose Youngblood, our 1st grandchild!!!! Sadie was born on January 11, about 5 weeks premature. She was fully developed but had a tough go for the first 2-3 weeks as she was just not strong enough to eat enough. But she finally got the hang of it and now she is very much a newborn….you know, eating, pooping, and sleeping with a few occasional grins for Mom & Dad to keep it going….but is she DDG (Drop Dead Gorgeous:))))

On the other side of life…..my mom continues to decline with Alzheimers. There was no spark of recognition this go around….a very sad and cruel disease. But, we were successful in selling her home and doing an estate sale. Anyone that has done these things know that it is a time consuming and emotionally draining ordeal to get through….but we did it and it is done….yippee!!

The rest of the time was spent enjoying the holidays with family, visiting friends and cousins in Springfield, friends in Chicago (where it was like -20F wind chill – why do people live there Darrell:)))) and with doctors, doctors and more doctors….I started with the possibility of prostate cancer thanks to a false PSA test….dodged a bullet there…..and ended with the doc taking a hunk out of my back from a precancerous Clark’s Nevus mole….nurse Kathy gets to take the stitches out in a few days…..oweeeee!!!!

We came back from SF last Thursday (another 13 hour nonstop flight) and have spent the last 3 days getting Mystic ready for this passage. Unfortunately I spent a lot of that time trying to get our navigation computer to work and finally got it all working late Sunday. We had some bad ram, bad serial ports, incompatible usb/serial converters et al…..why can’t these marine guys get into the plug and play world like the rest of the world….arghhhhh!!!

So you ask….why are you going to Auckland….well, a good question…..if you recall we lost the transmission oil cooler on the way from Tonga. This is now the 2nd time we have lost this cooler (the other time was in the Bahamas) and after consulting with Twin Disc it was decided it was best to pull and service the transmission. We have contracted with a technician who has worked on transmissions and Selene’s and at first he thought he could do the work in Marsden. But, after thinking about it more, he convinced us it was best to do the work in Auckland as this is where his shop is located.

But, not to despair….there is a very good side to this move…..Ian and Agi on Corybas, a Selene 57 have offered us the use of their slip in Auckland while the work is being done as Corybas is now cruising in the Fiordlands. Viaduct Marina is one of the premiere marinas and is right in the middle of Auckland with lot of things to do!!! And to top it off, they have invited us down to Corybas while the transmission is being serviced….the guess is about 1.5-2 weeks in the shop. We are going to fly to Queenstown, drive to Te Anu and then take a helicopter to wherever Corybas is located….how sweet is that. We think the topography will be similar to Alaska and British Columbia as well as the weather….this area is down in the Southern Alps and where “The Hobbit” was filmed!!

3:00pm:
Hmmmm…..it did turn snotty….25-35G40-45 kt winds right off the forward starboard quarter and squally….welcome back….yuck!!! And there has been a 1-1.5 kt adverse current extending our time in this mess….joy…NOT!!

6:00pm:
We did it…all tied to the dock and opened the first passage beer!!!! But, can you believe it, the shorepower converter plug we bought in Marsden is a new plug and does not fit the older plugs here. Ok, send over the electrician in the am and we’ll buy another plug….$$$$$!!

Just a few reminders as we crank up the blog again:

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We hope everyone is well and as always, we would love to hear from everyone!!

John
Mystic Moon
safely moored in Viaduct Marina Auckland New Zealand
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