Deja-vu all over again...

Farked...

Yes, we have checked back into Hotel California.

If you look back to our departure delays out of Mooloolaba in Jan last year (click here) as we tried to depart Oz for NZ, you might be forgiven a sense of deja-vu. Delayed by TC Oswald, a gearbox rebuild and a long holiday weekend, we slowly watched our departure schedule go out the window.

Saildrive swap

And here we go again, except this time we have two holiday weekends back to back (Easter, followed by Anzac Day), so we have three days to sort this, or we won't be leaving for Fiji at all. I'll simply be out of time, before returning to work on 6 May. Yes, work - remember that?

One of the needle roller bearings in the Saildrive top assembly is confirmed farked (a technical term), taking the clutch plates and top shaft with it. And no replacement assembly available in NZ or Oz. Only alternative: replace the entire Saildrive. Ouch!

The engineering team

Luckily, the Volvo-Penta agent in Whangarei had a complete Saildrive in stock. It's a slightly different model with a tad shorter leg (not a bad thing), but having been on their shelves for 4 yrs, it comes at a (relatively) knock-down price! A quick rent-a-wreck road-trip to collect, and hey presto, we had it fitted by the end of the day.

So to recap:  we returned to Opua last Sunday, removed the top assembly on Monday, lifted Harlequin and had the top assembly 'condemned' on Tuesday. Now we have the new gearbox fitted late Wednesday.

Newly fitted

Can we get a coat of anti-foul on it by PM Thursday, and still splash & CIQ out (again) for Fiji, before New Zealand closes down once again for their next holiday weekend...?

Time will tell...

Start - Stop

Back at Ashby's jetty

OK, good news & bad news.

Good news: we don’t have to spend a wet night at sea tonight. Bad news: we are back in Opua. Alongside at Ashby’s Boatyard jetty, where we weathered TC Lusi actually, back in March.

We got away in good order this morning, but 20 mins later we were just motoring past Paihia when the engine whined, slowed, then stopped. A bit like getting something wrapped round the prop.

We quickly anchored (the bower anchor had been stowed already) and investigated to find gearbox oil all over the engine compartment, and the Saildrive dipstick melted! So we sailed back here and sought advice. Long story short: looks like a seized gearbox.

Saildrive top assembly - looks OK?

We can’t lift until Tue earliest (possibly even Wed) because of the Easter holiday, and won’t really know the extent of the problem 'til then. Could be simply a dismantle and bearing change, but even that will take a while, given time to order & receive parts.

Not thinking too deeply into it tonight: too much of a downer. Team bearing up well, and we broke open the bar and tucked into one of Sue's pre-prepared chicken curries, pepped up by Roger & Adam! Oh, and rum-filled Easter eggs!

Update when we have more news...

Cheers!

Easter eggs, filled...

... with a touch of Barbados!

Weather delay

TC Ita

The weather delay for TC Ita allowed a few extra days for boat prep & provisioning, and a valuable coastal sail up the coast to Opua. This gave the crew a chance to find their sea-legs - and check the efficacy of their wet-weather gear & sea-sickness pills!

Our original plan was to depart NZ on Mon, 14 Apr but Ita was due to hit the North Island on 16/17 Apr so we just had time to nip up to the Bay of Islands. Not much closer to Fiji (only 35 nm), but better than sitting in Whangarei getting bored in the rain. It's also traditional for us to wait for typhoons/cyclones to clear, just before we jump off on blue-water crossings!

Whangarei - Opua

Unfortunately - and here's the rub - the delay is going to cost us our visit to Tonga. We will no longer have time to explore those beautiful islands on this trip. Not cancelled, though, just delayed for another time. Instead we'll plan on a small detour (from the direct NZ-Fiji route) to Minerva Reef for a couple of days of snorkelling.

Leaving Whangarei was a bit of a wrench: the Town Basin marina there has definitely become our yachting home in NZ, and with all the boatyards, sail-makers, engineering facilities, shops, supermarkets, etc, etc right on your doorstep, has to be THE spot for cruisers to re-fit whilst in NZ. Or to leave your yacht whilst exploring NZ by car/van.

Our thanks, once again, go to marina managers Brian & Sharron, who helped make our many stays there so easy & enjoyable.

Whangarei Town Basin

We departed on the planned 14 Apr, routing via night-stops at Tutukaka marina (expensive, but worth it for the shelter from the strong NE'lies) and Paradise Bay. The trip up the coast was a wee bit cold, wet, windy & lumpy. Perfect, actually. Three of the crew very quickly succumbed, with a clear winner of the 'First Hurler Buys the Beer in Fiji' award.

Jib v's Genoa

Our new satphone had been delayed (lost, it seems, between Customs, NZ Post & Courier Post), arriving about an hour after we departed Whangarei. Sharron very quickly identified a way of sending it on to us at Tutukaka, and by 1700 we were alongside there, with the phone in our hands. Finally, after 3 weeks - what a relief!

Conditions required 2 reefs in the main and tested our new (re-conditioned) 120% Tapedrive jib - all good. Really notice the difference in drive when the wind drops, though, v's the 155% Genoa!

TC Ita wind

We backed into B-12 at Opua marina lunch-time Wed, 16 Apr so we'd be pointing into wind for TC Ita when it arrived, and started battening down the hatches. All dreadfully familiar: this was to be our third ex-TC in Opua in just 4 months! First in Dec 13 with the Wilsons, then TC Lusi in March with the Mallets & Mackinnons, now this!

Who needs to sail to the Pacific Islands to experience Tropical weather?

Back in Whangarei

Our route round N Island

Huge apologies!

We've been aboard Harlequin  in NZ since November and not a single post! Too busy cruising, the inevitable socializing and exploring this lovely country to blog about it, I suppose. That's the only excuse.

We've just made it back to Whangarei, completing our 4 month circumnavigation of North Island and are now up on the hard at Docklands 5 slapping on the annual anti-foul and preparing for our departure to Tonga & Fiji in about a week's time.

So there should be time to 'back-fill' some of the cruising stories we should have posted over the last few months, before we depart.

Sue hard at work

The map shows our route round N Island since December, during which we've enjoyed visits from David & Fiona, Pat, Sebastian, Olli & David (briefly) James & Sue, Julie, Nico, Kobi & Yuval, Steve & Jo, Dan, Declan, John, Jon & Tim, Adam, David, Warren, Matteo, Russell & Cathy, Jamie, Jean & Jo, Chris & Chrissie, and Iain & Cathy. Phew!

Now just a week to go, to be spent provisioning and weather-watching, trying to get a feel for the approaching weather systems as we prepare for the 'off'...