Whangarei & Switzerland

Norsand Boatyard, Whangarei

It’s time for the yearly haul-out and to upgrade and/or repair a few things on board. I’ve learned that it’s very helpful to have this scheduled so that there are fewer unexpected stops waiting for spare parts in remote locations and the possibility to order spare parts well in advance to a defined location. I’m doing my own projects, assisting and supervising Peter and Dan from Norsand Boatyard in theirs. After three weeks the hulls are polished, the underwater is ready for painting, the dinghy is cleaned, the solar panel capacity is doubled, the batteries are replaced, the cabin received new upholstery, the trampoline is replaced, the crash box and the bridge deck – hull joint are professionally laminated, the engines and outboard are serviced, the bimini is repaired and many other small repairs completed.

But not all is work: Whangarei is ‘the’ meeting point for cruisers and I’m meeting many people I’ve met cruising in the last few years around town and when I’m not somewhere in town, I’m barbequing with other cruisers in the boatyard. It’s a vivid scene and everybody is getting ready to head back to the sunny South Pacific anchorages. Here in New Zealand the winter is approaching fast and we have to start working around the rain. By the time I’m flying to Switzerland Blue Bie is as good as ready for the next season.

Switzerland

It’s great to be home and see my family and friends again. The timing is perfect to be home for the birthday and first communion of my God-child and my best friend’s daughter, the golden wedding anniversary of my parents. I’m spending more time with my family than other years, looking after my sister’s children and dog for a few days, while they go motor biking and helping my parents to get their boat in the water. I’m meeting many good and old friends in different parts of Switzerland and getting to know a different part of Switzerland by staying with Kathrin, who has visited me over Christmas in New Zealand. Last but not least, I go spring snowboarding with my sister’s family and in the Bernese Oberland. It's very impressive to snowboard at the foot of the Eiger Nordwand and the Jungfrau.
I have a great time in Switzerland and time flies much too fast, because I couldn’t meet all the friends I wanted to visit. To stay longer, I would probably also need my own home, because it’s not easy to live for 5 weeks in other peoples’ home.

Whangarei

It’s getting quite chilly by the time I arrive back in Whangarei and it’s time to hightail back to the islands. It takes a few days to get Blue Bie ready to launch and provision and I’m missing the first good weather window. Everything seems late this season because of La Niña, which is now receding. It’s not an easy wait for the next weather window, because it’s never black and white and the weather forecasts are changing constantly. We are 8 boats getting ready for the next window, but in the end I’m the only one heading downriver to Marsden Cove to clear out.