Delivery part 2 - days 3, 4 and 5

Sunday - Gulf harbour in Auckland to Coromandel Peninsula
Day 3

Gulf Harbour marina in Auckland

We had an exciting day today, but I'm glad to be snuggled up in bed. We've parked up in a little bay along the Coromandel Peninsula, surrounded by towering black shapes along the skyline. They're almost ominous. It's weird to pull into somewhere different in complete darkness not having any idea what it looks like outside. It will be interesting to see what the morning brings.

We didn't leave until around 2pm today, because we had a lot to get ready for the trip ahead. Garths wonderful family were nice enough to run around after us all morning, gathering things and ferrying them to the boat.

Sorting out the dinghy

We made use of the time by pumping up the dinghy and taking our giant genoa down, which took an hour or two. I would not want to do that in heavy winds! It's a furling genoa, so we had to unfurl it (unroll it so the sail was up while we were tied to the dock) then bring it down. It was horrible. The bloody thing was flapping around in the wind and then we couldn't fold it properly on the boat because it's so big and new and stiff. We ended up getting a random cruiser to help us refold it when we couldn't fit it back in the door. Boat people are so nice!

We eventually left in 25 - 30 knots, with a medium headsail and 2 reefs in the main (that decreases the power in it). The wind was behind us and the waves were 2 - 3 metres high - we surfed on them for hours. They weren't like normal rolly waves though - they were really steep and choppy. I'd look behind us and there'd be a wall of water before we were picked up and thrown down. It was pretty fun for a while, but hard work. I especially loved driving with the boat being knocked around, waves spraying into the cockpit, drenched from head to toe.

Lots of splashes in choppy waves

Then it got dark. I haven't sailed at night much, and only in wellington harbour. The huge waves continued, except we couldn't see them very well. It was terrifying steering while Garth was navigating us around rocks, waves chucking me around, scary black outlines of land everywhere. Eventually I got used to it and it wasn't so bad, but I can't imagine a week of that with just the two of us. My arms are buggered. I was constantly turning the wheel to deal with the way the waves were throwing us around. It would be the same as driving for ages through an obstacle course with no power steering - hard left, hard right, hard left.

As exhausting and scary as it was, it was amazing looking up at the stars from the middle of nowhere with only the dark outline of the sails breaking up the sky. It's beautiful out here.

We also saw a dolphin jumping out of the water right next to the boat, and as I ran to look he was gone and there was a rainbow in his place. Then tonight there was a shooting star. I also got to pee off the side of the boat like a guy (using a female urination device). That was freaking awesome. I was too scared of getting seasick to go downstairs to the toilet, so I was really glad I had it. Best $10 I ever spent.

So all in all I think it was a successful day, but tomorrow we're going to start sleeping in shifts and sailing nonstop. It's at least 6 days of 24 hour sailing until we get home, and we're hoping to get there on schedule. I'm just hoping I don't get seasick and that we catch some fish. And that there's more dolphins.

Tuesday
Across the Bay of Plenty - East Cape
Day 5

Yesterday was awful. We only anchored up for around 4 or 5 hours and I hardly slept at all. The boat kept swinging around in the wind and pulling on the anchor line with a horrible creaking noise. I thought for sure we were going to come off our anchor and crash into rocks. I must spend nearly all my time worrying about this boat.

I was feeling a bit off on Sunday, but not compared to yesterday. I spent the whole day shoveling down ginger and seasickness pills and trying not to throw up. I'm sorry to say I spent a lot of time wishing I could just get off this damn boat and onto something solid. I didnt go downstairs all day, because thats what makes you really ill. About an hour after our watch ended and i was supposed to go to sleep, I decided I just wasn't going to be sick anymore and went down to get my pjs. I didn't even have time to grab them before I was back on deck with my head over the side. So I brought my sleeping bag into the cockpit under the stars and had the best sleep since before we left on Friday.

Yesterday afternoon a big pod of dolphins swept past our boat, taking it in turns to play in the bow wake before moving on. They did little barrel rolls and turned upside down so their tummies get the rush of water over them. It was magical.

Then after another beautiful sunset, just as the last light was leaving the sky we got a bite on the line we'd been trawling all day. David was in his boxers trying to change into his night gear. With his long johns around his ankles he dove for the rod and spent quite a while wearing the fish down before reeling it in. He said it wasn't very big, so we were ready with the net when it surfaced. It was a giant tuna, and the net could hardly fit his tail. Garth struggled to untie the gaff (a big sharp hook for bringing in fish), while I tried to take the wheel and David kept reeling him in with his pants around his feet. It was utter chaos.

We have a system in place for fish - take them to the deck, bleed them and cut them there, and don't bring any of the mess near the cockpit.

This didn't work. The tuna was around 15 - 18 kg and it was all David could do to get him in the boat at all without being pulled over himself. The giant guy landed in the middle of the cockpit, spraying blood everywhere. It took quite a while to sort out.

The really sad part was that we don't have our fridge hooked up yet - just an ice box. David cut off two fillets (less than half the meat) and had to throw the rest overboard. The meat he cut off was too much for 4 of us to eat for 2 meals - for breakfast (and then lunch) we all just had a giant plate of tuna. David called it the breakfast of champions and it was fabulous.

David's obligatory shot holding up the fish

Today was spent lying in the sun, napping and reading. We sorted out our windvane steering yesterday, so the boat now steers itself. I'm feeling much better today, I think it just takes a few days to get used to the motion of the boat. We've been keeping 6 hour shifts with 2 of us on a shift, so we're on watch for 6 hours then we can nap or rest for 6 hours.

We're almost at East Cape, wherever that is. We had another pod of dolphins join us this afternoon, which I loved immensely. They really love playing in the bow wake, so I sit right out on the front and they swim inches from my feet when the bow is low in the water. There were hundreds of them, coming in from as far as I could see - the flat horizon was broken up by fins dipping, diving and occasionally jumping out of the water. It was beautiful.

I'm looking forward to tonight, because last night was so lovely. It's peaceful and quiet, with nothing to look at but the stars. It's kind of fun steering the boat to the stars, like Captain Cook and all the explorers who lived in times before chartplotters would have.

We were out of sight from land for a day or two, which was different to what I had thought. You would expect it to be a frightening feeling being all alone out at sea. But all you can see is water in every direction, with a very flat, definitive horizon line. So instead of feeling small and isolated I just feel like I'm in a little bubble. I'm sure this would change in bad weather.

I'm going to get into some warm clothes and watch another beautiful sunset as we round the cape and start pointing towards home. If we make good speed it should be another 5 or 6 days. I just hope the weather stays nice and we get some more wind.

Sleeping in the cockpit

White Island, being all smokey and volcanoey

It's been a while since I brushed my hair...