Well hello! Happy belated new year to everybody. The days have quickly ticked by since our arrival back to New Zealand and in the midst of it all I have failed to post this year! In preparation for our trip across the Tasman my significant other has been up to his elbows in boat projects for two days straight. Most cruising wives/girlfriends can back me up in that more often than not, the best way to help out on days such as these is to just stay out of the way. So here I sit on the couch, legs tucked underneath me, trying to leave as much room as possible for my boat monkey to get his work done. We’ve been given the go ahead by Bob McDavitt, a weather guru god if you will to the sailing community, to set sail for Australia this week. We wait now on our alternator to be returned to us and then there’s nothing else I can think of that would delay the inevitable any longer. It’s passage time, once again.

Thus come mid afternoon tomorrow the galley will be ablaze with sauces, casseroles, boiling chicken breasts, chopped this, and chopped that. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Knocking out any, or possibly all, cooking that would otherwise have to be done at sea is a hands down must for yours truly. If you’ve followed us along our journey through any previous passages then you are probably fully aware of my ridiculous fear of gimbal stoves. At anchor, I’ll cook all day but when there is motion in the ocean, I’d rather eat cardboard.

After more than a year of this incredible lifestyle, the stove and I (at sea) I have thus far failed to establish a good relationship and its in sensitiveness has made more cry on way more than one occasion. You label me any name in the book you want to…punanny, pansy, or even worse a different p word…I could care less. There are many women far braver than I who tackle their own gimbal stove with no fear whatsoever but I, unfortunately, have been unable to do so. It’s a fear I hope to conquer…one day.

Speaking of conquering fears, last night I layed awake for a solid hour. My armpits were sweating. I was nervous. Drew was dead to the world. There was no one trying to come aboard Dosia and inflict bodily harm on me. I was merely thinking about the bungee jumps that are waiting to taunt me when we arrive back in New Zealand to travel the South Island. Will I find the gonads to jump? Just how pissed will I be at myself if I return back to the States having not taken the plunge(s)? My dad writes me the other day…”Marge, do me a favor. If you’re going to jump off of anything or out of anything, please wait until after you do so to tell your mother.” Thus he enforces the fact that its all dangerous. I don’t crave the danger. I really don’t. It didn’t thrill me to stand on the edge of that Sky Tower in Auckland and look down over my toes at a distance so great it looked like the building beneath me was inverted. All the while a giant bulls eye was there to guide me “home.” It reminded me later of the skit Ron White did that time where the guy asks him how far the single engine plane they were riding in was going to take them and he replied, “all the way to the scene of the crash.” I cried like a little girl. The fear that consumed me was so intense. Mascara was streaming down my face so bad the guy had to delay my jump so I could wipe it off just to be able to watch as I plunged to the earth. However, as soon as I went, as soon as I was falling, I loved every second of it. I know that I would love sky diving over the incredible Nelson Lakes or bungee jumping in Queenstown. I will hope every night for the courage to take the plunge when the time comes…

Until then I’ll continue to partake in wonderful events that aren’t so life threatening like our buddy, Tom’s from s/v Zen, birthday the other day. Being the dessert lover that he is, I whipped up a cake for him and his lovely wife, Monique, took a small group of us out to lunch to celebrate in Paihia. The day was full of good food, great laughs, awesome music, and incredible company. I am going to miss these people that I’ve formed these bonds with out here so much when this is all said and done. There isn’t a single wave that would have been the same without them, or Drew, by my side.

After a short month in the states visiting friends and family we returned to Auckland on New Years Eve morning.  Due to some previous planning, we knew to expect our friends Geoff and Julie from s/v Flashback in the same hotel as us overlooking the Viaduct Harbor (actually our hotel overlooked the Viaduct but our budget rooms had more of a city/parking garage view).  We haven’t seen them in over three months, which, in the scheme of things, isn’t all that long.  But regardless, the champagne came out and the festivities quickly began.  About two hours before the countdown (almost one full day before you guys on the East Coast of the U.S. were even thinking about it) we headed down to the harbor to join up with a bunch of other cruising friends on board Wayward Wind. As the clock struck twelve we hugged those aboard, many of whom have been a substantial part of the memories we created in this past year living aboard Dosia and having these islands of the South Pacific be our home away from home.

We spent the first days of this new year with Geoff & Jules packing in as much as possible. Two very quick day trips-one to Bayswater Marina just on the other side of the harbor from downtown Auckland to see our dear friends Richard & Krista of m/v Karma &  then one to Waiheke Island and its beutiful wine vineyards to see our buddies Tane & Tomas of s/v Kena. We could have spent many, many days seeing vineyard after vineyard but alas, Dosia was waiting for us in Whangarei, we were anxious to see how she held up by herself for the past month and a half, and because of one very important reason there was work to be done…

While it is bittersweet for both of us, we are getting Dosia ready for our last big trip aboard. We have a good feeling it will not be her last.  As you already know, Dosia went up for sale before we left Vava’u, Tonga back in October.  Well, she actually went under contract only a few weeks after we began advertising her. The new owners, Trevor and Ali Curtis, a young couple from Gold Coast, Australia are anxiously awaiting delivery.

We agreed to take care of a few routine maintenance issues (like new bottom paint and batteries) here in New Zeland before delivery.  So for the last week, we’ve done just that.  Dosia hauls out tomorrow morning for a fresh bottom painting, few days to dry, and then we’re looking for the weather window that will carry us acorss the Tasman Sea to Brisbane.  From there, we’re not quite sure of the plan.  We have no reservations or tickets for anything and it’s the height of tourist season in both countries.  We want to see as much of Australia as possible while we are there and then return to NZ and tour the South Island.  But we also already have jobs lined up back in the States and can’t spend too much time touring around!

Oh what a wonderful day it was. And our passage only took twenty one days. The majority of people we met in the Pacific this year took more than twenty five days and many took close to forty! It all depends on your luck with the wind and we had some great luck.

I created a new page for the site labeled Videos (above) so if you’re impatient you can view them all right there…right now.

Christmas is coming up fast! Our friends on Zen arrived back in the states yesterday after their long trip home from NZ via Bangkok and New Delhi!  Geoff and Julie from Flashback, who we haven’t seen in a few months, are both back in Fiji and have planned a trip down to Auckland to join us for New Years Eve!  Allan and Rina on Follow You Follow Me are also back in the states for the holidays with their family.  Meanwhile Seth and Elizabeth have sold Honeymoon and are working their way down the eastern Australian coast to Sydney where their trip comes to an end.  Many of our other friends are finishing out the season in NZ or Australia before heading off to Southeast Asia and others are “nesting” for a while in those countries and getting jobs.  We have many friends spread across the globe after this season and it’s sad to see everyone breaking up and heading their own way but alas it is time.  The fun can’t last forever!

Here’s episode #4.  The last bit of the passage and arrival in the Marquesas!

We’re still hanging out stateside.  We’ve been here a little over two weeks and head back in Auckland on New Year’s Eve!  Besides using this time to catch up with family and friends I’ve been doing a little behind-the-scenes work on the website.  So if something disappears or no longer functions, you know who to blame.  Some friends notified us of the fact we were voted one of the 50 Must Read Boating Blogs by boatinsurance.org And back in August we were voted Website of the Week by Cruisingcompass.com (by Blue Water Sailing).   Nice!  Keeping a blog while traveling can sometimes be a pain in the ass.  It’s nice to know people are reading and appreciating.

Here’s the third installment in the Lost On Purpose series produced by Aaron Hodgins Davis.  After escaping Ecuador and pausing in the Galapagos, we were finally on our way across the Pacific.  This shows you just how boring it can be out there!  Make sure to watch the scene during the credits.  It’s hilarious!

This is the first of 8 videos from last year.  My crew, Aaron, did a lot of the filming and all of the editing.  They are awesome!

This episode covers the mainland of Ecuador and the hassle I went through with the government there to get Dosia cleared out.

Sorry, but you gotta watch the 30 second commercial first!

It didn’t take long to get reacquainted with life on land after having been away from it for a while. Well, I take that back…reacquainted to life on land where you can get anything you need, anytime, anywhere. Life in New Zealand is life made simple again which probably accounts for why we’ve gone a wall on our website since our arrival. The Tuesday we got here we hit the ground running, we hit it quick, and we haven’t stopped since. Due to lack of sleep for the last two nights at sea Drew settled in for a nap Tuesday before last while I, not at all sleep deprived, set off to mingle amongst those whom had arrived and were safely nestled into their slips at the Opua Marina. I was with Marc & Jane of s/v Imagine enjoying a nice beer when their daughter, Caroline, yelled from outside, “mom, Zen is here.” I knew I’d only had a sip of my beer so I wasn’t hearing things but thought there was no way she could be right. One look outside and I couldn’t believe my eyes!

Sure enough, Tom, Monique, Cammi, & Cole had driven up from Whangarei to surprise us. I had no idea that Whangarei was only an hour down the road, they might as well have traveled from Tonga, but nonetheless, in my heart it felt the same and the tears began. One would think I hadn’t seen these amazing friends in years when in fact it had barely been a month. Oh, they just make me that happy! Hugs all around, “what are you doing here?”s, and a quick plan derived to awake a napping Drew with the surprise. Unfortunately we weren’t as slick as we’d hoped and he heard us coming but he was shocked, nonetheless, and within ten minutes it was decided that we had to go to their house with them. According to Monique, we had no choice. So off we went. A quick dinner in town and one scary as hell on the other side of the road hour long drive later we were nestled snug in their living room. One night turned to two and we had a ball just hanging out, cooking, eating, exploring, shopping, laughing, doing laundry, sleeping in a big cozy bed, enjoying very fast/free internet, and taking hot showers as long as we wanted. It was heaven.

Back in Opua on Thursday, we took even more time to breath and relax for a bit. Spent several nights being groupies to our buddy Alan from s/v Follow You, Follow Me. He’s a drummer and often finds local musicians at ports so he can jam. He played alongside a local named, Trippy, another named, Dan, and wherever they played we went cause they were fantastic! Lots and lots of emails from everyone asking what it looks like here and unfortunately, we haven’t a whole lot of time to really explore just yet. Cabs here are RIDICULOUSLY expensive so unless we can bum a ride off of a fellow cruiser then we stick pretty close to the marina. Had to go to the bank in town the other day, about a 5 mile ride, and the cabbie was going to charge me $40NZ to get there and back. Ummm, no thank you. One of the sweet ladies in the marine insurance office asked if I knew how to drive on the left side of the ride and I said, “sure!” Her car turned out to be a stick shift which I’m familiar with but wasn’t accustomed to doing so with my left hand. Some things you learn never go away so my memories of driving my first car which was a stick clicked in and I made it safe and sound. It was fun!

Night before last we sailed from Opua to Whangarei and are prepping Dosia for her month long slumber party here. Drew and I catch a bus to Auckland Sunday morning and are going to be spending two jammed packed days and luxurious nights in the SKYCITY Grand Hotel. I absolutely cannot wait to use my birthday present and be pampered in the spa on Monday afternoon but not before I defy death and jump off the Sky Tower! One would think that after seven months of a gals toes not seeing a pedi that I could get one free and clear but nope. Drew and I are both scheduled to leap off the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere that morning and from that accomplishment comes the spa package. Tuesday we catch our flights home and will be stateside until the end of December! We have every intention of maintaining the blog while home so for now we’ll just say thanks for following us along these past seven months. It’s been an unbelievable journey, one we look forward to continuing next year. Happy Holidays and much love to you all from both Drew and myself!

After nine days at sea we are finally sitting still again. It feels very, very nice. I have officially completed my first 1000+ mile passage. We arrived at the customs dock around 7:30 this morning. I cooked up the last pound of bacon we had on board, as well as the rest of our eggs, as they would have just been confiscated by quarantine otherwise. Confiscated bacon!? There is no room for that phrase anywhere in Drew’s vocabulary. He took much pleasure in being able to devour almost the entire pound without me being able to scold him or tell him he had had enough. The quarantine official was very nice, yet very thorough. She got a few goods off of us…some mayo, wild rice, fresh cucumbers & onions. Nothing that can’t be replaced very inexpensively. Then it was time for the customs officials as well as the drug and bomb dogs. With a cup of bacon grease sitting on the counter, neither pup seemed too interested in their job at hand! By 9 we were done and by 9:30 we were safely in a slip. Ahh, fresh hot showers…

A quick lunch with our buds Alan & Rina and we’re back on board so Drew can get some sleep. He’s seen very little in the past 48 hours. Naturally, the last two days of the passage had to give us a little run for our money but we made it. We’ll start making some decisions on our route to Whangarei, which is where Dosia will stay while we head home for the holidays! That’s all in due time though. Right now…that other couch is looking pretty good…

Had a pretty rough night last night which entailed absolutely no sleep for Drew. Throughout a twelve hour time frame which started about 8 p.m., we only went about 12 miles. Can you say frustrating? The winds shifted, Drew adjusted. As soon as he was adjusted, they’d switch again. He was none too happy when I finally came to about 5:30 this morning. After about seven more hours of the same battle things finally started getting back on track a little after noon today. Although I can’t technically see it, I can envision the finish line not far away. We found the angle against these southerly winds we’d been fighting for the past 30 hours and although it’s still bumpy, we’re glad to be making progress again. 68 more miles to go. One more night, obviously assuming all goes well this evening. I’m gonna go ahead and take the high road on this assumption and say that between the hours of four and six in the morning we will be arriving at the entrance to the Bay of Islands. When our parents break from their daily routines and schedules tomorrow for lunch they will be able to breathe a little easier knowing that we are safe. So will I. New Zealand. Neither of us can even begin to believe it…

Well at least it feels like day 25. Currently we’re beating into a 20 knot southwesterly that’s pushing us farther and farther to the west and completely away from our intended destination. Nothing is more frustrating in sailing than not being able to go in a straight line. It will definitely be Tuesday before we get in now. I was counting on those southeasterly winds to blow more than a few hours. I was using them for a nice southwesterly ride to prepare for the upcoming windshift. Then it would have been a simple beam reach straight to Opua with the North Island blocking the biggest of the seas. But as usual, the wind turned sooner than expected and here we are…stuck out in the middle of nowhere. We’re 137 miles due north of the Bay of Islands and sailing more towards Sydney. Typical.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.