Kia Ora o Aotearoa!

Bamboozle
Jamie and Lucy Telfer
Fri 29 Oct 2010 19:12
35:18.959S 174:07.274E

A quick note just to say that we have arrived safely in New Zealand after a
fantastic season and a lot of sea miles. Lucy did find herself wondering
back in April how on earth I had managed to persuade her to set off across
the Pacific for a second time but it has again been an outstanding
adventure. Bamboozle has been amazing and is a huge step up from Savoir
Vivre when it comes not only to comfort and safety but also in terms of the
whole pleasure of cruising. We have covered the long passages swiftly and
with little or no drama and I have not had to spend too much time in
beautiful places fixing the boat. The luxuries of a big freezer, a decent
watermaker and even (whisper it quietly!)...a washing machine do make a huge
difference and, whilst cruising can sometimes feel like a extended camping
trip, Bamboozle has certainly elevated us to what we now term "posh"
camping. There have been some amazing highs (the diving in Fakarava,
swimming with whales in Vava'u and sharing some of these wonderful places
with visiting friends and family) and the few less pleasant or scary bits,
the long night watches and occasional burst of snotty weather are soon
forgotten. We have met some wonderful people, both islanders and cruisers
and one thing we have learnt cruising is only to say "Au revoir" rather
"Adieu"....we hope to see some of them again. The Pacific Ocean remains an
incredible place to sail and on such a crowded planet we have been
privileged to spend so much time in one of the less disturbed bits.

We have covered about 8000nm (15,000km) since leaving Panama at the start of
April and so arriving here in New Zealand by yacht is a very special
feeling. Having just come south out of the tropics it feels cold but Kiwis
more than make up for that with the warmth of their welcome and it is great
to be back in the land of the Long White Cloud. We will stay up here in
Opua in the Bay of Islands for a week or so before heading down the coast
towards Gulf Harbour just a little north of Auckland where we will be
hauling Bamboozle and leaving her safely up on the hard for a well deserved
rest. Although we are sad our season is drawing to a close we are both
looking forward to a bit of time when we don't need to check the weather
every day and lots of peaceful nights when there is no danger of the bed
moving or the anchor alarm going off at 2am.