Day 1 to Opua
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 10 Dec 2013 13:30
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22:38.43S
176:31.16W
Day 1 to Opua, New
Zealand
 Beez Neez
lookin’ mighty fine.
Sunday was always
going to be a day for chores. We jumped up and got to it. Bear as usual nipped
over to Big Mama, came rushing back with good news. Internet back up and running today. Marvelous,
that means we won’t have to cross the bay in Baby Beez for the weather files.
After tea and toast, I got down to cooking. Bear went to scrub Beez bottom, a
requirement before taking her in to New Zealand waters.
Since we left Panama ‘the booze
fridge’ (the portable chap that lives under the end of the dining table), has
been my meat and fish freezer. Emptied and cleaned out, converted back to fridge
temperature means that I can get rid of cans and bottles from the big fridge. It
can be a chore in itself getting anything out from the bottom as I can only just
reach down into the depths. That said all my stowage boxes are now clean, shiny,
in order and easily seen, as opposed to being buried because the fridge is too
full. Sweet and sour chicken, beef curry, tuna steaks for tonight and pork chops
for tomorrow all done as the captain came in from scrubbing.
Indoors tidied, thermals out ready in
case and blogs written up to date, it was time to test mamas signal strength
with a cold wet in hand. Very fast. Now another interesting laptop experience
for me. Currently I am ‘borrowing’ Bears Sony, which I feel sure Noah used for
his spreadsheets on stowage and supplies. Steady. Its true. Since it did an update in town, I
can open Outlook Express to send the blogs, but, I cannot open or access Google
and as that is the search engine of choice, currently Google Tonga, I’m stuck.
Nothing for it but to send blogs via the Sony and date them through Bears Mac. A
couple of cold ones for that then......... Back for supper, a backgammon loss
for me which led to the need for a violent film.
 Monday morning. Bear
went in for weather files, “oh, you’ll have to wait for the ferry to come back
with petrol for the generator, about eleven o’clock........” Baby Beez stowed
and all ready to up anchor at half past one. It felt good to be on our way. The
wiggly course through the scattered islands in sixty feet of water was a bit
washing machine like, but as soon as we saw the last green
buoy, deep water bade us ‘welcome’. I thought the buoy looked like a
little Mandarin soldier holding a ceremonial something or other. Yes, dear. Mmmm.
We passed the area of out-at-sea surf
we saw the other day in the hire car, just as impressive but pictures never do
it justice at such a distance. Once by them, it was time to turn back on
ourselves into wind, put the main up with one reef, same with the genoa and set
course for the next thousand miles or so.
 A gentle
sunset. Average speed around six knots, average wind around twenty knots.
I lost yet again at backgammon and soon the bearded one was soundo in his
cockpit nest. I settled to listen to the end of The Nutmeg of Consolation and
started Clarissa Oakes. I do like the books read by Robert Hardy. One or two
have have not and are just not the same. The night passed in a nice
rhythm.
 I went to bed to a
pleasing sunrise at six.
 Bear passed an odd little island
called ‘Ata, sprouting from nowhere in the middle of
nowhere.
 I like the picture Bear took at two
and a half miles off, very impressed he got a sea bird in, Oh purely by accident I have to admit. Well I like
it well enough but without a glimmer of sunshine, the dullness was in for day.
At have past one, our first twenty four hours at sea, saw one hundred and thirty
five point seven nautical miles under Beez belt. Speed settled to just
over five knots and the wind at fifteen on a gentle sea with the odd big wave
from the left. The only fly in the ointment was losing five two at backgammon,
eroding my lead to just two...................... Maybe lunch of pork chop,
cabbage, carrots, mash, gravy and apple sauce will settle my losing
waspishness.............
We’ll see, but,
I’ll put no money on that one.
Steady – Have you ever seen a
ripening pineapple used sharp end first.
Bear has.
Run Bear, Run
ALL IN ALL A GREAT
START
EXCELLENT |