Back in the Water, Again!
Tuesday, January 29th – Returning to the yard, after our relaxing 3-day weekend, Avante awaits us with her sides polished, bottom painted and her new shiny brass propeller in place. She is scheduled to splash with the high tide at 3:00, and everything remains set for us to do so.
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To our surprise, waiting for us on the deck of Avante are two beautiful stainless steel brackets, each about a foot long. Stainless Chris had spent part of his weekend completing fabrication of the main mounting brackets for the davits. The First Mate had not realized that in ordering her davits from Chris, she would just be buying the parts. Stainless Chris, the maker of stainless steel parts, does not drill holes in boats to attach his beautiful parts. Someone else has to position, drill and attach his beautiful parts to the boat. Of course, that someone else is The Captain. She had not known this which, naturally, led to her not realizing the added irritation this was causing The Captain over something he did not want in the first place! She consoles herself with the thought that once these davits are in place and in use, he will see how super they are and like them maybe just a little!
Fortunately, The Captain had lined up Matt from Opua Boatbuilders to help him with this installation. Matt had been standing by for days, but at this 11th hour, he scrambles to help us. The holes are drilled, and the brackets mounted and caulked before the yard crew arrive to put Avante back in the water. Avante will leave the boatyard with a small start on The First Mate’s highly desired dinghy davits. The rest will have to wait.
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Shortly before 3:00, the crane handlers show up to prepare to hoist Avante up from her supports and haul her across the yard to the water. From either side of the crane, the heavy-duty slings are pulled under the boat and interlaced together with strong metal rods.
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The slings are then pulled up so that they cradle the boat. As the slings snug around the belly of the boat taking and lifting its weight, the metal supports holding the boat up are removed.
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Avante is now swinging gently from 2 thick canvas slings. It is a system which, in The First Mate’s estimate, looks way insubstantial to support all 18 tons of Avante. Ever so slowly, crane and boat move through the yard to the ramp where Avante will be lowered into the water.
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There is always a sigh of relief when a boat is safely deposited back in the water. This is where she belongs. Moving a boat out of the water and around the yard is an everyday occurrence, but it is still a risky one. Accidents do happen, and with these heavy boats and massive cranes, these accidents are always costly. We breathe our sighs of relief and climb on board Avante to motor her to her berth in the marina.
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It would be great to say, “and they sailed away into the sunset,” but this is a boat. Nothing is that easy. There is still plenty of work to do. Avante may have shiny sides and a pristine bottom, but the rest of her is filthy. Weeks of collected dust and grime from the boat yard have to be scrubbed and washed off her. Down below, everything has to be put away and the dust of all that work has to be cleaned up. An inventory has to be taken by The First Mate so a restocking of food and other items can be made. There is no doubt that boat ownership can be a lot of drudgery!
The First Mate heads off shopping so we can now have dinner on board and be ready to go out in the bay for a shakedown cruise. Meanwhile, The Captain scrubs and washes the outside of the boat . She now shines topside and is ready for the 2 new headsails we have ordered. The sails were commissioned through a small shop in Kerikeri, Willis Sails. Small it may be, but big on reputation. The sails arrive on time as promised. They are beautiful and made with an exotic carbon fiber material. We can’t wait to get out in the bay to fly them.
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Now that the davit mounts are attached, Stainless Chris arrives to take final measurements before he fabricates the davits. It’s a work in progress, but at least it’s moving.
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As with life, owning a boat is full of surprises, and not all of them are good. During the week before Avante went back in the water, The Captain received a routine email from our boat insurance broker inquiring about our plans for the year so he could work on the renewal of our policy. The Captain responded that our plans were still under discussion, but he would forward one shortly. That Friday we received a second email from our broker advising that the insurer we have been using for years, a Lloyds of London syndicate, is getting out of the boat insurance business. They and a number of other insurers are doing so following the astronomical loses sustained in the extreme storms that have swept through the Caribbean and Florida. Our broker tells us that a rough idea of our plans will allow him to get started on finding a new insurer by the end of March when our current insurance expires. Our broker also inquires about maintenance we have done on Avante and whether we have a recent survey. The Captain replies with a rough plan and highlights some of the maintenance we have done to keep Avante in great shape.
Friday, March 1st – Another email arrives from our broker, and this one gives us the very unwelcome news that no new insurance company he has talked to will provide a quote without a recent out-of-water survey. The timing is terrible. Avante just went back in the water after spending 3 weeks on land! Why could we not have learned this before she went back in the water? It is not easy nor is it inexpensive to haul Avante out of the water here in Opua, New Zealand. The smaller size of their lift requires that both foresails be taken off and the furlers moved during the haulout. In 2 weeks, we are flying home to the States. Can we even get this inspection done by then?
Insurance problem or not, we must leave the marina today by noon, for they have another boat booked into our berth. With the weekend looming, we, also, know that there is nothing we can do about this insurance issue until Monday. Our plan is to get underway this morning, but there is one final item. A new custom fitted mattress for our bed was ordered in January, and it is on the truck coming up from Auckland scheduled to be delivered this morning between 0700 and 0900. By 1000, there still is no mattress. The boat awaiting our berth is chomping at the bit eager to take our place. Finally, an irritated trucker shows up a little after 1100 telling us that he is in a hurry because he is running behind schedule. We feel no pity. We are in a hurry, too! We manhandle the new mattress down through the narrow companionway and haul the old one out as quickly as possible. At 1145, 15 minutes prior to checkout time, we start up and motor into the nearby bay. The waiting boat is in our slip within 5 minutes of our departure. Out in the bay, we anchor for an hour to put the dodger back on Avante, as it had to be removed to get the mattresses in and out.
At long last, cleaned up and livable, we head out into the Bay of Islands for a 10-day shakedown cruise to test the new propeller, the new watermaker, the new AIS system, the new inverter and the new sails. Heck, after such a long time on land, we’re out to test ourselves, too! How good to be out on the water again, anchored at night off a quiet shore, rather than berthed in a busy marina.
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The weekend is spent testing out our new systems and proudly they show us their stuff. The new jib is flown. The cut and shape are perfect. All is working well aboard Avante.
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Monday, February 4th – A boat insurance broker in the Opua Marina has been recommended to us, and returning to Opua where we anchor off the marina, we pay him a visit. Perhaps, he can help us find a new insurance company. Not only does he bemoan the turmoil in the industry, he confirms as fact that a new insurer will almost certainly want a recent survey due to the age and the value of our boat. As if to console us, he tells us that we are not the only boat owners with insurance issues. Some have much bigger issues. For some unknown reason, he has not been able to get any insurance company to cover Canadian flagged boats. Why Canadian? They don’t see a lot of hurricanes. At the moment, things are certainly bizarre. Application forms are given us as well as contact information for a local insurance surveyor.
Another insurance broker in Auckland is recommended to us. We call him and receive more application forms. In between filling out pages of documents, the boat surveyor is contacted. This insurance mess has proven to be a boon for his business, for we are not the only boat now needing a survey. The inspector is booked solidly, but he can make it down the day before we leave for the portion of the inspection that is done in the water. There is no way around it. The out-of-water inspection where he attests to the integrity of Avante’s hull is going to have to be done while we are gone.
Tuesday, February 5th – With plans made for cruising friends, Annette and Ron, on s/v Freewheel to join us on Avante for dinner tonight, we head out for our rendezvous in Paradise Cove. With Avante’s dark blue hull and Freewheel’s light blue one, the 2 boats are eye-catching when anchored together. It is always great to spend time with cruising friends, and our evening with Annette and Ron is no exception.
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Wednesday, February 6th – We have decided to sail up the coast to the large harbour of Whangaroa. With multiple bays offering protection from various wind angles, it is a delightful place to spend a few days, plus there are 2 hikes that we would love to do again. Our journey up there turns out to be disappointing since there just is not enough wind to sail. We mostly motor the 5 hours to the harbour entrance.
Entering the harbour, we turn right into the first bay and motor past the mound of rock with the highly descriptive name of The Duke’s Nose. There is a small cove we enjoy anchoring in, but once anchored, the wind proves too swirly for such a tight spot. We move across the harbour to more protected Waitapu Bay.
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Day’s travel done, safely and securely at anchor, The Captain relaxes on deck in the late afternoon sun.
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Thursday, February 7th – Today, we are going to do the first of the 2 hikes we plan to do while here in Whangaroa Harbour. St. Paul’s Rock, above the town of Whangaroa, is our objective. Weighing anchor, we motor down the bay to anchor below the knob.
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It’s an enjoyable hike initially up through a small residential area and then on up through a combination of dense wooded areas and open green land. Several spots offer pretty vistas of the bays below us and from the top we are rewarded with sweeping views of the harbour.
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Returning to the bottom, we walk along the harbour to a little store where we know we can buy Magnum ice cream bars. What a treat! We do not have these in the States, but The First Mate can attest that the Double Double Chocolate has no equal. Having spent several hours on the hike, we happily enjoy our indulgence.
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On the way back to the dinghy, we pass a man who is working on his boat. Now it is every boat owner’s dream to have his boat in his backyard. It makes working on the boat so much handier and looking out on it is a joy. By “backyard”, that usually means a dock on a canal or narrow waterway. This gentleman has taken backyard to a whole new level, and what a job of re-working he has undertaken. She will be a beauty someday.
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Saturday, February 9th – The Duke’s Nose is our hike for today. Anchored below the Duke, we dinghy into the landing adjacent the trail head. Knowing from past experience that at low tide, rocks and mud will do damage to the dinghy bottom, we tie the boat to shore with a long lead and then throw an anchor on a bungie cord far out off the aft end. This will keep the boat off the rocks and yet allow us to pull the boat closer to us when we return.
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The trail up to the top of Duke’s Nose is much more rugged and demanding than that up St. Paul’s. Most of it is through dense woodlands where the trail is rutted and washed out in several spots. It’s a challenge at times to haul oneself up and over roots and rocks without slipping on the slick dirt. Not being the fastest hiker up hill, The First Mate is relieved when The Captain stops to wait for her at the more challenging spots. Here a metal rod helps the hiker over a rough section.
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Just below the summit, the path leads straight up a rocky embankment. It’s not that long, but it is vertical. Metal tubing has been chiseled into the rock to give one something to hang onto when there is nothing else to keep one from falling backwards off the wall. The First Mate is not a fan of this part of the climb.
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Where to next wedge her foot to get a firm toehold? Okay, now the next step up.
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Reaching a somewhat level spot, she pauses to look around and assess her next moves upward. The Captain yells down encouragement, but she is questioning herself. Is this going to be the first physical challenge that she is going to quit because she is too scared to do it? Are her 71 years catching up to her? Never! Not yet at least! On up she goes.
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She made it! Refusing to think about how she’s going to get back down, she follows The Captain across the last section to the top of the Duke’s Nose where the views of the harbour open out below them.
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What fantastic views! It’s a picture-perfect day, and they take advantage of it. Below is the bay under the Duke’s watchful nose where we like to anchor Avante.
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Fascinated by the bright orange foliage against the blue water and sky, this photo shows the opening into Whangaroa Harbour.
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A slight detour off the top on the way back down shows the depth of the valley and canyons below them. It is rugged, wild, heavily vegetated terrain.
BTW: she made it down that metal rod part. With The Captain below her and his instructions directing the placement of her toes, she reached bottom in one piece. Does she want to go up that thing again? Not any time soon!
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The next day we left Whangaroa Harbour for the trip south. Uneventful it was, and back in the marina, we set to work getting ready to leave the boat as well as arranging to have Avante hauled out for the insurance survey.
To The First Mate’s delight and The Captain’s amazement, Stainless Chris was busy while we were gone. With a second baby due soon, Chris does not want to wait until our return at the end of March to get paid. The davits are finished! Both sides are bolted onto the mounting brackets, but there is only time to get the port side mounting brace installed before we leave. These lower mounting braces are bolted through a balsa-cored section of the transom which makes drilling and sealing the bolt holes a more complicated and time consuming process. Though the davits cannot hold anything yet, The First Mate thinks they are awesome!
Friday, February 15th – Later this afternoon, we will catch the bus to the Auckland Airport for our trip home. In the few days we were back, we cleaned up the boat, turned off or disengaged everything needful of such while we are off the boat and packed ourselves up to leave. We also had the in-water portion of our insurance survey completed, and we removed our new jib and staysail so Avante could be hauled out while we are gone. All matters taken care of as best we can and Avante secure in her berth under watchful eyes, we head home for a brief 6 weeks to enjoy our time in the snow. Ski mountain here we come!
Comments (4)
Georgiann Carroll
Hiking and Insurance – what a mess. Last week I went to my primary care physician and he has me on every imaginable. He gave me meds for stronger bones and to lower my cholesterol. I have an appointment in Sept. with a cardiologist. Think I’ll wait to see her.
Looking forward to seeing you in Telluride.
Happy Mother’s Day Sue.
Hugs,
Georgiann
Pam Fugazzi
Magnums have been available in the US for years.
Enjoying your blogs as usual.
Pam
Davis Driver
Sounds like the boat is going to be good for another 50 years at this point. Hope to see you soon at Desert Mountain.
Judy Hall
What wonderful adventures…AND SUE YOU ARE SUCH A WONDERFUL WRITER…
I always love hearing from you…Judy
I’m still hanging in…