Safely at the dock….. it was time to get busy cleaning the boat and getting her back to living conditions…. that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun along the way…..
Slow Flight safely at I Dock at the Bay of Islands MarinaWe put up this new US flag back in American Samoa….. a few thousand miles later…it looks like this ; )
In Fiji, we decided to sign up for the FREE All Points Rally organized by John and Lyn. This rally was for all vessels wanting to participate who were headed to New Zealand and make landfall in Opua, New Zealand. Sponsored by the local chandlers, sail makers, electricians, restaurants, and the Bay of Islands Marina all had some type of event (seminars/gatherings) they hosted and it was a blast! By the time we made land fall there was about a week left of events so we tried to make as many as we could…. of course boat work determined some of our schedule.
Here are a few highlights!
Jam Session
Karl (SV Sky Blue Eyes), Chris (SV Spill the Wine from Seattle), and Dan (SV Danika-also from Seattle WA.) along with other cruisers had a few jam sessions/open mics at the cruisers lounge here at the marina. It was awesome to hear live music and lots of singers and other fun instruments were present.
Wine Tour
Jill and I just walked onto the vehicle ferry. We were picked up and driven to a nearby winery. The ferry trip was about 5 minutes. Vehicle costs about $13 NZD and foot passengers cost $2 NZD….Omata Estate was the winery…they only produce 15,000 bottles a year!View out looking the Bay of Islands from the wineryAfter tasting the wine (7 pours!) it was time to have lunch. Jill and I shared this seafood platter….it was amazing! Green lipped mussels, meats, cheeses, fruit, AND smoked salmon!We were told there was a nice short hike back to the ferry so Jill and I (in inappropriate shoes) decided to do it. We would see these buckets, some empty and some full of gravel with a little sign above notifying where the next buckets would be…..curious….maybe inappropriate (sorry Jill-I would have posted my photo perched upon the bucket if I had it) …. it turns out it is for erosion of the trail and people who use this trail can pick up a bucket and sprinkle it in areas they see need additional grounding. We mean no disrespect SERIOUSLY…..I think it was all the wine we had.
Princess Party
You won’t believe it but Trevor let me dress him up as a princess…How did I do?Briley played the role of Paparazzi…totally ingenious!This guy was top-notch!“Hey look at me!”Super creative!In honor of Hugh HefnerSV Spill the WIne (Chris and Nancy) and friendsSV Sky Blue Eyes (Karl and Julie) with Trevor photo bombingSV Me Too (Jill and Clay)…Clay was not especially happy…but he warmed up as the night progressed…I think : )
Still working on the boat but we can talk about that later…
So I wanted to take his photo but he insisted he “flip” his wig to get the right angle…. Love this guy!
Is this really my son? Wow cute outfit. Glad you are having fun, after the hard crossing. Oxox Dad
All work and no fun is just wrong! Looks like you found the right balance. Hey Trever, wink wink.
I know … right…. I make a prity hot chick….!?