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Elana Connor is an amazing solo sailor from California, aboard a 34ft sloop called ‘Windfola’ she was embarking on a solo circumnavigation of the world- raising awareness for kids in foster care, (as this is her story) when Covid19 hit and she found herself stranded in Tauranga for Lockdown level 4. She very quickly became part of our Family here at Tauranga Bridge Marina and has under gone some significant revamps to her vessel and her plans. With no ability to continue her mission to circumnavigate for a while, due to international restrictions, she has turned salt water into cha

The Circle is complete Wed Oct 07 2020 At 1610 I crossed my outbound track, surging into Matiatia on a brisk Southwest wind. I rounded up in the lee of the headland, furling the genoa and dropped the main for the last time. After over a month at sea I felt like an albatross folding it wings as it returns to the land from its soaring across the boundless oceans. I have sailed two and a half thousand miles around New Zealand, through triumphs and disasters, challenges great and small, through happiness and despair. Through every emotion really. The hardest part has been dealing wi

I don't see how they would be 'stuck' in Tahiti? With a Carte de Seyjour, they could easily sail to Nuka Hiva or sail to the eastern Tuamotu for hurricane season, or even Hawaii to the north. The issue (in the case of New Zealand) is not about safety and quarantine. It is about fairness to everyone. There are thousands of people who want to enter New Zealand. Some of them held valid entry visas, some are actually family (foreign wives and husbands) of kiwi citizens who are refused entry. It would seem unjust to allow a foreigner in only because they arrived by boat. As my shipmate has sai

I was going through some old logs for my Daughter, who asked about something, and I came across this log of the 2010 Solo Tasman. I thought some here might be interested, but sorry I'm not the writer that our friend who just completed the South Island circumnavigation is! The Voyages of SV Island Time We begin the record of Island Times voyage at Mana Cruising Club, just north of Wellington, New Zealand late in January 2010. New Zealand has very strict safety regulations for offshore yachts, and before you can leave you have to have the boat up to a large standard

This is my favourite one

They want to come to NZ not because their son died, not because of weather problems, but because their broker says the yacht will sell more easily here. They left and buried their son in the uk, then returned to the yacht. Get that - they CHOSE to return to the yacht, recently. They have a range of options avaialble to them before that. They could have stayed in the UK in August when they already should have known the position of the NZ govt on cruising yachts entering NZ. Having chosen to return to the yacht, they could stay where they are and sell there, or appoint an agent

Thought I'd close the topic by confirming I cleared into Fiji last Friday at the end of a 7 day quarantine off Denerau. Trip up from BoI was awesome. Fantastic crew (including a couple of highly capable cooks), and a nice comfy quick boat. We had some great laughs, brilliant music, wit only a single day/night of rain. Wind on the nose the entire trip, but you can't have everything. Very happy to have finally boarded my own boat here in Savusavu.

I would love to think the mainstream media could recognise your achievement and at least make the reast of NZ aware of what you have just completed. Congratulations on a great achievement.

Gold from Kiwiblog via Cactus Kate

Forgetting whether you agree with it or not, one huge difference between 1 super yacht coming in & spending 3 million dollars, and 300 small yachts coming in & spending $10,000 each to reach the same 3 mill spend, is it takes very little cost, manpower or resource to safely get a superyacht in & quarantined safely. And like the film industry, the superyacht picks up the bill. Same as getting 250 overseas film crew in, Directors, Producers, Actors etc. who enable projects that employ thousands of Kiwis, & kickstart 1.5 billion in film projects. Vs 250 fruit pickers

I think people’s attitudes will change when they see two yachts match racing at 50kts on a narrow track close to land

this weekend - Wairoa (Clevedon) River to Rotoroa Home Bay on Friday, pleasant day strolling around the island (water's still a bit cool for me for swimming) pre-evening drinks watching the sun go down and the moon come up in the company of about 12 other boats of various types. Saturday Rotoroa to Rakino - I've lived in Auckland since 1989 and never been to either. Slow going motoring against the tide up the Waiheke Channel but finally picked up some wind off Onetangi and circumnavigated Rakino before deciding that Home Bay must be good since they named it twice and everything else was

What complicates the matter is that strut is a stressed member. Fabricating a bit of steel is the easy bit, getting it in there is somewhat harder Imagine trying to replace a spreader, and you have to get the rig tension and mast bend back to where is should (must) be, without touching the turnbuckles or addind any significant weight aloft. Its certinaly not beyond the wit of man to complete, but considering the implications if it goes wrong the amount of planning, peer review and analysis that goes into this will be significant

No H & S here, but the hardware looks great.

This (for me) is a truly tough one and it may be that the herald got some of the facts muddled? It might help to know that I had an exchange with the mother and she said that they had to leave FP with no time to spare to accomplish the burial of their son. Then apparently had to return to attend a judicial investigation hearing in September in Tahiti over this tragic death. It may be that they could not have stayed in the UK ? There is allot to this we don't know and many possibilities. In the end... I feel very very sad for this family.

I think SSANZ made a great call in dropping Ponui as a rounding mark. Yes it is doable but is it smart? SSANZ likes to set challenges and will often race in more breeze than other organisations... but the issue with the passage south of Ponui is there is no ability for skippers to take a safer option ie wide rounding... and puts the boats into a must do situation with limited searoom if they are to complete the race. Other races like RNZ / RNI you have the option to stay well away from rocks/islands letting the skipper/crew on how much searoom they require or are comfortable w

He’s got a solution for everything: 37º 15.714s 177º 15.924e Of tanks and dolphins Tue Oct 06 2020 The wind continues to blow exactly from my waypoint up ahead.Its uncanny how little it varies in direction and yet it’s up and down like a yo yo. Sometimes I am sailing, sometimes motoring, mostly both together as the sea is steep and lumpy making progress slow. Dolphins have been playing around the boat all morning. The bow wave is pretty disappointing for them when just motoring but when I unfurl the genoa and we go surging off on a tangent they ge

I dont get these threads, boat buying is caveat emptor. Having a go at someone like this is a bit of a dogpile that goes nowhere. Maybe someone should set up a boat buying for beginners thread? Seriously if you go on tm and buy a crashed boat or for that matter any boat without either good advice or experience then its on you. From what I have read this seller has a different way of looking at things and who is to say he is wrong? Some would consider a boat thats not maintained by professionals as completely suspect, some people buy new for many hundreds of K, yet others trawl TM looking

took my policy out in May no issues with AMI

Totally different argument, sorry. General tourists (by plane) pose a huge and difficult to control (expensive to quarantine) risk to NZ. The cruising sailboats, on the other hand, are easy to quarantine (anchor out, remove dinghy, or behind barriers on wharf/marina) for the little time they have left in quarantine. Then take the economic benefit that they can provide. On a daily basis, the average cruiser will spend less than the average tourist, but as they are here longer, and often refit, it adds up... Little risk, with good benefits, we should do it. IMO.

I can't wait to see them out there. They're all good teams, the boats are amazing I think. I used to be a sceptic, but am now fully on-board with the concept and the close-in race courses. Bring it on!

No I don't have to, yes and yes and I already have 🤘 I have made my thoughts very clear. Your stance imo is ludicrous. Suggesting yachts and crew could simply head home around the horn even just to make a nonsensical point is beyond ridiculous. Contrary to your post, to the best of my recollection no one has stated that coming to NZ is the ONLY option for the cruisers however it is probably the safest, simplist and most sensible option. I wonder if you were sitting in the cockpit having a nice cold beer with some of these cruisers if you would be happy to make the same sugg

We are not scared of anything. Its called management. The COVID event is not finished. No-one can reliably say when that blessed day will arrive. In that situaiton, we could conceivably have people arrive here and then be unable to leave for an extended period - perhaps up to two years. Where would they go? Everywhere is some degree of closed. Movie crews arrive with documents stipulating their return to point of origin - its common for many work visas including some of staff I have. Cruising boats, not so much. They are germans. Germany has a well funded consular net

Shared sh!tless because we are all following?

A quick comment from an alternate universe: ML King taught us that, if we determine that a law is unjust, we can and should break it; but we should also be prepared to accept the legal consequences (without whining). That way, we can show our respect for the law in general while breaking a particular law. Kind of like Socrates' approach. On the whole, I support Mr. Smith. Who knows, he might be able to strike a blow for the freedom of the seas by his action.

No... I am saying that they could have gone three separate ways to avoid the risk of hurricanes. They are Germans this means they are EU citizens. As an EU citizen, you are allowed to stay in French Polynesia and are allowed to renew this for quiet some time. Given this status: They could have stayed put on Nuka Hiva thru all of this. Which is exactly what we are doing here in New Zealand. We had planed to go to Fiji this season but decided that it was inappropriate to leave here and expect to have a hurricane refuge in some other country. They could have sailed south to th

Puysegur Point to port Fri Sep 25 2020 A change of plan. I was going to spend the night at Otago Retreat, the shallow channel between Coal Island and the Puysegur Point lighthouse depot landing. The idea was to have civilized night at anchor and then catch the NW wind in the morning. So the wind filled in early after dying from the South. With such a good breeze behind me I wanted to get a jump on the next weather system and use it to slingshot me round through Foveaux Strait, up the Catlins coast and on towards the Otago Peninsula. The big advantage is that the wind will be

The more I follow this the greater the feeling that it would be poor form not to donate. This guy really is risking life and limb. I wonder what it must be like to live in a country that values and funds the protection of its heritage?

Jeez why ask them when they could just get you guys to do the job. Personally I would prefer the job to be done properly rather than the quickest patch up fix with Cheapest Chinese Steel and Cut Corners.

This is a Stupid decision and will effect peoples well being, if not their lives. It is not realistic to tell the yachties out there to "go home" as voyages and seasons must align for small vessels to have the best chance of safe passage. There is no way to come to NZ safely once a cyclone is present! Most passages from the Islands are min 10 days, most of the quarantine is already done, so the risk is minimal This is a very big loss to the local marine industry Yep the director general may be a good doctor, but he obviously has no understanding of small boat vo

Them be purdy.... Sounds good just keep remembering 'chafe' and position to minimise. Also watch for screw heads and tiny burrs and other things like that, they do get more ropes than most would think.

Actually it's surprisingly easy to get to the UK on commercial flights right now. One of my best friends did it last week - Singapore Air had flights every other day out of Auckland to Singapore and onto London. He sent me a video of the flight - here it is below. if it was other way around then a European government looking at NZ might be concerned how long the queue would be to get onto a flight here. But going the other way it's not an issue and unlikely to become one. My friend wasn't even stopped or questioned at Heathrow either at Immigration or Customs - just waved through a very quiet

It's a Discovery 55. Better than an Oyster IMO (the later ones at least). I think the difference between these guys and normal cruisers is the tragic death of their 14yr boy. This prospect would bring a chill to the spine of any sailing parent. So the family are obviously already emotionally traumatised and they are trying to avoid being financially traumatised as well- which as we all know would further emotionally affect them etc. So I do think there is an unusual (tragic) aspect to their case which few general policies would cater for - hence a fresh review is warranted in th

Hire a NZ crew to fly up (or sail up) and bring it back.

One of the key issues for the govt may be the exit options for anyone entering NZ. Ths is where the cruising fraternity run foul. Anyone entering on a specific purposes work visa HAS to have a statement from the employer guaranteeing return or repatriation at the end of the visa. I know - I write them. Fruit pickers, russian fishers, american AC sailors, strippers and CEOs all have to have a repatriation guarantee. Visitor visa holders do not. It has just been assumed that they will go. Currently, that cannot be assumed since there may well be nowhere for them to go. This espec

Depends on what you are used to. There are some that are almost the equivalent of hard shell kayak, but they are pricey. If it's a toy, then there are cheaper options. If you are used to a proper sea kayak, or DRR boat, you'll be disappointed! But, they can be better than a sit-on-top, which IMO is not a kayak!

Id check to see if the hull is painted or still gelcoat, photo 1 looks like paint. If gel then buy 1/2 litre of flowcoat (prewaxed gelcoat) and some yellow tint, google the colour match process, be aware you cant untint anything! You can use the same method for the deck repair. If paint, sadly you'll need a primer otherwise the paint might fall off plus youll need a lot of coats. if it was me Id just go to an auto paint place, buy a can of primer/filler and a can of yellow (closest match) and spray it.

Would go back to Ko Samui any time.

Pic insurance. Have a 727. No survey required and a $750 excess for race cover. With agreed value. Great people to deal with.

"Closed is closed is closed, with one rule for all." Haha, what colour is the ocean on your planet?

Sorry BP, I was using that to highlight where things would end up if we have a substantial fleet of world cruisers stuck in NZ for a few years. I am wrong, and I withdraw the comment. And I'm not trying to cast aspersions on your ability to fish, but there is no way you'd catch all of the fish

Calm down Sabre, and let the emotion settle down a bit. You are saying several things there that I did not say and don't agree with. You are conflating a number of issues. I am not at all concerned about these guys bringing the virus in. They'd all be sick as a dog before they got here if they had it. I'm actually fairly concerned how a boat could leave a place like Tahiti that is virus ridden, and the risk of coming down with it mid passage. There is near-zero risk of any cruiser brining the virus in. The issue is how long they will stay for when they get here. Now, we might get int

Interesting thread, some people just love rules and bureaucracy (perhaps to cover for their real reasons) . On a practical human level if these guys knocked on my door, i'd help them. They present about zero risk of covid introduction. So much for us bleating on about Manus Island etc... I think its pretty mean spirited.

https://www.facebook.com/NH.Hineamaru/ Customs at Opua and Covid 19 Some of our team went over to Opua Marina to check out the Covid 19 processes. When the Covid Lock Down Levels had gone up, we looked to hold checkpoints on State Highway 1 at Waiomio. Yet, we don't keep such a surveillance on our coastlines and especially with the tourist season starting to ramp up and yachts starting to enter our waters. A very interesting point is that Customs NZ was first established on 5 January 1840, when the first Head of Customs was appointed in Kōrōr

Thinking ahead to the day he (hopefully) makes it back to Waiheke I reckon this guy deserves a hero’s welcome. Anyone else think we should welcome him back with a little convoy? I would say weather permitting - but after what he’s been through I feel a bit bad being picky if it’s a bit wet & windy on the day he returns to the Gulf! 😳

So what you are saying here, in short, is the "humanitarian" issue is where to park the boat? There are areas in the FP territory that don't get cyclones - Eastern Taumuto's, so is the issue really the French not extending visas? It sounds like these three deutch will have a safe park for their boat, be flown home, be asked to cover their costs (flights) and be allowed to sell their boat and keep the proceeds, or possibly pay to park it for a long time, and maybe come back and get it, albeit with a bit of bureaucracy to deal with. Paradoxically, I think the situation is about fairnes

Could Kiwi sailors Northwest Passage transit break legal ice between Canada and US

Like me, she is not from here. I was owned by her for a time in the Pacific Northwet. She had circumnavigated before my ownership, can you guess this one?

Strange how ETNZ charged us (the taxpayer ) for the initial design of the first vessel -then sold it on to Prada and Stars and Stripes, did we get a refund?