Fish

Its funny you mention catastrophizing Pysche. It is something I am personally conscious of, and try to stop myself when I'm going down that path. But then, today we have 24 new cases, 3 unlinked, 1 a prisoner. Yesterday there was 6 infectious in the community, Friday was 7 infectious in the community. The prisoner did not come forward for testing, he was tested on remand. This is very similar to people turning up at Middlemore for unrelated health issues and being found to be positive. That, and the numbers of 'infectious in the community' is clearly sub-optimal. Whilst I try no

I think you have missed my point a little IT, yes the Police must enforce the rules, but the rules are not the rules. This is in the context that the govt, being cabinet, and the DG of Health, are making up and changing the rules on a regular (weekly) basis. If there were wide spread arrests then this would apply political pressure to cabinet to change or amend the rules - on the basis that they aren't working by virtue of the numbers of arrests. To be clear, I'm not thinking of crack-pot conspiracy theorists protesting in Aotea square. I'm thinking of otherwise law abiding people wanting

You may be right, but that would be a dramatic shift in Govt narrative. Widespread arrests would be a shift to a totalitarian regime. The current narrative is this happy compliant team of 5 million, working together for the greater good, with a couple of ratbags sneaking out of Auck and getting dobbed in. There would be a lot of pissed off people if we can't take a summer holiday. For example, I've always thought people being beaten up (figuratively) for going to and staying at privately owned holiday homes is harsh - provided they stay in their bubbles etc. Clearly, this is different to

I think it is clear there is growing lockdown fatigue. More to the point, up coming issues are Christmas and the summer holidays. Any attempt to cancel Christmas is going to be met with markedly sharper reduction in lockdown compliance. There are a wide number of factors contributing to this: 1) boating, on your own boat in your own bubble, is intrinsically safe. The supposed issues come about if you get into trouble and then may require search and rescue. Then, the issue is that SAR staff have to breach their bubble, most of whom are essential workers anyway... It is only then an is

🤣🤣🤣 Yeah, like this is only a 7 day lockdown?

Fucken shambles. There is fan worm endimic, and we have rules gallore on that. The white truncated haemaroid thing, there is about a dozen marine invasive species. Now they're going to close half of barrier? Anyone remember than M. Bovis palava. Not to mention the other bug thats going around...

Think you forgot the torturing bit. If they go to Jeddah, I will burn my ETNZ gear.

Jeddah? That sailing mecca. Otherwise better known for dropping bombs on starving kids in Yemin? That evil empire? Has all the looks of a bad starwars movie.

I've read Ice Bird. Was kind of left with the whole 'why?' question (he explained that himself), but the whole thing very much seemed like masturbating with a cheese grater - slightly amusing but mainly painful. He didn't take any form of heating, if I remember correctly, because he was in a hurry to leave... There were so many little things he could have done to make the trip easier or safer, but he mainly wanted to see how much he could endure. A fair bit, it turns out.

Did I mention you can wing at L3?

You can get inflatable boards, but I understand you loose a fair bit of performance. Designed for travel / easy stowage on a yacht. In terms of things to hit, you can't get catapulted on a wing like you do on a windsurfer, and you don't need to uphaul a wing like you do when learning to windsurf. I haven't actually tried winging yet (as I spent too much on windsurfing gear) but it looks easy and fun. You can learn to wing on a paddleboard. Plenty of cruisers have those. Harder to go upwind on one, but it is possible if you know what you are doing. Big step up to foiling, but easy to go up

Did I mention wingfoiling / windsurfing is a permitted activity under L3? But sailing isn't. I know of a shop where you can get all the fruit at L4, if anyone is keen. You can even get a Mountain board and wing on the beach or a carpark. You can just use a cruiser skateboard and a wing for carparks, but less room

I've got a foil sitting in my shed. Been wet once, damn lockdowns. Mine is for my windsurfer. I'm having an absolute ball learning to windsurf (planning) on a fin. Current PB is 17.6 knts. Foil is for lighter air days when I can't send it on the fin. Just haven't had a chance to really get out on it so far. All those foils pack down flat, just a bunch of bolts.. The wings deflate into a very small backpack / bag. The wingfoiling boards are actually fairly small and short, and would be easy to store on a yacht. Short story is they are easy to take cruising, and launch from a yacht. A famil

Loads of places are delivering surprisingly quickly with internet orders at the moment. Slight issue if you live on a boat though. You can use my address if you want, and we can arrange for a contactless pick up. If it is urgent, I do know of a boat down on the hardstand just along from you with an un-installed bilge pump sitting in a box in the saloon. There is a ladder chained to the cradle with a combination lock, I can give you the combination... Edit, its not a rule 500 gpm, but it should pump water...

You know they are doing drive in Jabs at North Shore airport now? I was booked at Birkenhead (cause it was the only place with appointments within 2 months), now currently booked via the Dr's at Bunnings car park, but got this message about the Dairy Flat Airport. Sunday - Wednesday, 8 something to 3 something. Got it via text and email on Friday night. Amazing what happens when they fly in more vaccine stocks... You could go today and not even need gas for the car (save the environment, and some $$$) I even got some priority booking code, making me feel like some under-privileged Mo

Oh good. If we are still in lockdown, there will be some good (slow moving) drama to follow in the news, other than covid. I do love the Americas cup for providing good, ongoing entertainment. Fulling the gossip columns and generally keeping the media busy. People may lament this is not yachting, but is is 100% first class Americas Cup

Missus walked in on me watching videos of Mountain Boarding ... "how much is one of those going to cost?!?..." Conversation didn't go well. Turns out the Mt Boards are sold out across NZ, anyone would think all the kiters and wingers got in quick to keep themselves active over lockdown. Next shipment arriving in Lyttleton on the 13th Sept. With any luck we will be at L3 on the 14th and can go for an actual windsurf. BOIGuy, yes, I take your point. This is mainly for amusement during lockdown, although we have a nice sloping grass reserve infront of the house and I could use one as an

Damn 44forty, you've given me an idea that will piss my missus off. She keeps on saying I'm not allowed any more toys... I've been interested in getting one of these Mountain Boards for a while. Good for the beach at low tide, so more room than a carpark. Will work fine for a carpark too. Not as fast as nylon wheels on asphalt, but I can just put a bigger rig on if I want to go faster. I've got an old 4.5 training rig I'd be perfectly happy to trash land-wind-surfing... Major work distraction for the afternoon, hmmm Assault Boardriding Centre | MBS Core 94 Mountainboard, Wi

Most areas that flooded are in the flood plains, and that is known. Some areas that flooded (based on what I saw in the news) are not formally in the flood plain. This makes me think the intensity was over 1:100 yrs. 201 mm in 14 hrs. Council did spend moon beams on flood mitigation along the back of the main street. So basically there is not much more you can do. The river flows out towards Helensville and the Kaipara, and has a very large catchment area. As you know, it is basically dead flat from Kumeu to Helensville. About the only way you could deal with it is do what Chch did and bu

Was the carpark flooded? Damn, I'm gagging to go for a windsurf... Leisure centre was built on a swamp. There has been some wing-surfers using skateboards at the beach carpark across the road (football club). This wind will be driving them nuts. Just get a skateboard / longboard / cruiser, and get going with a regular wing. Big risk is touching a tip down on the asphalt and stuffing the fabric. Given how desperate people are getting, I don't think they care if they damage the gear. Good wind, large empty carpark and some boredom....

PS, back in the day, I had mates that co-owned a 20 something footer. 5 of us went to the Barrier on it. It was so cosy you had to ask someone to move so you could fart, but we had a lot of fun. Their first trip to the Barrier, they ended up in Coromandel Town. Anchored in the bay and went to the pub for a feed. Came back and the tide had gone out. Had to wade 100's meters through stinking mud to get back on board. They were using a road atlas for a map, instead of an actual chart. Just headed for the big hills on the horizon. Turns out Coromandel looks bigger than Barrier from Auckland.

My random advise, in no particular order: Don't bother with one down south. Even with experience, sailing a boat of the age, size and condition you are talking about from South to North is a big undertaking. With no experience, it is a high chance of disaster, as in life threatening, and at the very least, cost in stuff you wouldn't necessarily need if just cruising the Gulf and Northland coast. If you are going to live on it, get a really good anchor and loads of chain. I'd budget for a new one. Go for a sarca excel anchor for Chains ropes and anchors, it wont drag. Then you can sle

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 C'mon Aardvark, reality now, its a boat....

Off Plymouth in the English Channel, we always use to loose our GPS signal. In the general vicinity of a military exercise area. There was one incident, after a particularly boozy few days in a waterfront pub near the Hoe, sitting out a storm, we were slowing sailing along off Plymouth Sound, feeling a bit worse for wear, when a fighter jet lined us up. The thing was just above the waves, coming straight at us. I could see straight into the turbines on both sides of the cockpit. We were sitting on deck having a yarn, my other crew with their backs to the jet fighter. I stopped talkin

Or maybe the back, which ever way you look at it. I honestly think they make these ships out of cardboard derivatives. Apparently it has been drifting out of the environment. Cargo ship splits in two in Japan, oil spilling into the sea | Stuff.co.nz