February 2002 Nelson, NZ
Alvei Newsletter from New Zealand February 2002
Slightly out of touch. It has been 18 months since the last newsletter. During that time we sailed from Fiji to Vanuatu, then to New Zealand with a predominantly Scandinavian crew. After checking in at Bay of Islands we spent 2 months sailing down the East Coast of North Island to Nelson on South Island.
Refit in Nelson. Our off-season layover in Nelson this time was a quick 10 weeks. Shortly after we arrived all the crew except Kate departed. We took a week off and then got to work doing a major facelift on the Loo (Toilet) and replacing part of the port bulwarks. Lori and Davey, both from California, arrived a month early to help ready the ship for the passage to Tahiti. Kate ran out of money, got tired of picking apples and decided to return home to spend time with her family. The remaining 9 crew arrived 2-weeks before departure.
New Crew. Joining the crew were Hans and Tage from Denmark, Hiroko a language student from Japan, Ann a rocket scientist from San Diego, Dean a retired painter from Hawaii, Cambria a recent graduate from Humbolt State, Martin a German cook and Star a new age hippie from Florida. Our social director Nigel joined just before we left.
Underway again. The first day heading out of Tasman Bay we were slowed by head winds and so put into Croiselles Harbour and anchored for the night at Okiwi Bay. Everyone, especially me, was glad to get away from the distractions of leaving and to have a chance to get good nights sleep before the passage through the Marlborough Sounds and Cook Straits.
Cook Strait. The next morning we were underway again. We made French Pass at slack tide about noon. The sounds were calm as a lake. Rounded Cape Jackson before dusk and met an opposing tide in Cook Strait. This slowed us down to a few knots till just before midnight when the tide turned and pushed us out of the Strait. By dawn we were 12 miles to the east of Cape Paliser.
Taking departure. Becalmed under a cold clear sky, the lighthouse at Cape Paliser was painted orange by the rising sun. We motored several hours to get clear of the land. By that evening the lighthouse, visible 40 over miles at sea, was shining just on the horizon.
Home at Sea. Cloudy days with light winds we slowly work our way off shore to the nor’east. By day 5 we are well clear of the land. The crew has picked up the basics of setting and furling sail. For the first time in weeks I can relax.
Bozo Award. Here is a deck log entry for the evening of Day-7. 2000 hours. "The Fore Watch gets the "Bozo Award" for turning over the watch and leaving the deck with: 1. All the sails aback, 2. The ship headed in the opposite direction from the course ordered and 3. The gaff top’sls set for the opposite tack." It took me and the Main Watch about 20 minutes to get things sorted out. Later the Fore Watch said that when they get to Tahiti they plan to have T-shirts printed that read: Dumb Dumber Dumbest & Anne
Plan B. By day thirteen we have moved on to plan "B". Last year after we hauled out in Maryborough, Australia; we were embayed behind the river bar at Sandy Straits for over 3-weeks. Monitoring weather faxes I could see that, along with the sou’easterly gales that kept the river bar closed, there were easterly winds all the way across the Tasman Sea. We couldn’t have gone far, even if we could have crossed the bar. One year later we have the same conditions. Caught under this stationary high we are pinned down with light to moderate nor’easterlies. Everyone wants to sail north into warm weather, but it will have to wait. We will have to sail farther south to find the westerlies.
The Roaring Forties. Running your Easting down in the roaring forties is the sort of thing one reads about in the great novels of the sea. Conrad, Melville and Villers all wrote about this cold, stormy sailing ship route across the Southern Ocean. Ocean Passages for the World tells us to stay south of 40 degrees south until reaching 155 west longitude, then haul gradually to the north until reaching the sou’east trades, then sail direct for Tahiti.
Field day. Day 17, gray skies and drizzle, making fair headway ‘full and by’ across a cool Northerly breeze. The end of the booms sheeted out over the rail as Alvei rolls and dips her lee rail into the foaming sea. A couple days ago we had our Saturday Field Day, where we all spend the morning scrubbing the galley and then the rest of the ship. There had been some issues about cleanliness and late meals, so I started our weekly meeting with a talk about our galley routine and how it works, (in this case good tasting food) or in some cases doesn’t work (on the other hand, late meals, wasted food and poor hygiene).
Leadership. Lao Tsu says, "The successful leader is seldom seen or heard, but when the job is finally accomplished, the people say, "See we did it all ourselves." I prefer this type of leadership. It works when there is some of the former crew along to show the way. However, this time they are all new and the routine is faltering.
The galley routine. My pep talk centered on being responsible for yourself (cleaning up after yourself). And team work between the watches and the cook(s) to keep the galley uncluttered and with hot soapy water in the sinks.
Slightly out of touch. It has been 18 months since the last newsletter. During that time we sailed from Fiji to Vanuatu, then to New Zealand with a predominantly Scandinavian crew. After checking in at Bay of Islands we spent 2 months sailing down the East Coast of North Island to Nelson on South Island.
Refit in Nelson. Our off-season layover in Nelson this time was a quick 10 weeks. Shortly after we arrived all the crew except Kate departed. We took a week off and then got to work doing a major facelift on the Loo (Toilet) and replacing part of the port bulwarks. Lori and Davey, both from California, arrived a month early to help ready the ship for the passage to Tahiti. Kate ran out of money, got tired of picking apples and decided to return home to spend time with her family. The remaining 9 crew arrived 2-weeks before departure.
New Crew. Joining the crew were Hans and Tage from Denmark, Hiroko a language student from Japan, Ann a rocket scientist from San Diego, Dean a retired painter from Hawaii, Cambria a recent graduate from Humbolt State, Martin a German cook and Star a new age hippie from Florida. Our social director Nigel joined just before we left.
Underway again. The first day heading out of Tasman Bay we were slowed by head winds and so put into Croiselles Harbour and anchored for the night at Okiwi Bay. Everyone, especially me, was glad to get away from the distractions of leaving and to have a chance to get good nights sleep before the passage through the Marlborough Sounds and Cook Straits.
Cook Strait. The next morning we were underway again. We made French Pass at slack tide about noon. The sounds were calm as a lake. Rounded Cape Jackson before dusk and met an opposing tide in Cook Strait. This slowed us down to a few knots till just before midnight when the tide turned and pushed us out of the Strait. By dawn we were 12 miles to the east of Cape Paliser.
Taking departure. Becalmed under a cold clear sky, the lighthouse at Cape Paliser was painted orange by the rising sun. We motored several hours to get clear of the land. By that evening the lighthouse, visible 40 over miles at sea, was shining just on the horizon.
Home at Sea. Cloudy days with light winds we slowly work our way off shore to the nor’east. By day 5 we are well clear of the land. The crew has picked up the basics of setting and furling sail. For the first time in weeks I can relax.
Bozo Award. Here is a deck log entry for the evening of Day-7. 2000 hours. "The Fore Watch gets the "Bozo Award" for turning over the watch and leaving the deck with: 1. All the sails aback, 2. The ship headed in the opposite direction from the course ordered and 3. The gaff top’sls set for the opposite tack." It took me and the Main Watch about 20 minutes to get things sorted out. Later the Fore Watch said that when they get to Tahiti they plan to have T-shirts printed that read: Dumb Dumber Dumbest & Anne
Plan B. By day thirteen we have moved on to plan "B". Last year after we hauled out in Maryborough, Australia; we were embayed behind the river bar at Sandy Straits for over 3-weeks. Monitoring weather faxes I could see that, along with the sou’easterly gales that kept the river bar closed, there were easterly winds all the way across the Tasman Sea. We couldn’t have gone far, even if we could have crossed the bar. One year later we have the same conditions. Caught under this stationary high we are pinned down with light to moderate nor’easterlies. Everyone wants to sail north into warm weather, but it will have to wait. We will have to sail farther south to find the westerlies.
The Roaring Forties. Running your Easting down in the roaring forties is the sort of thing one reads about in the great novels of the sea. Conrad, Melville and Villers all wrote about this cold, stormy sailing ship route across the Southern Ocean. Ocean Passages for the World tells us to stay south of 40 degrees south until reaching 155 west longitude, then haul gradually to the north until reaching the sou’east trades, then sail direct for Tahiti.
Field day. Day 17, gray skies and drizzle, making fair headway ‘full and by’ across a cool Northerly breeze. The end of the booms sheeted out over the rail as Alvei rolls and dips her lee rail into the foaming sea. A couple days ago we had our Saturday Field Day, where we all spend the morning scrubbing the galley and then the rest of the ship. There had been some issues about cleanliness and late meals, so I started our weekly meeting with a talk about our galley routine and how it works, (in this case good tasting food) or in some cases doesn’t work (on the other hand, late meals, wasted food and poor hygiene).
Leadership. Lao Tsu says, "The successful leader is seldom seen or heard, but when the job is finally accomplished, the people say, "See we did it all ourselves." I prefer this type of leadership. It works when there is some of the former crew along to show the way. However, this time they are all new and the routine is faltering.
The galley routine. My pep talk centered on being responsible for yourself (cleaning up after yourself). And team work between the watches and the cook(s) to keep the galley uncluttered and with hot soapy water in the sinks.