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      • 2017 Tarakohe, New Zealand
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      • Vanuatu to Brisbane 2013
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      • Lautoka to Port Villa September 2011
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      • Brisbane to Nelson 2010
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      • Suva, Fiji July 2010
      • May 2010 Nelson, NZ
      • January 2010, Nelson, NZ
      • December 2009 Port Vila, Vanuatu
      • October 2009 Vanuatu
      • September 2009 Port Vila, Vanuatu
      • July 2009 Tonga
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      • January 2008 Nelson, NZ
      • November 2007 Russell, NZ
      • September 2007 Vanuatu
      • July 2007 Vanuatu
      • June 2007 Passage to Vanuatu from Fiji
      • May 2007 Suva, Fiji
      • October 2006 Vanuatu
      • September 2006 Vanuatu
      • June 2006 Suva to Port Vila
      • June 2006 Suva, Fiji
      • March 2006 Nelson, NZ
      • February 2006 Nelson, NZ
      • December 2005 A New Beginning
      • December 2005 Crossroads
      • Christmas 2005
      • January 2004 Nelson, NZ
      • October 2004 Nelson, NZ
      • September 2003 Tonga
      • July 2003 PagoPago
      • April 2003 New Zealand
      • September 2002 Fiji
      • February 2002 Nelson, NZ
      • July 2001 PagoPago
      • August 2000 Suva, Fiji
      • March 2000 Brisbane, Australia
      • October 1999 Port Villa, Vanuatu
      • August 1999 Lautoka, Fiji
      • April 1998 Nelson, NZ
      • December 1997 Nelson, New Zealand
      • July 1997 French Polynesia
      • October 1996 Golfito, Costa Rica
      • February 1996 Bequia, St. Vincent
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Wrapping up the 2014 Season

Picture
December 2014, Russell, Bay of Islands N.Z. 

We, as in “The Royal We”, had a fairly good sailing season. Here is a hopefully “rounded account” of our 2014 sailing season.
 
We hauled Alvei out of the water in Nov. 2013 at the Brisbane Shipyards in Australia. All the crew had departed within 4 days of our arrival. Four of that crew left owing over $6000 dollars. Assuring me they would send the money to my account. None of them did. I was left with two backpackers to help. They left a few days before the end of the haul-out. I had been using Brisbane Shiplifts since 2007 and knew all the crew. However, The Yard had been acquired by a new owner. Prices had increased more than anticipated. By launch time I was unable to pay the bill.
 
I was also unable to find a secure place on the river for Alvei. After some discussion they offered a reasonable weekly price. Ben and Wil put Alvei in a back corner of The Yard to sit out the summer on the hard.
 
By December I was below $200 dollars cash on hand. I mentioned my situation on our website www.alvei.com  Before Christmas, Tiger and Debbi Timms, former owners of the brigantine “Eye of the Wind” came to visit bringing what must have been $200 dollars worth of food. Before they left, they dropped $1000 dollars cash on the galley table.
 
My good friend and guardian angel, Marcie Oltman, wired a thousand into my account. With their help I was able to buy food and steel and paint to get me through until March when cash flow would begin with the arrival of new crew.
 
Everyone wanted to wait until the last moment before joining the crew. And so we were several weeks late getting out of Australia. Finally getting underway in mid-June with 14 on the crew.
 
During the third week of the passage we had a full gale out of the sou’west. With a single reef in the fore’sl and the fore stay’sl set Alvei was riding comfortably before a forty to fifty knot breeze on the starboard quarter. I love a clear air gale; the breaking waves were sparkling white over a deep blue sea. That gale was our best two days run of the season. By the time we arrived in Suva, Fiji we had sailed 37-days and 2297-miles.
 
This was our third year working with Global Vision International. We had a good two-week session in the Yasawa Group. They filled the boat and gave us a bonus. I didn’t know why, but I wasn’t arguing.
 
We sailed from Fiji to Vanuatu with 10 on the crew. For two months in Vanuatu we visited a volcano and several small villages where there were no lights at night and a couple of bigger ports with electricity and automobiles. We lost 8 crew and picked up four.
 
It was a slow, even for Alvei, passage back to New Zealand with 6 on the crew. It was a 1514-mile passage taking 35 days, averaging only 43 miles a day.
 
Making up the crew this year from Australia, Laura, Martin, Brody, Pete, Denis and Lily. From New Zealand, Dan, Howard and Anne. From the U.S. Amber, Brittany and Evan. From Denmark, Line and Nils. From China, Yuan and Qi. From Germany, Sven and Max. From France, Pierre. From Japan, Karin. From Switzerland Nik. From Indonesia, Nanis. From Sweden, Annika. Samson from Vanuatu. And Dr Anna from Russia. In all 25 crew from 14 nationalities.
 
This season we were 107 days underway sailing 4208 nautical miles.
 
Back in Nelson, Port Company took over the dock we have been using for the past 15 years and raised dock fees 700%, so we can’t afford to return to Nelson. Alvei needs to find a new home-port.
 
 
Evan

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