If there is one thing I am learning about preparing a boat for an overseas sailing adventure it is think ahead... and then think further ahead... estimate... and then times it by three hundred!
It has been a while since the last update and its definately not because life has been boring in Auckland. At present I am sitting at the navigation (nav) table on the boat with the computer looking out the saloon (living area) windows at the centre of Auckland and the bright shining sky tower.
So the boat has been through a massive repaint and refit over the last seven weeks and we are now in the final stages. When I first arrived the boat was in the shed and absolutely covered in dust aand tarps as the last antifouling was sprayed on. Scaffolding everywhere as it is a massive job to hold up a fifty tonne, 21 metre boat. There have been people here working around the clock repainting, fitting new sails, new dodgers and biminis, new GPS's and so on. The kids are still at school at present so every day has followed a similar pattern. Up about seven thirty to get the kids off to school at nine and then Steffie, Alfred and I discuss what needs to be done today which is anything from cleaning to provisioning, to getting mosquito net covers, tablecloths, new pillows, breadmakers, sandwich presses, juicemakers etc. Basically its been a whirlwind of shopping... hmmmm not so bad really! At three we either pick up the kids or they walked home while we lived at the house at the end of the street and then I amused them until about five at which time we organised dinner and then the nights are a mixture of childrens dvds and animated discussion between the three of us (Alfred, Steffie and I) as to which route direction to take and whether to visit Vanuatu enroute from New Caledonia to the Louisiade Archipelago... ahhhh difficult choices I know!!
Steffie and Alfred have been very very accommodating and I feel very much a part of the family and have some input into where we go and what we do. Already our plans have changed so that instead of heading along the southern coast of Papua New Guinea via Port Moresby to Indonesia we now intend to head north from the Louisiades along the northern coast via Rabual and Madang and then onto the coast of Irian Jaya to Indonesia. We hope to be in Indonesia around the first week of September and spend two to three months pottering around the tropics. Indonesia being so appealing as it is generally calm with islands aplenty offering snorkelling, villages and lots of other things to see and do including orangutans in Borneo, Komodo dragons on Rinca Island and naturally a visit to Bali and Lombok.
Enough of making you all jealous. Heres something to make you feel better. Next week we hope to head to New Caledonia - the french nation ideally located in the middle of the Pacific with a balmy tropical climate. An intended stop at the idyllic Isle de Pines prior to clearing in at Noumea for some gourmet food... still jealous... ok to get there we have to endure seven days of huge seas, night watches, cold southerly winds roaring around the top of NZ and you get the picture. Basically seasickness, seasickness and more seasickness.. This is the adventure part of the holiday!
Auckland has been fun for the past ten days though. Looking after kids has its benefits. We have been to see Shrek 3 in Gold Class, swimming in the Thermal Baths and out to a HUGE variety of restaurants. We have been to a fabulous sushi train restaurant in the Viaduct Harbour (where the boat is moored and located in the centre of Auckland - all done for the Americas cup the NZ's hosted in 2003) as well as a Brazilian BBQ restaurant, Thai restaurant, Italian restaurant and plenty of yummy meals at Cafes around the place. Last night as a treat we went up the Sky Tower - Aucklands biggest attraction - the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere at 320m high and had dinner in the revolving restaurant. I had soy marinated raw venison for an entree - loving trying new things and Steffie and I share a common love for gourmet food so we have lots of fun chatting about new foods and possible dinner ideas while we are away.
Which brings me back to the title of this journal entry... and the answer is that for a family of five for at least two months you need approximately $350 and two trolleys worth of just toilet paper and uht milk. Yup thats the only two items we bought that day... provisioning plans to be a long process!
We moved onto the boat on Saturday so I have unpacked into my cabin and spread out all my things. The nicest thing is having my own bathroom so I have plenty of room to spread out all the essentials and my own privacy. My wardrobe is full and I cant fathom quite how I managed to fit all those summer clothes into my backpack... might have to send quite a few things home from Thailand. Living on the boat is nice though and it all feels a bit more settled. Now I just cant wait to set sail as the weather here is very cold - much like home I imagine!
So I had better leave it at that. I will write another entry just before I go which coule be any time from Tuesday the 26th of June depending on wwhen the weather agent decides that the weather patterns are ideal.
Missing everybody heaps.
