Crew's News...

(20 April 2010) - Life ashore, though inherently different from voyaging, continues to treat us well and provide new challenges and excitement. In the process, we haven't lost contact with our cruising friends. We've had a full house on several occasions as our yachting pals come over for dinners, or just to visit. Some who'd been away in the States or elsewhere overseas are now back and in the midst of preparing for the sailing season ahead.
     As a family, we've went bowling one day, attended a NZ traveling circus, watched a movie outdoors in the park at Town Basin (part of Whangarei's Endless Summer activities), and toured the far northern reaches of North Island, an area we missed during last year's tour. The highlights included visiting the Rainbow Warrior Memorial, viewing the tumultuous meeting of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean at Cape Reinga, walking along Baylys Beach on the west coast, and driving through kauri forest.
     We also had an American visitor at the house for a couple of days: Nicole Bernard (our Juneau friend Nicki Germain's cousin) is touring NZ on her bicycle and stopped to see us.
     The kids just started their second term at school following the two-week Easter break. Both of our students have been moved up in their classes, once again demonstrating their scholastic abilities. They're also availing themselves of extracurricular activities. Both have been to camp with their schoolmates. Grace is taking ukulele lessons and has won citizenship awards for her good behavior. Grant has been to his first high school dance, has done well in his metal shop elective, and is immersing himself in drama, including a new after school (and Saturdays) program where the class is writing and producing a play from scratch. Both kids are taking full advantage of their educational opportunities.
     Long term, we still aren't sure how long we'll remain in New Zealand. It is still our hope, but as we learned while voyaging, plans are written in the sand at low tide.
     We posted a slew of new pictures in our photo gallery. Click here to view them.

(22 February 2010) - School is going extremely well for the kids. Grant is in Year 10 (9th grade in the States) and Grace is in Year 5 (4th grade, US). They both hit the ground running and are doing great, gaining new friends and fitting into their peer societies quite nicely. Grant is at Whangarei Boys' High School and Grace is attending Whangarei Primary School. We had to guess at what year to start them in, but it appears we were right on target. They're reporting that classes are neither too easy nor difficult.
     We're going to be getting another car. Our Mitsubishi Galant Turbo whiz-bang hotrod was totaled, in our driveway! A van from across the street rolled, by itself, into our driveway and smacked into the front of our car. Though the damage isn't obvious, repairs are more costly than its value so with the insurance cheque we'll be buying another vehicle soon. Weird -- two driverless cars running onto each other.
     Meanwhile, we're enjoying life ashore. We've had friends over for barbecues several times; weekends have been devoted to body-board surfing at the beach, watching local buskers, catching the rock'n'roll dance club performances in the park across the highway and going to the Whangarei Kite Festival. Lots going on and we're wallowing in this fantastic Kiwi life.

(28 January 2010) - Life ashore in NZ continues to be good. We did a little traveling last weekend on North Island where we visited the historic Waitangi Treaty grounds, site of modern New Zealand's founding in 1840. Next stop was the town of Russell, where we chatted with Chief Operator Stewart Irvine at Russell Radio. This station has been the mainstay of ship and yacht communication in the South Pacific since 1951 when Ritchie Blomfield came home with a 12-volt ex-army radio telephone to enable the fleet of fishing boats operating in the area to stay in touch. Russell Radio soon became (and remains) the mainstay of marine radio for this area of the world.
     Next week, Grant and Grace will be back in a regular classroom for the first time in almost three years. We've enrolled them in school here in Whangarei and they're both terribly excited about the prospect of being around peers again, and having options that we couldn't provide in their boat-school: wood shop, theatre, rugby, the prom, et al.

(5 January 2010) - The holidays were an exciting experience for us. Having a large kitchen to prepare the meals and lots of room for visitors was indeed a treat. Around a dozen friends showed up on Christmas Eve for dinner and merriment. With a two-metre Christmas tree, multi-colored fairy lights and our decorations up, the kids enjoyed a traditional holiday. After Christmas, Grant and Grace spent several days with our friends, the Willisons, in Warkworth, which is about 100km south of Whangarei. Our kids were back home for New Years Eve. On New Years Day we motored down to the town of Waipu to attend the annual Highland Games, a day-long fun-filled Scottish festival. Of course it is summer so the event was held outdoors in a large park -- we all were reddened with minor sunburn but had a wonderful time. Today, the Willison kids (Celia, Fergus and Rachel) arrived at our house for a reciprocal stay with us for the week.
     We've posted a few photos from the past month, including our last days in Fiji and the new residence in New Zealand. Click here to view them.

(23 December 2009) - We wish you the very best for the holiday season -- Happy Christmas to all. We're spending our first Christmas in a house since 2006; we'll have a crowd of Kiwi mates on Christmas Eve and will be joined by our good friends Mike & Liz on Christmas Day. Grant and Grace are way amped in anticipation of the Jolly Old Elf's impending visit.

(19 December 2009) - Wind Dancer survived Tropical Cyclone Mick which hammered Fiji last week. Fortunately the boat was tucked into a hurricane hole and was well prepared for the onslaught.
     It has been a busy couple of weeks for us getting settled into our life ashore in Whangarei. For the first time in three years we now own a car. We picked one up at the auto auction on Tuesday. On Thursday we moved from the temporary apartment into a very nice house -- three bedroom, two bath, very good neighbourhood. The family is dealing with culture shock. Owning a car, living in a house with actual rooms, flush toilets, wide screen TV, dishwasher; it's all foreign to us but we're adjusting. The Christmas tree went up on Friday and we're all in the holiday mood, even though it's warm and sunny. This will be our third holiday season in the summer. It is beginning to seem normal.

(7 December 2009) - For people born and reared in the higher latitudes, New Zealand's weather is a welcome change from the tropics. Daytime highs are around 23C instead of 35C, and there's a mix of sun, cloud and rain here, all of which feels more normal to us. We moved into an apartment in Whangarei on Saturday; it is temporary accommodation until we get something more permanent. Richelle has been busy stocking the kitchen pantry and buying basic supplies. The kids are lovin' having their own room, TV and first world amenities. Many of our friends are here and we've been meeting and greeting them since our arrival. It's good to be back 'home.'

(3 December 2009) - We safely arrived in Auckland, NZ, on Wednesday afternoon following a three hour flight from Fiji. The kids say three hours was better than a twelve day passage; go figure. We'll be in Auckland until Saturday when we move up to Whangarei.

(26 November 2009) - The subsequent phase of our escapade came to fruition yesterday when Wind Dancer was hauled out of the water and lowered into a hurricane pit at Vuda Point Marina for the cyclone season. We're busy removing the items we want to take with us to New Zealand. We leave the marina on Sunday, and will be headed for Auckland on Wednesday.

(19 November 2009) - We’re now in the midst of preparing for the Southern Hemisphere cyclone season, which is officially underway, having begun on 1 November and running through 30 April. There has already been cyclonic activity in the southern Indian Ocean (Hurricane Anja packing winds over 100nm per hour), but nothing so far in the Pacific. Wind Dancer will be hauled-out of the water and moved ashore next week into a ‘hurricane hole’ -- essentially a long pit dug in the ground -- where she’ll repose for the season. This is the safest way to store a boat during the cyclone period. Meanwhile, the crew abandons ship and flies to Auckland, New Zealand, on 2 December to remove itself from harm’s way.

(11 November 2009) - Grace spent the last few days living in the small Fijian village of Mataso in the Nakorotubu region of Viti Levu Island about 200km from Vuda Point. She was invited there by Ana, a Fijian woman who works at the First Landing Resort near the marina.
     Nakorotubu is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is made up of seven sub-districts or tikina makawa, namely, Kavula, Nakorotubu, Navitilevu, Bure-i-wai, Bure-i-vanua, Nakuailava, and Mataso where Grace stayed this week. The first four are coastal districts with extensive inland undulating and rugged terrain, while the rest, including Matso, are all inland. Fishing, sugar cane, coconut, taro, tapioca and a range of local vegetables are the main trading merchandise. Nakorotubu is also well known for its richness in culture and tradition. Some of Fiji's best traditional dances or meke come from its villages. Mataso is also home to the district’s chief public schools. Here is Grace’s report on her adventure, alone, living among the natives in a Fijian village for several days:

My Days in the Fijian Village of Mataso - by Grace Burns

     On Sunday, 8 November, Ana (who works at the First Landing Resort) took me to her native village. First we walked to her house (at Vuda Point) and had chicken soup for lunch. Then, a carrier truck took us to the bus station. We rode a bus for three hours. After that, we rode another carrier truck into the village of Mataso!     When we arrived we went to Bubu Mary’s house. Bubu means grandmother; Bubu Mary is Ana’s grandmother. I played with Ana’s kids, Oscar and Sylvia. Then we went to church. The songs were in English and everybody shook my hand. After church, all of the village kids followed me to the house and we played for awhile. I had dinner and lots of people came over just to see me! At night I went to sleep on the couch.
     Monday morning I had a good breakfast. It was pancakes and tea. Their pancakes are small and there’s not a lot of sugar. They were good. Then, I went to school with Sylvia. The teacher was busy so I read to the class, a really funny story called ‘The Terrible Underpants.’ We all played ‘Duck, Duck, Goose,’ which I taught them. We had lunch at twelve and then I was picked up and taken to the community hall. At the community hall there were a bunch of men drinking kava, a very weird drink. I had some food. I had a soup which had fish and local spinach in coconut cream, and a local crop called cassava, which is like potato but much more mild.
     Then I went to a tea party. At that house there were puppies and the people even offered to give me one but I said no. The church master came by and took me to his house and gave me a shell (cowry) necklace that was strung with coconut hair, and tapa wedding clothes. In town, the tapa wedding clothes would be at least 150 dollars! The kids in the village showed me a funny dance and then walked me through the village. After that we went back to Bubu Mary’s house and played, and then I got homesick but Ana comforted me. We had dinner, a potato curry, and went to somebody’s house and played lots of games.
     On Tuesday I had to go home, but before I went, they gave me: two freshly woven (palm frond) fans and a basket; two other finished baskets; a woven purse for mom; a Fijian palm hat for dad; a woven and stuffed sea turtle; a susu (reed) broom; a very, very large freshly-picked pineapple and coconut; lots of good-smelling flower garlands; some more tapa wedding clothes; an outfit (skirt and blouse) that they sewed in about five minutes; and a sulu (wraparound Fijian dress).
     I rode three buses back home. It took five hours.

     The generosity bestowed upon us by these people was founded in trust; the fact that we trusted Ana to take our daughter away to Mataso for three days. And it was a unique experience for the natives. Grace was the first white person to visit this remote village since the missionaries over a hundred years ago.

(5 November 2009) - We returned to Wind Dancer late yesterday from a four-day overland trip to Suva. The highlight for us was the Fiji Museum where on display, among myriad historical maritime exhibits, was the last remaining piece of the HMS Bounty's rudder. It was retrieved from the harbor at Pitcairn Island and is now part of the permanent treasure trove at the Fiji Museum. The connection being that Captain William Bligh sailed through Fiji in the launch in which he'd been set adrift by the mutinous crew of his ship. While making the transit of the Fijian archipelago, Bligh made notes and later produced the first reliable charts of the islands. Also in Suva, we signed-in at the legendary Royal Suva Yacht Club. We also visited other attractions including the vast public market, botanical gardens and the downtown shops. We stayed at the Suva Motor Inn next to Albert Park with a commanding view of the park, gardens and out to sea. Of course, no trip to the city would be complete without gastronomic delights -- we ate our way through town enjoying everything from superb Indian curries and Fijian specialties to American style hamburgers.

(30 October 2009) - It has been an unsettling week for two yachts in the area. One was sailing about 350nm south of Fiji on its way to New Zealand when it struck something massive in the water (the crew believes it was a sleeping whale). The impact was so great that it slewed the vessel, which was making 9k at the time, around ninety-degrees and the mast and rigging came crashing down. No one was hurt, but the boat was a mess. After cutting away the tangled rigging, they slowly motored back to Fiji pumping all the way; the damaged hull was taking on 200L of water per hour. They arrived safely in Denarau, Fiji, after four days. Another vessel, this one from Brazil, hit the reef just outside Vuda Point and was seriously holed. She took on a lot of water but was towed in and is now on the hard in the boatyard undergoing major repairs. Meanwhile, we're still securely moored in the marina and are planning a land excursion next week to Suva -- Fiji's and the South Pacific's largest city.

(23 October 2009) - There was general euphoria around the boat today as the last pages of our book went online for subscribers. It was a family project with each of us contributing to the process. With two genders and an age range of over fifty years, we obviously had diverse takes on what’s important to a voyaging family. We incorporated as many of these unique concerns as we could into the narrative (Volume I). Yet in the glossary (Volume II) the crew took a still truer aim and the result is a funny, enlightening, serious, emotional and practical amalgam of the inner workings of a family adventure. It is not a collection of technical terms and nautical gobbledygook. The 157 topics are each offered as a short story and will be pleasurable reading for anyone -- even if sailing the sea is the farthest thing from your mind.

(18 October 2009) - You'd think after all this time exploring that it would be unusual for us to encounter an event new to us. Not so. Yesterday we spent the afternoon and on into the night celebrating the Indian holiday, Diwali. Ceremonies were held at the First Landing Resort near the harbor. There was hand painting, roti making, a delicious meal of traditional Indian foods, dancing and a fireworks show. Diwali or Dīpāvali (in Sanskrit, a row of lamps) is a significant festival in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India. Adherents of these religions celebrate Diwali as the Festival of Lights. They light diyas -- cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil -- to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Rama after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over Ravana. In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (dĭpa), thus its name: dīpāwali.

(14 October 2009) - The annual migration of yachts to Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Hawaii and the Marshal Islands is in full swing. Other boats are now ‘going into the pit,’ that is, being placed in hurricane holes on shore here at the marina. We’ve been busy assisting our friends with this endeavor. This week we said ‘so long’ to our longtime pals Steve and Linda from s/v Linda after helping them get their vessel snugged down in a pit for the cyclone season (which begins in about a month). They’re headed back to the States to visit relatives for the next few months. We’ve been with Steve and Linda on and off for over a year and a half; we were dockmates in La Paz, Mexico, left on the Pacific crossing the same day and have enjoyed wonderful times together in every country since.

(8 October 2009) - Chalk up another thrilling first for the Burns family, as our adventure continues. The initial word arrived via VHF radio at 1050 this morning: a tsunami warning had been issued for Fiji on the heels of a great earthquake near Vanuatu, about 500nm west of our location. After just recently seeing the horrifying photos from the Samoa quake, we wasted no time, battened down Wind Dancer, grabbed the essentials -- passports, vessel documents, the main laptop computer and the ship’s log --, left the marina and made for higher ground. The folks from Baobab Marine gave us a lift in a ute (pickup) up the hill to their complex, at 30m above sea level, well out of harm’s way. We stayed there until 1230 when the tsunami warning was cancelled and it was safe to return to the harbor.