Ready to go….   Sunday, 07/07/2024

All fixed! I had my marine electrical guy up here last Tuesday – he inspected and confirmed my diagnosis of the problem. But went further, deciding that the whole steering mechanism should be re-positioned. The problem with the autopilot basically stemmed from the fact that the setup had been customised because the new autopilot motor was differently shaped to the old one. There’s no avoiding these sorts of issues: manufacturers change their designs over the years, so that in the 16 years since the boat was built there has been quite substantial change.

A few parts were needed, plus a couple of things had to be specifically machined. But by Friday all was done. We went out to test things and all appears to be fine now. However, this sort of test – a brief 20 minutes out on the water – doesn’t really amount to much. If something is going to go wrong, it usually seems to take between 24 and 48 hours for it to happen. So there’s not really any adequate test that can be done. The real test will be in setting out and completing perhaps 9 or 10 days of use to Vanuatu.

Which I will do. I’m now waiting for a suitable weather window. Conditions down here are fine, and at present would be fine for about three days heading north. But then we would encounter a very marked zone of high wind: certainly wind speeds of 30-35 knots. That’s not too extreme, but it doesn’t make sense sailing into what is virtually guaranteed to be rough conditions (and of course forecasts aren’t completely accurate – the wind could be stronger). At the moment, this coming Thursday looks best: the forecast showing a maximum 24 knots of wind en route to Vanuatu, with wind speeds in excess of 20 knots for only 10% of the voyage. That’s a happier outlook, which should mean a considerably more comfortable trip. Hopefully.

It hasn’t been bad sitting here in Opua. The weather has been very sunny, although cold – down to about 4C at night, very chilly on the boat. The surrounding Bay of Islands is extremely scenic: endless bays and wooded hillsides. I’ve taken a few walks. Today I jumped on the car ferry that goes across to Okiato. It’s a very short trip: half a nautical mile (900 metres) – for drivers, it saves a good 60 mile/100 kilometre trip by road. Typical New Zealand: I walked onto the ferry and offered to pay the guy the $2 charge for a walk-on passenger. He refused to take it. Said “oh, don’t worry, it’s only two dollars!” I suppose that does make sense: cars pay $17 each way.

I wandered around on the other side of the water. There’s a site up on the hill in Okiato that was very briefly the first capital of New Zealand, from 1840-1. It was constructed by Captain William Hobson, who had been appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1839. He changed his mind pretty quickly, moving his men down to Auckland and establishing the capital there. All that’s left of the settlement is a well, the wooden buildings having burned down in 1842!

As usual, there’s a friendly atmosphere here. This morning I went into one of the two ships chandlers, simply looking for a New Zealand electrical plug. The man working there came up, we started talking and I asked “Where in South Africa are you from?” The answer was Johannesburg – or rather “Joeys”. He’s got around in 24 years since leaving SA: 4 years in Mauritius, a few years in the U.K., and now 14 years in New Zealand. He lives on his boat, out on a mooring in the bay, and says he’s very happy with his life here.

I shall post a brief comment ahead of departure.