Tart Up Your Tinny

Say what?

Back in New Zealand, we were once again enthralled by Whangarei. What could be better than a place where in the morning one can visit a nut-and-bolt guru capable of finding anything one can possibly need in stainless steel—a guru worthy of reverence in Boat World—and in the afternoon wander through an exhibit of collaborative art created on site? And what could be better than a country where one of the menu options on a major marine supply store’s website reads Tart Up Your Tinny?

It turns out that phrase is a typically NZ (read: cheeky) way of saying “Fix Up Your Boat”. Since we’d just returned from a lengthy vacation in the US, our NZ time had to be spent on boat work—so here’s what we did to tart up our tinny.


We couldn’t even get to Whangarei until we replaced the V-drive, the transmission part that broke on our passage from New Caledonia to New Zealand.

We flew back from Seattle with a new V-drive
and carefully hoisted it onto the boat,

only to discover it was the wrong part.
Right part number, wrong part.

After feeling utterly devastated—a replacement would have taken several weeks to arrive—Art worked some magic. (Maybe his middle name is Merlin, not Earl.) He dismantled both V-drives, mixed & matched big metal pieces, and ended up with a functional part that fit our transmission. Voila! We had forward, we had reverse, we had a way to move from Russell to Whangarei!

And once there:

A wild night in Tonga damaged our bow roller (for the anchor).
Art had jury-rigged a system that worked the rest of the season

but a welded repair made it good as new.

What kind of toy is that?!

Art’s going up the mast to replace the anemometer (wind gauge), blown out by that same Tongan windstorm.

Now this...

can look like this
(very useful!)

The lights weren’t on, so was anybody home?

Corrosion behind the engine instrument panel meant learning new wiring tricks.

A day off! We walked across the river (okay, on a bridge) and enjoyed several hours of South Pacific food, music and dance. A good reminder of why we’re out here…

If living on a boat is akin to camping, being “on the hard” (hauled out of the water) is akin to being in a tree house. Schlepping everything up & down a ladder, no running water (all gray water on a boat drains straight out), no fridge (ours is salt-water cooled): no wonder we pushed to get the haulout maintenance done in a record 6 days.

Might as well make some of the work fun: we checked out the outboard engine overhaul by taking some sailing buddies on a short dinghy trip up the river for a picnic.

Pied shags

Paul and Chris from S/V Georgia

And after all the maintenance and repairs, we actually got to make some improvements!

Compared to last season's setup,

beefier solar panel supports made them
stronger and more versatile

New deck hardware organized the additional lines we had installed last season

Several projects required two people, one inside and one outside the boat (refer to previous mention of nuts and bolts). Nancie’s time not turning wrenches was spent with computers.

Having to wipe the computer’s hard drive clean in the States meant it no longer talked to the Pactor modem + SSB radio, our source for weather while at sea, or linked to a GPS receiver for a backup navigation system. Many thanks to Paul on S/V Georgia and Keith on S/V Sadiqi, computer guys in their former lives; with their advice I was finally able to sort out the maze.

Day 1: Surely I can figure this out

Day 2: Curses, stumped again

Day 3: Wrong skill set.
Playing the violin does not transfer
to tasks like this

Day 4: No pressure, but we can't sail
until I figure this out

Day 5: Houston, we have contact!

Other fun and games:

• Adding a VHF radio in the cockpit, more convenient than the one at the navigation station down below
• Fixing damage from last November’s gale, adjusting the wind steering system and replacing a couple of snapped lines
• Continuing the battle against overhead water finding its way inside the boat, including detaching the windlass so we could seal under as well as around it
• Getting charts and customs forms for Vanuatu and New Caledonia, this season’s destinations

etc. etc. etc.

Yes indeed, we’d tarted up our tinny.

There is always more that can be done on a boat, but we’d worked hard for two solid months. The projects requiring access to parts and supplies were completed; it was time to leave Whangarei and put the boat through a sea trial. As eager as we were to trade a dock for anchorages, however, we knew we would miss the camaraderie at Riverside Drive Marina. Sharing, commiserating, and assisting make for a meaningful community. Until next year!

Playing violin and ukulele duets at the weekly Sunday evening potluck
(thanks to Keith for the photo)

Back in the USA

Three months in the US managed to fly by! We covered 8 states—two of them twice—plus

Washington DC, and got to visit most of the people we’d hoped to see (as well as several we hadn’t expected). What a wealth of warmth, literally and figuratively! And our apologies to those of you we missed; we’ll hope for better luck next time…

All our gatherings and activities need not be detailed here, but a few photos from our cross-country travels may be enjoyable:

Thanksgiving at the Stubsons, where everything ended up on the table
except for plates. We eventually found them.

Katelinn & Camden used to sit in this tree stump
in Lithia Park (Ashland).
The gnomes have grown!

David Ingalls & Art playing beautiful ukuleles that David creates

Putting up Christmas lights at Clarence's house in Sedona--
though they were no comparison to the light
on the red rock cliffs in the background

Hiking near Phoenix with Kay & Bill
(hard to see, but the palo verde has Christmas ornaments on it)

Train park in Phoenix decked out for the holidays...

...and we all had a fun ride!
(Lynn, Les, Peterson, Landon)

Art & Mary enjoying Art's & Mary's

Christmas carols at the Wertheimers:
Katelinn, Nancie, Art, Andrew, Camden

Skating on the pond behind Cheryl & Eric's house

New Year's Eve pajama party
with Daddy/Lou and his friend Betty

The World's Best Reuben
(sorry, New York, the W.B.R. is really in Philly)

A great day in DC

Art was looking forward to snow for ages, and he got it--
on the very last day we were in the States!

Finally, we’d like to thank the many people across the country who opened their homes to us. Hopefully we didn’t end up like fish after three days...

In chronological order:

Washington--Jim & Carol Van der Veen; Arline Borella 

Oregon--Larry & Corinne Stubson; David Ingalls & Jan Lippen-Holtz; Thomas & Lou Heumann; Bill & Marilee Grimm

Arizona--Clarence Shaw; Kay Monette & Bill Walsh; Les Linn, Lynn Tuttle, Landon & Peterson

Kansas--Lou Linn; Eric, Cheryl & Andrew Wertheimer; Jim Linn

Ohio--Mark & Alice Lemle

Michigan--Gordon & Judith Hammerle

Pennsylvania--Camden Shaw

Maryland/DC--Mary Linn & John Kidd

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for your generous hospitality!

Big Fish! Big Waves!

What a passage this was! The trip from New Caledonia to New Zealand normally takes 7-8 days; it took us 14.

High points were catching the biggest mahimahi we've ever seen, and watching the night sky evolve (favorite image this time: an infant moon appearing faintly on the horizon, then slipping into the sea).

Low points were having the V-drive break not long into the trip. No V-drive = no transmission = no motorsailing in light winds = ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. We spent a couple days wallowing in the waves with no wind, gradually drifting away from our destination (not unlike "the olden days" of sailing) and others going slowly forward--though not fast enough to make landfall before a storm front hit us.

track of Second Wind while drifting

It started with hard rain and 35-45 knot winds whipping up the sea into a frenzy, for which Second Wind and we were well prepared. There's not much that can be done to protect a boat from lightning, however, so we were relieved there was none...until, "Oh look! Lightning!": a fireworks display appeared overhead. (Since you're reading this, obviously we did not get hit.) The storm lasted for several hours, but it was the following two days of continued strong winds and tumultuous seas that were the real obstacles. We had to heave to twice (arrange the sails so we intentionally didn't go anywhere, giving us a chance for some desperately needed rest). Once underway again, the waves made progress excruciatingly slow. By the time we arrived in Opua for Customs check-in, almost a week after expected, we had to completely rework logistics and leave Second Wind near Opua for our long absence, rather than in our home base of Whangarei. Ah, the best laid plans...

The staff photographer was otherwise occupied during the storm,
so this photo of  post-gale water over the bow will have to suffice.
(Just add darkness, rain, lightning, and 16-18' waves to this picture.)

Boisterous waves next to small boat; these are only about 12'

It was a stressful voyage but never a fearsome one. We learned a lot, especially about the strengths of our boat and ourselves, and ended up with quite an adventure under our belts (or lifejackets!).

But home never sounded so good. Where are those ruby slippers when you need them?

Friends and family, thank you for sharing this journey with us so far. I'll probably post a few photos of our time on US soil, but we know you're primarily interested in tales from the South Pacific. Those will resume approximately next March--stay tuned!

Standing by,

Vagabond Art

Sea Gypsy Nancie

New Caledonia

Our passage from Vanuatu to New Caledonia was one of our best ever, with glorious sailing the entire route. New Cal itself looked different than we expected: the tall columnar pines made famous by the "Isle of Pines" (which we did not visit) are actually found throughout the islands, and red earth predominates on and around Grande Terre, the huge main island. It possesses a strikingly different kind of beauty, more reminiscent of Mexico's Sea of Cortez than the South Pacific.

A cluster of tall pines on the island of Mare'

Red earth on Grande Terre

There's not much to share about New Cal since we were there for such a short time and had little opportunity to explore. Like French Polynesia, New Caledonia is administered by France, and we did appreciate some croissants and a lovely market. Most enjoyable was the Museum of New Caledonia, with its marvelous displays of Kanak culture--particularly wood carvings and their unique style of huts.

Which is scariest?

Beautiful carvings and symbolism

Having quoted Paul Simon in the last post, it's appropriate to do so again, starting with

"I get all the news I need on the weather report".

We joined the other cruisers at Port Moselle Marina's wifi area, obsessing about passage weather: when to make the leap to Australia/New Zealand. We're headed to New Zealand, our home away from home, then on the United States, home for the holidays.

As Paul sang, "Homeward Bound..."

Vanuatu: Port Vila, Efate Island

Translate this label:

                                                   Nambawan Wota

                                                   Blong Vanuatu

                                                   Gud Wota Gud Laef

Congratulations! You can read Vanuatu's national language.

Bislama is like pidgin English; it's not hard to decipher visually (though less easy when it's spoken). Vanuatuans may lack basics like electricity and advanced education, but even the most rural villagers are multilingual: they speak English, French, Bislama, their own local dialect, and at least one other dialect from a nearby area. We were impressed, grateful (for their fluency in English) and a bit abashed (for only speaking 1 1/2 languages--or 2 1/2, counting music).

At one time Vanuatu (then called New Hebrides) was jointly administered by both England and France. Port Vila, the capital, benefits from a lingering European influence; tourism supports a surprising number of duty-free shops and good restaurants. We were there for the necessary Customs formalities, the beautiful protected harbor, and local color.

The harbor wasn't protected enough to withstand cyclone Pam;
most other destruction has been cleared, but boats are still washed ashore
(and supposedly there are some sailboats, with their crews,
sunken on the deep bottom below the mooring buoys)

Men in South Pacific island nations all wear the same thing--
t shirts or island shirts, shorts and flip flops.
Women's clothing, however, varies; in Vanuatu, most women wear brightly colored dresses
and look very festive!

The women--with their children--stay in the market all week,
sleeping on the floor between tables of produce

Multiple vendors in the market area serve heaping plates of rice, meat & vegetables
for 400 vatu ($4 US)--a "don't miss" lunch. The local paper guided us to a major annual
music festival (and can you decipher a bit more Bislama on the poster?)

On three consecutive nights we heard local string bands, reggae and Vanuatu-style rap;
with food booths, families sitting on the grass and young people dancing in front of the stage,
it was infectious fun

The Vanuatu Cultural Museum was jam-packed with fascinating displays of exotic headdresses, slit drums as tall as totem poles, body decorations and musical instruments--most of which are still used on outlying islands today. We were captivated by the sand drawing, which tells an entire story in a picture created without ever lifting the finger from the sand.

Edgar is telling the story while he draws

One of the final drawings;
they are breathtakingly beautiful, then swept away in an instant by shaking the 'sandbox'

Edgar also played a haunting melody on a long bamboo flute
and the Vanuatu national anthem on a type of marimba.
He wanted to learn an American song,
so we taught him "America the Beautiful".

Kava in Vanuatu is stronger than kava in Fiji, and we were curious about it. Rather than go to a downtown kava bar, we ended up making our way to a very tiny local nakamal up in the hills past the city--not a place that travelers would normally ever find. Neighborhood kava bars have a blue light on in the evening to indicate their business, but everything else is dark (to encourage maximum relaxation)--so unfortunately I don't have a photo. But it sure was a unique experience, being welcomed into their world and given more kava than we arranged for! (Once again a Paul Simon lyric came to mind: Still crazy after all these years...)

But the clock is ticking. It's a long way to New Zealand--where Second Wind will again spend the cyclone season--and the safe sailing time is drawing to a close; we must move on. We will head to New Caledonia, unfortunately not for exploration--not enough time for that--but for staging the tough passage to New Zealand from a place that's a little closer and offers a better wind angle than departing from Vanuatu. New Cal is reputedly very beautiful, though, so I hope to at least post a few photos from there!