Gulf Harbour Marina
New Zealand
Position: 36:37:42S 174:47:28E
This was really our first long cruise on Duet ll and what a joy it has been. It has taken us two years to make alterations and adjustments. We have also done away with the hideous green upholstery and canvas that we inherited with her and are very happy with the new look. The new Rocna anchor is fantastic although it can put a strain on the windlass as it digs in so well that times you are lifting the entire seabed.
New Caledonia is noted for it’s fantastic flora and fauna – here are a couple of examples.
Apart from the pretty ones this is one of those delightful flesh eating plants
We had a terrific sail back from Noumea with some excellent fast sailing but we didn’t quite make the magic 200 nm day’s run. We cleared in Opua and stayed for a few days whilst the weather improved. The swell after 5 days of strong southerlies was impressive.
We decided to spend the night a the half way point, a tiny harbour called Tutakaka. Then entrance is narrow and deep with sharp toothed rocks either side. There was no wind but the swell was still high making it a rather dramatic entrance……..
We had an uncomfortable night but by dawn there was not a trace of swell to be found. So now after 3556 nm we are home again in Gulf Harbour.
It is good to be back in WiFi reach initially we had some issues with our signal. One of our good cruising friends suggested that we tried to find something metal that would reflect the signal from our antenna….
Which it did! And it’s a lot less expensive than buying a bigger and more sensitive arial. That’s it for now and so happy sailing and cruising to every one. We will be back in the New Year and will keep you all posted.