The daily doings aboard the Romany Star
This will be our version of a blog, with nearly daily updates when we are underway. When we are hanging out somewhere entries will be less regular. This is uploaded over a radio link, so must be brief, and we can not moderate responses. Please use the Guest Book page or direct email to get in touch.
For more photos and stories, go to the pages under the "Voyages" tab.
December 21, 2023 – Happy Solstice, or whatever you celebrate this time of year
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With the end of the year sneaking up on me I managed to dig out the old decorations and get the boat dressed for the Holidays. Whangarei is a great place at this time of year, plenty of Christmas cheer around the Northland and Yachtie communities. Between the cruiser potlucks and all the Spring crops coming in I've been making up for all those trail meals earlier in the year. The local farmers market had the first peaches of the season, and the actual grower was ther selling them. The local tourist organization slogan is "Love this place" and it's hard not to.
I am fortunate to have so many options available to me at this point in my life. The dream of sailing on to Europe from here has been my focus for so long that I've blinded myself to other opportunities. There are so many places left on my bucket list that I just ache to visit, but I've come to the realization that getting to them with Romany Star isn't absolutely neccessary. The import duty on this old boat here in New Zealand isn't a terribly huge amount of money, and once paid I can spend up to six months a year on the boat here. Leaving her here also means that trips to Fiji and Tonga are only about ten days of sailing. The word "plan" always catches in my throat, I'm sure the Goddess grins whenever I use it, but for now the plan is to home base in New Zealand half the year, and travel out of my backpack the other half. I'm not sure what happens to this site. I'm not inclined to turn it into a general travelogue. It is about the boat and my travels on her. I doubt the readership amounts to much since updates have been so sparse for many years. We'll see . . . |
December 11, 2023 – Boat projects - and musing
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The other day, while continuing the engine re-installation project, I looked up from my position sitting on the floor and saw my little shrine to my past two years of hiking that is prominent at the nav station. I haven't written here about what went on from October '21 through October '23 because it wasn't relevant to Romany Star. I had to be out of New Zealand after all the lovely extensions I was granted through the Covid lockdown. To clear the visa clock I needed to be away a year. Initially I thought I would help a friend move her boat but an old boyfriend bumped me from that job. My next thought was to return to my favorite activity as a teenager, hiking in the woods. I was lucky in the lottery to get a permit for the Pacific Crest Trail. So lucky I even got a second one! I hiked a over a thousand miles each year, leaving a bit over 500 miles to finish the 2650 mile trail. I fit in a taste of the Arizona trail early in the '23 hiking season too.
The trails are calling out to me. The simplicity of putting 12 pounds of gear, a week worth of food and enough water to get to the next stream, is about the ultimate low impact lifestyle. I'd always considered the boat to be a great way to travel and keep to a tiny budget with a small footprint. Now I'm looking at all the systems, and the creature comforts as unnecessary. There are plenty of options open to me going forward, these last couple years shifted my perspective on many things. I wonder what's next. |
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November 15, 2023 – There she blows!
The project list hasn't started to shrink quite yet. I've almost finished scrubbing the entire interior, bilges and all. This was the first old brittle plastic fitting that broke. I was happy it was a small hose, but unhappy to know that all these sort of fittings on the boat will have to be replaced. Just today I had another shatter as I was scrubbing nearby. I'd barely bumped it! The larger hoses are all on bronze fittings, but finding bronze for these smaller feeds is impossible. The Kiwi's insist their plastic is better quality. I think I'll just add a regular replacement of this sort of thing to the maintenance list.
I've been fitting in some socialising, and regular hikes to go along with all the yucky boat chores. It will be a couple more weeks before the sails go up and hopefully some boat fun. |
November 7, 2023 – Afloat
After the long days waiting out the rain in Northland, Romany Star was finally picked up and gently set back in the water. It's probably the most nerve racking moment for most boaters. There are just so many checks that can be done on dry land, it all gets real when the boat floats, the engine starts and you get underway. I was shocked it went so smoothly.
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October 29, 2023 – Back aboard
Aboard but far from afloat! I had hoped to do a quick bottom paint job, and be back in the marina to start the serious work of making Romany Star shipshape. Mother nature has other ideas. The remains of an early season typhoon has moved down to New Zealand. The winds are only in the 40's but bottom paint and rain don't mix. There is plenty to do keeping busy while I wait for a dry day. I arrived to find a bilge toped up with rain water, and a boat smelling of mold. I know how the water got inside, it's an old problem with seals on the large hatch opening at the back of the cockpit. I had hoped the bilge pumps would take care of it, but two years had run the batteries dead. I've managed to get the interior dry, and jury-rigged an electrical system. Today I finished up wiping all the main cabin surfaces down with vinegar, still lots more to go in the head and up front. Tomorrow I'll drive my rental down to Auckland where they have the batteries I want in stock. With luck Wednesday will be dry and maybe I'll be afloat by next weekend.
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October 21, 2023 – Back soon
I'll be back in New Zealand in less than a week. Mostly packed but hardly feeling ready for what is ahead. There will be weeks or more of work getting this boat ready to sail over the horizon again. The time exploring new friends and places, the miles on the road and trails have been wonderful, but the cruising life calls to me. The feeling of sailing over the horizon is like no other.
April 7, 2023 – So many miles
Sailing adventures seem so far, past and in the future. I've been in North America since October 2021. New Zealand finally stopped extending tourist visas for Covid so I had to be on my way. There were few destinations in the Pacific open so I put Romany Star in a secure boatyard. Since then I've walked a couple thousand miles, car camped all over the Western US, Canada and Mexico and am currently preparing for my second attempt at the Pacific Crest Trail. I will return to Whangarei in October, but have no idea of where I'll be heading when I leave there.
March 17, 2021 - Still Waiting
A year of Covid lockdown in New Zealand has been full of new adventures, but none of them sailing. I've learned a bit about horseback riding and hiked some of the most beautiful and difficult trails. I've deeply appreciated the Kiwi peoples and their place. As much as I'd like to stay it's not my place, and the horizon is calling. Maybe with the vaccines rolling out there will be a cruising season this year.
February 21, 2020 - Waiting patiently
The boat is ready to go, and so am I. I'm heavily focused on finding a compatible cruising partner. This is the fourth time in my cruising career to seek a companion, a partner to share the journey. It's not easy, and the process is full of emotional ups and downs. For now I've talked to a number of interesting people but remain on my quest.
Check out the older logs for a taste of life on the Romany Star.