Eternal Summer in the Bay of Islands

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While the rest of the country has to contend with gale-force winds and heavy flooding, up here in the Bay of Islands it seems like an eternal summer. The sun has been shining consistently for the last 6 weeks with beautiful breezes to match. Perfect sailing conditions every day, and everyone has been enjoying the weather, scenery, and of course the amazing wildlife, particularly the bottlenose dolphins.
So, with the risk of being a bit repetitive, we’re posting our latest dolphin photos to share with you.

Evening in the Bay – November 2011		Freewind and dolphins heading for Moturua Island
Photo action on Freewind’s deck		The dolphins just didn’t want to leave

Spaces are filling up for our holiday season sailing trips, both day tours and overnight trips. We’d love to have you on board too – see trip details on www.sailbayofislands.com. Feel free to contact us with any queries you have about our sailing trips or your stay in the Bay of Islands.

See you on the water,
Ron and the crew

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Quote of the day

It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship ~ Proverb

Bays, Breezes, and Ball Games

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While New Zealand is in the midst of Rugby World Cup frenzy, Freewind is making the most of the good weather up here in the Bay of Islands. A good south-westerly breeze accompanied us during last Thursday-Friday’s trip, as well as the friendly bottlenose dolphins.
 


Thank you Tracey for the kind feedback on our Facebook page:

“Thanks for a great little trip around the Bay of Islands Ron. We all enjoyed ourselves doing as much or as little as we liked. A very pretty part of the world seen from a very special vessel. I think that you have left a huge impression on the boys. Thanks again, the Polson clan.”

Whether it’s celebrating the rugby, or someone’s birthday (we’ve celebrated 2 birthdays on board this month), it’s been a pleasure having everyone on board. With guests from Sweden and South Africa, Ireland and Hong Kong, it’s been great sharing your company and your appreciation of this special part of New Zealand.

Cabins on our January trips are starting to fill up, so if you are interested in joining us during late December - January, please contact us soon for dates and details. Plenty of space still available on Freewind's sailing trips in October - November.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Ron and the crew

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Quote of the day:

I know who you are, but you'll have to wipe your feet.

-Capt. Richard Brown of the schooner America to Prince Albert of England, 1851

Freewind back in the Bay of Islands

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The northerly gale this week in the Bay of Islands brought Freewind back to Russell after a 7-day passage from New Caledonia. It was not one of those perfect trips with nice breezes and clear blue skies. The first few days was sailing to windward, a little off course but making good speed. Once Freewind reached the northerly winds from the storm to the south it was all go towards New Zealand, with 30-35 knot winds the whole way. A rough, but speedy progress.

The boat is now safely on her mooring in Mathauwhi Bay in Russell and Ron is getting his “land legs” after all those months on board. Not for long, though – on Friday, Freewind will be out again with our first charter of the season, and another, overnight trip on Sat-Sun this weekend. For details, see September Specials on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Freewind, on her mooring in Savusavu before her passage to New Caledonia and New Zealand		Bar-tailed Godwits with their long, upturned beaks, back on NZ shores after their long passage from Alaska

The timing for returning to New Zealand must be perfect – we heard that those amazing voyagers - the Godwits - are also starting to arrive back in New Zealand, and their voyage is much more impressive than Freewind’s: after flying 10 days non-stop 11,000 km all the way from Alaska (!!) the Bar-tailed Godwits have also started to arrive in their wintering grounds (our gorgeous NZ summer) here in NZ.
They spend the southern summer on the Christchurch coastline and every year the City Council organises a spring celebration to mark the arrival of the first Godwit migrants. The Christchurch Cathedral bells ring for 30 minutes when the first birds are seen on the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. This year the cathedral's bells are out of action due to the earthquake, so the bells of St Paul's Anglican Church in Papanui will ring out at 12.30 for the birds today, Wednesday Sept 14th.

Welcome back Freewind, welcome back Godwits!

Ron has posted photos from Savusavu and New Caledonia on http://captainronsblognz.blogspot.com/ .

Details on our Bay of Islands sailing trips and schedules on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Single-handed across the ocean

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Freewind is on her way again; she set sail from Noumea (New Caledonia) on Tuesday, heading for Opua (New Zealand).   Mid-September marks the start of the summer charter season*, so Ron will be swapping his “cruiser's hat” for his “charter boat skipper’s hat” as soon as he gets back.
		Last sight of land – the lighthouse on the reef leaving New Caledonia

On this ocean passage, Ron is ‘single handing’, that is – sailing alone, just him, the boat, and the big ocean. A great way to get away from the hectic life ashore and be ‘at one with the sea’.   Many people ask how one manages to get any sleep at sea; do you stop the boat? how do you avoid running into other ships? etc. The answer is: no, the boat keeps sailing on her course, steered by the electronic automatic pilot that is attached to the boat’s steering gear. There is also an electronic lookout device which detects vessels within a certain range and sounds an alarm.    Of course, there is no automatic system that trims the sails when the wind changes, so the single-hander never really has a good sound sleep, her/his ears are always tuned to the sound of the wind through the sails and the waves against the hull.

On a more humorous/philosophical note, a quote from Roz Savage’s blog, which she is currently writing as she rows (yes, that’s correct!) across the Indian Ocean. This is the third ocean she is attempting to cross, after successfully rowing across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Roz Savage is an inspiration to any single-handed sailor and her daily lively blog entries, written from the middle of the ocean in a 35-ft boat are always a treat to her readers. Roz talks about a book called How to Avoid Huge Ships by Captain Trimmer, and one of her favourite reviews (see the full blog page here) of the book is this:

“This book really is one of the best huge ship avoidance references I’ve come across, not just for the effective methods it teaches as to avoiding huge ships, but also for exploding some of the huge ship avoidance myths that
many of us take for granted. For example:
- Do not charge the huge ship at full speed in an attempt to scare it off.
This may work with coyotes, but it is less effective with huge ships.
- Similarly, do not roll your boat over and play dead. Unless the huge ship
is captained by a grizzly bear, this will not work.
- Do not attempt to go under the huge ship. This is typically not
successful.
- Do not attempt to jump over the huge ship.
Captain Trimmer presents a rather novel technique for avoiding huge ships - move your boat out of the path of the huge ship. I know what you’re thinking, this goes against conventional wisdom, but Trimmer presents significant empirical evidence to support his theory. Indeed, over the long run, moving out of the way will dramatically decrease the number of huge ship collisions you will have to endure in your daily life.”

Roz is currently on her 126th day at sea alone, so compared to that, the 6-day, 900 nautical mile sail from New Caledonia to New Zealand should be a breeze.

  Follow Freewind on her trip across the Pacific on: www.skipr.net and click Freewind.

* See our Season Opening Specials on http://www.sailbayofislands.com/september-specials

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  Today’s quote comes from one of the world’s most admired single-handers, Bernard Moitessier:

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present. In this limitless nation, this nation of wind, light, and peace, there is no other ruler besides the sea."

--    B. Moitessier                                             

Laser racing in the South Pacific Games

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 Freewind is in Nouméa and Ron is enjoying the great hospitality of the New Caledonians. The South Pacific Games 2011 organising committee have done a fantastic job of preparing the venues and making sure all participants and supporters are well looked after and enjoying the games. Ron is part of the support team for the Fijian sailors, who are represented by the Savusavu Junior Sailing Club.

Coté Blanche - the venue for the boat racing in Nouméa, New Caledonia	The teams preparing their boats for the race	Laisa of Savusavu – representing Fiji Women’s Laser sailing
Robert and Mikey from Savusavu – representing Fiji in men’s Lasers	The boys set sail for the race	The racing was superb – good breezes and strong performances

We wish all the teams and participants all the best – reach for the sky and enjoy the games!

South-west to Noumea

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After a very enjoyable stay in Savusavu, it’s time to move on. The young sailors at the Savusavu Junior Sailing Club, sponsored by the Copra Shed Marina, have been training hard for this year’s big sporting event of the Pacific – the South Pacific Games, hosted by New Caledonia. Four top Savusavu sailors and their coach Geoff will be flying to Nouméa later this week for the start of the games, and Freewind, with Ron, Tim and Finn on board, will meet them up there. With the brisk easterly winds at the moment, forecast to continue throughout the week, it’s not certain who will arrive there first.
		Freewind leaving Savusavu

The first day of Laser racing will be August 29th, held at Nouméa’s beautiful Côte Blanche. The Savusavu team will be representing Fiji and we wish them all the best.
		The South Pacific Games 2011 opening this week on Nouméa, New Caledonia

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To follow Freewind’s course to New Caledonia, check the cruising website www.skipr.net and click on Freewind.
From Noumea, Freewind will be departing for the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, with the first charter trip  from Paihia scheduled for mid-September.

The Bay of Islands during the Rugby World Cup

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If you are planning to visit New Zealand during Sept-October, there’s even more reason to come up to the Bay of Islands, only 3-hr drive north of Auckland. The Bay of Islands will be hosting a variety of events leading to and during the Rugby World Cup, so even if you’re not a rugby fan, you’re welcome to join in the fun.
We’ve highlighted some of the events here, for a full list and more details, see: Northland events during Rugby World Cup 2011.

Games played at the Northland Events Centre, Whangarei:
Tonga vs. Canada: Wed, Sep 14,                           Tonga vs. Japan: Wed, Sept 21.

The Bay of Islands will be hosting the Canadian Rugby team during Sept 2 – Sept 11, 2011, and the Tongan and Japanese teams during Sept 15 - 20.

Paihia in the Bay of Islands will be the scene of festivals, family fun events and cultural showcasing during the Rugby World Cup, September – October, 2011.

Russell, the “Hellhole of the Pacific”
When: Friday 7 October to Sunday 23 October, 10am to 4pm.  Where: Russell waterfront and village centre
Russell-Kororareka is recreating its most infamous days when Kororareka was known as the Hell-hole of the Pacific and a favourite stopping place for whalers and sailors of 19th century sailing ships. During October 7-23, the streets of this now charming village will once again see the likes of whalers, warriors, loose women, missionaries and townsfolk of 1830-1847. Re-creation of historical scenes on the streets and in heritage buildings will liven up visitors’ experience of Russell on top of the normal attraction of the town, which includes the oldest NZ tannery-printhouse, the Russell museum, a great selection of restaurants on the waterfront and the Trader’s Mall, Nature Reserve walks, and two excellent beaches.

The Russell wharf is where Freewind will pick you up for the real Bay of Islands experience – a day sail or overnight trip in the Bay.

Russell will also be hosting the Oyster Festival on Sept 17 at the Russell waterfront: oysters and much more….

Paihia: From Sept 9 to Sept 22, Paihia will host a multitude of events, including showcasing Maori culture (Kapa Haka festival, traditional Maori crafts, etc.), beach activities (sandcastle competition, beach sports) and food events.  On Sept 20 and 22 the Seafood festival in Paihia will give you an opportunity to catch or just enjoy the taste of locally caught seafood, plus lots of fun activities for the whole family (including the “pie-hia” eating competition) on the Paihia village green.

Whangarei, on the way to the Bay of Islands, will also be hosting art events and family activities during this time, and if you are a rugby fan, the “Rugby, Racing, and Beer” exhibition at the Matakohe Museum on the way up north (State Highway 1), would be an interesting stop.

This will be a busy time for tourist operators in the Bay of Islands and we are all looking forward to sharing our wonderful bit of paradise with all our guests. Please make your bookings on Freewind early – we will be offering day sails and overnight trips, plus private tailor-made charters with our usual focus on everyone having an enjoyable and relaxing time, experiencing the natural beauty of the Bay and its islands, good food and comfortable accommodation, and expert seamanship and local knowledge from Ron, Freewind’s experienced skipper. Details on www.sailbayofislands.com .

Looking forward to hearing from you -- fair winds and following seas,

Ron and the crew on Freewind.