The Last Voyage of the Good Ship Tarun

May 10, 2010 – The Last Voyage of the Good Ship Tarun

On fifth of May, in the year two thousand and ten, the ownership of the good ship Tarun passed from the vivacious Catherine and the seasoned Brian to a New Zealand bloke named Tom. After nearly 9 years, in which she served her two masters extraordinarily well; enabling safe passage across turbulent seas and stormy oceans; providing a snug and welcoming home; it was time for her stalwart owners to let her go and follow a new and different dream.

The process of sale was not without its dramatic moments. We were advised of an offer on Easter weekend. No worries, all was right with the boat, in fact I had just replaced the fresh water pump on the engine (more on this later). The mechanical survey was arranged, and the day before, I ran the engine and made sure it was all nice and clean. The next morning the diesel engineer (NEVER call them mechanics in MZ) arrived, I took off the engine cover, and there, lying on the bottom of the drip tray was a puddle of nice fresh antifreeze. A good start! The mechanical survey went well, a small oil leak from the front seal but nothing major. The next day, was haul-out and completion of the mechanical survey while under way. The day dawned overcast and the winds picked up to 25-30 knots. Not a situation I really wanted to take Tarun out the berth in, but, the buyer had flown from Wellington, the haul out was booked across the harbour, so with five of us on board we roared out of the berth (and I mean roared, full revs in reverse) and off we went. Got to the other side and I wanted to back Tarun into the travel lift, NO WAY. So front first but luckily the travel lift could lift us without dropping the forestay. The survery went well, a few small blisters on the bow, and then (drum roll please), the diesel engineer is spinning the prop and I am watching the prop go around in circles and up and down. We had a bent propeller shaft. Well, I contacted the insurance company, made a claim and after a frustrating week of trying to get someone to do something, we hauled the boat out, dropped the rudder, pulled the shaft and sent the whole lot off to get a new shaft made. Amazingly it only took 3 days and we re-installed on Thursday afternoon and were back in the water Friday.

The new owner is a novice sailor, Tarun is his first boat, so he is having a delivery skipper sail her to Wellington. Unfortunately weather is terrible just now, so the delivery crew, who arrived in Auckland on Monday after delivering a yacht from Wellington turned around and made their way back to Wellington, on land! As we have been paid, I wish the new owner the very best of luck!

At Anchor in Islington Bay Rangototo Island

Cathy has been working weird shifts with split days off since the beginning of the year to cover for everyone else who was lucky enough to take vacation.  Now, back on Monday to Friday as of yesterday, we can get away on weekends again.  I had the boat ready to go and when she got home at 5:00 we let go the lines and gybed out way out of Auckland harbour.  Islington Bay (Izzy Bay to the locals) is long and deep and lies between Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands in the Hauraki Gulf.  Very popular as it's close and pretty protected from most winds.  There are great walking trails on the islands as they are both Department of Conservation reserves.  Rangitoto is a currently inactive volcano; we hope it stays that way!  Not too many boats in last night but by noon today it looked like they were lined up waiting for a parking space.  Anchor carnage quickly ensued with people just not getting the idea that you actually need to put out a bit of scope or yes, you will drag.  Very entertaining as it really is a spectator sport.  Had a nice walk on shore this morning, and then back to the boat for some scrubbing on the prop and general look see under the boat.  The prop wasn't too bad but the keel is a mess and if we don't sell it soon, we'll have to haul out and antifoul as well as strip the keel and get it cleaned up again, the ongoing joys of yacht ownership.  Maintenance hasn't been too bad this year so far.  I had to replace on salon window as the safety glass failed.  I went back to hardened, tempered glass, what I should have been using all along.  Hopefully the other 3 will be OK, regardless; I bought glass for all of them anyways.

 

On the work front, I've ended my association with MMC Software and the My safe Ride Home program.  The cost to set up in NZ is quite high and the financial risk, as I evaluated it was too bloody high as well.  I'm working on getting McApples Enterprises Ltd up and running.  So far, I have 4 contracts to develop and deliver some training which will bring in a bit and give me some great exposure.  I'm also looking for a JOB, yes and real JOB.  The economy is picking up and my skills seem to be more in demand.  Working full time would be a change and a way to build the critical NZ experience.  We'll see how it all pans out.  I have one hopeful in mind and should know in a week or two.

 

We've dropped the asking price on Tarun from NZD $150,000 to $135,000.  It seems Kiwi's are not likely to offer much below 10-15% of the asking price so there is no point in trying to get them to give low offers and negotiate upwards, they just don't deal that way, generally.  We'll see if this gets us any more action.  In the meantime, anyone interested in a cruise ready, ocean going yacht with great gear and impeccably maintained, call us or email.

 

Phone: +64 (0)21 270 2151

Email: mcapples@gmail.com

A Relaxing Chrstmas Cruise

We got up early on boxing day and were underway by 06:30 on the way to Te Kouma Harbour on the Coromandel Peninsula.  No wind, flat seas, clear, blue sky, idyllic really.  After spending some time calling family in Canada to wish one and all a merry Christmas, I went to use the head.  For the next three hours, the relaxing Christmas cruise was all about stripping and cleaning the waste pump and all the outlet lines. Down to the through hull.  In a word, YUCK!  Anyhow, job done, and we motored slowly onwards.  We dropped anchor in Sargents Bay, a few power boats closer to shore, but not crowded at all.  More boats arrived, and by 19:00 there were 19 boats in the bay, all quit, and no worries, lots of room.  The next day, the weather once again looked terrific, so out for a tour in the dinghy.  We headed off, I throttled up, the engine died, we rowed back to Tarun.  An hour later, after stripping and cleaning the carburettor, we headed off again to the beach at Rangipukea Island.  A nice sheltered beach, and some handy rocks to perch on while sitting and watching natures beauty all around (that and the no trespassing signs that is).  Back to Tarun to see if the ocean temperature was high enough for me to at least get in the water and clean off the propeller.  We only managed 4.5 knots under power on the way out, I was pretty sure it was the prop.  The water was actually pretty nice, and to my surprise, the prop was pretty clean.  I polished it up and then looked at the rest of the hull, it was a mess.  The keel had a bunch of weeds growing out of it, the zinc and cooling shoe for the fridge were covered in oysters, and the hull was completely slimed.  Oh well!  An hour or so of free diving later, the hull was in pretty good shape, and I wasn't.  Back on board for a nice warm shower.  We had to had back the next day so up at 06:30 and underway by 07:00, again motoring, no wind!  We were however up to 5.5 knots, much better.  It's amazing that little wavy plants can cause so much drag.  We motored until we were about 10 miles to the marina.  The wind came up so we tacked our way down the harbour, hitting 6.8 knots to weather, not bad for a big ol ketch, and we easily outsailed a Benetau, too much wind for the poor fellows.

 So a relaxing Christmas cruise, just like the cruising brochures promise.  My advice, read the fine print, be prepared to fix stuff, and, of course, LOVE DOING IT.

Waxing Philosphical at Christmas

Christmas day in New Zealand is one for the books this year.  It's a sunny, warm, calm day over almost the entire country.  As the newspapers say, finally, a perfect Christmas.  It still seems odd to get up Christmas morning, put on your shorts and tee shirt, and keep blinds drawn to try and keep the boat from getting too warm.  I seem to retain a residual "Christmas" memory of snow on the ground, fireplaces and it being dark until 8:30 or so in the morning and getting dark again around 4:30-5:00 in the evening.  Suns up here at 5:00 am or so and it's still pretty light at 9:30 pm.  Decorated houses are fairly rare here, too light to see the effects of the lights.  This is time of year for family and friends.  We are having dinner with friends today, but alas, family is far away and spread out around North America this year.  Mom and Dad in a hotel in Portland, my brother and family spending their first Christmas without Erika (Karin's mother passed away a few weeks ago).  They are having Christmas at the family home in Ottawa and likely continuing a lifetime of traditions.  Cathy's mom is in Belleville having Christmas with Alan and family (Cathy's oldest brother) while younger brother Iain is having a family Christmas in PEI; everyone celebrating in their own way.

I think back over the past 20 years and where we have spent Christmas's.   Our parent's homes in different parts of C|anada  a hotel in the British Virgin Islands, Sweden, and New Zealand.  Our first year in New Zealand in 1996, we had Christmas day with a family who we barely new, they were friends of friends, now good friends of ours.  We've spent 3 Christmas's with them over the years, but this year we had to pass, not enough time off work.  Instead, we will go up and spend time with fellow sailors in the marina starting at noon today and later on we will drive over to our friend's house for a nice meal and get together in their backyard.  A relaxing, easygoing day, and why not, after all, it's summer time and as the song says, "the livin is easy"

 

Merry Christmas All, and no matter where you are, or what you are doing, raise a glass and know that we are there with you in spirit if not in body

Observations

Living in your car in Auckland

We witnessed the most bizarre behaviour we've ever seen in a car recently on the motorway into Auckland.  We were driving in morning rush hour, traffic was moving along steadily, a bit slower than normal, but steady.  We looked to our right and there was a young couple, we presume, heading into work.  She was driving and he was sitting in the passenger seat eating his bowl of cereal.  Ok that was a bit odd, but what really caught our attention was seeing her (the driver) eating her bowl of cereal!  Driving with her knee, holding the bowl with one hand and spooning in with the other.  We gave them plenty of room.  A bit further on, cereal now finished, she has the visor down so she could use the mirror on the back side of the visor to apply her makeup, still driving in rush hour, still driving with her knee and using both hands to apply makeup.

The Merge Game

There are a quite a few areas in Auckland where there are two lanes of traffic at a stop light and maybe 75 meters on, the left lane ends and traffic has to merge into the right lane.  The normal behaviour for drivers in the left lane is to assume that drivers in the righ lane will slow down and let them merge.  Drivers in the left lane all drive cars without a right turn signal so drivers in the right lane are also presumed to be mind readers.  I no longer look in the mirror to see if someone in the left lane expects me to slow down.   I assume that there is no one there and drive straight on.  So far, no one has hit me, I'm still waiting!

The Passing Lane Race

We took a small mini vacation to celebrate Cathy's 50^th birthday this past weekend and drove about 3 ½ hours to Lake Taupo. As with most roads in NZ, once out of the major urban areas, they are two lane highways with passing lanes every so often to allow traffic to pass safely.  There is a consistent behaviour to drivers in these situations.  You will be following behind someone who is doing maybe 90 km/hr in a 100 km/hr zone.  You're patient as you know there is a passing lane likely not too far ahead so you wait to pass.  As soon as you both get to the passing lane, the car in front speeds up to anywhere between 100-110 km/hr, so to pass you pass at an even greater speed.  If you don't pass them, they get to the end of the passing lane, and immediately slow back down to 90 km/hr.  Not sure of the reasoning behind this, but there is probably a deep seated competitiveness that erupts in these situations.

Parking In Strange Places

True story from a couple of weeks ago.  A family parked in the drive through lane of a fast food restaurant in Auckland and went next door to the shops to pick up a few things.  We see this behaviour or it's variant a lot lately.  The "you don't mind if I park here and block you in, I'll only be a few minutes, surely you can wait for me" syndrome otherwise known as the "Its All about Me Syndrome!" 

Life in the Marina

As it is the last day of August and I am feeling like it, I thought I would see what comes out in the blog.  I have spent a tremendous amount of time attending networking events handing out business cards, collecting business cards, shaking hands, that sort of thing.  Not at all nautical!  There hasn't been much nautical going on.  We haven't had the boat out of the berth since Easter.  No particular reason, we've just found ourselves wrapped up in getting life on land sorted, you know, grocery shopping, laundry, that sort of thing.  We hope to get away at least overnight in the next couple of weeks.  I have had a couple of business trips, one to Brisbane, one to LA.  Brisbane was a lot nicer.  I ended up flying to LA for 2 days of meetings.  It took 5 ½ days to do it.  I am hoping not to have too much more in the travel department this year.  Maybe back to Aussie, but we'll see.  Winter hasn't been too bad.  June was pretty cold (well cold for us) with temps doen as low as zero.  Lucky for us, daytime temps are pretty much always double digits.  It's getting progressively nicer now with highs 16-19, pretty much perfect.  The winds are here however with the equinox approaching so still a bit cool when facing into 35-40 knots.  The boat has been over almost 10 degrees in the berth today, fun!  We get a fair bit of movement on the boat in this marina.  The floating breakwater doesn't damp down the swell, just breaks the waves.  There is a ferry that runs past the outside of the marina and you can always tell they've gone.  7 ½ minutes after they pass, the boats rolls around like we're on the ocean sailing in cross seas.  Some days, it's lots of fun as you grab in to the coffee pot to stop it sliding off the table during breakfast.  The 7 ½ minutes by the way is the official number from well placed marina staff (ok the security guy).  It can be a bit weird when you're walking down the dock and the swell rolls through.  Visually, the dock is rolling up and down with the boats not quite in sync to it.  Maybe this is where the whole "drunken sailor" thing came from. 

Not Much to Say

It’s been awhile since I decided to update the blog so I thought I should just sit down and write something.  Cathy is settling into her job, sort of.  The people she works with are nice enough but the job certainly is not mind taxing.  She spends a lot of time grooming the fruit and veggie displays, misting lettuce, discarding questionable produce, that sort of thing.  It does pay the bills though.  I, on the other hand have been sitting on the boat trying to sort out how to make money as a consultant when I have very few business contacts left in NZ.  I have joined the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and attended one of teir events and will attend as many future ones as I can, as long as they are free.  I spend  A LOT of time networking.  Eventually it will result in business.  I don’t expect to get rich this year, but certainly by early next year at the latest (I can dream!).  I have also spent a fair chunk of time working on issues for MMC Software New Zealand Ltd.  We have negotiated an agreement that makes me the President and CEO of the company here in NZ for a modest salary and based on target, I get to own more and more if it.  The company started in Canada and is a Risk Intervention system called My Safe Ride Home™.  The idea is pretty straightforward, there is a prepaid taxi card with priority queuing that is used with participating cab companies.  I am working at preparing a business plan, making contacts into taxi industry, all sort of fun stuff.  The company should be officially formed by early next week.  That will at least [ay the bills while I beaver away on McApples.  The name McApples Enterprises is getting a good review so far.  People I talk to are intrigued by it and at first glance assume that we are somehow associated with Apples and Macintosh computers.  I quickly point out that we are not (I really don’t want a law suit here) and then describe the how and why of the name.  It makes for a good ice breaking conversation starter.  Who knows, maybe Apple will buy us out (still dreaming).  We have had one more run in with WINZ, my all time favourite NZ Government department.  Despite our having advised them of changes in income etc as soon as they took place, they continued to pay us more than they should have.  I realized they were were overpaying but I had no way of stopping it and after all, money in the bank is after all, well, money in the bank.  We got a notice a week or so ago rather bluntly stating that THEY had overpaid US and we now had around a week and a half to cough it up and pay it back.  They were gracious to say that we could let them take money directly from our account on a payment plan (as if!!!).  The money was due on the 12^th of June.  On June 11^th, I paid them.  On June 13^th, I receive a letter dated June 10^th, saying that the amount owing is now OVERDUE.  Needless to say, I am PISSED OFF.  I can hardly wait for Monday to talk to them, and the media, and whoever else I can think of.   Oh well, everyone has a hobby, mine is now Work and Income New Zealand.  

 

On a positive note, I did stick up my hand to volunteer for the NZ Coastguard.  I was involved with them in Wellington when we last lived in NZ.  They now have a formal induction training regime, one night a week for 7 weeks covering Search and rescue, communications, personal safety and in water survival training.  The run 4 intakes a year and I am signed up for one starting in October.