At last, the day comes to leave Pier 21, the last goodbye to the marina, the broker, the dock workers (who were really nice), rushing around to buy the chart from NZ to Fiji, jacklines, bits and pieces. The computer has been in the GI office all day, last emails, last weather checks. Nick sticks to the computer, somehow he needs to send some really long message, which I read as a latent form of anxiety.
The weather is nice, the wind a sout westerly, just right.
We leave Auckland in style: up go the sails, all of them right out of the marina, so instead of motoring as we've done so far, we pass by the waterfront under sail. A huge tanker takes off right as we go by it, but no worries.
Out of the main harbor, past Rangitoto we also come across the new NZ America's Cup boats returning from training. They have no engine and are being towed, the crew waves at us when we take pictures...here even the top class sailors appreciate an old ketch trimmed to perfection. Kiwis are no snobs, at least.
Perfect sailing all day, quiet, good speed, we play with the trimming all day, trying to squeeze every point of a knot out of her, and she complies beautifully, making steering superfluous for long stretches. Evening comes, and lo, we have been seeing the Maori Rocks beam for a while, the wind dies and we have dinner. The sea is oily, total calm, so instead of flapping and bobbing all night in the middle of nowhere we take shelter in Kawau island again, in the cove we know so well.
A few toasts to the good day and the beginning of the avventure and we're off to bed.
The weather is nice, the wind a sout westerly, just right.
We leave Auckland in style: up go the sails, all of them right out of the marina, so instead of motoring as we've done so far, we pass by the waterfront under sail. A huge tanker takes off right as we go by it, but no worries.
Out of the main harbor, past Rangitoto we also come across the new NZ America's Cup boats returning from training. They have no engine and are being towed, the crew waves at us when we take pictures...here even the top class sailors appreciate an old ketch trimmed to perfection. Kiwis are no snobs, at least.
Perfect sailing all day, quiet, good speed, we play with the trimming all day, trying to squeeze every point of a knot out of her, and she complies beautifully, making steering superfluous for long stretches. Evening comes, and lo, we have been seeing the Maori Rocks beam for a while, the wind dies and we have dinner. The sea is oily, total calm, so instead of flapping and bobbing all night in the middle of nowhere we take shelter in Kawau island again, in the cove we know so well.
A few toasts to the good day and the beginning of the avventure and we're off to bed.
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