Schooner Magge B in Wellington, 25 May ‘07

The wind has stopped blowing in Wellington and it is as if we are all deaf. for the first 3-4 days it was pretty steady 30 knots in the inner harbor. Blows the head right off your shoulders!

We are getting to know Wellington better and really like what we are finding. It is complex, artistic, scenic, walkable, and creative. We all love the Te Papa, the new national museum which is only 100 meters from the Maggie B (photos soon).

As part of our Crew Training Program we all went off to the Opening Night of the latest of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It was shown in the glorious Embassy Theater, a true Movie Palace, built in the 1920’s but completely restored in 2003 for the opening of the Lords of the Ring series. We should have been in costume, as many were. The movie was fun, one of the highlights being Keith Richards as Pirate King (he didn’t need any make-up…..).

Last night we went to the Yacht Club to get information and pointers from local yachties. However, it was Rock and Roll Night, and if we got any pointers, they were forgotten. The crew mutinied, declaring it “Too Old,” but the Captain knew the words to all the songs and had a fine time.

We have made a beachhead at The Welsh Dragon, which declares itself to be the only Welsh Bar in the Southern Hemisphere. Music and singing every night and the Barkeeper is very Welsh, full of stories and song. Pushed only a little bit by her comrades, Theresa sang “Waltzing Matilda” to the crowd, which produced the expected Aussie/Kiwi “banter.” We escaped with our lives.

Bori is off tomorrow to return to Hungary, a big step for her and us. She has been with the Maggie B since before she was launched, all the way except for the Brazil-Cape Town leg. She will be missed and we hope the best for whatever will be her next “ship.”

After the weekend we will be looking for some sort of Southerly, to that us up the coast to Bay of Plenty and then on to Auckland, which is about 400 NM away by sea.