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And here, we archive the adventures of the Maggie B from port to port.

Running up the east coast of New Zealand
Sunday 06.03.2007

The Schooner Maggie B cast off from the Gisborne Marina exactly at noon today. We are headed north for the Bay of Plenty, running up the East Coast at 9-10 knots in a nice big Southerly. A Nor’westerly gale is due Tuesday, so we hope to be safely around East Point and across the Bay by then. Depending on our speed and the speed of advance of the gale, we should be in either Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty or Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula. From Whitianga it is just a half day to Auckland. (for interested parties, the “Wh” in Whitianga is pronounced “F” as in “Fitianga.”)

We hope to go by White Island (Whakaari) in the middle of the Bay of Plenty, which is New Zealand’s most active volcano, last erupting just a few years ago and actively steaming now.

At the End of the World?

Right now we are just 70 NM from the International Date Line, which makes some of our electronic charts act as if it is the end of the world (see Pirates III). Almost tempting to cross over and back to spend the shortest day ever.

All is well.

  posted by Frank | June 3, 2007  

Hi Frank - Greetings from 34 South - 23 East. I tend to read your log in fits and starts and have just caught up from the middle of May. I find your narrative fasinating and it seems that your writing skills have brushed off on to Bori whose posting was really well
penned and who must have been a real slalwart crew member.
What really triggered me to write was a reference that you made to “as
the crow flies or rather the black oyster catcher”. We have them here and the are
protected and on the endandered list - is this a problem over there I
wonder?
I have not been to New Zealand but had the good fortune to sail with
Peter Blake back in the 70s - a great guy and someone who did such a lot for New Zealand sailing especially in the Americas Cup. You will no
doubt find that New Zealanders will be wearing red socks at this time of
Americas Cup fever - Peter used the sale of red socks as a marketing
tool to raise money to finance the first and/or second New Zealand entry and as I understand
it everyone wears them in support. Pehaps as the US is out of the cup
and if you don’t support Italy you and the crew should wear them too!

The other thing that you might find interesting is the current series
of international rugby matches that are going on in NZ. If you are not
familiar with the game find a friendly NZ yachtie to take you all to a
game or to pub where a game is being shown on TV. The French are there at
the moment and there will be games against South Africa and Australia
soon. You’ll enjoy it - it’s somewhat different to grid iron

The Navy comes to Knysna in July for our Oyster festival and the whole
town goes to the Heads to watch them come in. They are bringing two mine h
hunters this year - the bar won’t take anything bigger. The Navy band
also comes to Knysna (not by sea)and their performances are legendary.
I’ll send you a photo of the ship’s arrival in the Heads if you like.

Enjoy and keep up the great mouth-watering scribe work

Kind regards

Chris Henwood

—CHRISH  June 3, 2007

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