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First Light |
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First Light |
Last Update: 05/17/03
After much anticipation, we’re finally in Vanuatu. For the past two years we’ve been hearing nothing but great stuff about Vanuatu, with many cruisers citing it as their favorite South Pacific island group.
We left New Zealand June 2, after our second summer there, with great memories of warm, friendly Kiwis and a beautiful and varied countryside in which sheep and cows far outnumber human inhabitants. And thanks to a favorable exchange rate with the U.S. dollar and excellent Kiwi boat building skills, First Light sailed away with new sails, new cabin sole, a refurbished rig and a long list of other improvements.
During our first season there we split our time -- most of it spent on boat-improvement projects -- between the traditional cruiser hangout of Whangarei, and Auckland. But this past year we pushed a little further south to Tauranga, 200 km south of Auckland (by road) and were glad we did. Our trip south afforded the opportunity to cruise some of New Zealand’s fine cruising grounds. The secluded cove at Whangamumu, Tutukaka Harbor, and beautiful Great Barrier Island, (where we spent Andy’s birthday and Christmas, complete with roast turkey dinner on board First Light) were among our favorite anchorages. We called in at Auckland for New Year’s, where we had a fun New Year’s Eve BBQ with Mark and Laura of Hammerhead (ex-Sausalitans turned Kiwis). As we sailed out of the Waitemata Harbor, trying to tack out of the way of Playstation with Peter Hogg grinning down at us, and watching America’s Cup boats hauling in spinnakers off their transom (yes, they blow it too!), we realized again how exciting it is to sail around New Zealand, especially now. Sailing south around the Coromandel Peninsula, into the Bay of Plenty, we stopped at the Mercury Islands, the largest of which is owned by Michael Fay of America’s Cup fame. A long day’s sail from the Mercuries brought us to Tauranga, a major port and our base for the next four months.
Tauranga’s a bit off the well-trod cruisers’ path and, until recently, has been a well-kept secret. We were so pleased with the area that we thought other cruisers heading this way might be interested in knowing more about it. There were only a few dozen overseas cruising boats split between the harbor’s two marinas, among them Seattle-based “Elixyr,” and “Kaien” and “Dessert First” from Vancouver. The area boasts a comprehensive assortment of marine trades and suppliers. It’s well known to the skippers of many megayachts, who take advantage of the 600-ton slipway and low labor rates.
The year-old Bridge Marina is modern, convenient, and one of the friendliest places around. The staff go out of their way to take care of you, even providing a “push boat” service when needed to counter the strong current entering or leaving a berth. The slip fees (@$100 US/month), were half what they were in Auckland, with much nicer facilities. The miles of beautiful white beaches 1/4 mile away vs. sitting in the mud up the Whangarei River made it a “no-brainer” for us. Just steps away from the docks, Bruce runs a compact but efficient hard-stand and travel lift, which makes hauling out for a bottom job a breeze. You can do the work yourself or hire in local contractors. “Wizzo” and his yellow lab “Steinlager” do a first-class job painting bottoms and topsides.
We hauled First Light before taking off for a three-week car tour of the South Island and a six-week visit to the U.S. Taking advantage of the down-time, we arranged to have a new cabin sole built to replace ours, which was suffering the effects of too many years of enthusiastic racing and cruising in a shallow-bilge boat. We also pulled the rig to have the ten-year-old rod rigging x-rayed and decided to repaint the mast and boom while they were down.
The cabin sole was left in the hands of Don, a principal of Hutcheson Boat builders. We had more than a little trepidation leaving town during a project of this magnitude. But when we returned we were very pleased with the striking new floor of African Iroka (identical to teak) that greeted us. We also took the opportunity to redesign the standard J-44 floor layout, resulting in access to 90% of our under-sole spaces instead of former 5%. The rigging work fell to Simon, owner of Admiralty Rigging, who was meticulous in everything he did. The mast and boom we put back into “First Light” looked like they’d just come from the factory and probably are somewhat stronger than if they had.
Everything we had done in New Zealand cost half or less than it would have in the U.S. and was done at least as well. Another thing we liked was that virtually everyone who worked on “First Light” over two seasons was a sailor, even the painters, travel-lift drivers, carpenters, engine mechanics and refrigeration technicians.
The town of Tauranga and the adjacent beach resort of Mount Maunganui turned out to offer everything we wanted -- restaurants, a variety of stores (including a K-Mart) and markets and very good weather -- as well as friendly and helpful people. We received great service from Gordon at Bay Plastics (anything you want made out of perspex/Lexan), Dave at Specialized Metal Fabricators (good stainless work), Mona & Eric at Fort Knox Self-Storage (right by the marina), Tony Gallop (re-chroming anything) and Dr. Andrew Clark at the Travelers Medical & Vaccination Center, who will set you straight regarding malaria, typhoid, etc. risks wherever you are going. We’re now inoculated from just about everything on the planet, including rabid Flying Foxes! When we finally left, three long day sails brought us back to Tutukaka, to wait for our weather window.
After our awful trip down from Fiji last November, we were incredibly relieved to have a calm, uneventful six-day passage to New Caledonia, which proved to be an enjoyable, four-week stop -- although similar to French Polynesia in pricing. The modern and comfortable Port Moselle marina offers free berthing for a night, and is only a stone’s throw from the city center. With the public market barely 100 yards away, it’s much too easy to get fresh croissants for breakfast! We did the requisite trip down to Iles des Pins in the Southern Lagoon, and it is indeed very pretty, although the cold water really squashed our desire for snorkeling. The Bay of Prony also provides some lovely anchoring spots, but the red mud must be seen to be believed. Our rodes and deck are still stained rust-colored!
The trip north to Vanuatu, while short, wasn’t without its challenges, as our Yanmar diesel, which hadn’t missed a beat in 15,000 miles, packed it in. Left without power generating capacity we shut down the autopilot and hand steered the last eight hours (“think of it as a Windjammers Race,” Jill said), sailing into Port Vila on a very dark night and getting our first opportunity to anchor “First Light” under sail. At least we had a fast ride, covering the 280 miles in 34 hours! With help from Nick of Vila Marine we got the problem (water siphoning into the engine) sorted out and set off for Tanna and Aneityum Islands to the south, a 400-mile roundtrip. The volcano at Tanna is extremely active right now and access is being restricted so after a few days of being dumped on by volcanic grit we continued onwards. Apparently we hadn’t found the cause after all and the same thing happened on the return trip to Vila, occasioning another LONG night of hand steering and being towed into the anchorage by our good friends on Scoots. Back to the drawing board!
Once we’ve solved the engine problem (again) we’re looking forward to a leisurely exploration of Vanuatu, hopefully diving on WWII wrecks in Santo and visiting native custom villages. After Vanuatu we might head up to the Solomon Islands. Or maybe not... In any event, we plan to be in Australia before next cyclone season, spend the Millennium in Sydney and probably fly back to New Zealand, en route to the U.S., to catch some of the America’s Cup action.
It's always a treat for us to get mail from friends and family, so please drop us a line when you can at address below.
Andy and Jill
Andy and Jill Rothman
P.O. Box 705
Sausalito, CA 94966 USA
E-mail us at yachtfirstlight@yahoo.com
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Revised: May 17, 2003.