Merry Christmas from Napier

Dear One And All

This is our Christmas Greetings to you all. I have not worked out how to send one of those lovely E cards yet and now we are living afloat emails are now our new Christmas Cards.

WISHING YOU ALL THE MANY BLESSINGS OF A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

AND

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

We are spending our Christmas in Napier with my Dad who will be 99 wonderful years young on the 27th Dec.

Love and Best wishes

Alec Ann Murray and Brigitte

Nelson back to Picton

Hello One And ALL

Well the time has come for us to leave our winter home in Nelson and start heading North again. We had been there four months and the local boating community were really starting to make us feel at home. We met such a nice group of likeminded people who shared their homes meals and expertise in the boating and fishing fields with us. We had many great days and a contrast of different weather where we sailed and motored the beautiful Tasman Bay National Park, or out in Tasman Bay, having lunches or sipping wine in a setting sun with people we were either introducing the SEAWIND to, or with new friends we had made, or practicing the ‘hove to’ in 35kts of wind!!!. Alec feels the more practice at some of these things the better. He is more than likely right but as for me, well I just wanted to keep sailing and get back to port and not muck around!!

Winter over in Nelson

Hello Again One And All

I see it is over two months since I last sent a note out but it has been winter and quite a cold and wet one so we have stayed put here in Nelson.

In the middle of September SHAMAL was lifted out of the water for maintaince. Once again I had my heart in mouth as she was lifted. I tell you it is nerve racking seeing your home swinging in mid air. The crane driver must of thought I was somewhat deranged the way I kept reminding him of his responsibilities as I darted around with my camera taking pictures of his every move.

Alec and I then flew home for a few days for his Mum's 90th leaving SHAMAL in the hands of the boys in the yard to start work on her. Mum slept through most of the celebrations but it was good to see at least half the family again. We then did a quick trip down to see my Dad who has had a bit of an up and down time of late but I think will still be with us for his 99th Birthday in December.

Picton to Nelson (side trip to Australia)

Hello To You All

We left Picton in the top of the Marlborough Sounds on Thursday 17th July (Help that was nearly a month go!] on a mild overcast winter morning with no wind, so motored out of Queen Charlotte Sound and back into Cook Straight where we were back into winds of 20 -25k with moderate seas!!! Also it started to rain. Oh well it is winter. By 3.00pm we were back into the sunshine and motor sailing into Pelorus Sound. This really is a pretty part of the country. We found a lovely sheltered bay where we tied up to a mooring buoy for the night. Alec and I put the tender into the water and motored off to find a spot to drop his Cray pot. Once back on Shamal we then watched the seals on the other side of the bay swimming around the cages of a salmon farm looking wishfully in for an easy meal.

Wellingron to Picton

Hello One And All

Well we have made it to the South Island. We are now tied up to the marina in Picton. A little sail boat among the huge gin palaces and supper yachts! Boy there is some big money floating around here.

Napier to Welligton - ONE HELL OF A RIDE

Dear Friends

Our three weeks in Napier seemed to go quite quickly. I spent a lot of time with Dad and he came down to the boat a few times and had one short trip out. We were hoping to take him out for a nice sail but the weather turned very cold with snow on the hills behind Napier.

Tauranga to Napier

Hello Again One And All

Just a quick update to let you know where we are.

Well we are now sitting in Napier. We arrived last Saturday late in the afternoon after a five day and one night sail from Tauranga. We had a great stay there, of about a week. We caught up with some lovely friends of my brother John, who lent us a 4x4 and invited us to their place on the outskirts of the city for dinner. We ended up staying the night with them. We also took out two different couples one afternoon who are interested in the Seawind. It was a beautiful day and we had good winds for the test sail and they really enjoyed their time out. We were able to sail down the harbour through the entrance past Mount Maunganui and out to sea for a few miles. In fact Alec has had a call from one guys who wants to drive all the way down here to Napier so we can take his wife out and show her how the boat handles.

Auckland to Tauranga

Hello To You All

Yes we are on the move again at long last. Tonight we are tied up to the Guest Warf at the Whitianga Marina on the East Coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. A lovely spot. Last night we anchored in Jacksons Bay right at the top of the Peninsula after a day’s motoring from Auckland in dead calm seas without a breath of wind and with the sun out all the way. It was much the same today. I was able to set up my deck chair on the forward deck and take in my surroundings. It was absolutely beautiful watching the sea birds working the schools of fish – and yes I had my line out again but no luck. We really do have quite a majestic coastline when you can view it from where I was sitting!! We only got the sails up for a run in, in the last hour. Tomorrow we have people to take out for a test sail so hope we have some wind.

Auckland - Bay of Islands (Opua) - Auckland

Hello To You All Again

Yes we are still alive and well. For a quick update on where we are and what we are up to. The farm house is now rented out and the land is being looked after by a good neighbour. Murray and his cat Tigger have moved into one of our town houses in Pukekohe.  Alec and I have moved full time back onto SHAMAL and are loving it.

At the moment we are sitting in a bay off Russell in The Bay of Islands. We have come up here to have a water maker fitted. We arrived last Sunday and it has taken a week so far. They will finish it off on Monday. The weather has turned to custard today with a front passing through but we are all snug in our little floating home.

SHAMAL was used by the company who made her – Seawind – in the Auckland boat show in March and since then Alec and I have become the agents here in NZ. We now take people who are interested out for test sails. In fact on the trip up here to The Bay of Islands we had a couple on board who are interested in buying a catamaran. We have also been invited to the Boat Show in Brisbane next month by the company. I am to give a bit of a talk on ‘Women at Sea’ and Alec will help sell boats. We are really enjoying this new little side line. The company are really great and we love their product.

Brigitte is away with a new job in Saudi working a month on and a month off. She is a chef/purser on a private jet working very hard and going all over the place but really enjoying it so far.

OK will sign off for this note and will keep you posted.

Take care and God Bless

Tons of love

Ann and Alec

Opua to Auckland

Dear All

We arrived back in Auckland on Tuesday 8th Jan. With close on 2,600nm total on the log. Murray and Brigitte left us in the Bay of Islands as they had things to do here at home and Alex and I were still waiting to hear from Customs. We eventually heard on the Saturday so after a lovely breakfast in Russell with Tony and Liesel Ciprian we headed on out for Deep Water Cove to spend the night at anchor. This gave us a good start for the next day where we sailed down to Tutukaka. 38nm. I caught my first fish trawling – a skipjack tuna. I could not believe it having trawled nearly the whole way across the Tasman!! Made a great dinner that night. We wrapped the steaks in bacon and did them on the BBQ. Next day we had a great sail down to Kawau Island, 59nm. The next morning we waited for Murray and Brigitte to arrive on the ferry from Auckland then we all set sail. The winds were a little light and we had a mixed bag of weather leaving Kawau in the sunshine and arriving in Auckland in the pouring rain. We are now tied up in the Viaduct Basin along with all the huge super yachts. We leave there on Sunday morning and will be out in the Hauraki Gulf till Friday when we have a berth at Westhaven Marina till the end of March. Our plans to go South have be delayed till then as we have a mass of jobs to do here on the farm and also with the boat. We have also been asked by the Seawind company to show our boat in two upcoming boat shows here in Auckland. One in Feb and the other in March.

We have just arrived back from the boat having gone down to take supplies, clean washing and to have dinner on board. Yes she really has become our little home.

OK will sign out for now. Will write when we are back on the move again.

Love to you all

Ann and Alec

Shamal is Home!!!

A Very Very Happy New Year To You All

Sorry it has taken so long to get this letter away to you. While out at sea we used a different server for obvious reasons (‘sailmail’ as it can be used out on the high seas) but we were restricted to how much we could send and receive at a time, plus there was the odd day when I did not want to sit at the navigation station and tap away on this machine! We also received all our weather at the same time and this took up quite a bit of our daily allotted time.