Sailing Back in Time to 1994

Sailing Back in Time

We haven’t always spent our time barging the canals of Europe.  Before discovering barging we were sailors.  Or rather Tom was the sailor and I was the seasick companion.  When Tom and I met I didn’t know I had this problem of seasickness.  I had spent many hours happily sailing small boats with the UCLA sailing club.  I even taught sailing. 

Now it’s December 2014 and rather than call it Spring cleaning I guess it’s winter cleaning and I got a bug to empty out closets and cupboards.  I didn’t get very far because I found letters I had written in 1994 chronicling the saga of finally launching our 92 foot custom sloop Locura after 4 long years and two countries (Thailand and New Zealand) attempting to build it.  But that is a story for another time.  With minor editing I plan on reproducing my correspondence detailing our first season sailing as a family on our yacht Locura designed by Nelson Marek out of San Diego.

We are going back to 1994.  Randy (our eldest son) was 13 years old.  Robbie (our second born) was 10 years old.  Having been promised that our boat would be ready we took our boys out of school early and flew to New Zealand.  My letters were sent by fax when I was able to find one. Here we go! 

June 25, 1994.   New Zealand,  Takapuna International Motor Lodge.

This whole experience is incredible!  The boat will be beautiful if it is ever completed.  Quite a few unfixable errors – we’ll just live with them.  Grey silk sofa is hopefully torn out today.  No tables yet, or bedspreads, or dining chairs, etc.  The part of the boat done correctly has a warm glow.  Many changes were made to the plans.  We are moving onto the unfinished boat today.  We will spend the weekend sailing (it’s called sea trials).  Then back to the motel Sunday night or Monday.  The boat is being pulled out of the water for adjustments.  I’m trying to change our flight to Tonga to July 17^th, hoping Tom will give up going to Vanuatu.  I don’t want to spend a week in Tonga at a hotel with kids without Tom while he flies back home to work.    I’m thinking we should go see the South Island.

We are exhausted!  We’ve had very little sleep and lots of work.  At least we’re healthy!  Everyone is friendly and very helpful.  Randy is excited and loves being around the boat all day.  Robbie is bored and being melodramatic.  He broke his glasses the first day.  His second pair had better last.

The weather is cold and drizzly with some sun at times.  They are dealing with a severe drought here.

I’m doing my best to just go with the flow.  There is only so much I can do.

June 28, 1994 New Zealand

We spent our first weekend on the boat and sailed to Kawau.  We arrived in darkness.  Dawn breaking showed us a lovely area but no time to explore.  I hid in our cabin during the sail and watched my window buried regularly under water.  I wasn’t happy.  The boat was heeled over so far I couldn’t stay in our bed.  What I thought was a stupid, little, narrow sofa in our cabin turned into a lifesaver.  I rolled myself in my hand made fish quilt and waited for the sail to end – all four hours.  The boat handled the weather beautifully and my boys were happy!  I was asking myself what I was doing here. As usual, once we anchored I was happy again and my stomach back in place.

The next morning after rain, hail, and wind (it’s winter here in New Zealand as the seasons are reversed from the United States), we lifted anchor, raised the main sail, and then lowered everything again.  The battens (which give the mail sail shape) had shattered.  It was like an explosion of blue pieces, which everyone was dodging.  I can’t believe what the cost is to re-do the mainsail…again.

We powered back and I was happy.  I sat in the pilothouse with everyone and even managed to fix a snack in the galley.

The pilothouse is wonderful!  That is where our boat life will take place.  It is comfortable with a 360-degree view of the world.  Randy is in heaven and Robbie is managing.  He’s read three books this weekend.  He needs more activity than sitting in the cockpit waiting for the boat to be ready.  Rob our boat designer is here and teaching Randy how to gather data for him this summer using my computer.  It’s a great science project for him.  He follows the men around watching, learning and taking it all in.  This is more than Robbie is interested in.  Robbie likes the sailing and more activity.

I’m sure the boat will be wonderful when it’s finished.  The weather is crisp.  It rains a little, clears for a while, and then rains a little again.  It isn’t a problem for the sights I’d like to see. 

I’m frantically trying to get slipcovers made before the crew totally destroys my beautiful fabric.

June 29, 1994 New Zealand

It’s pretty crazy here.  No one knows from one day to the next what is happening.  We moved off the boat yesterday and back to Takapuna International Motor Lodge.  Tom said…Just take clothes for two days.  Then he shows up at the lodge and informs us we’re going sightseeing thru Sunday.  The boat is 40 feet up in the air.  I have to climb the scaffolding to get our travel clothes.

The people here are so nice, friendly and helpful.

These are the plans as they stand today:  Tom leaves July 4^th for home.  The boat is scheduled to leave New Zealand between July 10^th and July 12^th.  The boys and I leave July 17^th for Tonga.  Tom will arrive July 20^th.  The crew arrives July 2^nd.  I’ll probably spend July 4-5 with them giving Marja (our chief) instructions as to our taste in food and what I would like stocked on the boat.  I’ll then do more sightseeing with the kids.  Maybe we’ll see the boat off though I’m not sure.  I may want some more clothes from the boat.  More sightseeing here on the North Island and then we are off to our next adventure.  We hear Tonga has the best cruising in the Pacific.  The boat will be very comfortable.  The toilets flush with a foot pedal (no more pumping 20 times).