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| Sandra's rehab project! |
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| Day's Casa Colombo - A room with a view |
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| Verdabbio City Hall |
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Brocken Haus treasure - Handmade quilt
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| Broken Haus finds |
London and Oxford, England
Andrea visited US in Stockholm and joined us in London for a couple of days sightseeing. She arrived in London on the Eurostar from Paris where she was studying. It was fun being a tourist with her as she new exactly where she wanted to go and how to get there and was a great guide explaining much of the architecture she had studied.
We had just spent several days in Oxford where Drew was invited to attend a two day Patient Safety Conference at St. John College, Oxford University. Despite the dreary winter weather, we had a great time exploring the campus and pubs and were in awe being surrounded by such amazing history. Our hotel was in the heart of townl, the historic Macdonald Randolph Hotel just five minutes from campus. Drew's day began very early so I indulged in a full formal English breakfast in the dining room one morning. This is a meal one lingers over. The linens, crystal and china are perfectly set and an array of international breakfast delights are offered as are newspapers from around the world. I ordered a traditional English breakfast, which included bread pudding, kippers, baked tomatoes, poached eggs, assorted teas and toast, jam and honey served in beautiful china and silver service. I lingered for well over an hour before heading out to see the sights.
With mixed feeling, we gave up our apartment and said goodbye to new and old friends, sold our IKEA and Stadsmission (Goodwill) treasures, stored our fold bikes, and began our journey back to New Zealand and Revelation via the US.
Proud Parents Return to Berkeley and Nashville
Summer 2009
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| Owen |
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| Lauren |
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| Claudia |
Our trip took us home through Berkeley and Nashville where we celebrated Andrea's graduation from her double masters program at UC Berkeley in Landscape Architecture and City Planning; Claudia's return to graduate school at the University of Oregon to pursue a masters in Landscape Architecture; Lauren's graduation from Vanderbilt University School of Law, passing the Bar Exam and beginning her career in health law at Bass Berry and Sims; and Owen 's completion of paramedic training and national registry exam and beginning his career as a medic with American Medical Response. You can imagine how proud we felt of our four, now all grown-up!
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| Andrea |
Cruising in New Zealand
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| Phil and Lynda Christieson, Kawau Is. |
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| S/V Windora |
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| Exodus-Arid Is. |
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| Binki's laundry day - Smokehouse Bay |
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| 40 lb snapper caught new Kawau |
Each one of our trips to New Zealand over the last three years has been unique and wonderful. We've gotten a feel for this incredible country and people while living aboard Revelation in Nelson, cruising and road trips. Our new friends have enriched our lives in many unexpected ways. The Kiwi's are a "can do" and inquisitive folk and they seem to mostly live their passion. We've met more contented and happy people from different walks of life than we'd met in a long time. Generally, we all shared a common passions for the sea....not unexpectedly from this island nation. Our Kiwi friends are artists, cruisers, farmers, vintners, hunter-gatherers, educators, techies, builders, doctors and nurses. Their stories are wonderfully interwoven with adventure, travel, the land, the sea and the mountains. They possess a sense of fearlessness in going about their day on land or at sea which was encouraging and affirming for us as we gained confidence in handling Revelation and the challenging coastal waters of New Zealand. We couldn't have been in a better situation for learning seamanship and cruising skills than by being surrounded by our new friends. They were patient advisers and teachers and seemed to enjoy sharing their knowledge with us. We will be forever grateful to Bill and Binki Mansbridge (S/V Exodus) and Phil and Linda Christieson (S/V Windora), life long cruisers, for all their help and support advising us in sailing, the design of our cockpit enclosure and davits, retrieving our lost anchor, galley tips, plus yummy dinners together and their enduring friendship.
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| Pipies for dinner |
The most memorable cruising we did included local cruising in Tasman Bay. One of our favorite anchorages is Adele Island in Abel Tasman National Park.
It's a strikingly beautiful island, is predator free and home to many native New Zealand birds. The sanctuary has a rapidly growing population of native birds and a loud bird chorus that sounds like the birdsong the early explorers heard. Further north we explored Golden Bay, toasted in the New Year at an Elvis party at the local pub in Pohara, and dined with Ben and Hillie Jeppson at their home overlooking the bay. Dredging for scallops on Bill's Exodus was a first for us and our efforts paid off with a feast of scallops mornay and heaps sauteed in garlic with crusty bread for sopping up all the juices. The orange roe sac is always left intact with scallops which adds wonderfully to the texture, taste and color.
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| Drew peeking! |
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Bill bringing in the scallops |
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| Just shucked scallop |
We never really knew how the weather would behave in the Tasman Bay. We were amazed to learn how quickly and unpredictably conditions could change. Several times Drew and I would leave the Nelson marina for a sunny, relaxing afternoon sail. We'd want to practice flying our ballooner or test our water maker and whammm! 18 knot winds and a couple feet of swell would turn into a full blow gale of 30+ knot winds and 3 meter swells! We were caught off guard several times when we didn't yet have our sea legs and were not medicated for sea sickness. These little jaunts became valuable experiences for us in preparation for future off shore passages.
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| Drew and Bill Mansbridge |
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| Peter Hayden - Abele Tasman |
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| Dolphins at our bow |
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| Tree ferns |
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| Pollination! |
As our skill level and comfort in handling Revelation improved, we ventured further from Nelson to other popular cruising grounds. Our Swedish friends Annie and Lars
Algren joined us from Kalmar,
Sweden for a two week cruise through French Pass into the Marlborough Sounds, Pelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds and on to Picton. Bill and Binki Mansbridge showed us Rangiototo Islands off the East Coast of D’urville Island. There we learned how to catch and smoke blue cod, eat the freshest fish and chips prepared on board Exodus and enjoyed sautéed abalone that Drew dived for on the coastal rocks. We became scavengers of the sea, enjoying harvesting and eating its incredible bounty. Hardly a day would go by without eating freshly steamed or smoke
d mussels
and fresh oysters. Drew could hardly get enough of these little gems!
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| French Pass currents at slack tide |
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| Drew and Lars |
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| French Pass light house |
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| Annie |
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| Exodus |
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| Arriving at Rangioto Island |
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| Looking for Bill on Exodus |
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Dinner with friends in Wellington
Anne and Clark Knickebocker, Annie and Lars, Lili and Drew |
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| Drew on the morraine |
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| Lili in the rain forest |
Our land-based trips were equally wonderful. We rented a car and for a week
and explored the west coast of the
South Island. An airplane
flight over Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers was absolutely magnificent. The juxtaposition of glacier terminus and moraine, with the sea, separated by a narrow rain forest filled with tree ferns and other exotic trees, brush, birds and creatures, I believe, is only found in New Zealand. It's saddened us to think that these glacial marvels of nature are rapidly melting and the rain forest is also shrinking from deforestation. These relics from prehistoric times may be forever lost.
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| At the terminus |
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| Franz Joseph Glacier |
Please visit my "pictures" for more images of our flight over Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers....
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| Franz Joseph Glacier from the air |
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| Sheep sheering - Kaikora |
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| Arthurs Pass |
Our road trip took us to the blow holes of Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki- Paparoa National Park, Arthur's Pass and a quaint Swiss Chatel, the high country of Castle Hill and cave rocks, the Kaikora Peninsula with it's incredible coast line, cow pastures and a sheep farming.
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| Kaikora Peninsula |
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| Kiwi dairy cows - Kaikora |
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| Kairkora Peninsula |
Back again in Nelson, our friend Rob Gray surprised us with an incredible outing one Saturday morning. Expecting that we were going to take
a tour of the local Saturday morning market, we were instead taken to a helicopter pad on the estate of the largest fishing
fleet owner in New Zealand. We were whisked-off on a heli-tour of Abel Tasman National Park that included a stopover at a salmon farm, an art gallery, and a high elevation meadow and ranger station....a day we will never forget. It was especially interesting for us to have an aerial view of the cruising grounds we had recently visited.
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| Drew |
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| High altitude meadow landing |
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Salmon fishing
Rob and Lili |
Departing or beloved Nelson and heading north to the tippy top of the North Island and down to Auckland
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| Arthur and Paul - Our crew |
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| Lili and Drew |
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| Capt. Drew |
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| Nelson Yacht Club |
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| Rob Gray |
July 8, 2009. It was time to leave our now familiar training ground and take the next step that would position us to venture beyond New Zealand. Paul Covell and Arthur Steer (friends of Phil and Lynda Christieson of s/v Windora, Nelson) joined us as crew for our cruise north that would take us beyond Farewell Spit, (the most northern point of the South Island) across Cook Strait, past Mount Egemont and New Plymouth and up the west coast of the North Island and on to Auckland. After almost 10 days of waiting for a weather window we set sail the morning of July 8th. It was a glorious morning....not a cloud in the sky, calm seas, 15 kts wind from the NW and freshly fallen snow on the mountain tops. We felt bless and very excited to get underway.
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| Snow covered mountains - leaving Nelson |
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| Leaving Nelson Harbour |
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Changing weather and seas!
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Drew trimming sails
Not surprisingly though, all the studying and planing didn't spare us from the treachery of the Tasman Sea. By evening we learned that a large high, moving across the Tasman Sea from Australia, was strengthening and accelerating. We had crossed the infamous Cook Strait but knew that there are no good places to duck out of a storm on the west coast of the North Island, so our carefully planned cruise turned into a race against the clock up the east coast to the tippy-top of the North Island, where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Oceans meet, to find shelter in Spirits Bay. Tight hauled, motor-sailing and averaging 8 – 9 knots, we reached Spirits Bay, the top of North Island in 2 1/2 days. It was a rough trip. It was cold. It was wet and tiring. We were forever thankful for Paul and Arthur, our crew, and our new cockpit enclosure, which kept us dry as Revelation's bow cut through the swell and the rain poured down. Drew and I were seasick. As we neared Spirits Bay, the visibility was deteriorating and winds were gusting to 45 kts. The rain was getting heavier, and the swells were 4 meters. We found shelter in a cove, behind some large rocks, near two Mauri fishing trawlers. It was a relief to be at anchor again. We dug in hard with 3,500 rpm in reverse to be sure we were well secured, applied the snubber and went below for hot showers and a meal only to have our evening of relative calm interrupted by A Transpac racing yacht that we could see through the mist and rain, sails dumped partly on deck, partly in the water, disheveled, and looking for shelter and heading our way.
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V5 arriving at Spirits Bay
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| V5 arriving at Spirits Bay |
To more accurately describe Spirits Bay, this extremely desolate and remote part of the world and cauldron of a place where we were, a fellow cruiser described the place with great accuracy. Antonia wrote the following in her blog S/V Seria, which is a very spirited and funny read about her family sailing around the world and having babies! I discovered Antonia's blog a year after we sailed into Spirits Bay and Cape Reinga. We learned that many cruiser leave their sail boats in Opua and rent a car to explore New Zealand!
At the tippy-top of New Zealand is Cape Reinga: a dry, gritty, windswept place where people go to die. More accurately, it’s where those who have already died go to jump away, into the next world. It’s a place where journeys begin. The place where New Zealand stops is a rocky, tempestuous point of land, with gusts of winds that can knock you over, where the oceans beat the shoreline with unrelenting fury. This is the meeting place of the Tasman and the Pacific. You can see the confluence where they join, a place of standing waves and treacherous whirlpools. You wouldn’t want to swim here. You wouldn’t want to sail anywhere near it.
As the Transpac racing yacht called V5 got closer we saw three sailors on deck. Sails were haphazardly lashed down to the boom and deck and some of the sail was trailing in the water. The two Maori steel-hulled fishing boats anchored near us were keeping a watchful eye on deck. Two fishermen from the fishing boat named Emerald Isle hollered at V5 which was throwing its anchor into the water from the pulpit. We could tell that the anchor was unlikely to be up to its task based on how easily it was thrown single hand overboard from the V5 pulpit. Our massive 50 lb Bruce anchor with a roll bar and 50 meters of 10 mm galvanized steel chain requires a hefty windlass to lower and raise. We were not pleased that V5 set their anchor only 10 meters to starboard of Revelation. Tucked in between Pananehe Island and Te Karaka Bay, we went below for dinner commenting that we needed to keep an eye on V5 and true to our words just as we were sitting down to our first relaxed meal in three days ( I made a Thai red curry!) we were interrupted by a “May Day! May Day!” call on the VHF radio with V5 announcing that they had lost their anchor and were heading toward the rocks with breaking sea over them. We looked outside and could see the led lights of V5 and the rock were 1/4 stern of us and directly astern of V5. This was all too close for comfort. Dinner was over!
V5 made radio contact with VHF 16 Cape Reinga Maritime radio. They now claimed that they were on the rocks (aka Pananehe Island) and beginning to drift out to sea, unable to start their motor or put up sail. We could see their stern light and the port light. Cape Reinga Maritine radio requested that the Maori fishing boat, Emerald Isle join Ch 16 to discuss providing assistance to the distressed V5. No one really wants to lift anchor during a storm when winds are gusting over 50 kts. We thanked the Maori gods that these two heavy fishing boats were present and able to assist V5 as it drifted out to sea. Emerald Isle returned to the lee of the bay withV5 in-toe and re-anchored with V5 attached to its stern. This was done tenuously with one line and a second line fed to V5 via fishing buoy. Arthur and Paul kept anchor watch that night while Drew and I attempted to get some sleep. We were especially concerned that V5 was 20 meters a beam of Revelation. Still too close for comfort. Drew and I took over the watch at 7:20 AM and learned that during the night winds peaked at 67 kts. We waited out the storm for almost three days. When the wind changed and the weather improved we raised our anchor to leave the lee shore. As the wind changed in our favor, we could now continue our journey around Cape Reinga and down the east coast. It was a glorious and picture perfect morning. Waves were still crashing on the shore but the mist had cleared and we could see wild horses, about 20 of them, grazing on the hillside. It felt like angels had been looking over us during the storm and then to give us this beautiful gift of nature restored all my faith in continuing our journey. The horses were dappled brown and black and white and powerful and the sight of them made all we had endured fade into the past. The sun was shining and the most glorious rays came down to earth from the heavens. What a site to behold after all the turmoil. So, leaving Spirits Bay behind, the sacred Maori site of worship, we rounded Cape Reinga and headed to Manganui and the promise of the best fish and chips in New Zealand.
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| Wild horses - Spirits Bay |
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| Arthur - always a happy soul |
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| Paul and Arthur - my heroes! |
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| Drew - glad the storm is over |
Our cruise down the east coast was comparatively sublime compared to our storm experience. We ran into V5 and its crew in Manganui and learned that they were a transport crew for the racing yacht and were bringing it home from New Caledonia. They needed a tow all they way into Manganui by Emerald Isle. What heroes those Mauri fisher men were! We dined on the local fish and chips and exchanged storm stories from Spirits Bay. We cruised into the magical natural harbor of Whangaroa where we had our first real nights of calm and a blissful sleep. Revelation was anchored in a small finger of the Whangaroa Bay. A full moon lite our night and we slept like babies. Two other boats were in this bucolic spot. One couple, the Hiltons, S/V Spendrift II and Harbor Master from Tutukaka, life long sailors and circumnavigators and author of the Hilton guides to Fiji and the Far North New Zealand; and the other a recently retired Canadian couple circumnavigating in their catamaran. We enjoyed evening sun-downers, great hike in the county-side and shared cruising tales.
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| V5 in Manganui |
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| Manganui |
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| Whangaroa |
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| Water Bouy - Whangaroa |
Day 8 after leaving Nelson, we sailed into the Bay of Islands and our marina slip in Opua. Mission accomplished! It was time to rest as assess the damage from the storm and do laundry! Everything was damp and moldy. Our wind generator was badly damaged our first night in Spirits Bay. Actually, it spun off its support pole mounted on the aft deck when winds reached over 60 kts. Valuable lesson learned! Always secure the generator when winds exceed 40 kts. We needed a new snubber which Drew spliced, and had to take both the mainsail and the foresail down for repairs. We had some mold in the lockers. But otherwise, Revelation held up brilliantly, which gave us confidence and reassurances that we purchased the right boat. Revelation would keep us warm and safe and take us to far reaching cruising destinations that we dreamed of.
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| Russell |
Opua is a sleepy harbour and port of entry for oversea vessels. It’s the most northerly and a busy port of entry to and from the south pacific islands and New Zealand. Sailors from all over the world gather here. It’s got all the amenities and services that a cruiser needs and an exiting buzz to it during the cruising season. It’s a short hop across the bay from Russel, at one time called the “Hell hole of the Pacific” from Captain Cook’s days. Russell is where sailors, explorers, pirates and prostitutes caused trouble back in Cook's day. Today, it’s a sleepy tourist village, with Victorian homes dotting the seafront road, souvenir and coffee shops, restaurants and a museum dedicated to the voyages and discoveries of Captain Cook and his boat Endeavor. Across the Bay from Russell are sacred Maori grounds and a towering monument commemorating the signing of the Waitangi Treaty on 6 February 1840. The Treaty is an agreement, in Maori and English, that was made between the British Crown and about 540 Maori rangatira (chiefs). It’s a broad statement of principles on which a political compact was founded to build a new unified government for New Zealand. Different understandings of the Treaty have long been the subject of debate and to this day a frequent and lively cocktail hour discussion.
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| Down town Russell |
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| Russell Police station |
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| Drew with our new davits - Opua |
The davits to carry our dinghy that we designed with friends and had built in Nelson arrived while we were in Opua. They were a beautiful sculptural stainless steel work of art as far as we were concerned! Their installation was a breeze and they worked as planned first time! Yippee! We could now raise and lower our dinghy on a pulley system and secure it above the transom on a sturdy stainless steel frame controlled from a cockpit wench. Raising and lowering our dinghy from the fore-deck was now a thing of the past and now, we mostly keep the dinghy on the davits, unless we are doing an open water passage and for safety reasons put her back on the fore-deck. The beauty of having the dinghy on davits is that upon arrival at an anchorage we have the dinghy in the water in a few minutes. Much better!
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| Urupukapuka Island |
The Bay of Islands is beautifull. There are countless interesting islands and anchorages and an abundance of fish, wild oysters and mussels, local produce and wine. Kiwi cruisers often spend their entire summers here frolicking and enjoying the company of friends in secluded bays, hikes, fishing, sundowners and shared dinners on board. We couldn’t linger long here though as we only had a couple more weeks before our departure out of Auckland and back to Sweden. We did get to check out Whangamumu, a small bay and the site of an abandoned whaling station. Then on to Kawau Island just North of Auckland. We met up with our Nelson friends Phil and Lynda Christieson on s/v Windora and Bill and Binki Mansbridge on s/v Exodus and had a fun reunion with our Nelson friends in the beautiful Mansion House Bay. Kawau is a special place. Cruisers are lured here because of it's calm bays and proximity to Auckland, and it's rich history. Check out
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawau_Island to learn more about Sir George Gray, Governor of New Zealand, Mansion Bay House, copper mining and Maori history.
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| Oysters in abundance |
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| View from Urupukapuka Island |
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| View from Urupukapuka |
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Whangamumu Harbour - Old whaling station
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| Lili - Still very chilly |
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| Drew - Whangamumu |
Before heading into Auckland we spent a night in Izzy Bay at the volcanic Rangitoto Island. This small island has a perfect cone formation and is easy to spot from a distance. Auckland has the largest marina in the South Pacific and has an impressive view of the downtown skyline. It took us about a week of solid work to pack up Revelation to safely leave her on pile moorings to return to Sweden. We hated to leave. The weather was warming up and we were feeling confident in our sailing skills, but our land-based responsibilities in Stockholm were calling.
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| View of Auckland from Revelation berthed in Westhaven Marina |
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| Revelation - Westhaven Marina |
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| Auckland night lights |
Spring was in full swing upon our return to Auckland from winter in Stockholm. I’d been lamenting to Drew that we’d spent most of the last three years in cold and wintery weather commuting between the northern and southern hemispheres. I reminded him that our cruising dream included putting on a bathing suit every now and then! This trip should prove differently and we might actually try to take a swim! We first cruised around Whaiheke Island. In Onetagi Bay we met our new friends and future crew, Kevin and Jan Burnell on s/v Extravant. They would join us on Revelation for our upcoming cruise in June 2010 to Tonga. We sailed around the Coromandel Peninsula visiting Rotaroa Island, Coromandel, Whanganui Island, Colville Bay, Carey Bay in Port Charles and south to Whitianga. Whitianga is a cute vacation spot with restaurants and shops next to the marina. We enjoyed some civilization there for five days. I discovered a spa and took full advantage of a Tongan style tropical jungle garden with hot mineral pools for bathing and a massage. Very relaxing.
The much talked about Great Barrier Island and Rakitu (Arid) Island Scenic Reserve were our next destinations. These are remote, magnificent and wild islands and quite challenging to sail around because of the currents and few good anchorages. We saw our first Pohutukawa beginning it’s spring bloom on Rakitu Island. We spent over a week in the Smoke House Bay, being lazy, kayaking, fishing and making a challenging yet successful trip for fuel and water in Port Fitzroy where we had the joy of tying up to the jetty in 25 kt winds! We feasted on red snapper, oysters and green lip mussels, wild watercress and freshly baked bread. Our friend Binki is from Malaysia prepared tasty Malaysian banquets to share. Yum! And, Bill and Drew refined the art of smoking mussels.
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| Spirit of New Zealand training schooner |
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| Kauwa Island |
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| Tea Tree forst - Kauwa Island |
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| Old copper smelter - Kauwa Island |
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| Lili crawling around copper mines - Kauwa Island |
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| Great Mercury Island |
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| Great Mercury Island |
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Kayaking with dophins - Great Mercury Island
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| Arid Island |
Near Arid Island
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| Smokehouse Bay Picnic area and bath house |
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| Smokehouse Bay - Public bath tub! |
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Smoked Snapper - Smokehouse Bay |
Our cruise was too quickly coming to an end and we had to head north back up to Opua to leave Revelation for five months and back to Nashville and work at Vanderbilt this time. But first one more night in Mansion Bay, a few nights in Tutukaka, around Cape Brett and to Oke Bay. And, a final few nights in Pipi Bay on Motorua Island before leaving Revelation on the Q-Dock in Opua to return, this time back to Nashville and work at Vanderbilt.
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| Opua Q Dock where we left Revelation |
Possum Trapper - One final story from Kennedy Bay
October 22, 2009. We had an unexpected visitor to Revelation this afternoon while anchored in Kennedy Bay. The man’s name was Stewart. He dinghied toward Revelation from a remote nearby beach. Another gale was blowing and we were surprise at his perseverance to row out to us. When he arrived at our bow he was ankle deep in water and was bailing to keep his dilapidated clinker afloat. He introduced himself as Stewart and asked to come aboard. Stewart is a Maori man, 48 years old with traditional Maori tattoos covering all exposed parts of his arms, neck and chin. I surmised that his covered chest must also be covered with the intricate designs of his culture. He proudly disclosed that all his tattoos were obtained in prison where he spent an unspecified part of his adult life. Born and raised in Auckland, he return to his ancestral Maori home in Kennedy Bay where he lives in a small “batch” on the South East shore. His ancestors are buried on Kennedy Bay’s beaches and his brothers, sisters and cousins still live in this old Maori settlement. Crayfish was their mainstay until this livelihood replaced with the more lucrative mussel farming. Stewart lives off the grid supported by his disability payments of $150 per week. His batch is on the S. E. beach corner of the bay close to where we anchored. His brother has a similar batch approx 100 meters away. Stewart claimed be a descendant from a long and ancient line of Maori residents of Kennedy Bay and to be the proud father of “several children”, including a 2 year old, and “not bad for a 40 year old!”
He generously shared his convoluted experiences with the criminal justice system with us, and noted that he encourages his nephews, nieces and children to take a different path than the one he chose in his youth. Some listen, some don’t, he says. His comments on the prison system were surprisingly balanced and insightful and he has remained clear of the law since his release as a violent offender before returning to his ancestral home in Kennedy Bay. As we listened to his story, we hoped that several years have gone into this man rehabilitation! What Stewart was most proud of though was his ability to trap and sell possum. So, if you ever are inclined to trap this well-known Kiwi pest to sell it’s hide, here is how he does it.
“20 possum equal one kilogram of fur, which Basic Furs will purchase for NZ$100. Easy money!” Stewart exclaimed and he explained the process of trapping and “defurring” in great detail. First, make the flour and anise seed bait to get them interested. Two bottles of anise seed, costing $11 each, are mixed with flour and water in a 10-liter bucket. Put a single fingertip, just a little of this pungent, white paste-like bait on a tree at eye level so a “the possum standing on its hind legs” can sniff it at the base of a tree trunk. Set an un-bated trap below the white bait marking. The curious possum scouts the ridge of the hillside and is attracted by the sweetest sent of the anise in the air and is drawn to the base of a bait tree to investigate. The vsible white spot and the sweet scent lure the curious possum to take a sniff at which time he steps on the trap. The traps, although designed to hold the animal without injuring it, non-the-less causes fractures and other injuries. Stewart prays for the possum and gives thanks because the possum keeps others warm and provides food and shelter. Animals that are found alive are quickly relieved of their suffering with a sharp blow to the head. The hair is manually pulled off the carcass. Manually “defurred” possum is preferable because it’s clean. Mechanical defurring can contaminate the fur with flesh and blood. In the summer possum are less hairy and more are required to reach a kilo of fur. Winter is prime hunting season!
Stewart was polite in telling his story. He had asked for a beer when he arrived on board which consumed with gusto and politely asked if there were any more. Although he had served part of his prison time on South Island, he was not familiar with the Mac Sassy Red Ale we offered him, but he seemed to enjoy it. He was happy with the second beer, which was a familiar beer, a Tui Pale Ale. Midway thru the second beer he excused himself to take a piss of the stern of the boat. We both thought a good decision, given the direction and force of the wind. He thanked us for the beers and the conversation and climbed down to his dinghy, which now was full of water again. He thought the source of the water was a hole in the bow, which could probably be closed with chewing gum. He planned to use a better material when he got around to actually patching the hole. Drew held his dinghy painter so that he could bail and then cast him off. It was a quick trip back to his batch, this time, rowing with the wind.
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| Lili and Binki - Smokehouse Bay |
We studied Swedish, learned to cook delectable Swedish specialties and took in the magic of the short days and long nights as winter took over and the city lit-up with hundreds of lights and candles in preparation for Lucia and Christmas. Open fires in quaint city squares became meeting places to drink spicy Glögg and while away the dark afternoons watching children, parents and couples ice skating in Kungsträdgården. Shopping for Christmas goodies at the local craft markets or enjoying fika (coffee or drinks) with my friends from the American and International Woman's Clubs were special times, as was our delectable and romantic Jul Bord Christmas dinner cruise of Stockholm's inner harbor, complete with smorgasbord of every imaginable Swedish delicacy. There must have been least 10 different styles of herring to chose from!
Our stopover in Helsinki was very short but we had time to see a few major sights including Helsingin Tuomiokirkko - Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral in all its white splendor with the city covered in snow; the grand Uspenski Cathedral, and Eastern Orthodox built in 1868. It was still very much dead of winter while we were there and bitter cold so time outside exploring was limited. 
Andrea visited US in Stockholm and joined us in London for a couple of days sightseeing. She arrived in London on the Eurostar from Paris where she was studying. It was fun being a tourist with her as she new exactly where she wanted to go and how to get there and was a great guide explaining much of the architecture she had studied.
We had just spent several days in Oxford where Drew was invited to attend a two day Patient Safety Conference at St. John College, Oxford University. Despite the dreary winter weather, we had a great time exploring the campus and pubs and were in awe being surrounded by such amazing history. Our hotel was in the heart of townl, the historic Macdonald Randolph Hotel just five minutes from campus. Drew's day began very early so I indulged in a full formal English breakfast in the dining room one morning. This is a meal one lingers over. The linens, crystal and china are perfectly set and an array of international breakfast delights are offered as are newspapers from around the world. I ordered a traditional English breakfast, which included bread pudding, kippers, baked tomatoes, poached eggs, assorted teas and toast, jam and honey served in beautiful china and silver service. I lingered for well over an hour before heading out to see the sights.
With mixed feeling, we gave up our apartment and said goodbye to new and old friends, sold our IKEA and Stadsmission (Goodwill) treasures, stored our fold bikes, and began our journey back to New Zealand and Revelation via the US.
