Lat: 31 03.996′ S

Lon: 179 12.515′ W

After a rough start, we are all finally getting our groove back along with our sense of humor. Apparently this is quite a relief to Ash, who doesn’t get seasick, has heaps of energy, and hasn’t had anyone to properly harass for a few days. Here is his very funny account of what it’s like to be on board with a crew of zombies:

“Day four comes to a close, my companions have taken a more life like form giving new life to the conversation ecosystem. Being the only functional person on board amongst the three bile throwing zombies has allowed me to witness the social structure and order of the zombie kind. One zombie who goes by the title Shiroma seems to be the princess and the taller blonde ones seem to be king and queen spending most of thier day bringing offerings to the princess who refuses them the gratification of satisfying her. Upon engaging in communication with the zombies I learn that less is more, no suggestion is a good one and that the sickness has no impact on the motor controls of the middle finger. The zombies in all there misery find solace in what they call thier best friend a small standard household issue green bucket. I attempted to communicate in the same dialect as they did with the bucket but found my self developing no bond at all with the bucket. However the king and queen seem to have healed from the sickness yet seem slightly fatigued and the princess has become increasingly aggressive yet physically disabled allowing more time to think of avoidance stratergies upon the return of her legs. Thus far peace talks bribery and negotiations have failed but I am yet to give up and tomorrow is another day. ”

Shiroma and her green friend

 

There’s a lot of truth in what he says, especially our concern for Shiroma. She couldn’t keep anything down for three days and didn’t move from her spot on the salon settee except for those brief occasions that she would try to go below to change clothes, brush teeth, etc., always with the green bucket in tow, and always returning very quickly to puke. She and Dallas discussed what to eat based on what tastes best on its way up (FYI: banana is the best). Today we have had much calmer seas, and Shiroma was able to eat an entire mini-meal and is presently sitting outside on the trampoline–very good signs for everyone but Ash, who may end up overboard if he carries on!

Mr. Functional

With disturbed seas and just three of us doing night watches, it has been tough to get quality sleep, but it’s great to finally be feeling alive again and able to do something besides lay around. Ash and I peeled feijoas for jam and muffins yesterday and scrubbed down the deck today. Dallas climbed in the engine room to fix a ground wire for the tachometer and sorted out a roller furling problem.

Meanwhile, Pura Vida keeps plugging along at an average speed of 5 knots with plenty of southeasterly wind (usually 15-25 knots). We are nearing the Kermadecs where there is a marine reserve and an opportunity to anchor for a night if the conditions are right. We saw a pod of humpback whales sounding from a distance today and would love to see more. Apparently there are a lot of sharks at the Kermadecs, too…

Whale watching

Lat: 34 16.95 S

Lon: 178 57.20 E

We’ll, the winds and seas haven’t been too bad, but the crew is still a little the worse for wear. Ash is the only one who hasn’t been seasick, but he bloodied up a couple of knuckles when a winch handle slipped off a winch. Lauren’s only puked once, and is doing resonably well. Shiroma is keeping water down, but that’s about it. I’m in the middle somewhere. Hoefully tomorrow will be better.

We’re also dealing with a few boat issues that are partly due to being in a hurry to leave and partly just the standard stuff — the charplotter is on the fritz (new problem), a hastily repaired engine ground wire has apparently come loose again, the engine starting batteries seem to be next to worthless, and the fresh water pump still isn’t sorted.

Other than that, things are great. We really can’t complain about the wind or seas, we’re just getting accustomed to it all again. We’re average right around 5 knots, which is our planning number. That gets us to Fiji in 10-11 days. We’re planning to make our first stop in Suva.

We did have one bright spot. The SSB radio installation seems to work. I finished up the antenna installation the morning we left, and a couple of hours after leaving Tauranga, I was able to tune into a “sked” — one of the party-call type of check in affairs. I was able to hear boats hundreds of miles away checking in with radio stations in New Zealand and when they were finished I tried calling for a radio check. NZ Far North Radio reported hearing me as 3 over 5 (I need to look that one up) and we had a short conversation. It’s nice to know that it’s working an we have an extra means of long-distance communication if needed.