Anticipation

I apologise for type errors in this blog. Despite using the edit function my iPad will not allow me access the whole post to put in some omitted punctuation marks. Next time I shall attempt to copy and paste an edited document.

The new boat, pictured above, is presently named ‘Awohali’. It apparently means ‘eagle’ in Cherokee. However, we cannot see ourselves warming to this name and have decided to change it, unlucky some may say. So, sticking with the bird theme, we have registered her in Germany under the name of ‘Taiko’. A Taiko is a black petrel that breeds in the Hauraki Gulf on Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands and has a conservation status of ‘threatened’. There is also a Chatham Islands Taiko. Coming from Whangarei, we feel better able to identify with such a name.

Buying a boat sight unseen is risky business but we feel that we are getting the right kind of boat, in the right place, at the right time and at the right price. It is often said that in buying a boat one is buying the owner. Well, we met the owner/builder, Richard and his wife Connie, at Frankfurt Airport before they flew to Ireland after visiting their nephew in Siegen. With the surname of O’Conner nobody will be surprised to learn they they are visiting Ireland. The meeting went very well. Richard’s briefing onthe boat’s systems and construction was comprehensive. Additionally Richard gave me all the plans and files associated with building the boat. We were much reassured and our decisions felt less rash. There is work to be done to get the boat up to a standard compatible with ocean passage making but with the price being less than that you pay for a quality second hand car the financial risk is not great.

We have had a wonderful tour of Germany, Switzerland, and the border region of France. We have met many interesting people, enjoyed fantastic hospitality and visited many cultural and historical sites. The grim reality of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Stasi HQ, and the Concentration Camps were experienced rather than enjoyed. Nonetheless such visits enhance one’s understanding of the complex events of the first half of the 20th century.

As I write there are 18 days to go until we take off for Mexico. Yes, I am counting down. Spending a cruising season in Mexico and sailing back home to New Zealand has long been on my bucket list and my excitement can only be described as intense. Another exciting development is that Renate has  almost sold her boat ‘Renahara’ thus freeing us from the worry of the care of another boat back home while we cruise. She will fly home to do the final clearance and hand over of the boat, after taking a month to become acquainted with Taiko in Mexico.

This is my first attempt at blogging. We considered it necessary because there are now too many friends and family members to write too individually and secondly, I am the world’s worst correspondent. So I hope that a blog posted once a month and a few personal emails from time to time will satisfy most people’s questions as to our whereabouts and activities.

So, I close with warm regards all our friends associates, Martin und Renate