Wendy celebrates her 55th birthday after crossing from Fiji to NZ with us. Joey, friend from sv Rhythm, enjoys the friendship made over the years as well.
Wendy was so great to talk to everyday on the SSB during our crazy crossing. Thank you for words of encouragement and for being there!
Did we really volunteer to do this passage?!!! I just can't believe that!!!!!!
Well........that's it for our dear Fiji flag. It pretty much tells the story, doesn't it!
Our American flag certainly is a significant symbol of our crossing but also the struggles of life today in our country; we do hope it can be saved.
Dear friend, John, from sv Beyond. Thank you so much for words of confidence and advice. It has been great getting to know you!
Lots of work to be done on Sidewinder everyday. She has been happy to rest!
Safe and sound
Yes, indeed, we have certainly taken quite a break since Sidewinder touched the dock and we are finally back to thank you all for patiently waiting. Opua is a wonderful place to find ourselves after our intense passage and we truly have appreciated tucking ourselves into this safe haven. We arrived at 2 AM on Thursday morning and were so thankful when we tied ourselves to the Quarantine dock. The passage definitely gave us a chance to get to know Wendy and John on sv Beyond, sharing the ride together verbally every morning and evening over the SSB, and the following weekend we enjoyed more real time together, including a wonderful celebration of Wendy's 55th birthday on the sv Rhythm, with Peggy, David, Joey and Olivia, who also made the passage with us, at least for the first few days.
They left for Auckland the following weekend which was also the beginning of the Opua Allpoints Rally, celebrating the return of many sailors after their cruising season in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Our first adventure in our new/old Toyota Corolla was also that Saturday, when we took in the local town fair on our way back from Kerikeri; it was great just getting out in the beautiful countryside surrounding the Bay of Islands and people watching. This whole last week was filled with informative seminars, BBQ's, comedy and talent nights, along with so many wonderful new cruising people to meet; the grand finale was Saturday night and yesterday many people quietly took the day off. We are really enjoying re-uniting with our friends from last year, Brandy and Marc on sv.Restless, who we first met in Suwarrow, and our friends, Steve and Darusha on Scream, who just arrived last weekend. Thanksgiving will be on Restless and we all will celebrate just how grateful we are for this opportunity to enjoy new adventures with wonderful people. I am also looking forward to some exploration of the Bay of Islands before we head down to Whangari for Christmas, and then, of course, I will bask in the presence of family and dear friends when I return home for the month of January. We are so fortunate to be able to have the time to delight in all the people who make our lives so full. Thank you all for being.
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