BACK IN NEW ZEALAND

I have been back in New Zealand for ten days now.  So good to see family again, but It’s difficult to transition from being a freewheeling sailor to the role of domestic slave, taking orders from the ‘Boss’ wife.  The creature comforts of home are however a welcome change, having a hot shower on tap is a true luxury.

Truce is sitting on the hard in Canoe Cove Marina.  I put her to bed as best I could as I was hindered by my cracked ribs.  Everything is stowed away but I am concerned about the damp that may get into the boat over the winter.  When on the hard I will get a few maintenance works done so come spring we are in good shape to go again.

My health is excellent after the trip, I feel fit and relaxed but have lost about 6 Kg in weight and now weigh around 77Kg.  (170lbs).  I ate very well on the trip so my weight loss seems to be caused by three things, being overweight in the first place, burning up calories in cold weather doing physical stuff and not eating processed food and sugary snacks.

I suffered from some distress to my hands before they hardened up to sailing and a few aches and pains from using muscles not normally pressed into service.  My fall and cracked ribs I take as a (painful) lesson to plan better and complete one job at a time when single handing.

Now I am back in New Zealand I am looking forward to the summer and some warm weather and catching up with all the little odd jobs and other tedious bureaucratic pains of shore life.  Houses (like boats) need maintenance and there is some of that to do as well.  I also need to do some paid work and harvest some money for the cruising coffers, I will look for some ship delivery work which I enjoy.

Next I will post some thoughts about my trip to Alaska.