FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS

Lockdown has now been forty days.  It’s been tough going hanging around, restricted in movements and being alone.  However, the end is in sight!  For the last two days New Zealand has had zero new cases of Coronavirus – this must mean the lockdown will end soon.

Last weekend brought a northerly storm, fifty-five knot wind gusts and damp conditions.  Not very comfortable at two in the morning.  I have been at sea a while and nobody has ever been able to give a good explanation as to why the worst weather always happens between two and three in the morning.

Anyway, the last dose of bad weather prompted me to get into port and have a recoup.  On Monday afternoon I took the flood tide up to Havelock Marina where I am now safely moored on the visitor pontoon.  Such luxury to be alongside and secure, not swinging around an anchor, it’s worth the additional expense for a couple of days lashed up alongside.

Last night I was able to get a hot shower, my first for 53 days!  Quite an event and warranted an entry into the log book.  After my shower I found a takeaway restaurant in town and ordered fish and chips.  I learnt how to do the social distancing thing and contactless payment and pickup.  Back at Truce I enjoyed the excellent fish and chips (big portions) and celebrated with a couple of beers.  Then I got out the vintage port.  I got a good way down the bottle before hitting the scratcher for a very deep sleep.

Today has been wet, thunder and lightning this morning and constant rain all day.  A light southerly wind arrived in the afternoon with some cold air from Antarctica.

Don’t know what I did all day today, but the day has flown by.  Well the days are much shorter now.  I did the laundry so have nice clean sheets and bedding.  Oh, it’s so cold tonight, there is a light dusting of snow on the hills.

I have the two oil lamps burning in the salon and the heat they put out makes the cabin quite comfortable.  If it gets any colder, I will move the dinghy on deck to clear the chimney for the Dickinson diesel heater.  Once that is fired up I will be toasty warm.

Not sure when I will leave Havelock.  I had planned only to stay a couple of nights alongside – but now I am here and have human contact I’m not too keen to go back out and swing around the anchor.  I just want to get going and sail north.