Category: 2021

2021, Bay Of Islands, Maintenance, New Zealand

Jack Of All, Master Of None


Have you ever had one of “those” days? Of course you have. You’ll have one tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. I know because they seem to come with regularity for me. I believe I could be called an opportunistic pessimist. You know what I mean? I want everything to workout just fine and be one of those peaches and cream kind of a days. But, I know that there is a thing called reality with all the gremlins it utilizes to inflict my days with those little darts of, “Got You!” You know those things that keep your day from becoming totally perfect and instead produce utter chaos resulting in a ruined mess? Or perhaps some varied degree in between.

As a boat owner we rely on our vessel as our home, for travel, protection from the elements or even fun filled recreational bliss on a day to day basis. It would be great if everything we owned was everlasting and endured the dreaded march of time. One thing for sure, there are varying degrees of the time something will last. Tools for example…you can buy expensive tools or the Thrifty one use tool from the Shipwreck Tool Store. Your choice. It really doesn’t matter because your 10 mm socket is just waiting for the package to be opened before it can go missing. LOL

The gremlin filled case number for today is 54280 dot 15, Star Date something dash something else in the gamma sector of the left pant leg quadrant. Outboard Terminology! If you’re following the bouncing ball on your take home tablet readers, you will remember the fishing story from a few posts back where death rock almost consumed the crew of Dazzler sending us home to the promised land. Well, there was an article that involved fishing and a stubborn outboard motor that didn’t want to fire up and decided that it didn’t want to play nice anymore. Yep! That’s the one.

I finally got around to disassembling the carburetor for the umpteenth time looking for a speck of dirt that might be causing all our grief. Actually I stopped looking for that microscopic particle and now just blasted the whole damn thing with Carburetor cleaner each time hoping for better results. By the way, I’m still looking for my original 10 mm socket. Anymore I buy them by the egg carton style dozen so I don’t run out. They’ll be on sale every once in a while at Sears and Roebuck in the tool section of the Sunday paper. LOL

Another thing that frosts my fanny! Can someone please tell Yamaha to make a carburetor bowl gasket that is not sensitive to Ethanol in gasoline? Geese! When I remove the carburetor bowl to clean the jets, the special proprietary O ring gasket, if soaked from any ethanol in the gasoline distorts its shape by growing an extra millimeter here or there and CANNOT be reused. This requires you to have an extra Yamaha carburetor bowl O ring gasket.

In the first world country of New Zealand, a Yamaha made for the USA market doesn’t have the same gaskets as the same style motor made for the South Pacific market. Who knew? So! We had to order gaskets from Japan. Happiness arrives after about three weeks of being lost in the cargo hold of some 777 freight plane that has been grounded because their engines have developed a nasty habit of exploding while in flight. Okay, I’m all better now. Move along. Nothing more to see here!

As a side note and of great importance is the continued shipping saga of how our parcel was delivered to us in the Bay of Islands. Our good friend Allan Gray, owner of Wynn Fraser Paints in Whangarei, graciously picked up our parcel in Whangarei. He had some business in the Opua area and and brought our parcel along with him for us to pickup. The three new gaskets could have fit into an envelop, but they came packaged in a box that could have housed a new carburetor. We were able to spend a little time with Allan before he had to head south again. You see his new puppy “Wynn” was arriving at the Auckland Airport later that day. His new baby is a four month old Pyrenees Mountain dog. We are so grateful for friends like Allan.

Anyway, back to the outboard story. Each time I get done going through the carburetor everything seems to be working fine for a few hours of run time. Then, POW! Back to the workbench, AKA, aft cockpit seat, for more carburetor cleaner blasting. Stand back. By the way, I am now buying carburetor cleaner by the cellophane wrapped six pack. It is usually on the shelf next to the carton of 10 mm sockets.

The other day wasn’t anything special and it just happened to be one of those moments when Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon and Uranus seem to line up and inflict that oh so grateful ahh ha moment. The light shone down from the heavens and illuminated the answer to life’s most perplexing question. Yep! The outboard decided to take a dump again. You know stop working while on our way to shore. I grabbed the fuel line bulb to give it a squeeze and gas started to pour out from the hose connection to the front of the outboard. Ding, ding, ding! It was oh so clear now. Could it have been this simple all along? Quite possibly yes!

You see, the hose connection ends of the Yamaha fuel line system have a proprietary fitting that bayonet connects onto the fitting on the forward edge of the outboard. There is a spring loaded ball valve that is pushed against an O ring and is all held in place by some kind of plastic retainer doodad. The O ring has a dual purpose. First it is to keep gas from oozing out when the hose is not connected to the outboard. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the o ring prevents gas from leaking from the connection and air from being sucked into the fuel line.

It would appear that our fuel hose connection was not designed to last an indefinite period of time. To be somewhat fair, I should tell you that I have replaced this fitting before. I don’t recall it being that long ago. Regardless of the time that has elapsed since the last replacement, it wasn’t a set-it and forget-it part or replacement. Nope! As it turns out it might want to be one of those things you add to your spare parts list.

By the way, don’t forget to refill your parts supply when you take something out. As it would seem, I didn’t replace this fitting the last time I pulled it out of the spare parts stores and we had to acquire a new one from the local shop to get us going. We now have to remember not to forget to get one for the spare parts stores onboard. What was I talking about?

Remember, nothing lasts forever! Even if it says it comes with a lifetime guarantee. That just means the company won’t be available next week when you are hundreds of miles away on an island paradise trying to find which coconuts to rub together to make a new Yamaha fuel hose connection fitting thingy.

Until next time, check your parts stores and keep them well stocked. Don’t step in number two and sip that cold one while swaying in your hammock. Oh yeah, don’t take too long to finish that drink because the line holding up your hammock is deteriorating and you could blow out your flip flop. Remember, nothing is free or lasts forever in water world! LOL

Cheers!
Captain Dan

2021, March 2021, Oyster Bay, South Island

Onward To Squally Cove


The time has come for us to bid adieu to the lovely seaside city of Nelson and head on to Squally Cove. We’ve fueled up and are headed through the narrow channel that will lead us to the Tasman Bay and ultimately to Marlborough Sound.

As we make our way through the channel we note that there are more commercial ships in port. And, since it’s during the week we also notice a lot more activity everywhere. Even the local NZ Coast Guard boat is patrolling the harbour. It’s sunny and warm and we’re excited for the next leg of our journey.

As we head through the entrance to the harbour we note that the sea state is a bit on the nautical side but nothing much to fuss over. We’ve seen much worse in our tens of thousands of miles at sea. We head through the pass and turn to the east. I’m admiring the Boulder Bank and lighthouse and taking photos as Dan attends to the matters of navigation and our safety.

It’s just after noon now and with all of the normal getting under way business complete I head below to whip up a couple of sandwiches and some chips for lunch. Below I notice that things are bouncing about a bit more than I expected but I just keep on working. It’s not uncommon to have a bit a current and bouncing when you are moving into and out of channels and around points. I hear Dan in the cockpit fussing about something so I call up to see what’s going on.

Apparently when we took on fuel some of it spilled from our vent into the cockpit floor. We actually attach a vent capture device via suction cups to the vent to prevent spilling. Unfortunately, on rare occasions we get a little spray or spill. This is one of those times so he needs to get it cleaned up. I stop my lunch making to get out the Dawn dishwashing detergent and a bottle of hot water to help him out. (Note to cruisers: Buy Dawn whenever and wherever you can get it. It works for so much more than dishes! Buy LOTS of it! It’s the one thing we can never have enough of on board and you can’t just get it in any country.)

Dan manages the small (maybe a cup full) spill and I finish up our lunch. I hand him up the plates and our lemonade and we enjoy a wonderful lunch as we look off to the starboard side at the glorious sites of Nelson and the surrounding mountains.

Lunch complete and dishes washed I decide to go below for a bit. We, after all, have about six hours of cruising ahead of us and he did roust me from my slumber a bit earlier than normal. Not long after I get my life vest off and get settled into my comfy spot I notice that we are pitching and rolling a bit more than I thought we should.

It’s Getting Rough

I head to the cockpit where I start asking questions. Dan tells me that he completely expected these 20 knot winds on the nose and, of course, with that comes some choppy seas. Okay…it is what it is so I head back below to hunker down and wait it out.

En Route to Squally Cove

It’s not long after that when Dan shows up below to put on his foulies. Looks like it’s going to be a bit of a wet ride to Oyster Bay….rain included. Donned in his Gorton’s fisherman outfit he heads back topside while I enjoy my warm, dry sanctuary below.

Well, it may be warm and dry but the sanctuary part comes to an abrupt end when we start getting tossed around like a fart in a skillet. We’re taking 1-2 meter swells almost on the beam and water is coming over the port side in huge splashing waves. I stand up on the companionway stairs watching Dan as he’s getting hit every now and then with buckets and buckets of water.

Of course I’m standing there in the warmth and dryness doing what I do…taking pics and video. After all…..we do want to document this right????

Don’t get me wrong, I do feel for him. I know all too well what it is like to be on watch and have Poseidon toss endless fistfuls of seawater in my face. It’s never fun and it’s always cold and miserable. And, I would take his place anytime he asks. I’m a team player and this is a team effort but in these seas he knows he’s the better captain and it’s his place to be at the helm. God bless him for that!!!!

After a couple of hours of enduring Poseidon’s wrath we are finally able to make the turn into Oyster Bay. Doing so puts the swell at our stern so we get to surf with it instead of beat into it or have it slamming our beam.

It’s still a bit rainy and overcast but the view coming into the bay is one of the most magnificent and awe inspiring beauty. It’s almost impossible to explain. There are mountains on three sides of us and the water is this glowing, bright green color that seems to just perfectly accent the dark green trees and brown dirt that lies onshore.

Soon the sea state here comes to a peaceful calm. We’re cruising in the bay and behind the mountains so everything the Tasman has thrown at us is outside of this beautiful place. I’m now standing on the bow…in full Gorton’s fisherwoman attire with my headset on so I can communicate with my captain. I love our headsets. I get to move about the boat and we can still chat…without yelling!!!!

Along the shore we see lots of oyster or maybe they are mussel farms. They are everywhere. And it’s really remote. There are only a handful of houses or huts to be found. On our port side we don’t see any roads so we must assume they can only be accessed by boat. On the starboard side we can see roads cut through the mountains leading to the few houses and shore. It literally makes us feel as if we are explorers from another land.

Ahhhh Squally Cove!

Soon we reach Squally Cove. This will be our home for the night. We round the corner to the port side with a huge oyster farm lining the shore. The cove is small but wide and deep enough for us to find safe harbor. There’s no fetch but the winds are howling. They are coming down from the mountain through the valley with gusts that go from 5 knots to 25 knots in a second.

The bottom here is mud with some rocks. Our anchor sets quickly and we are glad to finally be at rest. It wasn’t a horrible trip but an exhausting one so we are ready to relax and enjoy the evening. Dan cooks up a few steaks on the barbie and we settle in for the night.

Soon the clouds give way to one of the most amazing skies. There’s something so incredible about sitting in an anchorage in the middle of nowhere and looking up to see the stars so bright above. The Milky Way shines so brightly that you feel as if you could just walk upon its silvery light. I try to take some photos with my wonderful Huawei phone but I know they will never be able to show you the absolute splendor that I see. I feel blessed and yet sad. Blessed that I’m seeing this breathtaking sight yet sad that I cannot fully share it with those of you who cannot be here.

Tomorrow we have another 50 NM to go to reach our friends on SV SuAn. Along the way we will have to cross French Pass which is known for its rather treacherous tidal currents, upwellings and eddies. Should be a fun time! LOL

Until next time,
Jilly & Dan

Read about our fun times in Nelson before we left to explore Marlborough Sounds … Click Here!