Author: Salome
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Minerva Reef: A ring in the ocean
From the get go, during our passage from New Zealand to Fiji, we’ve formed the hope to stop at Minerva Reef, but only if it was reasonable, weather-wise, to do so. Our hopes are crushed time and again by the models and our weather router (MetBob) who advises the detour will unlikely be achievable with […]
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My first time with the ocean
Like all first times, perhaps, it lacked foreplay. We rushed it a bit and went straight to the meaty part, too eager to know what “it” was about. I was giving myself willingly, for I knew beforehand that it would be painful, with a rough couple of days in the weather window and route we […]
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Pre-departure impressions
Nervous like a university student before a big exam, or more accurately thrilled yet dreading THE moment, as things are set in motion and I’m about to give birth to a life-long dream. I’ve done the antenatal classes, gathered advice from everyone who’s done it before, and yet, I am bereft before leaping into my […]
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Ka kite ano New Zealand!
“I wish we could throw a party like that, when it’s our turn to leave” says Gaspar when we have our last dinner together. Which fills me with pride and joy and nostalgia all at once, remembering with fondness the great week-end we’ve had a few days ago, in the company of fascinating, diverse, and […]
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Early birds catch the Cat I certificate
Three knocks on the hull. Have I dreamt them? Lying in bed, half awake, liters of tea drank the day before pressing on my bladder desperate to get out, is it morning yet? Quick check through the door, daylight timidly brightens the main cabin, it is. Are we expecting anyone? Then I remember: our safety […]
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Yes to 40!
“Yes!“ What a sweet, warm, yummy, soothing feeling this word brings… Especially when heard repeatedly, throughout an entire day, from friends and family as a reply to whatever I suggest. As if I have bewitched them by the mere fact I have woken up that morning, exactly forty years older than the day I was […]
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Obelix shower ceremony
Hot showers are now possible on Obelix! But, beware, far from a modern life entitlement, taking a hot shower on our boat is a well deserved reward that comes only after following a precise protocol, involving lots of steps, and a fair amount of pumping, which has, let it be said, the side benefits of […]
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Giving Obelix a break
With a South Island road trip! For a week we deserted Obelix and ran in the arms of Mrs Geriatrix, our Jucy campervan, to embark on a winter South Island adventure, take a breath of fresh air, marvel at Southern Alps dramatic scenery, and teach our kids a bit of Aotearoa geography, which latest conversations […]
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How many Jedis can Obelix swallow?
Eager to find out, we organised Azur’s birthday party at the marina, with no other plan B than using Obelix and the marina lounge for shelter in case of extreme weather. Needless to say that as the week-end approached, and, with it, its sub-optimal forecast, the weakness of our plan B kept me up all […]
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Open heart surgery (part II)
Magic happens when I’m out dancing! In the last few weeks, while I was indulging my parallel life as a dance addict (3 classes and 3 social dancing events of salsa, bachata, kizomba, tango and african dance in the last week alone), Thomas has been hard at work, coordinating and finalising the install of our […]
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Obelix open heart surgery (part I)
Successful extraction of our inboard engine while still berthed at the marina.
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Sun kissed for 31 days (part II)
12 January: Kahangaro, Cavalli Islands Departing from the idyllic Okahu Passage is not an easy thing, but we’ve been promised wonders in the Cavalli Island and the much praised Whangaroa harbour, so, as soon as we’re up, we hoist the sails to venture further up North, and when the Cavalli Islands are in sight, we […]
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Sun kissed for 31 days (part I)
Memories of bliss times on the water slowly recede, while the tide brings back the daily routine of land-bound life. Let my heart not sink but stay buoyant, by recalling the vivid impressions of heightened senses, absence of commitments, and communion with nature. 500 miles, 34 anchorages, 12 islands, 7 hikes, 1 night navigation, 1 […]
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La Obelix vida es un carnaval!
Time to farewell 2020, a full-on year on so many accounts… Despite unexpected global circumstances which culminated, in New Zealand, with a couple of lock-downs, near-closed borders, and ever changing game rules, we’ve managed to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, sail the Hauraki gulf quite extensively, get Obelix a new jib, staysail and […]
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Sunset-moonrise double-bill
Sometimes the stars align, and all you need is to be outside to witness it. Like spontaneously casting the lines after work on a Friday, to honor the gentle breeze, still water and clear skies, with no other reward in mind than, trying our new jib, leaving the hustle and bustle of the week behind, […]
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Obelix & the Wonder Women
First time skippering a boat, fortunately surrounded by Wonder Women. What can go wrong?
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Making our bubble great again
Free-range kids As lock-down 2.0 was announced on August 13th, Auckland schools closed, and we retreated back to our bubbles, we decided not to add any complexity to the ever changing and (sometimes) absurd rules that governed our strange world, and let our children be free-range. No virtual hui. No homework. No schedule. No pressure. […]
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It takes a special kind of person
After a full week-end saving lives, I am exhausted! Ok, this was all pretend play, but I swear that NZ Coastguard /MedAire coastal medic course is not for the faint-hearted. Between gore pictures and videos of a femoral artery gushing blood (albeit very pixelated, thank God), de-gloving fingers (I learnt a new word), or wounds […]
Obelix Odyssey 