Back on terra firma

We woke to a calm cloudless morning.  If only the weather had been this perfect yesterday; not that it wasn’t good enough.

We had plenty to learn about overnighting on the boat.  Having left the windows open overnight, there was condensation on most surfaces on board.  We needed it for the ventilation through the night but next time we’ll have to find the happy medium.

After a hurried breakfast of plums, yoghurt and muesli, we dropped Greg off by tender for his week-long stay on Great Barrier.

Departing at 0800, the journey back to Auckland also took 2h40 from the outside of Port Fitzroy (or 3h from near the boat ramp area).  There were portions where the sea was mirror-like.  Like yesterday, we saw some playful dolphins briefly.

We detoured to the Westhaven Marina to fill up the boat before returning to Bayswater.  I had splashed some diesel on the teak deck in the filling-up process.  That severely upset Kim.  He must have been stewing over it as he tried parking the boat back at the Marina.  He nearly crashed the boat as he compensated for the mild wind while backing the boat in.  He’s such an expert at it in far worse conditions. It shows how quickly things can go wrong on a boat.

I was relieved when we were safely tied up and standing on terra firma.  We disembarked happily knowing that the boat is capable and comfortable enough for a few nights in the summers to come.