Crewless: They Come and They Go

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Many people offer to come on a passage but very few actually do.  There are so many moving parts, sliding schedules, and things to work around that it makes it difficult for “the working man” to make the trip.  We had two people interested in doing the New Caledonia (New Cal) passage.  So, how did we end up crewless?

Adam from New Zealand was our first “victim.”  I say that jokingly.  Adam lives here in New Zealand which made it appealing because he could easily be at the boat at the first weather window.  However, the weather did not cooperate and the departure date kept sliding. Eventually, Adam had to back out due to family circumstances.

Jason from Austin.  Matt worked with Jason 15 years ago.  We ran into him a few years ago and he mentioned he would be interested in doing a passage.  He had lots of charter and sailing experience – just no passage or overnight experience.

We did not think he would be able to get to NZ in time but reached out and asked him if he was interested.  He moved heaven and earth to get here.

The Waiting Continues

We had been working toward a departure date about 6 days after Jason’s arrival.  In the meantime he worked remotely from the boat.  After his work hours we took him around Whangarei.

Matt took him on a 7 mile hike.  They hiked up to the top of the mountains (by the antennae’s) and then around the park and back to town.

We also walked the Hatea Loop several times.  I made the boys partake in all the fun activities along the trail.

The Disappointment

Our proposed departure date was upon us and we had to make a decision.  Depart and get pummeled by the weather or wait for the next weather window. 

We went back and forth, had many discussions, talked with several weather routers, and finally decided not to take the risk.

It was really disappointing as that meant Jason would not be able to make the passage with us.  Why is that?  He had a flight out on the 9th of June which meant we had to leave NZ no later than the 2nd of June.  However, there were no weather windows between now and then.

So, Jason made the hard decision to stay for a week, change his flights and go home a week early. 

Despite being crewless for the passage we were determined to show our crew the best time during his stay.

Overnight Sail

We left our cozy marina dock after many sad goodbyes.  We decided to take Jason out to the Bay of Islands to show him a little more of New Zealand.

And since, Jason had never done an overnight, we decided to give him that experience too.

We left Whangarei late in the afternoon and headed 50nm to Whangamumu.

We had a beautiful sunset to send us offshore.

The moon was 3/4 full which shown brightly during most of the night.

Jason and Matt found the Southern Cross.

Jason did really well.  He got a little sick once he lost the horizon, but he managed to stay outside all night!  It may not seem like that big of a deal but it was 40F outside!  Freaking cold.  What a solider!

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live event.

Jason visited Sugar Shack toward the end of May 2026.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Jason in New Zealand.

New Caledonia Passage Preparations

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It is with a heavy heart that we depart New Zealand.  We have loved visiting this beautiful country over the last four years.  The NZ government has allowed us to stay roughly 24 months but it is time for us to head west.  So we begin the passage preparations.

Passage Preparations

It has been an unusually cold autumn in NZ with temperatures dipping to the low 40’s.  Matt and I have not dared to get in the water as it is just too darn cold!

How does this relate to our passage preparations?  It is best to have a clean bottom at all times but especially when you are preparing for a passage.

We have not cleaned the bottom in almost two months due to the cold weather.  So, it was time to do a “haul and hang.”

We head 10 miles down river to Marsden Cove Marina.  They have lovely facilities to haul catamarans.  The haul out slip is also the fuel dock so we took advantage of that and filled our tanks.

The slipway staff expertly situated the travel trailer under our boat and around our scuppers.  The haul out went smoothly as they drove us to the wash bay.

The yard had two men pressure washing simultaneously.  She was cleaned up in no time!

We did not have a lot of growth, but we did have some barnacles and soft growth that easily came off. This is what grows on your bottom when you sit in a marina for 6 weeks.

Our friends on “Midnight” captured us traveling up river (thank you Michelle!)

Provisioning

We have to be careful when provisioning as there are a lot of foods that are not allowed to be brought in to New Caledonia.  Prohibited items include: all pork products, eggs, fresh produce, vegetables, grains, rice, seeds, nuts, honey, certain sea shells, wood products, feathers.  Chicken and beef have to be labeled from AU or NZ with expiry dates and original packaging.

We loaded up on staples and junk food.  We allow ourselves to eat badly during passages as sort of a “reward.”

Prepared Meals

Matt was busy preparing, cooking, and freezing loads of passage meals while I was in the states.  This allows us to just warm the meals up in the pressure cooker if the sea conditions are poor.

Each cube can easily feed 2 people.

Donations

I gather more prescription glasses and sunglasses for donations to the smaller islands.  The local New Zealand Rotary club provided 300 prescription glasses and 50 sunglasses. 

We separated the glasses by prescription and then sorted a variety of prescriptions into 8 packs.  This will allow each recipient to have a variety of prescriptions, colors, and glasses.

Paperwork

There is always a lot of paperwork to complete prior to a passage.  You have to do paperwork to clear out of the country you are currently in and a lot of paperwork to clear into the country you are headed to.

New Zealand Departure Paperwork

Each vessel has to schedule an appointment with customs to clear out of the country.  When you schedule the appointment you have to include the following documents:

  • Completed C2B Advanced Notice of Departure Form
  • C3B Advanced Certificate of Clearance
  • C4B Completed form with Customs ID and T.I.E. number
  • Boat Registration
  • Copies of bio page for each crew member
  • Photo of vessel

In addition, each vessel has to complete the online declaration form with Maritime NZ and schedule a spot on the quarantine dock at the port of departure marina.

New Caledonia Arrival Paperwork

New Caledonia is relatively easy compared to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. They do not require advanced notice, but you do have to let the officials and the marina know when you are coming.

We completed the following

  • Customs Arrival Clearance Form
  • Biosecurity Form
  • Health Certificates
  • Crew Letter

Of course, all the documents have to be updated if you change the port of departure, port of arrival, date of departure and arrival, and crew.

Normally, we would not have many, if any, changes. 

However, this particular trip we have tried to add (2) different crew to go on this passage.  And both crew were unable to come.  More on this to come….

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to our New Zealand Family was so incredibly difficult!

Top Row: Matt, me and Rob (RH Precision) then Kara, Matt, me, Sharron, Gareth, and Jason

Second Row: Geoff and Sue (Whangarei Marine), me, Rob (Tavake) and Matt, and Sandra and Andreas on Pico.

Bottom Row: Kathy, me, Kara, Sandra and Matt, Sharron, and I.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.  

As we waited for a weather window which never seemed to come, we did passage preparation from Mid-May to early June!

Every Cat has a Tramp

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Tramp!  No, that is not my nick name!  That is a vital part of every catamaran.  At the bow (front of the boat) between the two hulls lies a trampoline. 

Our trampoline has been in use on Sugar Shack since 2007 (very unusual).  In 2010 we bought a new dynema trampoline and stowed it in the bow locker.  She has stayed tucked away for the past 16 years, until now.

The tramp has multiple uses:

Safety and Performance:  The trampoline allows water from the waves to pass through preventing excessive weight on the deck.  In addition, it improves vessel stability by reducing weight at the bow.

Catamarans need to ensure there is as little weight as possible at the bows to prevent nose diving and pitch polling which could be catastrophic! 

Comfort and Relaxation:  The tramp also provides a lovely lounging area for sunbathing, gatherings, and happy hour.

There are many types of trampolines offering a variety of comfort.  Most catamarans use a type of polyester mesh or high-strength vinyl.  These offer the most comfort.  They typically offer smaller holes making more comfortable to sit and lay on. 

However, they don’t allow for a lot of water flow and there can be large gaps between the hull of the boat and the tramp which can be dangerous.

Then there are the dyneema or polyester mesh versions.  These tend to be a lot stronger and last longer.  The holes are bigger and the material smaller allowing for better water flow.  

However, they tend to be not as comfortable and require a towel, blanket, or chair to sit on.

There are a lot more varieties of trampolines but they usually fall in one of these two categories.  They all come in a variety of colors, strength, and thickness.

What does Sugar Shack have?

The original trampoline that lasted forever was dyneema.  So, we bought a dyneema one to replace it (in 2010).  

Dyneema is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE) fiber, renowned as the world’s strongest fiber, offering up to 15 times the strength of steel on a weight for weight basis.  

Where we lack in comfort, we make up in strength, longevity, and safety.  And frankly, we usually just plop the bean bags on the tramp.

The 2007 version just would not die.  It would get a little loose and dip in the middle but then Matt would just tighten it up on one of the sides.  It just lasted and lasted for a very long time.

Each diamond is capable of holding 200 pounds!  There are hundreds of triangles!  It is so strong that we had 12 Polynesians sitting on it for a New Year’s eve celebration!

This is the old version which was temporarily installed after we removed the cross beam.  We decided to finally to replace it when we found our first break.

Replacing the Old for the New

We briefly contemplated replacing the trampoline while we were on the hard.  Then we realized it would be much safer to do it while we were on the water just in case we fell in.

It is a tedious project.  There are stainless rods on each side and the back that are thread through the diamonds. 

A piece of dyneema line is woven on the moveable rail hooks and interlaced around the stainless rod.  This is then used to tighten the trampoline.  As the tramp ages and droops it can be adjusted using the rod.

Matt has a lot of back and forth….you start weaving on one side without tightening it.  Then you move to the opposite side and weave and go back and forth until it is even.  Then you start the process on the front and back.  All the while not being able to step on the trampoline.  

It is tricky.

Matt has the new tramp over the old one.  He is just starting the weaving in the top photo and almost done in the bottom photo.

This project requires a lot of patience, strength, and ingenuity.  Nothing I possess which is why this is a blue project.

Final Touches

Matt can begin the finishing touches once everything is fairly even and tight.  The excess edges are trimmed and the steel rods are capped on the ends.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  

Matt replaced the tramp in May 2026.