Category Archives: Locations

Places around the world

Road Trip: Auckland to Tauranga

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Day 1 of our road trip was rather uneventful and consisted of us doing a lot of driving.  

We drove 3 hours from Whangarei to Auckland. 

We  came to the city to drop off our vertical support legs for our arch to Bumper Replacements.

As you know from our previous post “Solar Arch Installation” the previous company who electropolished our arch damaged it. 

So, we decided to take the support legs to a new company.  They did a great job at a fraction of the price.

These support legs are 2.5m long and barely fit in the car.  They extended from the radio all the way to back of the hatch back!

We stopped for lunch and continued on our journey.  We had another 3+ hours to get to Tauranga.  Matt decided he wanted to drive along the coast for a more scenic route.

Tauranga

We arrived late in the afternoon and decided to go straight to Tauranga Harbor View (Air BnB).  This was a rather large two-story home with 3 bedrooms.  We certainly did not need the space, but it was cheap ($95 USD) and in the right neighborhood. 

I did not take any photos as there was nothing blog worthy.

We found downtown Maunganui which is a delightful, single road, epi-center.  We enjoyed cocktails at Saltwater and had dinner at Rising Tide (delicious dumplings).

DAY 2

We had hoped to hike Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano and sacred Maori site. This 232 meter tall mountain offers amazing 360 degree views of the bay.  

However, a tragedy occurred just 11 days prior to our arrival.

We had massive amounts of rain and part of the hillside slipped smashing into a campsite and burying campervans, tents, and cars. 

Six people lost their lives and the entire mountain site has been closed.

So, we headed to Tauranga Marina to see the manager Greg Prescott.  We gave him the mold for our rain flashing so he could make some for our friends on Roam.

Greg showed us around his lovely yard and marina.  He also gave us a tour of his beautiful 43′ Catana “Seuss” and showed us the upgrades on “Roam”

And then we were off to drive to Taumarunui another 3+ hour drive.

Waituhi Lookout

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, along our 2 lane highway we see a sign that reads “Waituhi Lookout.”  

We slowly go up the single lane road hoping for no other cars are coming down. 

It is super beautiful with overhanging lush trees and bushes.

After about 5 minutes we come to a rather unimpressive circular parking area and a metal staircase.  Hmmm, this is not what we expected at all.

But, we climb the stairs and to our surprise there is a lovely view of Waituhi.

Taumarunui

We stayed one night in this little town called Taumarunui.  This town was the start of our Forgotten World All-Day Rail Car Adventure.

We checked in to the Forgotten World Motel which was interesting. 

The exterior looks like a typical motel but the interior is rather modern and nice.

This little town is full of history. 

We found several information centers, monuments, and museums along the main road of Hakiaha Street. 

Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to explore everything.

I simply love this optical illusion clock!

On Day 3 we being our Forgotten World Rail Cart tour.  

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.

We began our road trip in early February 2026.

Managing the Maintenance Part II

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This is Part II of our maintenance list while on the hard at the Norsand Boatyard.  Please see “Managing the Maintenance Part I” for our work on our cross beam, sail drives, rudder arm, and props.

Here is a list of the items we worked on that are mentioned in this blog post:

  • New Scuppers
  • Paint Bow Peak Lockers (inside storage area)
  • Polishing Stainless Counter Tops (Bench)
  • Snap Shackles for Main Sheets
  • Cleaning the Interior Cushions
  • Miscellaneous Maintenance
    • Sail and Canvas Repair
    • Propspeed (Saildrives & Props)
    • Finsulate around Rudder posts
    • Window/Hatch removal of velcro
    • Teak Cleaning
    • Relabeling the clutches

Making New Scuppers

We have 17 scuppers (drains) at the bottom of the bridge deck. At some point, one of them fell off and we have not been able to find any replacements.  So, Matt decided to make his own.  

We purchased PVC white (1220mm x 300mm x3mm) plastic from Cambrian Plastics ($37USD).

Matt started by making a mold out of Plaster of Paris.  He made end plates to match the shape of the scupper and used scrap formica around the end plates.

Matt heated a cut piece of the PVC plastic in the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  He then took the warm piece, wrapped it around his mold, clamped it, and let it cool for 20-30 minutes.

We used a band saw or jig saw to cut out the shape, then sanded, drilled the holes, and created our new scuppers.

After we made our surplus, a friend told us about Tenob which makes smaller scuppers.

Repaint Bow Peak Lockers

The forward bow peak lockers are used for storing our spare sails, bean bags, passerelle, tons of fenders, SUP, folding chairs, and more.  

The interior paint of these two storage areas has been chipping off for years. 

It is only a cosmetic issue but it is one that has been bothering me for awhile.

The Long Process

Once the bow peak was empty, I used a metal scraper to remove all of the big flaky bits.  This process was a loud, dirty job.

I got out the power sander with attached vacuum to smooth out the walls, ceiling, floor and “V-berth.” 

It is probably 10-15 degrees hotter inside the hole.  Wearing a full suit, goggles and mask makes it seem even worse.

Next, I wiped down everything with soap and water twice. 

Then we pressure washed the entire bow peak with warm water and simple green and let it dry over night.

Matt mixed the two-part paint, Jotun Jotamasic 90 (3 parts A to 1 part B) and brought it to me.

It is specially designed for areas where optimum surface preparation is not possible or required and provides long-lasting protection in environments with high corrosivity.

The paint has a pot life of 2 hours so I had to work fast and in small increments. I started with the hardest to reach part first, the “V berth.”  It is super difficult to reach and requires full body contortion. 

But 4-hours later the entire bow locker was done.

The next day I painted a second coat and we let it out-gas for 7 days. 

Talk about a world of difference in appearance.

I also repeated the entire process on the port bow peak which was in a lot worse condition but now looks beautiful.

Stainless Countertop Polish

We love our stainless counter tops!  It does take a little more maintenance than standard counter tops but they look so beautiful!

Our countertops got marked up over the last 4 years, despite our careful management. We are not sure what caused these marks but it could be citrus, oil, salt, bleach, hard water).

We spent 4 hours masking and protecting the entire salon.  

An easy polish by Absolute Stainless and they look brand new.

We clean it twice a week with two products. 

For standard cleaning we use Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes (Amazon).  The cost ranges between $12-20 per container.

For corrosion or harder areas we use “Chemico Cleaning Paste” cleansing paste $7 (4 USD).  This paste was recommended by Absolute Stainless (the company who installed our counter tops).  

Snap Shackles

Our main sheets control our large main sail and are under a lot of pressure during a sail.  We have 16m double braid tied to a Harken Black Magic Air Becket block.  Catana custom made this block to be connected to a Wichard HR Snap Shackle (80mm) at $150USD x 2.

Our snap shackles were original to the boat and had some wear on the center clip which causes a weak point.  We had RH Precision fabricate new stainless steel pins that connected the snap shackle to the block.

More Cleaning

Cushion Cleaning: The inside of the boat got very dusty and dirty with all of the work in the yard.  So, I decided it was important to clean our interior upholstery.  We have Macrosuede fabric (color Ash) on the salon settee and the cabin benches. 

We hired JAE Cleaning Services in Whangarei to clean them for us. It was a bit of a chore getting the cushions to them, but worth it to use their “drying room.”

Of course it was raining on the day we had to transport the cushions. We wrapped each cushion in plastic to prevent it from getting soaked.

It was like playing a game of Tetris trying to fit the cushions into the car in one load.

Miscellaneous Maintenance:

Canvas:  We brought Kim (Masterpieces in Canvas) to repair and update a few pieces for us:

  • Kim made 3 new Sauleda window shades
  • Modified 2 helm back rests to accommodate the new arch
  • Made a new back rest cover for our new cockpit back rest.
  • Repaired the 2 side rain shades (put support around each snap and added velcro to hold corner when rolling up
  • Made covers for both of our bow princess seats to protect our new varnish
  • Repaired the aft shade had a small tear near the baton
  • Fixed a few small tears on the dinghy chaps
  • Replaced the top section of the starboard helm seat that got stained
  • Made 2 new helm covers to accommodate our new helm extensions and pods
  • Made a new cover for the cockpit back rest

Genoa: Roger from North Sails repaired our genoa which had a small tear near the bolt rope.  He also made a backup “Sweetie” patch for our dinghy.

Bottoms Up”

We burnished our Coppercoat which activates the copper.  We also added vinyl (from Finsulate) around our rudder posts where we once had antifoul bottom paint (which did not last).

Norsand applied Propspeed to our saildrives and props.  Matt greased the prop gears and changed all the zincs.

We added “Finsulate” a type of vinyl to the area around the rudder post.  Coppercoat can not be applied near our aluminum rudder post so added a vinyl.  

Good comparison between the vinyl around the saildrive and the rudderpost.

Each of these steps are to help prevent growth on the bottom of the boat.

Rudders

The rudders are all cleaned up and have a new bearings so it was time to install them.  The install went smoothly and took all of 10 minutes to do both rudders.

Teak Cleaning

The teak on the sugar scoops and in the cockpit were absolutely filthy.  We had dozens of workers coming and going, fluids spilled, and polish over-sprayed on them

I gave them a good scrub with teak cleaner.  I would prefer to oil or stain them but Matt likes them raw.  Perhaps next time I clean them I will out some oil on them.

Clutch Labels

We have close to 20 clutches on the boat.  Most of the clutches have labels dating back to 2001.  These labels were in both English and French and were very hard to read.

Of course, we know what the clutches do without the labels.  However, it is always a good idea to have nice, readable labels for others that might be assisting on the boat.

So, on a rainy day I took it upon myself to scrape the old labels off and put new labels on.

Lastly we washed and polished of the boat which made her all shiny and pretty.

Be sure to read about our brand new solar arch – it is super sexy!

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events.

Be sure to read Managing the Maintenance Part I blog post.

We were in the Norsand boat yard working on repairs and maintenance items from November 2025 to January 2026.

Managing the Maintenance Part I

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Being on the “hard” at the Norsand Boatyard offers us the opportunity to do a lot of maintenance in addition to the upgrades and repairs.  We have a long list of “to do” items that are perfect to tackle while laid up.

Here is a list of the items we worked on that are mentioned in this blog post:

  • Paint Cross Beam and Martingale
  • Saildrives and Prop Repair Maintenance
  • Rudder Arm 
  • Varnishing
  • See Part II for additional maintenance

Paint Crossbeam and Martingale

The crossbeam is at the front of the boat between the port and starboard hull.  It is an integral part of our boat structure and rigging.

We painted the crossbeam and martingale twelve years ago and the paint was showing its age. 

It is a huge process to remove the cross beam.  We removed the lifelines, dropped the anchor chain, removed the anchor roller and nav lights, secured the mast, removed the forestay and furler, and removed the front part of the trampoline.

Removing the Crossbeam

We had problems removing the the crossbeam. 

Each side of the beam has one bolt that holds the end of the beam to a bracket that is then bolted to the boat.

We thought it would be easier to remove the single bolt on each side rather than removing  the bracket which has 4 bolts.  However, we were wrong.  The two bolts were stuck and had to be cut out.

New plan.  Replace the bolts, drill the holes to make them circular again, and fabricate brass bushings to remove the play.

The crossbeam had its corrosion areas ground out, filled, sanded, primed, sanded, primed, sanded top coat.  

We brought in Rob from RH Precision and his “Adjustable Hand Reamers” to drill out the holes, and to fabricate new bushings.  See bottom left photo (gold colored bushings).

This will make the cross beam much sturdier and easier to remove in the future.

Installation

A one week job took 2.5 weeks.  It was finally time to get the crossbeam and brackets on the boat.  

First we install the bolt bushings on both sides.

Next we install the 1 main bolts that holds the crossbeam to the bracket.  

We then return to the boat to install the other bracket onto the boat.  Of course, tough gel and lots of sika flex were used on everything.

Aaron, the yard manager drove the fork lift expertly allowing for a smooth installation.  No scratches, bumps or bruises on us or the crossbeam.

The result is beautiful

Saildrives & Props

We hired Whangarei Marine Services to do some general maintenance on our saildrives.  They replaced the seals (near the props), changed the gear oil, and cleaned our props. 

We also hired RH Precision to do some work on our props. 

Sugar Shack has 2 props and one spare hub.  One of the hub’s inner splines were really worn down causing some issues.  So, we decided to clean our spare hub and use it instead. 

The problem with the spare hub was that it had some dezincification (it is pinkish) which means it won’t last but 3-4 years. 

That works for us as we plan to repower and replace both the hubs and props before then.

One more thing.  Matt had noticed that the props had a little movement from the axel.  

Rob created a bushing to go around the axel to make it more snug and eliminated some of the play.

Rob made sleeves for the axel which greatly removed the “play.”

By the way, we are replacing all zincs so ignore the shotty ones in the photos below.

Rudder Arm

Do you remember when our port rudder arm (which controls steerage) broke at the access point?  If not, please read “Failures Bring on Frustrating Times“. 

We were able to weld it back together but we always considered that a temporary fix.

We took the rudder arm to our good friend Rob at RH Precision to properly fix it.  Rob crafted a new piece which is twice (if not more) as strong as the original piece. 

Not going to fail us now.  Left piece is new and right piece is old in the photo below.

We evaluated starboard’s rudder arm and it looked solid and strong.

Varnishing

I took a stab at varnishing for the first time two years ago.  See blog post “Varnish, Varnish, Varnish.” It looked amazing for about 1 year.

I could not remove some of the teak pieces off the boat, so they had to be varnished in place.

However, other pieces were easily removed so I could work on them in the shade of the boat.

For some strange reason, the pieces of teak that were removed did not hold up as well as the pieces left in place. 

The pieces left in place are fine whereas the ones that were removed all need to be redone.

We learned that it was possible that some of the pieces failed because water “sat” on them. 

The princess seats had water between the teak and the stainless and the swim steps are in/out of the water a lot.  Hmmm, might be a possibility.

We decided to have Norsand revarnish with Awlwood. The teak is really old (25 years) and really should be replaced.  But we really want to wait until we get to Indonesia to replace all of the teak.

Be sure to read about our brand new solar arch – it is super sexy!

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events.

We finally remove the funky taste and smell from our potable water tanks. See the blog post on the entire process.

We were in the Norsand boat yard working on repairs and maintenance items from November 2025 to January 2026.