Opua: walked and oiled
Opua: walked and oiled
Today was the finest since I arrived, caused by a narrow ridge of high pressure that unfortunately is due to be replaced tomorrow by the next approaching low.
For several days we’ve had some sunshine, some quickly passing showers.
I’ve been writing and oiling. Both have progressed satisfactorily. The cabin sole looks much improved by two coats of Deks Olje. I’ve also gotten a coat on various other bits of wood in the main cabin, and two coats yesterday on the tiller, which I had partially to sand first. I worked on the tiller mostly between showers, but one caught me. I didn’t go ashore yesterday, so it was my only shower.
Today I walked into Pahia. The above photograph is an old one of the fern forest along the way which I’ve run before. I took only the waterproof Pentax with me today and didn’t get anything as good.
Long time readers may recall that the walk into Pahia is about 6 or 7 kilometers/3.6 to 4.2 miles, almost all either up or down three steep hills. There are two routes, one a track close to the shore, the other on the road slightly inland. My preference is to walk the road for the first two hills and valleys, then follow the shore around the last hill into Pahia; but today the tide was too high to follow the shore and I had to climb all three hills. Huffing and puffing from not having walked much lately, I made it without the indignity of having to stop and rest.
I had lunch at Latitude 35º, a restaurant near the landing for the passenger ferries that run between Pahia and Russell. This has changed ownership and menu since I was last there. Not as good as the new Opua Cafe in the marina, and more expensive. One less reason to walk to Pahia. But I like the walk and will walk just to walk.
Taxied back.
Soon on deck to watch the start of the Wednesday race.
A perhaps longer lasting high may arrive over the weekend, and I may go and anchor off Roberton Island. I’d like to climb to the lookout before I fly back to Evanston, and the anchorage is open to the south, requiring settled conditions and north or east wind.
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Sometime soon the link to the log page will be removed indefinitely from the navigation bar.
I am turning the logs into a possible book and can’t expect a publishser to try and sell what I am giving away for free.
If a book doesn’t materialize, I’ll repost the log of the fifth circumnavigation in its reworked form.
I have made few changes, mostly minor deletions and corrections of typographical errors and solecisms that I missed on my first usually hasty reading.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009