Opua: tsunami warning
Opua: tsunami warning
I woke this morning to discover that I was not to be on the water or beaches and not to go boating because of a tsunami warning for the far north of New Zealand, including the Bay of Islands, following the earthquake in Japan.
This did not present a dilemma because I didn’t believe it. A maximum three foot/one meter wave was predicted. Less arrived.
I had never before considered the consequences of a tsunami on my mooring. I think the possibility is remote. A wave would have to strike the coast around Pahia, then rebound at right angles, most of which would be blocked by the overlap of land a mile north of Opua.
People were kept off the beaches in Pahia. The Opua Cruising Club cancelled youth sailing. And nothing happened.
It is curious that what finally drove the Christchurch earthquake from headlines in New Zealand was an even bigger earthquake in Japan.
It was a lovely day, sunny with almost no wind.
Had I waited an extra day or two at Whangaroa, I could have powered all the way back in flat seas. I’m glad I didn’t.
I touched up dings in the hull left by the trimaran that clipped me several months ago and painted the exposed aluminum bracing in the cabin sole.
When I lived aboard it was easy to keep up with maintenance. Now, each time I return, it takes a week or two to bring THE HAWKE OF TUONELA back. And, as I’ve said before, I don’t manage to bring her quite all the way back. Entropy always wins.
On deck for my evening drink, I noticed that the water was very muddy, as though after a heavy rainfall. We’ve had no rain, so perhaps some of the energy from the tsunami did reach us below the surface and stirred up the bottom.
The top photo was taken at Whangaroa.
Yesterday I posted entries for three days.
If you read only the most recent entry, you might have missed the previous two.
Saturday, March 12, 2011