First Month Aboard!

Wow, hasn’t time flown! We have been living aboard for over an entire month!  There hasn’t been much sunshine as of yet apart from the first week after launching, so we are still hoping it does appear before winter approaches.    Kids are enjoying being aboard, and now call it "home" which is great.  They have adapted so well, and we are amazed to watch them as they have very few toys aboard, but manage to have such great fun making up new games, drawing and enjoying the blustery south easterlies.  They are enjoying being able to have their own 'jobs' aboard, and have found that bosun's chair swinging is a great treat!

We have had two low pressure systems within 1 week that have made us retreat to the cozyness of the cabin, or to the shed to clean up our trail of fiberglass off cuts, resin and piles of materials that were used on Mazuran.  There is so much stuff that accumulates on and off boats, in sheds and around sheds.  Boating is a huge part of the kiwi culture both on and off the water - some will attempt the rough channel in pursuit of a catch for dinner in 35-40knots.  (We did notice that they did come back to haul their boat about 15 mins later, all soaked, but in good spirits!), and there is always a good turn out for the racing that has been organised locally - great for us to watch in our prime spot!

Checking of forecasts has become more of a daily thing now, although watch the weather on the news has always been part of our family ever since I can remember.  Making sure we have up to date data means we can plan our day on or off the water, and for the safety of the boat that we now call our "home".  

Freya caught the first legal snapper on board Mazuran

The boys attempt to match the talley that the girls have!

Watching lightening and thunder over inland while we were in sunshine!

Can't have a boat without a swiiiiiing! 

 Junior monkey man has been watching his daddy!

 Out on deck with wind building

 Another glorious sunset

 Watching Rikki and Vim race in the Wednesday night racing... Vim held them off for a good start!

 M1 and Rikki battling downwind light airs

The resident Black Back gull, every morning on the same hatch, waiting for the kids to greet it.

Spotting dolphins! WOW! They are sure something special!

Ropes have been threaded through sheaves, sails on board, and we have been SAILING at last!  What a milestone!  It only took us 6 weeks of working on a bit each day to get it all up and running – but Mazuran is now a yacht.  Much healthier for a boat with a stick to actually be able to sail.  It didn’t seem quite right to have to motor everywhere, and now we feel slightly less vulnerable for we have another means of moving around the ocean.  A lovely Bay of Islands sailing breeze meant we could hoist the sails and enjoy the quiet.  

 Genneka drifting - "Sweet Sunshine" alright!  

Laid back genneka sailing. Kids sorting out where all the colours go.

Mazuran's Maiden Voyage

We woke on board after launching day to an amazing sunrise.  It was then decided that a motor run was in order for Mazuran's maiden voyage. Because they are new engines we wanted to start giving them some load and seeing if anything was going to need attention.  After inviting our VIP's to come aboard, we headed off to the Nine Pin, then across to Indigo Bay at Urupukapuka Island.  The Bay of Islands is truely spectacular, and we have many more bays we wish to explore.  It was lovely to spend time 'on board', and even do dishes in the galley that we designed!

 The day after launching - clear and beautiful!

 Craig and his dad, Paul, admiring the view on the bow.

 Freya and her new best friend, Ari. Such an awesome boat dog! 

Gordon assuming the position as captain! 

 The first 'official dip' from the crew.. glorious Bay of Islands weather.

Dougal, Naomi and their adorable boat dog, Ari!  He was SO keen for a swim!

 Mum and Alan, enjoying the prime spot on the foredeck - it's very comfortable!

 Blake raising the centreboards.  That boy has some muscle power!

 Our second sunset.  Pretty nice view eh!

Very tired, but very excited to be on board, enjoying our boat.  The start of a new chapter!

Mazuran's Launching Day!

WE DID IT!!
Wow, we have actually made it!  Mazuran's launching day was absolutely PERFECT!

Craig and I didn't sleep that night, we were awake so decided to go to the boat at 3:30am and watch her being  moved down the road.  When we woke the kids up their first words were "is the truck taking the boat Mummy?" so they knew exactly what was going on.  We were thinking they were going to go back to sleep again once in the van, but no, they wanted to watch the boat moving on the truck!

Moving Mazuran from my the front lawn of my parents place - they can finally see the front garden they planted over 3 years ago!

 Excuse me,...coming through....

 Our new home, ready for transportation at 4am

Hi-ab lifting in the starboard centreboard.

Our wonderful helpers, John Hughes, Dave Blair and Alan Yardley - Thank you to you all!  You were amazing!

 Mazuran's chief crew - ready for the BIG day!

 Standing the rig - always a nerve wracking thing to watch!

 Dave Blair and Craig putting on the forestays

 Craig putting the sidestays together

  Mazuran ready to go down the ramp

My amazing Mum and I shortly before Mazuran takes the plunge

Her first touch of water

 A perfect TEAM!  Craig and I celebrate all our hard work together!

 A very SURREAL feeling - we made it!

 My Dad and step mum Jackie, enjoying a good laugh from the camera man!.. you are SO FUNNY Craig!

 We are very grateful to have such wonderful friends and family, enjoying a perfect evening! (what's wrong with a holey biminy?? haha!)

 Waterline is somewhat down in the stern... and a glorious rainbow joined the festivites!

 Our first sunset aboard Mazuran

It was the perfect Launching Day.  We reckon we couldn't have asked for anything more.. it was totally surreal.  Everyone helped out where they could, and we cannot thank you all enough for all the effort and time you have put into helping us.  It was truely wonderful to see you all, and look forward to having many more adventures with you in the future!

A special mention to my mum Eileen and step dad, Alan, who have put up with us for over 3.5 years having a huge boat on their front lawn, and opening their home (and shed) to us with warmth and understanding on our huge project.  It is so very much appreciated, and we cannot thank you enough for your amazing generosity.

Mazuran's Shiny Coat

The topcoat is on!  After lots of preparation and checking the weather forecast daily we found the weather window and have completed the topcoat.  Mazuran has her shiny new coat.  All we need are lots of fenders to avoid the scratches!  (Funny how we can be so precious about the 'paint job' until the first scratch.)   But the hulls do look very shiny.  I take my hat off to Craig who was awesome at spraying - such a professional!  Another talent of his many.   Needless to say my nostril hairs are only just back to normal.

I have applied a few more coats of antifoul - she has her new coat of lipstick on, ready for her big day...

The truck is booked!!  Launching day is Friday 10th February 2012!  I am both excited and nervous at the same time!

 Alan Yardley helping us with the centreboard jury rig - thank goodness they had a rather large spinnaker pole that we could use for this - it was perfect for lifting centreboards up and down!

 Undercoat is applied - it was great to see a solid colour going on!

 Craig spraying topcoat - amazing to watch him paint - very fluent and great to watch.

 Spot the reflection!

 Unwrapping his present!

Freya loves unwrapping presents! .....

 .....and so do I!

Mazuran with her new shiny coat..now all she needs is a bit of salt spray!

Prepping for Top Coat

If there was one thing to comprehend, it's the preparation that goes into a boat ready for painting. Of course there are some who just slap on a bit of paint after a bit of a scuff with an orbital, .....and then there is Craig.  He is a master of perfection, and when it comes to painting, it has to be "Just Right"... before any paint goes on. Although Mazuran will not be as 'fair' as we would like, she is getting much more attention on her topsides than we originally anticipated.

It makes sense to do the topcoat now, really... it's only the budget that has pushed it to a non-priority, but somehow, it's come back to be at the top of the list!   Many thanks to our dear friend Steve Salmond  of New Zealand Multihulls (http://www.newzealandmultihulls.com/frames.htm) who came to visit us and told us that we just HAD to paint the boat with topcoat! It was his enthusiasm that set us on the path of painting...So here we are, in the midst of being covered in sanding dust, and growing shoulder muscles that I never thought I had - all in pursuit of a shiny coat.

I honestly never knew there were so many 'layers' in sanding a boat.  It's not just about randomly going over it with a electrical sander and putting on some paint.. it is another language.  I hear things like "paddle board" (also known as the torture board -  I found out why after 20 minutes of using it!), "long boarding", "guidecoat", etc etc.  Yes it's certainly another language, and it's not just about sanding... there are types of paint "layers" that go with this mammoth amount of hard work.  Of course I was on the 'dainty' end of a compressor driven random orbital sander, to which I must say was fantastic to use! (It's my tool of the week).  Lightweight and easy to use.

So there we were, one side was myself using the sander, while on the other side was Craig using the "paddle board"... which apparently is for making the surface more even.  It was a romantic afternoon passing glimpses through white eyelashes & dust masks when we were changing our sandpaper.  It was good motivation though - both were working on our dream!

Consideration for masking is important and a 'good' amount of time should be allowed. Like anything marine, allow yourself at least three times longer to do it.  It's a task that you cannot do when you are tired, especially when masking 'lines' on the boat.  Remember to protect the surroundings that might end up with overspray if you are spraying.

Next is undercoat then the shiny stuff!