New Kiwi Joins the Forum

[SailorBOI]

Hello all and the warmest greetings from New Zealand! I'm looking forward to doing a lot of reading and learning from this site. I have already been doing such and started to think it might be a bit rude not to join.... so here I am. I have no yacht and it's been 12 years since I did some REAL sailing... but it's still in my blood albeit dormant until now.
From what I have read, there are some really genuine people with good attitudes and extensive experience on this site which I feel is hugely encouraging to people joining... so thanks already and in advance!

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by SailorBOI

Hello all and the warmest greetings from New Zealand! I'm looking forward to doing a lot of reading and learning from this site. I have already been doing such and started to think it might be a bit rude not to join.... so here I am. I have no yacht and it's been 12 years since I did some REAL sailing... but it's still in my blood albeit dormant until now.
From what I have read, there are some really genuine people with good attitudes and extensive experience on this site which I feel is hugely encouraging to people joining... so thanks already and in advance!

Allow me to be the 1st to welcome you..........got a feeling that I know who you ar but Ill let you tell.

Wayne

[Hud3]

Welcome aboard, SailorBOI! There's always room for another Kiwi here. Hope you enjoy the Forum.

[SailorBOI]

Thanks to both of you for the welcome. Yes, Wayne, it is I, Carl. Good to be here.

[Stillraining]

Howdy

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by SailorBOI

Thanks to both of you for the welcome. Yes, Wayne, it is I, Carl. Good to be here.

I hope that you didn't find that thread on Resurecting Kanani too disturbing........I trust that you saw it.

A lot of young Kiwi's learned how to sail on that boat.....are you still in contact with any of them??

[bob_77903]

Welcome SailorBOI

[MarkJ]

Hi Carl & welcome

[Kanani]

A little history on Carl (that I'll bet that he didn't think that I knew or would remember...).....

His father and uncle traveled to Asia in the early 60's. They had a Chinese junk built there and sailed it back to NZ. He wrote a book about his adventures.....I would actually like to have a copy of the book. I read it but that was in '85....on my 1st trip to NZ.

[SailorBOI]

I could see about getting you a copy if you want since it is on my list of things to get done (I'm after a copy myself). The title of the book is: "The Voyage of the Golden Lotus" by Brian Clifford. As for the junk, it was on Lake Taupo of all places about a year ago last I heard. My father (Graham) now digs in the garden about 20 miles away from the nearest coast in the Far North of New Zealand. A far cry from the Lister diesel and terylene ropes of the 60's.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by SailorBOI

I could see about getting you a copy if you want since it is on my list of things to get done (I'm after a copy myself). The title of the book is: "The Voyage of the Golden Lotus" by Brian Clifford. As for the junk, it was on Lake Taupo of all places about a year ago last I heard. My father (Graham) now digs in the garden about 20 miles away from the nearest coast in the Far North of New Zealand. A far cry from the Lister diesel and terylene ropes of the 60's.

Carl,

Here it is......you should grab this for yourself.
The Voyage of the Golden Lotus - Brian Clifford for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Carl,
Welcome aboard! Good to have you here and participating. I really enjoy your avatar.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[Steve Pope]

Yeah, welcome Carl, was in the Bay over xmas, plan to be back up there later in feb, where in the B.o.I are you??

[SailorBOI]

Hi Steve, I'm originally from Russell but I live in Auckland now.... much to my dismay. Were it not for employment, I'd be living in the Bay or onboard. My father Graham Clifford was a skipper on the Cream trip Fullers cruise around the BOI for 42 years.
Never sailed the Kaipara before so I should think that would be a coastal port of call for me to build experience before I crew overseas again since it has been 10 years for me.
Cheers and thanks for the welcome.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by SailorBOI

Hi Steve, I'm originally from Russell but I live in Auckland now.... much to my dismay. Were it not for employment, I'd be living in the Bay or onboard. My father Graham Clifford was a skipper on the Cream trip Fullers cruise around the BOI for 42 years.
Never sailed the Kaipara before so I should think that would be a coastal port of call for me to build experience before I crew overseas again since it has been 10 years for me.
Cheers and thanks for the welcome.

Carl is a bit too modest. He crewed for me in '95 on a passage from Auckland to Brisbane on my Passport 45. His brother crewed for me in '85 on my Columbia 36, in NZ.

We found out about a cyclone that was North of us and could possibly make it's way farther south. We made an unexpected stop at Lord Howe Island and sat out some pretty strong winds for a few days. The Island manager insisted that we take a mooring that was rather close to some rocks and we dragged that mooring about 30' ft (if I remember correctly), putting us precariously close to the rocks.

Carl helped in navigating into the Island's reef with no chart. He developed a pretty good eye for coral-heads, early on. I also remember him being quite helpful when we left. We had to exit a channel with big breaking seas because the wind came around and we were now on the windward side of the island. If we timed that one wrong, the trip would have ended there.

He also spent a week with us at Middleton Reef. That was another case of being able to negotiate coral-heads by eye. That is where he found out that sharks aren't nearly as scary as they appear . Carl's experience may have been fairly brief but he's seen a lot.

He learned all about spinnaker sailing on our cruising yacht too. We had a great passage together. I'm sending him a DVD of the whole thing.