This morning I say farewell to lovely New Zealand. I’m off to the Austral Islands south of Tahiti, a voyage of 2400 miles, 3-4 weeks of solitude on the open ocean. Last evening I rounded Cape Brett on my way into the Bay of Islands to officially clear out of New Zealand on s/v Pamela.
A few weeks ago Pam, Lindsay, and I hiked the Cape Brett Track to the lighthouse and hut at the end of this awesomely rugged spine of mountains rising steeply from the blue Pacific. After carrying his guitar to New Caledonia, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, and back to New Zealand for all of the Nine Great Walks, collecting dozens of signatures along the way, including famous sailor Lin Pardey’s, Lindsay donated the guitar to the Cape Brett hut.
Now Pam and Lindsay are back in California, where Pam is resuming her rewarding therapy practice helping kids learn. As I look up at the lonesome lighthouse from the perspective of the rolling ocean, I feel a pang of sadness for my family who I will desperately miss during the 5+ months it takes me to sail all the way back to San Francisco.
