It’s been just over a year since I published the last post on OziYoti.com. It’s difficult to know where to begin to describe what’s happened between then and now. This time last year, we had just finished our first cruising season, completing a passage circuit of over 5,000 nautical miles in 5 months. We were wondering if we would do another circuit this year, and if so how much.
Since then, we’ve settled into life aboard; it’s been a little over 2 years now since we made our sea change. I’ve completed the second year of my PhD studies and am continuing with my consulting work in languages education. Richard has made more modifications to the boat and I also chipped in with some clear curtains and shade curtains to fully surround the cockpit. That, and Richard’s addition of an instant gas hot water system have proven invaluable. We ended up staying in Opua for winter, not leaving the Bay of Islands. I had to return to Melbourne in June for work, so that interrupted the cruising season and after the hectic pace we set ourselves last year, we decided that giving ourselves a year off wouldn’t be a bad idea. So hot water and a dry cockpit, protected from the wind and rain, quickly became essential items. We managed to survive winter with a few extra layers, hot water bottles in bed and only two or three days when we wished we’d added a diesel heater.
Summer has finally arrived in Northland now and we are enjoying visiting the outer bays of the Bay of Islands. A new OC Tender was our christmas gift to ourselves, after our inflatable dinghy lost its oomph and developed a hole in the base. The new one can be rowed, and it zooms with our new 9.8hp outboard! It’s nice to have dry rides into the dinghy dock, even on windy, choppy days. I’ve also added an inflatable kayak to the inflatable paddle board, in the hopes Richard will come exploring with me (and encourage me to go exploring more often). A new Springfield double steering seat allows us to enjoy navigating together and the reversible backrest opens up the cockpit when we’re at anchor. A compact stand converts it to a standing desk for me – I’m trying to find ways to spend less of the day sitting.
In many ways, our cruising, live-aboard dream has now become our new reality. Our new, day-to-day, nothing out-of-the-ordinary way of life. In many ways, I’ve simply exchanged an office desk for a desk in a more idyllic location without the commuting time. But neither of us would exchange it for the world. The lifestyle is so much less stressful; we have so much more time for each other and for being grateful in general. In many ways, we have a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with waterfront views, a swimming pool and our own jetty (anchor). What more could you ask for?
The extra time and above all the extra headspace has also allowed me to progress my fantasy fiction writing; that’s the main reason I’ve been quiet on the OziYoti front this year. After finishing Apprentice – Book 1 last December after a seven-year creation period, I managed to write both a sequel (Mempath – Book 2) and a prequel (Talents Rising) for the Talents of Terra Series. If you’re a Fantasy genre fan, I hope you’ll sign up for my newsletter and check them out. I’m publishing under a pen name, Kath Farr – it’s a bit easier to search for than Kathryn Macfarlane 🙂
Click here to sign up for the Kath Farr newsletter and get links to free downloads for Apprentice – Book 1 and Talents Rising.
So our next decision is what to do next winter; we had planned to return to the islands, but a workshop I need to attend in Italy in July will again interrupt the southern hemisphere cruising season. So we are currently researching an option to spend those months in Europe instead, hopefully doing some canal cruising instead of ocean passages.
Watch this space for updates!