The Cosmos Adventure - News

Report From Steve Hall Reveived May 14, 2002

Cosmos

Hi all,

I'm going to start by going backwards, all the way back in time to when I arrived in Whangarei. First impressions were that this was a good-looking boat, big enough to do what was being asked of her & capable of being lived in by 4 or 5 adults without much problem. Then I walked inside and it looked a little like a bomb had gone off --- there were bits & pieces of boat innards everywhere! We couldn't realistically dig our way through to 'my' bed on that first night, so I slept on the couch & hoped we could excavate the bunk in the next few days. George & Joe welcomed me warmly & I pretty quickly felt very much at home and comfortable. Relaxed mayhem is very much my cup of tea.

Seeing we had 10 days before the scheduled sailing, I was happy that there would be plenty of things to sort out & thought this the best way to familiarize myself with Cosmos. I think I spent the next couple of days fitting & refitting the repair kits to the bilge pumps --- about four times each --- still without the desired result until George came up with the suggestion, "try turning them upside down." Blow me down, it worked! One big tick for George, one big black cross to Hendersons pumps.

I think it was the next day that the windows came out --- for the first time at least --- and so began the saga of Cosmos' windows. Over the next week or so we slowly worked our way through Joe's things to do list, a little smile, sometimes a request for an accompanying fanfare, each time we moved a yellow post-it note over to the task completed side. On Tuesday, Cosmos came out on to 'the hard' further down the river. The day was spent scrubbing away at the underside, gradually turning the water blue - with this our faces took on more & more of a guilty look, harmless as it is, until our consciences couldn't take anymore & we cried 'enough'. Our faces probably held another story too; we'd been up at 5.30am & headed off straightaway to catch the high-tide, but now out of the water we couldn't use the heads, the yacht club was closed & we were a good few miles from conveniences. The strain was beginning to show. By the time the key-holding guy from the club did show, around mid-afternoon, it was nearly a fist fight for first pop. Fortunately Joe had to do the polite, money-thing & talk to the guy, while I found, particularly with the use of my elbows, I could out-sprint George & managed to shut out his pleas & hammerings at the door.

Next day & the windows were 'finished', ready for unveiling. I was in town & so missed the ceremony, but I understand it wasn't pretty --- the windows were 'murky'? 'milky'? --- I'm not sure now of the word we settled on at the time, but basically they were crap. 'Big, muscle-bound Pete's' workmanship was really good & Pete is a fantastic bloke (he has the web address), but there was no question of them not being replaced. So it looked like another week in sunny Whangarei.

A couple of nights later Anders arrived. Joe went off to meet his bus at the scheduled time, to find there was no scheduled time for a bus that evening. An hour later Joe tried out his Iridium phone by calling Anders' mobile --- By now Anders was sitting at the Whangarei Town basin wondering what to do next. It turned out that Anders had caught a taxi for the 2 hrs or so ride from Auckland since there was no bus. While he explained the events he suddenly realized he didn't have his new digital camera with him & believing it to be on the way back to Auckland, by taxi, began frantically phoning around to try & stop the taxi and get the camera back. No luck. After all those phone calls, the driver had searched the car - no camera! Last effort, small chance, back to the Town basin.& there it was, safe & snug, slightly damp, waiting in the flower beds --- phew! Trip of a lifetime and no brand new digi' camera --- that would've been a bummer for Anders & as it has turned out, a bummer for all of us since it has provided, or captured, some great moments. I think the next few hours were spent listening to Anders describing this 'wonderful woman' he'd recently met --- Margereta. She is soon to join us on Cosmos for a week & we are all very much looking forward to meeting her. Since finding this out, I've been trying to extort a large amount of cash from Anders to give up my half of the double bed we share (with separating wooden panel, before the gossip starts) but he seems impervious to my demands. I fancy he'll crack as we get nearer the day.

On the Friday Joe went off to surprise Tom at the airport. Sunday was my 38th birthday! Hooray! George & Anders played it very low key during the day --- boooh! Then at dinnertime brought out a cake complete with candles whilst singing Happy Birthday!! Hooray!! Thanks guys --- I was really pleased. Tom & Joe arrived Monday & being that it was Toms 79th birthday on the Saturday before, we got another cake & did the whole Happy Birthday thing for him, & then again for me as Joe'd missed it first time around. Hooray!!Hooray!!

And then finally --- now all the crew were there, some of them well & truly settled in to life on Cosmos in the middle of the river in Whangarei --- it seemed we were ready to go. The wrapper would come off the windows the next day & there would be no reason to not leave. It's amazing --- we could have been there another 3 months & the morning of departure would still have been a mad rush of last minute things to do --- manic. We needn't have hurried & should've by then realized that the windows could not turn out completely right --- somehow it wouldn't have fitted the story. Of course it was nothing to do with big, muscular Pete's workmanship (in case I ever go back to Whangarei). Joe went off four a couple of hours to justly seek recompense for the shortcomings of the windows. This left just enough time for us to cruise down to the river heads before dark, enjoy another- now customary to us newcomers as well - fine Cosmos meal, with fine Cosmos company, and wait, 'til the morning, for the start of our adventures on the high seas --- South Africa, here we come!

Fondest regards to all --- Steve Hall

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Message to Elke Dorr:

Hi Elke!

Thanks for the message & the kind words, they were a lovely surprise.

I'd love to be able to tell you that we've managed to bring your wild & crazy husband into line, but I'm afraid the opposite may be the case & probable final outcome. But have faith that we don't give up easily & therefore all is not yet lost.

I've felt great for pretty much every moment since stepping foot on 'Cosmos'. My major fear, if not only fear for this trip, was the possibility of not getting on well with my colleagues, in each case that has been dispelled very quickly. Apart from the rougher sea times there have been no dull moments, lots of undull moments, plenty of story swapping (every word utterly true), good humour & mucking around. Excellent! Even the serious stuff is often carried out in fun. This is probably obvious from my 'reports'.

I understand there is a possibility of meeting you in S.Africa, I look forward to that ---- & if not then, then sometime in the near future. Again thanks for the message --- but perhaps next time a word or two for Joe would not go amiss as his shoulders slowly slumped lower & lower, along with the lower lip, as he realized there were no words for him!

Kind regards --- Steve Hall

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04/23/02

Finally got rid of Tom in Opua, though Joe managed to coerce him into treating us to a 'leaving meal', before telling him to 'go jump off a building' ---I hope you didn't take that literally Tom. Making you abseil down & climb back up sheer cliffs ---what sort of a friend have you got there?!? Sorry to have missed you on the morning you left, I understand the taxi came very early.

Merrily on our way @ 11am, 04/19/02, customs being a mere formality. We motored out of the picturesque Bay of Islands only hoisting sail once we hit more open waters, more favorable winds. Pretty quickly joined by a pod of dolphins a dozen or so strong --- the awe & fascination for these wonderful creatures never lessens: how perfect they seem playing in the waves & wake created by Cosmos; how intelligent they are turning on to their side, or back, or partly leaving the water to get a better view of us trying to get the best view of them. Who's watching who? Do they chat about us after each encounter --- "you know, I think they might be quite smart" --- "don't know about that, but they really look clumsy up there".

The winds were mild at first, but coming from the right direction. They started to pick up as we neared Cape Reinga, right at the top of NZ, and this trend continued steadily reaching a peak of 30 to 35kts the night of the 22nd/23rd when we averaged a boat speed of 9 or 10 kts for probably 24hrs. I saw a peak boat speed of 15.7kts displayed(!), fast stuff. Another trend continued steadily during this time, i.e. gradual changing of skin tones to an unhealthy, clammy, pallid look; aversions to food, food smells, smells in general, standing up, sitting down, confined spaces --- most things really. All accompanied by groans & whinges & climaxing in regular purges. Strange times these, the only 'conversation' (which is a maximum of 10 strained words as you pass during watch changes) is the very subject you do not want to think about --- "how're you feeling?" "feeling better?" etc, or "want something to eat" (really difficult to say without actually saying it). All meant very well & delivered with that lame, half-smile, I know what you're feeling expression. A few moments from that little period, two of Joe: at the peak --- flashing a 1/2 second smile while exclaiming "Boy-are we having fun!!", then reaching for the bucket; and having to go down a hatch to tighten the rudder bolts --- a place guaranteed to bring out the worst, & not surprisingly emerging to dash for the lee rail. Nasty stuff. Another of a swallow that flew in & joined us for an afternoon, making itself at home & hopefully making for some good close up photos --- one taken while it joined George on his bunk for a snooze. We're hoping to meet with some larger strays, as that one didn't quite go round come dinner-time.

Absolutely superb sunset last night, made very powerful & dramatic by a gathering of storm clouds just off to it's right-deep red skies with broad shafts of sunlight streaming from behind the clouds, wonderful! Winds very much dropping off now, but we reduced the sail going into the thunder & lightning a bit later in the evening. Fascinating phenomena, lightning, though a boat on the ocean is not the ideal close-viewing platform. It passed without anything more than some really good bolts & flashes. Winds tailing off during the night --- we finally succumbed to starting the motors in the early hours, and they've continued running pretty much all through the day as we near 1700hrs, 04/23/02. So today --- calm seas, sunshine, conversation, laughter, good food, a couple of nameless people re-found the galley "just at the bottom of the steps there", a bit of tidying up, showers, 'boy is life good', life-it is REALLY good. Even at the roughest times, the lowest times --- you still find yourself gazing out at the awesome ocean, captivated, knowing again why you are doing this & thinking --- man, that is really, really something. Or watching a shearwater or albatross, wings barely twitching, soaring, gliding, skimming masterfully inches above the water --- for thousands of years we've wanted to do that & can only watch & admire. Nothing we've invented can get near it.

Funny thing --- we deserved a nice easy day, relaxing, eating, bit of sunbathing, bringing back the (incredibly) not even thought about Happy Hour (cheers!), and there's still a tiny feeling of disappointment that we are on motors, the winds not strong enough, coming from the wrong angle --- and we're not going fast enough, we're not sailing!! Are we never satisfied!

Steve Hall