1. Report

Quite a few of you know me, Alwin, still from the catamaran VAITEA and are may be wondering what happened to me.
Well, meanwhile I feel good again. The hurrican, the sale of VAITEA, separation from Finja and divorce are overcome.
Over a year living and working in Germany is already long ago and here and now I want to say thanks again to everybody who helped me in that time. VAITEA is still sailing in the Carribean and has a new owner, Ralf. Finja found on board of the ATLANTIS by Anne and Johannes a nice new home and is also still cruising in the carribean.
After my stay in Germany I have worked as a professional skipper and captain on the biggest in Germany licensed sailing catamaran (20 m long and 10 m wide), the NEVERLAND www.katamaran-segel-charter.com. With the owner and guests I cruised in the West South Pacific from Samoa via Tonga to New Zealand. There I´ve prepared the yard during the cyclonseason for the next journey.
Than last year we sailed up to Fiji passing the Minerva-Reef. There I spend 7 months on and with the boot before we sailed back to New Zealand over Vanuatu and New Caledonia. We arrived here in November and I finished my employment as skipper on the NEVERLAND.
Life changes and I had now other plans and ideas.
Just before my departure from Germany to the other side of the world I met Doris. She came to visit me in New Zeland in february for 4 weeks and 3 months more we lived together in Fiji on the NEVERLAND.
We liked each other and the feeling to stay together on a sailingyard in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
We didn’t hesitate long and Doris made a big breake in Germany, cancelled her employment after 20 years with the company, rented her flat und sold her favorite lovely VW-Golf.
On the 31.12.2006 she arrived very tired early in the morning Auckland Airport and our new common life started.
New Years Eve we saw the fireworks over the skyline of Auckland, than we drove to Whangerei and a strenuous search began for a suitable sailingyard.
Quite soon we found the right boat for us. We saw in the marina of Whangarei the boat Kiwi Kiwi with the sign “FOR SALE”. We knew this yard already because we met Sylvia and Ralf in Fiji.
From the first moment we liked the comfortable Kiwi Kiwi and we were agreed quite soon with them. We couldn´t even afford a catamaran and it was a nice deal for both sides. They lived 15 years on the Kiwi Kiwi, made a circumnavigation with it and we found an approved ship and a lovely new home.
We wanted to give Sylvia and Ralf enough time to part from their boat and to do what is to do when you decide to sell your home and go back to Germany. Therefor we went for 4 weeks on a sightseeing trip to the South Island. The year before we had just time to travelled the North Island.
We built out the backsits of our Toyota Estima, bought a big air bed, sleepingbags, camping- table and chairs, borrowed a gascooker und seewed curtains for the windows. Then we went in one ride up to Wellington, got ferrytickets and 3 hours later we reached Picton on the South Island.
Everybody knows, who ever travelled on the South Island, that you actually can write and write and write…… to discribe all impressions. We went along the Eastcoast, swam with dolfins, saw albatrosses, seals, sealions and penguins. We did kajaking in the Milford Sound, cruising in the Doubtful Sound and visited Queenstown and the glaciers.
Up in the north we did some hiking in the Abel Tasman Nationalpark and we got back via Nelson to Picton. All in all we spend four week on the South Island and made 6.000 km. Our car drove very well and with its 4-wheel-drive we had no difficulties with the upgrades.
Back in Whangarei we still had to wait a week and we couldn’t be await to enter our boat.
But finally the day came.

The plane of Sylvia and Ralf started at noon in Whangarei. After we brought them to the airport we entered our new home the first time alone. After we had brought all our things on the boat we were astonished how much stuff we already have. Each of us arrived in the new life just with two suitcases. I got the whole range of books from Franziska and Kurti, they worked on Neverland just before me, and I got complete new clothing in the South Sea for the tropic clima. And we bought the last days already a lot of needful things for the boat.
Now it was the time to get the yard known day by day and find the right place for everything. Mostly boats are inside much bigger than they look from outside, but anyway, you defenetly have not the same space like in a house. But anyway, already the same evening we were able to put our shets, covers and cushions in the frontcabin and we had our first night on the Kiwi Kiwi.
The next days we´re very busy. The cockpit table needed an change to sit more convenience. A waterfilter was build in to get drinkingwater out of the tanks. The table in the salon was to big to sit and lie comfortable, so we took the old one out and replace a new one, smaller and much nicer. Some problems with the elektric must have been removed, also the small lamps for reading in the cabins are repared now.In the meantime we spend every free minute in the supermarkets to buy foods to get our boat ready stored for the sailing saison in the South Sea.
It took a few days but then the aftcabin was cleared up and we could move to sleep there. We also bought a strong sewingmashine and Doris started with sewing new cushions. after that warming up she made complete new upholster with zips and so on for the cockpit.
After 10 days we left the Town Basin Marina and ankered in the Whangarei River right opposite the wharft, were the NEVERLAND is on land. We lived there on board for a few days and I had to finish my last job for Ferdinand.
In december I took out both engines and saildrives and promised after they are fixed to rebuild them. Actually I wanted to be ready for a long time but there were difficulties with the spareparts. They couldn´t get them and the time were running. So I still had to work on the yard when I actually wanted to sail in the Bay of Island. Anyway, since yesterday everything is ready and we could go, wouldn’t be there this ugly wind and heavy rain for a few days. Our car is stored under NEVERLAND and will be save and warm there until we are back in november. We are also lying save and comfortable in the river and by every lowtide we stuck with the keel in soft mud. As soon the wheather will change and become nicer we will move with the hightide in the last bay of the river to decide than, in which direction we cruise first. Even in the Bay of Islands in the north or south in the Hauraki-Gulf, that depends on the wind. During that time we want to get the boat known and Doris will make her first sailing experiences. The only sailing trips she made before were with the NEVERLAND in protected lagoons in Fiji.