SIMMER'S BLUE WATER VOYAGE

3-27-00  We're back, after 13 weeks away from the boat.  Ten weeks in the States and 3 weeks in New Zealand.  Our time at home with our loving family and friends was wonderful.  It passed by so quickly, and we didn't get to see everyone we wanted, but we did try.  Our 3 weeks in New Zealand were fun. The Kiwis are friendly and their country's beauty is inspiring.  Such diverse scenery - we walked through sub-tropical rainforests, beautiful beaches, thermal pools, glaciers, farms, vineyards, mountains, sounds, etc....  The South Island was our favorite, even though we didn't have enough time to see it all.  Congratulations to the Kiwi's BLACK MAGIC for winning the America's Cup.  We didn't see any races while we were in Auckland, due to no wind, but it was exciting being in NZ when they won.   In the meantime our little racer, SIMMER,  has been resting comfortably out of the water at Scarborough Marina since early Dec '99.  We are happy to say that there was no mold or mildew down below, and only one little furry visitor (a field mouse) who ate some of the poison entrees Colleen left out.  Pat found him expired on deck.   Sometimes Pat wonders when Colleen will feed him the same stuff!  We arrived back in Brisbane March 15th and our lovely Aussie friends, Matthew and Donna from DREAM WEAVER, picked us up at the airport and let us stay aboard their boat that night.  What great mates.  The next day SIMMER moved across the road to the work area in the marina and we started in earnest on projects.  In the last week and a half we sanded and applied three coats of anti-fouling paint to the bottom, launched the boat, and replaced the rod rigging with wire rigging.  For you non-sailors, rigging is very important, as it holds up our mast.  Throw in cleaning the boat, food shopping, running to the marine store in Brisbane, and catching up with friends and we have been quite busy. Another few weeks and we should be ready to go cruising again.