Here in the Southern Hemisphere its winter of course. So what am I doing instead of going sailing?
Around the shortest day here in NZ we tend to have wet, windy weather. This year is for the most part true to form apart from being unseasonably warm, one of the theories is that the warmer weather provides more energy to the weather systems so we get more and worse but warmish.
These last couple of weeks has seen some really odd stuff, 70 knots on the nowcasting weather buoy off the mouth of the river, and a few hours later bright sun and absolutely still air. Not for long though as the next frontal system is generally only a few hours away, they say that here in New Zealand “if you don’t like the weather just wait for a few hours”. Too true.
So in between the stuff which has to be done each day, work and chores and such, rather than go outside and wade around in mud and puddles I stay inside drawing and researching, writing and generally getting on with the design work.
Between times though I’ve been watching some of the videos posted on the various small boat and design groups that I haunt, and todays post has some of my favourites from among the recent ones.
Here is a video of Paul Ricketts’s Navigator from Western Australia, out sailing with three friends, nice work. I’m sitting here in pitch darkness, cuddled up to the heater while the rain beats on the cabin top. No I’m not unhappy, I can go and watch videos like this to remind me of summertime. Congratulations, and yes I do envy you those warm blue waters.
Nice watching, have fun.
J
