Sun, 29 Dec 2002
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We stop to think of all the adventures we've had since we last celebrated and especially to think of our friends and family. We do miss you!
On January 3rd, we'll leave Bayswater Marina in Auckland to wander around New Zealand by boat. We plan to south sail to Tauranga to see the Around Alone boats as they arrive from South Africa and may help out a competitor on a fellow Wylie design (albeit a very different one!) prepare for the next leg of the race. We'll return to Auckland in time to receive visitors and to see the America's Cup races between Team New Zealand and the successful challenger.
After the Cup, we'll meander our way north, enjoying the many nice anchorages of New Zealand before leaving for the Tropics again in May.
Our tentative plans are to revisit Fiji briefly, then spend a little more time in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, then head north across the equator, stopping at the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, then on to Hong Kong, Taiwan and spending northern hemisphere hurricane season in Japan (June to Nov). It is an ambitious plan and a lot of sailing to fit in to a year. After hurricane season we plan to continue west through Asia. Of course, as is always the case with cruisers, our plans are as fluid as water. We are currently doing research, talking with other cruisers, studying pilot charts and cruising guides to determine the best and safest route through the region and are plans may change as we learn more.
We'd love to hear from you in the next few days while we can still easily catch up via email. Enjoy the holidays!
Holiday Cheers,
Wendy Hinman and Garth Wilcox
S/V Velella (Wylie 31)