Burnetts Ahoy
A blog by nerds afloat.
Woo-hoo! New country— the Cook Islands! Here’s a video of Jerry’s arrival at the Aitutaki marina/wharf through the narrow channel cut through the lagoon. The channel entry and subsequent med-mooring can be tricky, and often other cruisers help with lines and squeezing you in once you get to the small, shallow, rough-hewn marina. This marina serves as a prime example of the supportive cruiser community, and thankfully we indeed had several nice folks in their dinghies and ashore helping us tie up in a gusty 12 knot crosswind. ❤️
Jerry was not moored without incident, however, and unfortunately their neighbor boat captain had not gotten the “cruisers help each other out here” memo. While he was standing on his boat giving a running commentary about how he didn’t like the way we were mooring (as 2 people in dinghies and 3 people ashore were helping with our lines) he aggressively said something to Mel that she has never heard from another cruiser before:
“It is not my job to help you.”
This prompted Mel to dub him: Weiner Pissypants.
Buy her an Americano sometime if you want the full sea story!
Mel is determined to not let Weiner spoil their time exploring these beautiful islands. Let’s go swim with whales!
The Intrepid Jerry should arrive at the island of Aitutaki today. The entrance through a narrow channel and then berthing at the small marina there is a bit tricky. Mel is mentally preparing to med moor for the first time in ten years. Here’s a sunset video from last night she watches to calm herself down. Did she see a green flash? #FindingANookInTheCooks
We had a lovely day of sailing today on the way to the Cooks! It was what Mel calls a “spaceship sail” — no one around, wind on the beam, Jerry soaring along at 8 knots and cutting through 5’ waves like butter. Oh my, mixed metaphors! Space butter?
Still getting used to the watch schedule!
Here’s a video of our last days in Raiatea before Allie flew home. Sniff. Space allergies! #spaceship #astronautsdontcry
