The sailing adventures of SV Meriwether and her crew
After a much-needed morning of sleep, we got straight back to it. We lifted anchor and motored Meriwether deeper into the protected waters of Great Barrier Island, where a network of anchorages offered plenty of options for both shelter and exploration. At that point, we weren’t chasing anything specific—we were just happy to be afloat again, protected, and slowly easing...
Well, we did it. The day after our resupply stop at Marsden Cove, we finally left the greater Whangarei area behind. There was one small detail: no wind. That didn’t stop us. It just meant the engine would do the work for now – a good test of the old diesel donkey. Our destination sat about 20 nautical miles offshore—a...
After splashing Meriwether, we motored the three miles to the nearest anchorage at Limestone Island and dropped the hook. The plan was simple: rest a few days, let our bodies recover, and slowly shift back into sailing mode before starting the 2026 season. It was the first time in months that my body had a chance to relax. Unfortunately, boat life...
Even before we could touch the official critical items list, the boat handed us our first unplanned project: batteries. One of our lithium batteries had taken on water even though the boat was on dry land. As it turns out said Lithium battery was not waterproof. That one was done. The second battery was on its ninth year of service...
We returned to New Zealand after a full day of airports and seats clearly designed by someone who has never sat in one for more than ten minutes. From there it was a rental car and a three-hour drive to the yard where Meriwether had been waiting patiently for the past seven months. We knew better than to move straight...
Having survived our first cyclone tropical storm we were finally able to progress south towards Whangarei where Meriwether had a scheduled haul out in less than two weeks, and Kerri and I had flights back to the US booked for 4 days after that. There was a lot to do before both dates, so any major sight seeing was off...
We had waited out the storm in Whangaroa without any major issues. Once the weather cleared up enough, we immediately pushed Meriwether back out into the open ocean where we retraced our route of the past few weeks. This included three partial day sails with two overnight stays in anchorages new to us until we reached the Bay of Islands...
After a quick discussion, Kerri and I decided not to continue North to the tip of New Zealand. There were very limited anchorages, all with minimal protection from the ocean swell and weather. Add to it that the only “sight” that we wanted to see another 40+ miles further North was a lighthouse, it was decided to make our last...
It was getting late. By this time in New Zealand seasons it was nearing Fall. We still had beautiful weather, but that would soon change so we took advantage of a brisk breeze to sail another 25 miles north, getting closer to our northern precipice and eventual turn-around point. The day at sail was pleasant, as are most sails during...
Just a short sail away from our last anchorage (1) is an inlet that provides access to the well protected waters of Whangaroa Harbor, and away from the ocean swell just outside the entry gates. Numerus bays sprinkle Whangaroa Harbor and we wanted to visit a few before continuing north to other adventures. A small village (3) offered the possibility...
