A long overdue update

Since completing our Offshore Survival Course in November we have been engrossed in boat repairs/upgrades, some sailing, house moving, visiting friends and family in England, attending a wedding and preparing for our sail to Fiji.

Here is a very brief synopsis.

Summer in New Zealand

The New Zealand summer gave us the opportunity to explore some new beaches with Graeme and Siobhan and revisit some old trails with Daniel and Eryn.

The boat repairs and upgrades have included the installation of a dive compressor so that we can dive as often as we want in Fiji. Unfortunately installing a compressor meant that we also needed to install a generator to give us enough power. The mechanical side of the installation is complete but the electrical side still needs to be done in the very short time that we have available between returning from England and departing for Fiji. Nothing like a deadline to focus the mind.

Nigel spent many, many hours making a fibreglass storage locker to go on the back of the boat. When the boat was hauled out to have the generator fitted he assumed he could just drop it into place, secure it with a few screws and then fibreglass it into place. Not a chance. It is not going to fit without some major modifications. Lots of time wasted and another project for the future.

The addition of bean bag seats and the BBQ installation were much simpler projects and far more successful. We can now have pizza whenever we want and relaxing sundowners on the bow.

The next round of training required for us to head offshore was our Offshore Medic First Aid. If anyone needs stitches just come and see us. We were assured that human flesh is much easier to stitch than pigs!

We had thought that we would spend the whole summer sailing but the extraordinarily long list of boat jobs together with the ongoing house saga meant we only had a few trips away. We did manage to explore some new territory when we headed south to visit Linda and Ken on Kawau Island with Margaret catching the ferry from Sandspit to join us.

The 5,000 acre island is one of the largest in the Hauraki Gulf with numerous walking tracks and a rich history. We explored the tracks leading to the famous Mansion House in Mansion House Bay and around the former mine pump house. Linda and Ken have a genuine kiwi batch on the hillside above Bon Accord Harbour. In true kiwi style the original single room has been added to over many years to give them an additional bedroom and bathroom and a deck with a spectacular view from which we enjoyed a memorable dinner.

Despite having lived/holidayed on Kawau for many years they had never cirumnavigated the island. We managed to put that right with a fabulous day of sailing, swimming, eating and drinking and ending with dinner in the Kawau Boating Club.

With no resolution in sight for our cyclone damaged house we have had to find permanent accommodation. Fortunately Daniel finished building his new house in February so we have swapped one amazing view for another and Daniel has long term boarders – you’ll have to ask him how he really feels about that!

Spring in the North of England

With plane tickets booked since last year we had to abandon our long list of boat jobs and headed to Nigel’s parents in Tudhoe Village in the north of England. It was supposed to be spring time but we were definitely earlier in the season than we had been last year and needed to stayed well wrapped up. That’s frost on the ground below!

More of the Weardale Way

The low temperatures did not stop us from continuing our quest to walk the entire length of the River Wear in County Durham (in bite-sized sections). We only managed to add one more short section from the stepping stones at Stanhope (where we ended our walk last year) to the historic railway station in Frosterly.

Catastrophe in Northumberland

We had another fabulous day of walking at Simonside near Rothbury in Northumberland. We walked while Eric and Christine visited Rothbury. All went well until Christine drove back to collect us. She hit one of the potholes that English roads are apparently becoming infamous for, shredded a tyre and then couldn’t find her phone to let us know what had happened or do anything about it. We eventually found them and discovered that, like many modern cars, theirs had no spare wheel. We also discovered that the roadside assist cover had expired a few weeks earlier. So it was several hours later that a very competent tyre repair man turned up, replaced the tyre, balanced the wheel and, in no time at all, had set us on the road again.

Yorkshire revisited

Nigel’s sister (another Sue) and husband John have recently moved to the beautiful old town of Richmond in North Yorkshire. Now we have another place to stay and guides to show us around the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Sue’s son, Andrew is getting married to Hannah, forever known as ‘the bonnie lass from the dales’ by Eric! The wedding is in September so, sadly, we can’t make it as we will be sailing around Fiji at the time. However, we did manage to visit the delightfully named village of Arkengarthdale, Hannah’s family home and their wedding venue.

Back to Dorset

With no sign of summer approaching in the north, we headed south to Jonathan and Claire, to discover that it was just as cold in Dorset. However, within a few days we were greeted with a little sunshine and a significant rise in temperature allowing us to explore lots of familiar trails and see some new sights.

While Sue had her hair done Jonathan took Nigel to Christchurch for the first time. We lived in the area for three years and had never visited this lovely old town. Will have to go back together.

Last year we were really excited to see the Aurora Australis while visiting Stewart Island in New Zealand. We never expected to see Aurora Borealis without making a special trip to Norway or Iceland. However, a very rare, severe solar storm provided opportunities to witness the Northern Lights throughout the UK and even as far south as Dorset. These photos were snapped on an iPhone in Jonathan and Claire’s back garden.

The new arrival

Adelaide Stretch Kaur Sangha arrived on the 4th February. The first child to Marianne and Kabir and first grandchild to Claire and Jonathan. It’s difficult to know who is the most doting. A complete bundle of happiness who seems to have fed continuously since we arrived.

We have taken the moniker Great Uncle and Great Aunty, shortened to Gruncle Stig and Graunty Sue, and made the most of our cuddle time.

Another Loughborough reunion

Last year, in Devon, we managed to catch up with fellow (former) Loughborough University ‘scholars’ at the home of Chris and Clare. At that time we arranged a rematch at Pete and Philippa’s home in the sleepy Cotswolds village of Hawksbury Upton.

Sadly Clare could not join us so it was left to the five of us to enjoy a fabulous walk around Uley Bury Hillfort on part of the Cotswolds Way and then overindulge in Satchwell hospitality.

The following day Pete and Philippa took us into Bath. We had never explored this beautiful old town and their preferred route took us in a meandering circle along the canal, through the Georgian city centre past the Abbey and Roman Baths and back along the canal to the pub (of course). A great end to another fabulous weekend.

A Dorset wedding

The main reason for our visit this year is the wedding of Sue’s niece, Amy-Jane to Sean. The reception was held in a marquee in the grounds of Creech Grange. It made for a spectacular setting. Norman Hayward is the owner and his daughter, Shelley, is a good friend of the Stretch family. Shelley had no trouble in persuading Norman to give us a tour of her childhood home.

It was absolutely fascinating. Norman has spent a lifetime collecting furniture and artefacts from around the world suitable for the rambling, Grade 1 listed mansion, that dates back to the 16th century.

The whole house is work in progress. Norman laughed about the ceiling collapsing around a visitor from English Heritage and on the wedding day when the photographer wanted a window opening he apologised and explained that it hadn’t been opened for 200 years!

A Stretch family wedding was never going to be a dry affair.

Despite the whole site being flooded just a few days before the wedding the actual day was glorious. Blue skies outside the church in Wareham and no rain until late into the evening when everyone was too drunk to notice or care.

Congratulations and many thanks to Sean and Amy-Jane Furlong for an absolutely fabulous day.

A long lost cousin?

At the wedding, Nigel had an interesting conversation with Colin Wellburn whom we have known for several years.

We had discovered recently that Nigel is not really a Crawford at all. His Great Grandfather was born William Welburn in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1858. He was the youngest of 7 children, 3 of whom had already died when the father, John Welburn, died in 1862. At this point William was sent to live with his mother’s sister Mary who was married to Jacob Crawford.

By 1881 William had started using the name William Welburn Crawford or William Crawford on official documents. When he married Eliza Eastlake in 1881 at the registry office in Auckland, Durham his name is recorded as William Welburn Crawford and his father as John Welburn Crawford (deceased), occupation Cartman.

Their children Ada, William, Eliza, Joseph, Dora and Ernest were all named Welburn Crawford. William (1883 – 1973) was Nigel’s Grandfather. After he married Ellen Hick of Spennymoor they named all of their children Welburn Crawford. They all treated the Welburn as a middle name and Nigel’s father, Eric, was the youngest and had no idea why he was given the name!

At the wedding Nigel joked with Colin saying that they were probably cousins. Colin then revealed that his family were actually from Sunderland. This made a family connection much more plausible.

Colin now has all the family tree information that we have so we are waiting to see if he can find any of his relatives in the long list that we have given him.

Next stop New Zealand

We are publishing this from the Qatar Airways lounge in Heathrow Airport while we wait for our flight home via Doha. Claire and Jonathan left yesterday and are currently exploring Tiananman Square in Beijing before arriving in Auckland on Saturday afternoon. Daniel will collect them from the airport. We arrive at 2:45 am on Sunday and for some reason Daniel doesn’t want to collect us. How rude!

We will all head north on Sunday and start the final preparations for the sail to Fiji. We will endeavour to keep the blog up to date but you can track our journey here. The map will show where we have been, where we are now and what the weather is like.