So, how did THAT happen?

Hay making - McKendry Road

Over the next few weeks as we carried on with our day-to-day tasks, the subject of building a 36 foot yacht made intermittent, but increasingly frequent, appearances. The discussion always seemed to follow the same format. "You know, living on a boat would be an incredible adventure," Howard would suggest. "Just think, if you fancied sailing up to the Bay of Islands or to the Marlborough Sounds, we could just go. No long road trips - just lift the anchor and off we go. Now I've been looking on the Internet and I've seen a really good plan - one that I reckon would be a good, solid boat for us that we could handle easily. Come and have a look at it."

So I'd have a look at the plans, although as I possess the spatial awareness of a block of wood, I wasn't very good at visualising what Howard was showing me. I had to agree that his proposition was beginning to sound incredibly attractive. But someone had to be the practical one so I would respond with, "It's not that simple, you know. I still have to go to work, so we're tied to Dunedin. Just sailing off as the fancy takes us is not going to be all that feasible. And anyway, I have no idea whether I'd be able to cope with living on a boat. And what about the alpacas...and the cats - what would happen to them?" But all the time I could feel my grip on reality and common sense slipping away and being replaced by the uncertainty of an apparently idealistic existence.

Then one day I heard myself saying, "I'll tell you what, when we go up to Marlborough Sounds we'll have a look at some yachts so I can get a feel for a larger boat. If we do that, we can make a proper decision."

I have to confess that I had absolutely no idea what it would be like on a boat of that size. What does 36 feet look like on a yacht? Would it be claustrophobic? Would it be practical? Where would we moor it? Would it be warm in winter? Would we get bored? The unknowns were legion, but I was getting more and more drawn into the dream. And just how did THAT happen? Maybe it was subliminal messages...or maybe, just maybe, I did actually have an unrequited sense of adventure that was starting to surface!

Tasman Bay from Takaka Hill (Ngarua Caves)