April 2025

It’s midnight and I’m looking out the window at howling winds (up to 54knts) driving horizontal rain; ex Tropical Cyclone Tam is saying hello to the north island of New Zealand.  What I am not doing is checking lines or anchor positions (God help anyone actually out on the seas tonight, there are 7m waves predicted!).  I am just watching it all through the window of the house we will be calling home for the next 6 months.  We are no longer cruisers and ‘Opal Lady’ is safely secured in someone else’s berth.

After arriving back in New Zealand in November, Peter and I sat down and had wee confab about how we were feeling regards our cruising adventures. My seasickness was getting steadily worse; we had been hoping it would fade with time.  And even with some seriously impressive anti-nausea medication we had to concede that I had become a liability on the longer trips (you need your brain to be functioning at decision making level).  Peter pointed out that when we set off back in 2019 we had planned to cruise Australia and possibly the South Pacific for 5-7 years; and then see where we were.  Well, we were sitting in Opua, after 6 years of boat life, reflecting on our second season cruising in the South Pacific, and coming to the realisation that our time on ‘Opal Lady’ cruising the High Seas was at an end.  It was time for us to move onto the next phase of our retirement plans.

I was girding my loins for a last long trip back to Australia to sell Opal Lady, when that eager little beaver I’m married to, popped into the local boat sales agent and decided we would try selling her in New Zealand instead.  New Zealand has some very friendly rules that encourage international boaters to use the country as a base for refitting and selling to other international boaters. [May 2025 Update: Unfortunately, this happy situation has since changed. I fear the NZ Govt, has taken a rather short-term view for the sake of some quick money grabbing]

So, in December, we engaged Chris Nel, a broker in Opua with the 36^o group to handle the sale. We envisaged that due to the uniqueness of a Nordhavn (and their potential owners), the sale would take some time.  We thought we would continue to cruise New Zealand for up to a year waiting for the right buyers.

Well, we got that wrong! By the 21st February we had a contract with an interested party from America. The sale process was intense, but Chris helped us through it.  And on the 14th April, with the sale successfully concluded, we handed the keys over to Harley and Jen, a lovely couple from Idaho, America.

So how do we feel?

Funnily enough we are both ok. We have loved our time on ‘Opal Lady’ and even look back fondly on the scary and uncomfortable times.  Our favourite pastime was being anchored up in some remote anchorage for a week or more, just ‘Listening to the Serenity’.  We have made lifelong friends with couples on our buddy boats and other Nordhavns and enjoyed the company and a cup of tea/beer with many other boaties we have met along the way.

As with any long-distance cruiser, we have had moments of angst in very bad weather, but this is more than offset by the pure pleasure and freedom of this lifestyle. It is also very clear how much we have grown as a couple, working together (with a cat) to overcome the various maintenance and operational issues that are part of the cruising life.

So, does the blog close (after I finally fill in all the empty slots)?  Not on your life.  We always knew we couldn’t continue open water cruising forever (we’re not Old Salts) and our plan, once we sold ‘Opal Lady’, was to go to Europe, purchase a canal boat and continue our watery adventures a little more sedately.  Those who have followed us for a while would know that we go to Europe every two years to hire a self-drive canal boat – and we love that lifestyle (it also solves the sea sickness issue). Firstly though, we will become landlubbers in New Zealand for the next 6 months.  We love the place and the people, and will take the time to get the blog up to date, catch up with family and friends, and find the next ‘boat of our dreams’.

Finally, we wish the new owners, Harley and Jen, all the best.  We hope they enjoy ‘Opal Lady’ as much as we have.

Click the link to follow the adventures of ‘Opal Lady’ with Harley and Jen: www.laughterjourney.com.