#111 NOW August 11, 2006 0200 UTC +12 hours  (New Zealand Standard Time)
S33036.9 E176020.4,  Temp. 60.8,  Pressure 1004 mb,  Heading 0110 magnetic
Wind from the SW @ 11 knots, Seas 6 feet, Para-vanes down,
Miles Completed 251, Miles to Go 517, SOG (speed
over ground) 6.0 kts.  1500 RPM

Good Morning World,

Done Dreamin' sat low in the water with over 6000
pounds of fuel and another 1760 pounds of water
onboard.  This along with several months supply
of food and my little ship was ready to start the
long journey home.  Finally, everything had come
together: crew, boat, and most important weather.
Even Mother Nature was giving her blessing to us
with a good weather window, light winds, and
following seas.  At exactly 0945 on August 9,
Done Dreamin's engine rumbled to life and we
departed Opua Marina and the lovely Bay of
Islands.  Even the heavens gave us their blessing
with a strong ebbing tide and a full moon.  What
more could you ask forhow about a fortune
cookie, which I picked up awhile back that said,
You will go far, but be sure to come back.

My crew consists of my nephew, Kirk Pettis from
Minnesota (currently attending college in
Washington State), and my good friend Rainer
Staudt whom I met when cruising the Marlborough
Sound area.  We are about 1/3 of the way to South
Minerva Reef (S23056 W179011) with an ETA of
Monday afternoon.  Minerva Reef (there are two,
North and South with about 22 miles between them)
are low lying circular reefs with a narrow
entrance into a protected lagoon.  These isolated
reefs are miles from any civilization and the
wildlife is reported to be fantastic.  We are
looking forward to spending a day or two there
exploring them.  After Minerva Reef, we will
continue on to Neiafu, Tonga.

Done Dreamin' is in top shape.  My long list of
things is completed and all systems are working
in fine order.  So far, I have had only one thing
fail since we left.  Even though I checked the
Navigation lights just before departure, one
failed last night.  Inserting a new bulb is my
kind of maintenance (easy).  Today I will run the
watermaker for several hours.  I have checked its
operation several times in the last month and it
seems to be working better than it ever has.  I
have made several major modification to it,
including an additional boost pump and an
accumulator, a new check valve, new hoses, and of
course new filters.  Lets keep our fingers
crossed and hope it does its thing, as I do not
plan on taking on any water until I reach Hawaii.

I must admit that it was with a touch of sadness
that I departed New Zealand.  It has become a
very comfortable place for the past six months.
While the weather can be challenging at times,
when it is nice it is truly spectacular.  The
wonderful little coastal towns and the two great
cruising areas of Marlborough Sound, on the South
Island; and the Bay of Islands, on the North
Island are really first rate.  The New Zealanders
have a relaxed quality that allows one to enjoy
their friendship.  This is one country I would
consider immigrating to; however, it is just a
little too far from my new grandson.  So the
sailor is heading home, home from the sea.

Life is a Cruise,

Larry, Rainer, and Kirk

Larry Rick
Done Dreamin'
Nordhavn 40 #33
Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/Dads%20Web/doneDreamnHome.htm

Folks,

I was just down at the Pier 39 in San Francisco - and if you live in the Bay
Area you should definitely check out the boat down there.  It's the
Earthrace boat (see http://www.earthrace.net ) for details.  They'll be down
there for the next three or four days - and they're giving tours of the boat
too. They are on their west coast tour right now - after having taken about
8 days to get from Hawaii to Vancouver.

I think it's the ultimate design for a passagemaker/long distance cruiser.
There is a company that is building consumer-friendly versions of this boat
(which is bare-bones, all carbon-fiber, very high speed, and is designed to
punch through 30 meter waves like a knife through water - at 25 knots, for 3
thousand miles... .

I highly recommend checking it out, - watch their web site for their
schedule if you aren't in San Francisco.

Brian