Monday, November 29, 1999-Waiheke Island. NZ

Greetings!!

We had a 5:30 am wake up call this morning in order to leave before the receding tide trapped us in Tutukaka harbor.  All hands on deck to pull the lines and enjoy the sunrise.  Our poor little toes froze on the deck as we waved good-bye to "Toots."

Leaving Tutukaka harbor at sunrise

Living on a boat has its plus and minuses.  Today I opened the door from the wheelhouse and some papers from Michael’s desk flew out into the sea.  Ups.  Yesterday I dropped DJ’s UHF radio into Tutukaka harbor as I was tidying up the fenders.  Monika was glad it was a UHF radio and not one of the handheld VHF radios.  We use both handheld VHFs and UHFs on board.  VHF (Very High Frequency) radios are used almost constantly on boats.  Trevor explained that depending on the antenna, VHFs can have a range of a couple of miles to over 50 miles. UHF radios follow the same concept except they use a higher frequency - Ultra High Frequency.  In harbors the VHF channels can get pretty busy so the crew on STARSHIP uses the UHF for communicating while docking.  

We had some common dolphins visit today.  And as the name implies they are widely distributed around the world, population estimated in the millions.  Of the 23 species of dolphins, bottlenose and common are the most typical.  These active, yellow, gray and white dolphins with hourglass markings were almost half the size of the bottlenose dolphins we observed previously.  They seemed much zippier with their compact wiggly bodies darting across the bow.  Ulli noted how vocal they were as their squeals could be heard clearly from the bow. 

Listening to the dolphins I wondered how they made these squeals and more importantly I wondered what they were saying.  Each dolphin has its own personal signature whistle.  By imitating the whistle, dolphins can call out to each other.  The single-toned sound is made deep in their larynx.  Whistling is how they communicate alarm, sexual excitement, and perhaps other emotional states.   We could hear the whistles clearly from the boat and were convinced that the dolphins responded to our presence and attempts to mimic their calls. 

Dolphins also make clicking sounds which they used for navigation.  Somewhat like bats, they use echolocation to maneuver around boats, each other and to locate fish and even shrimp.  Unlike the whistle, the short pulses or clicks come from below the blowhole.  A fatty “oily melon” just below the forehead acts as an acoustic lens sending out the signal.  When I was in the water with the dolphins on Nov 24 the sounds they made were disorienting.   I couldn’t tell from the noise where or how far away they were from me in the low visibility water.  Most people feel peaceful in the company of dolphins, I hope we are able to learn more about these creatures as to avoid damaging their populations and environments further. 

The common dolphins left us and the wind intensified to 30 knots.  The swell is pounding us a bit and work has to be put on hold since concentrating on a computer screen in bumpy conditions usually ends in seasickness. 

This afternoon we found a nice anchorage in Onetangi Bay at Waiheke Island.  We are only 12 miles from Auckland but it looks to me like another quiet island community.  On this side of the island the hills are spotted with colorful homes which concentrate around the bay.  The other side, however, is sparsely populated with pristine coves and beaches.  Historically settled by Maoris,  visitors can see ruins of an old fortress or pa.  The Maoris built their village on terraced hill tops surrounded with rows of walls for defense.  If the attackers broke through the outer wall, refuge could be found behind the next wall.  Presently Waiheke is an idea getaway from Auckland.  Less than an hour away, the island offers hiking, swimming, bush walking, fishing, horse-riding, scuba diving or just relaxing 

Charly and Nanna from Deutsche Telekom have adapted well to the boat life, although we catch them quite often on the aft deck talking on the telephone.  We took them out exploring in STARTENDER this afternoon.  The wind was really kicking so we hugged the coast.  DJ, Nanna, Ulli, Charly and I jumped ashore to check out a cave and the tide pools. 

The next couple of weeks in Auckland will be a change of pace from the continuous traveling we are use to. The exploring and researching will be replaced with press conferences and open houses.  We will be docking at the Maritime museum, so in effect we will become an exhibit.  Everyone is busy preparing for the media events.   Trevor has a list of repairs and supplies STARSHIP needs while in Auckland.  Although she still looks good, we have been putting STARSHIP to the test out in the elements.  A little tender loving care is much needed.  I hope Michael holds up in Auckland, he seems much happier in peaceful, deserted bays than in bustling harbors.  I know the crew is excited to be let loose in the city. 

And that’s the news from STARSHIP,

Anne-Lise