Points to Ponder - Saint Helena

In 2013 Sadiqi visited the island of Saint Helena in the middle of the southern Atlantic. 

Sadiqi blog St Helena

At the time an international airport was being constructed to the tune of 250 million UK pounds. The construction was due to be completed in 2015. Recently, out of interest the skipper decided to check on the progress of the airport.

A summary from wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena_Airport

Saint Helena Airport is an international airport in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic Ocean. On 26 April 2016, it was reported the opening of the airport would be delayed indefinitely because of concerns about wind shear; however, on 10 June 2016, the island's government claim these reports are "incorrect" and the airport is "certified and open" as demonstrated by successful medical evacuation flight. The airport is also open to one-off, private flights. The cost of airport was reported to be £285.5 million in April 2016.

In 2013 the skipper was informed the population was 4 thousand. Apparently, in the 2016 census the population was 4.5 thousand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena

Winter in New Zealand

It has been many months since posting to the Sadiqi blog. Main excuse is that the skipper has not had much to write about and did not want to bore readers with the lengthy list of boat work and projects. The skipper did manage to rent a rusty half sea container in the marina yard. This has meant getting much stuff off the boat to do boat projects and maintenance. 

Sea container workshop and storage

Sadiqi is staying in New Zealand over winter. A few hardy cruisers still brave the, sometimes, chilly temperatures to get together for the RDM Sunday BBQ. 

Chilly mornings at the marina

Whangarei is a pleasant town to stay in. Riverside Drive Marina is a 10 minute walk to supermarkets in town. Most boat supply shops and workshops are within reasonable walking distance.

One disappointment has been the new mainsail. I finally managed to successfully haul it up the mast a few days short of 6 months after having ordered it in January from Calibre Sails in Whangarei. David Parr failed to comprehend the sail design specifications for the Profurl inboom furling system. This was despite having the old mainsail in the loft to compare or copy. Overall it was an expensive, long drawn out and unpleasant experience. Just as well I had decided to stay in New Zealand for winter. Enough said.