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Life After the Sails Are Furled

For many, the cruising life is the dream of a lifetime – sailing the world’s oceans, exploring remote anchorages and experiencing the cultures, sights and sounds of countries along the way. But what happens when the sails are furled and the cruising life is put into dry dock. In the first of a new series for Noonsite, we hear from Helen Shrewsbury who has found her place ashore in Whangarei on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Published 3 weeks ago

A Dream Realised

by Helen Shrewsbury

Long distance, long term cruising adventures had been a dream of mine since I was in my early 20s. The destination for my adventures changed regularly as the list of places I wanted to sail to became longer, but the method of getting to those exotic locations remained constant, even if the life partners I wanted to join me didn’t remain the same!

One of the wonderful things about planning to live full-time on a boat is the knowledge that all the adventures are ahead of you. Those exotic locations dreamt of to escape from monotonous days spent in the office or sitting in traffic, are suddenly almost within reach and the taste of adventure tastes sweet on your tongue.

Helen in her happy place onboard SY Cerulean. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

When Reality Meets the Dream

Then reality hits when the realisation that knowing how to sail is only a small fraction of the knowledge needed to live on a sailboat. I had underestimated how much time would be expended fixing and maintaining our floating home.

Crossing the Equator. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

For the next four years and over 20,000nm, we explored many countries but also found, explored and learnt about every nook and cranny on our 43ft yacht. We crossed oceans, climbed mountains, wondered at historic buildings, dived into clear blue seas, snorkelled in pristine waters, was invited into fascinating cultures, drank sundowners and found ourselves part of an inclusive, special and brilliant community of fellow cruisers.

Practising “boat yoga” on board SY Cerulean. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

Our original plan was to buy a boat in Europe and the adventure would be sailing her back to New Zealand, so we planned on being away for around 24 months. Now I can almost hear a chorus of seasoned cruisers saying in unison, “That’s too fast” and we very quickly listened and learnt!

Where Memories are Created

We had originally thought that the adventure would be the sail home, but soon realised that true memories are created from the places visited and people you meet along the way. Sailing too fast means so much is missed along the way so our two years away very quickly changed to four years and would have been much longer, if I had been able to persuade my husband!

Our journey halfway around the world took us down the beautiful and surprisingly often-missed Atlantic coastline of Spain and Portugal. A notably favourite anchorage was when we sailed up the Rio Douro and anchored in the heart of the beautiful medieval city of Porto, our vista adjusting with the current as we were spun each time the tide changed.

The Portugese city of Porto. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury

We navigated through the Orca corridor, nervously listening to the radio as we heard of almost daily incidents of yachts being damaged by “playful” Orca as they migrated along the Portuguese and Spanish coastline. As we were leaving the mainland for Madeira in thick fog, we had a heart-stopping experience as we saw several black fins rushing towards us out of the mist and were relieved when we realised it was a pod of dolphins coming to play in our wake.

Onwards we pushed, exploring The Canary Islands, each one offering something different from the last, with El Hierro being our last jumping off point from Europe and a personal favourite in the Island group.

Seeking Adventure Away from the Well-Trodden Path

Seeking more adventure, we veered away from the well-trodden path to Cape Verde and instead headed further south to Senegal and The Gambia. There, we found the isolation, culture, and wildlife we craved.

A Hippo near the boat while in The Gambia. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

Having hippos grunting around our anchored boat at night was something I never imagined. Visiting remote villages where women carry fresh water in pots on their heads brought childhood National Geographic scenes vividly to life.

Solitude in The Gambia. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

From West Africa, we crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean, island-hopping through the Windwards, before moving on to Bonaire and Curaçao. We then spent five unforgettable months exploring Colombia and Panama—still not enough time to do them justice. Transiting the Panama Canal was bittersweet; as much as I was excited, I wasn’t ready to leave the Caribbean behind.

Anchorage in the Caribbean. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

What followed was our most challenging passage—43 days across the Pacific to the Marquesas. It pushed both us and the boat to our limits, but the arrival in French Polynesia made it all worthwhile. The following six months were a blur of turquoise water, steady trade winds, warm gatherings and unforgettable memories.

On passage to New Zealand. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury

Ending the Adventure

After four years of living each day without knowing what adventures would unfold for us, the distinct outline of the coast of New Zealand’s North Island slowly came into view and with it, came the realisation that the adventure was over. The feeling of disappointment outweighed the sense of achievement and overwhelmed me as I started to come to terms with a life more predictable and on land.

Arriving into Whangarei on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury

For the first 12 months I felt like I lost my purpose. All my life something had defined me – I was a mother, project manager, sailor, world traveler but now all those things were behind me and I struggled to find my new identity. We settled in Whangarei, bought a house and while trying to navigate the disturbed waters churned up when you settle in a new community, I continued to socialise with cruising friends we had met during our time away and meeting new ones in the social whirl of Whangarei’s Town Basin.

Settling into a New Community

I was asked to crew on yachts heading to Fiji, take care of friends boats while they returned home for a few months, took delivery of items they needed on their return, stored treasured belongings in boxes while work was being done during haul outs, lent our car so provisioning runs could be organised, provided accommodation when time was needed off the boat….. and I loved it!

I had found my tribe and wanted to remain part of the community, so why not continue doing what I loved, but turn it into a business? If my friends needed it, other cruisers must need it too – so Whangarei Yacht Support (WYS) was born.

Offering guardianage/caretaker services, we look after boats while the owners are away – whether it’s for a couple of weeks, or several months. I know, from personal experience, how much stress was taken off my shoulders when we arranged for someone to keep an eye on our floating home while we travelled on land for a month in Costa Rica.

Drawing on our experience and needs, we now offer a menu of tailor made options, ranging from one visit a month to air boat, check batteries, bilges and mooring lines to a much more involved service including cleaning, project management, local address to have items delivered (like new sails) and even modern, self-contained accommodation for when time is needed off the boat.

Guardianage – just one of the tasks needed when the sails are furled. Image (c) Helen Shrewsbury.

It’s amazing what sort of things can happen while your floating home is left in the water and what can end up on, or around the hull – whether it’s mould, bird poo or washing being blown onto the boat from the neighbours. We’ve also found large branches that have become trapped, banging against the hull and helped prevent birds from nesting in the boom! In addition, being local means we can check the boat before and after storms plus if, if like one customer, you need measurements for a sewing project, we’re there to help!

If coming to Whangarei, please get in touch, even if it’s just to share adventures over a cup of coffee, but particularly if you want someone to look after the boat while you continue land adventures!

Helen Shrewsbury

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About the Author

Originally from the UK, Helen Shrewsbury lived in Lyttelton, on New Zealand’s South Island, for over 20 years and was a member of Naval Point Sailing Club. Helen met her husband, Stephen, in 2017, when she relocated to Auckland, taking her beloved Whiting 29 with her and exploring the Hauraki Gulf while teaching Stephen how to sail. In 2020 they left New Zealand for Europe to start life on board Cerulean, their Seastream 43, a 25yr old custom built blue water cutter rigged sloop.

Other Reports for Noonsite from Helen:

Cruising in Europe: Learning to be Flexible

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