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The Astrolabe Sailing blog began back in 2014 as a place for me to store my Ocean Yachtmaster study notes. Since then it has evolved in to much bigger than that.

I’ve loved sharing some of my many adventures along with some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. It has been a great way to connect with other adventurous people, and I’ve managed to meet up with some of you along the way.

My home port is Lyttelton Harbour – on the East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. 43.60° S, 172.72° E.

At present I sail my boat Wildwood, a Young 88 around Lyttelton Harbour and the South Island. I have dreams to buy a larger yacht and sail around the world.

I have decided to make a start on taking little daily steps towards making this dream become a reality. This involves researching the perfect yacht, working out a budget – how am I going to pay for it? What will I need to have on board? Where am I going to go when I get it and how about some more adventures in the mean time?

I will attempt to answer all these questions and more in my blog of working towards making the dream a reality.

If you are keen to follow my adventures, you can:

  • Email on astrolabesailing@gmail.com
  • Like our Facebook page or click on the link on the top right hand side of this page.
  • You can also sign up to get an email delivered any time we update our page – click on the ‘follow’ link on the top right hand side.
  • If you are a regular WordPress visitor then you can follow us on their blog reader page.
  • Please also subscribe to our YouTube channel
  • We are also on Twitter
  • As well as Google Plus
  • Instagram
  • And Pinterest.

To navigate around the site I have got some handy index tabs. ‘Diary’ has got my current stories, ‘Yacht’ covers off what I want in a boat, ‘Destinations’ details the specific areas that we have visited, ‘Sailing’ includes my Ocean Yachtmaster study notes, ‘Administration’ gives some tips and advice about non sailing things, ‘Safety’ is all about my yachting disaster plans and equipment, and ‘Map’ is a page I am going to use when I get a tracking device, so my Mum can see where I am!

I hope you enjoy!

Cheers

Viki 

PS. Should you have just won the lottery or inherited millions and you have run out of things to spend it on, or if you simply wish to help some passionate sailors fast track our dreams in to a reality or if you would just like to buy us a coffee or a cocktail we would really appreciate your assistance! All donations go straight in to the boat kitty. Click here to make safe payments direct to us via Pay-Pal.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. You’ll find links to my favourite products throughout the website. Thank you for your support!

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Orange Roughy
Rain
Dolphins playing with the dinghy
Welcome Portafortuna
Cook me some eggs…?
Bikini babes
Mermaids
Toddler in the dinghy
Smokey
Pigeon Bay
Diamond Harbour
Raft up
Sailor girls
The race crew
New Years Day
Lyttelton Harbour spinnakers
Wildwood
Raft up
Christmas sailors
Sailing Hobie

114 thoughts on “Home”

  3. I have the same dream, but it seems to recede further and further away at present. We have 3 very expensive kids and I have been bounced about on the job front by the recession. Just getting back onto a boat is a struggle these days. My dreams of building a Ngataki of my own are far away 😦
    But never lose those dreams. I will follow your blog and hopefully it will reignite my own guttering flame of hope.

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    • Great! Welcome along. It does get so much harder with kids around. Luckily mine enjoys coming out sailing with me and he has just started sailing his own little optimist. Don’t give up on those dreams! 🙂

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  4. Hi Viki! I found your blog when I saw you had like a couple of our posts. I look forward to reading more about you and to learning thru following your learning process. As you prepare, you might be interested in looking up Women Who Sail, a Facebook group for females only. It’s been a fun and educational resource for me that is overflowing with strong, adventurous, and interesting women. ~Jessie, s/v The Red Thread

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  6. Best of luck to you! We are also planning our circumnavigation and we have the same timetable as you 🙂 My partner, Clint, has 3 kids–the youngest is 8–so we must stay here while they finish school. I hope we will meet up along the way.

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    • Sounds great! Our kids are similar with mine being 9 and Andrews are 12 & 9. Do you have a blog? Look forward to rafting up for sundowners in the future! Keep in touch! 🙂

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  7. I saw you read our blog and you will know we have been livingaboard and sailing for the last four years.
    There is no better life and you will soon see amazing places you had never heard of before. You will see famous places you read of in history and find yourself living it yourself. Most of all you will find a sailing family and friends from all over the world.
    Fair winds

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  9. Hi Viki – I’m so glad you found our blog and that I’ve now found yours! It’s great to see a sailing blog written by a Kiwi. We’ve loved living in NZ and cruising here. People always say that some of the best cruising grounds in the world are in NZ and from what I’ve seen, they have to be right. Looking forward to following your journey. Cheers – Ellen

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    • Thanks Ellen! Looks like you guys are having lots of fun! Keep in touch and hope to ‘raft up’ some time! Or if you come to Christchurch you will have to come out for a sail on Wildwood!

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  17. Hi Viki! I’m a Filipino teaching here in Niue Island (just close to Tonga). We have a lot of people like you stopping by with their yachts. In fact, I’ve just met a French last night who’s here (with his family) to fix a yacht that had a problem… and he’s buying it. I don’t know if Niue is one of the places you want to visit, but if it is then let me know. I can tour you around…hehe. 🙂 Blessings!

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    • Thanks! I have got some friends who went to Niue last year and they loved it! Stunning diving they said. It is definitely on the list of places we are planning on getting to, but a few years away yet. We will keep in touch! 🙂

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  18. Good on ya Viki. It was a hoot to see your blog,realy cool read. Will be watching this space closely.
    Since i’ve been up at Great Barrier i have meet so many great people from alova the planet and learnt so much from them. I realy recomend some time on board anywhere up this end of the country,its been a huge learning curve.Take care down there.
    Waitane Out.

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    • Hey Jock! Glad to hear you made it safely up there! Sounds wonderful. We would love to spend some time cruising around that part of the world. Hope Waitane is behaving herself. Keep in touch!
      Viki 🙂

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  21. Hi Vicki, I did 4 months with my kids on board and the dog!, 50% hard work 50% great times, would do it again but plan the passive income better! However if i planned too much i would never of gone at all! Keep the date in stone, get your new yacht soon though, Alan & jenny have a lot of info too, they sailed from the UK to lytteton

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  22. Hi Viki, Lovely sentiments… And, thanks for your appreciation of my little blog. It’s good to know there is some interest out there and that someone is actually reading it!!! Good luck with your dreams. I just know that you’ll make them come true!

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  24. Viki,

    Thank you for following my blog! I’ve spent a lot of time in NZ and sailed for the first time there a couple of years ago. Your blog is an inspiration! I look forward to sharing our adventures.

    Cheers!

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  26. Hi Viki,

    I have been following( i.e. Lurking!) your blog for a bit of time now and decided it was time to make a comment and let you know that I really enjoy it. You are very organized and able to focus on details whilst not losing sight of your final goal of sailing over the horizon.

    We are a couple of Canadians in the midst of making our sailing dreams a reality. If you are interested in seeing our blog it is : http://www.sailblogs.com/member/williamnorrie

    Take good care
    Cath

    P.S. I am half Kiwi – lived in Dunedin for 6 years and love South Island … Actually that is where I learned how to sail (in a dinghy in one of the little bays of Otago Harbour!). Great memories and I will be back!

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    • Hi Cath!
      Thanks for the comment! I’ll definitely check out your blog too. Hopefully our paths will cross at some stage in the future. It will be so nice to meet with some of the lovely people I have connected with over the internet!
      Dunedin is such a lovely place and I am sure learning to sail there will set you up with skills to sail anywhere in the world. As you know the weather can be pretty challenging! Take care. 🙂

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  27. Hi Viki, Thanks for visiting our new site and following our adventures. We are on a mission too: about 3 years to go and we give up work and let go of the mooring ropes! Plenty of fun in the meantime cruising around Victoria, Tasmania and further afield in summer when we take a couple of months off. No world cruising dream for us though, SE Asia, NZ and around Australia will do. Lots of interesting material on your website. Will have a good look around and follow your adventures too.

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    • Great! Let us know if you make it to the South Island of New Zealand – that is where we are currently based. Have fun! I have had a few great sailing adventures in Australia – the Whitsundays, Pittwater, Lake Macquarie and Tasmania – all just short breaks with friends or on charter boats. You have got some wonderful places to explore! I will keep in touch! 🙂

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  28. HI Viki, Thanks for looking at my blog. I’ve found yours and will be following it with great interest. It’s nice to know someone who is in the same boat (excuse the pun), in planning how to get out into the big wild world.

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  29. Viki, I like your blog, so I’ve listed it on the liveaboard site WeFloatThroughLife.org – I imagine it’ll bring you some more traffic! Also, do you know of the site WomenandCruising.com? I’ll bet you could do a guest post there.
    As for me, I’m probably not going to go as far as New Zealand, but maybe I’ll bump into you when y’all get to the Caribbean . . .

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    • Wow thank you Mik! That is awesome. I have checked out the WomenandCruising website – I will see if they are interested in me doing a guest post – great suggestion! Look forward to seeing you in Caribbean in a few years time! 🙂

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  30. Hi Viki,
    I’m glad you found my blog. Thanks for following. I would also love to take off and sail around the world one of these days. I keep trying to do it through work, but keep getting stuck in the Gulf of Mexico. Now that I’ve finally managed to find another job outside the USA, I’m hoping to be able to move on out of here soon.
    I still don’t have a boat of my own yet. Finances don’t allow that at this point.
    I’m looking forward to seeing how you’re getting along. 🙂

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  33. Hi Viki! Welcome on board of my travelblog. Will be cruising in Spain/Marokko for some 2 months, but the other two on board will probably make it to New Zealand at some point. Good luck with your project! Cheers, Johannes

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  35. Hi Viki, love the tiled Gallery look – how do you do it? Have been trying to figure it our for days for Sailing YogaFamily’s new look… Else keep the good blog work up too. Thx for sharing your story. Much love from Malta;) xx

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    • Thanks Dini!
      I love your blog. Looks like an idyllic lifestyle you lead!
      My blog has the Expound theme. You can get the tiled look with your photos by clicking ‘create gallery, and then selecting your photos and then on the right hand side you tick the box that says random order and then select ’tiled mosaic’ from the drop down box below.
      Hope that helps! Let me know if that doesn’t make sense.
      PS also loved your Med article in the cruising helmsman magazine!

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  37. I love the toddler in the dinghy photo – he looks so happy to be a sailor! Looks like a great blog you have here, Viki. I’ll be reading up on your adventures.

    Cheers

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  38. Hola Vicki, thanks for visiting my blog! So glad to find your blog too, and want to add my encouraging words for your dreams and plans. I love NZ, toured the South Island for a month with my 2-yr-old on a break from teaching in Adelaide.

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  39. It’s important to have a dream and work towards it. At one time in my life I thought sailing around the world was mine but when I actually started sailing and spending time on the water I was happy to admit I am a land lubber at heart! I’ll look forward to reading more of your posts as you make progress.

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  40. Hi Vicki! It looks like a fantastic blog! We also will be sailing around the world in a few years, starting by Asia in a couple of years… I guess we’ll see you on the way. In the meantime I enjoy reading your articles. 🙂

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  43. Great blog. will follow this for sure. check out our live aboard blog and we hopefully set off in 2017 🙂 want to share experiences and tips please be my guest 🙂 I have many of those to for you if you ever need.

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  45. Hi Viki. I’ve been following your blog for a while but haven’t been able to comment because my WordPress account wouldn’t let me. Anyway, I’ve bypassed it somehow and here I am now. Just wanted to say keep up the great work – I enjoy reading about your adventures and planning. Cheers

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  46. What a fantastic plan you have guys! Kind of similar to ours 🙂 Our date is as well 2020 – we are so fed up with doing our 9-5 until we retired… when would we sail? When we are 80??? By the look of things this is where all this is heading. Thank you as well for visiting my little blog – and thank you for subscribing to follow. I am in the middle of changing a lot of things, and I must admit, your blog is giving me some ideas as well. Hope to keep in touch! Happy sailing guys!

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  50. Hi Viki,
    Found your blog while searching for some kind on online sailing log app. It led me to your awesome, very detailed Ultimate Boating spreadsheet.. Well done.

    This was last night. I am yet to stop reading the many stories you have posted on so many topics! Keep the stories coming, they are great.

    My wife Kylie and I own a Elan Impression 384 and are based in Lake Macquarie, NSW. Currently we are relaxing on the water over a week during new years celebs.😊

    Liked by 1 person

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