17 December 2024 -New Zealand- South Island -Franz Joseph

We woke at 6.45am and without breakfast we caught a cab to the train station. We were taking the Trans Alpine train to Greymouth on the west coast and this meant going over Arthur’s pass and through the mountains from the East to West coast of the South Island. This is apparently one of the world’s greatest train journeys and takes about 4.5 hours.

We had decided to book Scenic Plus which meant we had a special carriage and were to be served good food and drink on the way. We had to check in our bags like an aeroplane which was good so we got on board and had a table and four seats to ourselves. We were immediately served teas and coffees and by 8.15am we were off. There was quite a good App which tells you where you are on the route with explanations about various areas and we had our own attendant who told us about a few things on our journey.

We were then served breakfast and then we had a glass of bubbly which was good. By now we were beginning to climb and we had gone through vast farmland valleys to start with being the Canterbury Plains. As we climbed through the hills we began to see the mountains towering over us with snow on the top and rivers that were flowing down from them in narrow alpine gorges and which had been cut out over the years. The scenery was beautiful and reminded me of Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer journey I had taken then through the Rockies.

We continued to climb through the mountains and hills with fast flowing rivers from the snow and glaciers above. The scenery was breathtaking and this is such a beautiful country. The train continued to climb until we got to Arthur’s Pass some 737m above sea level. This was the pass used by gold diggers being the quickest way through the mountains.

After Arthur’s Pass is an 8.5km tunnel which took 15 years to build and which began in 1908 and was completed in 1923. It took 240 men with picks and shovels making about 1.5meters a day to build it. Due to potential fumes from the diesel engines, the kitchens close during this 15-minute journey through the tunnel.

We met on our journey two English people sitting opposite us from Northumbria called Alan and Sandra. They had been on the same whale trip as us in Kaikoura and I had recognised them. We had a good chat and Alan sails with the Jubilee Trust.

Once through the tunnel I noticed the water from the rivers going in the opposite direction (the new downhill) and we started the journey down through the mountains to the valleys below. It was also lovely scenery but on this side we started to see more lakes and of course the sea far below. Due to recent rainfall the track beyond Moana was flooded so we had to get off the train and travel the last 36 km by coach. This did not take too long and we were brought to Greymouth Rail station where we collected our bags and picked up a hire car. 

We drove on South some 180km – a 2-hour 40-minute drive to Franz Joseph.  This took us through farmland and we drove on the flat mostly but overlooked by and the skyline dominated by the 12 Apostles Mountain range topped with snow and Mount Cook amongst them to the South. We stopped at Hokitika. This had a wildlife centre with Kiwis. In fact, it turned out to be quite good as it had turtles, fish, long fin eels which live to about 180 years old and two Kiwi’s who were both male and so kept in separate pens and who are due to be released back into the wild next year. Although I had seen a Kiwi briefly this was chance in a darkened area to see them close up. They are quite large really with a round bottom and strong eagle like feet which they fight with and a large long beak. A Kiwi egg weighs about 300g and it is the second largest egg of all birds in comparison to their weight. Their feathers are shaggy like course hair, their bones are heavy and marrow filled, they have a low body temperature and once hatched they take 3-5 years to reach adult size. It is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of their bill. They are nocturnal and sleep in burrows or under bushes and eat grubs, worms, seeds and berries.

Once we had our nature fix we continued on to Franz Joseph where we were staying for 3 nights. The road took us through mountains and gorges and then through valleys on the flat until we reached the town. It looked and felt like a ski resort as a lot evolves around the Franz Joseph Glacier. This used to reach the sea but is now after many millennia 19 miles inland. It is a place for hiking and/or walking on the glacier whether by foot or being taken there by helicopter.

It was a lovely evening when we arrived and we settled into our room and then had a brief walk around the village. There were a number of bars and restaurants.

We had a good supper in the hotel and felt quite tired. I had to do a lot of admin re Stormbird which I set out below. The picture of the day is the mountain range.

Stormbird

My insurers emailed me and asked me to complete a claim form and did the usual about we may need to appoint a surveyor, get estimates etc. The yard had taken everything apart so that my surveyor could have a look at the damage.

I have managed to speak to a retired workman at Hallberg Rassy who worked on these 62’s. I sent him the pictures and he explained what needs to be done as he had once to deal with a boat whose rudder had hit a rock.

He recommended

1. Take everything out inside near the top of the rudder stock. 

2. Disconnect the steering and autopilot stuff. 

3. Using a hydraulic jack push the stock back into position

4. Put a wood block under the rudder outside to stop it moving. 

5. The bearing is stainless steel and should be ok if the rudder is turning. He says the GRP around the bearing may have delaminated so the old GRP and any bits need to be ground out and any round the hull inside. 

6. Re laminate with new epoxy 

7. Access can be obtained from two hatches in the lazarettos - rear lockers. 

8. At the top where it has been leaking take off the nut and round washer and pack with silicon. 

9. The put back washer and nut and can tighten the sleeve or collar clockwise - need a tool big enough to do this to tighten on silicon. 

10. Put back steering and auto pilot. 

He did not recommend dropping the rudder stock out as it is a hell of a job. 

My surveyor was worried about whether it had damaged the back of the keel but I received his report. This morning, I inspected the damage to Stormbird and made the following observations:

1.due to the incident the rudder has been pushed upwards. 

2. damage to the underside and lower trailing edge of the rudder blade. Note there is evidence of water dripping out from the inside of the rudder blade due to the smell it would appear that it has been like this for some time.

3. the rudder tube flange has  been dislodged approximately 5-8mm . note leaking around the internal rudder flange fasting's and GRP structure, the rust stains would suggest that this is not recent. 

4. A small crack  at the top of the transverse frame in front of the rudder tube next to the steering housing (this small crack may have been there before the incident however it makes good sense to carry out a suitable repairs) 

5. At this time the emergency steering cover plate could not be removed, once this cover plate is removed it will allow an inspection of the top of the rudder stock, bearing and housing and may identify further areas for repair.

Recommendation:

It is my opinion that a breakdown of the damages along with photographs be provided to the vessel’s designer/ boatbuilder and they provide a suitable repair schedule and all workmanship and materials carried out are done so to normal boatbuilding standards. 

Conclusion

I visually inspected and percussion tested the internal structure surrounding the rudder tube housing, transverse frame and hull laminate within a 300mm radius other than the items listed above below I found no altered soundings or visual damage. I observed no damage or distortion to the trailing edge of the keel. 

It appears that due to the design and solid construction the amount of damage is localised to the rudder blade and rudder tube flange. With suitable repairs completed the vessel should be as it was before the incident.   

This was good news. The yard responded to this and what they proposed to do. I sent all of this to my insurers, my surveyor and the retired HR yardman. I rang my insurers at 10.00pm NZ time -so 9.00am UK time and they were happy for me to proceed as it all seemed sensible. I will wait to hear from my surveyor and the yardman. Fingers crossed we can get this resolved before Xmas.  

Opportunity Year Two

In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com