August 15, 2006 - Favourite Cruising Area
by Michel & Jane DeRidder

Which is your favourite cruising ground? We are asked this question often, and it is a difficult one to answer. It is like asking who is the most beautiful woman. There are so many beautiful women, how could one say that one is more beautiful than all the others?

A warm anchorage.

If asked in Hawaii, we'd answer Hawaii; in Mexico, it was Mexico; in New Zealand, New Zealand. Most parts of our planet have their good and bad weather and seasons, so that the better places in bad weather can be less pleasant than other places in good weather. To us, weather has always been a big factor and, thanks to living on Magic Dragon, we have been able to chase the good seasons. For my taste, because I don't like the cold, I have enjoyed warm latitudes with clear water and not-too-crowded harbours. I did enjoy the beauty of the mountainous scenery on the Northwest coast of North America, but I prefer the clear lagoons, coral reefs, palm tree sheltered anchorages and warm waters that we found in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and the North and South Pacific. To sail even at night in shorts and shirt sleeves, and to be able to dive over into water not much colder than the air are some of the great joys of life aboard. For Jane, however, the hot humid season in the tropics is as uncomfortable for her as the cold Canadian winters were for me. So we give them a miss. Also circumstances change from year to year and make a difference to the charms of any area.

Tropical swim.

To get back to the question, my preferred region over the years has been French Polynesia for an important reason: located in the middle of the Pacific tidal basin, it has a small tidal range. Coral reef grows to the level of mean low water, so if tides are small at high water, the coral is close to the surface, and will therefore break even small waves. In this part of the world, just about any reef provides good shelter from ocean swells, meaning we can find shelter in many places, and consequently the anchorages need not be crowded. A reef anchorage does not block the wind, so in the warm season a fresh breeze can keep a yacht cool while it is anchored in calm waters. Also, we never had to battle tidal flats when going ashore.

Our first nine months spent in French Polynesia in 1973 was before the arrival of the big yachting fleet that travels through those parts nowadays, and we felt privileged to enjoy the warm welcome given to visitors. Even our last six months in the Society Islands - in 1987 - was a long time ago, and we are told things have changed considerably. We saw similar changes take place in the late 1960s in the Virgin Islands with the arrival of huge charter boat fleets and the invasion of the anchorages by tourist hotels. The localities still have their charms and good climate, but cruising there can be a different story.

When we discovered New Zealand with its mild climate, superb coast, and friendly people, we decided we had arrived. No sharks, no deadly jellyfish in the water, no crocs on the beach, no bears or wolves in the bush, no snakes in the grass in this country. Instead we found everything from warm sandy beaches to high mountains with fjords and glaciers, with green farmland and even deserts in between. It may not have the historical architecture of Europe or the sophisticated economy of North America, but as Pacific islands go it is the most-est. Where boat maintenance or provisioning is concerned, everything is available at reasonable cost. Even the medical system and facilities are good.

Bay of Islands.

From here we are not much over a week's sail to tropical lagoons in New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Although the tides are greater in these nearby islands than in Tahiti, we have enjoyed their various attractions. Noumea, known as little Paris, was a change of atmosphere; the Vava'u Island Group of Tonga, a no-brainer and a charming little archipelago to escape to for a lazy season.

Whangaroa.

Unlike Canada, when we have to winter here in northern New Zealand, the cold season is only a pretense. With a heater aboard, winter cruising is very pleasant on the North Island east coast - fishing and shellfish gathering is good, even when swimming is not. In the summer there is no lack of sheltered anchorages, but in the winter we have these all to ourselves. And the scenery on this coast can be as beautiful as anywhere. If we have to become landlubbers again we should be able to cope with the climate in Northland. The average temperature in January and August varies only by 8 degrees centigrade. Almost not too cold for me and almost not too warm for Jane, a reasonable compromise for two friends who are almost climatically incompatible.