LIVING 500 MILES FROM LAND (sailing to New Zealand)
We always say curiosity is our philosophy, our driving force, and the key to unlocking life. But after our first few days of sailing to New Zealand, I couldn’t help but think, “curiosity killed the cat”.
We weren’t defeated by any means but perhaps a little deflated. The metaphorical version of our dinghy Minion.
And as much as we didn’t want to make an emergency stop at Minerva Reef it was a much-needed opportunity to patch and pump ourselves back up. Because ya know, “curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back”.
Our voyage to New Zealand continues and the seas are sporting but we’re feeling spry. We’re settling into the rhythm of life at sea and just as we thought the worst of our troubles were behind us…the sea reared up and snatched our safety blanket right out from underneath us.
🎥 CAMERA GEAR USED TO FILM THIS VIDEO
🎶 MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO:
- Source – Artlist, Get 2 Months for FREE: https://bit.ly/artlist-GWTW
- Artists – Giants and Pilgrims, Marshall Usinger, DayFox, Rodellos Machine (Cooking Song “Down to Little Italy” from Motion Array)
🙏 THANK YOU!
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Jeffrey Stenberg
Shocking to hear about your Little Minion, praying for your safe passage. Been following you for a long time now and even my wife is enjoying your videos. Your getting so good at it, my wife even noticed and commented on it. Love the variety of shots, can’t believe you cook and record at the same time, love to watch, I would have thrown the camera down and concentrated on just the cooking esp. in those ruff waters. Also love the Garmin screen shots, like to see what’s out there, where you are etc., makes it interesting. All ways wanted to do what your doing, our friends did almost your same sailing route and would e-mail us as they went. Not the same as your incredible videos. N Z should be a lot of fun, very friendly people, lots of adventure. Love how the chicken slides around while cooking, gets cooked evenly, wish my oven did that.
Curious Minion
Minion is fine – it is not the life raft, it’s the dinghy. Tune in next week…..
Curious Minion
Michael
Okay, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I believe the life raft is the raft that inflates when the boat starts to sink. It sounds like it was in a locker that came loose and washed away. The dingy is Minion that hangs on the davits at the back of the boat. The dingy is not the life raft, IMHO. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Curious Minion
You’re correct – Minion is NOT the life raft! The life raft is housed in a closed locker under the rear cockpit. Everyone will see next week I guess.
Curious Minion
Alan Solomon
Hi Nikki and Jason! Sorry to hear about your life raft? That was shocking and unexpected. Craziness on the High Seas!
Nikki, you did look a bit peaked at the helm. After watching from the beginning of your RV days, I have never seen you look that way. I am glad you recovered.
I was also interested in what Jason was jamming too. Could you elaborate please?
Because you have taken such good care of Curiosity over the years, Curiosity is definitely taking care of you guys. The three of you are good for each other.
Almost a modem Robinson Crusoe.
Paul
Great cliffhanger to get us to come back next week!!! (Of course we know it all came out well, and you got to NZ ok, but sheesh!!! Hopefully you’ll let us know what else was in the locker with the liferaft when it went missing! Looked back to your “here’s a tour of the boat” back in the Bahamas… looked like there was a bit more than just the raft down in the locker.
Pat
Sure was glad when we heard you made it to New Zealand from John and Peter and after watching this video certainly not sure how anyone could whip up a dinner like you did. Got seasick watching.
Larry D & Joyce C Smith
Hi Wynn’s, I have been following you since your early RV days. Every Sunday my wife and I return from church, make our brunch and coffee, and set down to view your latest adventure. You are an awesome team. We sailed the Panama Canal on the Viking Sun Inaugural World Cruise within days of your passage. I have a question – what is the purpose of the yellow line tied off on the starboard deck. Best wishes. Love & prayers to you.
Curious Minion
Good question! The yellow line on the deck runs from stern to bow and is called a jack line. When they’re in bumpy offshore waters they have a safety line on their life vests that can be clipped onto the jack line. If you take a big wave and get knocked off your feet, you won’t get washed overboard. You can see Jason clipped onto it at one point in this vid or the last one.
Curious Minion
Bruce&Anne Stewart
Even though we know you arrived safely in NZ, our heart went out to you both taking on this epic passage. Many others have followed the same route, some with chilling memories of horrendous seas and storm winds. No doubt their experiences were ever in your mind during this passage. It’s great that you managed to conquer those ever present fears and stoically sail on. You can be very proud of what you both have achieved ⛵️
Sheila Boyce
Hi Nicki and Jason,
We enjoy your videos and living vicariously through your well-presented adventures! As we watched the last two videos, heading to Minerva and onward, my husband Tom and I wanted to share that we sailed a Leopard 47 from Miami – Newport and then on to Maine and back a few years ago. We experienced some very rough weather along the way, including an overnight sail in 50-60 knot winds heading south to Cape Cod and pounding in hurricane-force winds (75+) for over six hours near Cape Hatteras. While the paint-shaker motion and pounding of the waves on the hull between the pontoons was AWFUL (we are mostly monohull sailors), and most of the crew was seasick, the boat held up great. Sharing this to say that in spite of the repairs Curiosity will need (as all boats do), in our experience, the Leopards have good bones. Enjoy NZ! We look forward to the upcoming adventures.
Ken & Dawn
From Ken & Dawn ,
We’ve been watching you ocean adventures since 2019. Have you had some serious brushes with modern day pirates. I’d be interested in how that went
Sparks
Praying for you all. Very busy sail so far. Sitting on the edge of the chair watching and feeling your emotions with each event.
Dennis Fussell
Scene I started following your travels it has helped my days dealing with my stage four prostate cancer. I used to 22ft balboa in north calif. Always had dreams of doing ocean going travels, but just a dream. Your videos are done so good.not to long. Wanting to see the one. Stay safe have fun even with the ups and downs mother nature my bring.
Deborah Kerr
Curiosity was literally crawling and limping into port in need of dire attention to bring her back to health! Good Lord, thank God you made it safely and we all know this ahead of time!! Looking forward to your story in New Zealand 🌏
Stephen Morton
Add a new life raft to the to-do list. Such a great ending and tease to next week.
John
It was fun tracking you and reading the one-sentence updates. Looking forward to hear all about the rough patch in your next video.
Cary
Omg
Lost the dinghy!!!
I’m sure it’s out there some where.
The bullshit customs shit that has created this situation.
They had to leave put themselves in a compromising position…. For what!!??
Fucking bureaucrats.
Keliann Luley
Wonderful Video but what a cliffhanger! I’m glad we know you’re safe but to wait a whole week for the details, well let me say in these times of binge watching that this will be a lesson in patience. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
Tama Chambers
OMG Lost the life raft? What a cliff hanger! But this is real life!! This land lubber is shaken in her boots!!!
Tom Kastle
Am looking forward to cat cruising sometime. Re line repair, definitely get a braided line splicing kit and learn to splice not to mention carrying spares of the most important lines. Or a spool of line that might be appropriate for multiple uses. Fair winds! –Tom
Tina Dodds
This is where all of our prayers and Angels came in to help. Gulp.
Steve
Great following all your sailing,Now your off to NZ,live your lives go for it take care🇺🇸🇬🇧
About Creativity
Very Good.
cass
“I’m a fish eating vegetarian”, there’s no such thing, please call it by the correct name, you’re a PESCATARIAN, (yes I know it doesn’t sound as cool as vegetarian).
Mary Van
I’d like to know what Jason was jammin to. I’m guessing that wasn’t listed in the credits…
Sounds like minion is a goner. Sorry to hear this news! She was A fast dependable little dinghy!
Thomas J. Lyens
I love that you both are so Positive! I believe the lifestyle that you live would be impossible without a great mindset. Even though I am not a sailor I take inspiration from your attitudes, adventurism and partnership.
Thank you for sharing.
Karen
You two are courageous, brave, smart and experienced now! WOW!!!
BBQ
You guys make me nervous when you both seem to be off the boat and in the water (in the open ocean) at the same time. I’m sure you probably know this but put out a 30 ft line or so with a flotation device at the end. If you get caught up in the current or get a cramp (or any other emergency) you give yourself a chance to grab onto the line to make it back.
Rosco
I agree, it’s a bit risky without safety line, getting cramp in the water is a real danger in that situation. Comming from someone with firsthand experience.
Enyoy NZ N&J
Julie
I can’t tell you how happy your Sunday videos make me feel. They push me out of my comfort zone and are causing me to have some of my own adventures. Please keep them up.
Warren heunis
Oh no!!! Life is full of upsides and downsides but Nikki you have such a positive outlook. I just see you hold it together. Stay safe we keep you guys in our prayers.
Peter Drury
Hello Nicki and Jason.
Nicki, I thoroughly enjoy the descriptions of your passage and I think your writing style is perfect. (I also make liberal use of spell check)
Thank you for this wonderful (and inspiring) video! If ‘Curiosity’ wasn’t such a perfect name for your floating home and your adventures–sometimes amazing, sometimes scary, often inspirational and always entertaining—I would be tempted to suggest another name: Perseverance’.
Loved the Chef’s demonstration of Haut Cuisine on the High Seas!
Sorry about your life raft.
Be Safe!
Michelle Legault
I remember a year or so ago you saying you were thinking of adding your vegetarian meals here on your blog. You haven;t done that, is that still something you would be willing to do? I need to go Veg bc of my husbands health, but looking up REAL vege meals, vs the overly complicated pintrest stuff is very hard. Thanks in advance if you are willing to help a sister out lol
VALERIE LYNN WILLIAMS
Thank you I’ve been concerned. I saw your post a few weeks ago that you were again quarantine in new Zealand bet had a rough trip now I see how hard loosing so much the life raft and loxkee would scare me.
Pat Lange
Nikki, looked like you did an excellent job of whipping the sheath on the halyard.
I know space is very limited on Curiosity, but when you and Jason get to New Zeland, and replace the old halyard, maybe you can salvage a few feet of the old sheath for emergency repairs if needed later. Love all of the videos! Keep them coming!
Pat Lange,
Houston, Tx
Richard Lino Semprini
OMG– Was it lost in the middle of the night? You are making me so anxious, I feel like I am with you, and the anxiety has my stomach turning.. I pray all will be okay and you will make it safely to NS
Jean Brunckhorst
Stay safe. I love watching your adventures.
Julie Swofford
Hi sweet Wynns, we follow you weekly and your most current video concerned us regarding the loss of your life raft. We’re hoping you’re already in New Zealand. Please let us know where you are today July 11, 2021. Every Blessing and smooth sailing.
Thank you
Curious Minion
They published a short vid about a month ago when they made it. You must have missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ3XJpq7BAU
Curious Minion
Lisa Bee
Oh no! Sending you hugs and hope!
Noel
Stay safe guys