Haul-out 2017

Havelock Slipway

Hauled out on the top of a 3.2 m tide. Sitting upright and well-supported. The paint has held up well, it's two-and-a-half years since she was painted at Salthouse. The hull was pretty clean, just a few mussels on the keel where the blocks were. Fitted an additional transducer on the port side just forward of the cooling water intake, this is so the Furuno mfd can be dedicated to display the depth the whole time, and to fish-finding. We have an upgrade kit for the bowthrust; beautifully engineered propellors replace the quite basic standard ones. We're going to follow the advice of the O brothers and the Chris McMullen article and leave the anodes off. The bottom paint is Carboline Sea-Barrier Copper Black and we used about 22 litres. It's an Altex product.

Jetstream

Take-In Bay

Back in Take-In Bay. It's just 15 sea miles from Havelock, it's sheltered from most quarters, and we love the view. Neap tides this weekend and the fishing a bit slow, but even so Sue caught a very respectable Kahawai which I turned into fish curry. 

Favourite views

Take-In Bay looking west

Canterbury Anniversary

Well, you never know your luck. Regular old weekend up the Kenepuru. Two caught within minutes of each other. One went back, the other was well legal and became breakfast for two. Caught on bare Wasabi hooks on the last of the flood at dusk. 

Amazon Malta

It was good to see Amazon lying to admiralty buoys off Manoel Island Yacht Yard, Malta. She's looking in good health and the berth is ideal for her. Four of us — Stephen, Sue, Jack, Nina —  sat around on Sliema strand looking at her for a while, all of our lives shaped in some way by this venerable old lady; she is 132-years-old this year.

Mackerel and bacon

Mackerel and bacon

This year, so far, we have to steal every day we can. Logbook is kind of empty, diesel tanks are kind of full. Some people call it bait fish, but we love mackerel. You have to be patient and mind the bones, and it really is delicious. Catch it at night with the underwater light and tiny wasabi hooks. Here is Sunday morning breakfast on the Kenepuru in perfect weather: sunny, mild, and calm. 

Three winter projects

With mainly inclement weather, short days, long nights, we've been using our weekends to make a few small improvements: fuel transfer system; aft deck cctv; better dinghy chocks.

Fuel transfer system
There was a tank balancing pipe that was quite useful, but it had a tendency to block with crud and water at its lowest point where it passes underneath the shaft. We started thinking that if we installed a pump and a filter and some change-over valves we could add some useful functionality: fuel transfer between tanks, only to having to use the filler nearest the fuel jetty, and trapping water and dirt. It just felt like it would offer more control than simple gravity balancing. It's a 14 litres/minute gear pump, and an off-the-shelf Ryco filter. Gregory Engineering of Picton made up the panel, and we fitted it over two weekends.

Aft deck cctv
Seeing out the back isn't too good, especially since we fitted the clears. We've installed a car reversing camera that looks out over the aft deck. The picture is really clear.  It helps when we're backing out of the berth; it'll be handy when we're fishing; and it'll be good for keeping a lookout for traffic coming up from astern.

Higher dinghy chocks
When it rains the dinghy fills up. There's a perfectly good bung at the back with a mushroom valve. So we've built the forward chocks up to tilt the boat up at the bow. It helps when we're washing mud out of the bottom of the boat too.

Anzac Day cruise

Camp Bay, Bulwer

Duffers Reef

Johnson's Barge

Departed Havelock 1620 planning to go on Putanui North but it was occupied so we pressed on, just saving the light to Maori Bay. Quiet night and the morning dawned with thick fog typical of the time of year. Fog lifted and by 0930 we departed Maori Bay, by 1100 rounding at Maud Island and by 1220 all fast to PWM782 Homestead Bay Port Ligar. Namaste in company. Sunday we moved round to Camp Bay near Bulwer, Grape Escape in company. Monday we fished inside Duffers Reef and on Richmond Reef but the fishing was slow, got two cod that were keepers. Headed south at 1400 and arrived off Raetihi by 1630. Followed Isabella most of the way. Spent the Tuesday (Anzac Day) at Raetihi and got into Havelock at 1730. Stayed aboard. Beautiful autumn weather the whole five days.

Easter 2017

Cyclone Cook

Easter Bunny

Homestead Bay

Waterfall Bay

Port Ligar

Namaste

Seals and dolphins

Had planned to sail on the Friday, but waited for cyclone Cook to move away to the east and sailed 1000 on the Saturday. All fast to the buoy in Homestead Bay passage time 3hrs 50mins running at just 1000 rpm with the ebb. Easter Sunday we chilled in Homestead Bay, seals fishing all around us. Drinks on Orion with Graham and Jane from Namaste. Heavy rain overnight and a fresh NE breeze in the morning. Coffee aboard Namaste, then departed 1200. Dolphins bow riding as we left Port Ligar for fishing off Burnt Point; three cod were keepers. All fast Snug Cove, Ketu by 1500. Tuesday we departed Ketu at 0920 and headed south. Beautiful trip back, calm and sunny. All fast H8 Havelock by 1315.

Nan, Gary, and friends

At Ferndale

Gary and the shore party

Martin and Moira

Letting a mussel barge go by

We went aboard on the Thursday night and sailed Friday lunchtime for Ferndale. The Friday evening was beautiful, but the Saturday was cool with a moderate breeze from SE. Read our books. Sue was in touch with Nan and Gary and they arranged to come out on the Sunday by water taxi and bring lunch with them. They had friends from Switzerland staying, and they came too - Martin and his daughter Moira. The weather was great and we passed a pleasant day, coming in mid afternoon on the top of the tide. There was an unusual amount of traffic in the channel.

Hong

Departed Havelock at 1830 and arrived Raetihi 2000. Had our tea on the way. At Raetihi met up with Tom and Oriah who were honeymooning at Hopewell. Drinks on the aft deck, balmy night. Next day went on up to Take In Bay. Loafing, kayaking, fishing - fishing very flat. Strong gusty wind in the afternoon caused an unscheduled swim for someone, but it quickly died away and gave way to a beautiful evening. Sunday morning dawned overcast with light drizzle. Got underway early and went into Te Mahia to put Poppy ashore. All fast H8 by 1100.

Waitangi weekend

Unpromising start Thursday evening

Window washer system

Ryan with Gurnard, Penzance

Gurnard, keeper

Whakamawahi Point, looking into Beatrix Bay

Windy weather, bad hair

Ferndale, out of the breeze

Departed Havelock Friday for Tennyson Inlet, trolled most of the way, picked up the buoy at Penzance Friday night. Saturday morning caught up with Dion on Nightingale in Tuna Bay then fished on and around Richmond Reef. Saturday night in Waitata Bay. Sunday fished near the gannet colony at the head of Crail Bay then went up the Kenepuru to Ferndale. Caught kingfish, kahawai, gurnard,  blue cod, mackerel, perch and pipefish, also one barracuda. Saw big rays in Ferndale. Fine sunny weather, but windy. All Orion's systems worked flawlessly, including the window washer system. Great holiday weekend.

Weather bomb

Saturday January 21st

A series of three deep depressions have tracked across the country, causing a fair amount of disruption to boating. It's funny how winds of fifty knots are becoming the new norm. We wonder what our chances are for a trip to Tennyson Inlet on Waitangi weekend.

Robinson Cruise-o

Orion in Kenepuru Sound 2017

(picture Sam Robinson)

Departure from Havelock

Kenepuru Sound

Ferndale

Sam, Megan, Coen, Sue

Group on deck at Ferndale

Sam and Mark

Juvenile Kingfish around the boat

Coen, Ruby, Maddie, and Sue

Mark

Megan, Stephen, Mark, Sam
Ruby, Maddie, Poppy, Coen