Christmas 2023

Nina flew in early afternoon on the Friday and we sailed without delay. First night in K-Bay then the next day found us fishing on our old fave mark near Bird Island. I had caught one decent cod already, and we soon had 5 more; we headed over to Homestead Bay. 

Sunday (Christmas Eve) we made our way south to the Kenepuru. We were approached by the Fisheries Patrol and were not boarded. With every buoy occupied, we anchored in 8 metres at a new spot immediately west of Weka Point. In the act of anchoring, the windlass packed a big sad. It's a great anchorage and we will return here. 

Spent a very pleasant Christmas Day. Around mid-day hooners and biscuiters came out and roared around, which was fun. Then it all went quiet again. Especially towards the end of the day the weather was lovely, hot and calm. I had caught a small snapper already, but in the afternoon—having deployed the prawn heads as burley—Nina was near one of the rods when we caught a big snapper. She reeled in handsomely and (for the first and only time in years) we had actually caught a snapper in sight of Snapper Point... and on Christmas Day! 

 

Boxing Day we loafed about in the morning, and were paid a visit by Brett Stanaway from Seabee, anchored across the way. Seabee is not exactly a sister, being a little smaller than Orion. Like Orion she was built at Paremata. In the afternoon we hauled the anchor by hand and headed in. Nina cooked the snapper on passage and we sat at the table down aft in warm sun.

Labour Day weekend 2023

We had a couple of good dolphin encounters. It felt very spring-like in the sounds with lots of shearwaters and rarer sooty shearwaters too. Cooler temperatures kept us in the wheelhouse most of the trip. Parked in Ketu two nights and steamed 54 nm.

Ship's dog

Old shipmate

 

Stewart Ball worshipping the Gardner

My old shipmate Stewart Ball blew in from Australia planning on continuing down wind to his home in England. Accompanied by his wife Caroline and daughter Jessicah he was spotted in Orion's engine room down on his knees in front of the almighty Gardner 8LXB.

Yarning

While we could generally corroborate our stories, the precise details took some time to return. A day was not enough, but travel itineraries waiteth for no man.

KBW23

 

Take-in Bay

Poppy

 6 a.m. in the Kenepuru 

Red sky in the morning

Trying to warm up

It looked like King's Birthday Weekend would be a non-starter, but a one-day window opened up on the Saturday. We went aboard Friday night and sailed at 9 Saturday morning. Got to Take-in Bay—our old haunt—late morning. It was a beautiful day. Joined by a seal and millions of small fish in the late afternoon (about half tide up, full moon). Spectacular morning light as we headed in. All fast H8 by 9.30 and home for lunch. This is the weekend Nina did the second part of her PADI course and qualified.

Nina at Dive Wellington

Beginning-of-winter cruise

Foggy day in Beatrix

Seagull raiding the bait table

Dolphin guiding us in

Sailed on the Friday, on the club mooring in Mary's Bay that night. Next day dawned foggy... thick fog. Got underway mid morning and mooched about fishing. A few cod, but not keepers. Beautiful views as the sun penetrated the fog. Wonderfully quiet and calm. We were headed north for Piripaua, the narrow neck separating Beatrix from Forsyth, when we were joined by a dolphin who rode the bow and showed us the way. That night—Saturday—we anchored in Mary's Bay, Lady Allison lying to the club mooring. Headed south on Sunday, 45.5 nm.

Birthday cruise

 

Riding out weather

In Mary's Bay. [Irish brogue] "Mary Mother of Christ there goes my hat!" Perhaps that's how the bay got its name. Day One the nor'wester blew into the bay, and on Day Two the sou'easter blew down the gully and out of the bay. And we caught good-size gurnard, one on each day. Day Three the wind gave way to light airs and we went fishing near the gannet colony and caught nothing. Hope the gannets did better; they looked to, with a huge boil-up in the reach one of the evenings. Most remarkable was how far in we saw shearwaters and petrel, like south of Turn Point. A very pleasant cruise-y time was had by all three of us. Came in on the evening tide having steamed just 40 nm.

My card from Nina

My card from Sue

Sue with gurnard caught in Mary's Bay

Orion 4771

 

Orion 4771 Coromandel Wharf
Artist - Patrick Greene

Thank you Ian and Ann for finding this and sending it our way. What a keen eye and a kind thought, and the number 4771 gives us a new lead in our tracing of her long history.