Orion Kauauora Bay October 2026.
The deep-laden Morning Star inward with (typically for her class of vessel 100 tonnes) of mussels for processing at the factory in Havelock.
We stuck on the mud coming out, I wasn't far enough over to port. We have a golden rule that we only go in or out on a flooding tide, so we soon floated off and no harm done. Havelock Happy Hour conversation often revolves around when the Port Company are going to dredge the channel.
Passed the night in K Bay (Kauauroa Bay) and the next day caught a gurnard off the mooring. Washing off rust streaks and touching up paint. Cellphone coverage comes and goes, but we sometimes had one pip of 4G. Mussel barges came and went picking up and dropping off from their pontoon moored in the NW corner near the club buoy. Sue saw a big old goat on the foreshore, and I heard a baby goat. Saw one lone dolphin fin close to the boat.
We spent all Thursday in K Bay. On the Friday we slipped the mooring about 0930 and steamed around into Orchard Bay. We stopped the engine right in the middle and drifted in silence for a couple of hours while we fished for gurnard. Caught four which, with the one from the previous day, made five all up.
Spotted the expedition yacht SuRi at anchor in the Kenepuru and later Sue found her again on AIS in Fairy Bay. Here are some photographs on YachtCharterFleet.
Back in Havelock Ian and Anne Jones sat on the aft deck with us for a while.
