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

Easter 2021

 

Tennyson Inlet

Tom and A leaving Ketu Bay

Sea cruise

It was great to be joined by Tom and A Rowley for our Easter cruise. We delayed the start by a couple of days to take advantage of a spot of very good weather. We sailed on Easter Monday and came back late afternoon on Thursday. We steamed 115 nm and sighted dolphin, seal, octopus, shearwater, blue penguin and gannet. Caught and ate 8 cod and 1 gurnard. Visited two new places - Wakatahuri, and Hopai Bay farm in Crail Bay.

Christmas 2019

Off Richmond

At anchor, Ketu Bay

Callum and Nina

Exchanging Christmas presents

Inflatable banana thing

Callum with four good cod

Anchor party

Callum joined us late morning in Havelock and we sailed at 1615 for Ketu. Oh, the long days of summer! Anchored in Ketu. Beautiful weather over the whole Christmas week and not too hot either. Exchanged presents with Grape Escape on Christmas morning. Visited World's End and Chance Bay, Callum caught gurnard, and we all caught cod down by Bird Island. Saw dolphins, penguins, shearwaters, and gannets. A total of 85.5 nm. 

End of summer cruise

The Ninepins on a nice day

Ketu Bay 4am

Reading our fish book

Very sharp knife

 Heading home

We got away on the Friday and made it to Ketu no problem. Goofed around on the Saturday and caught a couple of fat cod right there in the bay. In the wee small hours we were totally surrounded by fish, you could see them because of the phosphorescence. A seal was nearby. On the Sunday caught another good cod in the bay, then we went out to Ninepin rock just for a tiki tour and Sue took some photos that she missed last time. Awesome weather, but the days are getting shorter now heralding the end of summer. Stafford for lunch on the way back, and Putanui for tea, then back on the berth by 8 pm. Steamed 65 nautical miles.

Easter 2018

Bex and Ryan, damage control party

With a strong team, nothing is scary or too much trouble. In the picture above Orion's crew fix up the clears after a strong gust carried them away. In the same gust Foxy Lady, anchored nearby with a charter party on board, was laid on her ear.

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We sailed Friday at 10.00 for Port Ligar. Busy Easter, so we picked up the buoy in Māori Bay. Saturday found us pinned down by a strong NW'er with occasional very strong gusts, one of which layed Foxy Lady down nearly on her beam ends and which carried away our clears. A damage control party got to work and quickly made good.

On Saturday afternoon we got underway and headed down the western side of Forsyth Island around Bird Island past Warwick Bay to Allen Strait. We passed through the swirling water of the strait to look into Annies Bay but there was a short period 1-metre swell coming in from Cook Strait, and two boats already occupying the mooring. We came back through Allen Strait and headed back to Ketu Bay nodding into a fresh breeze and a moderate sea and were treated to a warm and sunny evening and a quiet night.

Sunday we went out late morning and fished off Goat Point, and Ninepin Rock. We spotted seals swimming in convoy and leaping, an unusual sight. Fishing in the Te Kakaho Channel Ryan netted a fat kahawai, and everyone had two on at some point but our gear was too light to net them. In the afternoon we headed north and anchored in a familiar spot in Chance Bay.

On Monday morning Bex steered us up the channel which is getting quite familiar to her now. Back alongside in Havelock for lunch. Distance steamed 100 nm.

Rowleys Ahoy!

Ketu Bay

Found an old dog...

Trolling over "The Cookie Monster"

(seen through the aft deck camera)

"Cookie Monster"

Rolling home

Back in Havelock

Where we went

Saturday late afternoon the Rowley Family arrived. Richard, Maree, James, Charlotte, Emma, and Georgina stowed their stuff in the focsle; it was a big ask for them to all sleep in there in the insanely hot weather and they rose to the challenge. Sunday morning we sailed at 0800 for Ketu Bay stopping at Richmond Reef to catch cod. Moored in Snug Cove. Kayaking, swimming, and fishing occupied the rest of the day. That night Richard and James heard splashing and went on deck to find dolphins swimming around the boat.  Sunday Richard made us all bacon and eggs and then we got underway and went south through the Apuau Channel behind Maud Island to troll over the "Cookie Monster", a mark that has proved fruitful in the past, but not on this occasion. James, Charlotte, Emma, and Georgina all had a turn at navigating and steering the boat on the trip home. We berthed at Havelock at 1800 and packed up in continuing extreme heat. We steamed a total of 66 nautical miles. 

Christmas 2017

Mohitos!

A = Ketu Bay, Snug Cove, Xmas Day
B = Ketu Bay, Onion, Boxing Day

A fine day in Ketu Bay if you exclude
the rain, the cloud, and the wind

Good fishing

Pusser's Rum decanter

Xmas shenanigans

(spot the dog)

Poppy opening her presents from Pinot and Sam

C = Ngawhakawhiti anchorage, Wednesday, Thursday

Orion in Ngawhakawhiti Bay

Namaste dropped anchor nearby

D = Hallam Cove, Friday

Grape Escape in Hallam Cove

We were on board for ten nights, from Thursday, December 21st to Saturday, December 30th and went back to Picton on New Year's Eve. We spent four nights in Snug Cove (Friday - Monday). Grape Escape came alongside Christmas morning and we had breakfast together. We moved to Onion on Boxing Day when the forecast suggested it was going around south-easterly. Wednesday we avoided cabin fever by steaming down to Tennyson Inlet where we caught up with Dion and Sarah on Nightingale. We were at anchor in the southern arm of Ngawhakawhiti Bay for two nights and then steamed to Hallam Cove where we met up again with Grape Escape. The trip was defined by the south-easterly breeze and generally changeable weather. We logged 89 nm.

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.