Voyage with Jack

Orion steaming along in Pelorus Sound 2025

A special trip with Jack on board, visiting from the UK. Nina joined too. Seven days on board, five of them out and about in Pelorus Sound. Mixed weather. 96nm.

Only mild exaggeration

Severe gale warning in Cook

Tranquil at Raetihi

Dad's birthday cruise

Dad's Birthday card from Nina

Mackerel and bacon

Back at Raetihi after a long absence. Caught a small but legal snapper. A couple of mackerel contributed to my breakfast. Lots of activity on the water. Pretty quiet at the Lodge. Met up with Bruce and Suzanne. Nina steered in the channel and right up to the Johnson Light. Took 485 litres of fuel. Logged 22 nm.

Return to Raetihi

Raetihi foreshore

There was a time when we went to Raetihi a lot. It's lovely there and on a winter's night it's comforting to have the lights of the jetty and the lights of the houses on the opposite shore. This weekend we were back there. Nothing had really changed. Only there is some really bad erosion under the bank and the trees are starting to collapse onto the beach. The logs are moored there as a makeshift bank protection. Went on the fueller on the way back in. Total distance an easy 23 nm. 

Raetihi

Raetihi in autumn

Rudds and Rowles and Poppy row to shore at Raetihi Lodge, Double Bay, Kenepuru. It's sheltered, and the buoy is positioned in deep water well out from the shore. Raetihi Lodge was closed, but we enjoyed landing at the splendid jetty. Fish were driven into the bay in the evening, about one hour after low water.

Back in Havelock, we were just tying up and Lionel Jeffcoat was there watching Orion berth. He came on board and we had a good long talk about wood and boats and other stuff. If you don't know, Lionel is one of the legendary boatbuilders; he has built some fifty-odd boats in his lifetime, some of them not unlike Orion. He was interested to see Harold's workmanship, and was impressed. And all this in the same month as we met with Harold and talked about the yard at Paremata and the boats his father, he, and his brothers built there.

We've fitted a diesel heater (Eberspacher 4kw) and that's going to extend the season right into winter. For just a few litres of diesel a day it pumps warm air into the fore and main cabins, and the warm air rises up the staircase into the wheelhouse reducing condensation.

Week-long cruise

We steamed 144 miles around the Sounds in a week, starting from Havelock and visiting: Ketu Bay, Goat Point, Maori Bay in Port Ligar, Waterfall Bay, Orchard Bay, Richmond Reef, Waitata Bay, passing close by Maud Island, Tawhitinui Island, Penzance, World's End, Duncan Bay, Te Rawa Lodge in Wilson Bay, Chance Bay, Raetihi Lodge in Kenepuru Sound, and on the last night Putanui West and North buoys as we dodged the weather. We caught kingfish, blue cod, gurnard, garfish, and a ray. We saw penguins, gannets, terns, and a seal. All systems worked well except the big freezer, but eight bags of ice almost made it to the end of the trip. Great mission!