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

Christmas 2022

This year's Christmas cruise started from Havelock with Nina arriving on the Thursday in rain and Callum arriving on Friday in hot sun. Sailed on Saturday morning around 9.30. Noted that the usual rafts of penguins and shearwaters at Tawero were absent. Looked in at Homestead Bay, but all options taken up. Grape Escape was on Maori Bay which was a good choice. Gannets present, swooping down low over the water. Crossed to Ketu to find the outer buoy vacant and took that. Stayed there Christmas Day (Sunday). 

Moved off the buoy Boxing Day (Monday) for Tennyson Inlet and dropped anchor in Ngawhakawhiti Bay, also known as World's End.

On the Tuesday with freshening SE winds (north of Separation Point) we thought we'd head south. Productive fishing on a favourite mark near the gannet colony. 

And on our last night, a busy sky at sunset. This is one of our most photographed views looking down the length of the Kenepuru. Steamed 96 nm.

Waitangi weekend

 

Big gurnard!

Saturday CORE whānau on board for picnic lunch (Fiona, Karl, Lucy, Jess, Duncan, Fia, Matt, and Linda Ojala). Nina arrived from Wellington on the plane. Janice and Norma dropped in. 1630 moved to the fueller took 326 litres. 1645 sailed for Yncyca or Kauauroa 3 pob 1 dob. Ended up at Kauauroa Bay, anchored in the eastern part of the bay between the mussel farms and the steeply shelving beach. Sue's trip for fishing with one big gurnard from the aft deck, and three cod from the dinghy around the rocky edges. Nina swimming. Hyperactive mussel barges to watch. Logged 41 nm.

Nina's birthday cruise

Nina with gurnard

Nina with salmon

New Year cruise

Shore leave

Nan and Gary swam each day

The Lytton Water and a nor'wester sky

Nan and Gary joined us for a short New Year cruise. The days were very hot, but the fresh NW breeze made it all bearable. The first afternoon - Sunday - we went up to the top of Nydia to look at the Lodge on the Track. Nan and Gary plan to walk the track. Then we went into Chance Bay and dropped anchor for the night. There were fish and birds and it felt unusually alive. New Year's eve we went and fished over Richmond Reef and scored four good cod. We went over to Yellow Cliffs in Waitata Bay for lunch, a fresh breeze kept us cool.  Later we made our way back to Richmond and picked up the Pohuenui Buoy for the night. We caught a gurnard, which is always the plan. The cod, filleted by Sue and cut into inch-long pieces, fried in FogDog g.f. breadcrumbs, complemented the scampi tails we had bought at Guytens. We had a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and Nan and Gary brought a bottle of Moet - worse things happen at sea. We loafed around at Richmond in the morning and then steamed for home in the afternoon, all fast by 1640 having covered 63 nm in all. 

Gum Emperor moth
Found on deck after we got in

                                                    

Goats at Stafford Bay

Poppy passing No 4 outward

Stafford Bay

Sue photographing shag nests

Goat on the cliff

Family of goats on the foreshore

I took a couple of days leave and we went aboard on the Tuesday evening. We sailed on Wednesday morning at 1100 with a plan to go to Homestead Bay, Port Ligar. The wind was fresh from the NW so we looked into Stafford Bay to see what it was like. We were surprised to find how sheltered it was. The bush was lovely with Nikaus and ferns, and there were fish, and shags, and a pair of Paradise ducks. In the mornings and evenings goats came down to fossick on the beach. We stayed three nights. Great Escape visited us on the Friday. We came in on the Saturday about 1230.

Shags nesting

Gurnard 45cms

Hopeful

Jellyfish after dark

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.

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!