QBW18

The Kenepuru at sunset

Despite an unpromising forecast we decided to go out anyway, at 10 am on the Saturday. It turned into quite a nice day. We steamed as far north as Yncyca Bay on a recce. At this time of year, and in the SE'ly weather, it was a bit bleak. We approached the PMW buoy and recorded a waypoint for our return some summer evening. Then we beat a retreat to Take-In Bay. The picture shows how the weather dominated the weekend, but we had a nice time regardless. Sue caught a 26cm Spotty. 

We did a Man Overboard exercise and managed to get our bucket-and-fender casualty back aboard in quick time. We did a Williamson turn and that worked well, bringing us right back onto our reciprocal course and on track. The MOB feature on the Raymarine is not that good. I'm not sure, even after reading the manual, that it is working the way it should. Quite the worst feature is the way it automatically changes the range such that you can't see any land. I found it disorientating, and retaining your orientation and a heightened situational awareness is what a good MOB is all about. Our procedure now is simply to always start a track which means we can at any time exactly retrace our steps. 

Passing traffic in the Havelock Channel

We did some handle-down running to test the gearbox repairs and it passed with flying colours. The hottest part of the casing after an hour of full power was 70°C. The shifts to ahead and astern were instantaneous and smooth.

We came in near the top of the tide on the Monday around lunchtime. All in all, a satisfying long weekend.

Making smoke

Gardner spares 5-mins video

L. Gardner and Sons ceased production of new engines in the early 1990s. They could no longer meet the emission regulations. A plume of grey smoke from the stack of a fishing boat is an evocative sight, but less acceptable in the present day. A number of spinoffs emerged when the factory closed. One of those is Gardner Spares and you can get just about any part within a few days at a reasonable price. So saying, Orion hardly smokes at all. If we've been trolling and then we wind in and wind on for home she'll smoke for a while, but it soon clears; any engine does that.

Winding on after idling

The light plume of smoke from Orion's stack looks a little blue in the photo but that's just the hues of the scene. The colour is actually light grey. I don't have to top up the oil between oil changes which are 200 hours or one year apart whichever comes sooner. That may change as the years go by, but just now she has only 1000 hours on the clock since the re-build; she's barely run-in.

Unsettled May

Lows pushing up from the south

Big savings on fuel this month. A chance to get all those wee jobs done. Like tidying up the engine room after the gearbox repairs and servicing the poo tank. This will give way to a long settled spell we hope. We'll have to see if June and July produce more weekends when we can get out and about. 

Everyone has their favourite weather app but the one that produces the most consistently reliable results for us is MarineWeather. 

Cuzzy lunch

Bill Stevenson

Mary Stevenson

Bill and Mary were on board for lunch. Passing through Picton on the ferry facilitated a two-night stay and a visit to the boat. Looks like Poppy loves Mary, but it's really Bill who loves Poppy.

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.

Clang Boom Steam

Henry and Joe

Gregory Engineering have been on board servicing the gearbox. It's great to have such capable guys working on the boat. This is a period of maintenance in the run-up to Easter. Let's hope we get good weather and we can go and get it all wet and salty again.

Henry with the test rig

On the Tuesday after Easter Henry and Joe came back and set up a test rig. The oil pump stood up fine, doing its thing. But dismantling the selector valve revealed a broken spring that could explain the symptoms: a long delay, and harsh engagement.

Selector valve exploded view

Henry sourced a spring and shims from Pacific Driveline in Australia and Zane and Joe came down Friday 27 to bolt it all up and test it. Yay! No more delay. Smooth engagement too, though we'll need to steam at full power for a couple of hours to get things nice and hot to finally prove that one fixed. Well done guys, we're impressed. 

A lick of paint

Orion laying Havelock 2018

Every wooden fishing boat ever built has been repaired here and there using steel fastenings. Fishermen need to get back to work, they can't waste time going shopping for bronze bolts and spikes. So rust streaks are part of life. Here is Orion newly painted. Stephen did the bulwarks, Sue did the topsides, and Sue so neatly cut-in the blue on the belting. It'll last until the next storm!

God's backstays

At anchor in Chance Bay
Picture by Erin Giles

Nelson Anniversary Day

Windlass fixed, lying to anchor

Grape Escape in Chance Bay

Sailboat in the Kenepuru

1000 hours since the rebuild

Friday night we headed for Māori Bay, looking for a shady spot in the intensely hot weather. The buoy was occupied so we carried on to Chance Bay. Saturday night Grape Escape came and anchored nearby. Sunday morning we headed north towards Crail Bay and the gannet colony where we caught exactly zero fish. After lunch on the Hemphill buoy at Mary Bay we turned over 1000 hours since the engine was rebuilt. Monday (Nelson Anniversary Day) we went up into the Kenepuru and sweltered. In by 17:30 and 48 miles logged.

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.