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

                                                    

Sou'easter at Christmas

Grape Escape, Elaine Bay 

Elaine Bay, Christmas Eve

The trip home, Christmas Day

Capsize Point

Comfortable spot, unfazed

Later, aboard Grape Escape

A SE wind at Christmas is not the forecast anyone wants, but hey... when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We were tucked up in about the one place you can really get out of it, Take-in Bay South on the Kenepuru. Then Erin messaged Sue and said they were headed to Tennyson Inlet and we set off to find them. So, Christmas Eve we were in Elaine Bay. We were kind-of sheltered, but there was no escaping the gusts and the lop. Christmas morning dawned shut in with wind and rain. Sue was spotted in her towel when Grape Escape came alongside and said they were heading in. We too headed in and joined them for drinks and eats back in Havelock. Total of 65 miles.

Three somethings wine

Orion at Richmond Bay

Sue and Sandy

Kahawai

At Richmond Sandy caught a beautiful Kahawai, a great specimen. Her tackle was a Shimano Kid Stix 341 (lime green) with a 3/0 jig head and plastic squid skirt. We were careful to bleed the fish. Next day, at Yncyca, we cooked it whole in the oven. We stuffed the cavity with herbs, especially with mint, and put late harvest wine and an orange and some fish stock all in foil around the fish. Cooked for 25 minutes at mark 9. It was very nice to eat, and an easy way to deal with the bones.

It's hard not to catch cod, and of course they have to go back until December 20th. We extract the hook as gently as we can and return them to the water with the net and mostly they swim away fine.

Heard goats at Stafford, but didn't see them. Saw a black billy goat at Richmond.

Stafford the first night, then Richmond the second. Yncyca was a lunchtime stop on the third day. Very hot weather with light winds and a sea breeze in the afternoons. A total of 51.3 miles.

Smart as paint

Job done

Moving to the ramp

Back in the water

Back on the berth, showing off

The purpose of painting a wooden boat is to protect her from the elements. But the wonderful spin-off is that she looks great too, and you feel great about her. Thanks to Lloyd and Roger at Sounds Shipwright Services, Orion is looking fantastic: cabin roof, deck, topsides, boot topping, and hull. There's a new mast too, seen here in the lowered position for coming out of the shed.

Getting trolleyed

Fine day

Pressure wash

Ready to roll

In the yard

In the shed

In New Zealand you can get all four seasons in a day. There is no good time of year - it's either too cold, too wet, too windy, or too hot. That we can get Orion into the shed at Sounds Shipwright Services right here in Havelock is a huge advantage. We're hoping, believing, that the paint job will be all the better for it. It means she's in the shade and out of the wind, so although she'll dry out it'll be nothing like last year when insanely hot sun beat down on her day after day.

Labour day

Sunrise from Stafford Bay

We might have gone further, but a fresh NW breeze turned into the best part of a gale. So we parked up in Stafford Bay in company with two small sailboats rafted up on the other buoy. Stafford offers excellent shelter in NW winds. Fishing was slow and our one good specimen was a cod, so he had to go back; the season opens on December 20th. Two reported maritime incidents, both a result of the strong winds and rough seas, endorsed our decision. However, holiday Monday especially was a beautiful day. On the way in, for old time sake, we dropped in to Putanui west to wait for the tide.  We berthed at Havelock in the late afternoon having steamed just 32 miles. The trip had a nice feel to it; relaxed and satisfying.

Dolphins in Kenepuru Sound

We were on the buoy at Raetihi when Sue spotted splashing over towards Schnapper Point. We got underway immediately and found a pod of Dusky dolphins fishing. We followed them at a respectful distance as they made their way down the sound.

Squid at Hallam Cove

Surprise catch

Mahoe

We sailed Friday evening and were in Maori Bay for the night. Saturday morning we set off for Hallam Cove in bright weather and a south-east breeze.  A seal was there to greet us, fishing in the fairway while a duck watched. Fishing was slow until we got some mussels for bait. A squid took my fancy squid lure, sadly he was wormy so we couldn't eat him. The breeze went south-west Sunday for the trip home.  Barge traffic in Hikapu Reach. We slowed up and let them pass us. All fast on H8 a bit before 5pm.

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

One out of the box

The days are lengthening

Sunset Take-In Bay

At last a beautiful day coincided with the weekend. We sailed immediately after work on Friday and saved the light to Raetihi. There was a slight sea, wind over the last of the tide. We decided to push on to Take-In Bay and picked up the buoy in the dark no problem. Saturday was a day out of the box. In the morning we went around the back of Kaiaho Point in search of fish. The fishing wasn't really on, but we had a nice time looking for them and exploring Mills Bay and Clarke Island. Returned to Take-In Bay and at sunset the magic happened with fish jumping all around us and two big gannets circling and plunging. At night above, the Milky Way and a sky full of bright stars. Sunday we anticipated fog and high water was at 1009, so that was a potentially going to be a challenge. As it happened the day dawned with 8/8 low cloud and quite mild, so it was clear. We berthed shortly after 10am.

Gannets