QBW16

Fog lifting in Mahau Sound

Sue on the wheel

Poppy drying off after an unscheduled swim

Water taxi taking Bex ashore

Autumn

Early morning fog

It's pretty quiet around here now. A few diehards still make it down to their boats at the weekends. The main interest is the fog which rolls down the Pelorus River valley and hangs around until the sun gets up and burns it off. Poppy had a friend on gangway duty with her today.

Gangway duty

The weather has been a bit muddly and has curtailed trips out. But we've been using the time to do maintenance and renewal. Phil Martin fitted a diesel heater (4kW Eberspacher) and John Dey is going through the main freezer system, making it a bit more reliable: new compressor, fitting a receiver, changing the flexible hose for copper.

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.

Easter

Easter at Havelock

Big tides and the Pelorus River in flood meant timber floating everywhere. That, and a hundred and twenty odd trailers in the car parks caused us to stay in the harbour and do some painting. Looking pretty smart right now. Monday we moved onto the fueller and took 376 litres, so now we're topped right up the better to prevent condensation with the warm days and cool nights. Alison Rudduck stayed aboard a couple of nights, enjoying the slow pace of life aboard Orion.

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!

Duffers Reef

Ryan and Bex letting go of work

Waitangi weekend we all took a day's leave on the Friday, to make it a four-day weekend. We didn't know we were going as far as Duffers Reef, but we were planning to catch fish. Poppy seems to be saying, "Poor deluded creatures".

We venture forth

At Richmond Reef too many are juveniles

Too many kingfish turn out to be barracuda

Next day we continue north

Duffers Reef

Although it looks like a nice day in the photograph, it was by then - early on the Saturday morning - SE 4 rising 6 with a gale warning in place. There's a big fetch up the side of Forsyth Island. We hung about for twenty minutes and pulled the pin. We spent some time fishing Post Office Point in the lee of the southerly, but with limited success. That night we sheltered in Waitata Bay.

Next day - the Sunday - the forecast was SE 25 knots easing, and by the time Caleb and Bex had made everyone breakfast the wind had eased a lot. We set forth once again for Duffers Reef and Goat Point.

Goat Point on the Sunday

Working close in with 10 to 25 metres depth

Sue with a decent sized Blue Cod

Scarlet Wrasse (we think)

Perch (going back)

Tired but happy

Fortunately...

somebody knows how to fillet

Just too much excitement

Duffers Reef and Goat Point

A south-easterly air flow maintained throughout the weekend, temperatures were pleasant around 21 degrees. Nights we anchored in Ketu, Waitata, and Chance Bays. We also anchored in Richmond Bay for lunch on the Friday and Wynans Bay for breakfast on the Saturday and Richmond Bay again on the way South. We steamed 107 nautical miles and consumed around 200 litres of diesel, 800 litres of water, less than one bottle of gas, and six bags of ice. Not to mention quite a few bottles of cider and wine and a lot of food.

Janice and tribe

Nine PoB, One DoB

Embarkation

Messing about in boats

All too much

Tuesday sailed from Havelock with 9 PoB 1 DoB our largest crew yet. Two days of glorious weather on the buoy at Putanui North. Canon bombing, swimming, kayaking, calls echo-ing back off the bush. One pipefish captured and inspected in the blue bucket. By night the Milky Way aloft, and flat calms to sleep by. No fish to be had this time, but hey, it's always worth a try.

Accurately targeting anything

Thursday morning, with a change in the weather, headed back into Havelock before breakfast. A very good experience for everybody, and for some their first experience of this kind of boating.

New Year cruise

Ferndale Bay for New Year's eve

Te Mahia jetty

Cruised Hikapu Reach on the Wednesday stopping the night in Jacob's Bay and going as far as Old Homewood Bay next morning. Then into Kenepuru on the Thursday picking up Colin from Te Mahia jetty, fishing off Schnapper Point, and settling in for the evening in Ferndale Bay. Dressed overall with bunting, pottered off to our bunks somewhat before midnight, and said "Happy New Year" in the morning. A gentle introduction to 2016. New Year's Day cruised around in the Kenepuru, heading home mid afternoon.

Christmas 2015

Christmas tree in Orion's wheelhouse

Putanui West

Orion lying Putanui West buoy

Two glorious days and nights of calm, hot days. Just Sue, me, and the dog. Waved hello to some people on the second day, but really just had the place to ourselves. Went out on deck in the middle of the second night... the sea was like glass, a plane of obsidian black you couldn't see nor barely sense and in the firmament above Orion and the Southern Cross charting our position in time and space. Recommended R-n-R.  Amusingly, it looks like a party of three sitting on the aft deck, but it is just Sue sitting between the two aft bitts.