Kalai and Canny off the Cavalli's

Kalai1 - Youtube videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q_8fMB8844&list=UUtbCZsvFh7V4Wf-ngNYjkfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSRLKWpNP6k&list=UUtbCZsvFh7V4Wf-ngNYjkfg

Whangaroa to Opua - brilliant sail!

Started the day up the mast... literally! Figured out how to work the 'Topclimber' and climbed up to clean the spreaders and fix the light.  Worked really well and not too difficult to climb.






























Headed off late morning to sail back to Opua into a building SE breeze that eventually reached 15-18kts.

Unfortunately it was from exactly the direction we wanted to head, so hence the number of tacks in the log today.

As you can see by the inclinometer at 30 deg, we had the old girl working today. She behaved impeccably!








All in all we sailed for 86 kms in just over 9 hours...

Saw some awesome sights along the way, and were welcomed home by a typical BoI sunset.

Great Island retreat!

Friends along the way...

Passing Roberton Island at sunset - only 12km to go!

Tired but happy and bellies filled tonight with a nice Green Chicken Curry prepared while motoring quietly up the estuary as darkness fell

Faces of Whangaroa...

Whangaroa tooling and tootling

Tootled down to the Whangaroa township in the morning and tied up to the dock at the Marina. Spent the day tooling away finishing the fiddle (main hatch) and dismantling the pushpit to professionally install the heavy 6mm wiring for the new solar panels which will be mounted on top od the Bimini - bit of a mission and easier to say than to do!  Should complete the installation today...

Motored down to PekaPeka bay in the north arm late afternoon for a swim and then explored the little canyon in the Rubber Ducky - involved some motoring, rowing and pushing!

Brilliant spot - surrounded by rocky defiles and sheer craggy cliffs...

Ahhh the serenity!

Some shots from the past two sunsets...

And a little cruise ship we passed back off Russell - evidently the "Cruise ship of the year" in 2011...

Whangaroa at last!

Arrived tonight at Whangaroa harbour after an all day (8 hr) sail in sublime conditions - a broad reach with a 15-18 kt SE up our date... Kalai behaved impeccably, and her crew just went along for the ride - 'Bru' the Tillerpilot steered most of the day!

Log Charts... off for a Coffee, waiting for Canny, couple more jobs

Sitting here watching all the big Stinkpots(aka power launches) heading out for the big Game Fishing tournament on today... the little 65 foot Riviera beside with Martin, a 'deckie' and two clients headed off an hour ago.

Have posted the charts from the past few days below, off for a coffee at Diane's then have a crack at replacing the hatch fiddle with the new one I made earlier

Canny due to arrive later today and then we will head off for three days, probably north to Whanagaroa, weather dependant... southeasterlies with a few showers Saturday predicted

Sailed, sailed and... well, sailed again!

Monday 17th

A few little jobs to do on Monday morning, including meeting Roger Hall from the North Saills loft who I had asked to come and assess the condition of the the two main sails. He turned out to be very experienced, knew the class of boats as he commented: “Laurie Davidson didn't design any slow boats...”

He agreed that the mainsail was poorly cut, but was worth re-shaping as it had had very little use. The head-sail was “an old girl” and will need replacing at some stage. I'll have to do some saving up for a new 'laminate' version.

Then it remained to fill the water tanks, check the supplies and cast off - it was time to stop preparing to sail and get out there!

Yesterday had given me an appetising hint of the difference a slippery bottom could make, and Kalai slid easily through the estuary waters into a building northerly. Reached across toward Kerikeri inlet then tacked north of Roberton through the gap – great sailing conditions so kept going out to Urupukapuka bay and anchored for late lunch.

Gun and Adele arrived on “Instep” in the afternoon and anchored nearby. Swam and tested out the new ladder, which works great. No trouble up and down and would certainly be more than adequate if one had to re-board from inadvertently  not being on board... 

G & A came over for drinks and nibbles and shared a few yarns – didn't cook tea until after 9 so just had an instant meal... 








...the full moon rising was magnificent!

Tues 18^th

Up early to catch some great sunrise shots... over the same hills from whence came the moon - go figure!

Another swim, in a balmy20.4 deg then a walk over the hill to Otehei Bay where I met 'Couta', the caretaker for DOC, and watched as he fed his "pet" snapper off the wharf - some of whom would have fed a family of five! Couta said he'd been there four years while  the dispute between DOC (Department of Conservation), 'Explore' and 'Fullers' is still unresolved as to who can use/lease the island facilities... crazy stuff!

Walked over the island then back for another swim... magnificent views from the top!

Heard some birds calling and took some shots of the flock of Pied Shags roosting in the Pohutakawa trees along the cliff-face... magnificent!

 G & A headed off,  then I left a bit later just under head-sail and met themnear Roberton Island.  "Instep", a Young88 (in shot on right)was under main and Gun hoisted the headsail and shot off through the gap east of Roberton, so I hoisted the main and gave chase (after I escaped the wind shadow!) and followed them all the way around the island and back to Pipi bay, staying about the same 3-400m distance behind... sometimes I'd gain and then a gust would see them shoot clear again.  The old girl went all right, even towing the dinghy we were making 6-6.4 knots reaching.

Pulled in to Pipi bay with only two other boats (later 8!)  Drinks and dinner on Instep – Adele had caught a snapper trolling - went well with the fresh sweet corn!

A new neighbour anchored out a little bit - couldn't quite get into Awaawaroa Bay...

Wed 19th

Sailed... lunch at, Paradise bay, sailed some more...home in the Marina tonight

Sailed Lusi's entrails,,,

The day just got better and better...

Not so much the calm after the storm, but at least the sun emerged around midday following three days of grey skies, strong winds and rain.

Feeling a little 'stir-crazy' after the enforced hibernation from Cyclone Lusi I decided to down tools and head for the open waters of the BoI.

Cruising towards Russell with a reduced headsail at 6-7 kts in a brisk NW breeze, I thought I'd check out the remnants of the storm beyond Tapeka Point... and had an exciting roller-coaster ride on the 4-6m swells still marching south with a 25 kt westerly getting me to Roberton Island in no time at all.

The new black skirt on Kalai must be a fashion success as first one then a second large dolphin surfed across the bow - just magic!

Pulled in to Roberton Island for a spot of lunch - not many boats out today except for the commercial operators doing their thing.  anchored next to Ipipiri as they entertained the tourists...

Wind began to head around to the west and I thought I better get going as it was going to be beating straight into the breeze heading back.  Set a reef in the main and sailed south off the anchor with 7/8 genoa unfurled, then a long beat back to Tapeka...

Really pleased how she handled 20-25kts, averaging 5.5.-6 kts hard on the nose.  Probably a little over-canvassed but Kalai stiffens up as she heels to around 20 deg without threatening to round up.

Wind began to ease as I cruised up the estuary, dropping the main and still making over 6 kts with the tidal assistance and a reduced head sail.  Ran the engine, which is going great, up to 3000rpm at which stage we were doing over 7 kts with the boarding platform fully submerged!

Back on dock around 1800hrs to be greeted by Gun and Adele, a mature age couple who had sailed up from Tauranga in their Young 88 last week and who had decided to wait out Lusi in a rented marina berth.  They invited me over for drinks in the cockpit, once I finished mounting the new boarding ladder on the platform - which, with a bit of fiddling and adjustments, turned out pretty well.  Will see if I can get back on board using it tomorrow!

Been reading a NZ novel "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton which has some synchronicity with my own forebears - the three Stewart brothers who emigrated from Scotland about the same time as the setting of this novel...