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Published: January 18th 2009
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Tauranga to Auckland - or would you believe Whitianga
Captains Log: Left Bridge marina 0730hrs, Monday 22 December 2008. Once clear of Tauranga/Mount entrance able to lay a northern course in the steadily increasing nor’easter. Wind increased to about force 3, 15 knots. Once past Aldermans able to ease sheets slightly and aim for Red Mercury. The plan was that as going round Red Mercury and heading towards Colville Channel we would be able to ease sheets further. However, with the change of destinations to Whitianga we had to back track past Red Mercury again and sailed into Mercury Bay with wind at our back. As the wind declined we motored in.
The bigger Story:
By Sunday 21 December having rested up, laundered all the salt water out of our gear and taken on new crew (Richard - shaken not stirred - Vaughn) we were on a mission to get to Auckland to meet my daughter at midday on the 23rd. The original plan was to meander up the coast from Tauranga to Slipper Island, drop anchor for the night, put out the craypot and do a spot of fishing, then sail around to Waiheke on the Monday
for the same routine before heading serenely into Auckland to meet Rebecca who would be waiting to greet us. It was a great plan.
However, Sunday passed us by in the most delightful fashion lunching at the Mount with friends, then stocking the boat from the supermarket and when it was time to go the Captain was not well. He was leaking considerably from eyes and nose and not at all happy. The only position he appeared comfortable was reclining with eyes closed. A new plan was formed - we would leave at 6.00am Monday morning. Richard was going to wake everyone at 5.30am. I woke at 5.25am looked at the watch, thought I would just close my eyes for another five minutes and at 6.30am Richard opened his eyes for the second time having done exactly as I had done. We got away at 7.30am.
We were under motor and sail, and the sea while lumpy was ideal for sailing. The coast was really interesting, possibly because I was able to identify places I knew. At about 11.00am, I was on the helm and a little phased as I always am by the motion of the boat
sailing, Richard was with me in the cockpit and the Captain was taking time to sleep as he was still unwell, when we lost the motor. It didn’t fall off or run away or anything drastic like that. It just stopped. As the wind was perfect for sailing, the Captain was in his element, and we continued under sail heading towards the Aldermans and on to the outer Mercury’s where a course change was to take us across to Colville Channel and into the Hauraki Gulf. You can imagine how I was feeling without the motor in working order!
During the next few hours Richard and I had some fun adjusting to the motion of the boat under sail in a fairly lumpy sea. Sailing is challenging. You really have to get used to moving around the boat while it is moving in the opposite direction to the way you are balancing. As explained in a previous log, a lot of lurching can take place. Our friend Richard has advanced Parkinsons disease, so if I was finding it difficult, I can only imagine what it was like for him. We had some very amusing moments trying to get him
into wet weather gear after he had been doused by waves.
He and the Captain spent most of the time sitting to the rear of the cockpit while I sat balancing in the stairwell to the cabin handing out snack food at regular intervals to feed the appetites sailing seems to instill in all our crew. I will load a couple of shots of the state of the sea at the time to give you an idea of the conditions one is called upon to be a master chef in but it is really difficult to show it on film.
One of the down sides of Parkinsons is that it reacts to fatigue. Around about the time we lost the motor the Captain revealed his new plan of getting us to Auckland to see Rebecca by midday Tuesday - we were going to keep sailing overnight. One was becoming less than happy.
I might take time out to explain The Captain’s idea of a plan. First you should always have one, it is always subject to change, and when you can look back on whatever you have actually done THAT becomes the plan.
As we were
heading around the outer Mercury’s the VHF radio activated with a weather forecast giving gale warnings for Colville Channel with winds getting up to 35 knots, gusting 50 knots. That was the final straw and both Richard and I decided we did not want to go on. The Captain has recorded this as our one and only allowable mutiny. (Captain’s note: Need to find out if flogging truly outlawed.)
He did however agree to head back to Whitianga which meant back tracking a little. Then the closer we got to shore the more the wind dropped until the sails were hanging slack and sad, and we were rolling with a healthy swell. You can imagine how the Captain was feeling in these conditions when he was ready and raring to sail all night! Checking the fuel tanks, it was found that we were nearly out of diesel (the trip round East Cape was brutal for fuel consumption as it turned out). Luckily we had reserve fuel on board and once this was in the tank the engine was up and running once again so chances are we could have continued - especially as the threatened gale force winds never
eventuated.
Heading for Whitianga meant we entered yet another of the ‘Bays’, this time Mercury Bay and I am so pleased we got to see it. Whitianga is situated on a river (Mangrove River) and the marina is a little way in. There is a channel leading to the river at the side of the bay. Finding that channel proved quite a mission for the Captain. We spent considerable time sweeping the northern end of the bay in very shallow water to find it. I was calling the depth sounder reading - 2 meters, 3 meters, 2 meters - Richard was on lookout and the Captain was on the helm looking a little perplexed. It was dark by this time which made things more complicated - it can be very difficult picking out the relevant navigational lights from shore lights. Finally it dawned on the Captain that his memory of Whitanga was wrong - the channel was at the southern end. (Captains note: Test all assumptions - i.e. read the bloody chart again.)
We were all very pleased to enter the channel and were soon berthed in Whitianga’s lovely new marina. A call had gone out to my
Passing the Aldermen Islands
Note the nice stable work platform. kids to let them know the change of plan and the following day they were inbound to pick us all up and deliver us to Auckland in preparation for Christmas.
We would like to acknowledge Alex and Rebecca for coming to our aid and making our trip to Auckland such an enjoyable, albeit cramped, event. (Captains Note: Loved the toenail polish Rebecca.) Thank you very much from Doug, Richard and Mum.
We managed to get a berth in the marina for Hakura until after New Year and for the first time since moving onto the boat we bid her farewell for the next ten days.
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