On the hard at Dockland 5 Marina, Whangarei
Weather: partly cloudy, warm

We have continued to make steady progress towards completing Sylph’s minor refit. The hull repairs have been faired and painted; the foredeck has been put back together; the anchor windlass has been overhauled, reassembled, painted, and reinstalled; and the hull interior has been de-rusted and painted where needed.

Tomorrow I will give the bottom an extra coat of anti-fouling, stow the anchor chain, and service the Hydrovane self-steering. There are few other miscellaneous jobs I want to do before we return to the water, which, with a little luck, I am hoping will happen this week, perhaps Wednesday.

All is well.

Unfortunately, not all the photos are getting through. I suspect my service provider is not up to scratch. I will rectify in due course. Meanwhile, hopefully these photos will get through.

Port side:

Lee and me:

A pleasant evening with Natasha (despite the rugby):

Forefoot:

More photos follow (data problems!)

On the hard at Dockland 5 Marina, Whangarei
Wind: E F2 slight breeze
Weather: mostly sunny, warm

It has been a very productive week though nothing worth photographing at this stage. I finished cutting out the rusty bits of metal and cutting new plates to weld in their place. The welding is scheduled for tomorrow and, with luck, by the end of the day Sylph will be ready to paint and to start making ready for sea again. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is less than ideal, with rain expected during the day, but Lee, the welder, reckons we can manage with some tarps to provide shelter.

I have also been able to start on other jobs on my to-do list this week and today I finished overhauling the heads (you may recall that the discharge hose was completely blocked). All the pipework has been replaced with new hose, the manual pump has been overhauled, as has the seacock. It was a messy and difficult job which I am very glad to have behind me. I last overhauled the heads in 2020, so I figure I need to add this job to my planned maintenance schedule on a five yearly interval.

Next week, if the welding all goes well, I will start painting the renewed metal and start on the remaining 'other jobs' on my list, the most important of which is overhauling the anchor windlass, which had started running less than smoothly over the last couple of months.

It will be a crucial day tomorrow in terms of remaining on schedule for completing this refit (I had allowed about a month). Fingers crossed …

All is well.

On the hard at Dockland 5 Marina, Whangarei
Wind: E F3-4 gentle to moderate breeze
Weather: rain, cool

The week has been mostly sunny and I have been able to progress work on Sylph at a satisfactory rate; though we are still at the stage of pulling things apart and cutting holes in her hull and have not yet started welding things up and putting things back together – hopefully we can start that next weekend. Today has dawned wet and drizzly so a good day for catching up on some paperwork and domestics, in particular the laundry.

Most of the progress this week has been on the unplanned work, namely the corrosion down in the forefoot. This has involved removing the two house batteries, various spares, including some 15 meters of anchor chain, and some internal lead ballast from the inside so as to give me access for cutting and grinding, also to allow welding to eventually take place without setting the boat on fire. One of the house batteries I have relocated to where the dead engine start battery used to live and reconnected it so that we can still have some power for lighting and to keep the little fridge running. Once all that was done, I got stuck into cutting out the wasted steel and have ended up with a couple of large holes, one on either side of the forefoot, to get back to good steel.

With respect to the cable locker, the other big job for this refit, again while no welding has taken place, I have taken the opportunity to de-rust the locker and have started applying some fresh paint to these areas. The steel is a bit thin in places and no doubt at some time in the future will have to be cut out and replaced. I thought about doing it this time round but given that New Zealand is no longer a place where an old sailor can do his own welding on his own boat without jumping through a bunch of complicated bureaucratic hoops, I will leave this for either when it becomes a problem or when I am in a part of the world that still hasn’t quite caught up with modernity.

I had hoped to have had some welding done this weekend but, apart from the rain today, organising the welder has proven more complicated and expensive than I was expecting. I had not taken into account his charges for travel time and setting up, which are significant. Consequently, rather than doing a relatively small job each weekend, which is what I had in mind, I will prepare several jobs for him to do for a whole day’s work. I am hoping that if all goes according to plan than the work can be completed over two weekends.

The other bit of bureaucracy I have encountered this week is related to Mr Trump’s world. I was planning on applying for a USA visa while in New Zealand, but it turns out that the rules have been changed as of last year. Now, according to the relevant website, one has to apply for a visa to visit the USA from one’s country of origin. My voyage plans do not have me arriving in the USA until mid-2027, which is why I had not applied sooner because circumstances can too easily change when planning that far ahead. I intend to see if I can get an exemption to apply for a visa through the US consulate in Auckland, but, if not … well I will worry about that when we get that far.

I had estimated that this refit would take about a month but always expected that there would likely be unanticipated work arising as has proven to be the case. I am still hopeful that we will have everything completed by the end of October, but, of course, will extend as long as is required to get Sylph seaworthy.

All is well.

Cable locker:

On the hard at Dockland 5 Marina, Whangarei
Wind: W F3 gentle breeze
Weather: sunny periods, showers, cool

I recall a saying, “When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging”. Unfortunately, when it comes to steel boats this little adage does not apply. With a steel boat, when you find a hole, you have to keep digging until you are back to good steel. And today I have spent mostly on the foredeck expanding the hole to remove rusty steel. I think I have pretty much cut it back to good steel and can now clean the area up for some new steel to be welded in.

But, the most important achievement of the day was my meeting with Lee, the welder recommended to me by another steel boat owner in the yard. We had a very productive conversation and while he has a month long contractual commitment coming up for the next month, he has agreed to fit my relatively small jobs in over the weekends. I think this arrangement will suit me very well. I will work during the week to prepare the welding jobs for him and then hopefully he can come in and do a couple of hour’s work welding up the holes.

Given that I will not have too much to report on a daily basis over the next few weeks, I will revert to a weekly reporting schedule unless I have something particularly noteworthy to communicate. So, until next week ...

All is well.

On the hard at Dockland 5 Marina, Whangarei
Wind: W F3 gentle breeze
Weather: sunny periods, showers, mild

We continue to make good progress on Sylph’s, what I am hoping to be, minor refit.

Yesterday after having Sylph set up in her stands, I got stuck in and attacked the first job for the refit, cutting out some wasted metal in a very localised spot on the port side adjacent the galley. This bit of corrosion was caused by a piece of timber pressed against the hull which helped support some of the interior fit out and would have been there since Sylph was originally built sixty-six years ago. Unfortunately timber and steel is not a good combination and it is not surprising corrosion has developed behind the timber strut. It probably lasted as long as it did because the spot is high up on the hull and would have been pretty dry for the most part.

While inspecting the hull below the waterline I found a problem I was not expecting. I noticed some beads of rusty water seeping out of the anti-fouling paint close to the stem line. Initially I thought it might have just been a failure in the epoxy primer but then I noticed the same problem on the opposite side of the hull and became highly suspicious that the problem was more significant than just some failed paint. I attacked both blemishes with the angle grinder and sure enough small holes in the hull were revealed. Bother! I had attended to this area extensively back in 2020 so am disappointed to discover this bit of corrosion. Hopefully it won’t prove to be anything too substantial. I have cut the worst of the wasted metal out but I still need to pull the floorboards up to have a look at the hull from the inside before I do any more cutting.

Today I have been focused on the foredeck. Some years ago, back in December 2018, I did some repairs to the foredeck using some aluminium plate I had left over from rebuilding the cockpit. Since then a number of small holes have appeared along the toe rail which I had repaired temporarily with epoxy and fibreglass. Making a more permanent repair is part of this refit’s work schedule.

To this end, first I unbolted the anchor windlass (which is also in need of an overhaul), then I unbolted and lifted the aluminium deck plate ( a few recalcitrant bolts requiring some persuasion with an impact driver made this a lengthy job), and finally I then started cutting out the rusty metal. More work required.

This evening, I made contact with a welder who has been recommended by a couple of people here in the yard, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning to discuss the work that needs doing on Sylph. I have seen some of Lee's work and it looks excellent, and from my initial meeting he seems very pleasant, so I hope he will be able to fit Sylph into his schedule.  Previously I have done the welding myself but, as mentioned in an earlier post, the world is becoming increasingly regulated, and Dockland 5 is no exception. They now require a hot work certificate and a ‘spotter’ to act as a fire sentry; which is all fair enough but it adds to the complexity of organising these sorts of jobs, and, of course, it costs significantly more than if I did it by myself. On the plus side I am sure the finished job will be to a much higher standard than my own welding.

Anyway, these are all minor hurdles and to be expected when undertaking a refit on an old steel boat. There are two other steel boats in the yard, much younger than Sylph, which have much bigger problems than we do (tempting fate here). One has had most of her bilge cut out and replaced so I am not feeling too overwhelmed at this stage. (Not that I gain any pleasure in seeing other people’s problems, but they can help one maintain perspective on one’s own little problems.)

All is well.

The hole adjacent to the galley (it's getting dark): 

The unplanned hole near the stem:

The foredeck being dismantled:

This morning Sylph was lifted out of the water once again and I am pleased to say that it all went well. Sylph is now propped up securely on the gravel yard of Docklands 5 and I have already cut a couple of holes in her hull in the way of repairs, one planned and, I regret to say, one not planned. But more on that tomorrow. It has been a busy day and I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

Yesterday afternoon I rang Dockland 5 to let them know that we had arrived in Whangarei and to confirm our haul-out booked for Friday, and perhaps to bring it forward to Thursday. The manager agreed that he would try to arrange an earlier haul-out and to that end, at midday I weighed anchor, motored a short distance up river with the flooding tide and brought Sylph alongside Dockland 5’s marina (new since we were last here), where we tied up at 1230.

There have been quite a few improvements at Dockland 5 since we were last here in 2020. Apart from the new marina, the facilities have been increased, the office complex is new, and a boat dealership has been built out the front. As with most modernisations, the place has lost some of its old boatyard charm and no doubt there will be more rules now, as with everything, and costs will of course have gone up. Such is life.

With luck we will haul out late tomorrow and I can then get stuck into the jobs that we came here to do.

All is well.

Position: 35 44.61 S 174 21.00 E
At anchor Hatea River, Whangarei
Wind: WSW F3 gentle breeze
Sea state: rippled Swell: nil
Weather: overcast, mild
Day’s run: 12 nm

The forecast for the day was gentle WSW winds (ie a headwind), freshening in the afternoon. Preferring to sail against a gentle headwind rather than a fresh one, I got underway at 0710, sailing from anchor and out of ‘The Nook’ in three short tacks. We passed close by the beacon marking the entrance to ‘The Nook’, almost scraping the paint off it in order to avoid another very short tack. Once clear of The Nook’s entrance I could relax a little, but not much as Whangarei Harbour is a tidal estuary with extensive sand banks. The headwind and an ebbing tide made for some careful navigation and again I watched the GPS plotter and the depth sounder closely, tacking each time the sounding shallowed as we approached a sand bar.

I completed thirteen tacks in the three hours that it took us to get to Kioreroa Reach in the Hatea River leading into the town of Whangarei. I guess most people would have simply motored but I enjoy the sailing and the challenging navigation. I find it very satisfying to bring my old Sylph into harbour under sail, as well as feeling a little virtuous in avoiding burning more fossil fuel than absolutely necessary.

At 1042 I furled the jib, started the BRM and handed the main, manoeuvring in the shallows to find a spot among the other anchored craft, letting go the anchor in 2.9 meters of water over a mud bottom seven minutes later.

Unfortunately this is about as close to town as one can get if one wants to remain at anchor. From here it is a one kilometre row to the nearest dinghy dock and from there it is about a three kilometre walk into town. Given the distance I need to row, I will be working the tides, using the flood stream to row ashore and then the ebb to get back to the boat. Fortunately at the moment the tides work in my favour, with the tide turning at 1615. So, after lunch and a short rest, I might try to get ashore for a leg stretch.

All is well.

At 0805 I had the anchor and mainsail up, and the jib set once we had gybed round onto an E’ly heading to make our way out of Tutukaka’s narrow entrance. Once clear of Red Rock (and I did notice a red tinge to the rock above the high-water mark in the morning sun), we turned to the SE to open the coast for some clear air before altering course to the SSE.

We spent about twenty minutes in the light fluky airs of the Cape’s wind shadow, but at 1110 we suddenly broke free and were once more back in clear air. Now we had to come close-hauled onto the wind as the entrance to Whangarei Harbour lay three miles to the west, tucked in behind Bream Head’s steep cliffs. We tacked at midday and I was pleased to see that with the assistance of a south setting current and the flooding tide, we were going to easily lay the entrance to the Harbour.

At 1300 we were passing Marsden Point and entered the sheltered waters of the Harbour. We continued in through an unmarked channel between two extensive sand banks which were covered at this time as it was going on high water. As the channel was not marked I was relying on GPS and the depth sounder to navigate the shallow waters to our destination for the night, “The Nook’ in Parua Bay.

The entrance to Parua Bay is also narrow, only 200 meters wide, but it is easy to identify. At 1326 I rolled up the jib and ten minutes later started the engine as we approached Reserve Point, the right hand side of the entrance which holds the deeper water. We bore away to the east as we rounded the point into the pool of water that is known as “The Nook”. At 1341 I turned into the wind and dropped the mainsail then manoeuvred under motor to find a good spot to drop the anchor in the SE corner of the pool so as to gain shelter from the SW breeze. At 1350 I let go the anchor in five meters of water.

Departing Tutukaka Harbour:

Red Rock in the morning sun:

Some boats going the other way:

Bream Head (Bream Island in foreground):

We weighed anchor at 1518 with two reefs in the main as it was gusty in the anchorage and it is always easier to shake a reef out than put one in. Once the anchor was aweigh we found ourselves on the wrong tack heading towards the shore, so I started the engine to help Sylph around onto the right tack to head us out of the bay then shut it down again.

Once clear of Urupukapuka Bay, we bore away to the north to run before the SW breeze out of the narrows of Albert Channel which requires careful navigation as it is encumbered with several rocks and a small reef. Once in open water I set the jib and shook out a reef in the main as conditions were lighter than I was expecting; however, as we got clear of the wind shadow of Urupukapuka Island the wind freshened and I was happy to leave one reef in.

We rounded Cape Brett at 1630, passing in between the Cape and Motukokako Island, a very large chunk of black rock that juts precipitously 150 meters out of the water and is a tourist magnet when the weather is fair. Indeed, as we approached the narrow passage the local sail training and tourist vessel, R. Tucker Thompson, was coming in the opposite direction. She only had her gaff mainsail up and was clearly motor-sailing into the short sea, her bow rising and falling with a couple of sailors perched precariously out on the bowsprit’s foot ropes.

As we rounded the steep cliffs of Cape Brett we fell into its wind shadow and accordingly the wind fell light and fitful. Nonetheless we were able to continue sailing, trimming the sails as needed, and while our speed dropped to an average of less than two knots, a half hour later we were back into clear air. Now with the wind a pleasant force four from the west, I shook out the reef and we continued under all plain sail, staying within two miles of the coast to make for smooth seas and a comfortable passage.

It turned out to be a very pleasant evening. As the sunset, the skies were clearing and a bright half-moon lit up the coastline making navigation easy and relaxing. We made good progress down the coast, mostly averaging around four to five knots, though because we were close to the coast we occasionally fell into light winds off the high headlands casting their shadows far out onto the waters, when our speed dropped to two to three knots.

At 2250 we were approaching Tutukaka Head, another steep piece of black rock jutting high out of the sea, and as we fell becalmed in its wind shadow, I started the engine and handed sail. Just beyond the headland we picked up the violet leading lights bearing due west. We turned to follow them in through the narrow entrance of the harbour, leaving the high headland 100 meters to starboard and the low swarthy Red Rock sixty meters to port. I was glad the moon was shining. At 2310 we drifted into the anchorage, letting go the anchor in six meters of calm water, well clear of the moored boats that filled the bay to just to the south of us.

We have enjoyed a peaceful night at anchor but the wind has now freshened from the SW and is blowing at near gale force strength, so it is good to be in a snug harbour.

The wind is forecast to ease this evening with light winds tomorrow, so my plan is to get underway tomorrow morning. Indeed, the rest of our passage to Whangarei Harbour is likely to be slow going, but it is only 22 miles to the harbour’s entrance so I am hopeful that we will be able to arrive before sunset without the need of the engine, and certainly before the wind turns back into the SW and picks up again on Tuesday afternoon.

All is well.

Approaching Cape Brett:

R. Tucker Thompson coming the other way:

Crazy Kiwis taking a morning swim across Tutukaka Harbour - water temperature 12 degrees:

Looking back at the harbour entrance, Tutukaka Head to the left and the rather black looking Red Rock to the centre:

At anchor, Urupukapuka Bay, Urupukapuka Island
Wind: SW, F4 moderate breeze, gusting F5 fresh.
Sea state: rippled Swell: negligible
Weather: mostly sunny, mild

We got through the night without any problems, though I had one anxious moment when the wind shifted into the south at around 2100 causing Sylph to swing to her anchor through 180 degrees. The anchor alarm sounded which was okay as I wanted to know about the wind shift; however, it seemed that Sylph had moved outside of what I calculated to be here swinging circle based on where I had let go the anchor. Given our recent experience of dragging in Motuarohia Island, rather than trust to luck I donned foul weather gear (it was now raining), went up to the foredeck, checked the cable – all looked okay, then started the engine, putting it in reverse to ensure that Sylph had her cable. I checked our movement with the GPS and some shore lights and was satisfied that we were not dragging. Returning below, I reset the anchor alarm and was able to relax without too much consternation for the rest of the gusty evening.

This morning I have been studying the charts and weather forecasts, planning our short passage to Whangarei. It was my original intention to hop down the coast in three legs making short day sails between a couple of bays along the way; but the weather forecasts are making this plan a tad complicated. The wind is currently fresh out of the SW and is expected to veer into the west late this afternoon, then return SW Sunday afternoon. On Monday winds ease and veer into the west before returning strong from the SSW late Tuesday with the passage of a front.

After much consideration, I have decided to get under way this afternoon to take advantage of the west winds this evening and make for Tutukaka Harbour, a bit over halfway to Whangarei. If we get away at around 1600, we should arrive off Tutukaka Harbour around 2300 which will allow us to get a reasonable night’s rest. We would then then have a lay day on Sunday and get under way again on Monday morning, using the light favourable winds to complete our passage to Whangerei Harbour, hopefully gaining shelter late Monday/early Tuesday, depending on how light the winds are.

So that is the plan. And now I had best get Sylph ready for sea. I will report back tomorrow and let you know how it works out.

All is well.

Position: 35 13.24 S 174 14.30 E
At anchor Urupukapuka Bay, Urupukapuka Island
Wind: SW F3 gentle breeze
Sea state: rippled    Swell: NE <0.5 meters
Weather: overcast, drizzle, mild
Day’s run: 7.0 nm sailed, 4.4 nm made good.

Before getting under way this morning, I had another look at the weather forecasts to confirm that our plan to head for Urupukapuka Bay was still sensible. Unfortunately New Zealand’s official Meteorological Service had changed their forecast to strong S’ly winds overnight and I wasn’t sure that Urupukapuka Bay would be the best spot to shelter from this direction. I looked at a few options and decided that Opuarua Bay would provide good shelter from any winds from the S’ly quadrant; however, on the downside its entrance was open to any swell from the north, and as there had been moderate to strong winds from the north over the last few days then I expected that a N’ly swell was very likely. Another option was Kaingahoa Bay which looked like it should provide good shelter from anything from the south. But, as I pored over the forecasts from various sources, I was concerned that they were all indicating strong W’ly winds picking up tomorrow and Kaingahoa Bay is open the west. I certainly did not want to be trying to weigh anchor and bash my way out of small rock-strewn bay against a rising wind and sea. So that didn’t look too good either. A good anchorage might have been Parekura Bay, but this bay has been taken over by an invasive weed and anchoring there is not allowed except under force majeure. Another option was to head back towards Russell, but I wanted to be making tracks towards our next destination of Whangarei, not going the other way. In the end I decided to get under way, head for Urupukapuka Island and assess my options along the way.

Conditions were calm first thing in the morning, so my time spent procrastinating over where to head for did not waste any sailing time. We weighed anchor at 1030 as a light breeze from the WNW started to make itself felt, managing to sail from anchor without the need for the engine. The winds remained light throughout the day, backing into the south then continuing around the clock to NE as we were approaching Urupukapuka Island. Early on I decided that Opuarua Bay would not be a good anchorage because as we passed the channel between Moutarohia Island and Moturua Island, we could feel a one meter swell coming in from the north which would almost certainly have made anchoring in Opuarua Bay very uncomfortable. So I started heading for Kaingahoa Bay as my first option.

The distance to Kaingahoa Bay is only four miles but with the light winds, mostly from ahead, our going was very slow. Nonetheless we had sufficient wind to keep Sylph moving most of the time at between one to two knots and as the seas were flat in the lee of the many islands, the sail was very relaxing. We arrived off the entrance to Kaingahoa Bay at 1450, but looking at the forecasts another time I really did not like the idea of being embayed there with the possibility of a rising W'ly wind. I continued on to Urupukapuka Bay, which, in the end, is where I have decided to anchor for the night, tucking into the western side of the bay as far as I could, letting go the anchor in 4.5 meters of water at 1520. A little bit of swell is invading the bay but it is entirely tolerable and once the wind picks up from the south the swell should quickly die away.

While protection from the south is less than ideal, I figure I have plenty of room to the north for us to drag into, allowing time to react if necessary. Also, when the SW and west winds arrive tomorrow, we will be well sheltered here and Urupukapuka Bay will make a good jumping off point for the next leg of our passage to Whangarei.

Fingers crossed my decision will turn out okay.

All is well.

Position: 35 14.02 S 174 10.09 E
At anchor, Motuarohia Island
Wind: N F4 moderate breeze
Sea state: rippled Swell: nil
Weather: partly cloudy, mild
Day’s run: 7.0 nm

Contrary to earlier forecasts, the anchorage remained calm overnight allowing for a good night’s sleep. I got underway at 1020, sailing out of Matauwha Bay under mainsail just as a breeze was filling in from the north, dodging a moored boat on the way out. Once clear of the moorings, I set the jib and we sailed close hauled to the freshening breeze. At 1055 we were approaching the western shore of the Bay, the flagstaff of Treaty House with the New Zealand/Aotearoa flag at the masthead, the Union Jack on one yard arm, and I presume a Māori flag on the other, stood high on the headland. We tacked passing clear of a shoal patch two cables to our NE. From there we made good a course to clear Fraser Rock, a rather nasty tongue of sharp craggy black rocks that just break the surface a cable out from Tapeka Point.

The wind continued to freshen to force five as we worked our way clear of the channel, Sylph leaned well over under all plain sail, making good a steady six knots to windward. I gave thought to putting a reef in the main but it was only a short distance before we would be clear of Russell Rock and able to bear away and ease sheets a little. At 1117 we were clear of the black rocks, passing them close by at a little over 200 meters.

My original plan for the day was to head back to Urapukapuka Bay but looking at the forecast, the winds are expected to be fresh out of the north for the next 24 hours and I have been advised that Urapukapuka Bay suffers from swell when a N’ly blows for any extended period; also, that the holding is not so good in parts of the bay due to grass. With these thoughts in mind, I decided to head to Motuarohia Island instead, which offers good protection for winds from the north and has good holding.

Consequently, we got to anchor earlier than originally anticipated, as Motuarohia Island is only six miles from Matauwha Bay, as opposed to ten miles to Urupukapuka Bay. At 1143 I rolled up the jib as we rounded the SW headland of the island’s unnamed bay. We continued close-hauled under main alone at a nice manoeuvrable two knots, tacking just short of the jetty on the eastern side of the bay, then continuing to my planned anchorage position 120 meters off the beach, equidistant between a motor vessel to our right and a sailing vessel to our left, where we rounded into the wind, handed the main and let go the anchor in five meters of water over a sandy bottom.

The wind is forecast to shift into the SW tomorrow with gusts up to 35 knots late in the day. So, we will head for Urupukapuka Bay tomorrow as it will provide better shelter from the SW than Motuarohia Island. There we will wait until the wind eases a little, then we will head south for Whangarei, probably on Monday.

All is well.

At anchor, Matauwha Bay, off Russell
Wind: NW F1 light air
Sea state: calm Swell: nil
Weather: clear, cool

Today, first up after breakfast I rowed ashore to the local market where I bought some fresh produce. Then I spent a couple of hours doing a bit of volunteer work with an environmental group at the invitation of Annie, after which I did the laundry and some grocery shopping. This evening I spent at the Russell Boating Club where I had a meal and enjoyed some conversation with Annie and other members of the club.

Now we are safely back on board.

Tomorrow the wind is forecast to pick up from the NW. A few days ago I was quite concerned about being exposed to strong winds, but more recent forecasts are for winds of around 15 knots, so not so bad. Nonetheless, where we are anchored is open to the NW so I will remain on board tomorrow and monitor our situation. If necessary we will move to a more protected anchorage.

Now that we are fully provisioned again, from here the plan is to head down to Whangarei as soon as the weather allows.

All is well.

Position: 35 16.33 S 174 07.47 E
At anchor, Matauwha Bay, off Russell
Wind: calm
Sea state: calm Swell: nil
Weather: clear, mild
Day’s run: 12.4 nm

This morning there was very little wind so I took advantage of the calm conditions to row ashore to collect some more fresh water. Back on board, water stowed, at 0955 I weighed anchor and we sailed out of Urupukapuka Bay to a light S’ly breeze, our destination – back to Russell to reprovision and to catch up with Annie and Paul one last time before heading south to Whangarei.

The winds remained light throughout the rest of the day and mostly from ahead, requiring a total of ten tacks weaving among the many islands, headlands and rocky reefs, before we were in the channel leading to Russell where we could ease sheets with the light breeze more on our beam. By this time it was approaching mid-afternoon. Now that we did not have any more tacking to do, I set the code zero in lieu of the jib.

Annie was also returning to Russell from Te Puna Inlet and as luck would have it, we were approaching Matauwhi Bay at around the same time, which afforded me the opportunity to see Fan Shi under sail for the first time. The bright yellow fan shaped sail spread magnificently above Fan Shi’s colourful hull and I was quite impressed with the speed she was making given her short waterline length, though admittedly her light displacement would have suited the light winds. I was also impressed by Annie’s adroit handling of her small craft as she approached the moorings and reduced sail, the bright yellow fan falling down upon itself like a large Venetian blind (see photos).

Meanwhile Sylph sailed to anchor, I hope no less adroitly, dropping the big code zero as we approached the bay, then rounding into the wind, lowering the main, and letting go the anchor in 4.5 meters of water, once again just outside Matauwha Bay.

All is well.

At anchor Urupukapuka Bay, Urupukapuka Island
Wind: calm
Sea state: calm Swell: nil
Weather: overcast, mild

It is very peaceful in Urupukapuka Bay. Two large cruising boats left this morning leaving the anchorage to just three boats: Sylph, a modest looking motorboat by the name of Lady Vee, and a small sailing craft that came in yesterday evening, its large skipper sitting in the cockpit making it look smaller still.

This morning I devoted to a bit of paperwork then this afternoon went ashore for a short walk. Urupukapuka Island must be quite a tourist attraction in the summer months as the camping ground and the many paths are very well maintained with extensive areas of manicured grass. I wandered up the hill towards Kapurarahurahu Point (I hope I have transcribed that right) with ewes and lambs giving me quizzical looks as I passed, then walked down the other side to Otehei Bay where there is a gift shop, a store, a restaurant with numerous outdoor tables and benches, and a modern jetty and pontoon structure extending out from the beach providing access for the tourists that visit here.

The tourist area was all closed up; I was the only person there. I sat down at one of the tables to watch a small brown sparrow trying to court a little hen; fanning his tail, dancing about and fluttering frantically but sadly with little success. I don’t think the little hen even saw him as she fossicked about the grass looking for food.

As I sat watching the display, a man opened up a clear awning behind me and enquired whether I had missed the boat back to Paihia. I explained that I had my own boat and had just walked over from Urupukapuka Bay. We had a short chat and he kindly provided me with a glass of red wine, gratis, which made my walk over the hill all the more satisfying, before closing up again and then heading back to the mainland in an outboard powered aluminium punt.

After I finished my wine, I strolled back over the hill and rowed back to Sylph. The camp site in the Bay has a fresh water supply and I took the opportunity of rowing back ashore again to fill two ten litre containers. (There is no potable water available back at Russell so I haven’t had the opportunity to refill Sylph’s water tanks since leaving Sydney.)

As I rowed across the still water looking back at the green hills, I felt the area had a serene, almost sacred feel to it, and wondered whether other people might feel this way and perhaps that is why today it is a tourist spot, or then again perhaps I have been spending too much time by myself. Regardless, it has been a nice, relaxing day.

All is well.

Position: 35 13.28 S 174 14.30 E
At anchor, Urupukapuka Bay, Urupukapuka Island
Wind: S, F3 gentle breeze
Sea state: rippled Swell: nil
Weather: mostly sunny, mild
Day’s run: 12.7 nm

Crowles Bay is a nice secure anchorage but the land is all privately owned so, unfortunately, apart from walking along the shore at low tide, there is little to do apart from watching the odd private helicopter landing and taking off or listen to the sound of large lawn mowers mowing the expansive grounds of some of the properties hidden in the hills. Thus, this morning, having exhausted the local attractions, at 1055 we weighed anchor and looked for somewhere new to visit. I chose Urupukapuka Bay as another secure anchorage but with the additional attractions of what looked like a nice beach and plenty of tracks open to the public.

It was a pleasant sail in mostly sunny conditions. Within Te Puna Inlet the winds were at times light and fluky, but once we back in open water the wind steadied fresh from the SSW and we made good six knots close reaching under all plain sail, covering the 12.7 miles between anchorages in three hours and twenty minutes. We dropped anchor again at 1315, exchanging the sound of helicopters and ride-on lawn mowers for bleating lambs.

I have enjoyed a quiet afternoon including a bit of a siesta. It seems I do not have the energy of yore and will leave exploring the island’s tracks until tomorrow.

All is well.