Category: Duet Travel Log

32:39:80S
168:11:105E

Tuesday 24th January

Bang. There was a strike on the fishing line trailed off the stern. Immediate inspection showed that something very large indeed had taken the lure and broken the 80 lb line. I think I am glad we didn’t get to see what it was. Sadly that was my favourite pink lure but I had a spare black and blue feathered number which so far has not lured anything.

Round about morning tea time Simon noticed a long rip along the foot of the poled out yankee sail. Down came the sail and we taped it up as best we could and rehoisted it. Why had it happened? Perhaps it has been caused by UV damage. There is a strip of UV material down the leech of the sail but not along the foot. It will need the attention of a sail maker in Brisbane.

In the meantime we have had to slow down our progress as light wind from astern means the sail will flog if we are not careful and could easily make the rip worse.

Today’s noon to noon run only 174 miles as against yesterdays of 195. By mid afternoon the wind increased so we rolled out the sail again are currently back up to speed at 6.5 – 7.5 knots.

How I love the Starwalk App on the ipad. Lying on deck stargazing is now a truly wonderful experience. So much easier than those star charts we all enthusiastically tried to figure out in the past.

36:37:41S
175:47:28E

Duet has had a very busy six months and we are now in the process of packing her up for the NZ winter. We have taken off the sails, turned out and cleaned almost all the lockers, serviced the engine and the generator and taken our suitcases out from under the bunk.. Farewell to winter here and hello to summer in Europe. Ka kite ano. By for now, in Maori.

This summer we have circumnavigated New Zealand via Tasmania. A total distance of 3500 miles.

Since our return from the main passage we have had some terrific short cruises up to the bay of islands and back via various other islands and destinations. We have reconnected with old friends and made new. When not actively cruising or fixing Duet there is plenty of world class theatre and music to enjoy. We finish with some of our favourite photographs.

36:36:57S
175:47:00E

Monday 14th.

A lazy sail up the coast to the Mercury Islands. There was a Tsunami warning but nothing was felt here. Today is a typical late summers’ day and a gentle sail, stop to catch a fish for supper and we’ll be in another anchorage tonight. In such light winds we aim to anchor in all the places that are marked in the guides as fair weather only. It is still legal to dredge for scallops here. Don’t they realise what damage they do the sea bed?

37:40:19S
176:10:64E

11th March

When it became clear that Kitty wasn’t going to return for the final trip from Stewart Island to Auckland, due to recurring dentist appointments, waiting was no option. With autumn in the air I didn’t want to linger any longer in Stewart Island. Our original plan of visiting Christchurch and the Acaroa peninsula were out off the question as that part of New Zealand is still in deep shock after the devastating earthquake. So I decided to take the advantage of southwesterly winds and head for Gulf Harbour in one hop. Single handed cruising is not fun, but racing the winds single-handedly is another. So after 4 days and 19 hours I covered 814 nm which works out at an average speed of 7 knots. I hove-to in the bay of plenty for several hours during the night. I didn’t want to run the risk of berthing single-handedly in a strong current. Kitty arrived on Wednesday by bus from Auckland with very bright new front teeth!

38:46:44S
178:24:31E

Wednesday 09-03-2011

Just South of the infamous East Cape I passed at midnight Poverty Bay with Young Nick’s Head at the South entrance. One can only wonder why this name was given. Was it to remember a hostile meeting with the local fearsome Maoris or was it the similarity of Young Nick’s and the cliff face.

The heritage of other place names is more obvious. Sinbad’s Mistake or Chasland’s Mistake and Cape Turnaround all point to navigational events.

Shag Point, Seal Point or Gull Rocks refer to wildlife, as do Cannibal Bay and The Sisters. Good old times.

It never fails to impress me what difficulties and hardship the discoverers and settlers had to endure. Some were away from home without communication for years but most had no home to go back to and just lived life as hard as it was.

All that has changed. I sail as much from inside as from outside my comfortable yacht. First I consult the screen on the nav. table to check on the position and progress and the possibility of neighbouring vessels on the AIS. Then I check if emails have come in without me noticing. Only then I stick my head out to check for changes in wind direction or strength and if non-AIS fisherman are around.

Then another 45 minutes to bed; what luxury.

47:14:07S
167:37:26E

Thursday, 24 February 2011

Stewart Island and in particular Port Pegasus is one of New Zealand’s best-kept secrets. Where else in the world can you find such unspoilt wilderness and isolation? Here is Duet moored in Disappointment cove strangely named, as it has the best all-round shelter. No wonder the locals call it Peacehaven.

Port Pegasus is a huge inlet at the southeastern end of Stewart Island. It is divided into a north and south arm, a kind of watery T-junction with many branches off its main arteries. It is possible to find an anchorage somewhere whatever the wind direction and the distances are not large so it is easy to move quickly. Local fishermen have been using the area for years and have set up lines across many of the bays so that you can drop your anchor and tie your stern to the rope. In many of the bays it is also necessary to have lines ashore as well. In general the bays are small so two or three boats can shelter using this method of mooring rather than swinging to an anchor.

As well as being a stunning scenic location, there are plenty of walks ashore and the fishing for blue cod is fantastic and unlike Fijordland, No Sandflies!.

46:58:16S
168:10:13E

Saturday 19th February

The first three days of the passage from Hobart to Bluff New Zealand had fantastic winds and Duet loved every minute of it. As a high-pressure system moved over us the wind dropped and we motored for 2 days before the wind filled in again. We kept the pressure up knowing that bad weather was coming up behind us. Someone once said, no one sits around waiting to be shot. We arrived off Bluff at about 0930 on Friday 18th . Total distance from Hobart of 990 miles in 5 days and 21 hours.

To make life easier when handling the mainsail we made an extra bar to fit on the bars around the mast. The photo shows Simon adjusting the leech line.

Sometime after we passed Puysegar point. A landmark and lighthouse that marks the entrance to Preservation Inlet and Fjordland, we turned on the SSB to listen to local legend Merie who has been running Bluff Fisherman’s Radio for about 20 years or more. This is an entirely voluntary service she provides for the local lads at sea. She broadcasts not only the weather information but also an evening roll call of fishing boats and yachts that are around so she knows where everyone is. Meries’ is the wonderful friendly voice of Southland. That evening we heard her call us up. How on earth did she know we were around? She told us that she would contact customs, arrange a berth for us in Bluff and she said she’d see us in the morning.. In the morning she called us up again and said she’d be down to take our lines having directed us to the wharf. You will recognise me, she said I’ll be the one in the pink shirt. And there she was, good as gold.

Bluff is not a harbour we wanted to linger in. After customs and bio security departed we raced off to the local supermarket to replenish our fresh stocks then fled over to Stewart island, tucked ourselves into a protected anchorage and slept for the following 10 hours! If we hadn’t pressed on when we did we could now be coping with 50 knots of wind.

45:53.61S
162:53:51E

Another day of anti-cyclonic gloom. Not even a glimpse of the sun and not a breath of wind. a large high pressure system is cantered above us so we are windless. After the sun set the sky cleared and now we have a nearly full moon to lighten up the night. How I love our Yanmar 100hp engine that rumbles away giving us a steady 6.5 knots at 1500 revs. Today it’s been a day of maintenance. Simon has checked all things to do with the engine. We have checked running rigging for signs of chafe, fishing lines set and put away again. 100 years ago we would have chipping the rust off the rigging, calking the deck, whipping ropes and anyone else that gets in the way but today it’s sorting the itunes libraries and photographs archives that takes all day. 100 years ago we would have had our rum ration – and several pints of ale. Today it’s a cup of tea and cocoa after supper. There are only 148 more miles to go before the entrance to the Foveaux Strait. We can expect the wind to pick up by early morning and then we should have a fast passage to Bluff. I never expected the southern ocean to be so calm.

45:22:31S
157:15:89E
Tuesday 15th February.

Yesterday was St Valentine’s day. No, there were no red roses or cards dropped off by a wandering Albatross. Actually there were very few birds at all. Those big soaring birds need wind to give them lift and we have had light winds for the last 24hrs. Dull aluminium grey all day with a light misty drizzle at times. Duet needs little wind to keep her tracking along at 7 knots, the direction has been favourable and the swell diminished so it’s been comfortable and effortless sailing. Time to replace whipping on various pieces of rope, check for chafe and any number of small maintenance jobs that  frequently get put to the bottom of the jobs to do list.

A sign of the times. Instead of marking our noon-day position on the paper chart we simply drop a pin on the Navionics App on the ipad.

44:32.48S
153:49.00E
Monday.

Yesterday we had plenty of wind. With two reefs and the staysail we were hitting top speeds of 11 knots at times. Squalls came and went but the sun came out. Albatross, Mollymawks, Shearwaters and Prions kept us entertained. They are difficult to photograph but we are having a competition to see which one of us snaps the best Albatross. The seas were impressively big and the water temperature dropped to 9C. It’s chilly.
We are getting used to the motion and stopped most of the annoying rattles and clanks. The wind continues to ease and with the yankee poled out we are still making 7.5 knots.