Sailing Kingfisher

(well not that stormy in the end!)

We set out on a sunny Thursday afternoon with a good breeze which got us to Mullet Bay, Motutapu in around two and a half hours. The last quarter of an hour the winds were gusting to about 20 kn making it pretty exciting for a while. The wind was shooting into Mullet Bay much more than anticipated and Station Bay was not much better. We had already dropped the sails so we motor sailed with the gib out to Maori Garden bay, Rakino. We tucked right into the north end of the bay which was relatively sheltered. There was a bit of swell coming in (worse as the tide came over the reef) but on the whole it was a pleasant night. Jim used his new net to scoop up some piper and we warmed up with some soup and games.

Friday morning was overcast with some lovely sunny patches, not nearly as stormy as was forecast although it was quite windy out of the bay by the look of the sea. A very relaxed morning with Jim having a couple of dingy rides to fish – first drifting out towards Waiheke and then closer in by the reef. Caught a few very pretty snapper. Bacon and eggs for brunch. Yum!

We considered moving to a more sheltered spot as the wind was forecast to pick up quite a lot in the afternoon and overnight but decided to stay put as the wind was coming around and the swell was changing direction. Had a late lunch of piper eaten while listening to the wind howl around the bay!

A very relaxed afternoon of playing cards, rummikub and of course breaks for Jim to fish while Liz read her book. The wind changed as forecast and the swell settled. After dinner we fished for piper and Jim caught two nice squid too. Much warmer to be sitting on the back of the boat at night than even a couple of weeks ago.

Saturday morning dawned very settled, but there was enough wind off shore to suit the many yachts we could see off Waiheke and sailing straight past us in races. A great sight. We packed up, ready to head home and put up the sails. There was a good breeze of around 15 kn with some stronger gusts by the time we were underway. As it was such a lovely day we decided to stay out another night. We headed for Motuihe and anchored at Calypso Bay.