Category: Marlborough Sound

Celebrating In Picton
2021, Bulwer, March 2021, Picton

Celebrating In Beautiful Picton

We said goodbye to Havelock and now it’s time to say goodbye to Pelorus Sound. We plan to be celebrating in beautiful Picton as it is Gabi’s birthday is tomorrow. This morning we awoke at what I affectionately refer to as “the butt ass crack of dawn”. If you can’t tell by the name, it’s not really my favorite time of day. That is unless I am greeting it to get on a plane to head home to see our amazing family and friends.

Actually being warm and cozy in our bunk enjoying a wonderful slumber and then being woken up to the cold is not on my list of ways to enjoy this time of day. But this morning Dan did wake me up saying, “Good morning my fiancé. It’s time to get up.” Ahhhhh…that made it a little better.

I clumsily climb out of the bunk when I feel the very chilly air hit my body. I’m immediately slapped into consciousness by the cold. It’s dark and the red light in the salon is on. I can’t find my clothes quite fast enough as I’m slinging things from one side then to the other of Dazzler. I’m quite certain I will freeze where I stand if I don’t keep moving. Yes, Autumn is here and in full swing.

It’s still dark out when I hear the engine fire up and Dan tells me he’s headed to the bow. Not quite fully dressed in my warm clothes I stumble up the companionway and take my place behind the wheel. I can see my breath in the faint red glow from below deck. We’re on a mooring so there’s really not much for me to do here. Dan slips the line loose and I turn the boat toward the open bay following our track that we came in on.

Within minutes Dan is back in the cockpit telling me I can go back down and go to sleep. HA! That will be the day! My body has been chilled to the bone and my eyelids are frozen in the open position. No, I think I’ll go down and make a cup of hot chocolate, grab my blanket and curl up around the table to read one of my sailing books. 

I secretly downloaded a few sailing disaster books. For some weird reason I can’t get enough of them. I think I’m learning from other people’s mistakes. Dan thinks they do nothing more than create undue stress for me as I ask lots of crazy questions about what we’d do in these situations. To his credit, these books do seem to manifest some pretty crazy thoughts in my muddled brain. 

He refuses to buy them for me anymore because of that. I’ve managed sneak a couple in on my last book downloads from Barnes & Noble. I can’t wait to start reading them although I’m pretty sure after this round he will only let me download books if he’s actually the one downloading them. LOL

Sunrise at The Entrance To Pelorus Sound
I may not like getting up early but I do love the sunrises!

Pelorus Sound To Queen Charlotte Sound

The trip today is 48 NM from Camp Bay in Pelorus Sound to Picton in Queen Charlotte Sound. We’ve decided that rather than try to find a mooring or anchorage we will head into the Picton Marina because some very high winds are due to arrive in the next 24 hours. As happens here in the sounds these winds can often switch directions in seconds which can make finding the right anchorage rather challenging. We all will feel a bit safer tied to a dock for the next two days.

We near the tip of Cape Jackson with SuAn a mile or two head of us. They are headed right near the cape between it and the lighted marker five hundred meters offshore. It was at this very spot back in 1986 where the Soviet cruise ship, Mikhail Lermontov, struck the rocks slicing her hull in three places. She limped around the corner to Port Gore where she ultimately sank and remains to this day at the bottom of the bay. Fortunately for us I didn’t know this story at the time. 

Our original plan was to go around the marker because our chart is showing just 16 feet of water. Capes are notorious for producing choppy seas and weird currents. No need worrying about water depth too. Nope…..I’ll all in for going out and around the flashing beacon.

Dazzler Under Sail

But, Dan gets Gabi on the radio and she says they are showing 16 meters under the keel as they are going through. She says it’s choppy and such but okay to follow. Perhaps Dan was seeing 16 and thinking feet not meters. There are times we have to stop and think about it. It would be so nice if the USA would just switch to the metric system already so we aren’t constantly having to do calculations and think about whether we are looking at metric or not. 

Dan decides we will follow SuAn. As usual, he sends me to the foredeck with the headset on to be his eyes on the front of Dazzler. I’ve put on my vest and secured myself to the jack line to be sure I don’t get tossed overboard if I lose my grip. I really don’t mind being on deck going through these passes. It can be quite terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time. After all, they don’t call me Jungle Jilly for nothing. I certainly do love an adventure.

This cape is the same as so many others we’ve rounded all over the world. Lots of upwellings, strong conflicting currents and wild waves. At one point as we’re just about to leave the rough water Dazzler jumps high into the air then comes crashing down on the water. The bowsprit goes under the deep blue sea and my eyes literally pop out of my head like that of a cartoon character. Boooing!

Now THAT is a little more than I was expecting to have happen out here. It is a bit unsettling but I’m just glad I didn’t get doused with green water. A moment or two later we are through the chaos and and the water begins to smooth out as we make the starboard turn into Queen Charlotte Sound.

Queen Charlotte Sound

The rest of the trip is without incident as we move through the sound taking in the majesty of the mountains and looking out for the any sign of sea life. Somewhere on the journey I was on the bow when I was rewarded for my diligence by a sea lion who decided to pop his head up for a few moments, look me in the eye and then move on. HOORAY!!! My day has been made!

We arrive at Picton Marina and are told we will be docking on the same finger as SuAn. We will go in first and they will dock behind us. As usual, Dan makes us look like professionals as he lines Dazzler up and slides her up to the dock. He jumps out to get the lines and I take his place behind the helm. A man walking down the dock asks if we need help but honestly, it’s rare that we want anyone to help. We’ve sort of mastered this over the years and other people seem to just get in the way. We decline and he moves along.

We are just tied up when SuAn begins to take her turn at it. Lutz at the helm and Gabi tending lines they slide in behind us looking just as professional. Within fifteen minutes we have both boats tied securely to the dock and are enjoying some anchor down libations.

  • Car Ferries At Port Picton

The view from our slip is simply sublime! Off the port side bow we can see the car ferries at the port loading and unloading cars and passengers. We’ve been on one of those ferries back in 2019 when we took our car trip from Whangerie to Queenstown. From the stern of Dazzler we see first SuAn then behind her the waterfront area of town. There are water taxis and charter boats scurrying around in the basin and on shore tourists are snapping pics of each other.

Graham, one of the marina mates, stops by to ensure everything is good. We tell him we’ll head up to the office to check in and pay in a few minutes. He says he’ll get us a pigtail for the power as well as our gate/shower keycards. About ten minutes later he is back at Dazzler with both. He said he needed to get some other things done and didn’t have time to wait. Thanks Graham!

Celebrating In Beautiful Picton

That afternoon we headed into town. The walk from the guest dock is less than ten minutes to the main city centre. You walk up and over a very tall footbridge and it drops you just a hundred meters or so from the main road.  

We take a short walk through town looking through some of the tourist shops. This is a big tourist spot. It’s the first stop people come to when driving as it’s the only place where the car ferries dock. And, just on the doorstep to Picton is the Marlborough wine region where many brilliant wines are produced. We drove all through the area in 2019. It’s really very beautiful.

Seumus' Irish Pub

After a sightseeing trip through town we head over to Seumus’ Irish Pub for a bite to eat. This little place is the quintessential Irish Pub with all of the typical knickknacks, doodads, food and drink you’d expect to find including the requisite Guinness Ale on Tap.

The food is very good and the beer is cold but the company is no doubt the best part of it all. The four of us are never short of interesting things to cuss and discuss. Today’s topic is Gabi’s birthday which will be here in just a few more hours.

Gabi has asked if we would come to SuAn to play dominoes in the afternoon as it’s supposed to rain. This is something the four of us love to do together. After a gaming day on board we will go to Oxley’s Bar & Restaurant for dinner. Sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate her special day.

The following afternoon we make the fifteen step walk back to their boat and surprise Gabi with our own birthday serenade complete with Dan strumming the ukulele. Of course we don’t sound nearly as good as she and Lutz did when they serenaded me but it’s the thought that counts right?

All I want to know is “Who threw the coaster?”

We enjoy an afternoon of dominoes then head to town for dinner where we share a wonderful meal in a very cute restaurant. The building was originally known as the Bank Hotel built in 1870 and was the first building in Picton to have electricity. Unfortunately the actual building itself was torn down in 2004 but the main facade was kept. 

After dinner we enjoy a few cocktails aboard SuAn where Lutz plays his guitar and sings for us. It’s another wonderful evening in the fabulous world of cruisers. Tomorrow they will leave us as we plan to stay in the marina one more day, but we will find them and once again we will do what cruisers do…share the adventures of a new a beautiful spot in this marvelous world.

Until next time,

Jilly

Read More About Our Adventures….Click Here!

2021, Camp Bay, Chance Bay, March 2021

Holding My Breath

After a perfectly wonderful and truly life changing stay in Havelock the time has come to move on. This quaint little town and her people will forever be in my heart. I will always remember it as the place where my prince asked me to be his princess forever. I know my daddy is looking down from heaven and smiling as big of a smile as I am this morning.

Of course the smiles this morning are tempered by the fact that we have to leave Havelock and travel through the channel where just six days ago we ran aground. Dan has been studying the tides and preparing for this exit for days now. It can be confusing as depending upon what source you look at the quoted time for high tide can be vastly different, just as we experienced in our trek through French Pass a couple of weeks ago.

When we moved to this new slip a few days ago we backed into the slip and this morning I’m thrilled we did so. There’s not much room to maneuver here and Dazzler doesn’t like to back up like some boats. In fact, she’s a fat pig that has to be coaxed to back up to wherever it is you want her to go. Since I’m the one at the helm when we go out I’m exceedingly happy that there will be no backing up.

The time has come and we both put on our game faces. I get our trusty headsets and fire up the engine while Dan calls Lutz & Gabi to tell them were casting off. They will be leaving shortly after us. Who knows? We could need them again but we are hoping not.

Holding My Breath

The tide appears a bit higher this morning than it did when we arrived. This gives us a little breathing room. After we get out of the slip I take to the bow to do what I do….watch for hazards. There’s not much being spoken between us except a few I love yous and every so often Dan calls out the depth. The shallower it gets the harder it is for me to breathe.

Our first big obstacle is near the breakwater at the marina entrance. When we came in we had just a foot under the keel. Today we have close to two meters. Phew! That’s a relief. We’re both starting to get a really good feeling about this exit.

Dan stays as close to the channel markers as he can. We’re not taking any chances. Soon it’s time to round the point, Cullen Point, the scene of the crime so to speak. Ironically just before we make the turn there is a sign….the same sign that sits on the opposite end of the channel. It reads EXACTLY the same telling mariners to keep to the starboard side of the channel. Is it just me or does this make absolutely no sense? Honestly, I’m on the bow wondering how they cannot understand that one of these signs is clearly wrong!!!

Well, at least we know THIS sign is correct and we hug the shore. This in itself is a bit unnerving as we never get Dazzler this close to shore. At some points we are less than 10 meters from the stone faced point.

We round the corner and all is well. We pass by “the spot” and Dan points it out to me as if I wouldn’t have recognized the place where my heart stopped just a few days earlier. Another fifteen minutes or so and we are past the danger zone. We both breathe a heavy sign of relief and the smiles come back to our faces.

Must Do Bay!

Today we are headed to Chance Bay or as we affectionately call it “Must Do Bay” because Lutz & Gabi had run into some Kiwis who told them this bay is one that we just had to see no matter what. It’s in the Nydia Bay Channel and we passed by it a week ago as we went from Nydia Bay to Havelock. The trip is not a long one today….just two and a half to three hours.

Dan & I arrived at the anchorage well ahead of Lutz & Gabi. As we enter the bay and get behind the spit on the northern end it becomes flat as glass. The mountains surrounding it are reflecting perfectly in the bright green water. There’s one red, fancy tug looking boat anchored inside the bay. It’s really cute. Looks like a boat you’d see on the canals in Europe with its flashy, red paint job and wheelhouse that is glass on all sides.

We pick a spot in the northern corner a good distance from them and we drop the hook. Just as expected it sinks in quickly and we get a perfect set on the anchor. The sun is out and it’s warm, unless you are in the shade then you can definitely tell that autumn is in the air. We sit in the cockpit enjoying our anchor down beers and then set to work dropping Sparkle into the water. It’s our turn to be the ferry service. 

When we travel with our friends we often take turns putting dinghies in the water. There’s really no need to have both in the water at the same time since we are always going to the same places together. 

Before long we see SuAn enter the bay and make her way over closer to the shore to anchor. We call them on the radio and ask if they’d like to take a ride to shore with us. Gabi tells us Lutz is much too tired from the mountain hike yesterday and they will pass. She invites us to stop by for a beer after our walk to discuss our next destination.

SV SuAn
SuAn has arrived at Chance Bay a/k/a Must Do Bay

Dan and I head to shore for about forty-five minutes. We can’t stay much longer as the tide is dropping rapidly and he keeps having to push Sparkle out. If he doesn’t she’ll end up sitting high and dry on the oysters. That’s not a place you want your inflatable to be sitting.

In this corner of the anchorage a fresh water river runs from the mountain into the bay. I walked up a ways to take some photographs. It is very pretty but rocky and full of more oysters. It’s not long before Dan calls from the dinghy and requests that I make my way back to shore. On the dingy and headed out towards the boats we see a very large stingray gliding through the water. We haven’t seen much of that sort of thing in the sounds so it was a welcome sight.

We stop over at SuAn, tie up to their stern and are welcomed into the cockpit for a beer. Before we know it the subject of where we should head next has arisen. Gabi goes below to get out their chart of the sounds. We are all eager to head to Queen Charlotte Sound and the Picton area. To get there from Pelorus Sound, however, you must go out into Cook Strait.

What’s the problem with that you ask? Well, Cook Strait can get exceedingly rough and give you a very wild ride if you don’t hit it during the right weather window. We’ve actually flown over the strait when they were experiencing 100 knot winds!!! Just a month or so ago they had winds gusting to 75 knot winds. The car ferries that travel between Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island couldn’t dock. They literally had to circle around in the sounds for close to 13 hours!

And, it’s a fairly regular occurrence for them to have 40-50 knot winds. This means this large body of water separating New Zealand’s north and south islands can become not just windy but have some very high seas as well. Planning your passage in the strait is critical.

Lutz & Dan are our weather gurus and have decided that if we don’t leave to make this passage by tomorrow we will be stuck where we are for another week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely gorgeous here but we’ve seen what we came to see and are ready to move on.

Soon after deciding that we should leave tomorrow Lutz brings up the idea that we move yet another 19 NM north yet today. This would put us at the entrance to Pelorus Sound and give us just 35 NM or so to get across the bay and deep into Queen Charlotte Sound.

Neither one of us was really up for hauling anchor and moving this late in the afternoon but Lutz did have a good point. The winds pick up here in the sounds every afternoon. If we left our current location at 0600 we would be in the strait as winds were beginning to whip up for the day.

Leaving from the entrance gives us a three hour advantage. So, we rush back to Dazzler, tie Sparkle off to our stern, fire up the engine and within fifteen minutes we were underway. Of course we were leaving at 1600 hours for a three hour trip. One of the issues with getting underway so late is we would need to be anchoring or finding a mooring as the evening light was giving way to darkness.

And, there was always a chance that other boats would be on the moorings in the bay where we were headed. These bays close to the mouth of the inlet are very deep making anchoring near impossible. But, we’re risk takers by nature so why not try it?

Late Afternoon Movements

We wasted no time keeping the Yanmar revving high to push us through the water at a little over 6 knots. We pass by a seal floundering in the water in front of a fish farm as the sun is setting behind the mountain.

We’re literally racing daylight. As we arrive in the bay here there are supposed to be mooring buoys in three different areas. Two are taken but we haven’t been able to locate the third one. All we need is one MCC buoy and we can raft together if necessary. When we can’t locate the third buoy we stop in front of the Bulwer Pa (settlement) and try to drop anchor in 18 meters of water. The guide says there is good holding. HA!

Our anchor continues to skip across the bottom and we can’t seem to get it set. I call Gabi on the radio as they have stopped in the small bay called Camp Bay, just behind the fish farm. They say there are three moorings there and they’ve taken one. Dan pulls up the anchor and we beat feet for Camp Bay. We get the mooring secured just as the sun is setting.

Both of us are exhausted and yet we still need to eat. Dan fires up the grill and cooks up some shrimp as I make salads down below. We chat with SuAn on the radio and agree to leave at 0600. It’s not my favorite time as it will still be dark but Dan assures me all will be fine.

We tied to the mooring just in time for me to snap a photo or two of this fabulous sunset.

It’s been a long and enjoyable day on Dazzler. We’ve seen so much of Pelorus Sound in the past two weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing Queen Charlotte Sound and all that majesty she has to offer.

Until next time,

Jilly 

Read more about our time here in Pelorus Sound. Click Here!