Now to backtrack slightly, here’s Cyndi’s post about the second day of our Big Trip . . .
January 23, 2022
When Rich woke me up from a sound sleep and handed me a cup of coffee; I knew that meant our weather window still looked good, and we would need to leave soon. First, though, I really needed that coffee! While he ran around preparing the boat, I sipped my Starbucks brew, trying to get up to speed. By the time I was up and ready, Rich already had the anchor nearly up. I went out and hosed off one very muddy anchor before bringing it the rest of the way up and and securing it. We were good to go.
We headed out and around the west side of Waiheke Island, then motor-sailed towards the top of the Coromandel Peninsula. Below, a map showing yesterday’s leg (in green) and today’s (in blue).
The wind, like the previous day, was ahead of the beam, but it was very light and we had the benefit of a helpful current bringing up our speed. The day was warm and sunny and it was looking to be a pleasant trip.
As soon as I was able, I went below and took a nap, then Rich did the same while I took watch. I had some trepidation as we approached the top of the peninsula as the wind picked up to about 10 knots and would be against us. While the current was helpful, when wind goes against the current it can make for choppy conditions.
I was also eyeing an impressive mackerel sky and mares’ tails (clouds strewn across the sky like scales on a fish combined with streaked clouds that look like horse tails). This is often a sign of unsettled weather in the forecast. We had a front due in a day or so, but we planned to be holed up somewhere by the time it arrived. Below, a video I took with my new toy, a selfie stick which shows how impressive the sky was overhead.
Thankfully, the wind soon died down again, and conditions going across the top of the peninsula were pretty nice. Below, a few photos (click to enlarge any photo).
And a video . . .
After rounding the top of the peninsula, we angled down for the final 20-mile leg to Great Mercury Island. We’d lost internet service earlier in the day, but as we got further south, the internet popped back and we saw the news: the Prime Minister had just held a press conference to let New Zealand know the event we’ve been dreading had happened: Omicron had gotten loose in the community, both in Auckland (where we’d come from) and in Nelson (where we planned to haul out and paint the bottom of our boat).
With New Zealand’s high vaccination rates keeping Delta cases remarkably low, life has been very normal here. Omicron would change things and would (and will probably continue to) affect our decisions. For the moment, we just pondered the news and hoped maybe they could manage to snuff it out, although since this outbreak involved a large wedding, airline flights between Auckland and Nelson, big restaurant parties and Auckland sightseeing for the extended family involved, it didn’t look good.
For now, our concern was getting to Great Mercury Island and getting into one of three possible anchorages for the night. We had a favorite but thought we might try one we hadn’t been to: Huruhi Harbour. It was well protected in case we decided to stay here for the weather front, and it would be something new and different.
As we approached, we could see our favorite anchorage was packed. It wasn’t surprising as it’s very pretty with a lovely beach. There’s another anchorage nearby that also has a nice beach, but it feels more open and less cozy and appealing. The anchorage we chose happens to be in a long, narrow bay in front of the home belonging to the family who owns the island. The head of the bay gets very shallow, and there are some moorings in the anchorage; so it isn’t as roomy as it looks at first glance. But we were pleasantly surprised that, although there were a few boats here, there was room for us.
By now, the clouds’ scales and tails appearance had developed into soupy white swirls, sometimes overcast but the sun would break through sending sparkles across the water and highlighting the golden grass on the hills around us. Rich flew the drone, and I sat and enjoyed some wine. The air was warm and the scenery, golden grassy hills dotted with trees, was pleasant.
Rich took a look at the weather. I had fully expected a front to come in tonight so was surprised it had tracked west and, shockingly, we had a possible weather window if we left, like, now to make the 3-day trip to Napier. Sigh. What is it about this island and the need for sudden departures? I asked Rich if conditions would be as good if we left tomorrow, and he said maybe even a little better. Good, then we could stay a night.
Sitting there I suddenly felt overcome with exhaustion. Apparently I still hadn’t caught up on my sleep, but maybe the excitement of being back out cruising, a long day on the water, and the stress of continuing to deal with obstacles such as weather and Covid caught up with me. As it turned out we both needed another afternoon nap.
We spent an uneventful night at anchor, watching TV, not really bothering to look outside as it was overcast. Neither of us was fully confident about the weather window, but if we didn’t head south, we be sitting here for a week. I had always wanted to bring Legacy to a marina on the Coromandel’s east side called Whitianga, only a short trip from Great Mercury. Maybe tomorrow would be the day. –Cyndi
