April 14, 2016
(The map above is interactive; you can zoom in and out and click on the markers to see what’s what.)
The windy period had passed and it was time to take advantage of the nice conditions and do more cruising. Our destination was the Dillon Bell Point area, a nature reserve with three possible anchorages.
First, though, we’d have to face the dreaded blind corner between the Havelock Marina and the Mahau Sound. We blew our horn as we approached, hoping that any boat coming the other way would hear it and hang back. No one was there; we came through unscathed.
Now began our trip back up the Mahau Sound, which looked quite beautiful after not seeing any sounds for a few days.
From the Mahau Sound, we turned up the waterway known as the Popoure Reach. Last time we were here the mountaintops were covered by low-lying clouds and fog. Today it was sunny and clear, and we could clearly see the mountains around us. The sun was glimmering off the still water, a beautiful day for a motor-boat ride. (You can click to enlarge/scroll through gallery below.)
Our probable destination was an anchorage called Jacob’s Bay, but we’d check the anchorages just south of it to see what they were like.
Meanwhile, on our map you may notice a branch off the Popoure Reach called Nydia Bay. With one of the best-protected bays in the sounds and another bay with access to the Nydia track, this was always on our list of places to visit. But with the season getting on and the cruising ground of Abel Tasman National Park still ahead, we decided to wrap up the Pelorus Sound before the next windy period. If we ever get back this way, we’ll be sure to visit the Nydia Bay area. For now we were heading to Dillon Bell.–Cyndi
