Honey

Honey

Sailing around New Zealand

Emily is sailing solo around New Zealand on her 32 foot yacht Honey, from Lyttelton south down the east coast, around the bottom of Stewart Island, up the west coast of the South and North Islands and down the east coast back to Lyttelton. The whole adventure is expected to take 3 months. This blog will provide updates as I travel (when I have mobile reception to upload).


Thursday 24 January 2013

Lords River


Yesterday was forecast to be 15 knots NW and 30 knots south of Shelter Point. (Port Adventure where I was is just north of Shelter Point and Lords River is to the south). Still flat calm in Port Adventure when I left in the morning, but I was expecting to pick up a decent breeze to get me the short distance to Lords River. Would you believe it, flat calm the whole way, I had to motor as the sails were just flapping, quite a contrast from the days I've had in Stewart Island so far! I anchored in “The Nook” in Lords River and went exploring by dinghy, making sure I could catch the outgoing tide coming back down. It was more like a long winding waterway with bush down to the water than a river, although the water did get a lot less salty the further up I went. I figured I went about 3 miles upstream before I turned back. And by the time I returned to Honey it was pouring with rain, a light SW came through but the Nook provided good shelter and I settled in to an afternoon of reading my book.

This morning I heard that the long term weather sounds great for at least the next few days. So I've come back to Half Moon Bay to pick up boat hooks that Tim had couriered down to me (I lost one a few days ago) and restock on gas, diesel and food. My plan is to head down to Port Pegasus tomorrow, at the bottom of Stewart Island (I may start heading down this eve to Port Adventure to get a head start if the NE forecast comes through in the next hour). Then the plan is to spend Saturday looking about and possibly walking up Magog. If all still looks good with the weather then I'll duck around to Broad Bay for the night so I can make an early start on Sunday morning around the bottom of Stewart Island bound for Preservation Inlet in Fiordland – running right through the middle of area Puysegur which has the wildest weather in New Zealand. It is fair to say that I am rather nervous at the thought! Of course plans can change with the weather, I may end up going the day before, a day or two later or not at all. I won't have internet for a while, hopefully will pick it up somewhere in Fiordland, but my Spot will be tracking me.

Thanks everyone for posting your comments, its really great to know people are following me – it doesn't make me feel so alone on the high seas!

3 comments:

  1. Salut ma Fille,

    I'm sea sick just reading your stories, can you imagine?
    Anyway, all the best for the following of your trip along the West Coast and see you soon in Nelson!!!
    What about a Boeuf Bourguignon and some French crepes for desert?
    Can't wait.

    Sig


    ReplyDelete
  2. Just looked at your location on Spot - you're in such a beautiful part of the world right now! Hope all is going well :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hope all is well! Me, Finn and our sons are going to see Sweden play Argentina in soccer tonight in Sedens new indoor arena. Outside temp is about - 3 C and it is snowing. I looks like you have reach a nice spot and I trust you are anchored up safely! Be safe and we are all looking forward to the next report!

    // Eric Horwitz

    ReplyDelete