Winter sailing in New Zealand

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
An MOB from New Zealand who sails a small yacht has just posted a film about winter sailing in his home waters

blimey it looks like a great place to sail ...... and drink wine

He says it was a winter cruise..... it looks like summer to me..... maybe we live in the wrong country

The wine he is drinking appears to come from bottles rather than boxes... just can't make out what is going on

 
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Well, they do say about the Bay of Islands, "Not heaven, but you can see it from there!". Winter up there is generally pretty mild by UK standards.

Me, I sail in Wellington which in winter is much more like UK winters, especially when the gales are blowing - which they have been doing all last week. Not so much the cold - even here, it's pretty temperate - but strong gusty conditions make one less likely to leave the pontoon, never mind facing the wrath of the Cook Strait in winter which can be pretty fearsome. Gusts of over 100 km/h are not unusual in exposed places.

And the wine? Wine in boxes comes from Australia and is only suitable for washing kangaroos. Kiwi wine which is pretty good in all varieties comes in bottles, with screw tops, not corks. Just the way it is, get over it!
 
Actually, having just actually watched the video, it was about sailing to Waiheke Island, which is in the Hauraki Gulf, off Auckland. The real Bay of Islands is much further north. Auckland sailing is pretty good too (not for nothing is it called the City of Sails).
 
I started sailing in Tauranga, NZ, and don't remember stopping for winter. I did do a bit of painting on my little "P" Class, usually about June, (mid winter), but that only took a week or two.
But that was a long time back.

I'm considering a trip there next May, are there any charter yachts available in or near Tauranga? (bareboat, between about 30 and 40ft)
 
Fossil said:
Actually, having just actually watched the video, it was about sailing to Waiheke Island, which is in the Hauraki Gulf, off Auckland. The real Bay of Islands is much further north. Auckland sailing is pretty good too (not for nothing is it called the City of Sails).
Click to expand...

Going to be sailing in Welly on our Hartley 30 " Ella " in November next year-spring should be on its way.

We might consider selling " Ella " and buying a better boat in Auckland/Bay of Islands-warm weather is definatly better for our old bones.

This seasons Northern Hemisphere cruise in Irish/ Scottish waters is going to be the last without a reliable heating system that works without heavy electrical consumption.

Looking at the Dickenson Newport range-any users out there like to comment?
 
We did a charter their about 5 years ago - had Christmas lunch on the rooftop garden of one of the restaurants at Waiheke - the bay shown at around 3m45s in. That's the way to do Christmas.

Lovely cruising grounds. What amazed me was that in spite of the "city of sails" the cruising infrastructure reminded me of Scotland 25 years ago!
- only 4 fenders on the boat but advised "you won't need them, there is no where to go alongside" - there wasn't !
- the pilot guide was pure black and white like a 1970s Clyde Cruising Club edition
- only three places with taps to get water
Not problems, just a surprise as I had kind of expected something differnt

And in December (ie early summer) there were only a handful of boats around once we left Aukland bay. In a week we altered course twice for other boats! There were more boats moving in the Clyde in January when we got back. But I guess it isn't always like that

Definitely great place to visit. By comparison we found Bay of Islands as very busy and hugely disrupted by wash from the incessant tripper boats roaring past every anchorage
 
We were in the Hauraki Gulf in December, early summer.
Swmbo ordered 25 degrees and 15 kts of wind. We got the opposite. Spent 36 hours on the hook hunkered down in a bay on the north side of Waiheke while a front blew through. NZ is all coastline and sits in the roaring 40s so has a lot of weather.
Despite that, had a great time. Facilities are limited... only marina was the one on the North Shore from which we hired the boat; rest of the time was anchoring. But it is good sailing, great scenery and plenty of islands to visit. Had hoped to get out to Great Barrier Island, but didn't get the right weather window so went as far north as Leigh Harbour, stayed at Kawau, circumnavigated Waiheke etc.
Surprisingly few yachts out during the week but we did get used as a marker by Emirates TeamNZ, who were out training.
Hauraki Gulf has more scope than Bay of Islands, although BoI is generally considered more picturesque. Two week charter would allow you to do both easily enough.
 
Dylan

There is no 'maybe' - you live in the wrong country - debates on which is the right country should be conducted only with bottles of wine as lubrication (source not too important).
 
Neeves said:
Dylan

There is no 'maybe' - you live in the wrong country - debates on which is the right country should be conducted only with bottles of wine as lubrication (source not too important).
Click to expand...

wine is good... aussie wine is excellent....

bring a box


as for being in the wrong country

I am a red headed celt by genetics and am therefore cold tolerant

I am also really pleased that the only bit of paper I need to get around the UK is third party insurance

Haven Knox Johnson - £70

, no-one points guns at me, no insects, snakes, crocs or sharks are going to frighten me and above all I love the layers of history that unravel themselves as I spend a few days or weeks exploring an area.

I have a hankering to take a look at a Chesapeake - and might one day go over and buy a crap boat for a summer to make a few films and josh a few yanks.
 
Now that I know what your arguments are I'd better bring 3 boxes but even then I'd expect to lose. I'm from east of Stirling, but sadly have lost my love of the cold and damp. But if its sailing - we have a lot to offer.

Jonathan
 
Dylan,

There are certainly no dangerous animals, snakes or insects in New Zealand. Apart from humanity in general, some of them can be pretty rough and ready, but boaties are boaties the world over. Certainly, sailing in NZ is not like sailing in the Solent, or in Holland, but it is a lot more fun.

Never mind Scotland, Chesapeake, the Bay of Islands or Auckland, spend a UK winter doing a charter in the Marlborough Sounds, God's own cruising area. You can sail for days and never get to the end of it all. And if you see another boat, or share and anchorage, that's a cause for a celebration, out with the boxes of kangaroo wash! Or even, unscrew a bottle of proper wine and have a party!
 
The Malborough Sounds-thats on the list for our next trip in 2016-17.
macd of these forums told me how he came round a bend on a motorbike once and saw a yacht anchored in a bay in the classic turquoise water and decided he wanted some of that.

So do I....................................
 
Marlborough Sounds.jpg
rotrax said:
The Malborough Sounds-thats on the list for our next trip in 2016-17.
macd of these forums told me how he came round a bend on a motorbike once and saw a yacht anchored in a bay in the classic turquoise water and decided he wanted some of that.

So do I....................................
Click to expand...

Something like this you mean? This was us in February...
 
Fossil said:
View attachment 54203

Something like this you mean? This was us in February...
Click to expand...

Thats it! First Mate and I have only been across on the ferry to Picton so far-our only sailing has been in Wellington Harbour on our Steel Hartley 30. Your boat is much prettier than ours!

We expect to be back in November 2016 and sailing across the Cook Straight into Queen Charlotte Sound is high on the list of must do's.

Will you be there in the NZ summer of 2016?
 
rotrax said:
Thats it! First Mate and I have only been across on the ferry to Picton so far-our only sailing has been in Wellington Harbour on our Steel Hartley 30. Your boat is much prettier than ours!

We expect to be back in November 2016 and sailing across the Cook Straight into Queen Charlotte Sound is high on the list of must do's.

Will you be there in the NZ summer of 2016?
Click to expand...

"Catherine" thanks you for the compliment - she is currently out of the water having her rudder attended to and a few other things but will be back in the water shortly.

She lives in Chaffer's Marina, central Wellington and we have every intention of being there in summer 2016 (January through March). Message me when you know what you will be up to.

The Cook Strait crossing is not for the faint of heart, but presents no insuperable difficulties in summer, in settled weather. You need to get the right weather window though and work the tides very carefully. And stay well away from the overfall areas around Karori Rock. You'll be rewarded: dolphins, sea-birds, even the occasional whale can be seen in the strait itself and the fishing in the Sounds is justifiably famous.
 
Fossil said:
"Catherine" thanks you for the compliment - she is currently out of the water having her rudder attended to and a few other things but will be back in the water shortly.

She lives in Chaffer's Marina, central Wellington and we have every intention of being there in summer 2016 (January through March). Message me when you know what you will be up to.

The Cook Strait crossing is not for the faint of heart, but presents no insuperable difficulties in summer, in settled weather. You need to get the right weather window though and work the tides very carefully. And stay well away from the overfall areas around Karori Rock. You'll be rewarded: dolphins, sea-birds, even the occasional whale can be seen in the strait itself and the fishing in the Sounds is justifiably famous.
Click to expand...

We know Chaffers-we have sailed on "Marengi" with the owner Carl who keeps her there.

Ella is based in Seaview Marina near Petone. We are members at Evans bay, where we haul out. We have been out in the Strait a couple of times on the Daniel, a large charter angling boat. First Mate is on their website as last year she caught the biggest Groper-27 kilos-up to that time of the season. It was blowing up to 30 knots that day and it was a bit lively over the mark, a very deep spot known as the trench.

We will be sure to contact you-our eldest son lives in Welly with his partner and our Grandchildren and we intend to spend at least four months in the NZ spring and summer 2016/17, but not this coming NZ summer-we are going to Spain again.

Happy sailing!
 
Bay of Islands, Waiheke, Marlborough Sounds! Its all girl sailing, gentle breezes and easy anchorages. I learned to sail a Moth on the Oreti River at nearly 47 degrees South. Brilliant, always 50 knots of wind, a chill factor of minus 30 and you could see where the wind was coming from as the 150 year old marcracarpa trees grew at 45 degrees instead of going straight up. C'mon guys, put on another singlet and get down there. Do some real sailing.
 
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