The first day’s sail was an easy 48nm to Akaroa. Disappointingly, there wasn’t much wind so it was mostly under motor.
Alex contacted the Akaroa Yacht Club and was given permission to pick up a mooring.
The next morning Al and Lucy both had a swim (14.5°C water!!) and in the afternoon Rusalka left for an overnight sail to Dunedin.
Picture of Rusalka leaving Akaroa is courtesy of Camilla and Santeri on SY Sipi (Finnish Nauticat yacht).
Again, light winds from behind resulted in mostly motoring, with only a few hours of gentle sailing. Alex was able to book a free public mooring in Carey’s Bay in Port Chalmers (Dunedin) and so the crew enjoyed a relaxing day and evening.
You may spot the use of an induction cooker in the picture above. This is a new tool on the boat – it’s not really practical while underway as pots can slide off, but it will help conserve gas for when it is really needed (baking bread and pizza!).
Tuesday morning, after another chilly swim, Rusalka set off for the passage to Bluff. Getting around the bottom corner of NZ can be a bit difficult, with westerly winds funneling through Foveaux Strait and strong tides giving it a fearsome reputation. It turned out that the winds were mostly light, meaning more motoring.
While on his afternoon watch, Alex noticed that some stitching had come undone on the cockpit enclosure. This most excellent device (see blog post: Sewing Project Virgin Cage) is important for providing a warm, dry space for the person on watch, so Alex quickly got out the sewing kit and repaired the seam in situ in a bouncy sea – well done Alex!
Rusalka arrived today in Bluff and is settled in a borrowed berth (courtesy of Shane, a very friendly local). Unfortunately, the gate out of the dock was locked (Shane will open it tomorrow), so a bit of clambering over barbed wire was required to escape - they must have really wanted dinner out! Alex reports having a very nice fish burger at TJ's.
A short wander around the docks revealed Evohe, a yacht chartered by DOC to take workers and researchers to the Subantarctic islands. It will be heading south this week for its 3rd voyage this season.
Geoff arrives from Hobart tomorrow, completing the crew complement. The Dept. of Conservation (DOC) inspection has been organised for Friday, in anticipation of a weather window to go south sometime over the weekend.
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