We left the lovely Peach Grove Bay on Saturday and had another long windless day. We managed to sail for a little time with the headsail up but the rest of it (45 nm) was pure motoring. We anchored in Omapu Bay on the south side of Mayor Island at 5pm. We had attempted to go into an adjacent bay (SE Bay) which seemed more sheltered but it was quite busy in there and the weather was forecast to be light so we opted for somewhere which had a bit more space, but was a bit open.
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| Debi chilling in our pool |
Yesterday we had a chill out day at anchor. We had intended to go ashore on Mayor Island, which is an old volcano, but Debi swam to the beach and came back to report that there were big signs saying “landing prohibited”. Many of these islands are wildlife sanctuaries and they struggle to keep invasive species at bay, so we thought we should obey the signs. So we basically swam and chilled out. Over cocktails on the deck in the evening we reflected on the fact that our boat is our home, it is on the absolute beachfront, the fantastic view can be changed at a whim and we have the biggest swimming pool in the neighbourhood! Cheers to that!
Today we were up early (0530) to leave for Tauranga. It was only a 4.5 hour trip but we had to arrive on a slack tide to avoid the horrendous currents that run through the marina when the tide is running. The journey over was so calm that the sea was like glass. We are now safely tied up in berth B61. The last time Pat was in here was with the Clipper race in 2011. The weather on that occasion was horrific and we were glad not to have a repeat of that experience. However things are about to change.
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| Approaching Tauranga with Mt Manganui in the distance |
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| Now who really needs a boat that big, let alone two! |
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One for my brother Pete, memories?
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We have spent a few hours preparing X-Pat for Cyclone Gita. Thankfully we are only going to catch the edge of it, but winds are still forecast to hit 40 knots in the marina. The marina is not particularly well protected from the north and of course the winds are forecast to come from the north. There are a lot of big boats around us and when the tide starts running out against a 40 knot wind, the boats and pontoons are going to turn into a roller coaster ride. We just have to hope that neither us nor anyone else comes loose during the few hours when it is expected to be at it’s worse. We have taken the decision to be safe and leave X-Pat in the marina whilst we journey inland for a few days to visit Rotaroa. Hopefully she will be fine.
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| Forecasted position of cyclone Gita on Tuesday afternoon |
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| All tied up with every line that we have |
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