It’s
been a quiet week on X-Pat. We have spent the week cruising around Pelorus and
then Kenepuru Sounds, anchoring in secluded bays and basically chilling out.
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| A quiet moment |
We
have visited Cissy and Fairy Bays in Pelorus Sound and then around to Double
Bay and St Omer Bay in Kenepuru Sound. Many of the bays are filled with mussel
farms producing green-lipped mussels. This is a major industry in the area,
producing thousands of tonnes of mussels a year, which are exported to over 50
countries.
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| Driftwood and Mussel Farms |
Forestry is another key industry in the area and many of the steep slopes around the sounds are planted with trees. This has been a contentious issue as there is significant sediment run off from the slopes, which impacts the marine environment.
The bays which we have visited have generally had a sparse scattering of houses, many of which seem to be holiday homes or guest houses. This is a beautiful area to have a very quiet holiday, looking out over the sounds and doing not very much.
We have had a few nice walks when we have been able to get ashore. Many of the beaches are covered in driftwood, presumably the remains from trees which have escaped the chain saw and slid down into the sea. The sea and sand has smoothed them into beautiful shapes and the temptation is to collect a few, but we have resisted.
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| A view from the top across Cissy Bay |
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| Bushfire control |
Debi
has been keeping fit with her 45 minute swimming routine, albeit in a wetsuit
as the water is about 19 degrees celcius. Pat has been fishing regularly and so
far has caught absolutely nothing. Something is different about fishing in
these sounds and we’re not sure what it is! Pat did manage to harvest some
mussels from an old mooring line and so we had those one evening in a white
wine and garlic sauce. Culinary standards remain high on X-Pat.
The
weather here is variable and very localised. Finding a sheltered anchorage has
proved to be a challenge as the wind seems to rarely come from the direction
stated in the forecast. One minute it is completely still and the next minute a
williwaw (blast of wind) comes rushing down a nearby mountain and out across
the water, causing X-Pat to strain at the anchor. After our experience of
dragging last week we are a little nervous, but are confident we have found a
good spot here in St Omer Bay, to shelter from the gale force southerly which
is forecasted for tomorrow.
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| Stormy Sky |
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| Double Bay, Kenepuru Sound |
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| The wreck of the Amokura, St Omer Bay |
Once
the winds die down we plan to leave Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds early next week
and head around Cape Jackson and into Queen Charlotte Sound.
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