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Vela Huang
Vela Huang

Vela Huang

traveled in 16 countries Read more
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  • Cruising NZ
    1Back to the blue
    Approaching Mayor IslandChecking out the Coromandel PeninsulaParked up at Mayor IslandVela off for a fishParked up at Mayor IslandSun setting behind the CoromandelSun setting behind the CoromandelGotta love this3Cheeky...

    Tauranga to Mayor Island

    February 20, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We made the most of the marina facilities before leaving, getting a load of washing done, filling up the water tanks, and topping up on Diesel before leaving Tauranga harbour on the slack tide. We sailed across to Mayor Island in an easing westerly breeze, able to beat the northerly sea breeze which was filling in.

    It was great to see some amazing blue water again, and as we approached the island, we could clearly see the bottom 10m down. We tried a couple of different anchorages, looking for a spot with decent mobile coverage so Vela could join her afternoon meetings, but no luck. So we dropped the pick on the south western side of the island, where Vela grabbed a fishing rod and drifted out on the paddleboard, hoping to find a grandaddy hapuka which we had been advised were in abundance. No luck.

    On Vela's return, the northerly sea breeze had filled in and our spot had become a little lumpy, so we moved to the south eastern corner of the island. Here we were greeted with crystal clear water, which must have been 20 degrees or warmer. With no other boats around we got a little bit cheeky and jumped in for a skinny dip.

    We watched a very pretty sunset, even counting down the sun as it disappeared behind the Coromandel Peninsula. A few hours later and we were ready to settle in for the night, but unfortunately our night didn't end there...    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Leaving Starling behind
    Jumping on a little birdScoping out destinations from above (Motiti Island)2The Gang!Blowing off some steamBlowing off some steamBack to TaurangaQuick round of golfQuick round of golfQuick round of golf

    Holiday from our Holiday

    February 19, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    On Friday we left Starling safely tucked up at Tauranga bridge marina while we jumped on a plane to Auckland for the weekend.

    It was nice to have a little break from cruising and to catch up with friends (some that we hadn't seen for a year) and we went to a music gig. We also got some life admin done.

    We flew back to Tauranga today, a quick round of golf with Dave, and back to cruising tomorrow!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    A pretty little marina
    Coffee and a ginger sliceA cat on the catMango & habanero sour... It was exactly what the label saidGot the rellies down!

    Catching up with the Rellies

    February 15, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Bit of a quiet day today. Vela spent the day working, while Nathan got the boat in order, putting stuff away, washing clothes, vacuuming etc. We went for a little walk to a coffee shop in the marina carpark, and had lunch up at the marina restaurant (a little pricey but the food was good).

    We spotted a cat on the catamaran berthed opposite us, and we're just waiting to see the owners so we can invite ourselves on board to play with the cat. Nathan then put the cricket on, and enjoyed probably the whackiest beer to date - mango and habanero sour... Genuinely delicious!

    In the afternoon we were visited by Lyn & David - sorry we missed getting a photo! And later in the evening we had auntie Roz, uncle Colin & Sandy, and uncle Kevin & auntie Robyn join us for a couple of drinks and dinner.

    It's always great to catch up with friends and family, and turns out we have a lot of them in Tauranga!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Glassy water approaching the Mount
    Nathan's 1st attempt at garlic noodles - not bad!Nathan, Dave & Oakley on the golf courseStunning dayTrying to get artsy again...Gotta have a beer after golf right...... And a cocktail on Valentine's DayDinner with William & MomoYum!

    Arriving into Tauranga

    February 14, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After waking up this morning, we had a couple of quick coffees before pulling up the anchor and heading for Tauranga. It was a fantastic morning and the water turned glassy as we approached the mount.

    We have a berth booked at the bridge marina for a week so we can catch up with friends and fly back to Auckland for the weekend. Bridge marina is a tidal marina, meaning there is significant current flowing through the berths. We were advised by the marina office to wait until slack water at high tide (11.40) to berth. At about 11am we thought the current would have slowed enough for us to berth... We were wrong.

    After realising how much current was pushing through the marina, we made a quick 180 and headed back to the channel to wait another 30 minutes until the current was properly slack. Our second parking attempt was exemplary (great job Vela) and we set about tying lines and tucking Starling safely into bed. Nathan made his first attempt at cooking Chinese style garlic noodles, and by all accounts it was a success!

    Nathan was picked up by Tauranga locals Dave & Oakley later in the afternoon, and they headed for Mount Maunganui golf course to play a few holes. Turns out the best thing for your golf game is to not play for 9 months, then rip your first drive 250m straight down the fairway...

    While Nathan was at the golf course, Vela got picked up by Momo and William and headed to Zozo for Valentine's dinner. Nathan joined, slightly late, and forgetting his wedding ring in Dave's car... Despite this, we enjoyed a couple of cocktails and a great meal with William and Momo.

    Afterwards, we were taken on a tour of William and Momo's new lifestyle property in Welcome Bay, before they delivered us back to Starling for a much needed sleep.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Sailing past Pukehina
    The tax man lurkingVela's noodles for dinnerYou can see the yellow along the top of the koheruThe rainbow reflected in the sunsetCrescent moon over Mount Maunganui

    Moutohora to Motiti

    February 13, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Sorry, not many photos today...

    Typical Tuesday, with Vela focused on her work for most of the day. Meanwhile, Nathan spent most of his day fishing and otherwise trying to keep out of Vela's way. On his first cast in the morning, Nathan pulled in a (very) small kingfish. Fortunately it self released onto the duck board and quickly hopped into the water and swam off.

    A whole school of these baby kingfish were underneath the boat now, and there were some larger shapes moving down there as well. Nathan quickly dropped his line in again, but no more bites. Looking more closely at the larger shapes, it became apparent they were not larger kingfish, but instead bronze whaler sharks following the small kingfish. This distracted Nathan for a while watching the sharks circle the boat. The sharks hung around for nearly an hour, doing lazy circles, at least three of them. Unfortunately we only thought to grab the 360 camera for some footage after watching them for a long while, and only got footage of the one shark as it was moving away.

    About 2pm, it was time to move spots, heading 30 miles across the bay to Motiti Island. Along the way we saw a school of kahawai working the surface, so we dragged a lure and quickly pulled a nice fish on board. A little sick of eating kahawai, and no ability to smoke it on board, we opted to use this for bait and try to snag something different later on.

    About 4 hours later we pulled into the south west corner of Motiti and put the pick down. Nathan was straight back into the fishing, armed with his fresh kahawai bait. There were plenty of snapper here, and even though a couple were probably legal, they weren't worth keeping (our motto is if you have to measure it, it's not worth keeping). Nathan also hooked a small trevally, again not big enough to keep. We also noticed lots of long blue fish following our baits, thinking these were koheru, Nathan tried to snag one. It took a bit of trying as these fish fight hard for their size and have soft mouths, but we managed to catch two nice fat specimens.

    Often koheru are used as bait for kingfish, but they are also delicious sashimi, so these two will become lunch tomorrow! Koheru are a very cool fish, it's a little hard to tell when they're out of the water, easy to see if you're spearfishing, but their top side glows a bright yellow if there is a predator nearby!

    As the sun set, the fish went off the bite. So we marveled at how the colours of the rainbow are reflected in the sunset when there aren't any clouds, and then turned in for the evening.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Leaving Waihau Bay
    Fresh sushi for lunchWhakaari steaming moodilySails up!Gotta get my beer in (very fruity today)Approaching MoutohoraFish wraps for dinnerStrike your best pose!Trying to hideHow many can you spot?

    Waihau Bay - Moutohora Island

    February 12, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We've still got a few miles to go before we get to our berth booked in Tauranga for Wednesday, so we made another jump today to Moutohora Island. As was suggested by last night's fiery sunset, today was an absolute stunner.

    We pulled up the anchor and motored in absolutely glassy conditions out into the Bay of Plenty. The water quickly turned a brilliant blue and was super clear. We were greeted by dolphins twice again today (since we left Wellington we've seen dolphins every day except Saturday when we stopped at Mahia). We got some pretty cool footage with the 360 camera of the dolphins playing in the bow wave.

    As we made our way towards Whakatane, we could see Whakaari (White Island) steaming moodily in the distance. We discussed sailing past for a closer look, but it's quite a bit out of the way, so we decided to give it a miss.

    We made fresh sushi for lunch, using one fillet from last night's Kahawai. Afterwards we settled in for the long haul, with Nathan reading on the bow while Vela enjoyed some K-pop in the cockpit.

    The sea breeze eventually came in and the sails came out, giving us a welcome speed boost and respite from the engine. We arrived at Moutohora after roughly 8 hours of sailing, just in time for dinner. Nathan whipped up some fish wraps, but we're getting a bit low on salad supplies, so they were a little bit ordinary today.

    After dinner, Nathan spotted a seal colony lounging on the nearby rocks and managed to get a couple of half decent photos through the binoculars. Unfortunately the seals being present put paid to any fancy ideas of spear fishing off the point tomorrow... After the sun set, we raised the boat transom, wouldn't want to wake up in the morning to a neighbour sunning themselves on our duck board!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Sunrise somewhere off Gisborne
    We're a little bit cuteNew top speed!1Wet! Thanks Vela2See you later East Cape!Cruising past Lottin PointCool god rays approaching Waihau BayIt's a horse!Good feed, and bonus gold bars!Epic fiery sunset, should be a good day tomorrow!

    Big day to Waihau Bay

    February 11, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Very big day today. It started with the forecast southwesterly coming in, starting around 12 knots but building up to 25kt by mid morning. The sea state built steadily with it as well until we were surfing down 3m swells.

    Nathan got excited when he set a new boat speed record for Starling of 15.3kt, but Vela quickly jumped on the handlebars and bumped that up to 16kt (much to Nathan's disappointment, because Vela also managed to get both of his sleeping spots soaked in the process, while Nathan was in them...) Once we stopped, we checked the system for the real boat speed record and saw 17kt... No idea who set that one but we'll share the record for now. (Vela edit: it was definitely Vela's record).

    With some good top speeds and average speed around 10kt, we made great time and rounded East Cape about 2pm. Once we got around, the sea state settled and we started looking for a spot to anchor. We headed for Waihau Bay (apparently where the movie Boy was filmed) and found a reasonable anchorage. It was still a little rolly, but in our sleep deprived state it didn't matter much.

    Nathan got some fishing lines in the water, and after a good tussle landed a whopper of a kahawai - maybe rivaling Jamie's from Doubtless Bay. A second big kahawai was quickly on board, plenty of fish for us for now, so we threw the third one back and called it a night on the fishing. Really good to be back up north and have some good fishing! On filleting the fish, Nathan found a couple of bonus gold bars in one, yum!

    We had dinner, cleaned ourselves and the boat up a bit, and put our heads down to recuperate. It feels like the hard part of our trip is behind us now, and we're excited to catch up with friends and family now we're back up North.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Dumplings and Chinese garlic noodles for lunch!
    Mahia BaySlash burning on the beachSpectacular cliffs along Mahia PeninsulaGotta get my cloud photos inGotta get my cloud photos inSailing into the sunsetSailing into the sunsetSailing into the sunset

    Chinese New Year & Leaving Mahia

    February 10, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    After a fantastic sleep in to recuperate from our trek up from Wellington, we awoke to a flat, albeit windy, anchorage. Today marked Chinese New Year, so after we had raised ourselves, we made a small feast of Chinese food to celebrate.

    The surrounding area where we had anchored was pretty sparse, but the cliffs along the Mahia Peninsula were impressive.

    We chilled out for the rest of the day, waiting for the northerly winds to make way for the forecast south westerly. At about 8.30pm we hauled up the anchor and pointed our bow into the sunset. The south westerly hadn't quite come through yet, but the now casting showed it was in at Napier so it was on its way!

    After a few hours of bashing into the wind once we passed the end of Mahia Peninsula, the south westerly arrived later than expected, but we were sure glad when it showed up!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Not much out here to look at except clouds
    Doll friends!Couple of God raysAbout 20 miles out from the tip of Mahia PeninsulaEnjoying the sunset, about 15 miles to Mahia Bay

    Passage to Mahia

    February 9, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today was a typical day of passage making. The wind was good to us most of the day and we were averaging about 7-8kt on a beam reach. It was a little bit slower than the night before when we maxed out down a wave doing 12.3kt - but it's probably a good thing we don't do that speed all the time or we might start breaking things, or people!

    With just the two of us on board, the passage making feels a bit like you're in a fuzzy half sleep mode the whole time. Roughly taking two hour shifts each, or until you can't keep your eyes open any longer and you can get the other person to take over. Both of us definitely had our eyes closed at one point or another while on the helm. Fortunately our auto helm knows which way to go!

    We had a couple more visits from dolphins today which was really nice. And they hung around for 20 minutes at a time.

    As we approached Mahia Peninsula, the wind moved north as per the forecast and we headed into Mahia Bay so we could put the anchor down and get some rest while the northerly blows through. We got the anchor down just after 11pm and quickly got some food into our stomachs (the conditions were quite lumpy so we were both existing off muesli bars). Then it was into bed for both of us.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Leaving Wellington
    Spotted! - photo by YannSpotted again! - photo by RossClouds and wavesEpic landscapes of the southern North IslandApproaching Cape PalliserEnjoying the lights on the cloudsEnjoying the lights on the clouds1Chilli for dinnerNight sailing!

    Wellington - Hawke's Bay (Day 1)

    February 8, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today marks the beginning of our journey homeward.

    Vela spent her morning tidying up some work items, while Nathan completed some final prep work - tying the dinghy down, topping up the water tanks, running the jack stays and sorting everything with the marina for our departure. We popped out for a bite to eat for lunch before saying goodbye to Nathan's parents.

    We walked back to the marina, cast off our lines, and headed out of the harbour for open waters. NZ is a small place and you can't do anything under the radar, we were spotted twice, once by our marina neighbour Yann as we left the marina, and also from the air by Mum and Dad as we were leaving Wellington harbour.

    Nathan enjoyed some more funky clouds, and also some big swells as we left Wellington. On our sail across to Cape Palliser we had two visits from dolphins, the first went like:
    Vela - "I really want to see whales... EEEEEEEK!" As a dolphin broke the surface less than a metre from our port rail.

    We are making good time, with speed consistently around 7 knots. We rounded Cape Palliser at 8pm and Nathan heated up a batch of chili for dinner.

    We're now settling into our night sailing mode, expecting the wind to build towards midnight. Looking forward to seeing the Hawke's Bay sometime tomorrow afternoon!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Couple of jellies hanging out behind Starling
    Swarms of jellyfish throughout the marinaEnough coffee and sugar?3Coke chickenWorld famous chilliObligatory fruity beerBet you can't guess which city...Early Chinese New Year dinnerClouds!Every cloud has a golden? liningEvery cloud has a golden? lining

    East Coast Passage - Prep day

    February 7, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We woke up this morning to find the marina had been completely overrun by jellyfish. After being distracted by this phenomena (and pestering a few by tapping on their heads) we headed for the supermarket to prep for our passage up the east coast. Of particular importance is that our caffeine and sugar intake remains high, I'm not sure we've got enough...

    Back on board and Nathan whipped up some coke chicken as an easy snack while on passage, and a batch of his world famous chilli (easy to heat up and store the rest in the freezer).

    An obligatory fruity beer for the afternoon (difficult to keep the can still for the photo in the Wellington wind). We then went out for dinner to celebrate an early Chinese New Year, with Peking Duck and a couple of other dishes.

    A cloud photo and our last Wellington sunset to round out the day. Looking forward to getting moving again and back out into nature for a few days.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Wellington chop
    Love the retro boat housesLocal eagle ray chilling on the rampRough around Oriental BaySpray whipping over the breakwaterI scream for ice creamBit of a headwind there?Learn to sail heading outBit rough?Yellow mellow fellow

    Oriental Bay

    February 6, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    With all of our obligations completed yesterday, today was all about relaxing and enjoying Wellington. After a slow morning, Emma came to join us and we went for a walk towards Oriental bay. Walking past the old boat sheds is always very pretty, and we saw the local eagle ray chilling on the boat ramp.

    It was still a typical Wellington day, with wind up into the 30kt range. The chop was getting whipped up into Oriental Bay, breaking over the concrete breakwaters and crashing onto the beach.

    We had a nice family lunch at the boat cafe before walking along Oriental Bay to digest. On the way back to the marina we stopped for ice cream, before battling the rest of the way back through strong headwinds. One of the local learn to sail boats was heading out - they really are a different breed down here...

    An afternoon/evening of snack foods and board games ensued. And of course enjoying a tasty hazy.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Route planning session heading to Hawke's bay
    Pretty cool tapsTasting paddle (give it a 6/10)Free pint... Looks dangerousNot sure what happened to these...Family dinner time!Cool pastel coloured sunset

    Visas & Family Day

    February 5, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Early start today to get over to the Chinese embassy. We got all of our paperwork submitted and no issues were raised, so that was this week's big job ticked off.

    We headed back to Starling for lunch and a trip planning session. Nathan and Vela made the call to head out from Wellington on Thursday afternoon. Going north to Hawke's Bay to wait out the northerly winds that are forecast for Saturday before continuing on Sunday around East Cape into the bay of plenty, plan is to be in Tauranga Monday evening.

    After this, Nathan and Ross decided it was time to find a cold beer. They headed to Fork and Brewer for a tasting paddle. The beer was nothing exciting to write home about, but the taps were pretty cool. They then headed next door to the sports bar for a couple more cold ones while watching the cricket.

    We all reconvened at dinner (yummy dumplings and noodles) where Nathan and Ross got in trouble with the girls for having one too many (who blamed the bartender for pouring the wrong beer and giving them an extra pint for free...) We headed back for Starling and enjoyed a nice pastel coloured sunset and a game of Catan before bedtime.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    View from the observation deck at Te Papa
    Playing around with the artObligatory hazy for lunch, boys were not brought to our yard...View from the top of the Wellington CablecarCool cloudsA collection of selfiesDolphins at the waterfront!Surfing around on the wavesMore cool cloudsGotta get the photo with the sign

    Wellington Sightseeing

    February 4, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    This morning, while waiting for one last document for our Chinese visa applications, we explored Te Papa Museum. We particularly enjoyed the nature exhibits and the interactive art. We made a quick stop for lunch at the new Willis Lane Foodcourt (and obligatory hazy) before continuing on to complete today's number one priority (printing all the documents for Nathan and his parents Chinese visas).

    Afterwards we decided to explore a bit of Wellington. We took the Wellington Cable car to the top of Kelburn Hill for some awesome views of the city and harbour before returning to the CBD and walking back to the marina.

    Walking along the downtown waterfront we noticed some strange looking splashing in the water. As we got closer it became apparent that there was a huge pod of dolphins playing in the waves, surfing in towards the Quay before circling back out and repeating. There were at least 50 dolphins and they hung around for more than half an hour. We have really been blessed with our dolphins encounters so far this trip.

    We stopped at the Wellington waterfront sign for a couple of quick snaps before heading back to Starling to relax. Tomorrow will be the big day, submitting our Chinese visa applications! Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly...    Read more

  • Cruising NZ

    Wellington - Visa's & Games

    February 3, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    This morning was taken up with "life admin" - washing, bathrooms, vacuuming etc. We spent the early afternoon sorting Nathan's Chinese visa and planning part of our China trip.

    Nathan's Mum and dad arrived in the afternoon and in the evening we went to the games cafe for dinner, drinks and a couple of different games. We retired back to Starling for an intense 5 player game of Catan where all players were on 9 points before Vela (white) got her nose over the line first.Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Ominous clouds on the horizon
    Vela not a fan of the Wellington windThe break water doing work today40kt at the top of the mast1Dinner time!Cocktails!Duck Island!Pretty rainbowThe other end of the rainbowBright little sunset cloud

    Windy Wellington

    February 2, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    After arriving yesterday to glassy conditions, the wind built overnight and we got a proper taste of Wellington today. Our main objective today was to get Vela's Japanese visa submitted, so we bravely set off into the wind to the Japanese embassy.

    By the time we returned to the marina, we were getting gusts well into the high 30kt range. Nathan went to the breakwater to check it out and nearly got blown over as a wall of wind-whipped sea spray charged through. We saw a maximum of 40kt on our wind gear, but Wellington airport was reading around 48kt all afternoon.

    For dinner we met up with Emma and Josh, and enjoyed some Asian fusion, cocktails, and Duck Island ice cream. The weather settled and we got some pretty cool rainbows and a bright little cloud as the sun set. We finished off with a few board games on board Starling before bedtime.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    First view into the Cook Strait
    Leaving Tory ChannelThe mobile office - literallyBig albatross chillingGetting distracted by the clouds and oceanYou can't beat Wellington on a good dayTomorrow's forecast not looking so nice

    Crossing Cook Strait

    February 2, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Today officially signaled the halfway point of our trip as we left the South Island and began our northward journey (even though Wellington is kinda to the South of Picton...) We left through Tory Channel and had some spectacular currents pushing the boat around as we made the most of the last south island landscapes we'll see on this trip.

    Again we picked a great weather window and had little to no wind and very slight seas on our crossing. Vela was even able to get a bit of work in while we were on the move. We spotted a small pod of dolphins off the southern coast of Wellington, but they didn't get close enough to identify the species. We also saw a big albatross relaxing on the ocean.

    Wellington harbor was completely glassed over, making it hard to believe that 40kt+ winds are forecast for tomorrow... Vela perfectly parked Starling into our marina berth and started chatting away making friends with a couple of marina kids - who we invited in for a tour.

    We walked to a nearby Indian restaurant for dinner, and finished off the evening working on some visa applications (Nathan's Chinese and Vela's Japanese), with a surprise video call from Mike & Cass in Vietnam to top it off.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Peaceful morning at Hitaua Bay
    Heading up the Tory ChannelMade some friends along the wayDelicious "pow pow" for dinnerEvening paddleboard in the glassy conditionsNot a ripple to be seenOnly the fish making ripplesFunky beer for dessertLast sunset in the soundsOne final ferry for the evening

    Tranquility at Te Rua Bay

    January 31, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today was a much nicer day. Vela was hard at work getting everything in line as she's unlikely to be available tomorrow while we cross the Cook Strait. So to get out of her hair, Nathan launched the dinghy to try and find some fish for dinner.

    After floating around for a couple of hours, he only hooked three blue cod, and they were of questionable size so they went back into the water. Unfortunately two of these fish were poached by a squadron of shags that were following Nathan around. To be honest it was quite impressive watching the birds eat a fish that was twice the size of their heads...

    Back onboard Starling and it was time to haul up the anchor and make a little hop further down Tory Channel to shorten our travel time tomorrow. On the way down the channel we sailed past a group of NZ fur seals which seemed to be hunting a school of fish.

    We decided Te Rua Bay looked a likely spot to spend the night, so we parked up and settled in. Vela cooked up her Pad Kra Prao (locally called pow pow) for dinner which was delicious!

    Within a couple hours of arriving, the wind dropped away to nothing, providing us with amazing glassy conditions. Vela went for a bit of an explore on the paddleboard while Nathan enjoyed a funky cookies & cream beer as a sundowner (not very cookies and not very creamy...)

    We watched one last ferry gliding down Tory Channel while star gazing before turning in for the evening.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Beautiful calm morning in Waikawa Bay
    Tough decisions...The Duncan's won out for nowNot a bad viewHeading out of Queen Charlotte Sound towards Tory ChannelInterislander cruising out of Tory Channel

    Waikawa Bay - Hitaua Bay

    January 30, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Quiet day today where the biggest conundrum was deciding which beer to open. In the afternoon we packed up and headed to Hitaua Bay which is at the start of the Tory Channel.

    The plan is to cross the Cook Strait to Wellington on Thursday, where we have a berth booked for a week so we can sort visas for our post sailing adventures.

    Cool view of the Interislander ferries cruising down the channel.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Calm morning in Waikawa Bay
    Watching the interislander heading up Queen Charlotte SoundShark (dogfish) curry for lunchStingrays outside the Jolly Roger at WaikawaAwesome iced mocha and toastie in Picton2Best sunset yet over WaikawaBest sunset yet over WaikawaBest sunset yet over Waikawa1Best sunset yet over WaikawaBest sunset yet over WaikawaBest sunset yet over Waikawa

    Wild Waikawa

    January 29, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    The day started off beautiful and calm, and we relaxed watching some of the interislander ferries heading past. Lunch was leftover shark (dogfish) curry, which was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend.

    We had teed up with Amin and Cil to come and visit us for the afternoon, so before they arrived we headed ashore to visit Burnsco for some extra fishing supplies. We then crossed the road to the Jolly Roger where we enjoyed watching the resident short tailed stingrays park up in the corner (there were three all trying to park on top of one another). One of them was particularly large and awesome to watch - stingrays are one of our favorite animals to watch.

    After Amin and Cil joined us, we headed over to Picton where we were introduced to Toastie Lords, who make an epic toasted sandwich with salmon, pickles and cream cheese - highly recommend. And we washed this down with an iced coffee. While we were enjoying our food and drink by the waterfront, the wind really picked up. It was incredible watching it whip through the marina, causing boats to get an uncomfortable amount of heel on. The wind was strong enough to knock Vela's iced coffee out of her hand!

    The conditions had us a little nervous about leaving Starling unattended, but fortunately Lissa and Andrew from Cape Landing had eyes on from Waikawa marina so we knew she was alright (thanks team!).

    Afterwards we made a quick stop at the supermarket in Picton before we bravely launched the dinghy, said a final goodbye to Amin and Cil (thanks heaps for looking after us, we promise to come back and visit!) and headed back out. The chop was quite incredible, but fortunately the wind had dropped significantly from the 40kt recorded earlier. Vela sustained a minor injury to her toes when climbing out of the dinghy (caught between the dinghy and Starling's transom) but after a bit of ice she was fine.

    We settled in again for the evening and had probably the best sunset we've seen to date. I tried to capture a bit of how choppy the water still was at this point as well.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Fiery sunrise over Motuara Island
    Starling perfectly framed by the bushFound the waterfall2Happy Vela now she has her 4GPhoto courtesy of LissaLooks like we're enjoying the cruising lifestyleLissa and Andrew (not sure that one's big enough Andrew...)It was tasty...... While it lastedCute boat sheds and cool landscape of Waikawa

    Ship Cove - Waikawa Bay

    January 28, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After Nathan's disturbed sleep from yesterday's stormy weather, he was up at 5am again this morning. The silver lining was that he was able to get some photos of a pretty spectacular sunrise!

    After Vela eventually woke up, we went through our morning coffee ritual before jumping in the dinghy to go for our waterfall hike. The hike was absolutely stunning, and if this is what the Queen Charlotte track is like, then we will have to come back one day and do the whole thing!

    Back on board Starling and we packed everything up to head for Waikawa Bay. Vela was very excited to get 4G again! On the way we spotted Lissa and Andrew from Cape Landing on our AIS, who were stopped for a fish at a reef. We opted for a sail-by, and teed up a little photo shoot with Lissa.

    After we arrived in Waikawa Bay, it was time to crack open a beer. While it was pretty tasty, the wake from one of the Interislander ferries sent it flying all over Nathan... Will have to send them the bill...

    We settled in for the night, with the lights of the marina and hillside houses setting a very different nightscape to Ship Cove.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Rough awakening in Ship Cove
    4She's pretty intense out thereNot sure what all the fuss was aboutShip CoveVela getting stuck into some fishPina colada timeFish hot pot for dinner

    Stormy Saturday at Ship Cove

    January 27, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Saturday started earlier than expected for Nathan. At 4am he got up with a full bladder and while heading outside found that the wind had changed direction, leaving them with not a lot of room (about 20m to possible rocks, and 50m to the shore) behind them should the anchor slip. Feeling uneasy about this, and knowing the weather forecast was for worse to come, the anchor came up and we moved to a spot with a bit more of a buffer.

    With the anchor and all of the chain down, the forecast weather quickly came through and settled in. Unable to go back to sleep, Nathan made himself cozy in the saloon to keep an eye on things. The weather did get pretty extreme, but the anchor held. Vela got up and requested a coffee and some sesame porridge, but with the wild weather the food and drink didn't want to stay down.

    We went into hibernation mode for a few hours. Downstairs, wrapped up in a blanket and napping when we had the chance. Nathan jumped up a few times to check our distances to shore and make sure we weren't dragging. But our anchor held fantastically - fingers crossed it always does so!

    Late morning the weather started to clear, and by midday we had beautiful blue skies and it was time to explore Ship Cove. We launched the dinghy and went ashore, the humidity and heat from the sun, coupled with the beach and thick undergrowth made it feel very tropical. We did a little bit of exploration, checking out the wharf, the James Cook monument and the many bush chickens (Weka) that were hanging about. We also noted a short walk to a waterfall so we plan to come back tomorrow with some better footwear to check that out too.

    Afterwards we took the dinghy to the point for a little bit of a fish, Vela pulled in a baby blue cod which got sent back, and also another spiny dogfish. Back on board Starling and Vela was on a roll, fishing up another spiny dogfish, myriads of small Gurnard, and one extra Gurnard big enough to keep. No blue cod for the bin today unfortunately.

    We celebrated with a Pina colada, and Vela cooked up a little hot pot of yesterday's Gurnard and the last remaining blue cod.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Glassy morning in Ketu Bay
    Finally Blue Cod!Vela's drone footage from our hikeLeaving Pelorus SoundEnjoying the clouds as we approached Queen CharlotteRough waters at Cape Jackson29kt at the top of the mast (we think there was more)Shortened sail - much more controlNice flat anchorage in Ship CoveDelicious Blue Cod for dinnerNeat little bit of color on the clouds as the sun sets

    Ketu Bay - Ship Cove

    January 26, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    This morning was an absolute stunner. Glassy water, clear blue skies, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. You can't ask for much more!

    Nathan made the most of the weather by jumping in the dinghy and heading over to the point where he finally managed to get into some blue cod. The point was just about swarming with fish, clearly shows you have to pick the right spot to throw your line in. Meanwhile Vela had edited her drone footage from yesterday's hike.

    Being Friday, and with some average looking weather on its way for the weekend, we decided to make the jump from Pelorus Sound over to Queen Charlotte Sound. So we hauled up the anchor, logged our trip with Coastguard, pulled out our sails, and set off.

    The sail started off with a leisurely motor sail, but as expected the wind built as we got into Cook Strait. We were able to turn the motor off and were averaging close to 9kt (we hit 10kt a couple of times) on a broad reach straight for the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound. The water was spectacular and rough as we rounded Cape Jackson. A very tactical and safe gybe later and we were inside Queen Charlotte Sound.

    We expected the wind to start to die off once we were inside, but it continued to increase, with our anemometer reading 30kt, likely closer to 35kt in reality. We quickly shortened our sails, rolling our Genoa away to about 1/3 its full size, and the main to about 1/2. This was still plenty of sail but the boat was much more manageable. We were still hitting 10kt at times though.

    We made short work of the rest of our sail into Ship Cove and found it to be nice and sheltered with only the occasional gust coming over the hills. Nathan cooked up our first taste of blue cod for dinner with a side of fried veg - definitely in the top 3 of fish species we've eaten on this trip!

    We packed the boat up in preparation for some stormy weather on Saturday morning, and settled in for the evening.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Morning coffee turned out quite nicely
    Beautiful water in hereHike collageLocal goatLocal sheep (not quite at "Shrek" levels, but getting thereView of the sounds from the topView north towards ParaparaumuMaking facesVela "droning" onDelicious nutritious Korean rice for dinner

    Ketu Bay Hike

    January 25, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today's challenge was to hike to the highest point around Ketu Bay - 417m above sea level. After Vela had finished with her meetings, we both launched the dinghy and headed ashore. We'd had a tip off from a friend about an awesome hike that started from the beach.

    We made our way up the nicely formed, gently sloping track. We walked through thick manuka trees, past a number of beehives, and even startled some 4 legged wildlife. The track eventually opened up into scrub land and we had some already pretty awesome views of Ketu Bay and the surrounding waterways.

    Nathan decided this wasn't enough so we continued up what became a very steep track. Both of us were struggling by this point with the heat and a lack of walking fitness. We soldiered on and eventually made it to the top where we had some amazing views north, even able to see part of the North Island (Paraparaumu we believe).

    On our way back down, Vela got her drone out and we took some footage before heading back to the beach. Once back on board the boat, Vela was pooped so she instructed Nathan in how to make the Korean rice dish she was craving. By all accounts it didn't turn out too bad either!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Motor sailing, leaving Northwest Bay
    Really enjoying the clouds at the momentMainsail and Genoa up and cruising alongEnjoying the tranquilitySpiny Dogfish & GurnardNice white flesh of the DogfishCloudless night as the sun went downOrion's Belt (aka the little dipper)Constellations above our mastSouthern Cross above the hillsStarlink passing over the tops of the hills

    Northwest Bay - Ketu Bay

    January 24, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    A typical Wednesday for us on board Starling. A very quiet morning enjoying the bay until Vela was finished working and we were able to migrate again for the evening.

    We left around 3pm and motor-sailed for a bit with the small jib. Nathan took a bit of a wrong turn and almost ended up going down one of the many dead ends in Pelorus Sound. After getting back on the right track, we were able to pull out the mainsail and the big genoa and turn the noisy engine off. It was very peaceful sailing the rest of the way, and we got our first glimpse of open water (Cook Strait) in a week.

    We plonked the anchor down in Ketu Bay for the evening, and enjoyed the Spiny Dogfish and Gurnard we caught last night for dinner. I can happily report that the Dogfish was delicious. It has a nice, firm, white flesh, and with no true bones (sharks are cartilaginous) was very easy to eat. We'll likely keep more of these if we catch them in the future!

    We topped off our evening with a movie and a bit of stargazing, testing out our phones night time capabilities, and spotted the latest Starlink launch just over the top of the hills.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Surprisingly nice day after a rude 5am awakening
    Big front right over us at 5am2Vela's officeClouds over the top of the soundsStunning afternoonNZ spiny dogfishBarracoutaBaby shark do do do... Gurnard!

    Penguin Bay - North West Bay

    January 23, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    This morning started unexpectedly at 5am to the sounds of wind gales, pelting rain, and the boat getting itself on a 20-30 degree heel. Nathan quickly jumped out of bed to check everything was ok, and sliding back the companionway hatch was immediately soaked by rain getting in through the (closed) zips in the cockpit bimini. Nathan quickly gathered up anything precious, and got the pillows downstairs so they wouldn't get any wetter, unfortunately he wasn't quick enough to save a couple of items from blowing out into the water.

    After everything was secured, Nathan went back downstairs to wait it out and was met with a sleepy looking Vela. He sent Vela back to bed, saying everything was under control and it looked like an isolated weather front. About 20 minutes (and a bit of thunder and lightning) later, everything settled down and the day turned into a stunner. We resumed our usual Tuesday programming, starting with coffee service before getting into some work.

    We hopped spots a few times throughout the day, looking for stable internet and shelter from the wind which was still hanging around, but spent most of the day in Jacob's Bay which was surprisingly sheltered. After all Vela's meetings were finished, we made one final hop into North West Bay to spend the night.

    Nathan pulled in a nice Gurnard (which attempted to escape before getting unceremoniously flicked into the fish bin, and also a spiny dog fish (small shark) which we decided to fillet and have a go at cooking as well (tomorrow nights dinner). Nathan also pulled in a Barracouta, which was released. We chilled out for the rest of the evening, enjoying the peace and quiet of our anchorage.    Read more

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