Cook Strait Crossing Wgtn to Picton – 7 April 2021

Crew: Geoff, Murray, Phil.

Forecast Cook Strait: : Variable 10 knots. Southerly 15 knots developing in the morning, then easing to variable 10 knots again in the afternoon. Sea slight. Long period southerly swell 1 metre. HW Wellington 1312 hrs.

Wellington turned on a glorious morning for our departure. Light southerly breeze and clear skies. Phil and Murray joined Geoff on Halo at Chaffers Marina. After a safety briefing for Phil (first time on Halo) we called Maritime Radio on channel 16 to log our trip report and with goodbyes to Graciela we cast off at 0930 hrs.

By the time we passed Evans Bay we were able to turn the engine off and hoist the No. 2 Jib and Mainsail. We rounded Pt Halswell and arrived at Steeple Rock light after two tacks and then turned on the engine and dropped the jib so we could motor sail through Chaffers Passage behind Barrett Reef.

After rounding West Ledge we turned right and hoisted the jib, turned off the engine, and sailed on a beam reach in 15 kts southerly wind past Lyall Bay towards Sinclair Head. We were joined by a pod of beautiful dolphins as we sailed past Island Bay. They kept us entertained for ages as they darted backward and forwards across our bow.

We then entered the infamous Karori Rip which lived up to its name as the ‘washing machine’ with waves coming at us from all directions. After passing clear of Thoms Rock at 1217 hrs we then settled into a course across Cook Strait. The waves were still pretty choppy which made Halo bounce around a bit and the 1.5 mt southerly swell behind us gave us a bit of fun as we surfed down the waves.

The wind continued at around 15 kts gusting 20 kts as we sailed at around 6.5 kts towards Arapawa Island which by now was completed clouded over so we had to rely on instruments and compass to steer in the right direction.

As we neared the entrance to Tory Channel we made the obligatory ‘All Ships’ call on channel 16 to advise our arrival into the channel. There were no ferries near, just a couple of fishing boats, and another yacht Tortuga behind us. We started the engine and with Murray on helm and Geoff monitoring the chart plotter we powered our way into Tory Channel at 6 kts through the water but with the tide running with us sped through at 10 kts speed over ground.

Once inside the calm of Tory Channel we continued motor sailing to Ngaruru Bay where we tied up at the club mooring at 1615 hrs. In the calm of the evening we celebrated our crossing with a lovely meal of nachos, wine and music. Phil on harmonica and Geoff on ukulele accompanied by Murray’s dulcet tenor tones!

After a restful night we had a hearty breakfast followed by a dinghy trip to the DOC ‘facilities’, then cast off from the mooring at 0910 hrs. We motor sailed down Tory Channel, around Dieffenbach Point and into headwinds in Queen Charlotte Sound towards Picton.

After passing The Snout we entered Shakespeare Bay and tied up at the Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary visitors jetty at 1126 hrs. We walked around the one hour loop. At the lookout we enjoyed nice views up Queen Charlotte Sound and watched a pod of about 15 dolphins cruising down the Sound towards Grove Arm.