Crew: Peter, Graciela, Geoff with Kakkada and Narith.
Forecast: Light southerly breezes.
Peter asked if I’d be interested in taking out a couple of Cambodian students who are in Wellington studying English at Victoria University’s postgraduate TESOL course. Of course, I said yes! Any excuse to get out sailing on a beautiful spring day! 🙂
We cast off from Chaffers Marina at 1330 hrs, and with Graciela at the helm, hoisted the mainsail and No. 3 jib. We soon picked up some light breezes and were able to switch off the engine as we sailed across the harbour.
It was nice to see Narith and Kakkada excitedly sharing photos and video calls with their families and friends back home in Cambodia, giving them a glimpse of their sailing adventure.
Reaching the shelter of Kau Bay, we dropped the sails and tied up to the club mooring to enjoy afternoon tea and some interesting conversations about life in Cambodia. Thanks, Caroline, for the yummy cake!
Then it was time to get moving again. We hoisted the sails and cast off from the mooring. Once clear of the wind shadow of Kau Bay, we sailed across the harbour at around 5 knots, with Narith trying his hand at helming .
Passing Point Jerningham, the wind dropped away, so we motor-sailed past the bays. Oriental Bay and Freyberg Beach were both packed with people enjoying the spring sunshine. Kakkada asked, “Are these private beaches?”
“No, this is New Zealand!” Peter replied. 🙂
After cruising in close to Queens Wharf, while keeping clear of the inbound East-West Ferry, we headed back towards Chaffers. Our neighbours, Mauro and Imogen, were ahead of us in their classic motorboat, so we waited until they had safely berthed before entering the marina ourselves.
We finally berthed at 1620 hrs. It got pretty hot in the marina as we packed away the jib, tidied up Halo and said our goodbyes to Kakkada and Narith.
A great day out on the harbour, with lovely sailing conditions, good company and interesting conversations. It was also a nice opportunity to share a little of the Wellington sailing experience with our Cambodian guests and give them a taste of something different from home and a break from their studies.
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