Day 1 After our Cook Strait Crossing the previous week and following a week back home in Wellington, I returned to the Sounds on the morning Interislander to rejoin Halo. Phil and Francis had sailed Grenadier across Cook Strait a few days earlier and they collected me at the Picton visitors jetty. Over a welcome... Continue Reading →
Cook Strait Crossing Wellington to Waikawa – 5 Sept 2023
Crew: Geoff and Peter Forecast: Light and variable winds. Route Plan: Departure set for 0600 hrs to enable us to arrive at Sinclair Head one hour before high water at Wellington. The tide will then be favourable for the passage across Cook Strait and through Tory Channel’s eastern entrance. HW Wellington is 0900 hrs. Peter... Continue Reading →
Harbour Sail – 2 Sept 2023
Crew: Marion, Anastasia, Patricia, Katherine, Murray and Geoff. Forecast: Northerly 15 knots, easing to 10 knots in the morning, and to variable 5 knots early afternoon. Southerly 10 knots developing late afternoon. The plan was to have a practice sail in preparation for the upcoming Waikawa Women's Regatta. After spending some time rigging the boat... Continue Reading →
Harbour Sailing Matiu/Somes Island – 18 July 2023
Crew: Geoff, Graciela, Marcia, Hunter. Forecast: Northerly 15 knots. Sea slight. Marcia and Hunter are visiting us from the deep south (Manapouri) so we took the opportunity to take them out on Halo to experience some sailing and see Wellington from a different perspective. We cast off from Chaffers Marina at 1021 hrs. Graciela and... Continue Reading →
Sailing Croatia 13-20 May 2023
Crew: Geoff, Graciela, Paula and Eduard. Graciela and I were travelling to the UK to meet Aurelia, our brand new granddaughter and I decided to try out something I have wanted to do for ages, go sailing in Croatia. I researched the available charter companies, there's plenty of them, and eventually decided on Sail-Croatia which... Continue Reading →
South Island Rally – Back Home to Wellington 23-24 March 2023
Crew: Geoff, Peter, Malcom, Scott. After the excitement of the SailGP racing in Lyttleton we planned to sail back north on the Monday together with some of the other boats in the Island Cruising Association South Island Rally. This plan was thwarted however by a big weather system which came in bringing cold gale force... Continue Reading →
Halo at SailGP Christchurch 13-17 March 2023
After our overnight sail to Pigeon Bay we spent more time exploring Whakaraupō Lyttelton and surrounds, filling in time before the SailGP event. We found Lyttelton to be a very pleasant place, good locally roasted coffee, locally brewed beer, friendly people and great weather. Hiking the Port Hills We met up with Allan Sutherland (whose... Continue Reading →
South Island Rally – Pigeon Bay 11-12 March 2023
Crew: Geoff, Malcolm, Justin and Hamish. After sailing from Wellington to Lyttelton as part of the Island Cuising South Island Rally we were invited to join the Pigeon Bay Boating Club on their annual Lyttleton to Pigeon Bay race. We would stay there the night for the party and sail back to Lyttleton the next... Continue Reading →
South Island Rally – Wellington to Lyttleton 7-8 March 2023
Crew: Geoff, Grant, Murray, Malcolm. SailGP is coming to New Zealand this year with the big F50 cats racing in Lyttleton Harbour. When we heard that the Island Cruising Association was organising a rally of boats to sail there to watch the racing we jumped at the opportunity! Another Wellington boat Bellatrix, a Beale 33... Continue Reading →
Matiu / Somes Island 27 Feb 2023
Crew: Peter, Caroline, Mark, Jane, Geoff and Graciela, Today: Variable 5 knots in the morning. Southerly 10 knots developing about midday then rising to 15 knots in the afternoon. Peter and Caroline's friends, Mark and Jane, were visiting Wellington so we took the opportunity to take them out for a harbour cruise. Mark has sailed on... Continue Reading →