Newsletter 41
Southland Sea Kayakers
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Thank you for sending in news of trips done recently. This is an action packed newsletter and shows what a diverse range of activities people are doing these days. There have been few organised trips this year but this month we will have one posted.
I am always keen to hear of your kayaking adventures and keen to publish them on this newsletter.
News
On 30th December last Simon Marwick did a solo sail in his kayak from HMB to the Ruggedys and Codfish Island and back. In February Al Cutler kayaked solo to Poison Bay from Milford Sound. His report follows. “On 18 March Richard Struthers, Stephen Counsell and Tarn Pilkington paddled the Clutha, Wanaka to Bendigo Reach ( almost Lake Dunstan), Three hours on the water with numerous wave trains, the odd stopper, and of course the Devil's Elbow. This proved to be an anit-climax at the river levels, but could definitely tip up it's victims. Sea kayaks are well suited for this river, and a journey from the lake to sea would be in order, with lots of good camping en route. 4-5 days?? Autumn would be good. Maybe a plan to hatch for next year.” On 28/29 March, Simon Marwick, Sue Lake, Tara and Stanley Mulvany kayaked out to Mitre Peak, climbed to the saddle between Footstool and Mitre Peak where they bivied and next day summitted and descended to kayak back in the moonlight on a still night. Belinda spent the weekend kayaking around Milford Sound by herself and was entertained by dolphins. She spent Saturday night in Stanley’s Bivi Rock on Mitre Peak.10-19 May Stanley sailed a yacht from Auckland to Fiji. The trip report is included.
Forthcoming events/trips
Sunday 17 June: Day paddle at Bluff starting at 1 PM. This is for everyone especially novice paddlers. This is to be followed by a pot luck dinner at Adele and Mike Larsens house, 2 Falcon St., Invercargill at 6.00 PM Please bring a plate. If you are intending to come please let Adele and Mike know by emailing them on [email protected]
I have organised 3 rolling classes over the winter starting on Sunday 8th July at Splash Palace. This is being coordinated by Jacqui and Tim Anderson as I will be away in Canada.
Dates:
Sunday 8 July
Sunday 15 July
Sunday 22 July
Time: 4.30-6.30 PM
Venue: Splash Palace
Cost: Admission charge + a few dollars to Tim for lane hire.
What to bring: Sea kayak if you have one but we can only manage about 6 as we have only 3 lanes to use. So if you do not have a sea kayak please come. Be sure to clean your kayak before you arrive and remove any gravel or dirt from the cockpit. Bring along your spray skirt, hatch covers, PFD, nose clips or goggles, togs or wetsuit, paddle and a paddle float if you have one.
Please contact Jacqui or Tim for further details [email protected] or phone 03-2349399
Huts:
Stanley,
You may recall we have been in touch in the past in relation to the Southland Sea Kayakers Association.
I am writing to let you know that it is likley that the old Deas Cove Hut (that was removed due to Geological instability in November 2006) will be replaced by another hut in a location approximately 100m to the West of where the old Hut was sited. The hut will have 10 bunks and it is hoped will be completed by Mid October 2007.
The flip side of this development is that the Gut hut on Secretary Island is likley to be removed shortly afterwards as it poses a significant risk to the speicies protection work already done on Secretary Island. A proposal to build a campsite in the vicinity of the Gut Hut is under consideration (not on Secretary Island though) and Bauza Island is potentially a location for this - we would be interested to have SSKA's opinion on these developments and any advice on potential locations.
Please feel free to contact me on the numbers below if you would like to discuss any of the above.
Regards,
Warren Biggs
Contract/Project Manager
03 2499015 (VPN 5966)
Department of Conservation
Te Anau
Trip Reports:
Simon Marwick
Two Ear Wind Too East Ruggedy – New Year 06/07
A kayak sailing adventure.
The drudgery of paddling long distance can be relieved by fitting a sail to the ol beast.
Using a simple fan shaped sail, made from the instructions in the KASK manual (slightly enlarged of course), has transformed my Tasman slug into a mean racing machine.
The weather forecast predicted moderate easterlies for the next few days along Foveaux Strait, perfect for a paddle sail from Halfmoon Bay to the Rugged Islands and Codfish on the NW corner of Stewart Island.
Morning of December 30th, last minute shopping, matches, map, EPIRB, already have VHF and the rest. Set off from HMB about 11am to catch the ebb tide. Gordy said…“Tis da ebb tide tat flows to da west” and it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the current running with you. At the entrance to Halfmoon Bay I turned left along the northern coast, past “Simon’s Bay” also known as “Deadmans Beach” and picked up a wee breeze, 10 knots on the right ear, the easterly was coming, time to hoist the mainsail and head west (young man). Slowly at first assisted by paddle, past Horseshoe Bay, through the Mucks and turning westward around Mamaku Point for the 20km clear run to Saddle point, past Port William, Bungaree, Murray Beach and Christmas Village.
With the westward turn the fledgling easterly breeze increased and swung in behind; the fabled holy “two ear wind” had arrived. A following moderate sea with 20 to 25knots of steady wind made for perfect sailing conditions, resulting in an average speed of 10km per hour. Only occasional paddling was required, with more supporting strokes and paddle assisted steering needed as the sea became rougher and confused with the increased fetch, and the tidal stream began to get squeezed around Saddle Point. The conditions made for exhilarating sailing, surfing down the wave faces is like sledding down a steep hill on your backside, but there is a tendency to broach in the toughs.
Whizzed around Saddle Point into a more moderate sea, but still with the “two ear” and still making good speed.
Gradually the wind decreased as the coast bent to the south, past Yankee River, Black Rock Point and Smoky Beach, the breeze finally disappearing in perfectly calm sea conditions off Long Harry hut.
It was about an hours paddling from here to a circumnavigation of the very impressive Rugged Islands, with Inside and Outside Passage. Lots of large, surging caves to enter, and seals and birds to watch.
Pulled into beautiful East Ruggedy beach which faces NW in the sheltered hook of the Rugged Islands. Its late afternoon and the beach is like a mini Masons Bay, lots of sand dunes, heaps of deer and Kiwis, and not a soul in sight…just perfect.
Stayed at the palatial DOC hut situated some distance at the back of the beach.
PS. Spent two nights in the Ruggedy hut, circumnavigated Codfish Island and visited West Ruggedy Beach in calm conditions with great views down the west side of Stewart Island to the south, Ruggedy Mountains to the east, Fiordland coast to the north and the Solanders to the west.
Wandered around the grassy Ruggedy Point, spying deer and Kiwi in the twilight and enjoyed good company at the hut.
Unfortunately the easterly wind persisted unabated on the return trip. A full on “nose wind” is no good to man nor monkey. Battled back with a lunch break at Yankee River and overnight at Bungaree hut, arrived Halfmoon Bay mid-morning 2nd of January.
The end.
East Ruggedy beach from Ruggedy Point
Al Cutler writes
On the W/end that Andrew was due in from Tassy the forecast for Milford was excellent so I decided to paddle to Poison Bay and in the process convey some heart felt respect to this brave adventurer.
Saturday morning I arose from my suv to gaze up at the splendid cirque enveloping the western side of Homer tunnel. A leisurely breakfast and pack saw me on the water around 9.30, just as the southerly was slowly subsiding. A paddle guide told me about Andrews dissapearance, however I strongly believed they would find him with the boat.
I had a very easy tail wind all the way to Anita Bay where I took a long leisurely rest and watched the southerly die right off. Early afternoon I packed up, partly due to the feisty sandflies, and headed out of the sound and south along the coast. Excellent conditions with no wind and a lazy 2.5- 3m gentle and falling south-west swell. I took a bee-line to the headland at the northern side of Poison Bay and arrived there after approx 3 hours. Did a bit of fishing and hooked a couple of generous cod. Then in the evening I paddled into the beach to sus out a camp at the southern end where the river enters the bay. A beautiful bay with the dramatic backdrop of Lady of the Snows. Great bush with no one else around, however evidence of messy motorboat style camps.
Arose very early to an overcast sky and packed up in the dark . Great to avoid the s/flies and I paddled out into the dawn. A few hours later I was back at Anita Bay and having another very leisurely break with breakfast R/R etc. I waited till the cloud burnt off and the sea breeze picked up . Great to look up at the great western flank of Pembroke and reflect on a couple of very pleasant ascents of this peak.
Late morning I packed up and headed into the sound. I hit it just right with an excellent tail wind that propelled me a fantastic rate and allowed me to surf a few of the wakes of the tourist boats.
A great w/end but severely tarnished by the extremely sad disappearance of Andrew. I am still a bit shocked becaue he had done so incredably well. A truely brave man who's exploits exceed all of the psychologically and physically limited efforts of most our so called 'sporting heroes'.
So folks check out Poison Bay, pick the weather and enjoy.
Stanley Writes
Adventures on the Matari with Captain Jack
The invitation came as a complete surprise. Jack’s email was brief. Was I available to crew on the Matari from Auckland to Lautoko leaving on 10th May. It took me less than a minute to reply in the affirmative. The Matari is a 55 foot double ended three masted schooner and Jack Hargraves is the skipper and owner. Jack lives in Waihiki Island and sails to Fiji every autumn to spend the winter there returning in spring.
I flew to Auckland on 9th and found the Matari docked at Orams Marina. She was smaller than I imagined but looked sturdy and had a rugged seaworthy appearance. Jack was on the walkway and introduced himself. His wife Jocelyn was in the saloon and warmly greeted me. I was allocated a berth in the aft cabin/storeroom. Shortly after I met Stephen Smith, an ex British police officer who was also crewing on the yacht. Then I went off to the supermarket and bought some extra food for the trip. In the evening I went with Jack to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron clubrooms.
Next day it was all go. I met Mike Wu, a young American doctor who was the third crew member. There were lots of last minute jobs to complete and then it was off to the customs and immigration wharf to clear customs which went smoothly. Then we motored out into Waitemata Harbour and rounded North Head. We cruised in to look at Governors Greys residence and the Spirit of New Zealand sailing ship. We continued up the coast passing ships in the dark following a rhumb line marked by waypoints. Once past Cape Brett the rhumb line went straight line across the ocean to Fiji 2000 kilometres away. The yacht was rolling quite a bit and I was seasick all night. Next morning I got Mike to give me a jab of Stemetil which combined with daylight settled my stomach.
As the wind was on the nose we motored all day and the land dropped astern. Stephen was not well either. Jack cooked us a good meal of swordfish which was delicious. I had a great sleep which refreshed me a lot. Our watch system was 2.5 hours on and 7.5 hours off. The job of the watch member was mainly to watch out for passing ships. A ship can go from horizon to horizon in 10 minutes and nowadays large ships do not often keep a good watch and there is a risk of being run over by one of them. The other tasks of the watch are to steer a course close or on the rhumb line using the chart plotter and compass. If sailing the helmsman must make sure not to let the wind drift across the bow or stern or if a change in tack is required to summon help to complete this task.
On day three I felt great and prepared lunch and dinner. I made a meal of buttered chicken and broccoli which went down well with the crew. We hoisted the sails as the wind was now favourable. I retired early as my watch was at midnight. Night watches were a joy. It is so peaceful then as the bow cuts through the waves, the accompanying flash of phosphorescence and overhead the mast sways across the enormous mantle of Milky Way. On this occasion a squall came and it rained and I was glad to get back to my warm bunk. The wind increased and my stomach felt upset again and I could not face breakfast next morning.
On day four we tried hand steering the helm as up to now we had used the autopilot. My feeble efforts tried Jack’s patience sorely. The trick is not to let the wind come over the bow or stern and to remember the wind is dominant and the yacht must be turned either to port or starboard depending on where the wind is shifting. The wind was mostly a south easterly. I had some good talks with Jack who told me stories of the “Dante Deo” and “Sandfjord” which he sailed on years ago. There is a DVD on the latter yacht which completed an amazing voyage around the world 40 yrs ago.
Day five started at my watch at 6 AM. it was overcast, windy and rainy. Steve was not well and I gave him an injection of Stemetil but it helped little. I noticed we had hooked a large fish as Jack had trailed a lure out the stern. I got Jack up and we had a circus landing a large Wahoo. Jack was ecstatic. He later cut it up for the freezer. Then we found the furler sail was loose and the shaft broken. Had a job getting it down and then tied it to the rail. He put up a small sail in its place. On my next watch I hand steered for 2.5 hours which sprained my upper back. I got Mike to manipulate my upper back later on.
On day six my first watch started at 2.30 AM. I took over from Jack who said “ Its going along alright and you should not have to adjust anything”. Fine I thought as I settled into my seat in the cockpit. Shortly after though there was a shift in the wind and the yacht slowed down as the wind shifted towards the ‘’no sail zone’ at the bow. Next thing Jack rushed up the cockpit and berated me for not altering course! Next thing we were racing along at 7 knots and his head appeared in the companionway and enquired if I was on course! So for the rest of my watch I was constantly adjusting the course to (1) keep the wind on a close reach and (2) get back to the rhumb line. Every few minutes I would jump up and scan the horizon for ships lights. Later that day I was hand steering and accidentally gybed. Jack had to come up and start the engine so I could get us back on course. Mea Culpa! That night I slept badly with the violent rocking of the yacht.
On day seven the sun made a welcome appearance and it grew warmer. The sea was relatively calm and motored across a flat ocean. Stephen joined me on my watch at 8.00 am. A bit more wind would have been welcome. I helped Jack remove the base of the roller furler so we could open the forward hatch cover. I had a sponge bath as this was the first day it was possible to do so. I wash my hair which felt great. Then I made lunch for the crew. Stephen made a nice dinner. At sunset we saw the green flash as the sun dipped into the ocean which is a phenomenon only seen at sea.
Day eight started with my 4.00 AM watch. There was a gentle wind and swell, the engine was on and the sails set. There was a lovely sunrise which is always a special moment at sea. Stephen came up at 6.30 am so I stayed up. We took down the jib and tied it to the starboard rail. We motored all day across a glassy sea but later in the day there was more cloud. We thought we could see Kadavu on the far horizon as Jack said you can sometimes see the mountains on it from 80 NM away. But maybe it was cloud. We recovered a float which had netting around it including a black trigger fish. We also saw some flying fish skimming across the sea for long distances. A coconut bobbed past us with the promise of land ahead.
Next day when I arose land was clearly visible on the horizon. Jack set the fishing lure and soon caught a Mahi Mahi. This beautiful fish changes colour when dying. We soon had it aboard much to Jack’s delight. Later in the morning we could see the reef fringing Viti Levu, the main Fijian Island. It was a Friday and Jack was very keen to get to Lautoka to clear customs before 4 PM as the weekend fees are several hundred dollars more. We steered through a break in the reef and flew along in the current and wind and arrived at Lautoka at 3.30PM. Everything was ready to anchor and drop the dingy over the side and Jack was off. We cleared customs on time and then we all set off into Lautoka where we changed some money and met Jack at the Northern Club.
On Saturday we went into Lautoka with Jack who had a lot of shopping to do and then set sail for Musket Cove. We stopped at the Beachcomber resort for a swim and drink and then set off on the final leg to Musket Cove. There we had a great welcome with the locals singing and handing around champagne. This left the crew open mouthed.
That night I treated the crew to dinner at the resort hotel and next day Steve and I bid farewell to the Matari and caught the ferry to Denarau. We stayed in a small hotel at Newtown for a few days and did day trips up on the Nausori Highlands where we contracted an enteritis from drinking Kava with a village chief and next day climbed Mt Batilamu near Lautoka.
A 1200 nautical mile voyage from New Zealand to Fiji on the Matari 10-18 May 2007 Jack Hargraves, Mike Wu, Stephen Smith and Stan Mulvany
Acknowledgment from the crew to Jack Hargraves for a wonderful trip
Stanley Mulvany
Invercargill
Basic Emergency Kit
This is highly recommended for all tramping and sea kayaking trips. It is a Basic Emergency Kit not a comprehensive one by any means. For sea kayaking emergencies other equipment is of course necessary but not practical to include in this basic kit such as orange smoke, red hand held flares, VHF radio etc.
This is the list of items included
The cost is $ 100.00.
$100.00 is cheap if you life is in danger.
Contact Stanley if interested.
Safe kayaking
Stanley
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Thank you for sending in news of trips done recently. This is an action packed newsletter and shows what a diverse range of activities people are doing these days. There have been few organised trips this year but this month we will have one posted.
I am always keen to hear of your kayaking adventures and keen to publish them on this newsletter.
News
On 30th December last Simon Marwick did a solo sail in his kayak from HMB to the Ruggedys and Codfish Island and back. In February Al Cutler kayaked solo to Poison Bay from Milford Sound. His report follows. “On 18 March Richard Struthers, Stephen Counsell and Tarn Pilkington paddled the Clutha, Wanaka to Bendigo Reach ( almost Lake Dunstan), Three hours on the water with numerous wave trains, the odd stopper, and of course the Devil's Elbow. This proved to be an anit-climax at the river levels, but could definitely tip up it's victims. Sea kayaks are well suited for this river, and a journey from the lake to sea would be in order, with lots of good camping en route. 4-5 days?? Autumn would be good. Maybe a plan to hatch for next year.” On 28/29 March, Simon Marwick, Sue Lake, Tara and Stanley Mulvany kayaked out to Mitre Peak, climbed to the saddle between Footstool and Mitre Peak where they bivied and next day summitted and descended to kayak back in the moonlight on a still night. Belinda spent the weekend kayaking around Milford Sound by herself and was entertained by dolphins. She spent Saturday night in Stanley’s Bivi Rock on Mitre Peak.10-19 May Stanley sailed a yacht from Auckland to Fiji. The trip report is included.
Forthcoming events/trips
Sunday 17 June: Day paddle at Bluff starting at 1 PM. This is for everyone especially novice paddlers. This is to be followed by a pot luck dinner at Adele and Mike Larsens house, 2 Falcon St., Invercargill at 6.00 PM Please bring a plate. If you are intending to come please let Adele and Mike know by emailing them on [email protected]
I have organised 3 rolling classes over the winter starting on Sunday 8th July at Splash Palace. This is being coordinated by Jacqui and Tim Anderson as I will be away in Canada.
Dates:
Sunday 8 July
Sunday 15 July
Sunday 22 July
Time: 4.30-6.30 PM
Venue: Splash Palace
Cost: Admission charge + a few dollars to Tim for lane hire.
What to bring: Sea kayak if you have one but we can only manage about 6 as we have only 3 lanes to use. So if you do not have a sea kayak please come. Be sure to clean your kayak before you arrive and remove any gravel or dirt from the cockpit. Bring along your spray skirt, hatch covers, PFD, nose clips or goggles, togs or wetsuit, paddle and a paddle float if you have one.
Please contact Jacqui or Tim for further details [email protected] or phone 03-2349399
Huts:
Stanley,
You may recall we have been in touch in the past in relation to the Southland Sea Kayakers Association.
I am writing to let you know that it is likley that the old Deas Cove Hut (that was removed due to Geological instability in November 2006) will be replaced by another hut in a location approximately 100m to the West of where the old Hut was sited. The hut will have 10 bunks and it is hoped will be completed by Mid October 2007.
The flip side of this development is that the Gut hut on Secretary Island is likley to be removed shortly afterwards as it poses a significant risk to the speicies protection work already done on Secretary Island. A proposal to build a campsite in the vicinity of the Gut Hut is under consideration (not on Secretary Island though) and Bauza Island is potentially a location for this - we would be interested to have SSKA's opinion on these developments and any advice on potential locations.
Please feel free to contact me on the numbers below if you would like to discuss any of the above.
Regards,
Warren Biggs
Contract/Project Manager
03 2499015 (VPN 5966)
Department of Conservation
Te Anau
Trip Reports:
Simon Marwick
Two Ear Wind Too East Ruggedy – New Year 06/07
A kayak sailing adventure.
The drudgery of paddling long distance can be relieved by fitting a sail to the ol beast.
Using a simple fan shaped sail, made from the instructions in the KASK manual (slightly enlarged of course), has transformed my Tasman slug into a mean racing machine.
The weather forecast predicted moderate easterlies for the next few days along Foveaux Strait, perfect for a paddle sail from Halfmoon Bay to the Rugged Islands and Codfish on the NW corner of Stewart Island.
Morning of December 30th, last minute shopping, matches, map, EPIRB, already have VHF and the rest. Set off from HMB about 11am to catch the ebb tide. Gordy said…“Tis da ebb tide tat flows to da west” and it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the current running with you. At the entrance to Halfmoon Bay I turned left along the northern coast, past “Simon’s Bay” also known as “Deadmans Beach” and picked up a wee breeze, 10 knots on the right ear, the easterly was coming, time to hoist the mainsail and head west (young man). Slowly at first assisted by paddle, past Horseshoe Bay, through the Mucks and turning westward around Mamaku Point for the 20km clear run to Saddle point, past Port William, Bungaree, Murray Beach and Christmas Village.
With the westward turn the fledgling easterly breeze increased and swung in behind; the fabled holy “two ear wind” had arrived. A following moderate sea with 20 to 25knots of steady wind made for perfect sailing conditions, resulting in an average speed of 10km per hour. Only occasional paddling was required, with more supporting strokes and paddle assisted steering needed as the sea became rougher and confused with the increased fetch, and the tidal stream began to get squeezed around Saddle Point. The conditions made for exhilarating sailing, surfing down the wave faces is like sledding down a steep hill on your backside, but there is a tendency to broach in the toughs.
Whizzed around Saddle Point into a more moderate sea, but still with the “two ear” and still making good speed.
Gradually the wind decreased as the coast bent to the south, past Yankee River, Black Rock Point and Smoky Beach, the breeze finally disappearing in perfectly calm sea conditions off Long Harry hut.
It was about an hours paddling from here to a circumnavigation of the very impressive Rugged Islands, with Inside and Outside Passage. Lots of large, surging caves to enter, and seals and birds to watch.
Pulled into beautiful East Ruggedy beach which faces NW in the sheltered hook of the Rugged Islands. Its late afternoon and the beach is like a mini Masons Bay, lots of sand dunes, heaps of deer and Kiwis, and not a soul in sight…just perfect.
Stayed at the palatial DOC hut situated some distance at the back of the beach.
PS. Spent two nights in the Ruggedy hut, circumnavigated Codfish Island and visited West Ruggedy Beach in calm conditions with great views down the west side of Stewart Island to the south, Ruggedy Mountains to the east, Fiordland coast to the north and the Solanders to the west.
Wandered around the grassy Ruggedy Point, spying deer and Kiwi in the twilight and enjoyed good company at the hut.
Unfortunately the easterly wind persisted unabated on the return trip. A full on “nose wind” is no good to man nor monkey. Battled back with a lunch break at Yankee River and overnight at Bungaree hut, arrived Halfmoon Bay mid-morning 2nd of January.
The end.
East Ruggedy beach from Ruggedy Point
Al Cutler writes
On the W/end that Andrew was due in from Tassy the forecast for Milford was excellent so I decided to paddle to Poison Bay and in the process convey some heart felt respect to this brave adventurer.
Saturday morning I arose from my suv to gaze up at the splendid cirque enveloping the western side of Homer tunnel. A leisurely breakfast and pack saw me on the water around 9.30, just as the southerly was slowly subsiding. A paddle guide told me about Andrews dissapearance, however I strongly believed they would find him with the boat.
I had a very easy tail wind all the way to Anita Bay where I took a long leisurely rest and watched the southerly die right off. Early afternoon I packed up, partly due to the feisty sandflies, and headed out of the sound and south along the coast. Excellent conditions with no wind and a lazy 2.5- 3m gentle and falling south-west swell. I took a bee-line to the headland at the northern side of Poison Bay and arrived there after approx 3 hours. Did a bit of fishing and hooked a couple of generous cod. Then in the evening I paddled into the beach to sus out a camp at the southern end where the river enters the bay. A beautiful bay with the dramatic backdrop of Lady of the Snows. Great bush with no one else around, however evidence of messy motorboat style camps.
Arose very early to an overcast sky and packed up in the dark . Great to avoid the s/flies and I paddled out into the dawn. A few hours later I was back at Anita Bay and having another very leisurely break with breakfast R/R etc. I waited till the cloud burnt off and the sea breeze picked up . Great to look up at the great western flank of Pembroke and reflect on a couple of very pleasant ascents of this peak.
Late morning I packed up and headed into the sound. I hit it just right with an excellent tail wind that propelled me a fantastic rate and allowed me to surf a few of the wakes of the tourist boats.
A great w/end but severely tarnished by the extremely sad disappearance of Andrew. I am still a bit shocked becaue he had done so incredably well. A truely brave man who's exploits exceed all of the psychologically and physically limited efforts of most our so called 'sporting heroes'.
So folks check out Poison Bay, pick the weather and enjoy.
Stanley Writes
Adventures on the Matari with Captain Jack
The invitation came as a complete surprise. Jack’s email was brief. Was I available to crew on the Matari from Auckland to Lautoko leaving on 10th May. It took me less than a minute to reply in the affirmative. The Matari is a 55 foot double ended three masted schooner and Jack Hargraves is the skipper and owner. Jack lives in Waihiki Island and sails to Fiji every autumn to spend the winter there returning in spring.
I flew to Auckland on 9th and found the Matari docked at Orams Marina. She was smaller than I imagined but looked sturdy and had a rugged seaworthy appearance. Jack was on the walkway and introduced himself. His wife Jocelyn was in the saloon and warmly greeted me. I was allocated a berth in the aft cabin/storeroom. Shortly after I met Stephen Smith, an ex British police officer who was also crewing on the yacht. Then I went off to the supermarket and bought some extra food for the trip. In the evening I went with Jack to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron clubrooms.
Next day it was all go. I met Mike Wu, a young American doctor who was the third crew member. There were lots of last minute jobs to complete and then it was off to the customs and immigration wharf to clear customs which went smoothly. Then we motored out into Waitemata Harbour and rounded North Head. We cruised in to look at Governors Greys residence and the Spirit of New Zealand sailing ship. We continued up the coast passing ships in the dark following a rhumb line marked by waypoints. Once past Cape Brett the rhumb line went straight line across the ocean to Fiji 2000 kilometres away. The yacht was rolling quite a bit and I was seasick all night. Next morning I got Mike to give me a jab of Stemetil which combined with daylight settled my stomach.
As the wind was on the nose we motored all day and the land dropped astern. Stephen was not well either. Jack cooked us a good meal of swordfish which was delicious. I had a great sleep which refreshed me a lot. Our watch system was 2.5 hours on and 7.5 hours off. The job of the watch member was mainly to watch out for passing ships. A ship can go from horizon to horizon in 10 minutes and nowadays large ships do not often keep a good watch and there is a risk of being run over by one of them. The other tasks of the watch are to steer a course close or on the rhumb line using the chart plotter and compass. If sailing the helmsman must make sure not to let the wind drift across the bow or stern or if a change in tack is required to summon help to complete this task.
On day three I felt great and prepared lunch and dinner. I made a meal of buttered chicken and broccoli which went down well with the crew. We hoisted the sails as the wind was now favourable. I retired early as my watch was at midnight. Night watches were a joy. It is so peaceful then as the bow cuts through the waves, the accompanying flash of phosphorescence and overhead the mast sways across the enormous mantle of Milky Way. On this occasion a squall came and it rained and I was glad to get back to my warm bunk. The wind increased and my stomach felt upset again and I could not face breakfast next morning.
On day four we tried hand steering the helm as up to now we had used the autopilot. My feeble efforts tried Jack’s patience sorely. The trick is not to let the wind come over the bow or stern and to remember the wind is dominant and the yacht must be turned either to port or starboard depending on where the wind is shifting. The wind was mostly a south easterly. I had some good talks with Jack who told me stories of the “Dante Deo” and “Sandfjord” which he sailed on years ago. There is a DVD on the latter yacht which completed an amazing voyage around the world 40 yrs ago.
Day five started at my watch at 6 AM. it was overcast, windy and rainy. Steve was not well and I gave him an injection of Stemetil but it helped little. I noticed we had hooked a large fish as Jack had trailed a lure out the stern. I got Jack up and we had a circus landing a large Wahoo. Jack was ecstatic. He later cut it up for the freezer. Then we found the furler sail was loose and the shaft broken. Had a job getting it down and then tied it to the rail. He put up a small sail in its place. On my next watch I hand steered for 2.5 hours which sprained my upper back. I got Mike to manipulate my upper back later on.
On day six my first watch started at 2.30 AM. I took over from Jack who said “ Its going along alright and you should not have to adjust anything”. Fine I thought as I settled into my seat in the cockpit. Shortly after though there was a shift in the wind and the yacht slowed down as the wind shifted towards the ‘’no sail zone’ at the bow. Next thing Jack rushed up the cockpit and berated me for not altering course! Next thing we were racing along at 7 knots and his head appeared in the companionway and enquired if I was on course! So for the rest of my watch I was constantly adjusting the course to (1) keep the wind on a close reach and (2) get back to the rhumb line. Every few minutes I would jump up and scan the horizon for ships lights. Later that day I was hand steering and accidentally gybed. Jack had to come up and start the engine so I could get us back on course. Mea Culpa! That night I slept badly with the violent rocking of the yacht.
On day seven the sun made a welcome appearance and it grew warmer. The sea was relatively calm and motored across a flat ocean. Stephen joined me on my watch at 8.00 am. A bit more wind would have been welcome. I helped Jack remove the base of the roller furler so we could open the forward hatch cover. I had a sponge bath as this was the first day it was possible to do so. I wash my hair which felt great. Then I made lunch for the crew. Stephen made a nice dinner. At sunset we saw the green flash as the sun dipped into the ocean which is a phenomenon only seen at sea.
Day eight started with my 4.00 AM watch. There was a gentle wind and swell, the engine was on and the sails set. There was a lovely sunrise which is always a special moment at sea. Stephen came up at 6.30 am so I stayed up. We took down the jib and tied it to the starboard rail. We motored all day across a glassy sea but later in the day there was more cloud. We thought we could see Kadavu on the far horizon as Jack said you can sometimes see the mountains on it from 80 NM away. But maybe it was cloud. We recovered a float which had netting around it including a black trigger fish. We also saw some flying fish skimming across the sea for long distances. A coconut bobbed past us with the promise of land ahead.
Next day when I arose land was clearly visible on the horizon. Jack set the fishing lure and soon caught a Mahi Mahi. This beautiful fish changes colour when dying. We soon had it aboard much to Jack’s delight. Later in the morning we could see the reef fringing Viti Levu, the main Fijian Island. It was a Friday and Jack was very keen to get to Lautoka to clear customs before 4 PM as the weekend fees are several hundred dollars more. We steered through a break in the reef and flew along in the current and wind and arrived at Lautoka at 3.30PM. Everything was ready to anchor and drop the dingy over the side and Jack was off. We cleared customs on time and then we all set off into Lautoka where we changed some money and met Jack at the Northern Club.
On Saturday we went into Lautoka with Jack who had a lot of shopping to do and then set sail for Musket Cove. We stopped at the Beachcomber resort for a swim and drink and then set off on the final leg to Musket Cove. There we had a great welcome with the locals singing and handing around champagne. This left the crew open mouthed.
That night I treated the crew to dinner at the resort hotel and next day Steve and I bid farewell to the Matari and caught the ferry to Denarau. We stayed in a small hotel at Newtown for a few days and did day trips up on the Nausori Highlands where we contracted an enteritis from drinking Kava with a village chief and next day climbed Mt Batilamu near Lautoka.
A 1200 nautical mile voyage from New Zealand to Fiji on the Matari 10-18 May 2007 Jack Hargraves, Mike Wu, Stephen Smith and Stan Mulvany
Acknowledgment from the crew to Jack Hargraves for a wonderful trip
Stanley Mulvany
Invercargill
Basic Emergency Kit
This is highly recommended for all tramping and sea kayaking trips. It is a Basic Emergency Kit not a comprehensive one by any means. For sea kayaking emergencies other equipment is of course necessary but not practical to include in this basic kit such as orange smoke, red hand held flares, VHF radio etc.
This is the list of items included
- Dry bag xs
- Waterproof matches and cigarette lighter
- Small torch and spare alkaline battery
- Pencil, paper and xs zip lock bags
- Firestarters
- Small compass
- Mirror
- Illumstick
- Energy food
- Whistle
- Emergency Survival Sleeping bag
The cost is $ 100.00.
$100.00 is cheap if you life is in danger.
Contact Stanley if interested.
Safe kayaking
Stanley