Munro Bay
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 2 Nov 2026 05:27
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Position: 35 47.35 S 174 29.24 E
At anchor Munro Bay, Whangarei Harbour Wind: N F4 moderate breeze Sea state: wavelets Swell: nil Weather: overcast with occasional sun, mild Day’s run: 12 nm
I enjoyed a pleasant evening with Natasha. It was a long row ashore from where Sylph
was anchored, particularly as I was rowing against the tide and the breeze, and I had to leave
Sylph at 1630 to be at the Whangarei Cruising Club at 1700 to be collected by Natasha. Fortunately, for the return trip later in the evening the wind had died down and the tide was slack low water. I had to manoeuvre the dinghy around some mud flats
that were now exposed but it was an easy row; I could rest on my oars occasionally without being swept backwards and enjoy the peaceful waterway, watching some of the bird life feeding on the exposed mud banks.
This morning we started making tracks towards Auckland. We don’t need to be there until the 17th in order to collect Ada on the 18th. She will be staying on board for ten days for what we hope will be a leisurely cruise around the Hauraki Gulf. It is only 75
miles so I have plenty of time to get there. Today therefore has been just a short sail, from Hatea River to Munro Bay, a distance of nine miles.
We weighed anchor at 1110 with the tide flooding and the wind force four from the north. Once we had motored clear of the other anchored craft, we turned into the wind and set the mainsail. Then we bore away and set the jib. After clearing Hatea River, most
of the passage was a close reach with the odd gust causing Sylph to heel sharply, but the seas were smooth and it proved to be an enjoyable sail. We had to tack through a narrow channel south of Parua Bay, then hug the shoreline before making a couple
of very short tacks into Munro Bay, skirting the shallow sand bank that extends across the Bay’s entrance. Once again, I enjoyed the challenging sailing and was pleased to be able to hand sail and let go the anchor in five meters of water at 1330 without having
to resort to flashing up the BRM.
After Ada leaves at the end of the month, I will need to stay in the Auckland region for, at this stage, I don’t know how long as last month I applied for a US visa with a view towards next year’s voyaging plans. The application process is certainly more complicated
than when I last applied (2015 in Vancouver), requiring a lot more supporting documentation. As my friend Mark Sinclair is fond of saying, “Don’t fight City Hall, you cannot win!” Hopefully I will hear from the US consulate in Auckland soon, letting me know
when the interview will be so I can make some more definite cruising plans while waiting for the interview.
But for now I am going to row ashore for walk along the beach, and then make a pizza for dinner.
All is well.
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