Position: 35 13.09 S 174 11.63 E
At anchor, Waiwhapuru Bay, Moturua Island
Wind: Light and variable
Sea state: rippled Swell: nil
Weather: mostly sunny, mild
Day’s run: 1.1 nm

Being stuck on the boat yesterday, I decided to start a canvas project that I have been meaning to do for some time. A couple of months ago I had stripped the fore hatch back to bare timber and revarnished it with hard-wearing two pack polyurethane varnish, and I thought it would be good idea to make a cover for it so that I would not have to varnish it again for a long time. A friend had given me some canvas (quite a bit of canvas actually – thank you Ada) before leaving Sydney and now with a quiet anchorage available I broke out Sylph's antique hand-operated Singer sewing machine and started cutting out the fabric and sewing. I finished the job this morning and am reasonably happy with the result.

After lunch, with the no wind to speak of, I started up the BRM, weighed anchor and motored round the southern end of Moturua Island, up the channel between Moturua and Motukiekie Island, to Waiwhapuru Bay, It is only a mile between the bays and we were back at anchor thirty minutes later.

A rain shower passed through in the early afternoon but behind the shower the skies cleared so I rowed ashore for a much needed walk. The signs on the beach indicated the 4.6 km walk around the island was easy and would take one hour forty-five minutes, so I thought it would make for a pleasant afternoon stroll. But I have to say the trail was more on the intermediate than the easy side. Apart from the trail not being very well marked in places, which led me down a few false trails, the terrain was generally steep and the paths often muddy and slippery. The walk ended up taking me about two and half hours, but I also took a short detour up a hill to a WW2 lookout, and I was not exactly in a hurry. And it also has to be said that I am not much of bush person and I guess most of New Zealand is muddy and steep, so the average Kiwi’s idea of an easy walk is probably a little different to mine.

Tomorrow evening another front is due to pass through with strong NW winds ahead of it, and strong SW winds astern. We should be reasonably well sheltered here so, at this stage, I plan to stay put but will assess again tomorrow.

All is well.

The new forehatch cover - a bit wrinkly but it will do the job.

Sylph at anchor Waiwhapuru Bay

An easy walk

View from a hill - an easy bit of the walk