Position: 36 26.54 S 174 51.45 E
At anchor Bostequet Bay, Kawau Island
Wind: NNE F1-4 light air to moderate breeze
Sea state: wavelets Swell: nil
Weather: partly cloudy, afternoon thunder storms with rain, mild
Day’s run: 6 nm

Today we enjoyed a short sail to Bostequet Bay on the southern side of Kawau Island.

I weighed anchor at 1114 as the breeze was starting to fill in, hoisting the main as the anchor broke free, then falling off the wind and setting the jib and heading west out of Bon Accord Harbour. On the way out we passed several yachts at anchor off the Kawau Boating Club, one of note was a vessel I had met on the hard at Dockland 5, a timber vessel that I learned from her owner was built in 1905. (Unfortunately I do not recall the boat’s name and she has no markings.) She is a beautiful boat and looks in good condition. Clearly built as a harbour racer, she is flush decked, has very low free board, a narrow beam and extreme overhangs. Beautiful, but definitely not designed for crossing oceans. It was good to see the vessel still actively sailing after 121 years of life. Somehow, I doubt that Sylph will make it that far. 

Once clear of Bon Accord Harbour, we bore away from the wind, running square for a short while, past Dispute Cove (there has to be a good story behind a name like that) on the west side of Kawau Island, where New Zealand’s sail training ship, the barquentine Spirit of New Zealand, was anchored. I could see the youth crew gathered on the foredeck and presumably from the way that the yards were all askew they were being given lessons in bracing the yards.

Past Dispute Cove we gybed as we rounded Beehive Island and Percy Point at the SW end of Kawau Island, now heading east along the Island’s southern shore. At 1225 we started tacking our way into the day’s destination, Bostequet Bay, in between the high sandstone cliffs that line the sides of the bay. After three short tacks, we handed sail and at 1238 let go the anchor in six meters of water over a sandy bottom, about 200 meters off the beach.

After lunch I rowed ashore for a short hike. My cruising guide states that the bay features: “Nice sandy beach from which a track leads up to the island track system.” However, after dragging the dinghy up the beach and putting on my shoes, I walked up the track a short way to be met with a gate with a sign on it saying, “PRIVATE PROPERTY. NO ACCESS.” – not at all friendly. I looked around for signs of another track but could find none so settled for a gentle jog back and forth along the beach a few times in the way of a bit of exercise before removing shoes and socks again, dragging the dinghy back into the water and rowing back to Sylph. I reconciled my disappointment with the fact that thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon, and as I rowed back to Sylph I could hear thunder and a light drizzle was starting to fall. An hour later we were hearing loud peals of thunder and heavy rain falling on Sylph’s deck (giving her a nice fresh water wash down). I was glad to be down below in her snug saloon.

I am also happy to say that yesterday evening, shortly after posting my blog update, I managed to work out how to get my laptop’s SD drive working again. So, given that no damage appears to have been done I might have another go at my electronic project after all.

All is well.