Getting out of dodge

It was months in the making. After all the repairs, provisioning, and test-sails we were finally sailing out of the Bay of Islands to adventures along the coastline of New Zealand proper. Our plan was to follow the coast North-West, eventually making it to the tip of the north island before turning around to make it to our haul-out location at the end of the sailing season. There were numerous little coves and bays along that route to explore. The adventure was just beginning, although our time was running a bit short.

Full restocked and ready to go, we left our anchorage outside of Pahia and got straight to raising the sails and shutting down the old shaky Perkins. We tipped our hats to the last cruise ships of the season as we exited the Bay of Islands. Once out in the open ocean a single jibe to the port  pointed us to our destination; Motukawanui Island some 20ish miles ahead.

The wind was keeping the sails full, but not stressful in any way. Kerri was able to go downstairs and work while I spent the late morning and early afternoon hours keeping Meriwether tracking in the right direction. Being so close to land made the wind a bit shifty, and kept me on my toes moving forward. It was not until the final miles of the 25 total that the wind picked up enough to signal our passage was nearly complete. As is customary, heavier winds as we prepare to anchor, but anchor we did.

We chose the southern side of Motukawanui Island as it was protected, sorta, from that evening’s wind. We would have to move to the North side of the island the following afternoon as the wind would make a 180 degree shift the next evening. Before we made any move, there was a shoreline to explore and a structure trying to hide in the bushes there. In the morning we explored, risking the asbestos warning, and even found the largest hermit crab (deceased) to have ever existed. One thing was obvious; he had a good life.

On the north side of the island I would continue my early morning outings to get a more intimate view of our surroundings while Kerri honored her social media necessities. Although, we both tried to get ashore for a hike one day  but found the waves to be a little rougher than we were comfortable landing the dinghy in. Those waves came from the sea-state that just kept getting worse through out our days in the no-so-well-protected anchorage up north. While we were protected from the worst of the wind, the rolling seas would wrap around the island and rock Meriwether 20 degrees to either side, 24 hours a day. We were both quite pleased when they day came that we could leave the anchorage. Even so, to get back out into solitude and nature was exactly what we both needed. I was growing increasingly agitated, and the “city life” of marinas and tourist-anchorages had rubbed me to raw nerves. Kerri knows…