Opua: Roberton Island
Opua: Roberton Island
I dropped the mooring a little before 1100 on a sunny Thursday morning in very light south wind and rode it and the last hour of ebbing tide north.
I sail on and off the mooring and anchor under mainsail alone, but had the jib set within a few minutes when the wind shifted to the southwest as it came off Opua hill. Until I get out into the open bay past Russell the wind gusts and drops, swirls and shifts as it comes off higher and lower land. Between Opua and Pahia, a distance of four miles/6.5 kilometers, there are three steep hills and valleys affecting the wind.
The day was pleasant. GANNET sailed mostly around three and four knots and I dropped anchor at what is known as The Lagoon at Roberton Island at 13:30, taking two and a half hours to cover what is 8.5 nautical miles for a stunning average of 3.4 knots. And GANNET is a fast boat.
Just after sunset the wind died completely as I expected it would and, not having bothered to put the Torqeedo on the transom, I had to wait until 1100 the next morning for wind to return.
In a rare exception from my usual practice, I left the Avon inflated and towed it. I thought I would sail to Russell four miles distant, anchor and row ashore for lunch. However the wind fulfilled the ‘light and variable’ forecast, often dying completely, leaving GANNET motionless on a silver and glassy bay. When wind returned it headed us. The dragging Avon slowed our progress and made loud gurgling sounds, while GANNET made her way through the water almost soundlessly.
Noon passed and we weren’t even to Tapeka Point a mile north of Russell. I gave up on lunch ashore and ate a protein bar.
Finally we made the turn south and passed Russell at 13:30.
The forecast of several fine days had changed and today, Saturday, was accurately predicted to be intermittently rainy and windy, so I kept on sailing and was back on the mooring at 14:30 for an average speed of 2.4 knots. I repeat: GANNET is a fast boat. And in fact we were about the only boat sailing, both the fastest and slowest on the water.
I checked the Yellowbrick tracking page and saw that on the return it did transmit positions every twenty minutes, a more useful interval for a daysail track.
The three day forecast now is for two lows and two highs to pass over the country.
Saturday, April 18, 2015