The Secret to Happiness

To B’s joy and with Brian’s farewell it was time to depart Picton marina.  There was just one final challenge to encounter – the trawler style boat that Brian arranged to be parked in front of us on the pier.  It was a very wide berth and it did look like we could drive past in between the boat and the poles on the right-hand side of the berth.  There was however, another very large and empty berth on the other side of the poles, and it looked much better for us to go diagonally out into that berth to exit.  That was our plan.

The lines were thrown and Captain B eased us out and toward the adjacent berth.  About 10 seconds into it, I could tell from the back of the boat that this was not going to work.  The stern of our boat would definitely hit the one in front and potentially also the pole to our starboard side.  We have an agreement when doing such maneuvers not to yell anything out unless it was urgent or a pending disaster.  Wisdom from the time I yelled our “Look, dolphins!” and B thought he was about to smash into something.

I calmly shouted “We are going to hit, we need to alter course and go straight out”.  B got it straight away and turned us to port.  It turned out that we did have a fair bit of room beside the boat to exit that way.  Phew!  Once the stern was clear and I could yell “Clear”, we were off.  Happy to be back out on the water.  Enough of this land nonsense 🙂

We headed to Flipper Bay (another of Burt’s suggestions).  Such a cute little bay.

There were two guys fishing from a dinghy but other than that, we were on our own.  We anchored for breakfast knowing that the wind was going to turn and Flipper would not be suitable for an overnight anchorage.  The poached eggs were a little limp today but I did manage to use two of our homegrown spinach leaves.  Suffice to say the plant needs a little more nurturing and growth before we have a spinach salad!

Captain B noticed a number of lines on the shore that people use for their stern lines.  It was relatively calm so he thought he’d try his hand at using our stern line for the first time.

Not a bad attempt but it did pull the boat into a position whereby, in my opinion, it was too close to the rocky shore.  B agreed and wanted to try to anchor further away and try again.  From my perspective, we weren’t staying there the night so this was all ‘practice’.  I strongly suggested we practice another time.  Just as we were lifting the anchor a ‘kackle’ of kayakers arrived into the bay.  Not sure what you call a group of kayakers but it was too dangerous to re-anchor with them about, so we were off.

This time we thought we’d head back up Tory Channel and try out Opua Bay which is right up in the head of the Onapua Bay.   It was still very windy and the ferries were still going back and forth on the Tory Channel.

I was imagining what the crossing of the Cook Strait would be like on a day like today.  People are often ill even on a relatively calm crossing.  There would be a fair number of sick bags used today I’m sure.

As we entered the bay, it reminded me of Assassination Cove, Opunga in the Bay of Islands.  Kind of a safe haven when big winds are blowing outside of these sheltered bays.  This was a very large area with what looked like residential places.  Holiday homes maybe but some looked quite established and ‘lived in’.  One of the bays had some logging activity and was not pretty at all.  We found another good bay for shelter that was also prettier and got the anchor down.

I made some low carb Salmon Cakes and salad for lunch.

After some relaxing and a bit of reading I decided to try my hand at some low carb bread rolls.  My sister Tammy sent me the recipe and away I went.  To my surprise they not only held together, they were delicious.  I’d been trying to find a recipe that would provide us with some low carb bread for our eggs benedicts and fish rolls!  These would do just nicely. Based on almond meal, psyllium husks and eggs, they are flavoured with chives and cheese.  They would also be perfect for my pate.

Meanwhile in Auckland…

I sometimes need these little reminders that racing back to the city shouldn’t be something I’m desperate to do just yet.

We had some Buffalo Mozzarella that needed to be eaten so I created Prego’s Caprese Salad Resolution style.  Whenever we eat this it always reminds me of the 3 people (you know who you are) who refused to eat tomatoes.  Couldn’t stand them.  I took each of them separately over the years to Prego and got them to try this salad.  Two now grow their own tomatoes and the other is an absolutely foodie, including tomatoes!  A very light dinner (ok, we ate some of the rolls and pate) accompanied by a Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Gris.

Today I finished my third book of the trip.  I love reading onboard and actually thought I would be reading a lot more.  With so much to see, friends being on board and blogs to write, reading has taken a back seat.  The book was “South Sea Vagabonds” by Johnny Wray.  If you are into boating or kiwi adventures at all it is well worth the read.  Astonishing how these guys travelled to the islands on a homemade yacht in the 1950’s with very little navigational equipment.  Johnny was a local Auckland boy so the local places and surrounding islands he described were familiar.

In the morning, we ventured out into the wild weather again.  Captain B found a sheltered spot (still ‘out of the bays a little’) in a bay to the east of Patton Passage.  There was a runabout with two guys who were getting ready to go fishing.  Their partners opted to stay in comfy chairs on the beach, chat and have a wine or two.  Smart women.  The guys were only gone for about half an hour (unfortunate for their women folk) and we saw them sorting their fish out on the back on the boat.  They packed up to leave the bay and B called them over to ask about the fishing.  They had just gone around the corner to the point and said they basically put the bait down in 25m and got their quota straight away.

We were keen to give it a go but thought we ought to have some lunch in our bellies before we ventured out.  Sausages, Avocado with my boat grown sprouts and a Pear and Walnut Salad.

Another thing I have started growing on the boat are sprouts.  Either a Stir Fry Combo mix of chickpea, lentil, mung bean and aduki sprouts or just plain old mung beans.  Whenever I’ve bought already sprouted sprouts, they don’t seem to last long at all.  This way we can use them fresh and not worry about wasting them or running out.

However… being a new thing I’m still not convinced the effort and time vs. goods produced ratio is quite right.  It’s fun making them (it takes about a week) and it’s good to have some on hand for salads rather than have the fresh ones go of off early on in the trip, but…  the jury is still out.

When we arrived in the Sounds we realised there was not only a ban on scalloping but also cod fishing.  The cod fishing ban ended on 20th December.  There are also really strict rules about the catch.  Firstly, the fish must be at least 33cm in length.  Secondly you are only allowed 2 per fisherman.  And thirdly, and most intriguing to us, is that you are not allowed to fillet the fish until you are ready to eat them. So, you are not allowed to fillet the fish and put it in snaplock bags in the fridge or freezer for use at a later date.  We have often done this with snapper and kingfish on long trips.  If you are to keep the cod onboard, you must have them whole so the Fisheries team can witness that they were of a legal size.  You are however allowed to kill and gut them.

As we left the bay we decided to go and see if we can catch some cod.  Now here’s where life can get interesting on the boat.  I am all for fully-fledged stinky bait.  B on the other hand prefers to keep things as ‘clean’ as possible on board and uses soft bait.  To my surprise, B had actually bought some squid bait at the supermarket. Stoked!  We didn’t catch anything this time but we certainly couldn’t blame this on any bait.  We were sitting in very high winds and the tide was completely wrong.  It was uncomfortable and to this point, unfruitful.  Not ideal fishing conditions but fun all the same.  We decided to move on and get to a sheltered bay.  On the way earlier, B captured a wind gust of 59.4 knots on the wind graph.

We headed to Wharehunga Bay.  It was quite exposed and we both agreed that the little bay we were just in, and the one before it, looked much better.  So back we went.  There were still crazy gusts hitting us now and again.  The bread rolls were such a hit, I decided to make another double batch and get some into the freezer.

Here’s the view from the galley.

The following morning we thought we should try our luck at fishing again but this time at the right time for the change in tide.  On the way out to the fishing spot, we emerged back into cell coverage.  I don’t think the excitement of hearing all the ‘bings’ of new messages will ever wane on this trip.  I had a txt from Burt.  He was in a bay in Blumine Island and wanted to know what we were up to.  I said we’d try and catch some fish and we’d go and meet up with him.

It was deep but we decided to anchor rather than one of us having to control the boat the whole time.  We were anchored by the reef from Pikersgall Island and all ready to drop the lines in when the Harbour Master boat (called Resolution!) came up alongside us.

I thought they had come to see if we were ok out in these big winds and right next to a reef.  But no…. they wanted to put a diver in the water to check our hull.  Really?  Bad timing boys.  But being the good little doobies we are, we said “Sure”.

When you travel around the country there are differing restrictions and compliance requirements for boats.  For example, when you go to marinas or different waterways, you must prove that you have a current EWOF (Electrical Warrant of Fitness) and appropriate insurance.

Some marinas insist that you have proof that you have had the hull of your boat cleaned in the last 6 months.  Fiordland demands a “clean hull pass”, including an inspection (can do that yourself) just before you head down there.  This is to avoid contaminating the local waters with pests such as fan worm.  Auckland is considered the center of all evil in this regard!

Apparently, our butt was looking great so, once the officials left, we got fishing.  We got some small cod and a gurnard but no keepers.  It was worth a try but let’s go and see Burt and his mates.  Being an extravert, I’m always seeking social interaction with others to restore my energy!  B can obviously provide some of that but 24×7 for months on end, I think we both need some ‘socialising with others’!  Not to mention that Burt is such a nice guy and it would be lovely to see him again.  Especially now that we were in the area that he gave us so many recommendations about.

We arrived into the bay and saw Burt’s yacht Shamrock beautifully sitting at the shore of the bay.  A few arm waves before we anchored and hopped in the dinghy to go and visit.  Burt had his friends Sue, Alan and Alan’s kids Charlie and Ella.  They offered us a drink and of course we felt terrible as we hadn’t taken anything over with us as we didn’t want to look too presumptive about drinking Rose at this hour!  I accepted of course but also invited them all to dinner on Resolution that night.  It would have been good to have some cod to cook, but Burt had some lamb out and I had some to add to it, so we were sorted.  Sue presented a lovely cheese board with pate and crackers and a couple of hours later, we all thought it was time to find our anchorage for the night.

Burt suggested a spot along from Bakers Cove in the entrance of Endeavour Inlet.  B mentioned that he’d like to try the stern line out (anyone picking up on someone’s OCD here?) and Burt said it would be perfect for it.  We left ahead of the others and said we’d see them over there.

When we arrived, Captain B anchored and was getting very excited about the potential use of the stern line.  The theory behind a stern line is that it holds the boat in one direction (stern to the shore) to stop it from swinging all around on the anchor in the change of winds.  You anchor first and then connect the stern of boat to the shore with a line. Then you pull it tight by bringing in some anchor (pulling the boat forward against the stern line).

We anchored and B went to shore in the dinghy with the line and tied it around a tree stump.  He came back to the boat and tightened the line.  Ping!  It unraveled itself and went slack.  We then tied it again this time the wind took us the complete opposite direction.  The winds were not playing ball.  I then went ashore to untie the rope. From my perspective our boat might just be a bit too heavy for this parlarva!  Just as we were bringing the line back into the boat after the third and final attempt, Shamrock with Burt and his crew came around the corner.  B and I had a quick laugh thinking how lucky we were that they didn’t get to see all of that!

Burt agreed the wind in the bay was not ideal and that we should try the bay across the inlet.  This also proved to be the wrong winds.  This place is very fluky in that regard.  B suggested the bay that we had stayed in the week earlier by Mahana Lodge – south east of Camp Bay.  Although a little too busy for Burt’s liking, he agreed it was at least calm.

Burt came over in his dinghy to ask what time we would be accepting visitors.  Such etiquette!  “Right now” was my response.  When they arrived Burt mentioned he wanted to see the engine room.  I took him down to see the big green engines and there was water all over the floor and some still dribbling out of the Port Engine.  That darn Port Engine again!  I went to get B and he diagnosed it to be the gasket of the raw water pump.  We turned the seacock off to stop any further water coming in and carried on with the evening.  That would have to be dealt with tomorrow.

We started the night off with some bubbles, much chat and laughter.  What I love about socialising on boats is that you often get into discussions with others, sometimes those you have only just met, about life.  Tonight’s discussion was on happiness.  What does happiness mean?  And what is the secret to happiness?   We talked about the Miguel Ruiz theory of the Four Agreements – Always do your best, Don’t take things personally, Don’t Assume and Be impeccable with your word.  Then there was the theory from a Samoan lady – Have something to do.  Have someone to love and Have something to look forward to.  All good stuff.  But then Burt topped it off in terms of how one should be in life to generate happiness – Be kind, be calm, be generous and be optimistic.  Well I’ll drink to that.  And that we did.

A fabulous dinner of BBQ’d Butterflied lamb with a mint marriage, Lamb, Pepper and Onion Skewers, Pear and Walnut Salad, Zucchini Salad and an Avocado, Tomato and Pinenut Salad.

I woke a little dusty in the head around 8am and no B.  I knew exactly where he would be!  Sure enough he was sitting in the engine room with tools all around him. Oh dear!  He had got up at 6am to fix the issue with the engine.  Just finishing up, he had replaced the impeller and gasket and cut and re-attached the raw water hose that goes back to the stern gland as well.  It had a hole burnt in it from the impellor housing – that’s how hot it got when it blew its gasket!  The problem was fixed.  He was totally chuffed that he could do such a thing.  Well done Mechanic B.

It was one of the most stunning mornings we had experienced so we tidied up the engine room and ventured outside to have a cuppa and enjoy the view.

Burt came over for a visit and a cuppa.  Thank you Burt for such a great night and for sharing your friends!

Today we were picking up Leah from Furneaux Lodge at 2:30pm.  Since we had time on our hands we thought it would be a good opportunity to go and check out Resolution Bay.  We did a tiki tour right around the bay. There were a few houses, a DOC camp and walkway and some lovely scenery.  There were a number of bays that would be worth revisiting when circumstances allowed.

But for now it was off to Furneaux Lodge to pick up Pumper 1 – that crazy chick Leah!