It’s 4.00am and I am covered in diesel. Soaked in stinky slippery diesel. All over my hands, boots, wet weather gear. Its all over the boat too. Hopefully I actually got some of it in the tank? Andrew does not look impressed. I can’t blame him. I had just woken him up to come and…
We are currently cruising in the Marlborough Sounds. A beautiful part of the South Island of New Zealand. It’s secluded tree lined bays provide perfect quiet anchorages to spend the night. However despite how quiet and sheltered the bay, there are still plenty of things that will keep you awake on a boat at night. …
I was very excited to have another article published by Boating New Zealand Magazine in their November 2015 edition. Boating NZ is New Zealand’s most popular Boating magazine, published monthly and with a readership of over 130,000 people, this magazine can be found in every bookshop, supermarket, and service station all over New Zealand.
Do you have a sailor in your life? Are you planning on buying them a gift for a birthday, to say thank you, or for Christmas but not sure what to get? Well for goodness sake please do NOT go getting them a puppy or a new lawnmower…
We have just returned from a trip to New Caledonia. The entire island is surrounded by a big reef and there are lots of little reefs inside that. Navigation is ok here, as the charts are really well marked, there are nice suggested tracks to follow and lots of cardinal and lateral marks and lighthouses…
I remember the day that Esther Louise arrived in Lyttelton a couple of years ago now. She is a beautiful 54′ Moody and was by far the flashest boat in the area that we had ever seen. I remember thinking then how much I would love to go on board for a look around, and…
We are just back from cruising New Caledonia on a friends yacht. We had such a great time (post to come later on today hopefully) and we learn’t a few things along the way that might also come in handy for you if you plan to visit any time soon. Location New Caledonia is located…
From the blogs I read, it seems that entering and exiting countries when you are on a boat can be a bit of a painful process requiring a day or more of donkey work and filling in of forms to get both yourselves and the boat cleared in and out of the various countries that…
Banks Peninsula was initially called Banks Island by Captain Cook when he circumnavigated New Zealand back in the 1770’s. When you are out at sea it is easy to see why, as the Port Hills and Mt Herbert rise high above the very flat Canterbury Plains, making it look like the Peninsula is sitting it…
At Christmas, we bought another boat for the growing family boat collection. It is a Nautilus Dinghy and we got it from our friends Aaron & Juliet who own Oddies Marine in the Sounds. We named her Nauti Puff, as she is just a smaller version of Puff our slightly larger inflatable dinghy! Puff was…
Astrolabe Sailing 