Fjordland, New Zealand
8 March – 22 March 2010
Luckily, the supermarket in Bluff was open on Sunday, and the Gas station to. Both helped us delivereverything to the wharf and we topped up with diesel including 150 l in jerry cans.
Bluff is a difficult harbour to enter because of the tide in the narrow channel and the piled wharfs are not easy for a yacht to more to. But there is one very big advantage and that’s the people who are very nice and helpful. Boaties are very well taken care of.
Monday we left for Fjordland with the tide and after a rough first few hours the sea settled and the rest of the trip was ok but foggy. We arrived in Chalky Inlet, the second southern most Fjords early Tuesday morning, made our way in by means of Radar and the chart plotter in only some 100 m sight, and anchored in a protected cove.
We where prepared to go to sleep after 20 hours of sailing, but the fog disappeared and the sun came through. Knowing how seldom that happens, we didn’t dare to rest and not take advantage of the weather. Instead of sleeping we motored into one of the arms of Chalky Inlet and then we even could sail up the next, where we at the head found a very nice and protected anchorage. Surprisingly shallow water! We anchored in four meter over sand. Two rivers from lakes up in the mountains runs into the cove. We took the dinghy into the first one and walked up to the lake before dinner. A nice, steep but short hike. The only problem was the sand flies. They where plentiful and did bite everywhere, even in the hair. Back to the boat, we had a very QUICK shower. Quick because of the sand flies. Down in the boat we managed to keep them out, at least after we discovered that they actually were able to pass our mosquito nettings and closed our hatches.
After an extremely calm night we hiked up the other river after breakfast. We came all the way up to a waterfall at high tide, took some photos and hurried back, not to be trapped by the falling tide.
Back in Lindisfarne, we decided to take advantage of the now northerly wind and sail out to the entrance of Chalky Inlet. The plan was to go to Dusky Sound the next day. The sail back was a fast and nice run in relatively strong tailwind. Unusually to be that lucky to sail both in and out the same fjord. However, we still had to find a reasonably protected anchorage, a challenge because of the predicted wind shift from north to south during next night. The safest solution had been to stay in the protected “four meter” cove, but then the trip to Dusky had to start with a though headwind sailing down Chalky Inlet in a steep, choppy speed reducing sea. The only bay close to the entrance was not the worst anchorage we have had, but close. Deep water and a fetch over a mile didn’t sound possible in 30 knots of wind. The waves where, by some odd reason, not building up at all, in spite of the long fetch. Probably we where close enough to the shore, parallell to the wind.
We got a good holding and the wind force on the chain was quite ok thanks to anchor sail and the anchor buddy.
After a late dinner, we choose to stay up and keep anchor watch, mainly because of the upcoming wind shift, combined with the sloping bottom where we anchored.
The southerly wind finally came, and after breakfast we took of for Dusky Sound. Now we got our reward for the sleepless night. We could reach open water without tacking. We even had the tide to our advantage, which unfortunately made the sea state offshore completely crazy with the tide against southwest and northwest swell. Probably the worst sea state we have seen so far. After two hours we could turn north and everything became easier. We did send some thankfully thoughts to designers who understand to design hulls for comfort and safety instead of only space and speed.
We were very pleased when we came into protected waters in Dusky Sound.
We got an e-mail from Ice Dancer that night. They had made an attempt to go from Doubtful Sound down to Dusky, but the sea state was only too much!
On our way into the southernmost Fjord arm, we couldn’t resist to visit the cove where Cook anchored with Resolution. The little cove gave us a hint of the size of these “big” ships. They where not big at all!
However, we didn’t want to stay that close to the entrance after the previous anchor watch night, so we continued another 12 nm into the fjord and found a very well protected place, although deep. But with the anchor well set in the slope to the shore it came out quite ok. Two ropes ashore from the stern and one rope from the bow ashore to the assumed williwaws direction.
During the night we got hit by some williwaws from the expected direction, and it felt quite ok to have a rope ashore to release the anchor from those forces perpendicular to the hull.
Friday came with low clouds and rain almost throughout the day. We had already yesterday decided to rest and stay in this cove for at least another night, so it was easy to adapt to a indoor relaxing day . Around four we put on some foul weather gear against the weather and the sand flies and went ashore. Not much to se besides five kingfishers who entertained us diving into the little river. We actually also saw a ferret close to the shore among the fallen trees.
Back in Lindisfarne we discussed the menu for dinner. Before we decided, Annika got a Red Wrasse on the hook right at the stern and the decision for dinner was given.
This second night was completely calm in spite there was 25 knots of wind offshore.
Saturday started with more rain and even lower clouds. After breakfast there was nothing else to do than read, write and do some photo editing. The rain kept on, and we didn’t even go out to do some fishing because of the rain.
When dusk came we suddenly got good propagation for the SSB Radio and e-mail from Ice Dancer told us about them giving up their ambitions to go south in favour for going north to Nelson via Milford Sound. We had looked forward to meet them again here in Dusky, but better safe than sorry, especially in these remote areas. Hopefully we will meet Gail and Dick somewhere on North Island in May.
Sunday breakfast and the wind started to howl now and then up in the rig but the clouds where still just above the mast. Around 9 am we heard and felt some rumbling. After “our” tsunami two weeks ago, we looked at each other and then decided it was probably a local movement along the fault. Looking at the steep lopes and all the traces from landslides it has to happen quite often, and we didn’t feel any wave whatsoever in our little S-shaped cove. The fault all along the South Island is well known and has a lot of yearly movements.
In the afternoon the wind started to howl more continuously and it came from “our” williwaw direction. Our shoreline from the bow took care of the extra forces, but it became uncomfortable with strong gusts across the rig. We let go of one of the stern lines and took the other one to the bow. Lindisfarne turned parallel to the shore and with the bow to the wind and the bow fixed in three directions by the anchor and the two shorelines, very comfortable and no need for an anchor sail because she couldn’t sail like on only anchor or a buoy. The wind kept in the same direction all night and in the morning we decided to change anchorage, in spite it was still raining. The lack of sun made it necessary to produce some electricity and a change to run the water maker is always welcome. Therefore, there where several reasons for us to move on.
The rain was only drizzle of and on and we had a relatively nice view from inside our cockpit enclosure. Our new anchorage, between some small islands in the west end of the middle fjord arm was even better protected than the previous. Anchor out and three ropes ashore.
The new place had more sand flies but the fishing was even better. Blue Cod was on the hook seconds after it was down in the water.
Close to dusk the clouds disappeared and it was somewhat annoying with a clear night after all these rainy days. But we could have saved that “anger” because just after sleeping time the rain started again, and what a rain. The dinghy was almost full the next morning and the rain kept pouring down. The little waterfall we had close to our cove was now a torrent.
The wind came over the little island and pushed us towards the shore with two lines. To windward at the bow we only had the anchor. We took a fourth line ashore, from the bow to the little island, and soon we where safe even if we lost the holding of the anchor. It’s nice to know that “nothing” can happen, especially now when we spend much time down in the boat without an outlook.
Sailing in Fjordland we where quite aware of that we probably had to wait in rain for several days for each sunny day, but now it was six days with rain since last sunny day. Lucky we have a warm and dry boat and a lot of books and a web site do work on.
Wednesday 17 came with clear sky and almost no wind. After breakfast we left our cove and motored north to the north fjord arm where the highest mountains are. We where at the head of the fjord after four hours and some hundreds of photos in the crystal clear weather. The highest peak was almost 1700 m with some ice high up.
After a late lunch and a dinghy trip into the three small rivers, we returned half way out of the arm and anchored in a safe bay of the fjord. The night was calm and clear, but in the morning we got rain again the whole day.
Friday sunny morning! But now we had a difficult decision to consider. Our gribfiles started Thursday evening to show a pattern of quite a change in the weather. Several fronts with strong winds where predicted for the next week. We where out of VHF reach in the fjords so we decided to proceed out to the anchorages at the mouth of the fiord and there take the final decision when we could judge the sea state. Before we saw the sea we got a new grib, and there was no longer a problem to decide what to do. This was the change to get south to Bluff for almost a week! Around four we passed Puysegur in strong tail wind. 40knots and building sea made us sail average 7,5 knot and surfing close to 10 knots when we managed to keep on top of the wave, and all this with pretty down reefed sails. On top of that we had almost one knot current with us. It became a fast run! The VHF weather had storm warning for Puysegur, but that was further south. We sailed close to shore and got more protected from shore the further south and east we came. Suddenly we had done so much easting so the wind eased almost completely.
We anchored in Port Craig, an east looking bay 40 nm west of Bluff just before midnight.
Saturday was predicted northwester 30 knots, and at dawn we continued to Bluff to time the tide. When we anchored we could hear a lot of dolphins around in the dark. In the morning we could see that it was a shoal of Hector’s Dolphins. They followed us for almost an hour, but when we where out of their bay they turned back.
The wind was as predicted from NW and we got a nice open reach on our first 20 nm to Bluff. Passing Centre Island the wind almost disappeared and we had to use the engine not to miss the tide into Bluff. The last hour in to Bluff a strong south westerly wind flew us all the way to the channel. With the wind and the tide we made more than nine knots over ground.
Mary at Fishermans Radio had arranged an even better berth for us this time. We could use bowlines both to starboard and port, keeping Lindisfarne from the wharf even in onshore wind conditions.
We where quite pleased to be in Bluff, listening to the more and more escalating reports about the coming weather for the area we just left.
If we sum our impressions from almost two weeks in Fjordlands rain and sand flies dominates of course. Nevertheless, we had some nice views the three days with sun!
Remember that we, being spoiled with sailing in Norway with Lofoten and all the Fjords, are quite used to these types of extreme surroundings. Still the remoteness in Fjordland is something special. But then again, compared with the remoteness in Patagonia, Chile, Fjordland is quite accessible and "crowded".
Back in Bluff we will stay three- four days depending on the weather before we leave for Stewart Island waiting for conditions to sail north along the east coast of South Island.
Early Monday morning the predicted rain started followed by the wind. Soon we had 40 knots in the harbour but in time for the tide to run out, so the sea stat was not that extreme as on our first visit in Bluff. On Wednesday the forecast is talking about 50knots but by then we are hopefully on anchor in a safe cove at Stewart Island.
22 March 2010
Annika & Björn
Lindisfarne
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