Things got more than a bit rocky after Mike and Cavatina left the serene safety of Deepwater Basin at Milford Sound last Monday 21 September. The titles of Mike’s fascinating blog posts say it all when they went from calm and poetic (“Talking to the birds” and “Spreading my wings”) to the appropriate “OMG! and other words”. A sail shackle releasing itself in wild winds caused a chain of events that saw “all hell break loose”. Luckily, Mike had tea and cake to comfort himself after the hellish experience:
“I am consoling myself with a mug of tea and a large slice of my sister’s ultimate fruit cake, baked to a secret recipe but reputed to contain an entire bottle of brandy. I need it. I got [to Thompson Sound] an hour ago – two hours ahead of my ETA.”
– From “OMG! and other words” on Monday 21 September 2020
Fearsome winds had Mike staying in one place overnight but he sought better cover the next day. Making for Blanket Bay, Mike was faced with a challenging mooring thanks to the ongoing gusty conditions and being one man with a lot of tricky work to do. He made it work, though, and was given a bit of encouragement from the onlooking fishermen:
“I could hear the applause through multiple wheelhouse windows as my audience graded my performance out of 10 and then returned to their beers and card games. Repeat collapse down companionway, cup of tea and large slice of fruitcake.”
– From “A dash to shelter” on Tuesday 22 September 2020
After an easier pass by Breaksea Island, the kākāpō sanctuary, Mike ran into a few problems with his diesel heater burning too hot leaving him feeling like “a baked potato by the end of the evening”. Lesson of the story is: always read the manual! Mike also detailed some more technical specs for those who are interested in his amusingly titled blog post “Technical talk to help you sleep”.
Rounding New Zealand’s West Cape, Mike made for Bluff where he was able to get some supplies, traditional fish n’ chips, as well as send us some images from his adventures. Leaving early Sunday morning, the plan was to round the Catlins Coast and start heading north towards Dunedin. All seemed to be going well until a huge wave hit the boat and, unfortunately due to a slight misstep from Mike, filled the cockpit with freezing water. To make matters even worse, Mike discovered that Cavatina’s engine is now unfit for use due to a serious break of one of the shafts used for running water around the hot engine to cool it. This means he will be sailing by wind alone all the way back to Matiatia…
By Monday morning he was closing in on Moeraki but taking it easy due to a high wind vortex nearby. We hope the winds are in his favour now all the way up the east coast. Way to go, Mike!
Due to the number of delays Cavatina has had from weather, we estimate Mike will be at sea for several more weeks and thus have extended our Waiheke Working Sail Givealittle fundraiser to match. We are so grateful for the donations we’ve been given and thank everyone who has participated for their generosity. If you have any ability to donate, please consider doing so through our Givealittle fundraiser (now extended to 23 October).
We’d like to make it very clear that absolutely no funds from our Givealittle fundraiser are going to Mike and Cavatina. Mike has furnished and outfitted Cavatina entirely from his own pocket and he volunteered to have his adventure promote the needs of Waiheke Working Sail and the Kate restoration project. All funds raised are going 100% to the Waiheke Working Sail Charitable Trust to train apprentices in wooden boat restoration, procure parts for Kate, and further assist passing on seafaring and boat building skills to youth in the Hauraki Gulf. Outfitting Kate is going very well and she’s been out sailing several times this year. She’s got a ways to go, though, so we need the community’s help to see her fit once again.