Chartering Bliss: Sleeping with open hatches under the Southern Cross and Milky Way
Anchoring under the night stars of the Southern Cross is not a common experience for Chesapeake Bay sailors, but it was a nightly occurrence (for a week or two) for Singles on Sailboats (SOS) club members on a chartering trip to New Zealand in late February and early March.
SOS member Janet Gonski tells SpinSheet, “While in New Zealand, do as New Zealanders do and meet a local author of multiple sailing books, Lin Pardey. She and her late husband, Larry Pardey, had circumnavigated both eastward and westward, worked in many marine industries, and had plenty of fodder for their books; Lin shared several of those adventures and stories with some of our SOS skippers and crew.”
The group, which rented seven boats over a two-and-a-half-week period, was divided into Week One (two boats) and Week Two (five boats, some of which went for seven days and others for 10 days).
Deb Kaufman, current SOS bareboat committee chair, reports, “We departed from the Bayswater Marina outside of Auckland and used a charter company named CharterLink. We used them because they were the only charter company we could find after months of searching. However, they were lovely to work with and were very knowledgeable about the area. Find them at CharterLink Bareboat Yacht Charters Auckland (charterlink.co.nz)
“This was true bareboat cruising, no cooks or any other crew. In the second week, we had beautiful sunny days and were able to sail every day. Most of the participants who chartered extended their trips, either before or after, by doing other touring, either on the North or South Islands. We met a lot of people who were intrigued by our sailing club (as described by us) and by the fact that we traveled this far to sail.”
Chartering memories from Skipper Gabi's crew, week one:
Favorite anchorages
Elephant Cove and Kawau
Conditions summary
The week of February 21-28 was a little low on wind. We had only two sailing days. The rest was motoring, but we still had a great time on the beautiful water.
Memorable excursions
- Catching red snapper for dinner—fresh as fresh gets.
- Stoney Batter Tunnels in Waiheke.
- A fun filled afternoon and the BBQ with Lin Pardey and David Haigh on the Kawau grounds of Lin and Larry’s home and seeing Taleisin and Sahula anchored right in front.
Highlights on the water
- The clear warm waters and the raw landscapes of the Coromandels
- The stars at night... sleeping with open hatches under the Southern Cross and Milky Way is just once in a lifetime.
Highlights on land
- Cape Reinga and the waterline from the Tasmanian Sea and the Pacific
- 150-meter high dunes
- Hundertwasser House in Whangerei
Did anything surprise you about the trip? The subtropical climate with huge palm and fern trees 30 meters high.
Would you do anything differently if you could do it over? Spend more time in the area after the charter for more exploration.
Learn more about Singles on Sailboats or visit its website.
