Thursday, December 21, 2006
We are sailing - or rather motoring!
Shortly after arriving on the South Island, our driver realising the sort of people that are on the bus, stopped at Hunters Vineyard for wine tasting. We tasted a total of 7 wines many award winning etc.
Q so of the 9 which was our favourite wine?
Back on the bus we drove on to Abel Tasman where we were staying at Old MacDonalds Farm, with a selection of animals. Dave and I had a small cabin with a nice deck to sit on in the sun. We booked a sailing trip on a catamaran with a guy who alledgedly had been inside for bank robbery and Dave accordingly nicknamed him Robin. We were picked up the next morning and driven to the beach where 8 of us boarded the Cat. Sometimes there are things you don't want to know, and the fact that it was the skippers first week and previously he had driven the motorised water taxis was one of them.....
We motored up the coast visiting Split Apple Rock etc and stopped at Anchorage Bay for lunch and a walk around to a cave which looked like it had an elephant coming out of it. We had sailed for a little of the time up but sea breezes tended to get stronger in the afternoon so we were hoping for a good trip back. We called in an island and motored round it as there was a fur seal colony on it, but there were only a few that were a bit sleepy so we didn't even bother taking a photo - the ones in The Galapogos had played and been more fun to watch.
As we headed home the sail went up and we gained speed. The other Cat in the group sped off into the distance as it was more of a racing Cat and then our skipper had no-one to watch. We stayed on the same tack for a long time heading out to sea, (do Cats usually drift around at the front as they sail? I don't know), and then more or less took the sail down and motored round to change direction before setting off on the same tack again. To say I didn't feel very confident of the skiper and his mates abilities was getting more of an understatement. Eventually he decided he couldn't cope with the wind and the sail came in (maybe damaged as there was a loose rope) and we motored back. (Where were the Darvills when we needed them, with all their practise they could have sailed us or at least motored us into the sun so we had some nicer weather!)
They said it was freak winds as it changed 350 degrees in 10 minutes and that loads of kayakers were having to abandon their boats as it was too windy and get the water taxis back. We weren't too sure; it was a little bit of a disappointment and given a choice we would be on a yacht anyday.
Q so of the 9 which was our favourite wine?
Back on the bus we drove on to Abel Tasman where we were staying at Old MacDonalds Farm, with a selection of animals. Dave and I had a small cabin with a nice deck to sit on in the sun. We booked a sailing trip on a catamaran with a guy who alledgedly had been inside for bank robbery and Dave accordingly nicknamed him Robin. We were picked up the next morning and driven to the beach where 8 of us boarded the Cat. Sometimes there are things you don't want to know, and the fact that it was the skippers first week and previously he had driven the motorised water taxis was one of them.....
We motored up the coast visiting Split Apple Rock etc and stopped at Anchorage Bay for lunch and a walk around to a cave which looked like it had an elephant coming out of it. We had sailed for a little of the time up but sea breezes tended to get stronger in the afternoon so we were hoping for a good trip back. We called in an island and motored round it as there was a fur seal colony on it, but there were only a few that were a bit sleepy so we didn't even bother taking a photo - the ones in The Galapogos had played and been more fun to watch.
As we headed home the sail went up and we gained speed. The other Cat in the group sped off into the distance as it was more of a racing Cat and then our skipper had no-one to watch. We stayed on the same tack for a long time heading out to sea, (do Cats usually drift around at the front as they sail? I don't know), and then more or less took the sail down and motored round to change direction before setting off on the same tack again. To say I didn't feel very confident of the skiper and his mates abilities was getting more of an understatement. Eventually he decided he couldn't cope with the wind and the sail came in (maybe damaged as there was a loose rope) and we motored back. (Where were the Darvills when we needed them, with all their practise they could have sailed us or at least motored us into the sun so we had some nicer weather!)
They said it was freak winds as it changed 350 degrees in 10 minutes and that loads of kayakers were having to abandon their boats as it was too windy and get the water taxis back. We weren't too sure; it was a little bit of a disappointment and given a choice we would be on a yacht anyday.
# posted by D&M Travels @ 11:27 PM 
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