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While we area still refining the system, I thought I would cover the basics of the med mooring system we used. As mentioned, this was not essential at Stuart Island but was an absolute must in Fiordland. The use of … Continue reading →

The next morning dawned grey (a pretty much continual state of affairs on Stuart) so the pictures taken on our trip from Half Moon Bay to Patterson Inlet lacked much contrast. Patterson Inlet is the next inlet south of Half … Continue reading &#8…

Taking the advice of our cruising guide, with another day of good weather we stayed on in Half Moon Bay while things remained placid. On our first day, we stopped by the local information center in Oban and planned a … Continue reading →

Steve Dashew just put up a post with video that analyzes the capsize of a trawler in monstrous seas. While we have never been in seas remotely like the ones in the video, we did see 20 plus footers on … Continue reading →

Steve Dashew put up a post with some video we shot last year in gale/storm conditions on our way from NZ to Tonga. Unfortunately the “best” stuff occurred overnight (always seems to), but there is still some interesting video to … Con…

Once we had the anchor adventure sorted it was time to head to town. Our cruising guide to Stuart Island by the Mana Cruising Club strongly recommends that you complete your affairs in Oban and head for more protected waters … Continue reading &#…

In my flying days, we used to have a saying that the most dangerous time to climb into my F33 Bonanza was just after somebody else worked on it. That is one reason that my good friend, who was a … Continue reading →

It was now just after the autumnal equinox in New Zealand (March 22nd). At 44 degrees south, the hours of daylight were becoming noticeably shorter each day, the nights were getting colder and even during the day, the air had … Continue reading &…

Another resource we found throughout NZ that is worth mentioning is their tourist information kiosks known as i-sites. We found them to be a great local resource of information, maps, brochures and activities. Akaroa was no exception and the i-site &#8…

Every time Steve Dashew does a reference to our blog, the stats go off the charts (well not maybe Lady Gaga off the charts but still extremely impressive). At any rate, it says a bit about how well he is … Continue reading →