October 2011 Issue No. 197 - Navigator Publishing

Named after the Britishsurvey ship HMS Chatham,the first European vessel tolocate the island in 1791,Chatham Island is by farthe largest island and one oftwo populated islands in thegroup, the other being PittIsland. We were headed tothe largest town of Waitangion Chatham. We made it apoint to do research on theChathams before leaving andmade contact with severalpeople on the island inadvance of our arrival askingif we could bring anythingwith us that was needed. TheChathams have regular airservice from New Zealand,so the answer was no, butthey were definitely aware we44ºSThe SistersPetre BayHanson Pt.The HornsRoute of Nine of CupsCape YoungTe WhangaLagoonChatham IslandPitt StraitPt. MunningHanson BayManukau PointPitt IslandMangere IslandLittle Mangere Island176ºWwere coming. Since there areno cruising guides and littleinformation available aboutsailing to the Chathams,having a contact ashore wasdefinitely to our advantage.South EastIslandFourty FoursStar KeysAlfred Wood/Ocean Navigator illustrationA raw beginningWe set out on a cold, raw andovercast day. The wind wason again/off again and thensettled in at 20-plus knotsfrom the southeast giving usa good broad reach towardsthe Chatham Islands. Thebirds were plentiful as we lostsight of the Otago Peninsula.Great royal albatross soaringoh so gracefully overhead werejoined by mollymawks, gulls,terns, shearwaters and Capepetrel. A ridge of pale blueclung close to the horizon andsometimes peeked througha gray sky which hung like aheavy mantle above us.The five day, 600-nm tripwas characterized by days ofdazzling sunshine punctuatedwith brief showers and cold,rainy nights. Despite theintermittent warmth providedby the engine heater when weoccasionally motored, we werelayered up to the Nth degreeAbove, a seabird flies pasta view of ChathamIsland‘sdistinctivedouble peakcalled TheHorns. Left,the Lynnssailed eastfrom NewZealand tothe sparselypopulatedChathamIslands.www.oceannavigator.comOCTOBER 2011 OCEAN NAVIGATOR 21