On_Board_553_Decembe.. - Mana Cruising Club

When out in the vastness of the Pacific on a 12 day voyage fromsay NZ to Tonga it was comforting to know that there were otheryachts about who we were in touch with on our radio sched andmay have been be able to come to our assistance if called. Bear inmind that there is nobody else. However, when we departed fromAuckland we never did see another one of the forty odd yachts thatsailed with.We have been members of Mana Cruising Club for about 40years and Mana Dunedin Port Captain for about 30 years. Strangelyenough in all that time we have been to our Club House at Manaonly twice - once by road, and once by water at the start of theIsland Cruising Association regatta to Tonga in 1995. Althoughthis Marina and Club House are magnificent our great joy in beingmembers of the Club is being able to use our 40 odd moorings inPelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds. We have secured to almostall of the moorings and on average have cruised the MarlboroughSounds every second year over a period of forty years.We would be delighted to see more cruising yachties visit theexciting and beautiful cruising grounds south of Cook Strait.Taking the south going tide you would edge past the watchful CapeCampbell, sight the mighty Kaikoura Mountains (almost as high asMount Taranaki) and whales breaching off Kaikoura. The perfectsemicircle of brooding Banks Peninsula will draw you into shelteredand secretive Akaroa Harbour. The northeast wind will have yourollicking past the sunlight Canterbury Plains, and so to the laughingOtago Coast and Otago Harbour. The South Pacific and the GreatSouthern Ocean is not a fearsome place - we sail it all the time. Butsometimes, like Cook Strait it does take a little intestinal fortitude.Once at Port Chalmers you would be within a 24 hour sail ofStewart Island where you could cruise for a month in sheltered watersand even then not see it all. You could also have fish, scallopsor oysters for dinner every day if you so wished.Puysegur Point, on the southwest corner of the South Island,is one of New Zealand’s great capes and it does have nine gales amonth. If you read the books, talk to the locals and are thoughtfulabout your decisions it is sometimes not too difficult to get around.Two mile further on you will be into Preservation Inlet and the restof Fiordland is yours. The southern sounds may well be the mostwonderful cruising experience you will ever have.Your Mana C.C. Dunedin Port Captain will not be at his place ofduty at Careys Bay this New Year. We plan to sail from Port Chalmerson 2nd January 2011 on our 23rd cruise to the Marlborough Soundsand the Abel Tasman National Park. On arrival we hope we may raftup with you again on a Mana mooring and share a quiet meal anda glass. Now aged 82 and 80 years maybe it will be our last trip. Onthe other hand maybe it will not be our last - we are not intending totake up tiddlywinks or bowls just yet - so let us just wait and see.I would like to close by thanking the Commodore and Committeefor inviting Margaret and I to be here at our Opening Day. I wouldalso like to thank those who organise and maintain our wonderfulMana moorings. And I would like you to remember all the otherMCC Port Captains who wait breathlessly, year after year, for yourarrival in their port.Pigeon PostMANA ISLAND PIGEON POSTAnother couple of months have flown by and we’re in themiddle of the bird breeding season out here on Mana Island.Many of our takahe pairs have chicks now as nesting isdrawing to a close; and we’ve around six shore plover nests stillincubating, with five or so little chicks darting around on thebeach. So it is busy times keeping track of these endangeredbirds. The brown teal (pateke) also have young on some of thewetland ponds, and other species like the pied shags, kakarikiand tui are also nesting.Earlier in the month we finally had takahe ‘Monty’ returnfrom Massey University’s wildlife ward, where she spentthree-and-a-half months recovering from a broken femur. Itis fantastic to have this breeding bird back on the island, it isa testament to the hard work of the vet and vet nursing staffat Massey.Our summer staff, Jenny and Lois, are nearing the half waymark with their grid search (and destroy!) of the island forinvasive weeds. It is a challenging and sometimes unenviabletask, but plays such an important role in ensuring the emergingforest has a helping hand to establish.The weather here, as with much of the region, has been verydry over the last two months. The island is still open to thepublic during normal hours and there are no fire restrictionsin place; but the fire risk is increasing and we expect thatrestrictions will be in place soon if there is no rain. If thishappens we will let the club and marina know, and signagewill be in place on the island and at boat launching ramps, sokeep an eye out for this.It has been great to see and meet a number of you out andabout on the island and the water over the last wee while.Just a reminder to all that Mana Island is free of animal pestsand haven to endangered wildlife, so, if you are planning avisit, please check your vessel and belongings for stowaways(of the rodent kind) before you depart for the island. And, ofcourse... ‘take only photos, and leave only footprints.’Wishing you all the best for Christmas and the New Year,from the team on Mana Island.18