Barely have the Daytona 500 crowds dissipated when Daytona Beach hosts the 76th annual Bike Week. The 10-day motorcycle event originated in 1937 and draws an estimated 500,000 people. From the marina we’d been hearing motorcycles pass all week, and after a morning of running errands with a rental car, we spent the rest of…
Tag Archives | Nordhavn
Route Planning
While in Florida earlier this year, we considered a variety of routes for our upcoming Atlantic passage. Some of the possibilities are shown in the screenshot above (click image for larger view). The waypoint east of South Carolina is Bermuda, and the one labeled Terceira Sao Miguel is the Azores. The other waypoints are mostly…
Daytona 500
We bought a four-day package for the Daytona 500 that included the Can-Am Duel on Thursday night, the NASCAR truck race on Friday night, the Xfinity Series race on Saturday and of course, the Daytona 500 on Sunday. We had great time watching the races, and being at the Daytona 500 was super-exciting. But a…
ENVOY’S 2017 CRUISING PLANS
Envoy is in Lefkas Marina for the northern hemisphere winter while we’re home for the New Zealand summer, returning in just a few days.We have exciting plans for this year’s cruising!After a brief shakedown cruise to ensure Envoy is performing well in …
Nothing Runs Like a Deere
Most John Deere engines are scheduled to have the vibration damper replaced at 5 years or 4,500 hours. However, our Deere 6068AFM75 uses a viscous coupling with an 8,000-hour replacement interval so we went nearly 7 years before needing to make a change. We crossed 8,000 hours as we headed into Boston early last year,…
The Greatest Show on Dirt
We’d come to Daytona primarily to attend the Daytona 500, but that’s not the only major racing event in the area in February. Nearby Volusia Motor Speedway was hosting the season opener for the the World of Outlaws Sprint Car racing, “The Greatest Show on Dirt!”. The last dirt track racing we saw was in…
Miami Boat Shows
From Daytona Beach we made a road trip south to Miami for a couple of days to check out the Miami boat shows. While there we spent some time at sea on FBP 781 Cochise, toured the new Ranger Tug R-29 CB, and also checked out Nordhavn 92 Rest Assured. Trip highlights from Feb 15th…
CRUISING ABOARD MORITZ – PART 2
CRUISING ABOARD MORITZPART 2
Envoy is in Lefkas Marina for the northern hemisphere winter while we’re home for the New Zealand summer – but not for much longer as in early April we start our journey back end of next week.
First we’ll be spending 10 days in the Orkney Islands off Scotland’s north-west coast, where I’m sure there will be plenty of boating-related material to write about. Then we head to Athens for the six hour bus trip to Lefkas Marina and Envoy.
Continuing on from our last Blog posting we’re aboard stunning Maritimo 48 foot motor yacht, Moritz, owned by our friends Morris and Gail.
On day two we wake up well-refreshed and while eating breakfast quietly cruise across to Waiheke Island to anchor in Matiatia Bay.
Matiatia Bay wharf from Moritz at anchor
Here we go ashore to walk around the headland overlooking Matiatia while culturally enriching ourselves by viewing the Sculpture on the Gulf Exhibition supported by about 50 sponsors including respected international names like Jaguar, Sothebys and Mazda.
The 30 or so sculptures are spread along a hilly coastal track about two miles long and range from “is that art? Gosh a five year old could do that” to incredibly clever. Sedately viewing them amongst stunning landscapes is a great way to enjoy our morning walk.
This “sculpture” has us scratching our heads
But we liked this one
And the views along the walk are great
Looking down on Matiatia Bay
Later we cruise along Waiheke’s northern shore and across a flat-calm Firth of Thames to Elephant Cove (so-named as the imposing rocks on its northern entrance look like an elephant’s head) on Motukahaua Island.
Inside Elephant Cove
There’s not much anchoring room in the small cove with two boats already there, but Morris finds a great spot still leaving room for two more boats that come in later.
Fishing is a huge part of the New Zealand boating scene and next morning we try several spots down the coast, but without success. For some reason Auckland’s summer sea temperature at 19 degrees is about two degrees cooler than usual and the snapper don’t like it, but we see a nearby school of kahawai and manage to catch several in just a few minutes with trolling lures.
Morris then takes us to his “secret spot X” where a rock awash at low tide has a surprisingly abundant supply of green-lipped mussels, so that night we’re anchored on the eastern side of Waimate Island just north of Coromandel Harbour having a great feed of fresh sashimi and mussels.
Gail in Moritz’s galley
Gail in Moritz’s galley
The village of Coromandel is quirky and arty, embracing what you might call “alternative culture” and just before next day’s high tide we anchor off the shallow creek heading to the town. We don’t really need any supplies but it’s a tradition to head up the creek in your dinghy while high tide allows and sample pies or doughnuts from the bakery and a beer from the pub, though on this occasion we opt for coffees.
Morris guides us up the very tidal Coromandel Creek
Morris guides us up the very tidal Coromandel Creek
New Zealand regulations sensibly require all boats to carry correctly-sized life jackets for all people, while on those boats under six metres they must be worn unless the skipper determines it is safe not to do so. For example crossing a bar is dangerous and they should be worn but perhaps the’re not necessary (except for non swimmers) if you’re simply going a few metres from one boat to another. However Coromandel comes under a different jurisdiction requiring jackets to be worn at all times and we’re pleased to have complied when the harbourmaster’s boat passes nearby.
Coromandel village is at the creek’s head
After a night anchored in serene Te Kouma harbour we’re heading back across the Firth of Thames to Hooks Bay on the eastern side of Waiheke to meet mutual friends for brunch aboard their boat.
Next day we pull the fishing rods out again without landing a single fish, then anchor off Rotorua Island which used to be an alcohol rehabilitation centre run by the Salvation Army off-limits to the public. Recently the centre moved and the island has been opened up to the public, also making available some stunning formerly inaccessible beaches. Ashore there’s an interesting museum documenting the valuable work done by the “Sallies” with addicts over several decades.
Rotoroa’s stunning beaches like this one are now accessible
Rotoroa’s stunning beaches like this one are now accessible
Our last night is spent nearby anchored off Waiheke’s Man O’War Bay where we visit the Man O’War Vineyard – an excellent place to enjoy a pre-dinner glass of wine or three.
Laurie, Di and Morris enjoy a wine at the vineyard
Thanks very much to our hosts Morris and Gail and the good ship Moritz.
ICW Miles 778 to 830: St. Augustine to Daytona Beach
We initially were planning to run offshore from St. Augustine to Daytona Beach, but decided to take the ICW for a couple of reasons. The nearest inlet to Daytona Beach is about 14 miles south of the city at Ponce de Leon Inlet and it looked like it might be a challenging entry. The breakwater…
St. Augustine, FL
“The first this, the oldest that” begins Lonely Planet’s description of St. Augustine. The town the Spanish founded in 1565 retains dozens of historical buildings ranging as far back as the Spanish era and now is a popular tourist destination. We spent two night anchored off town, enjoying the sights from the water and ashore….
