This morning I was woken by the helicopter landing on the top of the barge at about 7.15am. Rex, Casey and Floyd had been up early pulling up the crays from their holding pots and stacking them into their containers to be choppered out to Tuatapere. With this complete, we bade farewell and they headed back to Bluff and Shannan headed out to start his cray potting. The fishermen here are certainly a hardy and tough bunch as one of the tails they recounted was rounding Puysegur Point in 103 knots (I can't even imagine wind that strong, hurricane force starts at 64 knots)! But they are also amazingly welcoming and generous – they took me in while I stayed at the barge, and left me crayfish legs and all their spare vegetables when they left, as well as lots of generous advice and checking up on me on the VHF.
With Southerly out in the straits, Rex advised on the VHF that it was a good day and I should be fine to get into Chalky Inlet and off I set. It was calm in Pressie, only about 10 knots and I sailed out to Chalky, a bit windier as I got around the corner, 25 knots and on the nose. I motor sailed up to North Port and picked up one of the moorings recommended by Danny, one of the fishermen who'd stayed a night at the barge. This was a great little spot, with a bit of wind coming through keeping away the sandflies. I spent the afternoon moored up and catching up on the last 2 weeks of washing.
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