Bluff (Ferry Wharf)
Saturday 29 February 2020
After a blowy night, with on-and-off showers, we awoke to a cold-wet landscape, but with the sun fighting to penetrate the morning clouds.
This would be Carsten’s final breakfast. Not in a “real-final” sense; we were still; great friends. It’s just that Carsten’s twelve fortuitous days aboard had come to an end. He would be leaving on the morning bus … at 9:15am … no doubt the potential subject of a song or ballad one day …
After much waving and group-hugs all round, we saw Carsten off, leaving John and me rattling around aboard Chimere, ready for our second-breakfast, and wondering which task to undertake first. The winch still needed to be dismantled, there were broken cockpit-cover-tiedown clips to fit, two window covers to attach, plus the essential “shop-up”. With Linda, Matt and James arriving this evening, for our 2-week jaunt around to Fiordland, there was a need to re-stock the pantry in preparation.
Linda had sent through an extensive shopping-list as a “guide” and initially I thought I’d need to find my way to Invercargill, 30 minutes away, to find a supermarket with sufficient stock and range. But not so. The local Bluff 4-Square store, just across the road, was well and truly up to the task. Three trolly-loads later, plus some creative re-packing of the fridge and freezer, we were ready to open a restaurant.
Part way through the shopping, I was thinking that we somehow needed to catch up with radio-Mary for the much-promised coffee. Then, who should be parked at the wharf getting out of her car, but Mary, well dressed and as always sporting her mobile VHF radio.
“Hello Mary, I was going to give you a call” I said.
“I’ve just come down to see how you’re going”, she replied
“Have you got time to have a coffee? I’ll get John, he’s doing some jobs on board”
“I’ll hand these bags down to you first”, came the reply.
So it was that John and I took Mary for a coffee – at a locally owned establishment across the road, chatting away for an hour on all topics under the sun – but in particular how she came to be in Bluff and the region generally.
Throughout the afternoon, John and I completed most jobs onboard and I even wandered off to pick some wild-grown flowers to make the saloon look a little more classy.
Texts and message arrived throughout the day from Linda, Matt and James, as the progressed towards the final taxi ride from the Invercargill Airport to Bluff … JAMES: 4:00am, Just catching bus from Canberra to Sydney. LINDA & MATT: 11:00am, On plane in Melbourne, 4:39pm: JAMES, LINDA & MATT: All together at ChCh airport, waiting for flight to Invercargill.
Then around 7:15pm a taxi pulled up at the wharf with the valuable cargo, excited and bouncy with beans. Half an hour earlier I’d mentioned to John, I wonder when they’ll arrive and just then realised that I have a “Wife Tracker” function on my iPhone, otherwise known as “Find My Friends”. I fired it up and sure enough, at that very moment the App showed Linda (or at least her phone) travelling on the Bluff road, pass in a big factory, just 15 minutes away. Just amazing.
After loading all the bags aboard, and catching up on news, we sauntered across the road only to find that the “Tavern” had only recently closed … it was 8:00pm on a Saturday evening after all … but after a few hand signals, appealing to the kitchen staff and discussions, it was agreed that serving dinner to 5 new customers was a worthwhile exercise.
It was great to catch up on everyone’s news from home, and exciting to plan and discuss our possible sailing adventures for the next 14 days – all revolving around the critical weather forecast.
As it turned out, the latest weather forecast was somewhat “average” for heading straight to Fiordland and rounding the SW corner of the South Island. And the last thing we wanted was an “on-the-nose-bash” sail to windward, with our new family-crew.
So, at time of writing, our latest sailing plan is to get away from the Bluff wharf as soon as everyone’s awake tomorrow, catch the morning’s outgoing tide, with a return to Stewart Island looking very likely. Not only will this provide an opportunity to explore more of that amazing place, but do it where the predicted winds are lighter and more favourable. Then, in three days’ time, when the weather moves to the south west, we will make a b-line for Puysegur Point and Preservation Inlet and the Fiordland region.
Back on board, after our celebratory “arrival dinner”, the excitement of the first night aboard kicked in, with James also pulling out his duty free bottle of … “The Kraken Black Spiced Rum”, complete with references to “Bizarre R Fierce Sea Creatures” … a most suitable “night cap”, capable to clearing out the sinuses, along with many other things besides.
Whether it was exhaustion from travel, the gentle rocking of the boat, the effects of the night-cap, or a bit of each, everyone was soon asleep, full of anticipation as to what lay ahead.
Smooth seas, fair breeze and Family Fun Times Begin
Rob Latimer
PS I’m still looking for extra crew to assist with the 8-day voyage, from Milford Sound to Wellington, starting on 14 March. If you or a friend want to join us, please sing out ASAP. Email me on the satphone at … msm1@clientsatmail.com.au and latimerfamily4@gmail.com but remember, no file attachments)
NZ2020 