My first coastal passage in our sailboat

January 21st, 2024

We've been living aboard Te Tāiko now for almost two years and I have never done a coastal passage on her. There are many reasons why, none of them actually to do with Te Tāiko. However, I realised that if I was going to be serious about going offshore, then it was time for me to step up. Adam has done two ocean crossings since we have moved aboard. His first was sailing from Tahiti to New Zealand and his second was sailing from Hobart, Tasmania to Fiji. He will share his experiences with you in another blog post. So, the summer of 2023/2024 was going to be the time for me to step up.

We left the marina mid October, a week before Cyclone Lola was due to make landfall in New Zealand. All went well for us during this. A week later, we set sail for Whangaroa (approximately 30 nautical miles north of the Bay of Islands, New Zealand), with an overnight stop in the Cavalli Islands. To say I was nervous was an understatement. However, Adam did his best to make this a positive experience and looked for a weather window that would help ease me into it. We left the Bay of Islands in 15-20 knots of a south west wind and a 1-1.5 meter gentle easterly swell. It was a great experience and gave me the confidence I needed. To see how the trip went, click on the video below.