Author: Scott
Who would have thought that our first collision with another boat on the voyage (and hopefully our last) would actually happen without us moving, or that we wouldn’t be at fault? This morning as I was tidying up the cockpit I heard a voice call out to me. I looked up and saw a boat close, I mean really close, with two people aboard. They were calling out a big hello and I didn’t have a clue who they were. I finally had to ask “who are you”. They responded (and will remain anonymous in this journal entry) and it turned out to be another boat we knew from cruising. Just about when recognition dawned on me, I realized that they were actually still moving and that a collision was eminent. It was one of those weird slow motion situations, I could tell they were going to hit, I knew they could not turn away in time, and when they finally did hit (forward on the starboard side) it felt like they scraped along Starship forever. It would turn out later that the awful noise the collusion made was due to their stainless steel fender holder rubbing along our rub rail and finally meeting a grisly twisted end to its life on our very stout bow roller. The other boat immediately gained control and headed away from us to sort out their damage. They were very apologetic and agreed to pay for any damages, which turned out to be minor.
After all the excitement we prepared to move the boat. We agreed to move with Aspect of Arran and Mawingo to a new bay. We pulled the hook and followed our friends as they gave us a guided tour of the bay. We decided to have a look at Smokehouse Bay, a place that had been recommended to us by other cruising boats before coming to the Barrier. Smokehouse Bay certainly lived up to the reputation and soon became one of our favorite spots on the voyage so far. We dropped the hook and had a quick lunch. After lunch I took a snorkel and with Pam on board we tested out our newly rebuilt centerboard (swing keel). After a touch of work was complete we climbed in the dinghy and met Mawingo on shore to investigate Smokehouse Bay.
What a phenomenal place! Smokehouse Bay has been a cruiser haven on Great Barrier Island for many years. Unfortunately, last year the little bay experienced a mudslide from the heavy rains which almost completely destroyed the existing structures and even eroded away the sandy beach. No worries mate, with some donated dollars from the cruising community and a lot of Kiwi ingenuity, Smokehouse Bay has been completely rebuilt to exceed its former glory. So what is this Smokehouse Bay you may ask? Smokehouse Bay is a small cruiser settlement of very basic yacht services, located in a charming bay with a newly imported white sandy beach. Prior to the mudslide there was an outdoor bathtub, bathhouse, a wood stove to heat water, sinks and hand ringers for washing laundry, clotheslines, a campfire, pilings with piped water to refill boat tanks, and of course large smokers for smoking fresh fish. All of this has been rebuilt with just a few new touches, like LED solar lights in the bathhouse and a death defying rope swing that is launched from high within a tree growing out of the hillside. But I don’t think it is the facilities that make Smokehouse Bay so remarkable, it is the fellowship and connections this magical place breeds. Within minutes of our arrivals we were chatting away with people from two other boats, sharing stories, just as if we knew each other for years. Cruisers already seem to be universally friendly and supportive to one another and Smokehouse Bay serves as a beautiful venue to bring people together. Certainly the friendships and memories generated over the years have served to fuel the impressive rebuilding and rebirth to this special spot to many. While at Smokehouse Bay we got to know Richard, a Kiwi who has been cruising around New Zealand for ten years. He told us that over the past year he has only spent 11 days at a marina, and that he comes to Smokehouse whenever he can. He demonstrated the rope swing, and as his ankles missed whacking the tree roots by millimeters he calmly said “I better have a go at those roots and cut them away”, Spiderman eat your heart out.
We finally returned to the boats and headed off to a more protected bay that Aspect of Arran had staked out for us all. We were the only three boats to anchor in our own little private cove. We all met later on Mawingo for a feed of cockles and pipis (they are both similar to clams) collected the day before. Things got a little silly as shells and watermelon rind accidentally ended up in each other’s dinghies. Soon there was a spontaneous game of shell and rind basketball that took place, but we had to all settle down when Pam and Jeff started to wrestle for the few remaining Pipis. You should have seen how many sea creatures were consumed In a single feeding and to think that Jeff and Pam couldn’t get enough or share more appropriately. After getting sent to their own corners we made a plan to go fishing the next day on Mawingo with Aaron our hunter gatherer to guide us. I would bet anything that Pam is going to get another feed of seafood!
Who would have thought that our first collision with another boat on the voyage (and hopefully our last) would actually happen without us moving, or that we wouldn’t be at fault? This morning as I was tidying up the cockpit I heard a voice call out to me. I looked up and saw a boat close, I mean really close, with two people aboard. They were calling out a big hello and I didn’t have a clue who they were. I finally had to ask “who are you”. They responded (and will remain anonymous in this journal entry) and it turned out to be another boat we knew from cruising. Just about when recognition dawned on me, I realized that they were actually still moving and that a collision was eminent. It was one of those weird slow motion situations, I could tell they were going to hit, I knew they could not turn away in time, and when they finally did hit (forward on the starboard side) it felt like they scraped along Starship forever. It would turn out later that the awful noise the collusion made was due to their stainless steel fender holder rubbing along our rub rail and finally meeting a grisly twisted end to its life on our very stout bow roller. The other boat immediately gained control and headed away from us to sort out their damage. They were very apologetic and agreed to pay for any damages, which turned out to be minor.
After all the excitement we prepared to move the boat. We agreed to move with Aspect of Arran and Mawingo to a new bay. We pulled the hook and followed our friends as they gave us a guided tour of the bay. We decided to have a look at Smokehouse Bay, a place that had been recommended to us by other cruising boats before coming to the Barrier. Smokehouse Bay certainly lived up to the reputation and soon became one of our favorite spots on the voyage so far. We dropped the hook and had a quick lunch. After lunch I took a snorkel and with Pam on board we tested out our newly rebuilt centerboard (swing keel). After a touch of work was complete we climbed in the dinghy and met Mawingo on shore to investigate Smokehouse Bay.
What a phenomenal place! Smokehouse Bay has been a cruiser haven on Great Barrier Island for many years. Unfortunately, last year the little bay experienced a mudslide from the heavy rains which almost completely destroyed the existing structures and even eroded away the sandy beach. No worries mate, with some donated dollars from the cruising community and a lot of Kiwi ingenuity, Smokehouse Bay has been completely rebuilt to exceed its former glory. So what is this Smokehouse Bay you may ask? Smokehouse Bay is a small cruiser settlement of very basic yacht services, located in a charming bay with a newly imported white sandy beach. Prior to the mudslide there was an outdoor bathtub, bathhouse, a wood stove to heat water, sinks and hand ringers for washing laundry, clotheslines, a campfire, pilings with piped water to refill boat tanks, and of course large smokers for smoking fresh fish. All of this has been rebuilt with just a few new touches, like LED solar lights in the bathhouse and a death defying rope swing that is launched from high within a tree growing out of the hillside. But I don’t think it is the facilities that make Smokehouse Bay so remarkable, it is the fellowship and connections this magical place breeds. Within minutes of our arrivals we were chatting away with people from two other boats, sharing stories, just as if we knew each other for years. Cruisers already seem to be universally friendly and supportive to one another and Smokehouse Bay serves as a beautiful venue to bring people together. Certainly the friendships and memories generated over the years have served to fuel the impressive rebuilding and rebirth to this special spot to many. While at Smokehouse Bay we got to know Richard, a Kiwi who has been cruising around New Zealand for ten years. He told us that over the past year he has only spent 11 days at a marina, and that he comes to Smokehouse whenever he can. He demonstrated the rope swing, and as his ankles missed whacking the tree roots by millimeters he calmly said “I better have a go at those roots and cut them away”, Spiderman eat your heart out.
We finally returned to the boats and headed off to a more protected bay that Aspect of Arran had staked out for us all. We were the only three boats to anchor in our own little private cove. We all met later on Mawingo for a feed of cockles and pipis (they are both similar to clams) collected the day before. Things got a little silly as shells and watermelon rind accidentally ended up in each other’s dinghies. Soon there was a spontaneous game of shell and rind basketball that took place, but we had to all settle down when Pam and Jeff started to wrestle for the few remaining Pipis. You should have seen how many sea creatures were consumed In a single feeding and to think that Jeff and Pam couldn’t get enough or share more appropriately. After getting sent to their own corners we made a plan to go fishing the next day on Mawingo with Aaron our hunter gatherer to guide us. I would bet anything that Pam is going to get another feed of seafood!
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