The junket started badly for me. I’d sailed up from Whangarei via Tutukaka to Whangamumu, and had enjoyed a walk there, when it became clear that some strong easterly weather was coming, and I needed to get around Cape Brett. On the way round, on New Year’s Eve, the top of the main mast broke off in lumpy seas. It had brought me 7000 miles down from Canada, and I was lucky that it didn’t choose a more inconvenient location to break.
I hauled the mainsail out of the water, and motor-sailed, using the new mizzen, to Omakiwi Cove, where I found Footprints sheltering. On New Year’s Day, we sheltered in the cove from an easterly gale with heavy rain.
The next day, I received a call from Martin, on the bermudan-rigged Endurance 37 Oraka. We’d met in Australia, and he was coming to the junket, desperate to find a good junk-rigged boat to live on and to cruise. He came to lunch, I just happened to make a throwaway remark that I didn’t know how much longer I wanted to continue cruising - and he pounced instantly and said that he’d buy Tystie, without hesitation! So this pushed me into making a decision, and I’ll be selling up and flying back to England soon.
Together, Martin and I tried to get the mast out for repair at Doves Bay, without success. I motored into the Russell Boating Club to look at the mast gantry there - no go, as they were preparing for the Tall Ships regatta and Hangi. So off I went to Opua, and failed to get the mast out and repaired there, as the weather got too rough to do it safely in the three days before the junket and regatta. Tystie couldn’t sail, neither in the junket nor in the race.
Pete Hill joined me in Opua, and on Thursday, we motored out, in company with the other junks, to Orakawa Bay (Footprints was clearly the fastest, though by no means the largest junk). A party developed spontaneously aboard Footprints that afternoon, and the cockpit was so full of junkies that the bow rose about a foot out of the water. There was a northerly blow with heavy rain as we went back to Russell next day, but Pete and I found that Tystie would motor-sail quite well under her small mizzen in 25 knots of wind.
9th January - Race Day. I shipped aboard Oraka. If there’s anything that ought to convince a sailor to turn to junk rig, it’s racing a bermudan rig with a genoa that needs to be hauled around an inner forestay on every tack, and that needs to be poled out when going downwind. Such hard work. Even with five people aboard. No wonder Martin has seen the light, wants to sell her and get a junk-rigged cruiser. It was difficult to spot and react to the windshifts in the showery weather, and Oraka managed to place 35th out of 41. It was a pity I couldn’t sail Tystie, but I doubt I’d have done better, and I certainly didn’t enjoy the stress of a crowded start-line. Why does anyone race?
The next day, I returned to cruising as it ought to be done. In the afternoon, I sailed aboard the beautiful and well-sorted Lakatoa to Te Puna inlet and back, in good company and with little to be done when underway except laze around the deck, admiring a good example of a La Forestière-designed junk.
And now I’m back at Opua, the mast is out and undergoing repair, and Tystie should be back in commission soon.