With Ran Tan struggling in light airs and an incoming tide in the channel we were able to lead her out of the heads; us through Chaffers Passage and RanTan through the main channel. That was good for the handicap times; neck and neck after almost 2 hours. The wind continued to be very light and we were forced to heat up the angle to keep boat speed. Unfortunately this meant we would not be able to clear Cape Campbell and would have to gybe back to port. Ran Tan took a more direct route but it was slow so that by nightfall both boats were still pretty equal down the rhumb line. During the night we managed to get a number of fast runs up to 17knots in boat speed but this was interspersed with long periods of light airs.

Dawn on Saturday after a wonderful night of clear stars and a beautiful moon was one of those “bring you back offshore” racing days. Before the sun was over the horizon it was picking out the snow-capped peaks of the seaward Kaikoura Ranges. And of course the sea life off the Kaikouras did not disappoint with seals fishing in groups round the boat all day and the usual exuberance of birds. We were just a little bit nervous that any whales might think about surfacing underneath us but also maybe a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see any.

 

The wind really started to pack up as the day got warmer and soon we were gybing through 170 degrees just to keep the boat moving. By mid morning after heading back to the coast we could see Ran Tan up ahead against the cliffs and as she looked pretty dead in the water it was back out to sea to find some air. About two hours out from the heads we could see the southerly build up behind Banks Peninsula and sure enough in it came with a vengeance. A quick change to the number one immediately followed by the number three (“make up your bloody mind” from the foredeck) and we were tight reaching into Lyttelton harbour under 38knots of wind. In through the heads and…and ..nothing. Not a breath, not a flutter on the water. Just a small flotilla of welcoming fizz boats from Naval Point Yacht club on hand to listen to all the mayhem that is Andiamo as we try to change three sails at once, including the new Christmas present, while tacking four or five times in no air heading for the wrong mark. Oh well it had been too quiet for too long. Eventually we get all that sorted out, find the right finish line and slip over it somewhat chastened. Still maybe not a bad time although clearly no record and the Naval Point boys and girls are hoisting food and drink over the side.

 

A quick tidy up of the boat and we are being feted by Naval Point on the dock and started to get the first inkling of how well we would be looked after throughout our visit. By one in the morning Davie Norris has arranged a walk on berth for Andiamo by towing out a fishing boat that had a flat battery and wasn’t going to be fishing for a few weeks. Sort of like giving up your own bed for a visitor coming to stay. Above and beyond the call of duty.

 

And so to our bed.

 

 

Friday the thirteenth rolls around and we fly into Christchurch with the wives in tow hell bent on SHOPPING. The sailing team heads off to Lyttelton for the Canterbury Cup with some trepidation about what sort of courses will be set for a visiting 55 footer against a local fleet of 30 footers. Well, of course, home town advantage rules and we are soon out on the water in 35 knots struggling around a windward-leeward course of around 0.7 nm. Exactly not what Andiamo and its aging crew excels in and as expected there was a fair degree of mayhem. We practised our famous high speed mark rounding with headsail half up and spinnaker half down. A tactic guaranteed to help win races. The flash new main halyard connection also decided to spit the dummy and drop the main on the deck in the middle of one race. That photo seemed to spend most of the next two evenings at the club endlessly rotating around the slide show much to the local’s enjoyment. But we manfully struggled on and kept in touch with the fleet. After the racing it was back to the club for drinks and some stick from the locals then off to the Lava Restaurant with the girls back from their credit card ritual sacrifice and a little bit of bar slithering before it was off to bed.

 

Day two gets off to a great start and we put in the best effort so far with a first on all handicaps and with a harbour race to finish the day we were thinking we might be just able to pull this off. Alas it was not to be. The harbour race started outside the heads in lumpy seas and very light winds and it was decided to race back into the harbour as time was slipping away. Unfortunately we got exactly the conditions we had met on arriving the week before and we spent the next two hours creeping along fingers of wind up the harbour. Needless to say that was ideal for the little boats and we could just not get any momentum going at all. Oh well, that’s yacht racing. The final wash up for the series was second on IRC by one point behind the commodore and no where on club.

 

So off to the club and hospitality that only the southerners can turn on. A great spread put on for all the sailors with Andiamo as the guest of honour and first snouts to the trough. Considering how we had done on results we took home an enormous stash of rum and beers in a huge crew bag that fortunately came with its own set of wheels. There was unanimous agreement from the team that Naval Point had provided fantastic hospitality and were wonderful hosts.

 

No racing tomorrow so after dinner it was off to the bars. I don’t know what’s in the water down in Lyttelton but some of those bars show some pretty sick minds when it comes to interior design. I don’t think mannequins were originally intended for the uses they were put to there but hey: each to their own. The cougars were out trolling the bars and some of the young guys attracted quite a bit of attention much to the amusement of the girls. We didn’t quite see in the dawn but we gave it a good nudge.

 

A skeleton crew slipped the moorings after the rugby on Sunday morning to bring home the boat while the rest of us flew home. As a gale howled around Roseneath on Sunday night and I was tucked up in a nice warm, stable bed I couldn’t help thinking I was glad I wasn’t on the trip home. They certainly had a torrid time in big and lumpy seas up the coast but also some fast eased sheets sailing. Mind you it was then 50knots on the nose from Campbell to Wellington. But boat and crew were in by Monday morning albeit looking a little worse for wear.

 

A mixed bag having won the Wellington-Lyttelton race convincingly on all handicaps but a rather less than ideal showing in difficult conditions for the Canterbury Cup.

So another Andiamo offshore campaign under the keel.