Bye bye Golden Bay

The east end of farewell spit

Farewell Spit

This is where we are going to pass by soon - Cape Farewell. We'll be out there, on the ocean, but it will be dark already. What a pitty.

Leaving for the south

After 3 days here in the beautiful Golden Bay we're now ready to head south. We'll be leaving 6pm local time today, that is in 3hrs. We'll be travelling with the current around Cape Farewell into the sunset. The wind will be changing in direction and strength but hopefully sailable. Towards the en of the trip we might still run into 4-6m waves /swell) and the wind picks up. By the time it gets really strong we're hopefully in the protection of Milford Sound. That's in 3 days. Wish us luck!

Here some pictures of what we're leaving behind. Don't know when I will be able to have internet next. 

Alita at her current parking position: 

A cave in low water and in high water:

A seal on his rock at high tide and the rock at low tide

Just pictures

All the cliffs are white from the cormoran shit. 

Cormoran and other birth reunion just before sunset. They all come back to the beach after a last clean-up-bath in the ocean

The auditorium

More pix online at http://Sailing.smichah.de

Live your life

We're anchored in the most beautiful place (Golden Bay at the very east end, east of Pohara) in front of bird sanctuary islands, the weather is gorgeous and we're enjoying ourselves. Today I took the kajak and sucked in the beauty of this area here, which changes it's look by the minute with outgoing / incoming tide. The tidal height difference is over 4m which displays completely different landscapes at high water and low water. It was so beautiful to watch all the birds. It seems to be breeding season. In the evening, when I paddled around again at low tide, all the birds had come to shore and sat there watching over the ocean. 

I paddled to a stony beach past the point where I saw and filmed the seal this morning. The stones at that beach, which ascends 5m from the low waterline, are positioned as if they were to demonstrate the perfect auditorium for the bay, overlooking the ocean and being part of the game as the water rises and lowers. At low tide, each and every one of the stones can watch the little waves coming in and enjoy this most beutiful view towards farewell spit. Half a day the stones can take a sunbath while during the rest of the time they can enjoy a beautiful underwater life and get cleaned. 

As I enjoy this beautiful nature I am more than grateful that I am able to experience all of this. Today I heard that one of the sailing teachers of the wonderful sailing school JOJO in Munich, Roland, has died 2 days ago. A wonderful man who was in love with sailing and astronavigation. When he had the chance to share his knowledge his eyes were lighting up and he had a wonderful smile on his face. He helped me out on Astronavigation with the sextant when I prepared for my open ocean exam at the end of April last year. Now this man is gone. This reminds me once more that we have to live our dreams today, as tomorrow might be too late. What if tomorrow never comes? Roland was too young to leave and we might be too. So it's never too late and never too early to start living your dreams and to go out and travel and see the world. May Roland be in peace now and JOJO be able to fill the gap. JOJO is the best sailing school in Munich, they always have very dedicated and knowledgeable teachers who take their job seriously. At least the ones I know. Marcus was one of them ;-) This way I also want to thank JOJO for their good training and classes (theoretical and practical) and support for all my ocean sailing licenses (I started there in April 2011) and for finding me the man I can share my dream with.