Rachel came up to enjoy an exciting sail across the typically lump strait. The wind stayed southerly as forecast and with two reefs tied in we sailed across about 6 knots and four hours later we were crossing the Mana bar which isn't a problem for H28's with our modest draft.

Mana marina is a very modern well-protected marina. The Marina manager was on until lunchtime on Saturday so we were able to catch him and organise a berth and key to the facilities. Naturally the same old discussion developed between skipper and first mate. I wanted to go straight to the nearest Burger King but she wanted to have a shower, so to the showers we went.

We stayed at Mana shopping, visiting relatives, etc for the next 6 days. During that time we had two Southerly gales one of which blew through the marina about 40 knots but due to the excellent breakwaters there was barely a ripple on the water in the marina.

The train station is right next to the marina with a train going every 20 minutes making travel to and around the city easy and cheap.

After 6 days we were all shopped out and I suspect the local Burger King was running short on Whopper burgers. There was a low approaching NZ and we thought we might slip back across the strait before it.

We left about 0800hrs with initially 20 knots of northerly on the starboard beam and a steep 1m northerly swell. After about 2 hours the wind deserted us and we found ourselves in the unusual situation of having insufficient wind in Cook Strait. With the mainsail set as a dampner we motored the rest of the way. It was a longer trip as the tide was foul and for much of it we were doing 5.8 knots through the water, but according to the GPS only 3.8 to 4.5 across the ground.

We stayed well seaward of Jacksons pass as we have previously had problems there pushing against the flow and went straight into Pelorus Sound. 5pm saw us comfortable in Ketu Bay in the outer sounds.

The next day the barometer crept steadily down and I had a look at the Cruising Guide to find a spot to weather the approaching low. The cruising guide recommended a place called Chance Bay right in the heart of the sounds as the most sheltered in the sounds.

It was about 15 miles further in than Ketu Bay so off we went and surprisingly we were sailing downwind with the genoa poled out and a preventer on the boom. In the past we had found that sailing in the sounds could be a frustrating proposition but the wind gods were with us and every corner we turned the wind turned with us.

It seemed that every direction was downwind which makes up for the last time we sailed in the sounds when every corner we turned was into wind.

When we got to Chance bay we were greeted with a mirror surface surrounded by high hills covered in bush it looked every bit as sheltered as the cruising guide indicated.

I can only suggest that the author of the guide didn't stay in this particular bay in a 40 knot northerly as by 0100hrs on Saturday 24/8/02 the wind was howling. Nightshift was porpoising about in a steep 1metre wind chop and ever minute or so a spinning gust would slew her round and heel her over, generally making any attempt at sleep impossible.

Fortunately I had shackled both the 34 pound Bruce and the 25 pound CQR on the chain in tandem and veered about 160 feet of chain so we weren't going anywhere it was just unpleasant.