Day 4 - Bay of Islands

The following day, in zero wind, and lots of sun, we decided to head to Urapukupku island, just a short motor away.  We pulled in to Paradise bay, which as the name would suggest, is another jewel in the Bay of islands. Hot and sunny, by the time we got there, it was good to go for another swim, pump up the paddleboard, and go exploring.

There were a good couple of mini islands and reef at the north end, so stroked my way over there, and checked it out, before heading back for lunch.  By mid afternoon, we had the first signs of some wind, so we setup, and sailed out, heading back to Russell for supplies and water, and New years eve. An easy 2 hour sail, reaching downwind, full main and jib in 15 knots, still with a easterly swell to our stern. When we arrived Russell was packed with boats.  We checked out the bay around the corner, also packed with boats, tenders everywhere, then decided to go an find a spot super close to the beach and pub.  We found a spot next to another trailer sailer (a Merlin 20) , and right in front of the Duke of Marlbrough pub !

The beach bottom was unfortunately loose pebbles, so our anchor did not hold very well, and after 3 attempts, and drifting close to other moorings, someone on the beach saw our plight, and offered us their mooring for the night which happened to be right next to us!

Now we could relax, and enjoy the evening, dinner, and some alcohol from the local 4 square, delivered by myself via our paddleboard tender!
Didn't quite make it to midnight, due to exhaustion, but Eileen woke me up in time..!