Share a boat to Herald Island

We took two Marauders and ten Maraudineers up the creek to Herald island on a Sunday in November.

Manawa and Maggie May pulled in to berths on “A” Pier at Westhaven and at the appointed hour of 10.00 we pulled out again loaded with Marauder Owners and food.

The sky was mainly clear with light cloud and the breeze was a light souwester to make for a lovely motor-sail up the harbour past Meola Reef and over the shallows of Kauri Point.

 Many members had never been under the Greenhithe Bridge and up to the western home of abandoned boats before and were surprised at how much water is in the upper reaches of the harbour. We had a look at the beginning of Lucas creek past the Salthouse boatyard, where Cotton Blossom, a John Spenser designed yacht was having a refit. This is the boat that Peter Davies off Jenomi did an offshore race on.

We didn’t need to go all the way up to Paremoremo so we turned around and came back past Christmas beach where the Herald Island Yacht Club was having a keeler race.

One of our crew thought there was a Marauder behind us. But some of us said no, as there are no Marauders in Auckland in that colour of daffodil yellow…. There is now! Bays Flyer, which has recently been brought up from Wellington was being transferred from Westhaven to a mooring up Greenhithe way. They passed us as we arrived at Herald Island.

We then pulled in to the wharf at Herald Island to offload our passengers and tied both boats up to a friend’s spare mooring. There is a lovely sheltered picnic area on the headland just above the wharf where we had a barbecue and relaxed in the sun. I think we all ate a bit much, which meant a couple of the ladies sitting in the corners of the cockpit were starting to nap on the way back to Westhaven.

Upon our return to Westhaven, everyone was able to get in their cars and simply drive home, instead of the usual need to sail off to far flung marinas.

The feedback from those who managed to come along was very favourable and we will try to put this type of social cruising on the calendar on a regular basis. It is a great way to get Marauder owners from all over town together to go sailing and for some all important socialising on the water.