17th September Bait Reef to Mackerel Bay to Macona Inlet 28nm

Dawn could not come quick enough as it had been difficult to sleep. One of the three yachts left as soon as the sun was up and shortly afterward the other 2 vacated. We ate breakfast first and had a coffee before we slipped the mooring and headed off to Hook Island. It was a 3 hour journey to Mackerel Bay which is on the north east point of Hook Island and protected from the northerly winds. As soon as we cleared the conservation zone I put the lines out and we were soon rewarded with a lovely Blue Fin Tuna. This made Tamara very happy as she loves sashimi.

A happy girl!!!

 I filleted the tuna on the way and prepared the sashimi fillets.

 Blue Fin Tuna has very nice pink flesh

Mackerel Bay lived up to its name as on the way into the bay we hooked a big spotted mackerel. As if we needed any more fish!!! Not to let the opportunity pass we brought it on board and filleted it into 6 meals. These were placed in the freezer for future use.

 Mackerel Bay has spectacular scenery

We anchored in the beautiful waters of Mackerel Bay and Tamara made a special Japanese lunch with the sashimi. We had to break with tradition of not drinking at lunch time because this Blue Fin Tuna sashimi is among the best you can eat. It was washed down with a great NZ Marlborough Sound Sauvignon Blanc called Fat Bird.

 Japanese Lunch

After lunch we had a swim and relaxed on in the calm waters of Mackerel Bay. It was tempting to stay the night here but if the winds came around more to the north east it would make for an uncomfortable night sleep. We had to find a more secure anchorage so we set off to Macona Inlet. On the way around I called Echo Beach and to our surprise and delight they were heading to Macona Inlet too.  We anchored near them and had sundowners with Graham and Leanne and Wayne and Kris who have joined them for a week. Also on board for drinks were Ken and Rhonda Thackeray, the founders of the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club. It made for fantastic conversation and we were able to supply the sashimi for drink snacks which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Back to Billabong for dinner which consisted of herb crusted tuna cooked rare with salad.

What a great day – we had a great sail from Bait Reef, we caught fish, we ate a great lunch, we had a lovely swim and snorkel in Mackerel Bay, we had drinks with friends and a great dinner for two followed  by a very peaceful sleep in a calm anchorage.