Auckland Island Whale Expedition

We spent most of July in Port Ross in the Auckland Islands on Evohe. We were looking after a group of scientists doing research on  southern right whales, which breed during winter in Port Ross. After spending a couple of days waiting for weather in Port Adventure, we had reasonably good weather with no days where we were unable to work and a couple of stunning days down at 50 degrees south. 

Arrival at Port Ross

Looking out for whales as we transit anchorages in Port Ross

Jim on the bow

Evohe in Terror Cove (thanks to the team for the drone photo)

Yes, it is always this calm down here

Tabby visitors

 

Our most recent visitor, only for a few days. We found her living in a building site in Lyttelton. Apparently lots of people had been trying to catch her but we didn't seem to have a problem.

Last Feb/March we found 'River'  and his siblings living rough at Riverside Campground in Murchison. we managed to catch him or was that he caught us! Totally chilled from day 1, even with a 4 h trip back to Christchurch. Unfortunately despite trying we couldn't catch his brother.

This is Tid, who we looked after for a couple of weeks back in 2014.

Kayaking: Waiatoto overnighter and Waiho

 A weekend away kayaking the Waiatoto and Waiho rivers. Spent two days on the Waiatoto (south of Haast) and a short run on the Waiho, which flows out of the Franz Joseph glacier, on the way home.

Aerial view

Mt Aspiring

First rapid

Campsite

Casey's rapid

Start of the Waiho

The end after a long paddle out

       

Cape Town

Well we arrived in Cape Town on Sunday the 19th. After the roughest day of the entire trip!

Anchored off for the night and then moved into the V and A marina. This is smack in the middle of the tourist area, which made life easy. We completed the formalities and cleaned the boat and then Jim and I spent a few days exploring Cape Town before heading back to NZ (nothing goes to windward like a 747, or in our case an A380 or watever it was!). Evohe leaves on the 16th for the first trip to Gough Island. This is to help with the mice eradication (not pet eradication as Jim mentioned earlier!). We took very few photos but we will post at least a couple sometime soon.

Day 50

Day 50

Our current position is Lt. 38 12' S Lg. 003 14' E. We have left the roaring forties behind and passed over the Greenwich Meridian. About 770 nautical miles now remain. The forecast shows these good winds continuing with only a day of calm. At present rate of progress we should be at Cape Town for 18th/19th. We have been seeing some shipping traffic in the last couple of days although by "seeing" I mean seeing on the radar or AIS rather than actually seeing, ahh the joys of fog and mist.

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Day 46

Day 46

Our current position is Lt. 41 31' S Lg. 009 50' W. The are 180 degrees of longitude from Dunedin. We are also about 70 nautical miles from Gough Island which is the destination island for this trip over all. Gough Island is home to many sea birds but otherwise uninhabited. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are funding a pet eradication programme at the islands and Evohe is their support/transport vessel. For those interested I am sure an internet search will provide some good information.

We have had a good blow for the last day,from the wrong direction, so progress has been slow, however we have about 1400 nautical miles to go to Cape Town. This will be about 9 days at our current average speed but time will tell.

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Day 42

Day 42 find us with some sun and a SW wind of 15 to 20 knots. Over the last few days we have had some good wind and been making miles of about 180 per day. The sun is a welcome sight though as the wind did bring grey overcast skies, rain, fog and cold. Added to this, as we progress north, we actually have nights now. Most of the voyage down below 55 South had a twilight but no dark, now we have about 7 hours darkness.

Wildlife remains as Albatross,Skua, Prion, Sealion, Dolphin and Whales. Today ,as I typed this update, as the first time I had ever seen albatross feeding at sea. Three of them fighting over a large bit of seaweed which probably had something tasty to eat living on it.

We have about 2000 nautical miles to go to Cape Town which, at our average speed, will mean about two weeks to go at sea.

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