Soren Larsen - 2nd New Zealand voyage to
the Bay of Islands and Hauraki Gulf
Kev joined us for two back to back 5 night trips - here's his assessment

I don’t know when I first came across Soren Larsen, but it was a long time ago and for years I’ve been thinking what it would be like to sail in the South Pacific. Like many, getting enough time off work to do such a trip justice doesn’t come easy but I was surprised when I asked for 4 weeks off work to go to New Zealand and they agreed! So, this was my golden opportunity and, deciding that one week would never be enough, I signed up for 2 consecutive voyages; Russell to Auckland and Auckland to Tauranga. Unfortunately, the second trip had to be rescheduled due to problems with the Tauranga docks – it would now be ending in Whangarei, about 4 hours further north and only an hour from my starting point! It was an excellent introduction to the Company when Ian took the time out to phone me one evening to allay my fears about a duplicate trip; as I was to find out, although we covered similar ground (or water), the trips were to prove very different.

So, having arrived in Russell along with the tail end of a cyclone which had caused significant damage in Fiji, I boarded the ship and signed ships' papers as Voyage Crew. Setting off in a fair old swell, it was “Hands to the Braces” and we had soon set sail for the sheltered side of Roberton Island, home to Capt Jim. The morning was spent learning the ropes, so to speak, and by late afternoon we landed on Roberton. The sight of the ship out in the bay with the mist rolling in was amazing.

We anchored overnight and left Roberton Island the next morning. The ocean was quite lumpy and by about 1130 I was feeling worse for wear, not a good position as my watch started at 12. The first casualty of the rough seas came about an hour later while taking in the lines - I pulled back and my feet went forward on the wet deck - result, 2 stitches to the elbow and a better understanding of hauling technique! And I STILL had a dodgy stomach!

Now having a couple of stitches put in is something you take for granted in a nice, sterile hospital, but that’s not where we were. To set the stage, the sea was pretty rough as we sailed out the tail end of the earlier cyclone and there was lots of rolling and water on deck. I was tailing a line and as I pulled back my feet flew forward, banging my elbow on the deck and forming a v-shaped cut, which Gemma decided needed stitching.

To add effect, I wasn’t feeling too well, so imagine the scene downstairs in the dark wood-panelled saloon where Gemma prepared for surgery, with the ship rolling from side to side and me preparing to throw up into a bucket; Maho held the torch and one of the voyage crew kept the bucket in place.

Gemma had the interesting task of trying to keep stitcher and stitchee on the same plane - not easy on a rolling ship... I was pumped with so much anaesthetic that I wasn't going to feel a thing. I won’t go into the details of the procedure out of respect for Second Mate Gareth, but it must have looked damn funny at the time!!! I must stress, Gemma did an excellent job under quite strained conditions.

Eventually, stitched up like a kipper, Nursie confessed the last thing she had stitched up was a joint of pork - and it hadn't been rolling round the room!

Unperturbed by all this, I survived the event and continued to thoroughly enjoy what was to come. Up on the bowsprit, I clipped in and watched a school of dolphins swimming and jumping in the bow waves – fantastic!

We were under full sail for most of the day and the sea calmed down by evening, allowing me to enjoy another of Tatiana's culinary delights, along with ultra-fresh tuna, landed by one of the crew and turned into sashimi by the ever-smiling Japanese deckhand, Maho. Even a lacerated elbow doesn't excuse you from duties, it seems, and at 23:30 Maho woke me to tell me my watch started in 1/2 hour. It was a glorious night. The wind had dropped, the sea had dropped to millpond status and we had moved from sail to motor. Under a full moon we passed the Hen and Chicken Islands and Whangarei and set a SE course to Cape Rodney, which we reached at the end of our watch at 4am.

Throughout the night the dolphins were out to play and treated us to an awesome exhibition where one of them leaped out of the water level with the siderails! The last time I’d been anywhere this impressive was on Polar Bear watch 10 years ago in the Arctic.

I must admit, despite the injuries, being on the ship is amazing. This is the ultimate "social experiment", far more accurate than the Big Brother style crap on TV. There are 20 odd people (pun intended…) from just about every continent and everyone is amazingly friendly. The genuine concern for my injury from everyone, from deckhand to captain, is mind-boggling. The experience of being aboard is hard to describe - the natural camaraderie and the sights, smells and sounds are something very special.

The next port of call was Kawau Island for a lazy day of swimming, snorkelling and jumping off the bowsprit. Leaving Kawau, we sailed off the anchor and made our way back to Auckland, attacking passing boats and yachts with water bombs amidst cries of “Hands to the Funnelator” - suitable Brigantine activities...

At the end of the first week we were back in Auckland, and the ship prepared for the Anniversary Regatta, while I enjoyed the comforts of being back on dry land. The Regatta was a very successful day and we had a great time sailing round the harbour under the command of Captain Jim, demonstrating the funnelator to anyone who cared to come over for close inspection.

The second week was destined to be different from the start – 2 of the crew left and we had a new Mate and Captain – variety was guaranteed. After a visit to Waiheke Island, I arose at midnight ready to start my watch to a surprise - since I'd gone to bed we had strangely turned through 180 degrees and were heading back to Auckland! A fair bit of tugging of lines and changing sails put us back on track for the long run offshore to Great Barrier Island, possibly the best of the islands on offer and the location for the UK TV series, Castaway.

We awoke in a large and sheltered bay with lush native forest covering the hills on all sides. Most of the day was spent walking up to some old Kauri Dams, which was an excellent walk through the bush, rounded off with a welcome swim. I was certainly sorry to leave the bay; this is a very special place.

On Friday we sailed to the Poor Knights Islands, a spectacular group of rocky islands with numerous holes in rocks and sea caves. It's a marine reserve so landing is forbidden, even if you could climb the sheer faces...

Once again, someone managed to land a tuna and the look of joy on Maho’s face will stay with me for a long time – wielding her knife, it took no more than 4 hours to move it from being covered in sea water to Wasabi; this was starting to become a tradition.

I’m glad that I booked the two trips together. It’s easy to think that sailing the same waters would get boring, but that’s not the case. Both trips were very different; the weather of the first week dictated a hasty run for cover and better weather, meaning longer periods sailing and less landings, whereas the second week gave us the chance to visit more islands, including the spectacular Great Barrier. Over the course of the fortnight, I’d sailed with a wide variety of Permanent- and Voyage crew, along with two First Mates and three Captains!

The mix of people really made the trips; some (like me) had never sailed before, while others were used to it in one form or another and were just seeing what it was like to sail a square rigger. The professionalism and friendliness of the crew, though, is what really makes the trip and I can’t wait to go again.

Kevin Sheard
UK Voyage Crew January 2008

See his Facebook Picture Galleries here

Soren Larsen will be visiting these destinations again next year.