A "royal" visit in the Bay of Islands

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Everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this week in the Bay, including the dolphins and the Gannets, who were busy chasing the fish in and above the water.

Gannet, Bay of Islands	Dolphins accompanying Freewind in the Bay

We also had a highly visible guest in the Bay of Islands this week – the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II, which stopped for the day and downloaded her passengers at Paihia and Russell. She certainly dwarfed every other vessel in the Bay, including Freewind who had to detour around her, sailing to Roberton island on Wednesday.

The Queen Elizabeth II – a grand sight	The QE II anchored off Russell on Wednesday, dwarfing all the other vessels in the Bay

On Saturday, after lunch in Roberton island, we took advantage of the lovely breeze to get a good look around the Bay under sail, then stopped for a bit of fishing near Urupukapuka island. We anchored for the night in nearby Paradise Bay – the perfect place for a BBQ on board.

Nights on the water are always special, and with the full moon out in all its glory, it was an amazing night, with converastion in the cockpit till the early hours. You could not find a more fitting name to the bay – Paradise Bay … it was magic. Sunday morning began with a breakfast of Snapper (caught the day before), and as soon as the wind picked up we pulled up anchor and raised the mainsail to continue the tour of the Bay. A pod of dolphins came to say hello before continuing their business of rounding up some fish for their breakfast, and before long it was time to head back to the Paihia wharf. Another “Day in the Bay” for Freewind, with lots of wonderful memories for all on board.

Full moon on the Bay