On our last visit to Russell we had spent a very enjoyable day in the Bay of Islands aboard The Cream Trip. This day trip is onboard a modern catamaran licensed for dolphin encounters and includes an island stopover for lunch and a cruise to The Hole in the Rock. This time we were looking for a more relaxed and more intimate experience.
The R. Tucker Thompson is a gaff rigged topsail schooner with an overall length of 85'. She is owned and operated by a trust on a not-for-profit basis. All proceeds go towards youth development programmes such as 7 day voyages for youngsters to develop confidence, teamwork and leadership. All seemed like a worthy cause for our dollars.
R. Tucker Thompson
It was clear that Steve our captain and his crew of just Nathan and Ashleigh were going to need some help in hauling the numerous lines. With just 27 other souls on board there was plenty of opportunity to get involved; especially as some were keen to 'hide' by climbing the rigging and shinning out on the bowsprit!
The weather was ideal with sunshine and a good breeze. After a couple of hours of sailing we dropped anchor at a picturesque bay and were soon surrounded by inquisitive dolphins. The stronger swimmers had the opportunity to dive in from the ship and swim ashore amongst the dolphins but for the rest of us, Ashleigh soon had us safely landed in her dinghy. Swimming from the beach, we were surrounded by dolphins until eventually they decided to move off to put on a show elsewhere.
Back on board, the crew had prepared an excellent BBQ lunch and opened the bar. It was noticeable that the lunch and the bar seemed to dampen the enthusiasm for helping on the ropes on the return sail!
It was a delightful trip into The Bay of Islands for us novice sailors and highly recommended. The appearance of the dolphins was an unexpected and special bonus.
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