by Peter | Jun 21, 2017 | Blog Posts, Garden, Weather & Cams
Winter Solstice at Sails Ashore Winter Solstice on the 21st June for us in the Southern Hemisphere is our shortest day and longest night. On a heavily cloudy day it will be dark at around 1700, and leaving on the morning ferry at 0800 will have your headlights on...
by Peter | Jun 13, 2017 | "Sails" Tours, Blog Posts
Ulva Island Winter Tour This time of year is usually quiet for us, with most of the Islands visitors coming over the spring/summer/autumn seasons. Although I do go and explore Ulva Island to explore the winter difference it’s really nice to share it with our few...
by Peter | Jun 11, 2017 | Blog Posts, Garden, Weather & Cams
First Winter Frost A couple of days ago we woke to a beautiful clear still morning. Iris opened the back door to let our Border Terrier Bridie out for her morning walk and comfort stop and remarked that we had a frost. And sure enough there was a coating of frost on...
by Peter | May 28, 2017 | "Sails" Tours, Garden, Weather & Cams
The Winter Blues ….. (not) Although we’ve had a couple of short spells of badish weather it’s really been pretty nice. I’m still mowing the lawns ever 10 days or so, and I see a few spuds sprouting through the pea straw Iris has covered the...
by Peter | May 10, 2017 | "Sails" Tours, Garden, Weather & Cams
Kiwi in Sails Ashore Garden We quite regularly hear Kiwi at night from Sails Ashore, but the last few nights has really been exceptional, with a male calling several times during the night, and sounding much closer than usual. It all got too much for Iris a couple of...
by Peter | May 9, 2017 | Blog Posts, Garden, Weather & Cams
Indian Summer These last few days have been stunning, not a breath of wind and wall to wall sunshine. It’s mid afternoon and looking at our met station the outside temp is 14.6 deg, and wind 3 knots from the NNE. There is a little high cloud, but it’s no...
by Peter | Apr 29, 2017 | "Sails" Tours
The Summer of the Kiwi This past summer has truly been one for Kiwi sightings, both on Ulva Island and around the village. I liberated some of the first kiwi to be let lose on Ulva Island back when I was ranger in ’69/70, but never really saw them there again...
by admin | Mar 31, 2017 | "Sails" Tours
Island Road Tours We regularly take our guests on a two hour scenic road tour. We explain “The Islands Story” as we visit the bays and lookouts, The history is always interesting of course, but for many of our guests life in a small island community is...
by Peter | Mar 22, 2017 | "Sails" Tours
Moths and Things Summer is moth time of year and growing up on my parents farm certainly reinforced that. Leave an inside light on and a window open and you could be assured of returning to find the room inches deep in dying Porina Moths and literally shovels full of...
by Peter | Mar 19, 2017 | "Sails" Tours
Aircraft Aircraft are part of the Islands life, we see Stewart Island Flights Britten Norman Islanders and Piper Cherokees as often as hourly as they ferry locals and visitors on and off the Island. And occasionally something a bit more exotic will make an...
I arrived on Stewart Island in 1969 as Forest Ranger. Since then I've fished commercially both in Fiordland and around Stewart Island then skippered our charter yacht in the same waters, and also down into the Southern Ocean. More recently we now have "Sails Ashore" B&B, and I also guide our guests and others on Ulva Island, introducing them to the natural world of Stewart island