Yamaha in the City

and that gives us a range of 5,000 nautical miles,” says Russ.

It’s a fairly casual comment but with mind-boggling implications. The 15,520-litre diesel tanks have just been filled which should serve the vessel for most of the next year on her proposed doddle around New Zealand and a summer in the Sub Antarctic Islands, Stewart Island and Fiordland.

The day is windless so it’s motor only for the voyage north. The quartering southeast swell would have most boats rolling and cork-screwing but this is easily absorbed by the Naiad stabilizers.

Helming consists of sitting back in the skipper’s chair with a cup of tea and adjusting the Simrad autopilot occasionally. In bad weather, it would beat the hell out of getting wet with the bonus that you can wear carpet slippers rather than sea boots on watch. As with most motorsailer configurations the rig is small, but as Russ points out: “Any sail area you can get up tends to reflect in the economy rather than speed.”

With a spectacular dolphin welcome into Whangaroa Harbour the crew has plenty of vantage points, with the bow and flybridge being the favourites among the young of heart. There’s enough daylight left for a run ashore before settling into a freshly-caught snapper dinner.

Strannik is a clear case of back to the future for Russ, who started Heritage Expeditions on vessels this size and smaller. In her first year she’s covered 17,500 nautical miles and as Russ says, “she has the toughness to go anywhere, the nimbleness to get into all the out of the way anchorages and the endurance to stay there for a long time.”