Passengers aboard Bluebridge ferry endure seven-hour Cook Strait storm crossing

Monday, 1 May 2017

Cook Strait is the last place anyone wants to be when a southerly hits - especially if you're a passenger on a seven-hour ferry crossing.

A howling, freezing storm-force southerly hit the crossing between Wellington and Picton on Sunday and continued to the early hours of Monday - with wind gusts of up to hurricane force.

Cook Strait on Sunday, in a satellite image.

Were you crossing Cook Strait during the storm? Email your newstips, photos and video at newstips@stuff.co.nz

The Interislander cancelled services on Sunday but StraitShipping - the operator of the Bluebridge ferry Straitsman - sailed at 7pm from Picton to Wellington.

The crossing - which normally takes around three hours - lasted seven hours.

In a statement, StraitShipping spokesman Ed Menzies said the sailing from Picton on Sunday night was longer than usual due to the 'earlier than expected arrival' of the forecast southerly.

'In order to make the trip more comfortable for passengers, the Master chose to take a more south bound course and slowed which avoided the worst of the swell but did mean the journey took longer (seven hours).

'At no point during the crossing was anyone in any danger.'

Menzies said a tug boat was used on arrival in Wellington harbour and this was standard practice in strong winds.

There was no damage to vehicles or cargo during the crossing, he said.

One passenger who contacted Stuff said the crossing was rough, people were sick, and the journey was particularly bad as the ship headed into Wellington harbour.

'Credit to the captain who did an excellent job in what I'm sure were very trying circumstances.'

A storm warning remained in force, with a 50 knot (92kmh) southerly, easing to 40 knots (74kmh) and then 30 knots (55kmh) by Monday afternoon, MetService said.

A four-metre swell was expected to ease throughout the day.

One yachtie posted on Instagram after setting out on Sunday before conditions in Cook Strait reached storm force.

Footage from Sunday afternoon showed big waves in the strait. Another post showed the yacht's console display, with wind over 70 knots [130kmh] and gusts at force 11 and force 12 on the Beaufort scale.

On the Beaufort scale - which is based on the observed impact of wind on sea and land - force 12 is defined as winds of 118kmh and above.

The rating is roughly equivalent to a category-one hurricane.

KiwiRail operate the Interislander.

In a statement, a KiwiRail spokesperson said the scheduled 8pm Kaiarahi's sailing and its 1.15am return sailing were cancelled 'due to poor weather conditions in the Cook Strait'.

'Passengers and customers were notified of the changes and were to be transferred to other sailings.

'All other sailings scheduled for May 1 are expected to go ahead.'

MetService meteorologist Andy Best said the southerly started out as a 'precursor southerly', prompting some doubt among weather watchers.

'It came into Wellington around about just after 11am. It was very light initially.

'That was the precursor.

'The main thrust is due to the pressure gradient.'

By 2pm on Sunday, the southerly was at 52kmh, gusting to 68kmh.

'In terms of Cook Strait, the southerly came in about 9am. It was actually a southwesterly. A true southerly by 10am.

'It reached gale force about 5pm.

'Then it continued to build reaching a peak about 9pm.'

At The Brothers islands, the wind was blowing at around 113kmh, with gusts of 148kmh.

'In terms of seafaring that's 61-81 knots (112kmh to 150kmh). It maintained its storm character from 6pm and even at 5am [Monday] it was close to a storm.'

Conditions in Cook Strait had been easing since Monday morning.