Chance Bay - guaranteed good times to be had here

We love Chance Bay. It is the perfect hideaway from all sorts of weather, has stunning native bush, is purely boat access only and has some of the best all weather protection and fantastic anchoring in all of the Marlborough Sounds. The bonus is exploring the river by kayak or tender at high tide - it's Jurassic Park meets Indiana Jones!!

GPS: 41°14'02.67"S - 173°82'52.21"E
Depth at anchor : 8-10 metres
Moorings : No
Ocean Floor : Very Sticky mud
Holding : Excellent 10/10 - and 1/10!
Sheltered : from all winds except South West
On anchor : PERFECT!
Cellphone Signal : none. 
Beach : Mussels, rocks, mud by anchorage, and sand / fine shell by river mouth
View : amazing native forest park surroundings
Fresh Water : small streams, and a larger river to west
Bugs : minimal

This bay is well worth putting on your "must visit" list when cruising the Pelorus Sounds. It is found in a little side bay, surrounded by some very high hills, on the northern shores as you approach Nydia Bay, and is regarded by many locals as one of the safest anchorages in all of the Pelorus for most storm winds. You get great shelter from the northerlies and you can tuck into the eastern side and get great shelter from most of the southerlies. The high hills prevent the catabatic winds you get elsewhere.  
The anchoring here is legendary but there are some very important factors to factor here, so be sure to keep reading down to the Anchoring Section of this Bay Stay. One of the best features of Chance Bay is the "off boat" activities such as the river off to the west. This river fills up with the tide, and on a high tide you can row your tender, or paddle a kayak quite far up the river. The Scenic Reserve the surrounds the whole bay is awesome, with some great flat camping areas if you are keen. 

"We keep coming back. The bush walk up the river, and the river itself at high tide, are fantastic activities for everyone, young and old. It's like Jurassic Park further up the valley, and a fairly easy walk alongside the river. Stunning!"

Photo: there are plenty of flat camping spots dotted all around the bay, even directly ashore from some fine anchoring. Photo: the Nikau palms and regenerating native forest are a fantastic backdrop for your stay here.

Not only is the river a fantastic treat to explore, but getting off the boat and exploring the forest is well worth getting your boots out for. There are no tracks that we could find, but we could easily make our way through the bush alongside the river. This whole bay is part of a Scenic Reserve so you don't have to worry about what is happening beyond the Kings Chain. You can bush bash your way quite far up here and it is some proper New Zealand forest deep up in the river valley. Take some precautions though. There are bugs galore and no cellphone coverage, so take a VHF radio, and be careful. The bush in the middle of the bay holds some very old trees - legend has it that there is a 1000 year old Rimu in this bay on the side of the hill, so that is well worth a stomp through the forest if you are up for it!
Accessing Nydia Bay is easy as you move between the Hikapu Reach and the Popoure Reach, opposite Four Fathom Bay. The whole of Nydia Bay is well worth exploring, but do be aware of the tides as you get into the head of Nydia Bay. There is a large difference here between high and low tide with some very shallow waters in places. 

Photo: the river flats to the west are well worth exploring, and make for some great photos of your boat in the distance.

Anchoring. 

The holding here is excellent. 10/10. The anchoring here is legendary but only on the eastern side of the bay is the mud really compacted and solid.  As you move further west, towards the river mouth it gets very fine and silky and you will have a wandering anchor. We have anchored during the day just off the river for "explorer" pickup and dragged anchor with the first big gust of wind, and it goes from 5 metres to 2 metres REALLY quickly, so be very careful! The bay is deceptively large and it can hold a lot of boats. In the peak of summer, or during a nasty summer storm you may find yourself with a lot of company, or none at all; it's one of those places where you don't really know what you will find until you get there.