Debonnaire

5 November 2023

When Debonnaire arrived in Southport on Sunday October 15, we expected to be delayed several days while a strong southerly front blew through.  The delay turned out to be much longer than first anticipated.

All the Debonnaire and Carpe Diem crews flew home to Melbourne instead of waiting in Southport.  Although everyone was frustrated by the bad weather, Catherine and I were secretly pleased.  For us, the silver lining in the clouds was the delivery of our second grandchild, Rudy, who was born the day our flight landed in Melbourne.

Back in Southport, the windy weather continued.  There was a small window in which to leave on Sunday October 22, but the conditions would have been unpleasant.  Carpe Diem decided to leave for Sydney, and Debonnaire waited in the hope of better weather. 

Another week passed and Debonnaire was still waiting in Southport, and Carpe Diem was now waiting in Sydney.  We were weeks behind schedule and the unsettled weather made it difficult to forecast when the conditions might become suitable for reaching Sandringham.  The crew roster was getting harder to manage as the delays clashed with prior commitments.  The ongoing wait was straining everyone’s flexibility.  The time had come for plan B: to engage a professional skipper and crew to bring Debonnaire home.  We would have preferred the challenge and sense of achievement bringing Debonnaire home ourselves, but the weather conditions were against us.  Our homebound delivery of Debonnaire ended in Southport.  We handed over to the pros who departed on Saturday November 4 and expect to reach Sandringham by Friday November 10, with only a  brief stop to refuel. 

In the meantime, Catherine and I are looking forward to the delivery of our third grandchild any day now.

12 to 15 October 2023

Arrived safely in Southport on Sunday. After some headwinds on the first day, the next three days were fabulous. Calm seas, gentle breezes, and sunny days. The moonless nights made the heavens sparkle brilliantly with countless stars, and meteors occasionally streaked across the sky.

We sighted several whales along the way. We also saw dolphins, turtles, manta rays, and various sea birds.

It’s been tricky planning the return voyage to avoid bad weather. We delayed our departure from Airlie Beach for 3 days due to strong headwinds. Fortunately, we were able to reach Southport before gales raced up the coast. We’re now waiting for the strong winds to ease and the rough seas to calm. It looks like this might take several days, so we’ve paused for the week. The crew has left, and we don’t expect to call up their replacements until next week. Catherine and I have decided to fly home until there is better weather to deliver Debonnaire to Sydney.

A big thank you to the crew that delivered Debonnaire to Southport: Eliz, Richard, Anne, and Steve. You laboured the first day as we pushed into the weather, waters breaking over the bow. But thereafter, it was a glorious voyage until Debonnaire was safely berthed at Southport. Catherine and I enjoyed having you aboard.

11 October 2023

We’ve had a wonderful adventure in the Whitsundays for the last 5 months. Now it’s time to head home. We’ve been busy preparing for the long voyage, buying provisions, checking the equipment, and studying the weather forecasts.

I discovered a problem with the propeller shaft, requiring a last minute visit to the boat yard. All fixed now.

We have delayed our departure a few days due to strong headwinds. We now plan to leave Airlie Beach early Thursday (12 October) and reach Southport by Sunday evening. The weather is looking good.

The crew arrived on the weekend, completed their safety induction, and are ready to cast off.

27 September to 2 October 2023

For our final cruise around the Whitsunday islands, Catherine and I visited several pretty anchorages: Sandy Bay (on South Molle Island), Cairn Beach (Whitsunday Island), Caves Cove, Stonehaven and Butterfly Bay (Hook Island), Langford Island, and Blue Pearl Bay (Hayman Island). As usual, it was warm, perfect for swimming, snorkelling, and simply relaxing on board.

Back in Airlie Beach, we have been preparing the boat for the long voyage back to Melbourne. We had planned to depart on Monday 9 October, but have been delayed by strong headwinds. We now plan to leave early Thursday morning.

23 to 27 September 2023

A happy coincidence that long-time friends Dino and Rick happened to be in Airlie Beach over the weekend. Lots of fun catching up, dining out, feasting on seafood, and working on the boat.

19 to 22 September 2023

Four days of perfect spring weather! Sunny, dry, light winds. Catherine and I sailed off to some of our favourite moorings around the Whitsunday islands: Langford Island, Blue Pearl Bay, Maureen’s Cove and Butterfly Bay. We swam in warm waters, snorkelled among tropical fish and colourful corals, explored remote beaches with our tender, and enjoyed reading our books while moored in picturesque havens.

11 to 15 September 2023

We had a wonderful time this week with long-time friends Helen and Greg. We enjoyed relaxing in the tropical warmth, with plenty of time to catch up, and to reminisce about the early days we shared at school and first jobs.

Persistent strong winds prevented the cruising we planned around the Whitsunday islands, so instead we found shore-based activities in and around Airlie Beach.

5 to 10 September 2023

After a busy weekend in Adelaide to celebrate Mum’s birthday and Fathers’ Day, we returned to Airlie Beach, where Dan and Gigi were already settled on Debonnaire and making the most of their babymoon. We found them lounging around the pool at Coral Sea Resort (a short walk from the Coral Sea Marina). They would return there often during their holiday, the perfect getaway spot to relax, cool off from the tropical warmth and have Happy Hour refreshments.

We enjoyed a leisurely cruise to Sandy Bay on South Molle Island. Spotted several whales and turtles. Took our time having sundowners. Played board games. Didn’t do much at all actually, which was idyllic.

18 to 27 August 2023

We had so much fun at this year’s Hamilton Island Race Week. Best of all, Debonnaire won the Prix d’Elegance for best dressed boat and crew. Congratulations to Jane for her creativity and organisation. The whole crew enjoyed dressing up and being part of the parade.

The week began with the crew arriving at the airport to much fanfare.

There were 21 in our group. The core crew comprised 11 of our regular sailors. We had space for 14 on the boat, so we were able to have a few extras each day to join us on the water. Everyone who wanted to sail around the Whitsunday islands had an opportunity to jump aboard.

We had warm, sunny weather and fresh winds for the regatta. There were 6 races during the week, and we spent about 5-6 hours on the boat each day. Long days on the water and fun nights ashore made it a busy and tiring regatta. We finished 15th in our division.

Just as well we had lots of crew for substitutions. Several were sidelined for various reasons, including injury, fatigue from back-to-back long races, unavoidable work commitments, long lunches or, less specifically, for being at sea too long. We were fortunate to have plenty of medical expertise in the crew to look after a couple of our serious injuries. We had two GPs, with support from an intensive care nurse, and backup from four first aiders and an occupational therapist. And if all that failed, we even had a vet. Thankfully, the injured will recover fully.

There were plenty of shore-based activities to enjoy: gourmet lunches, bush walking, off-the-beach sailing, go-cart racing, relaxing under a palm tree, swimming in a pool, and more.

A highlight was a cruise to Whitehaven Beach for a picnic on the mid-week lay-day.

If you’re ever looking for accommodation on Hamilton Island, I recommend The Edge. We booked three apartments. They’re spacious, modern apartments with spectacular views. They were perfect for watching yacht racing, whales breeching, and the sun setting.

We had a sensational time during Race Week and enjoyed fun times with family and friends. Thank you to Andrew & Jane, Lawry & Laurice, Brian & Margot, Jane, Christy, Callum, David & Rosie, Anne & Steve, Eliz & Richard, Karen & Phil, and Andy & Darren. Special thanks to Catherine, who was invaluable in making so many things happen.

Thank you to all who took amazing photos and videos of our fabulous week. I was too preoccupied to take my own. I hope you don’t mind me using your pictures in this post.

17 August 2023

Hamilton Island Race Week begins on Sunday 20 August. We have been working on converting Debonnaire from cruising to race mode, and making sure everything is ready for action. We relocated from Airlie Beach to Hamilton Island on Thursday and will be here until Sunday 27 August.

Debonnaire has 6 winches. Stripping down and greasing just one winch took Catherine and Phil about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.