Category: 2017

It took me a few days to recover from our trip home. It was a tiring, 10 day voyage. Not from tough weather but simply from 10 days of broken sleep, being on watch, regularly monitoring weather forecasts and frequently checking our course day and night to ensure we were navigating safely.

While cleaning and drying the boat from stem to stern, we have been reminiscing about our adventures over the past 6 months. We have so many wonderful memories, including the following highlights:

• Sharing tropical cruises to Lizard Island and around the Whitsunday islands with so many friends and family;
• Seeing amazing sea life, including swimming with turtles, snorkelling among tropical fish and colourful coral, and close encounters with whales at Bait Reef and around the islands;
• Participating in the spectacle of Hamilton Island Race Week, particularly winning the Prix d’Elegance and building the crew into a team and winning the final race of the regatta;
• Completing the long delivery voyages, experiencing non-stop travel day and night, after months of planning, preparation and training for the adventure;
• Soaking in a long shower to washed off all the salt, sweat and sunscreen after several days at sea;
• Retracing history by following the wakes of Cook and Flinders along the east coast of Australia;
• Basking in warm, sunny weather throughout winter; and
• Enjoying Happy Hour every afternoon with a drink and some nibbles while watching yet another beautiful sunset.

 

Of course, not all went according to plan, like the seaweed that wrapped around our propeller on the last day of our voyage home. Back in the marina I got a diver to cut away the seaweed and was stunned to find out it was as big as a bush (the photo below shows less than half the weed). Lucky it only slowed us down and didn’t stop us completely.  There were other challenges during the last 6 months that I didn’t post in this log because some readers might have found them distressing—problems like equipment breaking, sails tearing, seas rough enough to make door handles and ceiling panels fall off, and windy nights when our anchor wouldn’t hold. None of them, however, was perilous and all were dealt with capably.

Things I won’t miss include:

• Complying with our strict 3-sheet rule (limiting toilet paper to prevent the boat’s toilets from blocking);
• Using the public showers at marinas; and
• Trying to create catchy headlines for blog posts.

Catherine and I are pleased that so many of our family and friends could join us. We had 60 visits, comprising 14 people in Sydney, 4 to and from Lizard Island, 11 for Hamilton Island Race Week and 31 around the Whitsunday islands. We hope you enjoyed your trips as much as we did sharing our adventure with you.

Of course, none of those cruises would have been possible if it were not for the 15 people who helped with the north- and south-bound deliveries. Our thanks to Dino, Andrew, and David who did several legs there and back, as well as Jane, Steve, BJ, Kylie, Paul, Lawry, George, Anne, Gigi, Leanne, Peter and Colin. You did a great job and we appreciate your efforts day and night regardless of the weather.

The other big thank you goes to Paul who inspired this voyage more than 2 years ago. His planning and organising made this ambitious project so much easier for us. It was not only reassuring to travel in tandem with Carpe Diem but also convenient to have her crew diligently catch our lines whenever we arrived in port.

Above all, my praise and appreciation goes to my best mate, Catherine. This trip would not have happened or been as much fun without her laudable contributions. She not only did a fantastic job organising provisions, preparing delicious meals and doing all the housekeeping, but also was a great hand sailing the boat, setting anchor, picking up moorings, going up the mast, leaping onto docks, servicing winches, driving the tender and many, many other tasks essential for keeping ship-shape. I can’t thank her enough for all that she did to make our cruise a happy, memorable adventure. I am so fortunate that she enjoys sailing as much as I do.

Catherine up the mast: that’s more than twice the height of our 2-story house!

Would we do it again? Definitely. We’ve already started planning our next voyages! Until then…

Débonnaire, out.

Our last day at sea began with a beautiful sunrise over calm waters. Many dolphins accompanied us, swimming beside the boat and leaping out of the water. 

We were ahead of schedule to reach the notorious entrance to Port Phillip known as The Rip. It is safest to cross at slack water between tides, otherwise breaking waves and swirling currents make it treacherous. If you miss slack water then you have to wait 6 hours for the next opportunity to cross. Early in the day we looked like arriving comfortably 2 hours early. But Bass Strait had a few tricks up her sleeve. Mid-morning we were unexpectedly hit with 30 knot winds and rough seas which slowed our progress dramatically. Then, just as the winds moderated, we ran through some seaweed which wrapped around our propeller and triggered the engine’s high temperature alarm. It took some time to try removing it and afterwards we could not maintain proper speed. We set the mainsail to make-up the lost speed. By the time we dealt with those challenges we were struggling to be on schedule but in the end we successfully crossed The Rip, passing the ligbthouse at Point Lonsdale at 13:40. We were relieved and excited to be back inside Port Phillip. Only 6 hours to Sandringham Yacht Club. 

We have been away for 6 months on our wonderful voyage to the Whitsundays and Lizard Island in far north Queensland. Our return trip from Airlie Beach took 10 days of almost non-stop travel to cover 1,570 nautical miles (2,900 km). By the time we tied up in our berth at Sandringham, we had travelled in total more than 5,600 nautical miles (nearly 10,500 km).

Feeling very weary now. I will post more later. Just letting you know we arrived home safely.

A calm sea, no wind, sunshine. This is not what people imagine of the notorious Bass Strait. It’s as if we took the wrong turn-off and ended up somewhere else, somewhere quite delightful. 

It’s actually what we hoped to find when we planned this voyage. We’ve been watching the weather forecasts closely for over a week and made every effort to take advantage of this window of calm weather.

At first, we had fresh winds up to 25 knots for a while last night. However, they were from the north-northeast and quite manageable because they came from behind us. We also kept close to the coast where the waves were smaller. The wind eased during the night and by sunrise there was barely any breeze. 

It was a perfect star-filled night. We were surrounded by the sea with no land in sight. The stars were bright enough to dimly light the sea so we could see the gentle waves.

Before dawn we were enveloped by a thick fog and lost all sense of direction. We relied on our autopilot and electronic navigation to keep us on course.

The sky soon cleared to reveal a warm, sunny day. All around us the distant horizon met deep blue sea. All the crew are relaxed, well rested, over-eating and enjoying the trip.

We cruised past the oil platforms this morning. This afternoon a light easterly breeze developed and we hoisted the mainsail. Tonight we will pass Wilsons Promontory and then turn right towards The Rip.

The sea has come alive late this afternoon with whales breaching, thousands of shearwaters flocking and dozens of dolphins playing around us for 15 minutes. A spectacular scene.

We had a dream run from Sydney to Eden on the far south coast of NSW: sunny, fair winds and calm seas. Lots of whales and dolphins. Andrew and Dino came across one whale within 5 metres of the boat. It must have been breath-taking because none of us heard them scream. 

We stopped at Eden for an hour to refuel and for some final checks before heading off across Bass Strait. We sent Catherine 20 metres up the mast in the bosun’s chair to check the forestay and she took the opportunity to enjoy the pretty view of Eden. 

We’re getting more excited with each step that gets us closer to home.

Sydney Harbour is spectacular and the massive cliffs standing at the Heads are a memorable gateway. We were excited to be heading out this morning on the final leg of our voyage to Melbourne. 

Peter, our new crew member, was up very early this morning to get the first flight up from Melbourne. He brought with him our precious frozen dinners that Catherine prepared when back home. (George and Gigi were our food couriers on previous legs; thanks guys.) Frozen dinners are easy to reheat in the oven and minimises time in the galley while underway. 

The rest of us had a great sleep and felt refreshed. Gigi and Leanne left for the airport and we prepared to depart as soon as Peter arrived. Catherine and Dino went to the supermarket, we topped up the diesel and were underway by 9:00.

We’ve had a very pleasant trip today and are making good time to Eden where we will stop briefly tomorrow to refuel. By late this afternoon we were approaching Jervis Bay.
We have seen a few whales and quite a number of dolphins. Some of the dolphins swam to meet us, leaping out of the water and playing around the bow of the boat. 

Dinner is nearly ready. Tonight we’re having one of my favourites, a chicken and rice casserole. 

We arrived in Sydney this evening and berthed at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Rushcutters Bay. Thankfully, we were just in time to order dinner before the Club’s kitchen closed. It was a long day today, a bit windy and rough, so we were keen to shower and freshen up after 3 days at sea.

Despite the weather, we had some terrific experiences, like sailing fast under a star-less sky and over a black sea sparkling with bio-luminesence. We saw many whales along the way, some breaching spectacularly.

We will spend the night on Sydney to have a good sleep. Tomorrow, we push on to Eden.

Gigi’s and Leanne’s voyage ends here. Thanks for being part of the crew, you did a great job. 

Peter will fly up on the morning to join Andrew, Dino, Catherine and me for the last leg home to Melbourne. 

We achieved a big milestone today when we sailed from one sea to the next: from the Coral Sea to the Tasman Sea. No wonder we are weary!

(The boundary between these two seas is just north of Coffs Harbour at latitude 30° south, so it’s actually possible to walk from one sea to the next by strolling along the beach.)

We had a great afternoon and evening yesterday. Nice conditions and spotted several dolphins and whales, some putting on a great performance leaping out of the water. 

Conditions weren’t so good overnight and this morning so our progress slowed. We decided to stop at Coffs Harbour to refuel and have break over lunchtime.

We’re on our way to Sydney now with a good breeze and rolling swell of about 1 to 1.5 metres. We are travelling alongside Carpe Diem keeping each other company (that’s her behind the wave).