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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).

After a short sleep, this morning we quickly went shopping and did a load of washing. It was then time to farewell George, David and Anne and welcome our crew for the next leg to Sydney: Andrew, Dino, Gigi and Leanne.

We cast off at 10:30am (EDST) with a good northerly breeze, 1m swell and light showers. Soon we will pass Cape Byron, the eastern-most tip of Australia. Everyone is well and settling into life on Debonnaire for the next 3 days. 

Arrived safe and well in Southport this evening at around 10:30pm. Refuelled and ready to move on again in the morning after replenishing provisions. Looking forward to a long, restful sleep in the Southport marina tonight.

The crew did a great job getting us here. Thanks George, David and Anne. It was fun to share the adventure with you. I hope we can do another trip together sometime. 

The voyage was very pleasant with warm weather, calm seas and fair breezes behind us. We made good speed of over 7 knots and arrived ahead of schedule. Hopefully we will enjoy similar conditions for the rest of our voyage.