LOG OF EXCEL –A VOYAGE AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 1999

Norman Taylor and Grant Johnson

“Excel” being christened by Cheryl and being anti-fouled before the start.

In 1998 I was 66 and had been retired for two years. I did not own a yacht at that time so when I decided I would do one last singlehanded sail around Australia I had to find a suitable vessel and looked around for a sturdy yacht. As I was not in any hurry I travelled up and down the coast now and then and eventually found Excel in Mooloolaba, about 60 miles N. of Brisbane.

I collected the necessary gear, motored down to Mooloolaba, loaded up the yacht, sent my car to be looked after by son David. I waited for a suitable departure time (2:30am). This departure would put me close to Wide Bay Bar at about slack water – it can be a dangerous bar in a large swell. As I went along I found that the motor controls were connected backwards and she sailed very slowly in light winds due to the small sail area. But I wasn’t in a hurry and got the yacht the 800 miles back to Townsville single-handed and without incident after making one stop overnight in the marina at Yeppoon.

The yacht was a new professionally built fibreglass 30ft Ben Lexcen hull with a new Kubota diesel but little else except a battery inside. I had to sleep on the cabin sole with just a sleeping bag under me. It was another would-be sailor’s unfinished dream – there are a lot of them advertised in the yachting press – people get started and then realise how much labour and money is needed and decide to get out. The previous owner had rigged mast and sails off a 25ft Roberts, and she looked rather stupid with such a small mast and sails.

Over the year I rewired, re-masted, bought new sails and finished (with the aid of a carpenter for fiddly bits) the fit out below decks so that in 1999 I was ready to sail. I had been weekend sailing with a friend, Grant (who I had taught to sail around Magnetic Island) and he expressed interest in sailing around Oz with me. I thought “why not”. It turned out a very successful relationship and Grant was a fine sailor by the time he returned to Townsville.

When Cheryl and I did our big sail from Townsville to Whitby in 1987/8, our yacht lacked many conveniences for shorthanded sailing which was mainly due to lack of funds. Now, in 1999, my financial situation was much better and I had outfitted the yacht with some comforts and conveniences. Sailing to England, I used to get a stiff neck from sitting in the cockpit and forever having to be looking forward or up at the sails: this time I installed high seats, fixed to the pushpit, facing forwards from where it was comfortable looking ahead and upwards and possible to steer the vessel with a tiller extension. You can see the comfortable seats in the middle picture following.. When Also, working the foredeck, changing a jib is often done in heavy weather and in a cold and relatively dangerous position; the plunging bow of the yacht. This time I fitted jib furling equipment and could easily increase or decrease sail area singlehanded from the comfort of the cockpit. This was aided by another facility; self-tailing winches. Finally, there is little more tiring than being apprehensive about where precisely you are; particularly when you are close inshore or sailing through reef-strewn areas. The addition of a basic and inexpensive GPS system with a display that could be read from the steering position took away all nervousness. Of course, if you entered the wrong latitude or longitude for a waypoint it could be fatal. So I wrote down the position for all the waypoints I was likely to use on the trip after extracting them from the charts and having them double checked for accuracy by Grant. To keep our power up, we had an 80 watt solar cell on the canopy. I decided that I would not sail at night until I was around the tip of Cape York at the northern extremity of Australia, so each day’s trip had to be planned so that we could make a safe anchorage. Many of these anchorages were in reef areas and as you can’t spot a reef or shallows very well with the sun at a low angle we had to be snugged down by about 1630 hours each day. We did of course start early.

We took a case of mid-strength beer and sufficient fresh food to last from 6 to 10 days as we expected to be able to buy food at about those intervals except when crossing the Bight, which might take longer. We also carried 30 days of emergency canned and dried foods and 50 litres of extra water stowed between the seats in case the unexpected happened. This plan worked quite well and we usually managed to have two cold beers each for our daily ‘sundowner’ which we enjoyed as soon as we anchored for the night. Finally, the yacht was fitted with a good VHF Tx/Rx which transmitted through a masthead antenna giving us a range of about 75 miles. So, with all stores, charts, a good medical kit, 100 litres of diesel, 200 litres of water and a mobile phone each we were ready for the off.

I had decided to leave in late August because that was the best compromise date to keep us out of the cyclone area during the season and yet not put us into the Bight during the coldest and windiest period. The only lengthy adverse winds we should face ought to be from Exmouth to Perth on the West Australian coast and that was far in the future.

We were farewelled without fanfare at my pontoon mooring at the Townsville Yacht Club by family and friends and slipped our moorings at 0825 on Aug 22^nd 1999. We had no wind and so left the motor on until Middle Reef lights were in line where we caught a few freshets which took us out clear of Magnetic Island where the South Easterly trades were starting to pick up. By the time we were abeam Cordelia Rocks we had a 20 Kt ESE and could comfortably make 5-6 Kts with full main and a poled out half jib. By 1700 we passed the last of the Palm group; Curacao Island. Because I know the seas from Townsville to the Low Islands, having sailed and raced in the area many times, we sailed throughout that night only shortening sail for safety reasons as there was only one on deck. We wore a good inflatable vest and a safety harness which clipped to a ring in the cockpit. It was quite cool at night and often necessitated a beanie and a waterproof coat. When the wind dropped down to about 15 Kts the autopilot could handle the yaw so the watch had it easy under the half moon.

During a watch change with both of us in the cockpit the plug connecting the autopilot was accidentally stepped on and smashed, but fortunately we carried a spare and a 12V soldering iron so repaired it after daylight. We were abeam Fitzroy Island off Cairns at noon so having taken the sun’s elevation with my sextant (just to keep my hand in in case of electrical problems) I noted the day’s run of 138 miles in the log. Technically, it was more than a day as we had started sailing at 0825 not noon, but I did the calculation at noon from then on. Sailing north we were abeam of Half Moon Bay as the sun got lowish so we nipped into the yacht club and had a nice meal ($10) and comfortable berth for the night for $14. I should have mentioned that we had a list of all Queensland Coastguard stations with their channel watch data and that we advised our presence in the area as we passed them. For their part they notified the next station that we should be checking in with our progress. We obtained similar data for all the different States as we sailed around Australia. Heading for our next anchorage, the Low Islands, we trailed a large lure which was cushioned by a bicycle inner tube and were struck by something so heavy that it broke the stainless wire we were using.

We dropped the pick inside the Low Islands lagoon well away from the lighthouse. Deciding to fish for our dinner, we caught a remora and chopped it up for bait. With a line just dropped over the side and secured to a safety wire with a clothes peg (when you get a bite the peg springs off and alerts you) we both rushed on deck when we heard the peg released to be greeted by a boating inspector who lived near the lighthouse. He could have been awkward about our fishing as it was not allowed inside the lagoon, but instead he gave me some pamphlets which told us not to fish and wished us well on our journey. The fish got off during the interview!

Notice the water and diesel containers between the seats

We were up early on August 25^th and under way by 0500 as we motored out of Low Islands lagoon setting course for Gubbins Reef pass about 40 miles away with a favourable south-easterly and all plain sail making a comfortable 5 knots. Off Cape Tribulation the Coastwatch plane flew over us and asked us on Channel 16 to identify ourselves which we did. We saw them on and off all the way to about Carnarvon in Western Australia. As I was not in contact with any coastguard station I asked Coastwatch to relay a message to Cheryl and Kristine (Grant’s wife) but they would not.

We were in a well marked big ship channel so decided to run all night as the SE wind was forecast as 10-15 knots,, but it actually varied between 5 and 30 knots so we had a bit of sail area adjusting to do but sailed sweetly all night, with a lot of hand steering. Towards dawn on the 26^th we hooked a large mackerel but lost it at the ship’s rail. Then we got a 5lb tuna but let it go as neither of us like fried tuna steaks (we had not learned how to process tuna at this time). Finally, as the sun was still low, we got a small 10 lb mackerel which we ate fried with rice for lunch.

We arrived at the Flinder’s Island pass early, about 1300 but decided it was a good anchorage and finished for that day. We did some maintenance jobs including repairing the spinnaker ring and had a long sleep. Next morning, the 27^th, the sea was flat and wind nil, so we motored at 4 kts for a couple of hours. The last fresh milk was sour so it was into the UHT which we drank at the rate of about 2 litres a day which was enough for porage or cereal and the innumerable cups of tea/coffee we drank. The onions were still OK but the fresh pumpkin was off so it was fed to the fishes. We kept all plastic and paper garbage to dump ashore but sank cans, which we holed, and all rottable items in the sea.

It was a hot day with little wind which would just support the spinnaker as the only sail up and we wandered along at 3 kts. We fished all day but not a single hit. We learned that dawn and dusk were the best times and eventually resorted to only streaming the lure at those times. The best lure seemed to be a large one with a single hook painted red and white and with a large eye each side- far more successful than the mackerel spoons which we had aplenty.

About 1400 an easterly came up and quickly steadied at 15 kts so we were quickly doing 6 kts under reefed main and full jib and soon abeam of Burkitt Island.

We As When we passed Heath Reef we noticed there seemed to be many more big ships about. The fresh food bin has only a few potatoes beginning to shoot and four oranges. By the 28^th August we were abeam Moody Reef but feeling a bit tired so decided to rest over in Margaret’s Bay just W of Cape Grenville. Spoke to a passing Chinese Shipping Lines vessel and the watch officer kindly agreed to phone Kristine when he was in touch with Thursday Island Radio and pass on our report. Left Margaret’s Bay at 0505 on the 29^th after a good breakfast of bacon, eggs and beans and soon hooked a 25lb mackerel. There was a large ‘thump’ as I was pulling it in and two sharks chased it in close to the stern. The tail section was bitten off (see above pix) but it still gave us 8 fish dinners when filleted and put in our 12v fridge.

I could see that we would make no safe anchorage late in the day so we dodged in behind Bushy Island at 1330 sheltered by a small sand cay. We went ashore to stretch our legs on the island and collect some shells. We are not that far from Cape York and hope to reach it tomorrow.

We were up at 0400 on the 30th and in Albany Passage by 1100 and doing 8 kts with a bit of help from the tide. Cape York at the northern tip of mainland Australia is in sight!

We passed Eborac Light and anchored in quite a tide race on the W side of Cape York using 2 anchors in tandem. I wouldn’t get off the yacht until I could see we had not moved for half and hour. Then we both went ashore and had a beer at the ‘hotel’ at the tip. It cost $10! There was a hosepipe freshwater shower near the pub and we got the salt out of our hair and the clothes we were wearing. We had had no communication with our families and tried unsuccessfully on a public phone for 2 hours to contact one of the wives, knowing that they would let the other know we were OK, but could not contact either of them. Heavy rain on the autopilot seemed to affect it so we covered it in plastic and duct tape. The rain was nice to shower in.

We left Cape York at 0700 on the 2^nd September by retracing our course as there seemed to be a large sandbank to the West, so we rounded Eborac Light again adding another 5 miles to the journey and stemming a 3 kt current at the island. There are various routes through Torres Strait which is strewn with reefs and islets and is subject to fast tides in places so I decided to go close to the southern part of Prince of Wales Island as the safest route.

Had another big hit whilst fishing which broke the s/steel ring on the lure – another big one got away! We threaded our way out of Endeavour Strait towards the Carpenteria Light Vessel, and at 1405 were abeam of Red Wallis Islet which is the last of Queensland we will see until we have almost finished the circumnavigation. We did 8 kts for a couple of hours in light winds so must have been tide-assisted. No fresh food but plenty of tins and fresh fish and meat in the small freezer, so should be OK to Darwin our next stop. Saw one large ore carrier probably bound for Weipa. Now that we were clear of the reef areas I decided to log the noon to noon run. Noon position 10 52.7S 139 58.6E.

During the night the swell induced motion loosened 6 diesel containers in the lazarette so we stored them in the main cabin outside the head. Did engine maintenance including filter change. During washing up and cleaning up a diesel spill in the cockpit both our buckets were lost overboard, and as a bucket is an essential item I made one from a water plastic jerrican with a rope halter which sufficed until Darwin.

Wind light from almost astern so set spinnaker on a strop and used it as an MPS so we made about 5 kts. Noon position 10 53.4S 137 57.7E day’s run 119 miles.

By Sept 4^th we were abeam Wessel Island light and set Port Essington as our next waypoint. Very little wind as the afternoon wore on and in the near calm water we saw three yellow-black banded sea snakes – didn’t know they lived so far off shore. I believe they are very poisonous but also non-aggressive as snakes go. Noon position 10 51.9S135 57E day’s run 118.5 miles.

Found compass light very hard to see so fixed additional light which improves things and put on motor in light winds both to make progress and keep batteries up. Noon posn. 10 52.2S 133.57E day’s run 119 miles. These three day’s runs are amazingly equal, but taken from the GPS they are what occurred.

We were off Pt. Bremer by the 5^th, weather getting hotter and glad of the sun canopy by day. Two small flying fish came aboard during the night but not large enough to eat – put them on a line as bait, but they came off the hooks without a strike. Changed way point to Dundas Strait entrance where we will go SSW towards Darwin. Large school of dolphins came, played and went. One of the lifeline lashings which had been on the yacht since I bought it snapped when one of us hit it accidentally, so we replaced every lashing with new polypropylene rope.

Noon position 11 0.6S 131 52.8E day’s run 123 miles. Had a saltwater deck bath and came abeam of Cape Don light. Temp inside cabin 33 degrees Celsius. Abeam of Soldier’s Point on Melville Island and in little wind and with the tide against us put on engine as some hazards around.

At 0220 on Monday the 6^th we rounded Abbot Shoal and picked our way carefully towards the reef-filled area in Clarence Strait when we were about 38 miles from our destination in Darwin to the SSW. We had a nervous night with both on watch navigating by GPS and were glad to see the dawn. With Darwin only 20 miles away we came up with a French flagged yacht which had come from Indonesia and sailed parallel to her about 50 metres away for half an hour chatting in Frenglish about our voyage and Darwin which I had been to before. I note this now because of what happened later.

It’s a strange thing sailing: we had travelled almost without incident from Townsville to be in sight of the marina lock when things started to happen. We were in the approach channel to the Darwin marina when Grant shouted that the engine red light was on. I had just enough room to get out of the channel and back into deeper water, where we dropped the pick and found that the engine belt had snapped. “No problem, soon fix this” I thought as there was a spare with the yacht when I bought it. Alas it would not fit being too short- moral, don’t assume – check it. Anyway some wind was getting up and the entrance channel was narrow so I made a spliced rope belt and after a couple of tries it fitted with enough friction do drive the water pump and alternator. I didn’t want to rely solely on the engine so we put up the No.1 jib and with a beam wind were soon haring up the channel but about half way when I asked for the jib’s release it was found that we had an overridden turn on the winch. Again, this is no problem to fix as one could put a spare rope on the sheet and use another winch to take the strain which makes the jam easy to undo and is something I had done before on other yachts. This time however we had no sea room but fortunately carry a sharp deck knife and Grant cut the sheet with a couple of strokes. Fortunately the engine belt held until we tied up at the waiting wharf just astern of the French yacht to await the lock gate opening and breathed a sigh of relief. But this was not to be the end of our adventures on entering Darwin.

No sooner had we tied up and stepped ashore than Customs were down on us, complete with dog. They must have either been monitoring our approach or listening to our radio chat with the other yacht. Anyway they suspected drugs (most probably that the French yacht from Indonesia was carrying and had passed on some or all of it to us as less likely to be searched.) There were customs already searching the French yacht and they asked me if I was carrying anything which fortunately we weren’t and could they look aboard with the dog. I think my confidence in saying “sure help yourselves, we’ll stay here on the dock while you look” helped as they were off our yacht in no time, thanking us for our co-operation. The lock gates opened shortly after and we went in and tied up in Cullen Bay Marina,, but the customs were still on the French yacht.

In Darwin until Thurs 9^th September we restocked the yacht filling the freezer with bacon and steaks assured that we would keep on catching fish and three cases of beer for our sundowners. I bought two fan belts (GATES 11A-0980) and did full engine maintenance including replacing gear box oil with ATF DEXRON III and replaced all oil and water filters. Whilst downtown we noticed a lot of military and refugee activity in Darwin which we learned was due to the riots in Timor after the independence referendum and Aussie troops were sent in. We met two sailors who told us that diesel could be purchased at Cape Leveque and Cockatoo Island. We still wanted to sail with full tanks from Darwin just in case so booked fuel at the bowser for 9am and locked out of the marina at 0830 but had to wait until 1000 until someone turned up in spite of our phone calls to the service number – they must operate on ‘manana time’ in Darwin. We cleared the Darwin fairway under motor due no wind and set course for Cape Londonderry and Cape Leveque after a toast in Bundy rum to Father Neptune. Soon it was engine off and set the sails and at noon on the 9^th September our position was 12 19.9S 130 35.5E.

The winds were variable in strength and direction which involved a lot of sail work, but at sunset we were in a flat calm and heading straight into it with its rainbow hues. We have been fishing using a lure painted pink with nail varnish as suggested by a friend from the marina. We towed until after dark under engine but did not get a strike.. When I went to the freezer to get our evening lamb chops out I realized that it was not working and checking the main electronics card could see that it gave no output. The fridge was newly installed in Townsville and still under guarantee but we were in a very isolated area of Australia and could do nothing. The fridge was full of steaks and bacon and would gradually thaw out over the next 20 hours, so we went onto a meat only diet but even then could not eat everything we had and ended up using it for bait. But we could not even catch a fish on a nice piece of sirloin. Also, our daily couple of cans of beer would have to be postponed or drunk warm. We did end up drinking it warm and after initial complaints soon got used to it.

A light NE wind came up so we had an easy sail all night. We moved some foam onto the cockpit sole and the watch slept intermittently with the navigation and deck lights on knowing that any change in the motion would have one of us up immediately. Normally, way out off shore we did not put navigation lights on. We did not hug the coast with all its indentations but rather steered near a straight line between way points. We always streamed a lure just before dawn and caught a couple of 5lb tuna but let them go. Do not seem to be any mackerel around here. Noon position on the 10^th was 12 36.8S 1128 46.5E with day’s run of 108 miles. We have been in the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea and now we are in the Arafura Sea.

At 11/0200 a 10Kt wind came in from the WNW so we could just hold our course of 252 degrees (T) towards our next waypoint Combe Rock off Cape Londonderry. This is the area of the famous Kimberleys which it would have been nice to visit, but I am going skiing in early December so must press on.

Fishing at dawn we caught a 20 inch barracuda but put it back unharmed as they are not good for eating. We were tempted though, as we have been living on tinned protein since losing the fridge. The customs Coastwatch overflew us almost every day and every day asked us our name and destination. It got so that I was thinking of making a sarcastic reply, but decided against it. We are catching fish fairly regularly but they are always tuna of about 5lb and we return them. Where are the mackerel or don’t they live in the Arafura Sea? The tuna are returned because neither of us likes fresh tuna steaks, but we don’t know how to treat tuna and will learn this later, so we subsist on tinned steak or ham or sausages with canned veggies instant mashed potato, rice or spaghetti sometimes made into a curry. All in all, we eat as well as I have ever eaten on a yacht, but some fresh fish or meat would be very welcome but we are still a little way from our next stop.

Tides are quite strong hereabouts even where we are a way off shore. We sailed on all night in a light NW breeze but about 12/0200 I gave myself a scare. Whilst passing West Holothuria Reef and about 5 miles clear according to the GPS, I switched on the depth sounder to compare chart depth to sounder depth. The sounder showed 10ft and then 7ft and the depth alarm rang. I had just come on watch so perhaps was not at my most clear thinking, but I started the engine, reversed on to a reciprocal course and doused to jib. Grant came on deck to see what the fuss was about. The sounder then read 56ft then 9ft. As my adrenalin subsided I realised that the depth sounder reading was flashing, which it does when it is over range and a look at the chart and the GPS showed we were over Penguin Deep (61 fathoms on my chart). In spite of rationalising the incident I could not sleep after I came off watch and for the rest of the night. For breakfast we had eggs and large crackers. The eggs last very well (for over a week) even in hot weather and without a fridge if they are fresh laid.

Before noon when Grant took over I had a saltwater deck bath, shampoo, shave and change of clothes. Noon position 13 57.35S 125 13E day’s run 114miles.

At 1745 we were abeam Maret Island which was to our SE and still catching only tuna when we saw a single whale, quite large about 100 metres away.

As Sunday became Monday 13^th Sept there was no wind so we motored at about 4kts (average of tides which were strong, sometimes aiding and sometimes holding us back) and with dawn washed the cockpit and did small maintenance jobs around the yacht. At 1140 I was disconcerted by patches of sandy water although we are in about 160ft which seems to me rather deep water for a tidal swirl. Just before noon the Coastwatch plane overflew us but for the first time did not talk to us. Our posn. At noon on the 13^th Sept was 15 18.95S 123 53E day’s run 112 miles.

Just before sunset, saw large black and grey whale rolling on its side. The tides are still noticeably strong.

On Tuesday Sept 14^th we motored cautiously into Cape Leveque and anchored in 3 fathoms at low water. If we had 3 fathoms at high water we would have been well aground at high tide given a fall of 5 metres. We put out two picks and it seemed a good holding ground. I was concerned as we had 200 metres to row ashore – we have no dinghy outboard – and the tide flow was surging past us. Finally we rowed at 45 degrees to the wanted course as strongly as we could and made our landfall pretty much as intended. There was a sign at the beach indicating a shop and we followed it there. The shop was owned by a Tasmanian couple who besides selling us much needed supplies also shared a pot of tea and cakes with us which they provided. (See pix below). We filled our four 25 litre plastic jerricans with diesel and the store owner drove us back to the beach with them. I decided not to try to row that load and Grant back to the yacht until near slack water and we had a successful return. As we were anchored our day’s run had been a short 84.4 miles. We rolled all night.

The red cliffs and white sand of Cape Leveque

After sleeping for 14 out of the last 24 hours we up-anchored and at 0700 on 15^th Sept set sail for Dampier about 550 miles away and believed to have a marina (It didn’t or at least I did not find it). We retarded the ship’s clocks and are now on Perth WA time. Whilst under way I repacked the stern gland with grease and tightened motor mountings which were loose by about half a turn. Sailed easily in a light SE wind. Noon position 16 42S122 35E and day’s run (5 hrs) 27.4 miles. We decided to bypass Broome in view of the big tide that day which would have made us anchor a long way offshore with a long row in with the strong tides. We had plenty of fuel, water and food.

For the rest of the day and into the night we had a SW wind of about 15 kts but with the tide against wind and sea there was a rough chop which tossed us around and slowed our progress. One of these seas lifted me 3” off the loo whilst I was using it but I fortunately came down in the same place. It was too rough to cook so we had Wheaties for breakfast. It wasn’t that there was a gale or anything like it just very choppy seas. Noon position on the 16^th September 17 42.8S 121 23.6E day’s run 91.5 miles. The SE shifted to the East and settled in strength and direction and so we are making good progress and should be in Dampier in about 3 days.

As the evening advanced the wind strengthened and we double reefed the main as a precaution which proved a good idea as by the 17^th at 0430 it was up to 30 kts. If there was any weather about we usually did night watches with the hatchway washboards in place. I had just come on watch and Grant was below and I had not yet replaced the washboards when a large wave came over the stern and poured into the cabin soaking my berth and sleeping bag. The boards were positioned immediately but no further wave came, but from then on we stood one hour watches in wet weather gear, life jacket and safety harness. The wind was getting more southerly with the sea rising. As we were well out to sea off Port Hedland by about noon and we were making little progress for a lot of wear and tear on yacht and crew, I decided to heave to and await an improvement in the weather and sea.

The yacht lies safely at about 45 degrees to the oncoming rollers with no jib and 3 reefs in the main with the sail and tiller roped to send her slowly to windward. The sky and sea were blue and it was lovely sunshine; it was not a frontal system but might have been something further away that we were getting the swells from. With everything closed it was hot and humid below and for Grant, who had only sailed on this voyage, these were the first sizable seas he had been in, so he was initially apprehensive. We sat and drank tea and played magnetic chess to pass the time. We could hear the chatter from a yacht race taking place near Port Hedland on our VHF so they obviously didn’t think it was so bad! Actually when you think that we had sailed nearly halfway around Australia (Geraldton is about half way) without any weather we had been quite lucky. It is hard to imagine sailing the length of the English east coast (a much shorter distance) without having at least some bad weather. I did not take or note our noon position.

By 1500 it was obvious that the wind and sea were abating so with only a quarter of the jib area and 2 reefs in the main we flew along as the wind shifted to a favourable NE. It was still a wet ride as waves slapped the yacht’s side and threw up a heavy spray.

We continued towards Dampier as Saturday the 18^th September started and should have been in range of their port control as it is a big LPG gas port, but could not raise them on VHF. Perhaps they ignore small yachts? The wind lessened but there was still a lumpy sea. Noon position 19 52S 117 50E (did not log day’s run). It is interesting to note that we are now south of Townsville’s latitude of 19 12S but are not yet half way around Australia which point is about 400 miles away

On the 19^th the wind picked up and moved ahead of our course so that we motor sailed (to avoid having to tack all the way) down the long inlet south of Legendre Island with the large gas flares at the refinery lighting our way. We kept to the marked channel and continued to Hampton Harbour and moored near the causeway on 19^th September at 0730. As the sun dried the yacht’s exterior I had never seen such salt encrustation on a yacht. It stayed on until a short shower the next day washed it off. Hampton Harbour has a yacht club and they were most hospitable in providing for our needs including taking us to the nearest town of Karatha the next day. Whilst there I talked to the Townsville fridge supplier and he agreed to send a replacement control card to Geraldton c/o main post office. Remember, we had been without a fridge or freezer for the last 10 days. I also went to the tackle shop to buy replacement fishing items and mentioned to the proprietor that we kept throwing back tuna. He told me about bleeding the fish and soaking the fillets in sea water and that you could even eat it raw after soaking in wine and lemon juice. We did eat a few tuna after that but both of us preferred mackerel, which we had not caught for quite a while.

A strange coincidence occurred. After returning from Karatha I had a look at the other yachts moored in the bay and seemed to recognise the silhouette (an Adams 40) of one which I used to own. I got out the binoculars and could see that it was my old Whitby Lass which I had sold a few years earlier.

Whitby Lass in Townsville before I sold her

(I have called three of my yachts Whitby Lass to celebrate the fact that I learned to sail off Whitby in Yorkshire England.) We went over in our dinghy and the yacht still had the same name and the same owner I had sold it to (Philip Utber). He and his crew were working at the nearby industrial area and making good pay and were saving up for a foray into the Philippines. We went on board for a drink and a look around at what they had done since I owned it and Grant stayed on as they started to party, returning the next morning the worse for wear!

We all sailed off together the 21st September at 0630 but they turned North and we turned W at East Intercourse Island to thread our way through south of Enderby Island. We gave Steamboat Island and its reef a good clearance before setting course south of Barrow Island and heading for our next port of Exmouth.

Around 0930 we caught a small spotted mackerel on our new red eyed lure and had it for lunch with boiled rice. We had left with our ice box full of ice, meat and beer but knew it would last a maximum of three days. By noon the wind had increased to 15 kts and was now almost ahead, so we butted into the seas and I put on a thicker shirt over my t-shirt. Noon posn. 20 29.7S 116 20.3E. Still tacking but wind shift allows us to take a long favourable tack alternated with a short sail at right angles to the shore to get sea room. We did this all night and at noon on the 22^nd had only made 85.1 miles with a position of 21 26.1S 115 12.2 E. After another five hours of this we decided to anchor overnight at Onslow and get a good sleep. We had to take care entering the small bay which offered some protection from the SW winds and dropped the pick in 15ft (at low water) in peculiar red water at 1705. The colour was not due to algae but to red sand in suspension. We drank half a bottle of rum between us and slept well. We were now 2/3 of the distance to Exmouth.

We set off at 0500 on the 23^rd in noticeably cooler morning air and can just hold our course to Exmouth close hauled on the port tack.

There are many small reef obstacles to avoid but we have the GPS and also plot our track on an Admiralty chart of the area. By noon our position was 21 43.3S 114 44E and distance run for 7 hrs sailing 31.5 miles. We sailed without incident in moderate winds and could just hold the course for Exmouth arriving at 2030 in the dark. It is a brand new marina and I had no entry information. It was well marked, but just in case I talked to a yacht already tied up in the marina and his description exactly matched what I saw and we tied up for the night as locals took our lines and offered us a drink.

It was an early rise and a decent walk into Exmouth with our Esky but we shopped for fresh meat and food and had a nice fresh water shower, clothes and all, in the local park. There were emus wandering about so mustn’t be many gun-happy chappies around here. We took on ice and diesel and traded charts and mud maps with the locals at the marina and went to a wife’s birthday party. Their yacht was beached outside the marina to weld a plate below the water line but something must have gone wrong as it leaked as the tide rose and they had to pump all night.

At dawn on the 25^th September we had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and motored into a windless sea towards North West Cape about 12 miles away which we had to round before turning south towards Carnarvon. At 0557 we were abeam of Point Murat and the American VLF comm. Station. We rounded and turned SSW at 0810 and began sailing along WA’s barrier reef (series of long coral reefs) too close inshore for me to sail inside with comfort . There is only a light 8kt wind but a 2-3 metre swell from the SW so there is spectacular surf breaking on those reefs as we pass. We listened to the AFL Grand Final and at noon on the 25^th our position was: 22.00S 113 53E. Sailed in a 10kt breeze and by 2030 were abeam of Pt.Cloates.

Emus at Exmouth

On Sunday 26^th September we crossed the tropic of Capricorn at 0633. A nasty looking front changed the largely clear skies we have had since Cape Leveque into a threatening mass and it turned suddenly cold, but did us no harm except for turning the breeze due S so that we became motor-assisted to maintain 4 kts on course. We are 20 miles off shore doing the shortest distance to Cape Cuvier. By noon our position was: 23 55S 113 24E day’s run 118 miles. Sundays are usually deckbath and clothes change day but we may be in Carnarvon with showers and a laundrette tomorrow so will stay unwashed (it is also rather cool).

We got into the poorly marked fairway and dropped pick in 10ft (LW) but it must have been soft mud as we could not hold with the stiff breeze blowing from the SE. So at 0220 we moved to the Dept of Transport ‘boat harbour’. After a good sleep we learned that it was $30 a night tied up at their wharf and we were just aground in the mud at the next low water- not very impressive considering the fee charged and we only draw 1.4 metres, so it is not a recommended port for a deep keel yacht.

So now it was the 27^th and we needed to go to town for milk and ice and a bit of fresh meat. I noticed that because I had been (foolishly) leaving the starter key in the cockpit motor switch it was frozen in position by salt. I thought there might be an agent in town so we called a taxi by mobile and went in. It is a fairly small place and was a public holiday so little was open. We managed to buy a few things and walked to the local yacht club where they made us very welcome and we dined well as there was a holiday barbecue there that night.

The motor key was a problem, I could hot-wire the starter but there were other leads on the switch and I was worried about the alternator so got out the multimeter. Alas it would not work as had been left on. I had dozens of AA C and D cells but no 9v battery which it needed. So there was no choice but to wait the next day and walk into town when more shops would be open. With the meter I found that we could get a start with a croc. Lead and screwdriver and the alternator was OK, but I ordered a new switch from Nanni in Sydney to be sent to GPO Geraldton with their assurance that it would arrive before we did. So it was Tuesday 28 September when we left at 0930. It was a windy day requiring two reefs and a small jib and we still sailed heeled at 20 degrees. With the wind on the nose and the seas about 2 metres we sailed hard tack and tack making good only 1 miles for every two sailed. We passed through at least ten large black whales that ignored us.

As Tuesday turned to Wednesday I noted in the log “It’s a horrible, wild, cold, wet night, the yacht is leaping about and is momentarily airborne as we slam in to the next swell. I am jammed in a corner writing this and wishing for calmer seas,” Still, I was pleased to note another milestone on our journey as we passed the most westerly place in Australia, the appropriately named West Point, latitude 25 33S at 0123 hrs. We have now been to the most Northerly and most Westerly points on or circumnavigation. It has been a lot of head seas and surprisingly cold more or less since leaving Onslow. But by 0755 on the 29^th we entered Shark Bay and wind and sea moderated. The water was about 40ft deep and crystal clear so not a good scene for fishing but our lure was struck almost as soon as it was streamed and a 6 lb spotted mackerel was soon on board to be eaten with salad and rice. We had been warned to take care getting out of Shark Bay so we took time identifying the channels and crossed the bar at Steep Point with the tide in our favour and were at last in the open sea again.

For this run to Geraldton (the biggest town since leaving Darwin) we have to sail the length of an ironbound coast (the Zuytdorp cliffs). The Zuytdorp Cliffs mark the western edge of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area – and the continent. They tower up to 200 m high and stretch more than 300 km and are the longest fault scarp in Australia. The coastal sailing guide warns: it is “Pounded by the Indian Ocean, with wave-cut benches, blowholes, spouts and slips Want to search for the wreck? [The Zuytdorp] Be warned: massive swells and treacherous currents mean the cliffs remain hazardous to boaters.” With a warning like that we decided to keep well off shore and even at our nearest approach we could still see the big swells throwing up high spray. We were now being affected by the prevailing SW winds and seas although we are a long way from lower latitudes.

The ironbound coastal cliffs near Kalbarri

The Zuytdorp Cliffs

So we tacked for quite a while as we butted our way south. We would use the engine on idle to get as close to the wind as possible and steer at right angles away from the coast which would put us 10 miles or more off shore then come onto the making tack and hold that until we were getting too close to shore again. We did this watch and watch about taking heavy seas over the bow and wearing lots of clothing under our wet weather gear. Both autopilots had by now ceased working so it was hand steer and would prove to be the longest period of unpleasant sailing in the whole trip. By Thursday the, last day of September, the motion had loosened the diesel container kept in the loo and broken off its tap. This spilled about 20 litres into the bilges and made a skating rink below with our rubber boots, but it had to be cleaned up and took the off-watch person about 4 hours to achieve. The motion also caused cracks to appear where the internal post met the deck tabernacle and a little water could be seen seeping in. Friday the 1sr October and we were still slogging South. At 1830 I noticed that water was coming from the fore peak storage bins and as the fore hatch was not that leaking it must be somewhere forward of the hatch, but I could not see where the trouble was. A closer look showed the bins were full of water and I could not see where it was getting in apart from it must be the deck somewhere. There must have been about 50 gallons overall and that weight in the bow was not good so I drilled a half inch hole in the lowest bin and let it flow into the bilge where the electric bilge pump ran nonstop for a while. As we approached Geraldton late in the day the weather eased somewhat and it was with relief and with everything stinking of diesel and soaking wet below that we tied up in the small marina at Geraldton at 2230. We made the vessel safe and repaired to the nearest open motel (the Batavia).

Batavia Motel Geraldton

After a good night’s sleep of about 12 hours we repaired to the yacht and commenced the dryout/cleanout which took a couple of days but the weather was warm and sunny. The water ingress I traced to a crack which had developed in the chain well on deck in the bow and it was repaired with fibreglass cloth and resin which we carried. It had been a wet sail to windward from Carnarvon hence the large volume of water inboard. We were welcomed by the nearby Geraldton Yacht Club which had hot showers and good meals with cold beer.

We could not leave as early as planned as the previously ordered diesel ignition switch had not arrived although the fridge part did, so we watched dinghy racing and sat on the yacht club verandah. We had to wait until Tuesday morning October 5^th for the switch’s arrival. We could not get the autopilots repaired in Geraldton; hope to achieve this in Perth which was not too far away.

Grant on clean-up day

Fitted the new starter switch (cost$266) and at 0400 with first glimmer of light we slipped our mooring, toasted Neptune with a shot of Bundy Rum and motored out into the fairway and almost no wind; but we soon picked up a favourable 15 kt breeze and had champagne sailing for many hours. We sailed with a freezer full of meat, bacon and cold beer. I rang the Townsville Daily Bulletin and dictated an article about the voyage so far which was to go in an “aged person’s feature” they were running. The breeze got a little stronger and varied from NW to SW but always drove us well in the right direction. By 1515 on Wednesday 6^th October we could see the tall buildings of Perth in the distance but then the breeze dropped to nothing leaving an awkward lumpy sea. It was tricky getting into the right yacht harbour for the Fremantle Yacht Club where we were to meet my crew Grant’s relatives. He is a native of Perth. We finally arrived at the nominated visitors wharf at 1800 at the same instant the visitors arrived. After a great welcome by both the relatives and the yacht club, Grant left to spend some time with his sister and I removed some weed and rope from the prop which I had noticed as we tied up. Alone on board, I ate a hearty meal, had a couple of beers in the club and turned in early.

At 0400 0n 7^th October I awoke to the sound of the wind and the motion of the yacht. I was moored fore and aft alongside the visitors wharf with a bow and stern line and two springs. The wind increased all day and I doubled the mooring lines. The local radio reported several houses unroofed and 30,000 people in Perth and Fremantle are with out power. With a bare pole I am being heeled at 20 degrees on my inclinometer in the highest flurries! According to ABC radio, max gusts have been 65kts or 105Kph. Glad that I am sitting in harbour and not trying to enter. An adjacent yacht moored just ahead of me with only a bow and stern line broke the stern line. I went aboard with some of my spare warps and moored it securely with springs.

Of course, the weather eased and I met the owner of the other yacht when he turned up on the 8^th, and retrieved my lines. He did not seem to be appreciative of my efforts! I stayed in Fremantle, got the autopilots repaired and slipped the yacht to see that all was well and our anti-fouling in good condition so that we were as prepared as could be for our trip around Cape Leeuwin and across the Great Australian Bight. After a week in Perth Grant returned and I was anxious to be off on the 13^th. The weather forecast gave us another frontal low with winds to 45 kts and seas to 3 metres, but we needed to get going and I got a mud-map of Bunbury in case we needed to go in there for a rest.

So we left just after midnight on the 13^th and got out to the 10metre depth line before turning South. The heavy industrial area of Kwinana was well illuminated as we passed far off shore. Wind seems to be a steady 25kts SW and 2M seas, but we are bowling along, although it is a cold night.

We decided to pull in to Bunbury and at 0930 I made contact with Bunbury Sailing Club and arranged a buoy mooring and access to their showers etcetera. They were very helpful. It was a wet sail and rained a bit so we needed to dry out.

At 1130 we motored into the mooring area and picked up our assigned buoy in Koombana Bay. Unfortunately, it was a very exposed mooring and although we were chained to the buoy it was difficult to get some rest. The forecast was for increasing winds and heavy rain and it was an exposed beach to leave our dinghy if we went ashore. Someone called Rae at Akron Base Radio said that we should tie up alongside an industrial jetty, which we did, and paid $30 a day to do so, but was worth it. She advised us to stay in Bunbury for a few days until the bad weather cleared and not to try Cape Leeuwin until it had. This seemed good advice so with the yacht all secure we rented a car and drove as far as Albany.

We stopped in the karri forest and climbed the (supposed) 65 metre Gloucester tree before going on to the Margaret River area which was then just becoming well known for its wines, and we bought a few bottles for the trip. Our next yacht port was going to be Albany where we would prepare the yacht for her Bight crossing which would be the longest leg without sight of land on the trip.

I wanted to see what the possible safety harbours or bays were like between Bunbury and Albany in case we needed to duck in anywhere due to mishap or bad weather, but the places we saw looked as if they would be difficult in bad weather anyway.

There did not seem to be much by way of safe havens on the western side of the peninsula, and although Augusta looked promising, if quite narrow, it would only be available after passing Leeuwin so we decided it would be a sail non-stop to Albany.

So on Saturday 16^th v October we tacked out of Koombana Bay at 100 into a 20 kt SW and 2.5M sea and headed towards Cape Naturaliste, but it took us until 2020 to be abeam. After that it was a cold hard slog to be abeam of Cape Leeuwin (Lioness in Dutch) at 1020 on the 17^th. There are outlying rocks and shoals where the sea can break heavily so we did an extra 16 miles to give these clearance.

It was another important waypoint as we were now going to be sailing generally East before our final turn to the north and Queensland and home, but there were still many miles to cover.

Cape Leeuwin and the Gloucester Tree Oct 1999

We hoped that after rounding the Cape we would have a free wind to Albany, but no! Our course was 120 degrees and the wind was SE – right on the nose. We tacked all night in a big swell but although it was not breaking, it was cold. We had to spend the night of the 18^th at sea and it was not until we rounded into King George Sound that the wind became favourable and we were past Breaksea Island, quickly through the narrows and into the harbour area. As it was 0300 we tied up at the public jetty, knowing that someone would ask us to move eventually, and we slept deeply until about 0900 when officialdom arrived. Actually he was quite helpful and advised us to go over to the SW side of the bay to the Princess Royal Sailing Club. This club has many 1 and 2 metre draft yachts so obviously people can sail into and out of their mooring jetties, but we had no detail chart of the bay and no local knowledge. I could see that from about halfway across the bay the water was shallow, but there seemed to be no marked entrance, so we felt our way in moving slowly until we bumped, reversing off and trying a new direction until about an hour later we tied up to one of the club’s fore and aft moorings and got our plank to the jetty. It was certainly worth the effort as they gave us our own key to the showers and generally made us welcome.

Entrance to Albany WA

To prepare for the Bight crossing I took the yacht out as there was some cracking in the fibreglass around the mast and its keel support end and the marine toilet had ceased to function. I did consider trucking the yacht across the Nullaboor to Portland in part so that we could ride the Indian Pacific rail, but decided against this. As it was we left in rather a hurry with a favourable forecast but I did not fill the starboard water tank properly, misinterpreting bubbles at the filler as a sign that it was full when it was not, this caused us some problems later. I could not purchase the needed silicon seals for the toilet so we sailed with a barely functioning one.

So after our long rest in Albany we were finally away at 1730 on Tue 26^th October. The wind and swell were with us and once clear of Breaksea Island we set the GPS for our next waypoint, Cape Otway in Victoria some 1280 miles away. We sailed well all night but the wind was gradually decreasing. We had covered a lot of ground by next noon, the 27^th, sailing 112 miles in about 20 hours; our position then was 35 30S 119 54E.

Bight sea cliffs

In the moderate wind almost astern we sailed well with one reef in the main and a full poled out jib, which seemed to make it easiest for the auto pilot. We were soon way off shore and did not expect to see land until in the vicinity of our next stop, Portland, Victoria.

I noted in the log that we “read, doze, do small maintenance jobs, play chess and interminable games of solitaire in which Grant and I cannot agree about the rules (I found out later that his interpretation was correct). We also eat well right around the clock, but both of us have lost a little weight – must be the constant activity. We sailed in increasingly fickle winds throughout the night which needed much gybing of the poled out jib and alterations in sail area but managed to keep up 5 or 6 kts all day. Our noon position on the 28^th October was 35 52S 122 33E, distance run 132 miles. Gradually the wind increased to 25 kts from the SE so the pole was stowed and we are close hauled on the starboard tack and the weather is suddenly colder. The seas are lumpy because the wind driven waves are meeting a 3 metre swell rolling in from the W.

We ate a large lunch of spaghetti bolognaise made with fresh meat and onions. Today was the day when one water tank ran out and the error in filling up with water (previously mentioned) became apparent. We had 22 litres of water in 2L plastic bottle in the bilge and although these had a very light coating of diesel they water inside would be potable. We also had 16 litres of Long-Life milk so we should not have to suffer thirst. We did however use all the liquids which were in cans of vegetables in the

the

High swell in the Bight

cooking, and used only salt water for personal cleaning

One of the better days in the Bight

We can only sail 080 true into the continuing SE and the sea is throwing us around a lot so that we have to wear the belt which keeps us in position at the stove to cook. By 0208 on the 29^th the motion is so violent that it is impossible to stand up. I should mention that I had the quarter berth with a lee cloth, under the cockpit and Grant had a wide bunk amidships in which he used to secure his position with pillows. The motion this night was so violent that one had to sit on the cabin sole to get out of clothing and waterproofs as it was unsafe to stand. Grant’s berth was untenable so we both used the quarter berth which, although like being in a coffin, you could not be thrown out of. This continued until noon on the 29^th when our position was 36 01S 124 59E. Soon the wind started dropping and changing towards the SW, much more like the expected and hoped for direction. However, the glass was dropping and we soon had a steady 25 kts with gusts to 40 kts. We were not carrying much sail but still doing 6 kts. I put the clock forward one hour to match dawn/dusk times. I was thrown heavily from stbd to port as a big sea hit us. No harm done but a warning as we need both of us without broken bones.

By 0915 on 30^th Oct. We had 3 reefs in the main and a tiny jib, but were still doing a steady 6 kts (our hull speed). We could not top up the diesel day tank in the conditions. By noon we were in 36 37S 129 51E; day’s run 132 Miles for 11 hours. and about this time sailed over the deepest part of the Bight at 5759M or 18,744ft.

Fortunately at sea, strong winds don’t last forever and during the night as we entered Sunday 31^st Oct the winds moderated and a few hours later so did the seas, apart from a big swell which caused us no problems. The barometer rose and we were back to an easy 25kts. At noon we were in 36 47.6S 130 26E with a run of 136 miles. During the night of the 31^st the winds dropped and when they came back it was from the SE at 10 kts. Our wanted course at this point was 098True but the nearest we could get was 087True. Not as good as we would have liked but still mostly in the right direct and the seas are down, life is comfortable and we are making 4.5kts and are on the second half of the Bight chart with Kangaroo Island and Adelaide on it. We were 250 miles WSW of Cape du Couedic on Kangaroo Island as we commenced Monday November 1^st.

November is the month when we should be safe in our home port and with light winds (but mostly from the wrong direction) we advanced slowly East. We had no contact with anyone since Oct 26^th and knew our families would be anxious to hear something, so I tried a few times to get contact with a ship although there were none we could see, but no one came back in response, so there may not be anyone within 70 mile radius of us. Noon posn. On the 1^st 37 13S 132 48E day’s run 117M.

On the 2^nd an Easterly sprang up of about 25kts raising an uncomfortable sea to bash through. Food started to be difficult to cook and for lunch we could only manage bread, biscuits and soup. The hand pump which clears the toilet has started leaking backwards, so that the loo overflows and can only be used by opening and closing the main shut-off valve (an old type brass steam valve) which can only be rotated half a turn at a time whilst being flat on the floor of the loo with arm extended and bent. We have been sailing SE since the Easterly started and are now in the latitude of Portland (our next stop) so should be sailing 090T but cannot. Because of my error in loading water at Albany we are in economy mode but should last until Portland. Why doesn’t the wind blow from any direction but East? Noon posn. 37 54S 134 40E day’s run 96.7M.

On Weds. 3^rd Nov. The wind shifted from E to SE so that we could almost hold our wanted course of 090T but it was slow going. Noon posn. 38 07S 136 33E day’s run 90M. We saw four basking seals in the calm water that stuck their heads out and stared at us as we went slowly by. Later that day we spoke to a passing freighter who reported us “all well” to SAR in Canberra. It is still cold but at least it’s sunny. I advanced the clocks an hour so that we are now on Queensland time. We have been close-hauled for some time but generally making progress.

As Thursday the 4^th started, the wind came on the nose again but kept on changing direction until it was due S and cold but good for sailing our course. Soon we were steady on 5 kts with a double reefed main and half jib. We sailed well all day in grey seas and greyer skies; the wind is steady at 20 kts. and motion makes it hard to do much below and necessitates hand steering. By 0400 we were within 30 miles of Portland and hoping to be tied up by 10am, but the wind came dead ahead again and threw up a 4M sea which just about stops the yacht so that by 1000 we had advanced only 14 miles. We really wanted a good rest so motor sailed from 1100 and finally tied up at 1700 on the 5^th, went ashore for a big meal and a beer and a long deep sleep.

On the 6^th we talked to family, voted in the referendum for a republic, (both republicans) cleaned and dried the yacht and swam in the heated public pool. We felt pretty good by the 7^th and after a tot of rum with Neptune for good luck, at 1030 with a favourable SW we stood out towards Eden in NSW which is about 5 days away and set our first waypoint at Wilson’s Promontory off Melbourne and about 236 miles away.

Our noon position on the 7^th was 38 22S 141 49E and with the wind a favourable SW at 20 kts (should be the prevailing wind for a while) we rolled + and – 30 degrees but did not mind as the log showed 6.5kts exactly on course. I noted in the written log that we sailed like this until 1915 when our SW wind swung to the S then to SE which we did not want and had to sail close hauled not quite making the wanted heading and being slowly forced landward. There was a 2M Sea so it was a bit wet bashing through it, yet we could still cook bangers & mash with peas for tea, but where oh where is our South Westerly gone?

But by 0430 on the 8^th it swung yet again to the SW but only light at 8kts. Still, with plenty of sail up, and virtually no swell we romped along in the cold sunshine and continued this way all night. Our noon posn. was 39 03S 144 24E and we had run 128 miles. It was a memorable sail, we ate and slept well but at the 0630 weather forecast on the 9^th, we heard a gale warning for our vicinity. Very soon we passed Wilson’s Promontory (our most Southerly point) and left the great Southern Ocean for Bass Strait and adjusted our way point to pass S of Gabo Island. Noon posn. 38 52S 147 06E day’s run 127 miles.

Still no gale has appeared and at 1920 we logged the appearance of the Bass Strait offshore oil wells which are about 100 miles from Gabo Island.

Well, here it is 0100 on the 10^th November and the promised gale is here! The wind was southeast again and we slogged our way past Gabo where we could see a couple of sheltering yachts. It was so rough and cold that we stood half hour watches, not getting out of our wet weather gear, but resting on the cabin sole with a waterproof pillow.

Gabo Island Bass Strait

As we passed Gabo and headed North East for Cape Howe the seas eased slightly and I got a phone call through to Whitworths (yacht chandlers) to get a toilet repair kit, which they had in stock but could not process the order inside 2 or 3 days and I did not know accurately where I would be at any particular date; so we used the toilet infrequently and a bucket whenever possible all the way to Townsville. Our noon posn. Was 37 52S 149 32E, day’s run 130 miles.

I did not have a detailed chart for Eden relying on my memory of previous visits (about four times) But we were approaching from the South and a bee-line to the mooring area would take us across shoals in the dark, so it was not until 2230 that we dropped our picks in Quarantine Bay Eden having been guided in by an already moored yacht, “Ondine III”, putting on his navigation and deck lights for us to see. We slept the sleep of the exhausted until 0800 on the 11^th.

A quick taxi journey to town where we shopped and had haircuts, the first for 2 months or more and we were off again. We set off for Sydney and after about an hour noticed a slow leak at the grease nipple on the stuffing box We moved slowly up the coast of NSW caught in varying winds which could not settle in any sort of consistent speed and direction. Which made for lots of sail action and us not making much more that 4 kts most of the time. In daylight we noticed a trail of fishing net around the rudder but managed to toss a weighted hook over it and cut it free – hoping there is none around the prop. As the 12^th dawned sailing did not improve but our noon posn. at 35 09S 150 57E showed that we had made good 119 miles, so we must have been aided by the EastCoast current as we were fairly close inshore.

The nipple leak was worsening, so I pulled it out, it was very rusty externally, and jammed a shaped pencil in the hole which when dried I surrounded with fast dry Araldite. We won’t use the engine much before home. The sky is blue and it is distinctly warmer as we sail North but that pesky wind has gone OTN (on the nose) again so that we are only making good about 3 kts. Anyway we slowly passed Wollongong and the southern beaches of Sydney deciding not to call in as we needed no supplies and the marinas are a long way in the harbour. Instead we sailed into Pittwater at 0946 on the 13^th,, anchored behind Palm Beach and went ashore for a big meal of fish and chips.

W e left Pittwater at 0430 on Sunday 14^th November after a cup of strong coffee with a tot of rum in it and once around Lion Island were pleased to get a 15kt NW breeze which allowed us to lay the way point off Port Stephens and sail at 6 kts on a perfect summer’s day. We stripped down to T-shirts and cotton trousers for the first time since Western Australia. Our noon position was 33 15S 151 50E. Our halcyon weather could not last and after dark we ran into an OTN wind which brought us down to 3kts made good in spite of idling the motor to keep us up close to the wind. Having sailed through dozens of moored coal ships off Newcastle and making slow headway I decided to rest in Port Macquarie and hope that there is a more favourable wind the next day.

Our noon posn. was 31 46S 152 47.6 E distance run a disappointing 87.8 miles. We entered the port at 1830 on the 15th with lightning flashing all around and a crashing sea on the breakwaters but over the bar it was OK and there were good lead lights. We bought food at a late opening supermarket and had a restaurant meal and seven hours deep sleep before setting off early and crossing the docile bar. I noted in the log “under weigh again and with A FOLLOWING WIND”. Our noon posn. on the 17^th was 28 26S 152 39E which was well on the way to the most Easterly point of Australia (Cape Byron) and we should be in home (Queensland) waters before long. Actually abeam of the Cape at 17/1000 and we crossed the NSW/Queensland border at 1430 which called for us to crack our penultimate bottle of champagne to drink with canapés in celebration. We are making 5kts but being rolled around a fair bit but can see the lights of South Stradbroke island at 2315. Sailing all night alongside N and S Stradbroke islands and the length of Moreton Island (Now in 2011, I live on the inner shore of Moreton Bay) brought us to the light on the northern tip of Moreton Island at 0630 on the 18th with wind ESE at 10kts and making 5 to 6 kts under all plain sail. The next waypoint was the entrance to Wide Bay which has a bar which can be unpleasant but we arrived just before low water and waited behind Double Island Point until near the end of the flood and sailed in at good speed at 0130 on the 19^th.

We rested until 0800 and identified the first fairway markers for the Fraser Island passage. Things went well for a while, but I was using very old charts for this section taken of a steel yacht I had owned years before. Unfortunately, there had been major changes to the passage and it was not long before I was ‘lost’. The passage has many shoals and channels and it was good clear weather so we motored slowly up channels until they stopped being navigable and then backtracked to try another. Eventually by spotting a tourist catamaran that had evidently come from the Bundaberg region we got back into a good well marked fairway and were soon out of Hervey Bay and on course for Cape Cleveland and home. I checked in with the coastguard at Bundaberg at we sailed all night in good conditions. At 1400 we caught our first mackerel for weeks and ate it with fried rice for tea. Black clouds were massing and lightning flashing at at 2130 but althou the wind piped up to 25 kts and there was a bit of sea we bounded along at almost 7kts. There were lots of trawlers about but of course they were well lit up and just made the watch stay sharp.

By Sat the 20^th at 0400 the loom of Gladstone could be seen and by noon, when our position was 23 11S 150 49E we had run 114 miles and our wives knew and were happy about our progress and I would be in Townsville in plenty of time to go skiing in the USA, so we went for a short stop in Yeppoon, just north of Rockhampton and just inside the Tropic of Capricorn. We tied up in Keppel Bay Marina at 1300 hours. We showered and took the bus to Yeppoon for last minute shopping and cards to send and were up and away by 0500 on Sunday 21^st. Caught lots of fish around dawn but they were all tuna so we returned them. Our noon posn. 23 37S 150 50E gave our day’s (7 hour) run as 33.7 miles.

The wind was OTN for a few hours but soon swung to the NE which gave us a beam wind. We were in a strong tidal area and were helped and hindered by this but averaged about 5kts over the ground. Monday saw us in cloudy weather with light rain squalls but a generally favourable wind direction. I know the seas hereabouts quite well so it was fun to shoot between Scawfell Island and St. Bees at 9kts (tide assisted).

Our noon posn on the 22^nd Nov. was 20 54S 148 29E giving us a day’s run of 127 miles. The winds again were variable but it was enjoyable Queensland sailing (it’s so nice to be warm even when it’s raining) and we caught mackerel after mackerel off Abbot Point near Bowen as we sailed past at 6 kts. We did not get to the vicinity of Townsville until late evening of the 23rd and the press and the motor boat club wanted us to arrive in daylight so we anchored off Magnetic Island for the night, went ashore in the morning, had a shower and got into our better clothes and made our way slowly to Townsville to arrive at the agreed time of 12 noon on Wednesday the 24^th November, for the press and Channel Ten TV. Having gone through the media, it was great so see our families and friends and share some champagne with them before going home. The voyage was over.

We had been away 93 days all told, but when I totalled the actual sailing periods in the log, excluding rest days and anchored periods, to the nearest one tenth of an hour it had taken 56.1 days. Grant and I had formed a strong bond over our voyage in spite of us coming from opposite ends of the religious spectrum and I had been glad to have him aboard for both the skills he had and his company.

FINIS

LOG OF EXCEL –A VOYAGE AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 1999

Norman Taylor and Grant Johnson

“Excel” being christened by Cheryl and being anti-fouled before the start.

In 1998 I was 66 and had been retired for two years. I did not own a yacht at that time so when I decided I would do one last singlehanded sail around Australia I had to find a suitable vessel and looked around for a sturdy yacht. As I was not in any hurry I travelled up and down the coast now and then and eventually found Excel in Mooloolaba, about 60 miles N. of Brisbane.

I collected the necessary gear, motored down to Mooloolaba, loaded up the yacht, sent my car to be looked after by son David. I waited for a suitable departure time (230am). This departure would put me close to Wide Bay Bar at about slack water – it can be a dangerous bar in a large swell. As I went along I found that the motor controls were connected backwards and she sailed very slowly in light winds due to the small sail area. But I wasn’t in a hurry and got the yacht the 800 miles back to Townsville single-handed and without incident after making one stop overnight in the marina at Yeppoon.

The yacht was a new professionally built fibreglass 30ft Ben Lexcen hull with a new Kubota diesel but little else except a battery inside. I had to sleep on the cabin sole with just a sleeping bag under me. It was another would-be sailor’s unfinished dream – there are a lot of them advertised in the yachting press – people get started and then realise how much labour and money is needed and decide to get out. The previous owner had rigged mast and sails off a 25ft Roberts, and she looked rather stupid with such a small mast and sails.

Over the year I rewired, re-masted, bought new sails and finished (with the aid of a carpenter for fiddly bits) the fit out below decks so that in 1999 I was ready to sail. I had been weekend sailing with a friend, Grant (who I had taught to sail around Magnetic Island) and he expressed interest in sailing around Oz with me. I thought “why not”. It turned out a very successful relationship and Grant was a fine sailor by the time he returned to Townsville.

When Cheryl and I did our big sail from Townsville to Whitby in 1987/8, our yacht lacked many conveniences for shorthanded sailing which was mainly due to lack of funds. Now, in 1999, my financial situation was much better and I had outfitted the yacht with some comforts and conveniences. Sailing to England, I used to get a stiff neck from sitting in the cockpit and forever having to be looking forward or up at the sails: this time I installed high seats, fixed to the pushpit, facing forwards from where it was comfortable looking ahead and upwards and possible to steer the vessel with a tiller extension. You can see the comfortable seats in the middle picture following.. When Also, working the foredeck, changing a jib is often done in heavy weather and in a cold and relatively dangerous position; the plunging bow of the yacht. This time I fitted jib furling equipment and could easily increase or decrease sail area singlehanded from the comfort of the cockpit. This was aided by another facility; self-tailing winches. Finally, there is little more tiring than being apprehensive about where precisely you are; particularly when you are close inshore or sailing through reef-strewn areas. The addition of a basic and inexpensive GPS system with a display that could be read from the steering position took away all nervousness. Of course, if you entered the wrong latitude or longitude for a waypoint it could be fatal. So I wrote down the position for all the waypoints I was likely to use on the trip after extracting them from the charts and having them double checked for accuracy by Grant. To keep our power up, we had an 80 watt solar cell on the canopy. I decided that I would not sail at night until I was around the tip of Cape York at the northern extremity of Australia, so each day’s trip had to be planned so that we could make a safe anchorage. Many of these anchorages were in reef areas and as you can’t spot a reef or shallows very well with the sun at a low angle we had to be snugged down by about 1630 hours each day. We did of course start early.

We took a case of mid-strength beer and sufficient fresh food to last from 6 to 10 days as we expected to be able to buy food at about those intervals except when crossing the Bight, which might take longer. We also carried 30 days of emergency canned and dried foods and 50 litres of extra water stowed between the seats in case the unexpected happened. This plan worked quite well and we usually managed to have two cold beers each for our daily ‘sundowner’ which we enjoyed as soon as we anchored for the night. Finally, the yacht was fitted with a good VHF Tx/Rx which transmitted through a masthead antenna giving us a range of about 75 miles. So, with all stores, charts, a good medical kit, 100 litres of diesel, 200 litres of water and a mobile phone each we were ready for the off.

I had decided to leave in late August because that was the best compromise date to keep us out of the cyclone area during the season and yet not put us into the Bight during the coldest and windiest period. The only lengthy adverse winds we should face ought to be from Exmouth to Perth on the West Australian coast and that was far in the future.

We were farewelled without fanfare at my pontoon mooring at the Townsville Yacht Club by family and friends and slipped our moorings at 0825 on Aug 22^nd 1999. We had no wind and so left the motor on until Middle Reef lights were in line where we caught a few freshets which took us out clear of Magnetic Island where the South Easterly trades were starting to pick up. By the time we were abeam Cordelia Rocks we had a 20 Kt ESE and could comfortably make 5-6 Kts with full main and a poled out half jib. By 1700 we passed the last of the Palm group; Curacao Island. Because I know the seas from Townsville to the Low Islands, having sailed and raced in the area many times, we sailed throughout that night only shortening sail for safety reasons as there was only one on deck. We wore a good inflatable vest and a safety harness which clipped to a ring in the cockpit. It was quite cool at night and often necessitated a beanie and a waterproof coat. When the wind dropped down to about 15 Kts the autopilot could handle the yaw so the watch had it easy under the half moon.

During a watch change with both of us in the cockpit the plug connecting the autopilot was accidentally stepped on and smashed, but fortunately we carried a spare and a 12V soldering iron so repaired it after daylight. We were abeam Fitzroy Island off Cairns at noon so having taken the sun’s elevation with my sextant (just to keep my hand in in case of electrical problems) I noted the day’s run of 138 miles in the log. Technically, it was more than a day as we had started sailing at 0825 not noon, but I did the calculation at noon from then on. Sailing north we were abeam of Half Moon Bay as the sun got lowish so we nipped into the yacht club and had a nice meal ($10) and comfortable berth for the night for $14. I should have mentioned that we had a list of all Queensland Coastguard stations with their channel watch data and that we advised our presence in the area as we passed them. For their part they notified the next station that we should be checking in with our progress. We obtained similar data for all the different States as we sailed around Australia. Heading for our next anchorage, the Low Islands, we trailed a large lure which was cushioned by a bicycle inner tube and were struck by something so heavy that it broke the stainless wire we were using.

We dropped the pick inside the Low Islands lagoon well away from the lighthouse. Deciding to fish for our dinner, we caught a remora and chopped it up for bait. With a line just dropped over the side and secured to a safety wire with a clothes peg (when you get a bite the peg springs off and alerts you) we both rushed on deck when we heard the peg released to be greeted by a boating inspector who lived near the lighthouse. He could have been awkward about our fishing as it was not allowed inside the lagoon, but instead he gave me some pamphlets which told us not to fish and wished us well on our journey. The fish got off during the interview!

Notice the water and diesel containers between the seats

We were up early on August 25^th and under way by 0500 as we motored out of Low Islands lagoon setting course for Gubbins Reef pass about 40 miles away with a favourable south-easterly and all plain sail making a comfortable 5 knots. Off Cape Tribulation the Coastwatch plane flew over us and asked us on Channel 16 to identify ourselves which we did. We saw them on and off all the way to about Carnarvon in Western Australia. As I was not in contact with any coastguard station I asked Coastwatch to relay a message to Cheryl and Kristine (Grant’s wife) but they would not.

We were in a well marked big ship channel so decided to run all night as the SE wind was forecast as 10-15 knots,, but it actually varied between 5 and 30 knots so we had a bit of sail area adjusting to do but sailed sweetly all night, with a lot of hand steering. Towards dawn on the 26^th we hooked a large mackerel but lost it at the ship’s rail. Then we got a 5lb tuna but let it go as neither of us like fried tuna steaks (we had not learned how to process tuna at this time). Finally, as the sun was still low, we got a small 10 lb mackerel which we ate fried with rice for lunch.

We arrived at the Flinder’s Island pass early, about 1300 but decided it was a good anchorage and finished for that day. We did some maintenance jobs including repairing the spinnaker ring and had a long sleep. Next morning, the 27^th, the sea was flat and wind nil, so we motored at 4 kts for a couple of hours. The last fresh milk was sour so it was into the UHT which we drank at the rate of about 2 litres a day which was enough for porage or cereal and the innumerable cups of tea/coffee we drank. The onions were still OK but the fresh pumpkin was off so it was fed to the fishes. We kept all plastic and paper garbage to dump ashore but sank cans, which we holed, and all rottable items in the sea.

It was a hot day with little wind which would just support the spinnaker as the only sail up and we wandered along at 3 kts. We fished all day but not a single hit. We learned that dawn and dusk were the best times and eventually resorted to only streaming the lure at those times. The best lure seemed to be a large one with a single hook painted red and white and with a large eye each side- far more successful than the mackerel spoons which we had aplenty.

About 1400 an easterly came up and quickly steadied at 15 kts so we were quickly doing 6 kts under reefed main and full jib and soon abeam of Burkitt Island.

We As When we passed Heath Reef we noticed there seemed to be many more big ships about. The fresh food bin has only a few potatoes beginning to shoot and four oranges. By the 28^th August we were abeam Moody Reef but feeling a bit tired so decided to rest over in Margaret’s Bay just W of Cape Grenville. Spoke to a passing Chinese Shipping Lines vessel and the watch officer kindly agreed to phone Kristine when he was in touch with Thursday Island Radio and pass on our report. Left Margaret’s Bay at 0505 on the 29^th after a good breakfast of bacon, eggs and beans and soon hooked a 25lb mackerel. There was a large ‘thump’ as I was pulling it in and two sharks chased it in close to the stern. The tail section was bitten off (see above pix) but it still gave us 8 fish dinners when filleted and put in our 12v fridge.

I could see that we would make no safe anchorage late in the day so we dodged in behind Bushy Island at 1330 sheltered by a small sand cay. We went ashore to stretch our legs on the island and collect some shells. We are not that far from Cape York and hope to reach it tomorrow.

We were up at 0400 on the 30th and in Albany Passage by 1100 and doing 8 kts with a bit of help from the tide. Cape York at the northern tip of mainland Australia is in sight!

We passed Eborac Light and anchored in quite a tide race on the W side of Cape York using 2 anchors in tandem. I wouldn’t get off the yacht until I could see we had not moved for half and hour. Then we both went ashore and had a beer at the ‘hotel’ at the tip. It cost $10! There was a hosepipe freshwater shower near the pub and we got the salt out of our hair and the clothes we were wearing. We had had no communication with our families and tried unsuccessfully on a public phone for 2 hours to contact one of the wives, knowing that they would let the other know we were OK, but could not contact either of them. Heavy rain on the autopilot seemed to affect it so we covered it in plastic and duct tape. The rain was nice to shower in.

We left Cape York at 0700 on the 2^nd September by retracing our course as there seemed to be a large sandbank to the West, so we rounded Eborac Light again adding another 5 miles to the journey and stemming a 3 kt current at the island. There are various routes through Torres Strait which is strewn with reefs and islets and is subject to fast tides in places so I decided to go close to the southern part of Prince of Wales Island as the safest route.

Had another big hit whilst fishing which broke the s/steel ring on the lure – another big one got away! We threaded our way out of Endeavour Strait towards the Carpenteria Light Vessel, and at 1405 were abeam of Red Wallis Islet which is the last of Queensland we will see until we have almost finished the circumnavigation. We did 8 kts for a couple of hours in light winds so must have been tide-assisted. No fresh food but plenty of tins and fresh fish and meat in the small freezer, so should be OK to Darwin our next stop. Saw one large ore carrier probably bound for Weipa. Now that we were clear of the reef areas I decided to log the noon to noon run. Noon position 10 52.7S 139 58.6E.

During the night the swell induced motion loosened 6 diesel containers in the lazarette so we stored them in the main cabin outside the head. Did engine maintenance including filter change. During washing up and cleaning up a diesel spill in the cockpit both our buckets were lost overboard, and as a bucket is an essential item I made one from a water plastic jerrican with a rope halter which sufficed until Darwin.

Wind light from almost astern so set spinnaker on a strop and used it as an MPS so we made about 5 kts. Noon position 10 53.4S 137 57.7E day’s run 119 miles.

By Sept 4^th we were abeam Wessel Island light and set Port Essington as our next waypoint. Very little wind as the afternoon wore on and in the near calm water we saw three yellow-black banded sea snakes – didn’t know they lived so far off shore. I believe they are very poisonous but also non-aggressive as snakes go. Noon position 10 51.9S135 57E day’s run 118.5 miles.

Found compass light very hard to see so fixed additional light which improves things and put on motor in light winds both to make progress and keep batteries up. Noon posn. 10 52.2S 133.57E day’s run 119 miles. These three day’s runs are amazingly equal, but taken from the GPS they are what occurred.

We were off Pt. Bremer by the 5^th, weather getting hotter and glad of the sun canopy by day. Two small flying fish came aboard during the night but not large enough to eat – put them on a line as bait, but they came off the hooks without a strike. Changed way point to Dundas Strait entrance where we will go SSW towards Darwin. Large school of dolphins came, played and went. One of the lifeline lashings which had been on the yacht since I bought it snapped when one of us hit it accidentally, so we replaced every lashing with new polypropylene rope.

Noon position 11 0.6S 131 52.8E day’s run 123 miles. Had a saltwater deck bath and came abeam of Cape Don light. Temp inside cabin 33 degrees Celsius. Abeam of Soldier’s Point on Melville Island and in little wind and with the tide against us put on engine as some hazards around.

At 0220 on Monday the 6^th we rounded Abbot Shoal and picked our way carefully towards the reef-filled area in Clarence Strait when we were about 38 miles from our destination in Darwin to the SSW. We had a nervous night with both on watch navigating by GPS and were glad to see the dawn. With Darwin only 20 miles away we came up with a French flagged yacht which had come from Indonesia and sailed parallel to her about 50 metres away for half an hour chatting in Frenglish about our voyage and Darwin which I had been to before. I note this now because of what happened later.

It’s a strange thing sailing: we had travelled almost without incident from Townsville to be in sight of the marina lock when things started to happen. We were in the approach channel to the Darwin marina when Grant shouted that the engine red light was on. I had just enough room to get out of the channel and back into deeper water, where we dropped the pick and found that the engine belt had snapped. “No problem, soon fix this” I thought as there was a spare with the yacht when I bought it. Alas it would not fit being too short- moral, don’t assume – check it. Anyway some wind was getting up and the entrance channel was narrow so I made a spliced rope belt and after a couple of tries it fitted with enough friction do drive the water pump and alternator. I didn’t want to rely solely on the engine so we put up the No.1 jib and with a beam wind were soon haring up the channel but about half way when I asked for the jib’s release it was found that we had an overridden turn on the winch. Again, this is no problem to fix as one could put a spare rope on the sheet and use another winch to take the strain which makes the jam easy to undo and is something I had done before on other yachts. This time however we had no sea room but fortunately carry a sharp deck knife and Grant cut the sheet with a couple of strokes. Fortunately the engine belt held until we tied up at the waiting wharf just astern of the French yacht to await the lock gate opening and breathed a sigh of relief. But this was not to be the end of our adventures on entering Darwin.

No sooner had we tied up and stepped ashore than Customs were down on us, complete with dog. They must have either been monitoring our approach or listening to our radio chat with the other yacht. Anyway they suspected drugs (most probably that the French yacht from Indonesia was carrying and had passed on some or all of it to us as less likely to be searched.) There were customs already searching the French yacht and they asked me if I was carrying anything which fortunately we weren’t and could they look aboard with the dog. I think my confidence in saying “sure help yourselves, we’ll stay here on the dock while you look” helped as they were off our yacht in no time, thanking us for our co-operation. The lock gates opened shortly after and we went in and tied up in Cullen Bay Marina,, but the customs were still on the French yacht.

In Darwin until Thurs 9^th September we restocked the yacht filling the freezer with bacon and steaks assured that we would keep on catching fish and three cases of beer for our sundowners. I bought two fan belts (GATES 11A-0980) and did full engine maintenance including replacing gear box oil with ATF DEXRON III and replaced all oil and water filters. Whilst downtown we noticed a lot of military and refugee activity in Darwin which we learned was due to the riots in Timor after the independence referendum and Aussie troops were sent in. We met two sailors who told us that diesel could be purchased at Cape Leveque and Cockatoo Island. We still wanted to sail with full tanks from Darwin just in case so booked fuel at the bowser for 9am and locked out of the marina at 0830 but had to wait until 1000 until someone turned up in spite of our phone calls to the service number – they must operate on ‘manana time’ in Darwin. We cleared the Darwin fairway under motor due no wind and set course for Cape Londonderry and Cape Leveque after a toast in Bundy rum to Father Neptune. Soon it was engine off and set the sails and at noon on the 9^th September our position was 12 19.9S 130 35.5E.

The winds were variable in strength and direction which involved a lot of sail work, but at sunset we were in a flat calm and heading straight into it with its rainbow hues. We have been fishing using a lure painted pink with nail varnish as suggested by a friend from the marina. We towed until after dark under engine but did not get a strike.. When I went to the freezer to get our evening lamb chops out I realized that it was not working and checking the main electronics card could see that it gave no output. The fridge was newly installed in Townsville and still under guarantee but we were in a very isolated area of Australia and could do nothing. The fridge was full of steaks and bacon and would gradually thaw out over the next 20 hours, so we went onto a meat only diet but even then could not eat everything we had and ended up using it for bait. But we could not even catch a fish on a nice piece of sirloin. Also, our daily couple of cans of beer would have to be postponed or drunk warm. We did end up drinking it warm and after initial complaints soon got used to it.

A light NE wind came up so we had an easy sail all night. We moved some foam onto the cockpit sole and the watch slept intermittently with the navigation and deck lights on knowing that any change in the motion would have one of us up immediately. Normally, way out off shore we did not put navigation lights on. We did not hug the coast with all its indentations but rather steered near a straight line between way points. We always streamed a lure just before dawn and caught a couple of 5lb tuna but let them go. Do not seem to be any mackerel around here. Noon position on the 10^th was 12 36.8S 1128 46.5E with day’s run of 108 miles. We have been in the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea and now we are in the Arafura Sea.

At 11/0200 a 10Kt wind came in from the WNW so we could just hold our course of 252 degrees (T) towards our next waypoint Combe Rock off Cape Londonderry. This is the area of the famous Kimberleys which it would have been nice to visit, but I am going skiing in early December so must press on.

Fishing at dawn we caught a 20 inch barracuda but put it back unharmed as they are not good for eating. We were tempted though, as we have been living on tinned protein since losing the fridge. The customs Coastwatch overflew us almost every day and every day asked us our name and destination. It got so that I was thinking of making a sarcastic reply, but decided against it. We are catching fish fairly regularly but they are always tuna of about 5lb and we return them. Where are the mackerel or don’t they live in the Arafura Sea? The tuna are returned because neither of us likes fresh tuna steaks, but we don’t know how to treat tuna and will learn this later, so we subsist on tinned steak or ham or sausages with canned veggies instant mashed potato, rice or spaghetti sometimes made into a curry. All in all, we eat as well as I have ever eaten on a yacht, but some fresh fish or meat would be very welcome but we are still a little way from our next stop.

Tides are quite strong hereabouts even where we are a way off shore. We sailed on all night in a light NW breeze but about 12/0200 I gave myself a scare. Whilst passing West Holothuria Reef and about 5 miles clear according to the GPS, I switched on the depth sounder to compare chart depth to sounder depth. The sounder showed 10ft and then 7ft and the depth alarm rang. I had just come on watch so perhaps was not at my most clear thinking, but I started the engine, reversed on to a reciprocal course and doused to jib. Grant came on deck to see what the fuss was about. The sounder then read 56ft then 9ft. As my adrenalin subsided I realised that the depth sounder reading was flashing, which it does when it is over range and a look at the chart and the GPS showed we were over Penguin Deep (61 fathoms on my chart). In spite of rationalising the incident I could not sleep after I came off watch and for the rest of the night. For breakfast we had eggs and large crackers. The eggs last very well (for over a week) even in hot weather and without a fridge if they are fresh laid.

Before noon when Grant took over I had a saltwater deck bath, shampoo, shave and change of clothes. Noon position 13 57.35S 125 13E day’s run 114miles.

At 1745 we were abeam Maret Island which was to our SE and still catching only tuna when we saw a single whale, quite large about 100 metres away.

As Sunday became Monday 13^th Sept there was no wind so we motored at about 4kts (average of tides which were strong, sometimes aiding and sometimes holding us back) and with dawn washed the cockpit and did small maintenance jobs around the yacht. At 1140 I was disconcerted by patches of sandy water although we are in about 160ft which seems to me rather deep water for a tidal swirl. Just before noon the Coastwatch plane overflew us but for the first time did not talk to us. Our posn. At noon on the 13^th Sept was 15 18.95S 123 53E day’s run 112 miles.

Just before sunset, saw large black and grey whale rolling on its side. The tides are still noticeably strong.

On Tuesday Sept 14^th we motored cautiously into Cape Leveque and anchored in 3 fathoms at low water. If we had 3 fathoms at high water we would have been well aground at high tide given a fall of 5 metres. We put out two picks and it seemed a good holding ground. I was concerned as we had 200 metres to row ashore – we have no dinghy outboard – and the tide flow was surging past us. Finally we rowed at 45 degrees to the wanted course as strongly as we could and made our landfall pretty much as intended. There was a sign at the beach indicating a shop and we followed it there. The shop was owned by a Tasmanian couple who besides selling us much needed supplies also shared a pot of tea and cakes with us which they provided. (See pix below). We filled our four 25 litre plastic jerricans with diesel and the store owner drove us back to the beach with them. I decided not to try to row that load and Grant back to the yacht until near slack water and we had a successful return. As we were anchored our day’s run had been a short 84.4 miles. We rolled all night.

The red cliffs and white sand of Cape Leveque

After sleeping for 14 out of the last 24 hours we up-anchored and at 0700 on 15^th Sept set sail for Dampier about 550 miles away and believed to have a marina (It didn’t or at least I did not find it). We retarded the ship’s clocks and are now on Perth WA time. Whilst under way I repacked the stern gland with grease and tightened motor mountings which were loose by about half a turn. Sailed easily in a light SE wind. Noon position 16 42S122 35E and day’s run (5 hrs) 27.4 miles. We decided to bypass Broome in view of the big tide that day which would have made us anchor a long way offshore with a long row in with the strong tides. We had plenty of fuel, water and food.

For the rest of the day and into the night we had a SW wind of about 15 kts but with the tide against wind and sea there was a rough chop which tossed us around and slowed our progress. One of these seas lifted me 3” off the loo whilst I was using it but I fortunately came down in the same place. It was too rough to cook so we had Wheaties for breakfast. It wasn’t that there was a gale or anything like it just very choppy seas. Noon position on the 16^th September 17 42.8S 121 23.6E day’s run 91.5 miles. The SE shifted to the East and settled in strength and direction and so we are making good progress and should be in Dampier in about 3 days.

As the evening advanced the wind strengthened and we double reefed the main as a precaution which proved a good idea as by the 17^th at 0430 it was up to 30 kts. If there was any weather about we usually did night watches with the hatchway washboards in place. I had just come on watch and Grant was below and I had not yet replaced the washboards when a large wave came over the stern and poured into the cabin soaking my berth and sleeping bag. The boards were positioned immediately but no further wave came, but from then on we stood one hour watches in wet weather gear, life jacket and safety harness. The wind was getting more southerly with the sea rising. As we were well out to sea off Port Hedland by about noon and we were making little progress for a lot of wear and tear on yacht and crew, I decided to heave to and await an improvement in the weather and sea.

The yacht lies safely at about 45 degrees to the oncoming rollers with no jib and 3 reefs in the main with the sail and tiller roped to send her slowly to windward. The sky and sea were blue and it was lovely sunshine; it was not a frontal system but might have been something further away that we were getting the swells from. With everything closed it was hot and humid below and for Grant, who had only sailed on this voyage, these were the first sizable seas he had been in, so he was initially apprehensive. We sat and drank tea and played magnetic chess to pass the time. We could hear the chatter from a yacht race taking place near Port Hedland on our VHF so they obviously didn’t think it was so bad! Actually when you think that we had sailed nearly halfway around Australia (Geraldton is about half way) without any weather we had been quite lucky. It is hard to imagine sailing the length of the English east coast (a much shorter distance) without having at least some bad weather. I did not take or note our noon position.

By 1500 it was obvious that the wind and sea were abating so with only a quarter of the jib area and 2 reefs in the main we flew along as the wind shifted to a favourable NE. It was still a wet ride as waves slapped the yacht’s side and threw up a heavy spray.

We continued towards Dampier as Saturday the 18^th September started and should have been in range of their port control as it is a big LPG gas port, but could not raise them on VHF. Perhaps they ignore small yachts? The wind lessened but there was still a lumpy sea. Noon position 19 52S 117 50E (did not log day’s run). It is interesting to note that we are now south of Townsville’s latitude of 19 12S but are not yet half way around Australia which point is about 400 miles away

On the 19^th the wind picked up and moved ahead of our course so that we motor sailed (to avoid having to tack all the way) down the long inlet south of Legendre Island with the large gas flares at the refinery lighting our way. We kept to the marked channel and continued to Hampton Harbour and moored near the causeway on 19^th September at 0730. As the sun dried the yacht’s exterior I had never seen such salt encrustation on a yacht. It stayed on until a short shower the next day washed it off. Hampton Harbour has a yacht club and they were most hospitable in providing for our needs including taking us to the nearest town of Karatha the next day. Whilst there I talked to the Townsville fridge supplier and he agreed to send a replacement control card to Geraldton c/o main post office. Remember, we had been without a fridge or freezer for the last 10 days. I also went to the tackle shop to buy replacement fishing items and mentioned to the proprietor that we kept throwing back tuna. He told me about bleeding the fish and soaking the fillets in sea water and that you could even eat it raw after soaking in wine and lemon juice. We did eat a few tuna after that but both of us preferred mackerel, which we had not caught for quite a while.

A strange coincidence occurred. After returning from Karatha I had a look at the other yachts moored in the bay and seemed to recognise the silhouette (an Adams 40) of one which I used to own. I got out the binoculars and could see that it was my old Whitby Lass which I had sold a few years earlier.

Whitby Lass in Townsville before I sold her

(I have called three of my yachts Whitby Lass to celebrate the fact that I learned to sail off Whitby in Yorkshire England.) We went over in our dinghy and the yacht still had the same name and the same owner I had sold it to (Philip Utber). He and his crew were working at the nearby industrial area and making good pay and were saving up for a foray into the Philippines. We went on board for a drink and a look around at what they had done since I owned it and Grant stayed on as they started to party, returning the next morning the worse for wear!

We all sailed off together the 21st September at 0630 but they turned North and we turned W at East Intercourse Island to thread our way through south of Enderby Island. We gave Steamboat Island and its reef a good clearance before setting course south of Barrow Island and heading for our next port of Exmouth.

Around 0930 we caught a small spotted mackerel on our new red eyed lure and had it for lunch with boiled rice. We had left with our ice box full of ice, meat and beer but knew it would last a maximum of three days. By noon the wind had increased to 15 kts and was now almost ahead, so we butted into the seas and I put on a thicker shirt over my t-shirt. Noon posn. 20 29.7S 116 20.3E. Still tacking but wind shift allows us to take a long favourable tack alternated with a short sail at right angles to the shore to get sea room. We did this all night and at noon on the 22^nd had only made 85.1 miles with a position of 21 26.1S 115 12.2 E. After another five hours of this we decided to anchor overnight at Onslow and get a good sleep. We had to take care entering the small bay which offered some protection from the SW winds and dropped the pick in 15ft (at low water) in peculiar red water at 1705. The colour was not due to algae but to red sand in suspension. We drank half a bottle of rum between us and slept well. We were now 2/3 of the distance to Exmouth.

We set off at 0500 on the 23^rd in noticeably cooler morning air and can just hold our course to Exmouth close hauled on the port tack.

There are many small reef obstacles to avoid but we have the GPS and also plot our track on an Admiralty chart of the area. By noon our position was 21 43.3S 114 44E and distance run for 7 hrs sailing 31.5 miles. We sailed without incident in moderate winds and could just hold the course for Exmouth arriving at 2030 in the dark. It is a brand new marina and I had no entry information. It was well marked, but just in case I talked to a yacht already tied up in the marina and his description exactly matched what I saw and we tied up for the night as locals took our lines and offered us a drink.

It was an early rise and a decent walk into Exmouth with our Esky but we shopped for fresh meat and food and had a nice fresh water shower, clothes and all, in the local park. There were emus wandering about so mustn’t be many gun-happy chappies around here. We took on ice and diesel and traded charts and mud maps with the locals at the marina and went to a wife’s birthday party. Their yacht was beached outside the marina to weld a plate below the water line but something must have gone wrong as it leaked as the tide rose and they had to pump all night.

At dawn on the 25^th September we had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and motored into a windless sea towards North West Cape about 12 miles away which we had to round before turning south towards Carnarvon. At 0557 we were abeam of Point Murat and the American VLF comm. Station. We rounded and turned SSW at 0810 and began sailing along WA’s barrier reef (series of long coral reefs) too close inshore for me to sail inside with comfort . There is only a light 8kt wind but a 2-3 metre swell from the SW so there is spectacular surf breaking on those reefs as we pass. We listened to the AFL Grand Final and at noon on the 25^th our position was: 22.00S 113 53E. Sailed in a 10kt breeze and by 2030 were abeam of Pt.Cloates.

Emus at Exmouth

On Sunday 26^th September we crossed the tropic of Capricorn at 0633. A nasty looking front changed the largely clear skies we have had since Cape Leveque into a threatening mass and it turned suddenly cold, but did us no harm except for turning the breeze due S so that we became motor-assisted to maintain 4 kts on course. We are 20 miles off shore doing the shortest distance to Cape Cuvier. By noon our position was: 23 55S 113 24E day’s run 118 miles. Sundays are usually deckbath and clothes change day but we may be in Carnarvon with showers and a laundrette tomorrow so will stay unwashed (it is also rather cool).

We got into the poorly marked fairway and dropped pick in 10ft (LW) but it must have been soft mud as we could not hold with the stiff breeze blowing from the SE. So at 0220 we moved to the Dept of Transport ‘boat harbour’. After a good sleep we learned that it was $30 a night tied up at their wharf and we were just aground in the mud at the next low water- not very impressive considering the fee charged and we only draw 1.4 metres, so it is not a recommended port for a deep keel yacht.

So now it was the 27^th and we needed to go to town for milk and ice and a bit of fresh meat. I noticed that because I had been (foolishly) leaving the starter key in the cockpit motor switch it was frozen in position by salt. I thought there might be an agent in town so we called a taxi by mobile and went in. It is a fairly small place and was a public holiday so little was open. We managed to buy a few things and walked to the local yacht club where they made us very welcome and we dined well as there was a holiday barbecue there that night.

The motor key was a problem, I could hot-wire the starter but there were other leads on the switch and I was worried about the alternator so got out the multimeter. Alas it would not work as had been left on. I had dozens of AA C and D cells but no 9v battery which it needed. So there was no choice but to wait the next day and walk into town when more shops would be open. With the meter I found that we could get a start with a croc. Lead and screwdriver and the alternator was OK, but I ordered a new switch from Nanni in Sydney to be sent to GPO Geraldton with their assurance that it would arrive before we did. So it was Tuesday 28 September when we left at 0930. It was a windy day requiring two reefs and a small jib and we still sailed heeled at 20 degrees. With the wind on the nose and the seas about 2 metres we sailed hard tack and tack making good only 1 miles for every two sailed. We passed through at least ten large black whales that ignored us.

As Tuesday turned to Wednesday I noted in the log “It’s a horrible, wild, cold, wet night, the yacht is leaping about and is momentarily airborne as we slam in to the next swell. I am jammed in a corner writing this and wishing for calmer seas,” Still, I was pleased to note another milestone on our journey as we passed the most westerly place in Australia, the appropriately named West Point, latitude 25 33S at 0123 hrs. We have now been to the most Northerly and most Westerly points on or circumnavigation. It has been a lot of head seas and surprisingly cold more or less since leaving Onslow. But by 0755 on the 29^th we entered Shark Bay and wind and sea moderated. The water was about 40ft deep and crystal clear so not a good scene for fishing but our lure was struck almost as soon as it was streamed and a 6 lb spotted mackerel was soon on board to be eaten with salad and rice. We had been warned to take care getting out of Shark Bay so we took time identifying the channels and crossed the bar at Steep Point with the tide in our favour and were at last in the open sea again.

For this run to Geraldton (the biggest town since leaving Darwin) we have to sail the length of an ironbound coast (the Zuytdorp cliffs). The Zuytdorp Cliffs mark the western edge of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area – and the continent. They tower up to 200 m high and stretch more than 300 km and are the longest fault scarp in Australia. The coastal sailing guide warns: it is “Pounded by the Indian Ocean, with wave-cut benches, blowholes, spouts and slips Want to search for the wreck? [The Zuytdorp] Be warned: massive swells and treacherous currents mean the cliffs remain hazardous to boaters.” With a warning like that we decided to keep well off shore and even at our nearest approach we could still see the big swells throwing up high spray. We were now being affected by the prevailing SW winds and seas although we are a long way from lower latitudes.

The ironbound coastal cliffs near Kalbarri

The Zuytdorp Cliffs

So we tacked for quite a while as we butted our way south. We would use the engine on idle to get as close to the wind as possible and steer at right angles away from the coast which would put us 10 miles or more off shore then come onto the making tack and hold that until we were getting too close to shore again. We did this watch and watch about taking heavy seas over the bow and wearing lots of clothing under our wet weather gear. Both autopilots had by now ceased working so it was hand steer and would prove to be the longest period of unpleasant sailing in the whole trip. By Thursday the, last day of September, the motion had loosened the diesel container kept in the loo and broken off its tap. This spilled about 20 litres into the bilges and made a skating rink below with our rubber boots, but it had to be cleaned up and took the off-watch person about 4 hours to achieve. The motion also caused cracks to appear where the internal post met the deck tabernacle and a little water could be seen seeping in. Friday the 1sr October and we were still slogging South. At 1830 I noticed that water was coming from the fore peak storage bins and as the fore hatch was not that leaking it must be somewhere forward of the hatch, but I could not see where the trouble was. A closer look showed the bins were full of water and I could not see where it was getting in apart from it must be the deck somewhere. There must have been about 50 gallons overall and that weight in the bow was not good so I drilled a half inch hole in the lowest bin and let it flow into the bilge where the electric bilge pump ran nonstop for a while. As we approached Geraldton late in the day the weather eased somewhat and it was with relief and with everything stinking of diesel and soaking wet below that we tied up in the small marina at Geraldton at 2230. We made the vessel safe and repaired to the nearest open motel (the Batavia).

Batavia Motel Geraldton

After a good night’s sleep of about 12 hours we repaired to the yacht and commenced the dryout/cleanout which took a couple of days but the weather was warm and sunny. The water ingress I traced to a crack which had developed in the chain well on deck in the bow and it was repaired with fibreglass cloth and resin which we carried. It had been a wet sail to windward from Carnarvon hence the large volume of water inboard. We were welcomed by the nearby Geraldton Yacht Club which had hot showers and good meals with cold beer.

We could not leave as early as planned as the previously ordered diesel ignition switch had not arrived although the fridge part did, so we watched dinghy racing and sat on the yacht club verandah. We had to wait until Tuesday morning October 5^th for the switch’s arrival. We could not get the autopilots repaired in Geraldton; hope to achieve this in Perth which was not too far away.

Grant on clean-up day

Fitted the new starter switch (cost$266) and at 0400 with first glimmer of light we slipped our mooring, toasted Neptune with a shot of Bundy Rum and motored out into the fairway and almost no wind; but we soon picked up a favourable 15 kt breeze and had champagne sailing for many hours. We sailed with a freezer full of meat, bacon and cold beer. I rang the Townsville Daily Bulletin and dictated an article about the voyage so far which was to go in an “aged person’s feature” they were running. The breeze got a little stronger and varied from NW to SW but always drove us well in the right direction. By 1515 on Wednesday 6^th October we could see the tall buildings of Perth in the distance but then the breeze dropped to nothing leaving an awkward lumpy sea. It was tricky getting into the right yacht harbour for the Fremantle Yacht Club where we were to meet my crew Grant’s relatives. He is a native of Perth. We finally arrived at the nominated visitors wharf at 1800 at the same instant the visitors arrived. After a great welcome by both the relatives and the yacht club, Grant left to spend some time with his sister and I removed some weed and rope from the prop which I had noticed as we tied up. Alone on board, I ate a hearty meal, had a couple of beers in the club and turned in early.

At 0400 0n 7^th October I awoke to the sound of the wind and the motion of the yacht. I was moored fore and aft alongside the visitors wharf with a bow and stern line and two springs. The wind increased all day and I doubled the mooring lines. The local radio reported several houses unroofed and 30,000 people in Perth and Fremantle are with out power. With a bare pole I am being heeled at 20 degrees on my inclinometer in the highest flurries! According to ABC radio, max gusts have been 65kts or 105Kph. Glad that I am sitting in harbour and not trying to enter. An adjacent yacht moored just ahead of me with only a bow and stern line broke the stern line. I went aboard with some of my spare warps and moored it securely with springs.

Of course, the weather eased and I met the owner of the other yacht when he turned up on the 8^th, and retrieved my lines. He did not seem to be appreciative of my efforts! I stayed in Fremantle, got the autopilots repaired and slipped the yacht to see that all was well and our anti-fouling in good condition so that we were as prepared as could be for our trip around Cape Leeuwin and across the Great Australian Bight. After a week in Perth Grant returned and I was anxious to be off on the 13^th. The weather forecast gave us another frontal low with winds to 45 kts and seas to 3 metres, but we needed to get going and I got a mud-map of Bunbury in case we needed to go in there for a rest.

So we left just after midnight on the 13^th and got out to the 10metre depth line before turning South. The heavy industrial area of Kwinana was well illuminated as we passed far off shore. Wind seems to be a steady 25kts SW and 2M seas, but we are bowling along, although it is a cold night.

We decided to pull in to Bunbury and at 0930 I made contact with Bunbury Sailing Club and arranged a buoy mooring and access to their showers etcetera. They were very helpful. It was a wet sail and rained a bit so we needed to dry out.

At 1130 we motored into the mooring area and picked up our assigned buoy in Koombana Bay. Unfortunately, it was a very exposed mooring and although we were chained to the buoy it was difficult to get some rest. The forecast was for increasing winds and heavy rain and it was an exposed beach to leave our dinghy if we went ashore. Someone called Rae at Akron Base Radio said that we should tie up alongside an industrial jetty, which we did, and paid $30 a day to do so, but was worth it. She advised us to stay in Bunbury for a few days until the bad weather cleared and not to try Cape Leeuwin until it had. This seemed good advice so with the yacht all secure we rented a car and drove as far as Albany.

We stopped in the karri forest and climbed the (supposed) 65 metre Gloucester tree before going on to the Margaret River area which was then just becoming well known for its wines, and we bought a few bottles for the trip. Our next yacht port was going to be Albany where we would prepare the yacht for her Bight crossing which would be the longest leg without sight of land on the trip.

I wanted to see what the possible safety harbours or bays were like between Bunbury and Albany in case we needed to duck in anywhere due to mishap or bad weather, but the places we saw looked as if they would be difficult in bad weather anyway.

There did not seem to be much by way of safe havens on the western side of the peninsula, and although Augusta looked promising, if quite narrow, it would only be available after passing Leeuwin so we decided it would be a sail non-stop to Albany.

So on Saturday 16^th v October we tacked out of Koombana Bay at 100 into a 20 kt SW and 2.5M sea and headed towards Cape Naturaliste, but it took us until 2020 to be abeam. After that it was a cold hard slog to be abeam of Cape Leeuwin (Lioness in Dutch) at 1020 on the 17^th. There are outlying rocks and shoals where the sea can break heavily so we did an extra 16 miles to give these clearance.

It was another important waypoint as we were now going to be sailing generally East before our final turn to the north and Queensland and home, but there were still many miles to cover.

Cape Leeuwin and the Gloucester Tree Oct 1999

We hoped that after rounding the Cape we would have a free wind to Albany, but no! Our course was 120 degrees and the wind was SE – right on the nose. We tacked all night in a big swell but although it was not breaking, it was cold. We had to spend the night of the 18^th at sea and it was not until we rounded into King George Sound that the wind became favourable and we were past Breaksea Island, quickly through the narrows and into the harbour area. As it was 0300 we tied up at the public jetty, knowing that someone would ask us to move eventually, and we slept deeply until about 0900 when officialdom arrived. Actually he was quite helpful and advised us to go over to the SW side of the bay to the Princess Royal Sailing Club. This club has many 1 and 2 metre draft yachts so obviously people can sail into and out of their mooring jetties, but we had no detail chart of the bay and no local knowledge. I could see that from about halfway across the bay the water was shallow, but there seemed to be no marked entrance, so we felt our way in moving slowly until we bumped, reversing off and trying a new direction until about an hour later we tied up to one of the club’s fore and aft moorings and got our plank to the jetty. It was certainly worth the effort as they gave us our own key to the showers and generally made us welcome.

Entrance to Albany WA

To prepare for the Bight crossing I took the yacht out as there was some cracking in the fibreglass around the mast and its keel support end and the marine toilet had ceased to function. I did consider trucking the yacht across the Nullaboor to Portland in part so that we could ride the Indian Pacific rail, but decided against this. As it was we left in rather a hurry with a favourable forecast but I did not fill the starboard water tank properly, misinterpreting bubbles at the filler as a sign that it was full when it was not, this caused us some problems later. I could not purchase the needed silicon seals for the toilet so we sailed with a barely functioning one.

So after our long rest in Albany we were finally away at 1730 on Tue 26^th October. The wind and swell were with us and once clear of Breaksea Island we set the GPS for our next waypoint, Cape Otway in Victoria some 1280 miles away. We sailed well all night but the wind was gradually decreasing. We had covered a lot of ground by next noon, the 27^th, sailing 112 miles in about 20 hours; our position then was 35 30S 119 54E.

Bight sea cliffs

In the moderate wind almost astern we sailed well with one reef in the main and a full poled out jib, which seemed to make it easiest for the auto pilot. We were soon way off shore and did not expect to see land until in the vicinity of our next stop, Portland, Victoria.

I noted in the log that we “read, doze, do small maintenance jobs, play chess and interminable games of solitaire in which Grant and I cannot agree about the rules (I found out later that his interpretation was correct). We also eat well right around the clock, but both of us have lost a little weight – must be the constant activity. We sailed in increasingly fickle winds throughout the night which needed much gybing of the poled out jib and alterations in sail area but managed to keep up 5 or 6 kts all day. Our noon position on the 28^th October was 35 52S 122 33E, distance run 132 miles. Gradually the wind increased to 25 kts from the SE so the pole was stowed and we are close hauled on the starboard tack and the weather is suddenly colder. The seas are lumpy because the wind driven waves are meeting a 3 metre swell rolling in from the W.

We ate a large lunch of spaghetti bolognaise made with fresh meat and onions. Today was the day when one water tank ran out and the error in filling up with water (previously mentioned) became apparent. We had 22 litres of water in 2L plastic bottle in the bilge and although these had a very light coating of diesel they water inside would be potable. We also had 16 litres of Long-Life milk so we should not have to suffer thirst. We did however use all the liquids which were in cans of vegetables in the

the

High swell in the Bight

cooking, and used only salt water for personal cleaning

One of the better days in the Bight

We can only sail 080 true into the continuing SE and the sea is throwing us around a lot so that we have to wear the belt which keeps us in position at the stove to cook. By 0208 on the 29^th the motion is so violent that it is impossible to stand up. I should mention that I had the quarter berth with a lee cloth, under the cockpit and Grant had a wide bunk amidships in which he used to secure his position with pillows. The motion this night was so violent that one had to sit on the cabin sole to get out of clothing and waterproofs as it was unsafe to stand. Grant’s berth was untenable so we both used the quarter berth which, although like being in a coffin, you could not be thrown out of. This continued until noon on the 29^th when our position was 36 01S 124 59E. Soon the wind started dropping and changing towards the SW, much more like the expected and hoped for direction. However, the glass was dropping and we soon had a steady 25 kts with gusts to 40 kts. We were not carrying much sail but still doing 6 kts. I put the clock forward one hour to match dawn/dusk times. I was thrown heavily from stbd to port as a big sea hit us. No harm done but a warning as we need both of us without broken bones.

By 0915 on 30^th Oct. We had 3 reefs in the main and a tiny jib, but were still doing a steady 6 kts (our hull speed). We could not top up the diesel day tank in the conditions. By noon we were in 36 37S 129 51E; day’s run 132 Miles for 11 hours. and about this time sailed over the deepest part of the Bight at 5759M or 18,744ft.

Fortunately at sea, strong winds don’t last forever and during the night as we entered Sunday 31^st Oct the winds moderated and a few hours later so did the seas, apart from a big swell which caused us no problems. The barometer rose and we were back to an easy 25kts. At noon we were in 36 47.6S 130 26E with a run of 136 miles. During the night of the 31^st the winds dropped and when they came back it was from the SE at 10 kts. Our wanted course at this point was 098True but the nearest we could get was 087True. Not as good as we would have liked but still mostly in the right direct and the seas are down, life is comfortable and we are making 4.5kts and are on the second half of the Bight chart with Kangaroo Island and Adelaide on it. We were 250 miles WSW of Cape du Couedic on Kangaroo Island as we commenced Monday November 1^st.

November is the month when we should be safe in our home port and with light winds (but mostly from the wrong direction) we advanced slowly East. We had no contact with anyone since Oct 26^th and knew our families would be anxious to hear something, so I tried a few times to get contact with a ship although there were none we could see, but no one came back in response, so there may not be anyone within 70 mile radius of us. Noon posn. On the 1^st 37 13S 132 48E day’s run 117M.

On the 2^nd an Easterly sprang up of about 25kts raising an uncomfortable sea to bash through. Food started to be difficult to cook and for lunch we could only manage bread, biscuits and soup. The hand pump which clears the toilet has started leaking backwards, so that the loo overflows and can only be used by opening and closing the main shut-off valve (an old type brass steam valve) which can only be rotated half a turn at a time whilst being flat on the floor of the loo with arm extended and bent. We have been sailing SE since the Easterly started and are now in the latitude of Portland (our next stop) so should be sailing 090T but cannot. Because of my error in loading water at Albany we are in economy mode but should last until Portland. Why doesn’t the wind blow from any direction but East? Noon posn. 37 54S 134 40E day’s run 96.7M.

On Weds. 3^rd Nov. The wind shifted from E to SE so that we could almost hold our wanted course of 090T but it was slow going. Noon posn. 38 07S 136 33E day’s run 90M. We saw four basking seals in the calm water that stuck their heads out and stared at us as we went slowly by. Later that day we spoke to a passing freighter who reported us “all well” to SAR in Canberra. It is still cold but at least it’s sunny. I advanced the clocks an hour so that we are now on Queensland time. We have been close-hauled for some time but generally making progress.

As Thursday the 4^th started, the wind came on the nose again but kept on changing direction until it was due S and cold but good for sailing our course. Soon we were steady on 5 kts with a double reefed main and half jib. We sailed well all day in grey seas and greyer skies; the wind is steady at 20 kts. and motion makes it hard to do much below and necessitates hand steering. By 0400 we were within 30 miles of Portland and hoping to be tied up by 10am, but the wind came dead ahead again and threw up a 4M sea which just about stops the yacht so that by 1000 we had advanced only 14 miles. We really wanted a good rest so motor sailed from 1100 and finally tied up at 1700 on the 5^th, went ashore for a big meal and a beer and a long deep sleep.

On the 6^th we talked to family, voted in the referendum for a republic, (both republicans) cleaned and dried the yacht and swam in the heated public pool. We felt pretty good by the 7^th and after a tot of rum with Neptune for good luck, at 1030 with a favourable SW we stood out towards Eden in NSW which is about 5 days away and set our first waypoint at Wilson’s Promontory off Melbourne and about 236 miles away.

Our noon position on the 7^th was 38 22S 141 49E and with the wind a favourable SW at 20 kts (should be the prevailing wind for a while) we rolled + and – 30 degrees but did not mind as the log showed 6.5kts exactly on course. I noted in the written log that we sailed like this until 1915 when our SW wind swung to the S then to SE which we did not want and had to sail close hauled not quite making the wanted heading and being slowly forced landward. There was a 2M Sea so it was a bit wet bashing through it, yet we could still cook bangers & mash with peas for tea, but where oh where is our South Westerly gone?

But by 0430 on the 8^th it swung yet again to the SW but only light at 8kts. Still, with plenty of sail up, and virtually no swell we romped along in the cold sunshine and continued this way all night. Our noon posn. was 39 03S 144 24E and we had run 128 miles. It was a memorable sail, we ate and slept well but at the 0630 weather forecast on the 9^th, we heard a gale warning for our vicinity. Very soon we passed Wilson’s Promontory (our most Southerly point) and left the great Southern Ocean for Bass Strait and adjusted our way point to pass S of Gabo Island. Noon posn. 38 52S 147 06E day’s run 127 miles.

Still no gale has appeared and at 1920 we logged the appearance of the Bass Strait offshore oil wells which are about 100 miles from Gabo Island.

Well, here it is 0100 on the 10^th November and the promised gale is here! The wind was southeast again and we slogged our way past Gabo where we could see a couple of sheltering yachts. It was so rough and cold that we stood half hour watches, not getting out of our wet weather gear, but resting on the cabin sole with a waterproof pillow.

Gabo Island Bass Strait

As we passed Gabo and headed North East for Cape Howe the seas eased slightly and I got a phone call through to Whitworths (yacht chandlers) to get a toilet repair kit, which they had in stock but could not process the order inside 2 or 3 days and I did not know accurately where I would be at any particular date; so we used the toilet infrequently and a bucket whenever possible all the way to Townsville. Our noon posn. Was 37 52S 149 32E, day’s run 130 miles.

I did not have a detailed chart for Eden relying on my memory of previous visits (about four times) But we were approaching from the South and a bee-line to the mooring area would take us across shoals in the dark, so it was not until 2230 that we dropped our picks in Quarantine Bay Eden having been guided in by an already moored yacht, “Ondine III”, putting on his navigation and deck lights for us to see. We slept the sleep of the exhausted until 0800 on the 11^th.

A quick taxi journey to town where we shopped and had haircuts, the first for 2 months or more and we were off again. We set off for Sydney and after about an hour noticed a slow leak at the grease nipple on the stuffing box We moved slowly up the coast of NSW caught in varying winds which could not settle in any sort of consistent speed and direction. Which made for lots of sail action and us not making much more that 4 kts most of the time. In daylight we noticed a trail of fishing net around the rudder but managed to toss a weighted hook over it and cut it free – hoping there is none around the prop. As the 12^th dawned sailing did not improve but our noon posn. at 35 09S 150 57E showed that we had made good 119 miles, so we must have been aided by the EastCoast current as we were fairly close inshore.

The nipple leak was worsening, so I pulled it out, it was very rusty externally, and jammed a shaped pencil in the hole which when dried I surrounded with fast dry Araldite. We won’t use the engine much before home. The sky is blue and it is distinctly warmer as we sail North but that pesky wind has gone OTN (on the nose) again so that we are only making good about 3 kts. Anyway we slowly passed Wollongong and the southern beaches of Sydney deciding not to call in as we needed no supplies and the marinas are a long way in the harbour. Instead we sailed into Pittwater at 0946 on the 13^th,, anchored behind Palm Beach and went ashore for a big meal of fish and chips.

W e left Pittwater at 0430 on Sunday 14^th November after a cup of strong coffee with a tot of rum in it and once around Lion Island were pleased to get a 15kt NW breeze which allowed us to lay the way point off Port Stephens and sail at 6 kts on a perfect summer’s day. We stripped down to T-shirts and cotton trousers for the first time since Western Australia. Our noon position was 33 15S 151 50E. Our halcyon weather could not last and after dark we ran into an OTN wind which brought us down to 3kts made good in spite of idling the motor to keep us up close to the wind. Having sailed through dozens of moored coal ships off Newcastle and making slow headway I decided to rest in Port Macquarie and hope that there is a more favourable wind the next day.

Our noon posn. was 31 46S 152 47.6 E distance run a disappointing 87.8 miles. We entered the port at 1830 on the 15th with lightning flashing all around and a crashing sea on the breakwaters but over the bar it was OK and there were good lead lights. We bought food at a late opening supermarket and had a restaurant meal and seven hours deep sleep before setting off early and crossing the docile bar. I noted in the log “under weigh again and with A FOLLOWING WIND”. Our noon posn. on the 17^th was 28 26S 152 39E which was well on the way to the most Easterly point of Australia (Cape Byron) and we should be in home (Queensland) waters before long. Actually abeam of the Cape at 17/1000 and we crossed the NSW/Queensland border at 1430 which called for us to crack our penultimate bottle of champagne to drink with canapés in celebration. We are making 5kts but being rolled around a fair bit but can see the lights of South Stradbroke island at 2315. Sailing all night alongside N and S Stradbroke islands and the length of Moreton Island (Now in 2011, I live on the inner shore of Moreton Bay) brought us to the light on the northern tip of Moreton Island at 0630 on the 18th with wind ESE at 10kts and making 5 to 6 kts under all plain sail. The next waypoint was the entrance to Wide Bay which has a bar which can be unpleasant but we arrived just before low water and waited behind Double Island Point until near the end of the flood and sailed in at good speed at 0130 on the 19^th.

We rested until 0800 and identified the first fairway markers for the Fraser Island passage. Things went well for a while, but I was using very old charts for this section taken of a steel yacht I had owned years before. Unfortunately, there had been major changes to the passage and it was not long before I was ‘lost’. The passage has many shoals and channels and it was good clear weather so we motored slowly up channels until they stopped being navigable and then backtracked to try another. Eventually by spotting a tourist catamaran that had evidently come from the Bundaberg region we got back into a good well marked fairway and were soon out of Hervey Bay and on course for Cape Cleveland and home. I checked in with the coastguard at Bundaberg at we sailed all night in good conditions. At 1400 we caught our first mackerel for weeks and ate it with fried rice for tea. Black clouds were massing and lightning flashing at at 2130 but althou the wind piped up to 25 kts and there was a bit of sea we bounded along at almost 7kts. There were lots of trawlers about but of course they were well lit up and just made the watch stay sharp.

By Sat the 20^th at 0400 the loom of Gladstone could be seen and by noon, when our position was 23 11S 150 49E we had run 114 miles and our wives knew and were happy about our progress and I would be in Townsville in plenty of time to go skiing in the USA, so we went for a short stop in Yeppoon, just north of Rockhampton and just inside the Tropic of Capricorn. We tied up in Keppel Bay Marina at 1300 hours. We showered and took the bus to Yeppoon for last minute shopping and cards to send and were up and away by 0500 on Sunday 21^st. Caught lots of fish around dawn but they were all tuna so we returned them. Our noon posn. 23 37S 150 50E gave our day’s (7 hour) run as 33.7 miles.

The wind was OTN for a few hours but soon swung to the NE which gave us a beam wind. We were in a strong tidal area and were helped and hindered by this but averaged about 5kts over the ground. Monday saw us in cloudy weather with light rain squalls but a generally favourable wind direction. I know the seas hereabouts quite well so it was fun to shoot between Scawfell Island and St. Bees at 9kts (tide assisted).

Our noon posn on the 22^nd Nov. was 20 54S 148 29E giving us a day’s run of 127 miles. The winds again were variable but it was enjoyable Queensland sailing (it’s so nice to be warm even when it’s raining) and we caught mackerel after mackerel off Abbot Point near Bowen as we sailed past at 6 kts. We did not get to the vicinity of Townsville until late evening of the 23rd and the press and the motor boat club wanted us to arrive in daylight so we anchored off Magnetic Island for the night, went ashore in the morning, had a shower and got into our better clothes and made our way slowly to Townsville to arrive at the agreed time of 12 noon on Wednesday the 24^th November, for the press and Channel Ten TV. Having gone through the media, it was great so see our families and friends and share some champagne with them before going home. The voyage was over.

We had been away 93 days all told, but when I totalled the actual sailing periods in the log, excluding rest days and anchored periods, to the nearest one tenth of an hour it had taken 56.1 days. Grant and I had formed a strong bond over our voyage in spite of us coming from opposite ends of the religious spectrum and I had been glad to have him aboard for both the skills he had and his company.

FINIS

LOG OF EXCEL –A VOYAGE AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 1999

Norman Taylor and Grant Johnson

“Excel” being christened by Cheryl and being anti-fouled before the start.

In 1998 I was 66 and had been retired for two years. I did not own a yacht at that time so when I decided I would do one last singlehanded sail around Australia I had to find a suitable vessel and looked around for a sturdy yacht. As I was not in any hurry I travelled up and down the coast now and then and eventually found Excel in Mooloolaba, about 60 miles N. of Brisbane.

I collected the necessary gear, motored down to Mooloolaba, loaded up the yacht, sent my car to be looked after by son David. I waited for a suitable departure time (230am). This departure would put me close to Wide Bay Bar at about slack water – it can be a dangerous bar in a large swell. As I went along I found that the motor controls were connected backwards and she sailed very slowly in light winds due to the small sail area. But I wasn’t in a hurry and got the yacht the 800 miles back to Townsville single-handed and without incident after making one stop overnight in the marina at Yeppoon.

The yacht was a new professionally built fibreglass 30ft Ben Lexcen hull with a new Kubota diesel but little else except a battery inside. I had to sleep on the cabin sole with just a sleeping bag under me. It was another would-be sailor’s unfinished dream – there are a lot of them advertised in the yachting press – people get started and then realise how much labour and money is needed and decide to get out. The previous owner had rigged mast and sails off a 25ft Roberts, and she looked rather stupid with such a small mast and sails.

Over the year I rewired, re-masted, bought new sails and finished (with the aid of a carpenter for fiddly bits) the fit out below decks so that in 1999 I was ready to sail. I had been weekend sailing with a friend, Grant (who I had taught to sail around Magnetic Island) and he expressed interest in sailing around Oz with me. I thought “why not”. It turned out a very successful relationship and Grant was a fine sailor by the time he returned to Townsville.

When Cheryl and I did our big sail from Townsville to Whitby in 1987/8, our yacht lacked many conveniences for shorthanded sailing which was mainly due to lack of funds. Now, in 1999, my financial situation was much better and I had outfitted the yacht with some comforts and conveniences. Sailing to England, I used to get a stiff neck from sitting in the cockpit and forever having to be looking forward or up at the sails: this time I installed high seats, fixed to the pushpit, facing forwards from where it was comfortable looking ahead and upwards and possible to steer the vessel with a tiller extension. You can see the comfortable seats in the middle picture following.. When Also, working the foredeck, changing a jib is often done in heavy weather and in a cold and relatively dangerous position; the plunging bow of the yacht. This time I fitted jib furling equipment and could easily increase or decrease sail area singlehanded from the comfort of the cockpit. This was aided by another facility; self-tailing winches. Finally, there is little more tiring than being apprehensive about where precisely you are; particularly when you are close inshore or sailing through reef-strewn areas. The addition of a basic and inexpensive GPS system with a display that could be read from the steering position took away all nervousness. Of course, if you entered the wrong latitude or longitude for a waypoint it could be fatal. So I wrote down the position for all the waypoints I was likely to use on the trip after extracting them from the charts and having them double checked for accuracy by Grant. To keep our power up, we had an 80 watt solar cell on the canopy. I decided that I would not sail at night until I was around the tip of Cape York at the northern extremity of Australia, so each day’s trip had to be planned so that we could make a safe anchorage. Many of these anchorages were in reef areas and as you can’t spot a reef or shallows very well with the sun at a low angle we had to be snugged down by about 1630 hours each day. We did of course start early.

We took a case of mid-strength beer and sufficient fresh food to last from 6 to 10 days as we expected to be able to buy food at about those intervals except when crossing the Bight, which might take longer. We also carried 30 days of emergency canned and dried foods and 50 litres of extra water stowed between the seats in case the unexpected happened. This plan worked quite well and we usually managed to have two cold beers each for our daily ‘sundowner’ which we enjoyed as soon as we anchored for the night. Finally, the yacht was fitted with a good VHF Tx/Rx which transmitted through a masthead antenna giving us a range of about 75 miles. So, with all stores, charts, a good medical kit, 100 litres of diesel, 200 litres of water and a mobile phone each we were ready for the off.

I had decided to leave in late August because that was the best compromise date to keep us out of the cyclone area during the season and yet not put us into the Bight during the coldest and windiest period. The only lengthy adverse winds we should face ought to be from Exmouth to Perth on the West Australian coast and that was far in the future.

We were farewelled without fanfare at my pontoon mooring at the Townsville Yacht Club by family and friends and slipped our moorings at 0825 on Aug 22^nd 1999. We had no wind and so left the motor on until Middle Reef lights were in line where we caught a few freshets which took us out clear of Magnetic Island where the South Easterly trades were starting to pick up. By the time we were abeam Cordelia Rocks we had a 20 Kt ESE and could comfortably make 5-6 Kts with full main and a poled out half jib. By 1700 we passed the last of the Palm group; Curacao Island. Because I know the seas from Townsville to the Low Islands, having sailed and raced in the area many times, we sailed throughout that night only shortening sail for safety reasons as there was only one on deck. We wore a good inflatable vest and a safety harness which clipped to a ring in the cockpit. It was quite cool at night and often necessitated a beanie and a waterproof coat. When the wind dropped down to about 15 Kts the autopilot could handle the yaw so the watch had it easy under the half moon.

During a watch change with both of us in the cockpit the plug connecting the autopilot was accidentally stepped on and smashed, but fortunately we carried a spare and a 12V soldering iron so repaired it after daylight. We were abeam Fitzroy Island off Cairns at noon so having taken the sun’s elevation with my sextant (just to keep my hand in in case of electrical problems) I noted the day’s run of 138 miles in the log. Technically, it was more than a day as we had started sailing at 0825 not noon, but I did the calculation at noon from then on. Sailing north we were abeam of Half Moon Bay as the sun got lowish so we nipped into the yacht club and had a nice meal ($10) and comfortable berth for the night for $14. I should have mentioned that we had a list of all Queensland Coastguard stations with their channel watch data and that we advised our presence in the area as we passed them. For their part they notified the next station that we should be checking in with our progress. We obtained similar data for all the different States as we sailed around Australia. Heading for our next anchorage, the Low Islands, we trailed a large lure which was cushioned by a bicycle inner tube and were struck by something so heavy that it broke the stainless wire we were using.

We dropped the pick inside the Low Islands lagoon well away from the lighthouse. Deciding to fish for our dinner, we caught a remora and chopped it up for bait. With a line just dropped over the side and secured to a safety wire with a clothes peg (when you get a bite the peg springs off and alerts you) we both rushed on deck when we heard the peg released to be greeted by a boating inspector who lived near the lighthouse. He could have been awkward about our fishing as it was not allowed inside the lagoon, but instead he gave me some pamphlets which told us not to fish and wished us well on our journey. The fish got off during the interview!

Notice the water and diesel containers between the seats

We were up early on August 25^th and under way by 0500 as we motored out of Low Islands lagoon setting course for Gubbins Reef pass about 40 miles away with a favourable south-easterly and all plain sail making a comfortable 5 knots. Off Cape Tribulation the Coastwatch plane flew over us and asked us on Channel 16 to identify ourselves which we did. We saw them on and off all the way to about Carnarvon in Western Australia. As I was not in contact with any coastguard station I asked Coastwatch to relay a message to Cheryl and Kristine (Grant’s wife) but they would not.

We were in a well marked big ship channel so decided to run all night as the SE wind was forecast as 10-15 knots,, but it actually varied between 5 and 30 knots so we had a bit of sail area adjusting to do but sailed sweetly all night, with a lot of hand steering. Towards dawn on the 26^th we hooked a large mackerel but lost it at the ship’s rail. Then we got a 5lb tuna but let it go as neither of us like fried tuna steaks (we had not learned how to process tuna at this time). Finally, as the sun was still low, we got a small 10 lb mackerel which we ate fried with rice for lunch.

We arrived at the Flinder’s Island pass early, about 1300 but decided it was a good anchorage and finished for that day. We did some maintenance jobs including repairing the spinnaker ring and had a long sleep. Next morning, the 27^th, the sea was flat and wind nil, so we motored at 4 kts for a couple of hours. The last fresh milk was sour so it was into the UHT which we drank at the rate of about 2 litres a day which was enough for porage or cereal and the innumerable cups of tea/coffee we drank. The onions were still OK but the fresh pumpkin was off so it was fed to the fishes. We kept all plastic and paper garbage to dump ashore but sank cans, which we holed, and all rottable items in the sea.

It was a hot day with little wind which would just support the spinnaker as the only sail up and we wandered along at 3 kts. We fished all day but not a single hit. We learned that dawn and dusk were the best times and eventually resorted to only streaming the lure at those times. The best lure seemed to be a large one with a single hook painted red and white and with a large eye each side- far more successful than the mackerel spoons which we had aplenty.

About 1400 an easterly came up and quickly steadied at 15 kts so we were quickly doing 6 kts under reefed main and full jib and soon abeam of Burkitt Island.

We As When we passed Heath Reef we noticed there seemed to be many more big ships about. The fresh food bin has only a few potatoes beginning to shoot and four oranges. By the 28^th August we were abeam Moody Reef but feeling a bit tired so decided to rest over in Margaret’s Bay just W of Cape Grenville. Spoke to a passing Chinese Shipping Lines vessel and the watch officer kindly agreed to phone Kristine when he was in touch with Thursday Island Radio and pass on our report. Left Margaret’s Bay at 0505 on the 29^th after a good breakfast of bacon, eggs and beans and soon hooked a 25lb mackerel. There was a large ‘thump’ as I was pulling it in and two sharks chased it in close to the stern. The tail section was bitten off (see above pix) but it still gave us 8 fish dinners when filleted and put in our 12v fridge.

I could see that we would make no safe anchorage late in the day so we dodged in behind Bushy Island at 1330 sheltered by a small sand cay. We went ashore to stretch our legs on the island and collect some shells. We are not that far from Cape York and hope to reach it tomorrow.

We were up at 0400 on the 30th and in Albany Passage by 1100 and doing 8 kts with a bit of help from the tide. Cape York at the northern tip of mainland Australia is in sight!

We passed Eborac Light and anchored in quite a tide race on the W side of Cape York using 2 anchors in tandem. I wouldn’t get off the yacht until I could see we had not moved for half and hour. Then we both went ashore and had a beer at the ‘hotel’ at the tip. It cost $10! There was a hosepipe freshwater shower near the pub and we got the salt out of our hair and the clothes we were wearing. We had had no communication with our families and tried unsuccessfully on a public phone for 2 hours to contact one of the wives, knowing that they would let the other know we were OK, but could not contact either of them. Heavy rain on the autopilot seemed to affect it so we covered it in plastic and duct tape. The rain was nice to shower in.

We left Cape York at 0700 on the 2^nd September by retracing our course as there seemed to be a large sandbank to the West, so we rounded Eborac Light again adding another 5 miles to the journey and stemming a 3 kt current at the island. There are various routes through Torres Strait which is strewn with reefs and islets and is subject to fast tides in places so I decided to go close to the southern part of Prince of Wales Island as the safest route.

Had another big hit whilst fishing which broke the s/steel ring on the lure – another big one got away! We threaded our way out of Endeavour Strait towards the Carpenteria Light Vessel, and at 1405 were abeam of Red Wallis Islet which is the last of Queensland we will see until we have almost finished the circumnavigation. We did 8 kts for a couple of hours in light winds so must have been tide-assisted. No fresh food but plenty of tins and fresh fish and meat in the small freezer, so should be OK to Darwin our next stop. Saw one large ore carrier probably bound for Weipa. Now that we were clear of the reef areas I decided to log the noon to noon run. Noon position 10 52.7S 139 58.6E.

During the night the swell induced motion loosened 6 diesel containers in the lazarette so we stored them in the main cabin outside the head. Did engine maintenance including filter change. During washing up and cleaning up a diesel spill in the cockpit both our buckets were lost overboard, and as a bucket is an essential item I made one from a water plastic jerrican with a rope halter which sufficed until Darwin.

Wind light from almost astern so set spinnaker on a strop and used it as an MPS so we made about 5 kts. Noon position 10 53.4S 137 57.7E day’s run 119 miles.

By Sept 4^th we were abeam Wessel Island light and set Port Essington as our next waypoint. Very little wind as the afternoon wore on and in the near calm water we saw three yellow-black banded sea snakes – didn’t know they lived so far off shore. I believe they are very poisonous but also non-aggressive as snakes go. Noon position 10 51.9S135 57E day’s run 118.5 miles.

Found compass light very hard to see so fixed additional light which improves things and put on motor in light winds both to make progress and keep batteries up. Noon posn. 10 52.2S 133.57E day’s run 119 miles. These three day’s runs are amazingly equal, but taken from the GPS they are what occurred.

We were off Pt. Bremer by the 5^th, weather getting hotter and glad of the sun canopy by day. Two small flying fish came aboard during the night but not large enough to eat – put them on a line as bait, but they came off the hooks without a strike. Changed way point to Dundas Strait entrance where we will go SSW towards Darwin. Large school of dolphins came, played and went. One of the lifeline lashings which had been on the yacht since I bought it snapped when one of us hit it accidentally, so we replaced every lashing with new polypropylene rope.

Noon position 11 0.6S 131 52.8E day’s run 123 miles. Had a saltwater deck bath and came abeam of Cape Don light. Temp inside cabin 33 degrees Celsius. Abeam of Soldier’s Point on Melville Island and in little wind and with the tide against us put on engine as some hazards around.

At 0220 on Monday the 6^th we rounded Abbot Shoal and picked our way carefully towards the reef-filled area in Clarence Strait when we were about 38 miles from our destination in Darwin to the SSW. We had a nervous night with both on watch navigating by GPS and were glad to see the dawn. With Darwin only 20 miles away we came up with a French flagged yacht which had come from Indonesia and sailed parallel to her about 50 metres away for half an hour chatting in Frenglish about our voyage and Darwin which I had been to before. I note this now because of what happened later.

It’s a strange thing sailing: we had travelled almost without incident from Townsville to be in sight of the marina lock when things started to happen. We were in the approach channel to the Darwin marina when Grant shouted that the engine red light was on. I had just enough room to get out of the channel and back into deeper water, where we dropped the pick and found that the engine belt had snapped. “No problem, soon fix this” I thought as there was a spare with the yacht when I bought it. Alas it would not fit being too short- moral, don’t assume – check it. Anyway some wind was getting up and the entrance channel was narrow so I made a spliced rope belt and after a couple of tries it fitted with enough friction do drive the water pump and alternator. I didn’t want to rely solely on the engine so we put up the No.1 jib and with a beam wind were soon haring up the channel but about half way when I asked for the jib’s release it was found that we had an overridden turn on the winch. Again, this is no problem to fix as one could put a spare rope on the sheet and use another winch to take the strain which makes the jam easy to undo and is something I had done before on other yachts. This time however we had no sea room but fortunately carry a sharp deck knife and Grant cut the sheet with a couple of strokes. Fortunately the engine belt held until we tied up at the waiting wharf just astern of the French yacht to await the lock gate opening and breathed a sigh of relief. But this was not to be the end of our adventures on entering Darwin.

No sooner had we tied up and stepped ashore than Customs were down on us, complete with dog. They must have either been monitoring our approach or listening to our radio chat with the other yacht. Anyway they suspected drugs (most probably that the French yacht from Indonesia was carrying and had passed on some or all of it to us as less likely to be searched.) There were customs already searching the French yacht and they asked me if I was carrying anything which fortunately we weren’t and could they look aboard with the dog. I think my confidence in saying “sure help yourselves, we’ll stay here on the dock while you look” helped as they were off our yacht in no time, thanking us for our co-operation. The lock gates opened shortly after and we went in and tied up in Cullen Bay Marina,, but the customs were still on the French yacht.

In Darwin until Thurs 9^th September we restocked the yacht filling the freezer with bacon and steaks assured that we would keep on catching fish and three cases of beer for our sundowners. I bought two fan belts (GATES 11A-0980) and did full engine maintenance including replacing gear box oil with ATF DEXRON III and replaced all oil and water filters. Whilst downtown we noticed a lot of military and refugee activity in Darwin which we learned was due to the riots in Timor after the independence referendum and Aussie troops were sent in. We met two sailors who told us that diesel could be purchased at Cape Leveque and Cockatoo Island. We still wanted to sail with full tanks from Darwin just in case so booked fuel at the bowser for 9am and locked out of the marina at 0830 but had to wait until 1000 until someone turned up in spite of our phone calls to the service number – they must operate on ‘manana time’ in Darwin. We cleared the Darwin fairway under motor due no wind and set course for Cape Londonderry and Cape Leveque after a toast in Bundy rum to Father Neptune. Soon it was engine off and set the sails and at noon on the 9^th September our position was 12 19.9S 130 35.5E.

The winds were variable in strength and direction which involved a lot of sail work, but at sunset we were in a flat calm and heading straight into it with its rainbow hues. We have been fishing using a lure painted pink with nail varnish as suggested by a friend from the marina. We towed until after dark under engine but did not get a strike.. When I went to the freezer to get our evening lamb chops out I realized that it was not working and checking the main electronics card could see that it gave no output. The fridge was newly installed in Townsville and still under guarantee but we were in a very isolated area of Australia and could do nothing. The fridge was full of steaks and bacon and would gradually thaw out over the next 20 hours, so we went onto a meat only diet but even then could not eat everything we had and ended up using it for bait. But we could not even catch a fish on a nice piece of sirloin. Also, our daily couple of cans of beer would have to be postponed or drunk warm. We did end up drinking it warm and after initial complaints soon got used to it.

A light NE wind came up so we had an easy sail all night. We moved some foam onto the cockpit sole and the watch slept intermittently with the navigation and deck lights on knowing that any change in the motion would have one of us up immediately. Normally, way out off shore we did not put navigation lights on. We did not hug the coast with all its indentations but rather steered near a straight line between way points. We always streamed a lure just before dawn and caught a couple of 5lb tuna but let them go. Do not seem to be any mackerel around here. Noon position on the 10^th was 12 36.8S 1128 46.5E with day’s run of 108 miles. We have been in the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea and now we are in the Arafura Sea.

At 11/0200 a 10Kt wind came in from the WNW so we could just hold our course of 252 degrees (T) towards our next waypoint Combe Rock off Cape Londonderry. This is the area of the famous Kimberleys which it would have been nice to visit, but I am going skiing in early December so must press on.

Fishing at dawn we caught a 20 inch barracuda but put it back unharmed as they are not good for eating. We were tempted though, as we have been living on tinned protein since losing the fridge. The customs Coastwatch overflew us almost every day and every day asked us our name and destination. It got so that I was thinking of making a sarcastic reply, but decided against it. We are catching fish fairly regularly but they are always tuna of about 5lb and we return them. Where are the mackerel or don’t they live in the Arafura Sea? The tuna are returned because neither of us likes fresh tuna steaks, but we don’t know how to treat tuna and will learn this later, so we subsist on tinned steak or ham or sausages with canned veggies instant mashed potato, rice or spaghetti sometimes made into a curry. All in all, we eat as well as I have ever eaten on a yacht, but some fresh fish or meat would be very welcome but we are still a little way from our next stop.

Tides are quite strong hereabouts even where we are a way off shore. We sailed on all night in a light NW breeze but about 12/0200 I gave myself a scare. Whilst passing West Holothuria Reef and about 5 miles clear according to the GPS, I switched on the depth sounder to compare chart depth to sounder depth. The sounder showed 10ft and then 7ft and the depth alarm rang. I had just come on watch so perhaps was not at my most clear thinking, but I started the engine, reversed on to a reciprocal course and doused to jib. Grant came on deck to see what the fuss was about. The sounder then read 56ft then 9ft. As my adrenalin subsided I realised that the depth sounder reading was flashing, which it does when it is over range and a look at the chart and the GPS showed we were over Penguin Deep (61 fathoms on my chart). In spite of rationalising the incident I could not sleep after I came off watch and for the rest of the night. For breakfast we had eggs and large crackers. The eggs last very well (for over a week) even in hot weather and without a fridge if they are fresh laid.

Before noon when Grant took over I had a saltwater deck bath, shampoo, shave and change of clothes. Noon position 13 57.35S 125 13E day’s run 114miles.

At 1745 we were abeam Maret Island which was to our SE and still catching only tuna when we saw a single whale, quite large about 100 metres away.

As Sunday became Monday 13^th Sept there was no wind so we motored at about 4kts (average of tides which were strong, sometimes aiding and sometimes holding us back) and with dawn washed the cockpit and did small maintenance jobs around the yacht. At 1140 I was disconcerted by patches of sandy water although we are in about 160ft which seems to me rather deep water for a tidal swirl. Just before noon the Coastwatch plane overflew us but for the first time did not talk to us. Our posn. At noon on the 13^th Sept was 15 18.95S 123 53E day’s run 112 miles.

Just before sunset, saw large black and grey whale rolling on its side. The tides are still noticeably strong.

On Tuesday Sept 14^th we motored cautiously into Cape Leveque and anchored in 3 fathoms at low water. If we had 3 fathoms at high water we would have been well aground at high tide given a fall of 5 metres. We put out two picks and it seemed a good holding ground. I was concerned as we had 200 metres to row ashore – we have no dinghy outboard – and the tide flow was surging past us. Finally we rowed at 45 degrees to the wanted course as strongly as we could and made our landfall pretty much as intended. There was a sign at the beach indicating a shop and we followed it there. The shop was owned by a Tasmanian couple who besides selling us much needed supplies also shared a pot of tea and cakes with us which they provided. (See pix below). We filled our four 25 litre plastic jerricans with diesel and the store owner drove us back to the beach with them. I decided not to try to row that load and Grant back to the yacht until near slack water and we had a successful return. As we were anchored our day’s run had been a short 84.4 miles. We rolled all night.

The red cliffs and white sand of Cape Leveque

After sleeping for 14 out of the last 24 hours we up-anchored and at 0700 on 15^th Sept set sail for Dampier about 550 miles away and believed to have a marina (It didn’t or at least I did not find it). We retarded the ship’s clocks and are now on Perth WA time. Whilst under way I repacked the stern gland with grease and tightened motor mountings which were loose by about half a turn. Sailed easily in a light SE wind. Noon position 16 42S122 35E and day’s run (5 hrs) 27.4 miles. We decided to bypass Broome in view of the big tide that day which would have made us anchor a long way offshore with a long row in with the strong tides. We had plenty of fuel, water and food.

For the rest of the day and into the night we had a SW wind of about 15 kts but with the tide against wind and sea there was a rough chop which tossed us around and slowed our progress. One of these seas lifted me 3” off the loo whilst I was using it but I fortunately came down in the same place. It was too rough to cook so we had Wheaties for breakfast. It wasn’t that there was a gale or anything like it just very choppy seas. Noon position on the 16^th September 17 42.8S 121 23.6E day’s run 91.5 miles. The SE shifted to the East and settled in strength and direction and so we are making good progress and should be in Dampier in about 3 days.

As the evening advanced the wind strengthened and we double reefed the main as a precaution which proved a good idea as by the 17^th at 0430 it was up to 30 kts. If there was any weather about we usually did night watches with the hatchway washboards in place. I had just come on watch and Grant was below and I had not yet replaced the washboards when a large wave came over the stern and poured into the cabin soaking my berth and sleeping bag. The boards were positioned immediately but no further wave came, but from then on we stood one hour watches in wet weather gear, life jacket and safety harness. The wind was getting more southerly with the sea rising. As we were well out to sea off Port Hedland by about noon and we were making little progress for a lot of wear and tear on yacht and crew, I decided to heave to and await an improvement in the weather and sea.

The yacht lies safely at about 45 degrees to the oncoming rollers with no jib and 3 reefs in the main with the sail and tiller roped to send her slowly to windward. The sky and sea were blue and it was lovely sunshine; it was not a frontal system but might have been something further away that we were getting the swells from. With everything closed it was hot and humid below and for Grant, who had only sailed on this voyage, these were the first sizable seas he had been in, so he was initially apprehensive. We sat and drank tea and played magnetic chess to pass the time. We could hear the chatter from a yacht race taking place near Port Hedland on our VHF so they obviously didn’t think it was so bad! Actually when you think that we had sailed nearly halfway around Australia (Geraldton is about half way) without any weather we had been quite lucky. It is hard to imagine sailing the length of the English east coast (a much shorter distance) without having at least some bad weather. I did not take or note our noon position.

By 1500 it was obvious that the wind and sea were abating so with only a quarter of the jib area and 2 reefs in the main we flew along as the wind shifted to a favourable NE. It was still a wet ride as waves slapped the yacht’s side and threw up a heavy spray.

We continued towards Dampier as Saturday the 18^th September started and should have been in range of their port control as it is a big LPG gas port, but could not raise them on VHF. Perhaps they ignore small yachts? The wind lessened but there was still a lumpy sea. Noon position 19 52S 117 50E (did not log day’s run). It is interesting to note that we are now south of Townsville’s latitude of 19 12S but are not yet half way around Australia which point is about 400 miles away

On the 19^th the wind picked up and moved ahead of our course so that we motor sailed (to avoid having to tack all the way) down the long inlet south of Legendre Island with the large gas flares at the refinery lighting our way. We kept to the marked channel and continued to Hampton Harbour and moored near the causeway on 19^th September at 0730. As the sun dried the yacht’s exterior I had never seen such salt encrustation on a yacht. It stayed on until a short shower the next day washed it off. Hampton Harbour has a yacht club and they were most hospitable in providing for our needs including taking us to the nearest town of Karatha the next day. Whilst there I talked to the Townsville fridge supplier and he agreed to send a replacement control card to Geraldton c/o main post office. Remember, we had been without a fridge or freezer for the last 10 days. I also went to the tackle shop to buy replacement fishing items and mentioned to the proprietor that we kept throwing back tuna. He told me about bleeding the fish and soaking the fillets in sea water and that you could even eat it raw after soaking in wine and lemon juice. We did eat a few tuna after that but both of us preferred mackerel, which we had not caught for quite a while.

A strange coincidence occurred. After returning from Karatha I had a look at the other yachts moored in the bay and seemed to recognise the silhouette (an Adams 40) of one which I used to own. I got out the binoculars and could see that it was my old Whitby Lass which I had sold a few years earlier.

Whitby Lass in Townsville before I sold her

(I have called three of my yachts Whitby Lass to celebrate the fact that I learned to sail off Whitby in Yorkshire England.) We went over in our dinghy and the yacht still had the same name and the same owner I had sold it to (Philip Utber). He and his crew were working at the nearby industrial area and making good pay and were saving up for a foray into the Philippines. We went on board for a drink and a look around at what they had done since I owned it and Grant stayed on as they started to party, returning the next morning the worse for wear!

We all sailed off together the 21st September at 0630 but they turned North and we turned W at East Intercourse Island to thread our way through south of Enderby Island. We gave Steamboat Island and its reef a good clearance before setting course south of Barrow Island and heading for our next port of Exmouth.

Around 0930 we caught a small spotted mackerel on our new red eyed lure and had it for lunch with boiled rice. We had left with our ice box full of ice, meat and beer but knew it would last a maximum of three days. By noon the wind had increased to 15 kts and was now almost ahead, so we butted into the seas and I put on a thicker shirt over my t-shirt. Noon posn. 20 29.7S 116 20.3E. Still tacking but wind shift allows us to take a long favourable tack alternated with a short sail at right angles to the shore to get sea room. We did this all night and at noon on the 22^nd had only made 85.1 miles with a position of 21 26.1S 115 12.2 E. After another five hours of this we decided to anchor overnight at Onslow and get a good sleep. We had to take care entering the small bay which offered some protection from the SW winds and dropped the pick in 15ft (at low water) in peculiar red water at 1705. The colour was not due to algae but to red sand in suspension. We drank half a bottle of rum between us and slept well. We were now 2/3 of the distance to Exmouth.

We set off at 0500 on the 23^rd in noticeably cooler morning air and can just hold our course to Exmouth close hauled on the port tack.

There are many small reef obstacles to avoid but we have the GPS and also plot our track on an Admiralty chart of the area. By noon our position was 21 43.3S 114 44E and distance run for 7 hrs sailing 31.5 miles. We sailed without incident in moderate winds and could just hold the course for Exmouth arriving at 2030 in the dark. It is a brand new marina and I had no entry information. It was well marked, but just in case I talked to a yacht already tied up in the marina and his description exactly matched what I saw and we tied up for the night as locals took our lines and offered us a drink.

It was an early rise and a decent walk into Exmouth with our Esky but we shopped for fresh meat and food and had a nice fresh water shower, clothes and all, in the local park. There were emus wandering about so mustn’t be many gun-happy chappies around here. We took on ice and diesel and traded charts and mud maps with the locals at the marina and went to a wife’s birthday party. Their yacht was beached outside the marina to weld a plate below the water line but something must have gone wrong as it leaked as the tide rose and they had to pump all night.

At dawn on the 25^th September we had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and motored into a windless sea towards North West Cape about 12 miles away which we had to round before turning south towards Carnarvon. At 0557 we were abeam of Point Murat and the American VLF comm. Station. We rounded and turned SSW at 0810 and began sailing along WA’s barrier reef (series of long coral reefs) too close inshore for me to sail inside with comfort . There is only a light 8kt wind but a 2-3 metre swell from the SW so there is spectacular surf breaking on those reefs as we pass. We listened to the AFL Grand Final and at noon on the 25^th our position was: 22.00S 113 53E. Sailed in a 10kt breeze and by 2030 were abeam of Pt.Cloates.

Emus at Exmouth

On Sunday 26^th September we crossed the tropic of Capricorn at 0633. A nasty looking front changed the largely clear skies we have had since Cape Leveque into a threatening mass and it turned suddenly cold, but did us no harm except for turning the breeze due S so that we became motor-assisted to maintain 4 kts on course. We are 20 miles off shore doing the shortest distance to Cape Cuvier. By noon our position was: 23 55S 113 24E day’s run 118 miles. Sundays are usually deckbath and clothes change day but we may be in Carnarvon with showers and a laundrette tomorrow so will stay unwashed (it is also rather cool).

We got into the poorly marked fairway and dropped pick in 10ft (LW) but it must have been soft mud as we could not hold with the stiff breeze blowing from the SE. So at 0220 we moved to the Dept of Transport ‘boat harbour’. After a good sleep we learned that it was $30 a night tied up at their wharf and we were just aground in the mud at the next low water- not very impressive considering the fee charged and we only draw 1.4 metres, so it is not a recommended port for a deep keel yacht.

So now it was the 27^th and we needed to go to town for milk and ice and a bit of fresh meat. I noticed that because I had been (foolishly) leaving the starter key in the cockpit motor switch it was frozen in position by salt. I thought there might be an agent in town so we called a taxi by mobile and went in. It is a fairly small place and was a public holiday so little was open. We managed to buy a few things and walked to the local yacht club where they made us very welcome and we dined well as there was a holiday barbecue there that night.

The motor key was a problem, I could hot-wire the starter but there were other leads on the switch and I was worried about the alternator so got out the multimeter. Alas it would not work as had been left on. I had dozens of AA C and D cells but no 9v battery which it needed. So there was no choice but to wait the next day and walk into town when more shops would be open. With the meter I found that we could get a start with a croc. Lead and screwdriver and the alternator was OK, but I ordered a new switch from Nanni in Sydney to be sent to GPO Geraldton with their assurance that it would arrive before we did. So it was Tuesday 28 September when we left at 0930. It was a windy day requiring two reefs and a small jib and we still sailed heeled at 20 degrees. With the wind on the nose and the seas about 2 metres we sailed hard tack and tack making good only 1 miles for every two sailed. We passed through at least ten large black whales that ignored us.

As Tuesday turned to Wednesday I noted in the log “It’s a horrible, wild, cold, wet night, the yacht is leaping about and is momentarily airborne as we slam in to the next swell. I am jammed in a corner writing this and wishing for calmer seas,” Still, I was pleased to note another milestone on our journey as we passed the most westerly place in Australia, the appropriately named West Point, latitude 25 33S at 0123 hrs. We have now been to the most Northerly and most Westerly points on or circumnavigation. It has been a lot of head seas and surprisingly cold more or less since leaving Onslow. But by 0755 on the 29^th we entered Shark Bay and wind and sea moderated. The water was about 40ft deep and crystal clear so not a good scene for fishing but our lure was struck almost as soon as it was streamed and a 6 lb spotted mackerel was soon on board to be eaten with salad and rice. We had been warned to take care getting out of Shark Bay so we took time identifying the channels and crossed the bar at Steep Point with the tide in our favour and were at last in the open sea again.

For this run to Geraldton (the biggest town since leaving Darwin) we have to sail the length of an ironbound coast (the Zuytdorp cliffs). The Zuytdorp Cliffs mark the western edge of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area – and the continent. They tower up to 200 m high and stretch more than 300 km and are the longest fault scarp in Australia. The coastal sailing guide warns: it is “Pounded by the Indian Ocean, with wave-cut benches, blowholes, spouts and slips Want to search for the wreck? [The Zuytdorp] Be warned: massive swells and treacherous currents mean the cliffs remain hazardous to boaters.” With a warning like that we decided to keep well off shore and even at our nearest approach we could still see the big swells throwing up high spray. We were now being affected by the prevailing SW winds and seas although we are a long way from lower latitudes.

The ironbound coastal cliffs near Kalbarri

The Zuytdorp Cliffs

So we tacked for quite a while as we butted our way south. We would use the engine on idle to get as close to the wind as possible and steer at right angles away from the coast which would put us 10 miles or more off shore then come onto the making tack and hold that until we were getting too close to shore again. We did this watch and watch about taking heavy seas over the bow and wearing lots of clothing under our wet weather gear. Both autopilots had by now ceased working so it was hand steer and would prove to be the longest period of unpleasant sailing in the whole trip. By Thursday the, last day of September, the motion had loosened the diesel container kept in the loo and broken off its tap. This spilled about 20 litres into the bilges and made a skating rink below with our rubber boots, but it had to be cleaned up and took the off-watch person about 4 hours to achieve. The motion also caused cracks to appear where the internal post met the deck tabernacle and a little water could be seen seeping in. Friday the 1sr October and we were still slogging South. At 1830 I noticed that water was coming from the fore peak storage bins and as the fore hatch was not that leaking it must be somewhere forward of the hatch, but I could not see where the trouble was. A closer look showed the bins were full of water and I could not see where it was getting in apart from it must be the deck somewhere. There must have been about 50 gallons overall and that weight in the bow was not good so I drilled a half inch hole in the lowest bin and let it flow into the bilge where the electric bilge pump ran nonstop for a while. As we approached Geraldton late in the day the weather eased somewhat and it was with relief and with everything stinking of diesel and soaking wet below that we tied up in the small marina at Geraldton at 2230. We made the vessel safe and repaired to the nearest open motel (the Batavia).

Batavia Motel Geraldton

After a good night’s sleep of about 12 hours we repaired to the yacht and commenced the dryout/cleanout which took a couple of days but the weather was warm and sunny. The water ingress I traced to a crack which had developed in the chain well on deck in the bow and it was repaired with fibreglass cloth and resin which we carried. It had been a wet sail to windward from Carnarvon hence the large volume of water inboard. We were welcomed by the nearby Geraldton Yacht Club which had hot showers and good meals with cold beer.

We could not leave as early as planned as the previously ordered diesel ignition switch had not arrived although the fridge part did, so we watched dinghy racing and sat on the yacht club verandah. We had to wait until Tuesday morning October 5^th for the switch’s arrival. We could not get the autopilots repaired in Geraldton; hope to achieve this in Perth which was not too far away.

Grant on clean-up day

Fitted the new starter switch (cost$266) and at 0400 with first glimmer of light we slipped our mooring, toasted Neptune with a shot of Bundy Rum and motored out into the fairway and almost no wind; but we soon picked up a favourable 15 kt breeze and had champagne sailing for many hours. We sailed with a freezer full of meat, bacon and cold beer. I rang the Townsville Daily Bulletin and dictated an article about the voyage so far which was to go in an “aged person’s feature” they were running. The breeze got a little stronger and varied from NW to SW but always drove us well in the right direction. By 1515 on Wednesday 6^th October we could see the tall buildings of Perth in the distance but then the breeze dropped to nothing leaving an awkward lumpy sea. It was tricky getting into the right yacht harbour for the Fremantle Yacht Club where we were to meet my crew Grant’s relatives. He is a native of Perth. We finally arrived at the nominated visitors wharf at 1800 at the same instant the visitors arrived. After a great welcome by both the relatives and the yacht club, Grant left to spend some time with his sister and I removed some weed and rope from the prop which I had noticed as we tied up. Alone on board, I ate a hearty meal, had a couple of beers in the club and turned in early.

At 0400 0n 7^th October I awoke to the sound of the wind and the motion of the yacht. I was moored fore and aft alongside the visitors wharf with a bow and stern line and two springs. The wind increased all day and I doubled the mooring lines. The local radio reported several houses unroofed and 30,000 people in Perth and Fremantle are with out power. With a bare pole I am being heeled at 20 degrees on my inclinometer in the highest flurries! According to ABC radio, max gusts have been 65kts or 105Kph. Glad that I am sitting in harbour and not trying to enter. An adjacent yacht moored just ahead of me with only a bow and stern line broke the stern line. I went aboard with some of my spare warps and moored it securely with springs.

Of course, the weather eased and I met the owner of the other yacht when he turned up on the 8^th, and retrieved my lines. He did not seem to be appreciative of my efforts! I stayed in Fremantle, got the autopilots repaired and slipped the yacht to see that all was well and our anti-fouling in good condition so that we were as prepared as could be for our trip around Cape Leeuwin and across the Great Australian Bight. After a week in Perth Grant returned and I was anxious to be off on the 13^th. The weather forecast gave us another frontal low with winds to 45 kts and seas to 3 metres, but we needed to get going and I got a mud-map of Bunbury in case we needed to go in there for a rest.

So we left just after midnight on the 13^th and got out to the 10metre depth line before turning South. The heavy industrial area of Kwinana was well illuminated as we passed far off shore. Wind seems to be a steady 25kts SW and 2M seas, but we are bowling along, although it is a cold night.

We decided to pull in to Bunbury and at 0930 I made contact with Bunbury Sailing Club and arranged a buoy mooring and access to their showers etcetera. They were very helpful. It was a wet sail and rained a bit so we needed to dry out.

At 1130 we motored into the mooring area and picked up our assigned buoy in Koombana Bay. Unfortunately, it was a very exposed mooring and although we were chained to the buoy it was difficult to get some rest. The forecast was for increasing winds and heavy rain and it was an exposed beach to leave our dinghy if we went ashore. Someone called Rae at Akron Base Radio said that we should tie up alongside an industrial jetty, which we did, and paid $30 a day to do so, but was worth it. She advised us to stay in Bunbury for a few days until the bad weather cleared and not to try Cape Leeuwin until it had. This seemed good advice so with the yacht all secure we rented a car and drove as far as Albany.

We stopped in the karri forest and climbed the (supposed) 65 metre Gloucester tree before going on to the Margaret River area which was then just becoming well known for its wines, and we bought a few bottles for the trip. Our next yacht port was going to be Albany where we would prepare the yacht for her Bight crossing which would be the longest leg without sight of land on the trip.

I wanted to see what the possible safety harbours or bays were like between Bunbury and Albany in case we needed to duck in anywhere due to mishap or bad weather, but the places we saw looked as if they would be difficult in bad weather anyway.

There did not seem to be much by way of safe havens on the western side of the peninsula, and although Augusta looked promising, if quite narrow, it would only be available after passing Leeuwin so we decided it would be a sail non-stop to Albany.

So on Saturday 16^th v October we tacked out of Koombana Bay at 100 into a 20 kt SW and 2.5M sea and headed towards Cape Naturaliste, but it took us until 2020 to be abeam. After that it was a cold hard slog to be abeam of Cape Leeuwin (Lioness in Dutch) at 1020 on the 17^th. There are outlying rocks and shoals where the sea can break heavily so we did an extra 16 miles to give these clearance.

It was another important waypoint as we were now going to be sailing generally East before our final turn to the north and Queensland and home, but there were still many miles to cover.

Cape Leeuwin and the Gloucester Tree Oct 1999

We hoped that after rounding the Cape we would have a free wind to Albany, but no! Our course was 120 degrees and the wind was SE – right on the nose. We tacked all night in a big swell but although it was not breaking, it was cold. We had to spend the night of the 18^th at sea and it was not until we rounded into King George Sound that the wind became favourable and we were past Breaksea Island, quickly through the narrows and into the harbour area. As it was 0300 we tied up at the public jetty, knowing that someone would ask us to move eventually, and we slept deeply until about 0900 when officialdom arrived. Actually he was quite helpful and advised us to go over to the SW side of the bay to the Princess Royal Sailing Club. This club has many 1 and 2 metre draft yachts so obviously people can sail into and out of their mooring jetties, but we had no detail chart of the bay and no local knowledge. I could see that from about halfway across the bay the water was shallow, but there seemed to be no marked entrance, so we felt our way in moving slowly until we bumped, reversing off and trying a new direction until about an hour later we tied up to one of the club’s fore and aft moorings and got our plank to the jetty. It was certainly worth the effort as they gave us our own key to the showers and generally made us welcome.

Entrance to Albany WA

To prepare for the Bight crossing I took the yacht out as there was some cracking in the fibreglass around the mast and its keel support end and the marine toilet had ceased to function. I did consider trucking the yacht across the Nullaboor to Portland in part so that we could ride the Indian Pacific rail, but decided against this. As it was we left in rather a hurry with a favourable forecast but I did not fill the starboard water tank properly, misinterpreting bubbles at the filler as a sign that it was full when it was not, this caused us some problems later. I could not purchase the needed silicon seals for the toilet so we sailed with a barely functioning one.

So after our long rest in Albany we were finally away at 1730 on Tue 26^th October. The wind and swell were with us and once clear of Breaksea Island we set the GPS for our next waypoint, Cape Otway in Victoria some 1280 miles away. We sailed well all night but the wind was gradually decreasing. We had covered a lot of ground by next noon, the 27^th, sailing 112 miles in about 20 hours; our position then was 35 30S 119 54E.

Bight sea cliffs

In the moderate wind almost astern we sailed well with one reef in the main and a full poled out jib, which seemed to make it easiest for the auto pilot. We were soon way off shore and did not expect to see land until in the vicinity of our next stop, Portland, Victoria.

I noted in the log that we “read, doze, do small maintenance jobs, play chess and interminable games of solitaire in which Grant and I cannot agree about the rules (I found out later that his interpretation was correct). We also eat well right around the clock, but both of us have lost a little weight – must be the constant activity. We sailed in increasingly fickle winds throughout the night which needed much gybing of the poled out jib and alterations in sail area but managed to keep up 5 or 6 kts all day. Our noon position on the 28^th October was 35 52S 122 33E, distance run 132 miles. Gradually the wind increased to 25 kts from the SE so the pole was stowed and we are close hauled on the starboard tack and the weather is suddenly colder. The seas are lumpy because the wind driven waves are meeting a 3 metre swell rolling in from the W.

We ate a large lunch of spaghetti bolognaise made with fresh meat and onions. Today was the day when one water tank ran out and the error in filling up with water (previously mentioned) became apparent. We had 22 litres of water in 2L plastic bottle in the bilge and although these had a very light coating of diesel they water inside would be potable. We also had 16 litres of Long-Life milk so we should not have to suffer thirst. We did however use all the liquids which were in cans of vegetables in the

the

High swell in the Bight

cooking, and used only salt water for personal cleaning

One of the better days in the Bight

We can only sail 080 true into the continuing SE and the sea is throwing us around a lot so that we have to wear the belt which keeps us in position at the stove to cook. By 0208 on the 29^th the motion is so violent that it is impossible to stand up. I should mention that I had the quarter berth with a lee cloth, under the cockpit and Grant had a wide bunk amidships in which he used to secure his position with pillows. The motion this night was so violent that one had to sit on the cabin sole to get out of clothing and waterproofs as it was unsafe to stand. Grant’s berth was untenable so we both used the quarter berth which, although like being in a coffin, you could not be thrown out of. This continued until noon on the 29^th when our position was 36 01S 124 59E. Soon the wind started dropping and changing towards the SW, much more like the expected and hoped for direction. However, the glass was dropping and we soon had a steady 25 kts with gusts to 40 kts. We were not carrying much sail but still doing 6 kts. I put the clock forward one hour to match dawn/dusk times. I was thrown heavily from stbd to port as a big sea hit us. No harm done but a warning as we need both of us without broken bones.

By 0915 on 30^th Oct. We had 3 reefs in the main and a tiny jib, but were still doing a steady 6 kts (our hull speed). We could not top up the diesel day tank in the conditions. By noon we were in 36 37S 129 51E; day’s run 132 Miles for 11 hours. and about this time sailed over the deepest part of the Bight at 5759M or 18,744ft.

Fortunately at sea, strong winds don’t last forever and during the night as we entered Sunday 31^st Oct the winds moderated and a few hours later so did the seas, apart from a big swell which caused us no problems. The barometer rose and we were back to an easy 25kts. At noon we were in 36 47.6S 130 26E with a run of 136 miles. During the night of the 31^st the winds dropped and when they came back it was from the SE at 10 kts. Our wanted course at this point was 098True but the nearest we could get was 087True. Not as good as we would have liked but still mostly in the right direct and the seas are down, life is comfortable and we are making 4.5kts and are on the second half of the Bight chart with Kangaroo Island and Adelaide on it. We were 250 miles WSW of Cape du Couedic on Kangaroo Island as we commenced Monday November 1^st.

November is the month when we should be safe in our home port and with light winds (but mostly from the wrong direction) we advanced slowly East. We had no contact with anyone since Oct 26^th and knew our families would be anxious to hear something, so I tried a few times to get contact with a ship although there were none we could see, but no one came back in response, so there may not be anyone within 70 mile radius of us. Noon posn. On the 1^st 37 13S 132 48E day’s run 117M.

On the 2^nd an Easterly sprang up of about 25kts raising an uncomfortable sea to bash through. Food started to be difficult to cook and for lunch we could only manage bread, biscuits and soup. The hand pump which clears the toilet has started leaking backwards, so that the loo overflows and can only be used by opening and closing the main shut-off valve (an old type brass steam valve) which can only be rotated half a turn at a time whilst being flat on the floor of the loo with arm extended and bent. We have been sailing SE since the Easterly started and are now in the latitude of Portland (our next stop) so should be sailing 090T but cannot. Because of my error in loading water at Albany we are in economy mode but should last until Portland. Why doesn’t the wind blow from any direction but East? Noon posn. 37 54S 134 40E day’s run 96.7M.

On Weds. 3^rd Nov. The wind shifted from E to SE so that we could almost hold our wanted course of 090T but it was slow going. Noon posn. 38 07S 136 33E day’s run 90M. We saw four basking seals in the calm water that stuck their heads out and stared at us as we went slowly by. Later that day we spoke to a passing freighter who reported us “all well” to SAR in Canberra. It is still cold but at least it’s sunny. I advanced the clocks an hour so that we are now on Queensland time. We have been close-hauled for some time but generally making progress.

As Thursday the 4^th started, the wind came on the nose again but kept on changing direction until it was due S and cold but good for sailing our course. Soon we were steady on 5 kts with a double reefed main and half jib. We sailed well all day in grey seas and greyer skies; the wind is steady at 20 kts. and motion makes it hard to do much below and necessitates hand steering. By 0400 we were within 30 miles of Portland and hoping to be tied up by 10am, but the wind came dead ahead again and threw up a 4M sea which just about stops the yacht so that by 1000 we had advanced only 14 miles. We really wanted a good rest so motor sailed from 1100 and finally tied up at 1700 on the 5^th, went ashore for a big meal and a beer and a long deep sleep.

On the 6^th we talked to family, voted in the referendum for a republic, (both republicans) cleaned and dried the yacht and swam in the heated public pool. We felt pretty good by the 7^th and after a tot of rum with Neptune for good luck, at 1030 with a favourable SW we stood out towards Eden in NSW which is about 5 days away and set our first waypoint at Wilson’s Promontory off Melbourne and about 236 miles away.

Our noon position on the 7^th was 38 22S 141 49E and with the wind a favourable SW at 20 kts (should be the prevailing wind for a while) we rolled + and – 30 degrees but did not mind as the log showed 6.5kts exactly on course. I noted in the written log that we sailed like this until 1915 when our SW wind swung to the S then to SE which we did not want and had to sail close hauled not quite making the wanted heading and being slowly forced landward. There was a 2M Sea so it was a bit wet bashing through it, yet we could still cook bangers & mash with peas for tea, but where oh where is our South Westerly gone?

But by 0430 on the 8^th it swung yet again to the SW but only light at 8kts. Still, with plenty of sail up, and virtually no swell we romped along in the cold sunshine and continued this way all night. Our noon posn. was 39 03S 144 24E and we had run 128 miles. It was a memorable sail, we ate and slept well but at the 0630 weather forecast on the 9^th, we heard a gale warning for our vicinity. Very soon we passed Wilson’s Promontory (our most Southerly point) and left the great Southern Ocean for Bass Strait and adjusted our way point to pass S of Gabo Island. Noon posn. 38 52S 147 06E day’s run 127 miles.

Still no gale has appeared and at 1920 we logged the appearance of the Bass Strait offshore oil wells which are about 100 miles from Gabo Island.

Well, here it is 0100 on the 10^th November and the promised gale is here! The wind was southeast again and we slogged our way past Gabo where we could see a couple of sheltering yachts. It was so rough and cold that we stood half hour watches, not getting out of our wet weather gear, but resting on the cabin sole with a waterproof pillow.

Gabo Island Bass Strait

As we passed Gabo and headed North East for Cape Howe the seas eased slightly and I got a phone call through to Whitworths (yacht chandlers) to get a toilet repair kit, which they had in stock but could not process the order inside 2 or 3 days and I did not know accurately where I would be at any particular date; so we used the toilet infrequently and a bucket whenever possible all the way to Townsville. Our noon posn. Was 37 52S 149 32E, day’s run 130 miles.

I did not have a detailed chart for Eden relying on my memory of previous visits (about four times) But we were approaching from the South and a bee-line to the mooring area would take us across shoals in the dark, so it was not until 2230 that we dropped our picks in Quarantine Bay Eden having been guided in by an already moored yacht, “Ondine III”, putting on his navigation and deck lights for us to see. We slept the sleep of the exhausted until 0800 on the 11^th.

A quick taxi journey to town where we shopped and had haircuts, the first for 2 months or more and we were off again. We set off for Sydney and after about an hour noticed a slow leak at the grease nipple on the stuffing box We moved slowly up the coast of NSW caught in varying winds which could not settle in any sort of consistent speed and direction. Which made for lots of sail action and us not making much more that 4 kts most of the time. In daylight we noticed a trail of fishing net around the rudder but managed to toss a weighted hook over it and cut it free – hoping there is none around the prop. As the 12^th dawned sailing did not improve but our noon posn. at 35 09S 150 57E showed that we had made good 119 miles, so we must have been aided by the EastCoast current as we were fairly close inshore.

The nipple leak was worsening, so I pulled it out, it was very rusty externally, and jammed a shaped pencil in the hole which when dried I surrounded with fast dry Araldite. We won’t use the engine much before home. The sky is blue and it is distinctly warmer as we sail North but that pesky wind has gone OTN (on the nose) again so that we are only making good about 3 kts. Anyway we slowly passed Wollongong and the southern beaches of Sydney deciding not to call in as we needed no supplies and the marinas are a long way in the harbour. Instead we sailed into Pittwater at 0946 on the 13^th,, anchored behind Palm Beach and went ashore for a big meal of fish and chips.

W e left Pittwater at 0430 on Sunday 14^th November after a cup of strong coffee with a tot of rum in it and once around Lion Island were pleased to get a 15kt NW breeze which allowed us to lay the way point off Port Stephens and sail at 6 kts on a perfect summer’s day. We stripped down to T-shirts and cotton trousers for the first time since Western Australia. Our noon position was 33 15S 151 50E. Our halcyon weather could not last and after dark we ran into an OTN wind which brought us down to 3kts made good in spite of idling the motor to keep us up close to the wind. Having sailed through dozens of moored coal ships off Newcastle and making slow headway I decided to rest in Port Macquarie and hope that there is a more favourable wind the next day.

Our noon posn. was 31 46S 152 47.6 E distance run a disappointing 87.8 miles. We entered the port at 1830 on the 15th with lightning flashing all around and a crashing sea on the breakwaters but over the bar it was OK and there were good lead lights. We bought food at a late opening supermarket and had a restaurant meal and seven hours deep sleep before setting off early and crossing the docile bar. I noted in the log “under weigh again and with A FOLLOWING WIND”. Our noon posn. on the 17^th was 28 26S 152 39E which was well on the way to the most Easterly point of Australia (Cape Byron) and we should be in home (Queensland) waters before long. Actually abeam of the Cape at 17/1000 and we crossed the NSW/Queensland border at 1430 which called for us to crack our penultimate bottle of champagne to drink with canapés in celebration. We are making 5kts but being rolled around a fair bit but can see the lights of South Stradbroke island at 2315. Sailing all night alongside N and S Stradbroke islands and the length of Moreton Island (Now in 2011, I live on the inner shore of Moreton Bay) brought us to the light on the northern tip of Moreton Island at 0630 on the 18th with wind ESE at 10kts and making 5 to 6 kts under all plain sail. The next waypoint was the entrance to Wide Bay which has a bar which can be unpleasant but we arrived just before low water and waited behind Double Island Point until near the end of the flood and sailed in at good speed at 0130 on the 19^th.

We rested until 0800 and identified the first fairway markers for the Fraser Island passage. Things went well for a while, but I was using very old charts for this section taken of a steel yacht I had owned years before. Unfortunately, there had been major changes to the passage and it was not long before I was ‘lost’. The passage has many shoals and channels and it was good clear weather so we motored slowly up channels until they stopped being navigable and then backtracked to try another. Eventually by spotting a tourist catamaran that had evidently come from the Bundaberg region we got back into a good well marked fairway and were soon out of Hervey Bay and on course for Cape Cleveland and home. I checked in with the coastguard at Bundaberg at we sailed all night in good conditions. At 1400 we caught our first mackerel for weeks and ate it with fried rice for tea. Black clouds were massing and lightning flashing at at 2130 but althou the wind piped up to 25 kts and there was a bit of sea we bounded along at almost 7kts. There were lots of trawlers about but of course they were well lit up and just made the watch stay sharp.

By Sat the 20^th at 0400 the loom of Gladstone could be seen and by noon, when our position was 23 11S 150 49E we had run 114 miles and our wives knew and were happy about our progress and I would be in Townsville in plenty of time to go skiing in the USA, so we went for a short stop in Yeppoon, just north of Rockhampton and just inside the Tropic of Capricorn. We tied up in Keppel Bay Marina at 1300 hours. We showered and took the bus to Yeppoon for last minute shopping and cards to send and were up and away by 0500 on Sunday 21^st. Caught lots of fish around dawn but they were all tuna so we returned them. Our noon posn. 23 37S 150 50E gave our day’s (7 hour) run as 33.7 miles.

The wind was OTN for a few hours but soon swung to the NE which gave us a beam wind. We were in a strong tidal area and were helped and hindered by this but averaged about 5kts over the ground. Monday saw us in cloudy weather with light rain squalls but a generally favourable wind direction. I know the seas hereabouts quite well so it was fun to shoot between Scawfell Island and St. Bees at 9kts (tide assisted).

Our noon posn on the 22^nd Nov. was 20 54S 148 29E giving us a day’s run of 127 miles. The winds again were variable but it was enjoyable Queensland sailing (it’s so nice to be warm even when it’s raining) and we caught mackerel after mackerel off Abbot Point near Bowen as we sailed past at 6 kts. We did not get to the vicinity of Townsville until late evening of the 23rd and the press and the motor boat club wanted us to arrive in daylight so we anchored off Magnetic Island for the night, went ashore in the morning, had a shower and got into our better clothes and made our way slowly to Townsville to arrive at the agreed time of 12 noon on Wednesday the 24^th November, for the press and Channel Ten TV. Having gone through the media, it was great so see our families and friends and share some champagne with them before going home. The voyage was over.

We had been away 93 days all told, but when I totalled the actual sailing periods in the log, excluding rest days and anchored periods, to the nearest one tenth of an hour it had taken 56.1 days. Grant and I had formed a strong bond over our voyage in spite of us coming from opposite ends of the religious spectrum and I had been glad to have him aboard for both the skills he had and his company.

FINIS