 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Home
 Journal
Boat
Crew
Articles
Links
Contact
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
australia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Baraka sailed the first several hours inside the New Caledonia lagoon, then slipped through Dumbea Pass into open ocean. For a long time we could see the lights of Noumea reflected from clouds in the otherwise dark sky. No moon to keep us company this trip. That makes such a difference in the long dark hours. We turned off the motor just outside Noumea harbor, and are lunging along very well in lively seas, windvane steering. 18-25 knots just aft the beam, we are making 7 knots, good for us. It is colder now, long pants, hats and fleeces, and I am considering socks. We are enjoying audio books. They help the passage time pass, and the on-watch person can give the off-watch longer sack time. I got 4 1/2 hours deep sleep last night, unusual on the first day out, especially in rowdy seas, when I usually rack up a sleep deficit. The freezer has baguettes and pain au chocolat and croissants, legacy of Noumea. You can take it with you! | |
|
|
|
|
Still sailing. The winds dropped a bit to a more comfortable 15-18 knots, slowing us down to 6 knots. Seas are more comfortable. The winds are moving astern, so we put out the pole on the jib, and preventer on the main. We don't keep a fixed watch schedule. It seems to work well for us to wake the other person when the watchman is tired. Dave and I are giving each other 6 hours off right now in these easy conditions, and getting good rest. We are trying to eat down the things Australia quarantine will take: dried fruits, popcorn, honey, and fresh meats, fruits, veg, anything with egg in it. We were careful not to over-provision in Noumea, but I have some non-perishable foods from New Zealand I'm hoping they will let us keep. I have several special baskets from Vanuatu I may have to give up. No one knows ahead just what they will take, as some things are inspected and returned. No use fretting. | |
|
|
|
|
Rolling along, we barely touch the sails. The watchman checks the wind direction and course, and tweaks the windvane. Winds are holding steady, 18-22 knots, abaft the beam, just about perfect. Looks like these conditions will carry us almost to the coastline. We are halfway there, less than 400 miles to go. Haven't seen anyone since the first day out. Not even birds out here, in the middle of the Coral Sea. Yesterday it was steady enough to make scrambled eggs, and a dinner of chicken and pasta. 10 am, the boat skewed to windward, sails luffing. The windvane, a mechanical device that steers the boat based on wind direction, had stopped working. A control line had chafed through. The autopilot (our third crew) is did the job of steering while Dave fished the line back through and fixed it. All is well. | |
|
|
|
| 250 miles to go. Winds, as predicted are much lighter - 10-12 knots dead astern. Dave and I set the spinnaker this morning and we are sailing wing on wing with it in fairly flat seas. Later today or tomorrow we expect to be motoring, to make a Monday landfall. All is well. | |
Spinnaker pulls us to Oz.
|
Our American flag is tired from the Pacific crossing.
|
|
|
|
|
Good winds all the way! Australia finally appeared as a flat smudge on the horizon. We motored the last few miles up the river to Bundaberg Marina, where we are anchored in the quarantine area, yellow Q flag up, awaiting clearance. There are a dozen boats in front of us. Nice to be safely here, passage over. The boat is quiet again, barely moving after 6 days of lunging. We are looking forward to hot showers, a sit-down meal and a full night of sleep.
| |
|
|
|
|
After a 4-hour wait in the queue, we were cleared into Australia by efficient and friendly immigration, customs and quarantine officials. They looked at shells, baskets, carvings and hiking boots, but didn't make us extricate our bicycles from beneath the floorboards. They took our frozen meats, a few vegetables, and some odds and ends. Australia is probably the most regulated country on the planet. We appreciated the easy check-in. When we were done, the marina gave us a slip, first 2 nights free. The Port-to-Port rally welcomed us with a pie and mash dinner (only A$5 each, a bargain). Most of the rally boats arrived yesterday with us, hustling to get in before gale winds coming today, now whistling in our rigging. We are very happy to be at a dock rather than still at sea. We are meeting some old friends here, and making new ones. Dave and I signed up for 9 nights moorage here at Bundaberg Port Marina. Somehow after a passage it is wonderful to park and rest a bit. On the first day ashore after a passage the ground seems to be heaving, until we get our land legs back. Today the rally organizers brought fresh produce to sell, local fruits and vegetables, and I did the passage laundry. Dave set up the transformer (which converts Australia's 220 AC to our 110), and rewired our AC system for shore power (to switch from the generator he has to change the grounding). He washed the crusty passage salt off the decks, and is now working on the freezer, which has a faulty thermostat. For the first time since last February we will turn off our freezer. I'm glad he is Project Man. Next week we will work our way to Scarborough near Brisbane, where we plan to park Baraka for 4 months. It will be fun to coastal cruise, something we have not done since Mexico in 2007. | |
Baraka sports The Flags of All Nations.
|
The Port to Port rally organizers feed us nightly and organize events and tours, keeping us busy.
|
|
For earlier journal entries of New Caledonia, click here. |
|
 |
|
|
© Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved. |
|
