The weather held off until I cleared the Gold Coast Seaway at the top of the tide. Thankfully there were no breakers across the entrance, but certainly some large ground swells out the back. No video over this bar folks....both hands required!! It took about 30 mins to clear the entrance before heading SE to Tweed and then south toward Cape Byron. The 2 metre seas were confused and rode on the back of a 2-3 m easterly swell. I hoisted the main with three reefs and furled the genoa to #3 size then headed off into the stiff 20-25 knot easterly breeze at 60 degrees apparent. 'Rogue Wave' raced along at a steady 9-10 knots and we covered a lot of ground very quickly. The helm was balanced and she revelled in the conditions. With his new gearbox fitted, 'Eric' the Autopilot had no problem helming; so in punishment for his earlier mutinous actions off the Whitsundays, he was assigned continuous watch at the helm! As I shaped course around Tweed Heads and Point Danger's outer reefs bound for Cape Byron, we picked up speed. By the time we rounded Cape Byron for the run south, the East Coast Current kicked in and speed increased to a steady 10-12 knots Speed Over Ground (SOG). Even several squalls and torrential rain could not wipe the grin from my face.
Conditions eased as we headed south. Once abeam of the Clarence River my dream run ended and once again the little Volvo throbbed into life. We motorsailed for a few hours at a healthy 8-9 knots with current, but little breeze. Finally the ENE breeze kicked in and we were back up to 10 knots sailing. When I departed Southport on Wed at 1330 h my original ETA at Port Stephens was Fri afternoon. At one stage my calculations had us arriving at 0130 h Fri morning due to our excellent SOG. Darrin, Liam, Jenno and Brad were keen to greet me as I cleared the heads of Port Stephens. My best estimate for arrival was for 0530-0630 h which unfortunately was a runout tide at the heads. As I rounded Treachery Head to the north of Port Stephens we were smashed once again by confused seas making departure from the cockpit a tad difficult. Once free of the clutches of Treachery Head we made great time to Port. So I entered the heads two hours ahead of schedule and unfortunately missed the welcome committee in the dark entry. I did think of doing a 'Jessica' and do a few laps outside to wait for the 'right' time to make an entrance .......but that was not going to happen. When the guys called I had just berthed in Soldiers Point Marina and cracked my first celebratory beer. The lads then pulled alongside and Relle came down from home and we shared a celebratory beer and some photos. Mid-morning mum and dad dropped by to congratulate me and lend a hand if needed. Next day brother Dave and Sue dropped in for a welcome home dinner at The Deck Cafe.
So now it is time to clean 'Rogue Wave' and strip the long distance cruising gear off the boat and return her to racer/cruiser trim. Followed by the challenge of forming a local reliable crew to race each Saturday. I have already planned my next solo adventure; the Trans-Tasman Solo Yacht Race 2014, but first I have to get her race ready.

Inside the front cover of my logbook for the voyage I wrote the following words of dedication:
This voyage is dedicated to my sailing mentor, the late John Kumm. John was not only a good friend and grandfather figure to me and good mate Glenn, he nurtured a love for sailing and opened his home to our families. To John and Gloria my heartfelt thanks to you both.
Many thanks to my family for their support and Relle for her patience as I .........get these things out of my system! To my many friends, I thank you for your comments and well wishes during my voyage and I trust my words helped you visualise the challenges I faced each day and inspire you to achieve your own goals.