SV SEAKA: CRUISING AUSTRALIA IN 2019.

There is nothing like a baptism of fire!

Last Friday I completed all the jobs both on Seaka and at home. Shaun [of Bluemoon] and I retired to our yachts at Dunbogan for a night's sleep before we departed north. Shaun is to accompany me, instead of sailing Bluemoon, on this leg to Iluka as we had lost last week to bad weather and he only had four more days to get some sailing in.

That night was one of my worst on board. We were hit buy 30 plus knot winds that in combination with the tides overnight meant that Seaka was ducking, diving and rolling about all night. I only got a few hours broken sleep. Next morning I said to Shaun that we would review the weather later in the morning. Eventually it appeared that a departure around noon should be OK. Note, I said should.

So I picked up Shaun from Bluemoon and we proceeded downstream to the bar. We had only got halfway when our gremlin, the overheating light, came on, yet again. Slowing down we made it to Pilot Beach, just inside the bar, and started to sort out the problem. First I cleaned the raw water filter and then fiddled with the wires behind the offending light. The light went out and stayed out so we had a go for our direct sail to Iluka.

We went over the smooth Camden Haven Bar out into a roughish sea. The alarm bells should have been ringing but all the holes in the cheese were starting to line up, we were committed. I deployed my new Horizontal Wind Vane [HWV] and away we went. Unfortunately I haven't quiet worked out the settings yet and we tended to track to starboard. As it got rougher and the wind up to around 20 knots I abandon the HWV to a day when conditions were more conducive to working out just how to adjust it.

We were sailing with the Yankee and 2 reefs in and getting 5 to 6 with the odd 8 knots, so we were happy with our progress but the sea action and increasing wind was starting to tire us. We had been keeping close inshore to avoid the coastal current but early on realized that with the water around 27⁰C we had a southerly current against us that went well inshore. As our progress slowed and the wind built the decision to stop overnight at Trail Bay was made and this was reported to Marine Rescue, after a bit of confusion by them as to who actually had us on their book, it was eventually sorted out as MR Trail Bay until 1800 then MR Coffs Harbour, whee! After dark both Shaun and I manage to get a little sleep in turns down below. Never having had anyone on board for a night sail I thought this was rather luxurious. Then around 2200 as we prepared to enter Trail Bay Shaun, who was on the tiller at the time, said somethings wrong, there was a couple of thumps and three large white foam buoys to a fish trap appeared in our wake. Yep. We were towing them, trap and all.

The holes in the cheese had all finally lined up!

Eventually I managed to get the buoys on board with the rope going tightly under Seaka to her propeller area. No matter how I pulled nothing happened. Lucky we were not under motor at this time so I was sure the rope was not around the propeller, so I went below and turned the propeller by hand to make sure, we normally don't have the propeller spinning when sailing and lock it by putting the gear box in reverse, hard to turn at first it then turned easier. Going back on deck I pulled the rope in to find that it had snapped, not cut by the propeller. Shaun said that it's still there and then all of a sudden we were free.
By this time we were both getting pretty tired, what after last night, the days sailing and now this. We eventually made it into Trail Bay and tucking into the eastern corner of the bay in 4.5 meters of water we anchored for the second time. It was only then that we realized that it was 0130 on Sunday morning. We crashed.

Next morning at 0930 we departed from Trail Bay, abandoning the floats as we sailed out for Coffs Harbour. Smaller steps were called for. That morning the winds were below 5 knots and we eventually shook out both reefs to get speeds of around 4 to 5 knots. With the light winds and still being tired I abandon the HWV again and we hand steered north. I didn't use the auto helm as we had had over three days of overcast weather and the poor batteries had been struggling under the load. As I type this they are back up to their normal 14 volts. During the day the winds dropped and as we hugged the coast to keep out of the current, we started to rely on the katabatic winds to keep us moving. Eventually around 1500 I started the diesel engine and we motor sailed towards Coffs Harbour. Did the overheating light come on, yep, but I wiggled the wires and it went out and stayed out. The temperature stayed the same on the gauge so on we went.

I had been in contact with Tom [ex of Top Hat "Tales" from Melbourne] who was sailing his new/ old yacht south and as it happened was presently in the Coffs Harbour Marina. Tom arranged a berth for us and met as we arrived at 1930 in berth 12D. We had a long talk fest that night with three Top Hatters together for the first time.
After a good night's sleep I started on the list of repairs we had. First stop to the chandlers for a swivelling shackle for the boom brake to prevent the sheet from twisting and some sail lugs, we have broken 2 of them, why, I don't know. Will be cleaning the electrical contacts to the overheating light! Also had to trace a leak in one of the lockers but have now decided it was the anti-syphon device for the engine raw water supply. So I will have to clean that also. Latter in the day Tom offered Shaun a ride back to the Camden Haven which he gladly accepted, no train ride for Shaun this time. Tom and Shaun departed at 1800.

At this stage I am looking at going to Iluka early Wednesday morning, but will make a final decision later today [Tuesday] when we get the 1600 weather report. It actually looks better on Friday at this stage so will have to wait and see.

The voyage has begun!

See video at http://youtu.be/OSriE_b8u-s