I am nearing the end of my voyage south after just finishing 2000 NM so far, I aimed to leave the Abrolhos and sail straight through to Rotto, some 200 NM, but the winds were against me and with a large cold front approaching I decided to use my head instead of my heart, as I long to see the family again. So I have diverted to Jurien Bay for a few days to let the weather settle. Tony and Andrew decided to do the same, so we are holed up here for a while, Keith has returned to Geraldton and the photo above is of him as he departs our cruising group, happy sailing Keith. I am now tied up at the Jurien Bay marina all safe and sound, instead of the 30 knot head winds I would have expected tonight, I arrived after some 111 NM from the Abrolhos at 4 am in the morning and have since moved to a more secure pen. It looks as though I will spend two to three days here and then head off for the final 150 NM or so. I experienced NW winds pushing me along at some 6.5 knots but the wind soon changed to the south and then died leaving a very confused sea and large swell, after travelling so far it was not worth the risk of the poor conditions so close to home.
As the voyage draws to a conclusion I will add a few comments on what I have found so far;
1. Areas I would love to spend more time - areas just north of King Sound, Shark Bay & the Abrolhos. King George River is the spectacular but too far away, 2. Things I appreciated so much - Tiller Pilot, a good anchor and chain combination, Sangean Radio for HF weather reports and faxes, plenty of water holding, paper charts & depth sounder, FSC Cruising Guide, furling headsail and a good mainsail thanks to Doyle Sails, 3. Clothing I loved - Nerdy UV sun protection glasses (only worn offshore for image sake), long sleaved shirts and the best sailing shorts in WA - Deckies from Mad Dora Design which are made for sailing and sitting on your ass all day, something I have done a bit to much of, 4. Best small yacht in the world - SS27, these things are built well, have heaps of room and even sail well. After several yachts this is the best design for me so far. I was able to sail over 100 NM and arrive only 1 hour behind a 46 foot yacht, these things love the WA coastal conditions. 5. Best experience - King George Sound, cruising with Keith and Tony, Dampier and Carnarvon Yacht Club, Whales (and more whales), talking to the family, and best of all was just being able to sail and spend time exploring the coast, if only we had more time. 6. Things that Suck - cheap inflatable, poor mechanical service in Darwin, outrageous prices from service people in Darwin, SW winds or any head wind for that matter, tides, whales with poor give way instructions, fear. 7. Final Comments - this coast line goes on forever, and no one is out there, there are places to explore up north that will satisfy any cruiser with time on your hands, everyone is friendly, we never met anyone who would not assist where possible. Coastwatch were wonderful and I heard a whole rescue scenario where coastwatch reassured the stricken vessel and would not leave the scene until the Navy had arrived, sure it's our tax dollar but there were times up there when I felt it was worth every cent, especially after a rough night.
If you ever get the chance take some time out, forget the rat race and enjoy what WA has to offer, not just the scenery but the people and wild life as well.
| 2007 - Darwin to Mandurah |
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Comments [1]
The Urchin and I had a great sail over to the Pelsaert group with a light wind off the beam, when we reached there the wind died and I motored in dead flat seas, easy for spotting coral patches, over to Middle Island, we dropped anchor on the North side and spent the day diving and relaxing, the day was perfect. Spotted a small shark swimming around, about 5 feet, and tried to get some underwater pictures of it but it wouldn't play the game. Relaxing day in preparation for heading south tomorrow.
| 2007 - Darwin to Mandurah |
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With the wind backing around to the North we had to move away from Morley Island and its lee shore and head a little north in the Easter Group to White Bank, we are sitting out a strong warning for the day and will head down to the Pelsaert Group tomorrow. From there we will wait for the appropriate weather window to sail the 150 miles to Perth, rest for a day and then the final leg to Mandurah. Last night I was able to make telephone contact with Sally by climbing to the masthead and dialling from there.
| 2007 - Darwin to Mandurah |
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With perfect weather we spend the morning on the beach saying hello to the resident seal population and avoiding the bird rookeries. The water is crystal clear and we are able to see the bottom out to about 15 meters with all its coral and fish population. Whilst paddling the inflatable between yachts (too much coral for the motor) one of the seals followed and dived around me, each time I would look at it, it would dive again but would still follow. We are all having a relaxing day with work on the boats and a bit of diving and swimming.
| 2007 - Darwin to Mandurah |
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After about an hour of trying to get the anchor up, eventually Andrew dived to free it from the rocks, we departed for the next group of islands south. We motored down through Goss Passage past Traitor's Island and out across Middle Channel, it was an easy passage across to the Easter Group with a light breeze and not much swell. I had a few problems with my furling headsail and a fair bit of weed on the prop so I stopped off at White Bank before continuing through the group, past Rat Island to Morley Island where we had a few beers and BBQ fish and the remains of my fresh vegetables. It still amazes me how many fishing homes are located on the habitable islands, some with very individual finishes. Just prior to anchorage we had our flyover from the Customs plane, and as usual they called Sea Urchin because of its large name on the side, always friendly and always helpful and on many times through this voyage its good to know they are around. Tomorrow we will spend the day swimming and diving on the coral around this little island. Note in the photo that we are starting to hit colder weather and starting to wear the winter woollies, this is Keith on Waitani waiting for me to finish cooking on the BBQ.
| 2007 - Darwin to Mandurah |
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