The bread is rising on the top of the stove, it will be our first loaf made on board. The cabin is already filling with the wonderful aroma!
I don't plan to make bread while we are actually on the ocean - that's not at all likely - but today we are sitting in Bremer Bay boat harbour, with a small swell and winds that are forecast to diminish a little during the day. We will leave here this evening, and make our way to Investigator Island where we will stop for a day or so and then head on into Esperence.
We have calculated that this trip will take us between 15 and 17 hours with the expected winds that are coming so we have decided to leave here in the evening so that we can arrive safely in daylight.
It took us a little longer to get to Bremer Bay than we had anticipated - even after we had slowed down and decided on a back-up plan of heading to Dillon Bay instead. We encountered strong Easterly winds and a very strong current around the headland called Cape Knob.
We decided Cape Knob was aptly named!
We left Two People's Bay on Thursday very early - intending to day-sail to our next stop - which at the time was to be Bremer Bay or Dillan - whichever we were the closest to in the late afternoon.
The sail was lovely until we neared Cape Knob - and then - well - sailing is sailing!
It took as long to get the 50 NM from Two People's to the headland as it took to go the 21 NM around the headland!
The sun set over the Southern Ocean. It was very pretty and was a lovely diversion from the frustration of our slow progress but pretty soon we faced a dilemma. We didn't fancy the idea of setting the anchor in an unfamiliar bay in the dark but similarly didn't want to try and hook up at the wharf at Bremer in the dark either. What to do?
We looked at our rate of progress and course and then saw that even though the trip to Dillans would be shorter it would probably also be the harder option -setting anchor in the dark at midnight. But if we continued we would actually arrive at Bremer just as the sun was coming up. That would allow us to enter the harbour, assess what was required and tie up all in the light of day.
So our day sail became a 24 hour journey - but with safety our number one consideration it was clearly the right decision.
Arriving in Bremer Bay at sun rise on Friday was magical. We came into the prettiest little harbour with white sands and a few fishing boats on swing moorings - with a great sense of satisfaction. We'd set out for Bremer and had made it and only the timing had changed!
The local fishermen told us it was not at all unusual to have encountered such slow progress around the headland and said we'd actually done well.
Peter and I caught up on some much needed sleep while the children explored the beach, and later, walking along looking at Argos tied up at the wharf, well, we did feel quite pleased with ourselves!
After checking the likelihood of the Easterly winds being on-going, and chatting with the local fishermen, we decided to stay until Sunday evening after a bit of a front passes and the winds swing around a little to the south east. They advised us to make use of a spare swing mooring to ride out the inevitable swell that would accompany the front - but I was pretty bothered about how we'd do that. I had watched some of the fishing boats picking up their moorings - and they looked tricky - chains attached to bouys and three bouys at that - I didn't fancy the idea one little bit.
We decided (after a little bit of too-ing and fro-ing - the too-ing being on my part and the fro-ing on Peter's!) to see if the fishermen would be able to give us a hand. I am so glad we did - though Peter saying to them that I'd had a bit of trouble with BOUYS in my time made everyone laugh!
Once tied up at the mooring we were very pleased to not hear the constant grind of the yacht against the wharf, despite the adjustments Peter made to our lines - have I mentioned lately how capable he is!? So wouldn't want to do this with anyone less so!
And so here we are on a very peaceful Sunday morning - the bread is rising, the sea is calming and the winds are doing exactly what we would like them to do to assist us rather than fight against us. And so we will prepare today to leave - we will go this evening after dinner and then we have the night and day to get the83 NM to Investigator Island, sailing with South easterly winds all the way allowing us to arrive in day light once again.