Land Ahoy!
26 March 2013 | Robe
Sue Watt
As land begins to appear like a shadowy mist on the horizon it can be very exciting. You can almost hear the sailors of old crying out ‘Land Ahoy’ in your mind as you realise that the shadow really is land ahead and that your journey, your travail is approaching its end.
At around 10 am EST yesterday what became something of an epic journey for the boys came to an end – albeit somewhat temporarily! – as they began to make out the headland that Robe is built around, and by 11 am they were happily motoring (yes, motoring!) in past this sign announcing that they were entering Robe harbour , and tying Kwela up at a visitors berth.
Days of limited rations meant that their first task was to get something to eat and after a breakfast of coffee and pies they headed back to Kwela to begin the next task, attending to some repairs and issues that had plagued them throughout their crossing of the Bight.
The fuel system is the major issue and after discussions with a local expert they were happy to discover that they had most of the problem sorted and were on the right track to getting it spot on. They need a spare part to fix it completely and are awaiting that items arrival. Other smaller and less urgent repairs and some cleaning of the decks and inside of Kwela, washing of clothes and showering followed and later they treated themselves to a decent steak dinner.
This of course is only a pause in their journey. They are not yet even half way but we can all hope that the hardest part is done, that the weather will be less troublesome for them as they continue on and that the problems they have had with the engine and fuel lines will be a thing of the past.
They hope to be underway again on Thursday, so long as the part has come and the weather is okay. They anticipate pulling into Queenscliffe marina following a three day sail – right in the middle of Easter! They will clear out there before heading out of Australian waters and over to Auckland.
Epic journeys of course result in epic tales and I can’t wait to hear more details of what they journey has been like for them. The satellite phone allows us to have limited conversation – check position, weather, basic wellbeing – but not to hear the rich and wonderful stories that they would tell in person. For these we will have to be patient but they will come!