Free at Last

Vessel Name: Degrees of Freedom
Vessel Make/Model: Runnalls 38
Hailing Port: Manly, Brisbane
Crew: Skipper-Phil;Skippers Mate-Esther;Navigator and DJ-Steve;Comms Officer-Doug;Bosun-Maddie
About: "Motlley" would be a fair description!!
Extra: The Plan - sail 350nautical miles into the middle of nowhere, attend a BBQ, sail 350nm back. Why? For the sausage When? Novemer 5 - 15 What else? Grow a mo for Movember and prostate cancer awareness
12 December 2009 | Lucinda Bay
15 November 2009 | home
14 November 2009 | Manly Boat Harbour
12 November 2009 | 80 Miles off Cape Morton
12 November 2009 | South Pacific
12 November 2009 | South Pacific
12 November 2009 | South Pacific
12 November 2009
12 November 2009 | 50nm North West of Elizabeth Reef, heading home.
12 November 2009 | south pacific
12 November 2009 | south pacific
11 November 2009 | south pacific
10 November 2009 | south pacific
09 November 2009 | Lord Howe Island
08 November 2009 | south pacific
04 November 2009
03 November 2009 | Morton Bay
02 November 2009
28 October 2009
27 October 2009
Recent Blog Posts
12 December 2009 | Lucinda Bay

Pirate Plunder

Just leaving Lucinda Bay, Moreton Island after a weekend with the RQYS cruising club. Have just left me Hearty's at the Bay after a good swashbucklin' and now heading back to land on our trusty furner with the addition of some nice Doubloons to keep us in good spirits till we be out again. With thanks again to our Buccaneer hosts for the weekend, Scott, Molly and Tom on the great, grand ship Heemskirk!! ARRR, me hearty's, you be seeing us again next year for we be no landlubber's!

15 November 2009 | home

more on home safe and sound

Thank you everyone who tried to phone me or text on my birthday whilst we were away. Little did we realise Lord Howe Island has no phone service! Have been without internet and phone for 10 days! Saturday sailing we were accompanied for a while by 2 whales! Maddie and I baked bread (lovely with butter and golden syrup) and there were a couple of ship sightings. Home safe and sound now albeit a little the worse for wear with a cold/flu I can't seem to shake. Enjoy the pics.

14 November 2009 | Manly Boat Harbour

Home Safe and Sound

Sunday and the final leg into Brisbane saw us doing probably more passage under sail than we did at any other time on the trip. A nice flat sea and northerly pushed us along with the aid of the trusty Yanmar from time to time. We cleared Cape Morton after 10pm and then headed for the North East Channel [...]

12 November 2009 | 80 Miles off Cape Morton

We Are Sailing

It is a beautifull day, about 10kts of wind slightly behind the beam, smooth seas, enough cloud to tame the sun. Maddie is watching a King Arthur DVD and the rest of us doing nothing (which is much the same really.)

12 November 2009 | South Pacific

starry starry night

Orion, Taurus, Pleides, Magellan clouds, just a few of the wonders in the sky last evening. so, with another uneventful night passed we are now less than 100 nm from home! All are welcome to join us for breakfast sunday morning at Cafe le Mer,East Coast Marina at Manly.

12 November 2009 | South Pacific

starry starry night

Orion, Taurus, Pleides, Magellan clouds, just a few of the wonders in the sky last evening. so, with another uneventful night passed we are now less than 100 nm from home! All are welcome to join us for breakfast sunday morning at Cafe le Mer,East Coast Marina at Manly.

Pirate Plunder

12 December 2009 | Lucinda Bay
Esther
Just leaving Lucinda Bay, Moreton Island after a weekend with the RQYS cruising club. Have just left me Hearty's at the Bay after a good swashbucklin' and now heading back to land on our trusty furner with the addition of some nice Doubloons to keep us in good spirits till we be out again. With thanks again to our Buccaneer hosts for the weekend, Scott, Molly and Tom on the great, grand ship Heemskirk!! ARRR, me hearty's, you be seeing us again next year for we be no landlubber's!

more on home safe and sound

15 November 2009 | home
Esther
Thank you everyone who tried to phone me or text on my birthday whilst we were away. Little did we realise Lord Howe Island has no phone service! Have been without internet and phone for 10 days! Saturday sailing we were accompanied for a while by 2 whales! Maddie and I baked bread (lovely with butter and golden syrup) and there were a couple of ship sightings. Home safe and sound now albeit a little the worse for wear with a cold/flu I can't seem to shake. Enjoy the pics.

Home Safe and Sound

14 November 2009 | Manly Boat Harbour
Phil
Sunday and the final leg into Brisbane saw us doing probably more passage under sail than we did at any other time on the trip. A nice flat sea and northerly pushed us along with the aid of the trusty Yanmar from time to time. We cleared Cape Morton after 10pm and then headed for the North East Channel into the bay only to find that the leading marker was unlit and having to pull out of the channel with only 3.1m of water at one point. Not to be attempted again in the dark! So it was the long way round across to the main shipping channel which brought us into Manly just after dawn. Ironically, though it was a harrowing few mmoments as we went down the unlit channel the reach over to the main channel was the best sail of the trip!
Clean up, shower and a well deserved rest for the remainder of the day.
I will post some of the photographs later today or tomorrow and the rest when I get them off Doug.
SO WATCH THIS SPACE YET!

We Are Sailing

12 November 2009 | 80 Miles off Cape Morton
Doug
It is a beautifull day, about 10kts of wind slightly behind the beam, smooth seas, enough cloud to tame the sun. Maddie is watching a King Arthur DVD and the rest of us doing nothing (which is much the same really.)

We have a spinnaker up which is really cutting fuel consumption a lot. This maybe important since we ran out of fuel in one tank last night. God forbid we empty the other one and have to actually get home under sail alone. Any way we are doing about 6kts at 1400 rpm and cruising along quite nicely. We should make the entry to the shipping channel before midnight and may make the Marina before dawn on Sunday morning.

We plan to have breakfast in one of the up market cafes in Manly on Sunday morning. I'll have to consider weather to have a shower etc at the Marina beforehand. However one good thing about my recent cold is that my sense of smell has completely vanished. Last night I was drinking some stuff which I thought was watered down wiskey (of which Phil and Steve had been extolling the virtues.) However it turned out to be expensive cask savignon blanc and I simply couldn't tell the difference. Good wine is wasted on me. Any way having a shower would be a waste of water as well since as far as I can tell we al smell just fine.

Doug

starry starry night

12 November 2009 | South Pacific
Esther
Orion, Taurus, Pleides, Magellan clouds, just a few of the wonders in the sky last evening. so, with another uneventful night passed we are now less than 100 nm from home! All are welcome to join us for breakfast sunday morning at Cafe le Mer,East Coast Marina at Manly.

starry starry night

12 November 2009 | South Pacific
Esther
Orion, Taurus, Pleides, Magellan clouds, just a few of the wonders in the sky last evening. so, with another uneventful night passed we are now less than 100 nm from home! All are welcome to join us for breakfast sunday morning at Cafe le Mer,East Coast Marina at Manly.

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