Well 2019 and 2020 have come and gone with not many nautical miles under the keel.

On the south coast of NSW Australia we had the very severe bushfire which burnt many many hectares of forest. At one point it even threatened the marina at Bermagui where Malua is currently berthed. The air was thick with smoke and ash and burnt leaves and sticks rained down from the sky. It took weeks to clean Malua and even today I am still finding black burnt leaves under things that have not received the spit and polish

Well we all know what happened to 2020 and the world wide COVID-19 crisis. National boarders have been closed and we here in Australia were even locked down in our states and cities. So no cruising along the coast with the uncertainty that you may not get home. No sailing for Malua.

Now 2021 has arrived and we ventured north for a very short cruise to test the water so to speak to Jervis Bay. The family joined and we had a great few days on the boat. The sail back to Bermagui was boisterous but fun and it was good to get back in the saddle.

Well 2018 has come and gone and I took Malua for a short trip to New Caledonia. That was the plan but like most things cruising you have to have a plan B.
Setting off from Bermagui I sailed north up the coast. The BOM forecast seemed to be all wrong when the wind was forecast to be from the South it came from the north and so it went. Sun and it rained.
The day I left the Sydney area it was predicted to be a gentle breeze all the way to Coffs Harbour. Off Port Stevens it started to blow and I did not appreciate how hard the wind was until the autopilot stopped working and all hell broke loose. Being alone on a boat one has to prioritise the tasks to get the boat under control. After some time all was under control and the passage to Coffs was put on hold.
I had not time to study the charts as I entered between the heads and I saw that the water was just not right. Turn to starboard and stop. Go down below and look at the chart. Wow a shallow bank across the entrance but sufficient depth to the north. I motored into the bay and dropped the anchor as the sun set.
Was that a warning not to go further north?
Three weeks later I sailed out of Port Stevens towards Coffs with a new autopilot.
No good forecast for a week as I awaited the low to move off the coast. The as always I left too early and into the back of the low. Not a good ride off the coast of Oz to New Cal. However the low got a move on and moved to NZ and I was left with little wind.
Two months in New Caledonia cruising the main island and the Loyalties with friends on Parhelion.
Denny returned to Australia and I sat around not wishing to make the same mistake again for the passage to Fiji. This time I got it right and sailed almost all the way with the wind on the beam.
Musket Cove regatta week was Ok not as much fun as the previous two times because the Americans dominated the event. Most of this group should have stayed in the USA to make it great again.
Afte a haul-out at Vuda Point I set sail back to Oz via New Cal. I checked in and out on the same day. Provisioned and filled the cellar with French wines and left the day before the rest of the fleet set sail either for Bundaberg or Coffs.
Arrived cleared in and waited for a northerly which finally arived.
A quick passage back to Bermagui and the short cruise ended after six months on Malua. Well that was plan B.
What next?

I entered Sydney Harbour on 7 November after a interesting sail south along the NSW coast. A severe thunderstorm off The Hawksbury reminded me how dangerous it can be close to shore. The rain came down so hard I could not see the bow and the winds as always in these conditions came from the south then switched to the north. As the wind and rain started I dropped all sails and started to motor off shore. Thankfully it only lasted less than an hour but I had run before the wind to enter Pittwater. I decided not to go in to The Basin but shelter behind the headland in America Bay. A lovely quite anchorage.

I went round to The Basic to meet Sundancer ii when they arrived after a very wet ride south along the same NSW coast as I. Good to see them again after last meeting in French Polynesia.
It was now time for me to enter Sydney Harbour; the start of this adventure sailing around (not round) the world. It was a slow sail into the southerly and I entered through the heads on the 7 November 2014 and back to the Fish Market. I was welcomed by the family and the youngest crew member Theo who enjoyed a short sail on the harbour.

Iain came on board for the cruise south down the coast back to Batemans Bay. We had to wait for the high tide before we crossed the river bar to enter the Clyde River and the marina. I have been allocated a place in the rejuvenated marina. I did not have to bribe anyone nor did I have to approach the Registrar of Cooperatives to investigate the managers. What a refreshing change in the ten years I have been away. I do hope the new owners have success and are able to break the strangle hold of the vested interest which have held the marina back for more than 20 years.
The Bay Post came to interview me which was an experience. All they wanted to know was the dangers faced and the disasters. Mine was not a great story but got printed anyway.
Malua is now undergoing a major refit and upgrade to all the little things I did not complete when I set off in September 2004 sailing south to Tasmania Hobart then on to New Zealand and the circumference of the Tasman Sea.
This blog will be updated as I achieve some mile stones with Malua. But keep in touch either through my Facebook or Malua web site or Malua's Facebook.