We decided due to the weather forecast to head straight North from Iluka / Yamba on Monday morning at 0600.
It was just light enough to see the condition of the Bar crossing to get out of the river and back onto the ocean. SV Bluglass headed off with us at the same time, we also had 2 boats about 2 hours ahead of us and another 2 departed 4 hours after us.
Bluglass leads the way out to the Bar.
The bar was lumpy and boisterous but we where back out on the ocean with out to much fuss. The sun was rising and all seems right in the world.
Our first problem was that our wind instruments had failed, little bits of electronic kit 25 meters up the top of the mast, so we had gone old school and tied some ribbon to the side stays so we had a visual indication of wind strength and direction. Was working well with the ribbon being highlighted by the sun rise.
Then we started to raise the main sail to get going seriously for the day, next problem the Halyard which raises the sail is meant to come from the top of the mast down to a pulley attached to the top of the sail, then back to the top of the mast. Pull on the rope and up goes the sail. You need to be pointed directly into the wind to do this, no problem ribbon clearly visible in the morning light. Some how in the washing machie effect of crossing the bar this line is now tangled up well and truly in the mast. No main sail for us today.
At least Bluglass was having a good sail along side us through the morning.
1pm, 8 miles South of Cape Byron, pushing against 2 plus knots of current, now raining and can not raise the mainsail due to halyard wrapped around the mast spreaders. "Are we having fun yet" at least I have me feet up and I am dry. L380 Sv Bluglass ahead in the picture.
So on-wards motor sailing with the Head sail and one motor. We had ideas of anchoring at Byron Bay about halfway, but on inspection way to lumpy with the swell increasing. So on to the Gold Coast in the rain with and estimated arrival time of about 10 pm.
More rain through the afternoon with the wind doing all sorts of changes, which was very hard to pick due to the serious down side of our old school wind tell-tails. They do not work that well in pouring rain and you can not see them when it is dark.
Hot bowl of meat vegetables and rice at about 1700 to keep us going till arrival, that was when I started watching the BOM rain Radar for the weather ahead. There was a system tracking South as we tracked North. This was a shot of the Radar as we just arrived at the Gold Coast Seaway to enter the sheltered waters of the Broad-water.
Finally we get a brake and at least we can anchor in the dry with us beating the rain to our anchorage. Then Murrphy had on more trick for us as I was setting the anchor which involves pulling on it with both motors to dig it in and make sure it is holding, the hook that attaches the boats bridle to the chain bent and let go.
A quick and nasty fix had me in bed by 1045 asleep.
The reality is these sort of days are few and far between when sailing, if I keep telling myself that I just may even start believing it. But all is well that ends well so fix the broken bits do some servicing and get ready to head North again in June. We need to get somewhere that is warmer.