Upon making landfall in New Caledonia, we officially have sailed across the largest ocean in the world, the Pacific. Our next passage will take us across the Coral Sea to Australia. It is about 900 miles and should take us five days. We check weather everyday and hire a weather router to get some expert opinion. In a few days we get the go ahead and after saying our goodbyes, we leave the slip and raise sails for our next passage. A few other boats that will be making the crossing decide to wait another day for wind, but we were told to leave early and get to Brisbane before the next low pressure system came through. Being slightly chicken we decide to leave early. Our first day out is spent motoring but we have plenty of fuel so really don't mind other than the noise. A system down in the Tasman Sea is causing some uncomfortable sea conditions for us and we are bounced around.
Our second day out the wind picks up and of course, so do the seas. What was just an uncomfortable motion, now is a"hold on so you don't get hurt" motion. The seas are like a washing machine and I immediately get queasy. Time for some Stugeron. That has been my drug of choice for these situations as it doesn't make me sleepy. The third day is still a rolly one, but on the forth day the weather starts to get better. As soon as the wind lightens up to 15 to 20 knots the seas start to calm down some and our ride gets a little better. But now we are ahead of schedule and to avoid arriving at night we need to slow the boat down. Going too slow in rough conditions is not a comfortable ride either but after adjusting sails we find a sweet spot that is still a little too fast but more easily tolerated. The forth day the winds lighten up even more and we are actually enjoying ourselves but still going too fast so we need to slow the boat some more. Morning Light just wants to go fast but that is one of the reasons we bought her. The last day of our passage we have light winds and calm seas. As soon as we are in Australian waters we raise our Australian flag and also put up our quarantine flag. Our last night out is spent changing course quite often to miss the numerous fishing boats. Needless to say neither one of us got much sleep. We enter Moreton Bay at first light and follow two Aussie boats into the pass. It works out great as most of the entrance buoys are missing and the waters are very shallow making navigating a little tricky. The marina and customs dock where we are to do our check in is located quite a ways up the Brisbane River. Going over a river bar on the wrong tide is not a good idea and the adverse currents can make for steep waves. We are blessed with a rising tide going over the bar and up the river and an almost slack tide upon arrival. It doesn't get any better than that. We had heard that checking into Brisbane is one of the worse places as the customs agents there can make life very miserable for cruisers entering their country. We found out quite the opposite and if fact it was one of our easiest and most pleasant check-ins we have had. Of course we had eaten all of our fresh meats, eggs and dairy before arriving. The last morning as we headed across the bay we had an eating frenzy, not wanting to give up our fruits and veggies to the quarantine officials. We ended up with two apples that we just couldn't choke down in time. Our check in took about two hours and of course by that time the tide had changed and the current was picking up. The dock master at the marina was very helpful and gave us a hand getting us safely into our slip. Ah at last, we have arrived and have safely checked into country. We then lay down for a nap.
Since we started our cruising, we have sailed some 15,000 nautical miles and have visited 10 countries, not to mention the numerous islands that each one has to offer. Our cruising has been a mixture of amazing experiences, both good and bad. It is not an easy life by any means. It is very important to know the visa requirements, advance notification and check in procedures for the different countries as heavy fines can be implemented if you screw up.
Keeping up on weather daily not only on passages but also when at anchor as wind shifts can turn an otherwise calm anchorage into a very dangerous place. Navigating in reef infested waters keeps you alert at all times. Planning where, when and how much provisioning to do for extended periods of isolation is always a brain strain. Then there is the boat maintenance which turned out to be much more time consuming then we had thought, even with a new boat. Systems are used on a daily basis and the marine environment is hard on them. Our relationship has been pushed to its limits quite a few times, but overall we feel closer to each other then we have ever been. Cruising has given us the opportunity to see so many beautiful places, marvel at the many different animals and sea life and meet some very interesting people along the way. We are so very thankful for all of it.