After a very windy day at Rottnest I set out for the final sail to Mandurah, there was still a large swell running but with reasonably favourable winds I was able to make the bottom of Warnbro Sound before turning over the Yanmar for the final miles. The Urchin is now in her pen and all clean, I have removed the ton of equipment so her waterline is now showing again. The trip south covered 2154 NM with 1622 NM being solo at an average speed of around 4.3 knots, considering a lot of the conditions were relatively light that isn't to bad for a little yacht. Now the Urchin is going to participate in the local MOFSC cruising and racing and spending her time between Rottnest and other local cruising spots, Riley, the yachts true skipper gave her his seal of approval. The family is now off for a holiday in Malaysia and then back home in time for the summer cruising season. And the final picture is the family I missed so much during the time away.

I pulled up a mooring at 0530 after leaving Jurien yesterday at just after 0700, a total of 118 miles. We had winds from behind the whole time but it was pretty windy and raining so not the greatest time out there, also had once confrontation with a ship that was heading directly towards me, never responded on VHF. There is a strong wind warning out and the last 3 hours have been a bit heavy going so I have pulled up a mooring and will get some sleep before the final push to Mandurah. Photo is of the Urchin at Jurien Bay

I am nearing the end of my voyage south after just finishing 2000 NM so far, I aimed to leave the Abrolhos and sail straight through to Rotto, some 200 NM, but the winds were against me and with a large cold front approaching I decided to use my head instead of my heart, as I long to see the family again. So I have diverted to Jurien Bay for a few days to let the weather settle. Tony and Andrew decided to do the same, so we are holed up here for a while, Keith has returned to Geraldton and the photo above is of him as he departs our cruising group, happy sailing Keith. I am now tied up at the Jurien Bay marina all safe and sound, instead of the 30 knot head winds I would have expected tonight, I arrived after some 111 NM from the Abrolhos at 4 am in the morning and have since moved to a more secure pen. It looks as though I will spend two to three days here and then head off for the final 150 NM or so. I experienced NW winds pushing me along at some 6.5 knots but the wind soon changed to the south and then died leaving a very confused sea and large swell, after travelling so far it was not worth the risk of the poor conditions so close to home.

As the voyage draws to a conclusion I will add a few comments on what I have found so far;

1. Areas I would love to spend more time - areas just north of King Sound, Shark Bay & the Abrolhos. King George River is the spectacular but too far away, 2. Things I appreciated so much - Tiller Pilot, a good anchor and chain combination, Sangean Radio for HF weather reports and faxes, plenty of water holding, paper charts & depth sounder, FSC Cruising Guide, furling headsail and a good mainsail thanks to Doyle Sails, 3. Clothing I loved - Nerdy UV sun protection glasses (only worn offshore for image sake), long sleaved shirts and the best sailing shorts in WA - Deckies from Mad Dora Design which are made for sailing and sitting on your ass all day, something I have done a bit to much of, 4. Best small yacht in the world - SS27, these things are built well, have heaps of room and even sail well. After several yachts this is the best design for me so far. I was able to sail over 100 NM and arrive only 1 hour behind a 46 foot yacht, these things love the WA coastal conditions. 5. Best experience - King George Sound, cruising with Keith and Tony, Dampier and Carnarvon Yacht Club, Whales (and more whales), talking to the family, and best of all was just being able to sail and spend time exploring the coast, if only we had more time. 6. Things that Suck - cheap inflatable, poor mechanical service in Darwin, outrageous prices from service people in Darwin, SW winds or any head wind for that matter, tides, whales with poor give way instructions, fear. 7. Final Comments - this coast line goes on forever, and no one is out there, there are places to explore up north that will satisfy any cruiser with time on your hands, everyone is friendly, we never met anyone who would not assist where possible. Coastwatch were wonderful and I heard a whole rescue scenario where coastwatch reassured the stricken vessel and would not leave the scene until the Navy had arrived, sure it's our tax dollar but there were times up there when I felt it was worth every cent, especially after a rough night.

If you ever get the chance take some time out, forget the rat race and enjoy what WA has to offer, not just the scenery but the people and wild life as well.

The Urchin and I had a great sail over to the Pelsaert group with a light wind off the beam, when we reached there the wind died and I motored in dead flat seas, easy for spotting coral patches, over to Middle Island, we dropped anchor on the North side and spent the day diving and relaxing, the day was perfect. Spotted a small shark swimming around, about 5 feet, and tried to get some underwater pictures of it but it wouldn't play the game. Relaxing day in preparation for heading south tomorrow.

With the wind backing around to the North we had to move away from Morley Island and its lee shore and head a little north in the Easter Group to White Bank, we are sitting out a strong warning for the day and will head down to the Pelsaert Group tomorrow. From there we will wait for the appropriate weather window to sail the 150 miles to Perth, rest for a day and then the final leg to Mandurah. Last night I was able to make telephone contact with Sally by climbing to the masthead and dialling from there.