Not all beer and skittles
03 May 2014 | Coffs Harbour
Greg
Well, what a day yesterday turned out to be. Deb got away at 6:30 to catch the train back to Sydney on Friday and then onto the Bay in order to finish renovating the original bathroom in the house. She'll be away about 10 days.
I was starting to get cabin fever in Port Macquarie, as lovely as it is, a week is enough. Besides that, the Port Macquarie triatherlon was scheduled for this weekend and it would have been a bit unnerving for Volaré to be used as a turning mark for 500 swimmers. So the decision had been taken for me to leave and head for Yamba ( about 120 miles northeast of Port) where I would meet up with Deb on her return. The weather forecast was for 20 - 30 winds from the north west.
I crossed the bar at 0730 and headed out with a double reefed main and full headsail into a gentle 15 kt westerly. All good. About half way to Point Plumber the wind started to pick up and I took a few turns in on the headsail. Still OK. Sailing at about 7 kts but with a 2.5 kt current against me so I knew it was going to be a slow trip. Passing Point Plumber the wind had increased to about 25 kts so I took in the headsail and unfurled the staysail. About 5 miles south of Trial Bay things were getting messy. The wind was gusting to 45 kts and sitting on a steady 35 kts and the seas were really starting to build up. Down came the main. We were punching into 6' wind waves with an adverse current. If I could have turned back I would but the Port Macquarie bar by this time would have been untenable so I had no alternative but to continue on. I got smacked by a particularly large wave and TWANG, the inner forestay holding up the staysail snapped and I had one unholy mess on the deck and dragging behind the boat. Oh shit. Engine on I was making about 2 kts against the waves and the current. I was up the foredeck doing a ballet up to my neck in water one minute and about 10' above it the next. I managed to get the sail, together with the foil sort of back on deck and tied down to the starboard life lines. The inner stay had snapped at the top swage terminal. Finally back in the cockpit I unfurled about 6' of genoa and got going again.
Once north of Trial Bay the northerly current settled down somewhat and I was making good time at about 7 kts across the bottom. By this time the wind was a consistent 45 kts and the boat below was bedlam.
I did what any self respecting sailor would do - I got on the phone and called Coffs Harbour Marina and booked a berth. I got in at 2000 last night, tied up, had a massive scotch, a hot shower and crashed into a wet bed.
Same conditions today are predicted so I'll spend the day tidying up, trying to sort out the sail. I will probably get away very early Tuesday morning in order to get across the bar at Yamba on a rising tide. Then I'll start thinking about finding a rigger.