Adventures on Yarramundi

27 October 2012
22 August 2012 | Trinity Inlet, Cairns
17 August 2012 | Cairns Harbour
16 August 2012 | 14 56.8653'S:148 11.3993'E, The Coral Sea
15 August 2012 | 14 14.19156'S:149 5465'E, The Coral Sea
14 August 2012 | 13 12.0330'S:150 26.6810'E, Still in PNG Waters, Coral Sea
14 August 2012 | 70 miles north east of Australian Waters, Coral Sea
13 August 2012 | N N'N:E E'E, The Coral Sea
13 August 2012 | N N'N:E E'E, Solomon Sea
12 August 2012 | N 'N:E 'E, Solomon Sea
11 August 2012 | 'N: 'E, Solomon Sea
10 August 2012 | N N'N:E E'E, Solomon Sea - South of Deep Planet
09 August 2012 | 'N: 'E, Solomon Sea
09 August 2012 | Blanche Bay 4 miles from Rabaul
08 August 2012 | Rabaul Yacht Club
07 August 2012 | Rabaul Yacht Club
06 August 2012 | Rabaul Yacht Club
05 August 2012 | Rabaul Yacht Club

Telegraph Poles and Pilot Whales

10 August 2012 | N N'N:E E'E, Solomon Sea - South of Deep Planet
David
Yesterday a bit before sunset I was in the cabin looking back into the cockpit when I noticed a pole sticking out of the water. I jumped out to see that it was a telegraph pole bobbing up and down vertically so I assume something heavy was on the bottom end. Concerned there might be more I took a lookout on the bow for a while. I had been motor sailing at around 6 knots and had passed the ugly thing within metres. Can't imagine what damage to the hull something like that would cause. I restocked my second ditch bag and went over the abandon ship procedures a couple of times in my head just in case.

It was a mostly quiet night until rain came out of nowhere at 2am and persisted till about 9. It was not the tropical torrential stuff however there was a bit of lightening. Thunder was coming 7 to 9 seconds later so I stuck the battery jumper leads back in the water from the mast. When the rain eased the wind picked up so we are now sailing without the motor at a respectable 5.8 knots SSW. We still have not made enough easting for the entrance to the Coral Sea for the crossing to Cairns but as I prefer to motor sail at night while solo so will keep on this tack till sunset. Plenty of sea room still for a 80 miles tack.

While I was doing some deck work for this new tack I saw a pilot whale. Then another. They were just 20 metres off the port side bow. The work I was doing meant I could not leave the deck to take a photo. As I looked back I saw about 15 of them all in a pod. Thinking they might be around for a while I took my time to make sure things were right but that was the last I saw of them. They just vanished.

With this stronger wind we have a bumpy ride and a few things have flown around the cabin. (Got into some bad habits in the first 2 days as it was so flat). One of those items was spray container of windex. Not only did it fly but it cracked open so I now have a cabin of windex fumes and due to the occasional wave coming over the boat don't have the option of opening a hatch to clear it.

Just passed 6 degrees 55 mins South which is the furthest south Yarramundi has been. It took Adam and I over 4 days to get almost this far without the engine and with the engine have done it in half the time.

David
Comments
Vessel Name: Yarramundi
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Espace 990 33 feet
Hailing Port: Sydney
Crew: David Devlin
Extra: Yarramundi now lies in Mooloolaba and is occasionally sailed with my son. I do plan to evenutally get her to Sydney.
Yarramundi's Photos - Main
Andrew and I don’t think he is human – probably some Viking god who has came back to earth for a visit. He setup a vodka distribution business in 22 countries and sold it to Diageo retiring at the age of 32. He spent the following 2 years designing and building his 56 foot $6 million boat and has been sailing it for the last 6 years. He sails alone and has been everywhere – including Antarctica. Neither of us have seen anything like the boat – The interior is like an upmarket modern Scandinavian apartment, it has every convenience imaginable (both domestic and maritime), and the outside with it’s teak and stainless steel looks like it just came out of a show room. We certainly did not see Bart cleaning it so are convinced it has been blessed. Or he has some little helpers stowed away somewhere and they come out at night and clean it. In fact we did not see Bart do anything else accept hang around and be cool until he left. He does not use a motor. Despite being in the corner of the harbour he untied his huge floating bachelor pad himself and used only the wind to turn the corner and sail out. We motored out to wave him off and even at full throttle could not keep up. He is off to Kyushu and then Hokkaido where he plans to stay for about a year skiing and photographing the wildlife. He had a coffee table book on board. It was of his boat and it’s Antarctic adventures. Of course he would. Very cool guy - we were privileged to meet him in Chichijima, have dinner with him a couple of times and tour his boat. David
7 Photos
Created 6 April 2012
42 Photos
Created 5 April 2012
37 Photos
Created 3 April 2012
Yarramundi is now provisioned with 400 litres of water, 350 litres of diesel, 60kgs of rice and pasta, hundreds of cans of soup, spam, sauces etc to make up more than 800 meals. She is leaning a bit to port side so we will have to do some rearrangement of the contents before taking off on Sunday March 25.
1 Photo
Created 21 March 2012
Weather permitting Yarramundi will depart Shimoda, Japan on March 25 for Saipan on her first leg to Sydney. Following that we will sail to Chuuk (Truk) via Guam, then Honiara, Cairns and onto Sydney visiting many of the remote atolls of the Caroline and Solomon Islands.
1 Photo
Created 5 March 2012
10 Photos
Created 5 March 2012
I've been lucky to have my sister Maria and cousins Holly, Adam, Liam and his wife Zoe visit Japan and sail on Yarramundi
6 Photos
Created 24 February 2012
5 Photos
Created 24 February 2012
1 Photo
Created 22 February 2012
Why is it that every winter I've seem have had to dive below the boat to fix or retrieve something?
4 Photos
Created 22 February 2012
Yarramundi has been taken to Seabornia Marina on the west side of the Muira Penninsula for some major work. We made it in record time within one day thanks to the 30knot wind from the north but little thanks to George who fell asleep at the helm.
5 Photos
Created 22 February 2012
A few friends visited Yarramundi on Seijin no Hi (coming of age day) while she was in Tokyo Bay. A brief sail was followed by a turkey lunch.
10 Photos
Created 20 January 2012
People who have helped fit-out and maintain Yarramundi
7 Photos
Created 26 December 2011
From Shimoda to Wakayama and Mie Prefectures - a 12 day trip with 3 other yachts from TSPS.
24 Photos
Created 2 December 2011