The next 460 n.miles on one tack
13 August 2012 | N N'N:E E'E, The Coral Sea
David
It is great to be sailing again! We were lucky with the currents - they were from behind so flew out of the passage. The motor is now off and we are on course for the Great Barrier Reef's Grafton Passage which has a nice easy angle of sail into Cairns. (Did not think I could get this point of sail when I initially planned the course to the Trinity Passage). We are doing a nice 5.3 knots and the computer has us arriving on Saturday late morning. We are still reefed in from last nights sail and after I have caught up on a bit of sleep and also gotten a better idea of what the wind and waves are like this side of the fringing reefs I'll put up some more sail for some speed. The waves and wind are what the weather forecast said they would be. But after motoring into the wind for almost 3 days solid even 2.5 metre waves are a nice change. The cabin is a mess so after that nap, a reset of the sails, some household duties, and also a repack of some heavier items to better balance the boat given we are going to be on this tack for at least 3 days. After that might watch a movie or catchup on some reading. It has been hard work ever since Adam and I started working on the boats waste tank over 2 weeks ago. This long single tack is a welcome change.
Even though we are still not half way from Rabaul to Cairns it sure feels like we are on the home straight now that the Solomon Sea is behind. Still in PNG waters for another 180 miles though!