We're here!

Remember the famous expression "don't count your chickens before they hatch"?  I'm glad I said 'almost' in my last entry when I said we were in Brisbane as our last little stretch was not exactly smooth runnings.

We got up early, moved our dinghy from the front deck to the stern davits and had an absolutely brilliant sail across the bay to the entrance of the channel leading up to the river which, in turn, was to take us to the quarantine docks and then on up to Brisbane city.  

But……after only a few short miles up the channel, at the mouth of the river, we ran aground well inside a starboard channel marker.  To make matters worse, we got stuck on a falling tide and simply couldn't budge.  A water police boat with two 140hp outboards came along to tow us out but they, too, could not budge us.  A second water police vessel arrived but still, nada.  We had no choice but to sit it out and wait for the tide to start coming back up again – another five hours!  So much for getting through the formalities early to avoid overtime penalties.  

No point getting uptight so we sat there on a 45º angle passing the time reading, playing Sudoku or just watching the water disappear behind our stern.  On the positive side, it was soft putty, nothing hard and nasty to damage the keel.

Eventually the waters began to return so we got into the dinghy to drop the anchor 50 metres in front of the bow in the hopes of using it to help pull ourselves forwards.  Shortly thereafter, the water police returned and, this time, Paul attached a line halfway up the mast so that he could tip us over thereby lessening the depth of the keel.  While he pulled us over, Paul winched up on the windlass and I gunned the engine from the helm.  Suddenly we popped out into deeper water like a pip from a squeezed lemon.  We were finally free!  And, to top it all off, despite the fact that we still had 7 nm to go to get to the Q dock and the afternoon was rapidly coming to an end, we got there just in the nick of time that overtime charges weren't levied.  In reality, I guess they should have been but it was, after all, Christmas Eve, and the officials had listened to the Calypso saga the entire day, even watching us on the channel cameras.  Sympathy and the Christmas spirit seemed to have worked in our favour on this occasion.  The officials were absolutely wonderful. 

Then, to top all that off, Terry and Marjatta, Australian ex-cruising friends, were waiting for us at the quarantine dock from seven in the morning after driving 10 hours all the way up from Newcastle to meet us.  What a surprise and how absolutely wonderful!  We had planned to spend New Year's Eve with them aboard their boat down in Sydney Harbour and they were there to make sure that we made it.  They even arrived with beers and champagne on ice to celebrate.  Wow, what a welcome.

By the time we finished off all the formalities, it was too late to continue up the river to Brisbane, so we motored up early on Christmas morning alongside Troutbridge who had arrived safely about the same time.  The main task was to find a safe anchorage for Calypso so that we could leave her for the time we'd be down in Sydney, pack everything away and shut off all systems as Terry & Majatta wanted to drive back down that afternoon.  

Peter (Troutbridge) is near to where we anchored and will keep an eye on her so we were able to do the necessary and leave just after lunchtime.  So, Christmas dinner wasn't quite as bad as beans on toast as I'd predicted but rather a chicken burger at a MacDonald's petrol stop on the way down.  What amazed us was the number of people, families included, who were also seemingly having their Christmas dinner at MacDonald's, and also the amount of traffic on the highways.  Why aren't all these people having dinner with family and friends?

Just going back to the issue of the starboard marker buoy that caused all the problems in the first place, we later discovered that it was, in fact, a buoy marking a second channel coming in to join the main one that we were following.  Guess we're supposed to be psychic but, fortunately, no harm done; just another story to add to Calypso's ongoing adventures.

For years now, we had heard nothing but negative reports about the officialdom surrounding yachts entering Australia, especially Brisbane.  Most cruisers clear in at Bundaberg because of this.  This was one of the reasons that we had, at one time, decided not to visit Australia.  How wrong could we have been?  The reception was just so welcoming, friendly and efficient; vastly different to anything we had expected or anticipated.  Such a pleasant surprise.  We've had several friends avoid Australia because of this which is sad that such misinformation is out there.  Obviously there must have been good reason in past years but this is certainly not true today.  Hopefully we can help to spread a positive word.

Arrived - Sort Of

Well, we have finally almost finished this epic journey. I say 'almost' because we haven't got as far as arriving at the quarantine docks to check in but can't do that until Monday morning anyway so, as it was getting dark last night zig-zagging across Morton Bay, we pulled over to the side by Morton Island to take a break.

By this time, we had a major rattle in the engine compartment (broken alternator bracket AGAIN), and were still leaking fuel albeit slowly but, as we are so low in that department, we can't afford to waste any. Paul has managed to salvage quite a lot putting it all through a filtering/polishing system but we just can't seem to entirely get to the bottom of the problem.

We arrived at the head of Moreton Bay by mid-morning yesterday and managed to sail for quite a distance before the wiggly channel headed us straight into the wind. We were passed in this narrow region by a few large container ships i.e. 'close encounters of the colossal kind' but it was all relatively simple. By sundown, we knew we couldn't go all the way through. Stopping here is totally illegal but we couldn't motor with the broken bracket and sailing in these tricky waters at night wasn't something we relished. Better safe and try to explain ourselves later rather than trying to be correct but sitting on a reef or sandbar somewhere. This is a very wide bay but is primarily shallow throughout with limited natural and dredged channels.

I'm convinced a herd of snails, tortoises and/or sloths could have done this trip faster and, had we not lost so much fuel at the start, we could have motored for a couple more days but, we're here safely and have to confess that it was slow but rather that than experiencing the tropical storm that hit us coming out of Fiji.

Oh, and we finally saw dolphins just before the sun set last night!

Christmas is now going to be a non event as we've had to cancel our plans to spend it with friends who live several hours outside Brisbane. By the time we get into the anchorage and sort out a safe place to leave Calypso, it just was no longer feasible to get down to them or for them to come to collect us. I guess I'll be trying to conjure up something a little more exciting than beans on toast for the occasion.

In the meantime, all our very best wishes to all of you for a Merry Christmas. Enjoy!

White caps, yeah!

Current position is 26 35'7 and 153 43'0

We spent over six hours in the morning simply drifting without sails due to, yup, you guessed it, no winds. However, suddenly we started feeling a little breeze and, before we knew it, there were white caps on the water and white caps meant wind and wind meant SAILING.

So, for the rest of the day, we were able to pull out all our canvas and move along at 6 or 7 knots; what a fabulous feeling.

It's now three in the morning, the winds have slowed down but we're still moving along at about 3 to 4 knots which means that we'll be at the entrance to Morton Bay sometime mid morning (Saturday). The quarantine docks are apparently about 40 nm from there so we'll have to find a way to waste a day and a half out in the bay somehow. Paul' hoping to find some spot where we can safely drop anchor and sit it out.

Fuel is still a bit of an issue as, although Paul found the source of the major leak, it appears that we still have another, possibly in the return system which is inaccessible without tearing out a cupboard. We just pray we have enough to get us to quarantine and then on up to the city.

However, as I sit on watch now, I can see the lights of Brisbane on the horizon which means that we're actually finally getting somewhere. Hallelujah.

Hey, we're moving (sort of)

Current position is 26 05' 9S and 155 01' 1E

Yesterday's 24-hour progress was a total of 49,2 nautical miles. Well, a snail would have been thrilled so don't laugh!

As I write this now (three in the morning), the wind has actually picked up marginally and we're sailing, albeit only at three to four knots but, wow, that's Speedy Gonzales stuff in comparison to the previous days. Naturally all this means that we'll be doing just what we tried to avoid in the first place, arriving there over the weekend when they charge overtime fees. It looks as though a very long, slow trip through Morton Bay will be somewhat necessary as, now, we'll have to try to waste time in order to pull up at customs on Monday morning.

Who would have thought that we'd be a whole week out in our estimated time of arrival?

Eight o'clock update: Disregard the above. The little wind we had has now totally disappeared and we are, again, wallowing. Just seen a huge container ship pass close by and were very tempted to beg for some fuel but the thought of that behemoth coming much closer is rather daunting so here we sit.

Pasta and rice anyone?

Current position is 25 49' 9S and 155 59' 0E and that, ladies and gentlemen, gives us a distance of 41nm since eight o'clock this morning - it's now three thirty in the morning!

So, as you can gather, things haven't improved in the slightest. The winds have picked up to around 6 knots but now the current against us is 2 knots so, even though we're moving through the water at about 4 knots, over the ground is only 2; can't win.

I never planned meals for this long a journey either. I has pre-prepared six dinners to cover what we thought it would take and those have come and gone. As the authorities take all fresh produce away once we get there, we didn't stock up on more than what we thought was necessary so now we're definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel. Then, in all of this, I haven't been letting Paul fish 'cause once we get there, we want to be able to empty the freezer for when we leave the boat for a week or two. However, we won't starve, there's still pasta and rice, pasta and rice, pasta and rice.

Oh heavenly breeze, where art thou?

Current position is 25 37' 0S and 156 42' 6E

And this brings us to a massive total of having covered a whopping 50nm in the last 24 hours! Never, in all our years of cruising, have we come across more than a day of no wind and, now, this is our 6th day.

For a brief moment, we almost celebrated (silly us) when we got about 7 knots but that died and here we are, our white flappy things doing just that, flapping. Even the slight current isn't really in our favour as it's heading straight south and we want to go west south west.

Paul isolated the remainder of one diesel tank to ensure that we'll have enough to get into and through Morton Bay as we'd been motoring most of yesterday but, sadly, the others drained dry early this morning so we have no choice now and can only hope that the wind gods come back from holiday (or Fiji or wherever they might be at the moment).

However, still nice and warm - just be kinda nice if the odd whale or dolphin showed up to break the monotony but no such luck.

Ho Hum

Current position: 25 13' 5S and 157 51' 3E

Nothing's really changed. We still have absolutely zero wind with over 300nm to go. Under normal circumstances, that should be an easy two-day run but.... we'll still be lucky to get in by Friday at this rate. A few knots of wind would make a world of difference right now.

A friend wrote and wished us an eventful and boring trip (this was after reading all about our Fiji / New Cal passage) and, yes, it's certainly one of those. Surprisingly, it's still very warm, not at all like our previous passages to New Zealand where all the winter woollies came out in force within a couple of days of departure. This is really rather pleasant. Just send us a little wind and all would be magic.

Will we ever get there?

Current position: 24 33' 0S and 159 54' 8E

The simple fact that, as I look out in the night, I can see every star reflected in the smooth waters, indicates that there is no, zero, zilch, nada wind. Absolutely nothing! And, considering that we still have just under 400nm to go and can't possibly motor, we don't have much chance of getting anywhere in a hurry. This is slow in the absolute truest sense of the word.

On the positive side, it's still warm out here, no rain, and rather peaceful. Apart from a shark that was cruising around just when we left the pass from New Caledonia, and a few lonely sea birds, we have seen absolutely no sign of sea life. Now would be the perfect time to sit on deck and watch the dolphins entertain us but, no, they are conspicuous by their absence as well.

All in all, I could say that this is somewhat boring but rather this than what is going on north east of us at the moment. I can certainly think of a lot worse passages so, we'll just relax and make the most of it.

Trundling along

Current position: 23 54' 4S and 161 47' 8E

Thank you, whoever turned on the fan, albeit for such a short period. At least we were able to fill the sails for a few hours and enjoy the great conditions. Sadly, it didn't last and the winds have dropped back down to about 5 knots.

However, rather that than what poor Fiji is experiencing at the moment. They are in the direct path of Cyclone Evan which has likely hit them today. This cyclonic activity is probably also the cause of our lack of wind. Anyone still back there, just hope you're battened down well and good luck.

Our new expected time of arrival is somewhat unknown at the moment and could change dramatically if we could just find some wind. We haven't heard from Pete today but that's not unexpected and we're not worried this time, conditions are good and he was coping well the last time we chatted.

Slowly, Slowly....

Current position is: 23 20 75S and 163 46 30E

Now, if you were to plot that on a chart, you'd see that we've hardly covered any ground whatsoever. This is starting to look like an all-time record for the slowest day yet.

When we looked at the weather, it showed light winds for the foreseeable future. What it didn't say was that there would be NO winds. Usually one can add about 5 knots onto the predicted wind strength but not this time. On the positive side, it's gorgeous and sunny but we just ain't movin' on.

Today was a day for trying every single sail configuration we could think of. First the spinnaker, that just wrapped around the forestay and we then spent half an hour trying to untangle it, not a solution. Then, we tried staysail and pole-out jenny, nope, just flogged. Main and jenny, no. Staysail and main, no. If the paddles for the dinghy had been a bit longer, we might have tried those. In the end, one just has to give up and wallow but, as I said, it's been nice, warm and sunny.

By late afternoon, Pete came on the radio. He'd been motoring for hours so had caught up to us. We could just barely see his sail glowing with the setting sun way off on the horizon. However, we'll probably lose him again by morning.

At the rate we're going, we'll be lucky to get there by Christmas and here we thought we'd be averaging about 6 to 6 1/2 knots to get there this coming Monday or Tuesday. I guess that was wishful thinking but, we still live in hopes that someone turns the fan on for the rest of the trip.

Heading Down Under

Our current position is: 22 54 5S and 16 165 02 2E

Winds are a screaming 5 knots which means that we're managing about 2 knots, not exactly setting a roaring pace. However, it is rather nice out here and despite the lack of wind, I'd rather have this than what we experienced coming out of Fiji.

After fueling up in Noumea, we sailed over to a little island to wait a day or two and to see if Troutbridge could also get ready to leave but managed to lose 20 gallons of our precious new diesel due to a leaking connection. We're not desperate, but it just means that we'll have to put up with our wallowing in light winds longer before we succumb to the iron jenny.

Troutbridge did manage to get his few issues sorted and left with us in the morning but we agreed that we wouldn't hang back for a repeat of the previous passage. We had already lost contact with him by the first evening but he may well motor which means that he could catch up with us later on today.

Christmas Wishes to All

Calypso has now come to the end of an eighth year 'out there' and another holiday season is upon us.   As we await to embark on the final leg down to Australia, we send out our season’s greetings now as I doubt we’ll get anywhere suitable in time at the rate we’re going.  You know, plans written in the sand at low tide….etc, etc

2012, proved to fairly quiet compared to some previous years as, once we left New Zealand, we didn’t rush from one anchorage to the other in an attempt to see as much as possible.  Rather we relaxed and enjoyed a more sedentary time, most of it in Fiji.

Our highlight, of course, was our road trip around South Island in New Zealand, an absolutely wonderful experience which made the return trip all the more worthwhile.

This lifestyle is full of hellos and good-byes and we were thrilled to meet again with the good ship Cooee, spending a couple of months with them around Fiji this year.  But, as all good things must end, they sailed off and their cruising days could well be over as Cooee is now for sale back in NZ.  We first met them way back in Tobago and have religiously met up with them every year ever since.   

And, anyone who has been reading our blog for the last few years will know that we have also travelled far and wide, experiencing some great times and places, with Otto & Lil aboard Vagabond.  That, too, has sadly come to an end.  They have now settled permanently in Tauranga, so it was a very tearful and wrenching time when we had to bid them a final farewell on our way back from South Island.  It doesn’t seem possible that we won’t ever again be rounding some headland to find either Cooee or Vagabond anchored in a little tropical bay. 

2012 also brought some very sad news.  We lost four friends in one month alone and learned of several others undergoing treatment; our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

For those of you who enjoy reading our blog, please don't forget that we also love to hear from you so please DO write.

Our berry best wishes to all of you for the holiday season and on into 2013.  May it be a great year for everyone.

 

 

Ilot Maitre, New Caledonia

The resort huts of Ilot Maitre

It's amazing that such a small population, only around 250,000, supports such an incredible array of goodies.  And here I'm talking primarily about food.  The choice is absolutely overwhelming.  They must load a couple of jumbo jets each week filled with nothing but wines, cheeses and delacies in order to supply the shops with so much from France.  But we're certainly not complaining.  The wines are really good and very reasonably priced after those of Fiji and New Zealand.

Some things are, as expected, hideously expensive but, as a whole, not that bad.  We had found in other French islands in the past, that things like dive gear were comparitively inexpensive.  We'd bought a few items in St Martin and also in Tahiti which proved to be much cheaper than anything in NZ.  So too, here.  After losing all our snorkelling gear in the storm, and realising that we had to replace some of it, we went into the big dive shop in town who gave us a decent discount so we purchased the bare essentials.  We had to be sure to have the basics for emergencies and, of course, before getting into those waters of Indonesia.  Reports indicated that Oz is not the place for a bargain.

We're currently anchored at a small resort island just outside Noumea.  When we arrived, it was somewhat like a millpond but the winds have whipped up and there are literally dozens of kite surfers making the most of it out there.  To make it even more appealing, they supply free mooring buoys and internet.

Unfortunately, both Paul & I got somewhat under the weather.  Me, with an incredibly sore throat (it felt as though I'd swallowed a log sideways) and Paul, with nasty tropical sores on his ankles (he and an elephant had definite similarities).  This meant no diving, swimming or scraping the bottom of the boat as planned.  After a couple of days, we gave up and went onto anti-biotics and are now, happily, coming right.

New Caledonia is considered by the UN, a non self-governing territory.  French is the official language, but recognised are Drehu, Nengone, Paici, Ajie, Xaracuu and 35 other native languages.  And I thought South Africa was bad enough with eleven. 

An independence referendum was held in the 80's but that was rejected by a large majority. They are to hold a second one in the next few years whereby, if the secessionists get their way, the name and all symbols could change.  I know every country yearns for their independence but, like French Polynesia, they seem to have just too much to lose should they secede.  I'm a pacifist who loves French red wine, French cheeses, French pâtés, French pastries, why change?

Port Moseley Marina

The local canoe club