NEW YEARS RESOLUTION FULFILLED

2 January 2023

My new years resolution last year was to “Drink more different types of Beer.”  I am happy to report I have largely been successful in this endeavour.  It has not been an easy task.  The breweries have conspired against me by producing an increasing number of craft beers at an alarming rate.  Keeping up with all the newcomers has been challenging. Unfortunately, halfway through the year I lost track of what I had been drinking, making the rest of the year a bit confusing.  But I did well, although there is the nagging doubt – could I have done better?  To finish off the year I was gifted a couple of new and unusual brews, they were good.

I don’t have a resolution for 2023 yet.  After a period of recovery from the efforts of last year I am sure it will come to me.

2022 has been an unusual year. Not much sailing undertaken but lots of little and not so little maintenance and upgrade jobs completed on Truce.  Truce is now ready to go again.  She is full of water, gas, fuel, beverages and food.  I have quit my part time job at Burnco and am a free agent again.  Looking forward to the next adventures around New Zealand.

At the end of my last trip around New Zealand I compiled a wish list of items for future cruises.  There were four things on the list, namely: –

• A light wind sail, something easy to manage, set, retrieve and stow.
• A lighter spinnaker pole.  The current spruce stick is a handful single handed.
• Horizontal wind vane.  The current vertical vane takes up a huge amount of space and can’t be reefed.
• Furling staysail.  To replace the hanked on staysail, a nod to old age.

Of the four items on the wish list, I have managed to purchase and fit a furler for the staysail together with a new sail.  The furler is a Harken ESP model, similar but smaller than the headsail furler.  The new staysail was made by NZ sails, it looks good and sails well.  I have used a heavier cloth for the staysail so I can carry it in higher winds instead of setting a storm staysail.  The furling staysail will remove interesting trips to the foredeck in nasty weather, both safer and less strenuous.  Now, only three things left on the wish list.

As I write this I am sitting at home in Auckland waiting for a strong easterly wind to blow through before venturing out.  At this time of year the Hauraki Gulf is overflowing with boats, they will all be herding into the few anchorages protected from the easterly winds. I predict a fair degree of pandemonium, Kiwi’s love to anchor close to each other on short anchor scopes. I am happy to sit at home for a few days to let the mayhem pass, its going to be a long summer.

I have not decided where to go this year or the route to take.  The indecision is enjoyable, the wind and weather will decide for us when we head out.

FRIDGE INSTALLATION AND COOL RESULTS

5 January 2023

When I acquired Truce she didn’t have a fridge on board.  The previous owners liked simplicity on board and didn’t go for ‘fancy’ systems.  The top opening icebox on board was very well insulated, ice would keep for several days. 

I went along with the icebox idea for a long time. However, Ngozi convinced me that we needed a fridge onboard, after all, you can’t drink warm bubbly can you?  In fact, I was becoming disenchanted with drinking tepid beer in summer, so I didn’t need too much nagging to get me motivated for the fridge project.

The plan was to convert the existing icebox to a fridge.  A few sessions on Google convinced me it was something that even I could manage.   So, in the winter of 2020 I set to work obtaining the bits to make it work.

The icebox is just over 50 Litres capacity, quite small.  The unit to make it work was the Isotherm series 80 air cooled compressor/condenser.  I purchased the Isotherm compressor from Fridgetech in Auckland for a reasonable price.  The unit is virtually plug and play but I still read the instructions a couple of times before opening or cutting anything.

It turned out to be a straightforward job.  I placed the compressor unit into the bottom shelf of a food locker in the Galley.  This location had the advantage of being open to the bilge where I hoped the cool air could flow up and provide some cooling effect for the compressor.  Into the side of the locker I installed a vent to allow the warm air to escape from the compartment.

Then came the harder bit of installing the evaporator plate into the ice box. I drilled a hole into the side of the ice box with a hole saw and threaded the piping through.  Screwing the evaporator plate into place in the ice box was awkward, it’s a small space in an awkward location and my elbows only hinge in one direction.  After a few choice words of encouragement, it was done.

The compressor unit mounts into a frame arrangement.  First screw down the frame and then click the compressor into place.  That bit was easy, the compressor mounts on rubber dampers to reduce vibration and noise, nice.  This frame idea is good as its would have been more difficult to mount the compressor as one piece.  Also, it allows the compressor to be removed easily if needed without removing and fixings.

The next item was to connect the quick couplings between the compressor and the evaporator plate.  This is also an easy job, just mate the two ends together and screw them up to the correct torque.  There was a momentary hiss of gas as the couplings went together (a bit disconcerting) but no leaks afterwards.

I sealed up the pipe entry hole into the icebox with expanding foam from a can.  (Very good stuff to have on board for emergency use as well).  The installation looked good.  I placed the thermostat at the top of the locker where it is visible and easy to adjust.

Next, I wired up some cables from the buss bar through a switch to the compressor via a fuse, that bit was also easy Then I connected the electrical connections up and applied power.  All seemed to be OK.  Then I turned on the thermostat and after a couple of seconds the compressor kicked into life.  A few minutes later I checked the evaporator plate, it was cold.  Bingo, all working.

Eager to test further I loaded a few drinks into the fridge and closed the lid.  The compressor unit cycled on and off, just about 50% on and 50% off.  This should not happen so I called up Fridgetech for advice.  They advised me to let it run overnight and it should settle down, so I left it running and went home.

The next day I returned to the boat.  The fridge was down to temperature, in fact a bit too cold and the on off cycle was down to about six times per hour, just as it should be. 

I have now been running the fridge for many months and not had any problems.  The thermostat is set on the lowest setting and the fridge contents keep gloriously cold.  The noise level from the compressor is negligible and not at all intrusive, you can only really hear it if you are listening for it when at anchor. 

The power consumption is also quite low, although not quite as low as the makers claim. In use I find the unit draws 7 amps momentarily on start up then settles at about 6 amps. This equates to around 0,7 Ah which is reasonable and still less that 24 amps per day, easily handled by the solar panels most days. There have been a few days when continuous rain and cloud has reduced solar input when I have had to either run the engine or shut the fridge off for a while, but these are rare.

All up I am very pleased with the installation, its quiet and trouble free.  The temperature and efficiency are good.  The cost was less than buying and installing an off the shelf fridge and the room lost to the compressor unit is small.  The end result, we have the luxury of cold beer for me and bubbles for her.

SAILING AGAIN – NO RUM!

13 January 2023

Sailing season opened on the 1^st January.  Unfortunately the weather forecast was atrocious for the week, so we delayed departure.  This decision turned out to be correct, nasty easterly winds and plenty of rain made the first week of the New Year a wash out.

On the seventh of January we set forth, early morning, from Hobsonville Marina and took the ebb tide down and out of the harbour.  A heavy rain squall in the Rangitito Channel reduced visibility and we used radar to pick out the buoys and other vessels.  The rain soon passed and we had some wind, we set course for Great Barrier Island.  Of course, the wind didn’t hold and we shaped course up towards Kawau Island, we managed to sail through Tiri Channel before the wind died.  We motored the last couple of miles into Coppermine Bay.  The anchorage at Coppermine Bay was delightful, peaceful and calm. 

Having anchored and cleaned up the cockpit from sailing I decided to relax in the last of the afternoon sun with a rum and coke.  Oh Horror!  We had somehow forgotten the rum, we had a bag of lemons and two cases of Coke – but no Rum!  I thought Ngozi had brought it (I saw her stocking up the booze locker) and she thought I had stocked up.  Nothing could be done.  I reverted to beer.

The following day, Sunday, I was up early and eager to get going.  By 08:00 we were clear of Kawau Island and sailing in a light S’Wly breeze on a rhumb line for Man of war passage, Great Barrier Island.  The wind alternated between light and very light.  In the light wind Mickey the windvane managed to steer and for the very light we switched to the Pelagic tiller pilot which did a very good job.  I am liking the Pelagic so far.  

We had a wonderful sail in bright sunshine and sparkling seas.  This is how it should be.  By 14:00 in the afternoon we were anchored in Kiwiriki Bay feeling very happy and cracking a cold beer.  Little did we know the next few days would be horrid.

A tropical cyclone was making its way towards us, bringing strong gusty winds and a tremendous torrential amount of rain.  I watched the barometer steadily fall from Monday onwards until it finally started to rise on Wednesday morning.  By my reckoning we have had rain every day in 2023 so far.

Thursday 12^th S’Wly breeze moderating, less gusty, still rain showers.  We had anchored overnight at Smokehouse Bay and I decided to head out of Port Fitzroy to have a look at the wind offshore.  After an hour it was obvious that the lumpy sea was too much for the light wind and the sails flogged as we rolled.  We decided to turn back and relax for another day, anchoring this time in Kaiarara Bay.  We watched a big brown parrot type bird called a Kaka, didn’t seem to mind our presence at all and came quite close.

I passed the time by doing odd jobs.  I wired up the floodlight on the new antenna mast.  Now we have a wonderful bright light on deck and sails, either red or white.  New lines were spliced for the traveller to replace the dyneema core lines I had used previously.  I have gone back to polyester braid that is more elastic, an advantage in a gybe. 

I am writing this on Friday 13^th January.  Although we had a good forecast for moving north today I would not sail for obvious reasons.  Tomorrow is also looking good so hopefully we will be on our way again, heading further up the east coast.

RAIN AGAIN – BAY OF ISLANDS

16 January 2023

After a quiet night at Whangamumu Harbour and after a leisurely breakfast we weighed anchor and headed out into a decent swell and confused sea.  Once clear of the harbour things sorted themselves out and we sailed on a brisk S’Wly breeze up to and around Cape Brett.  From there it was plain sailing all the way down into the Bay of Islands, the sun came out, it started to feel like summer had arrived.

There were a lot of boats around, big and small all sorts.  Don’t know where they all come from but there are a large number of foreign cruising boats in the mix.  No doubt the foreign boats have been waiting for the boarders opening and coming down to avoid the Pacific cyclone season.

After a couple of tacks we sailed into our chosen anchorage in Te Hue (Assassins Bay) Bay. Here we found good shelter and holding tucked in on the north side of the bay.  Strong winds are forecast so nice to be securely anchored.

The wind picked up, the rest of the day it gusted with rain showers.  We stayed on board and I completed a number of small jobs that had been outstanding. Luckily we also had a phone signal and I was able to communicate with Steve Dales in Australia about a problem I was having getting my laptop to pick up the Yakker wifi signal. After an email exchange the problem was sorted, it was my firewall setting on the computer blocking Yakker. What a great little product Yakker is, it sends GPS and AIS data around the boat by WiFi, great for both Navionics and OpenCPN navigation software.

The following day we had gusty wind again.  Determined to get ashore I pit the pig in the water and flashed up the outboard.  The sun came out and we headed ashore for a walk, no sooner had we left Truce the heavens opened and rain again.  We persevered on our mission until, sodden and cold we had to admit defeat and headed back to Truce.

The Bay of Island is a very pretty place.  During the holiday season it gets very busy.  At night boats with blue underwater lights should be avoided, they play something called drum and bass.  Nasty.

Time to move on.  Tomorrow we plan to head around to Whangaroa Harbour.  The forecast is for a SW’ly winds 20 knots, should be a good sail.

WHANGAROA HARBOUR – DINING OUT

21 January 2023

Eager to vacate the Bay of Islands and boats with blue underwater lights I was up early.  The sky was still grey overcast and threatening but the wind looked steady.  I had considered towing the dinghy but knew that sods law would come into play and lead to disaster, the dinghy and outboard were securely stowed on deck for the passage to Whangaroa.

We motored out of the anchorage and soon has a steady S’Ely wind.  With full headsails and one reef in the main we took off, quickly passing Robertson Island to starboard.  Just after ten we rounded Tikitiki island (Ninepin Island) and adjusted course to Cavalli Passage.  The wind and sea were boisterous, I was thankful the dinghy was safely lashed on board.

Passing through the Cavalli Passage the wind and sea moderated and we had an easy sail around Flat Island and into Whangaroa Harbour.  By four in the afternoon we were anchored off the Whangaroa Sports Fishing Club and getting the dinghy ready for a run ashore.

Ah, good to be ashore again after three day on board.  A fine afternoon and evening was had with draft beer, a fish and chip supper and rum and coke to finish off with.  The evening weather was good so we stayed anchored off the ‘town’.

The next day, after an excellent nights sleep we awoke to a light southerly wind and clear sky’s.  Such a nice change after the miserable weather of the past few days.  We stayed in town the whole day, not doing much and enjoying life.  In the evening we anchored in Waitapi Bay and a couple of friends from another yacht came over for sundowners.  Waitapu Bay proved to be an excellent choice of anchorage, calm and sheltered from the S’Wly breeze, a good nights sleep was had by all. 

The next day we motored back around to town and had a run ashore for beer, bread and bait.  We also found time for a lunchtime beer before returning to Truce.  Then we motored down to the east arm of the harbour where there is a water buoy.  We tied up to the water buoy, pulled the hose onboard and filled the tanks with nice fresh spring water.  There is a money box on top of the buoy for donations to the coastguard.  We happily made our donation before casting off, what a great facility.

Then it was a gentle motor across to Waitepipi Bay for another social evening and peaceful nights sleep.  I have recorded in the log book that this is the first day this year there has been no rain.  It has been a very wet summer so far.

Saturday and the weather seems to have settled down for a bit.  Its still not like the usual summer with long warm days and settled winds, but its better now than anytime this year so far.  Today we had another easy day.  In the morning we motored around into Rere Bay with the intention of going for a walk ashore.  However, once ashore we seemed to lose interest in the walk, the effort of walking uphill just didn’t seem worth it.  We pottered around the foreshore instead and said we can always return another time for the walk.  Back at the boat I took the opportunity to clean the scum off the hull around the waterline, luckily it came off quite easily but still quite an arm aching business.

The evening was spent anchored in Pumanawa Bay, another sheltered bay with good holding.  Whangaroa Harbour has numerous bays and good shelter can be found from all quarters.  Tomorrow we may head out to the Cavalli Islands, the weather forecast is looking settled.

FAIR WEATHER EXCURSION

23 January 2023

This morning all was peaceful in Whangaroa Harbour, flat calm, quiet and clear skies.  I sat in the cockpit with an early morning cup of tea and savoured the tranquillity as the sun rose above the hills. This the best time of the day.

Today looks like a good day to move along a bit, the forecast is showing settled weather for a couple of days.  There are a couple of anchorages close to here that I would like to visit.  The first is Whangaihe Bay and the second is Waiiti Bay in the Cavalli Islands.

Our first destination is Whangaihe Bay, its only about five miles from Whangaroa.  No need for an early start so we had a leisurely breakfast and waited for a breeze to arrive.  Nothing much was happening with the wind so we weighed anchor and headed around to Whangaroa wharf for a walk ashore.  One thing led to another and we had lunch at the Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club.  Then an afternoon tipple followed, we managed to get back on board Truce around five in the afternoon.

Time to move on, soon we were underway motoring out of Whangaroa Harbour and around to Whangaihe Bay where we dropped anchor just after six in the evening.  The anchorage was beautiful and a delight to be here.  The head of the bay has a long curving beach with some dwellings and grassland.  Pine forests populate the hills with a rugged shoreline on both sides of the inlet. 

I have passed this bay a few times when travelling up and down the coast but either the weather or time has prevented me from visiting.  The bay is open to the north and subject to swell, the right weather conditions are needed for a visit.  Today was the right weather.  After we anchored two other boats arrived and anchored a little further out.

The evening was calm and the sunset spectacular, illuminating the hills and trees in a golden light.  Sundowners were special this evening, but still no rum.

After a calm night at anchor, only a low northerly swell disturbed the peace, Truce rolled gently all night.  This morning we moved around to Waiiti Bay on Motukawanui Island in the Cavalli Islands.  First motoring into an easterly breeze to Flat Rock and then sailing down to Waiiti Bay.  We anchored just before lunch time and were surprised to find about seven other boats in the anchorage.  It seems that a few have come up from the Bay of Islands to visit the Cavalli islands in the nice weather window.

There was a bit of easterly swell entering the bay causing us to roll a bit, but not uncomfortable.  After lunch we went for a walk ashore, little swell waves on the beach made for a fun landing from the dinghy.  There are good views from the shore back to the mainland and the surrounding islands. 

This evening we are dining on fresh snapper that we caught earlier.  Then more relaxation, music and book reading.  Not much stress around this evening.  But still no rum for sundowners.

Tomorrow it looks like the fair weather is starting to break up, there is a tropical depression heading down towards new Zealand.  Too early to know how it will turn out but we will move back to Whangaroa Harbour where we know shelter can be found from all wind directions – and we like the place.

RETURN TO WHANGAROA

30 January 2023

Our time at Waiiti Bay has come to a close.  The weather forecast is for increasing easterly winds, although still only 20 knots.  I suspect that we are in for a bit more in the coming days as this unusual summer weather continues.  So, we are heading back into the safe embrace of Whangaroa Harbour.

Our sail back to Whangaroa was a relaxed affair under the yankee, in fact we sailed through the heads and up to the town wharf in light winds.  In the afternoon we went ashore for a walk and picked up some bread and eggs and took the opportunity to top up on beer and rum at the fishing club.  In the evening we anchored off the fuel dock in town (good wifi signal) and the easterly wind didn’t disturb us.

The following day we tripped ashore again and recycled the garbage.  Ngozi went for a long walk and I pottered about on the boat doing odd jobs and a bit of cleaning – in my happy space.  In the evening the wind picked up and was a gusty 25 knots.  The anchorage was OK and the wind not quite strong enough to make me consider moving somewhere else.

A different story the next day, the wind had gone N’Ely and gusty.  We were a bit exposed and after lunch we moved around to Waitapu Bay where we found good shelter close in to the shore and in six meters of water with good holding.  That evening we had drinks on board a friends boat and learnt a bit more about the excellent anchorages in Whangaroa Harbour.  Later that evening and into the early morning we had more wind from the NE, occasionally gusting to 35 knots.  Later I was told it was gusting over 60 knots at Cape Reinga. 

The following day we moved anchorage again, this time tucked in to a cove on the south side of Milford Island, a good place to be when the wind in from the NE.  Nothing much happened today, reading, sleeping and relaxing and the wind reduced all day to light airs and small gusts in the evening.  My logbook has the entry ‘Rain Again!’ as it seems to every day this year so far.  The next day we went back into town and also did some fishing.  The fishing was good, we caught heaps of small snapper, they took the bait as soon as it neared the bottom, they were ravenous, fortunately we caught a couple of good sized fish for the pan. 

This became the routine for the next few days, fishing, visiting town for supplies and finding good anchorages to shelter from the constant E’ly and N’Ely winds, thunderstorms and heavy rain.  A bit ‘Groundhog Day’.

On Saturday 30^th Ngozi departed in the morning to return to Auckland.  I anchored off the town jetty.  Truce didn’t like this and went wind against tide on me with the anchor chain leading astern and grinding on the hull.  Then the heavens opened and it poured down.  With the wind, rain, tide and waves getting into the dinghy was not looking inviting.  I picked up the anchor and moved inshore just off the fuel jetty where I found better conditions.  Eventually, I delivered Ngozi ashore safe and sound and after a few minutes she had scored a lift into Kaeo where she was to catch the bus to Auckland.

I returned to Truce picked up anchor and headed back to Waitapu Bay.  The weather was miserable and I was soaking wet.  I left the engine running for longer than usual to charge the batteries and help dry out my sodden clothes.  After a while I had warmed up again and sat with a hot cup of soup, listening to the rain bouncing off the deck.  Alone again.

RETREAT TO AUCKLAND

6 February 2023

The end of January.  From the logbook it appears that we have only had three days without rain this year – most unusual.  Also, it appears that we have only had three days good sailing this year.  Summer is a dud.

Now I am alone again I have been looking at my options for the summer cruise.  One of the reasons not to venture further north has been the constant E’ly winds, up the coast good sheltered anchorages for E’ly winds are rare.  The long range forecast is looking disgusting at the moment.

Beginning of February.  Woke up this morning and there are patches of clear sky and no rain.  After a good breakfast and a second coffee I opened all the hatches to get some fresh air through the boat.  The sun came out and everything on deck started to dry out, power streamed out from the solar panels and topped off the batteries.  Life is looking better.

I sat out on deck in the warm sun and undertook some personal grooming, removed excess facial hair, had a shave and a shower.  Now I feel clean, warm and comfortable.  In the evening I went socialising on another boat and returned to Truce in a happy state of mind.  I slept well, all was quiet this evening, just a gentle N’Ely breeze.

The next morning I awoke and decided to return to Auckland.  The weather forecast for the next couple of weeks looks horrid. More North Easterly winds and a heap of rain looks to be on the way. I have made the executive decision to abandon the summer cruise and head home, I can come back when the weather improves. At least the North easterly breeze should give me a good ride home.

After an early cup of tea and three gingernuts for breakfast I weighed anchor and headed out of Whangaroa Harbour. The sea was a bit lumpy from almost dead ahead, it was slow going with the motor, but after a couple of hours we rounded Flat Island and bore away down Cavalli Passage. Needing a rest from motoring I ducked into into Papatara (Horseshoe) Bay and anchored for brunch just after ten. We were the only boat around and the sun came out for an hour, brunch in the cockpit was a pleasure although we rolled around a bit in the swell curling around the island.

After midday we were on our way again, this time heading towards the Bay of islands. The wind helped us on our way but quickly died, we motored onwards rolling along in the swell and intermittent showers. By three in the afternoon we had rounded Tikitiki Rock and headed into Whale Bay. I had anchored there previously in good weather and enjoyed a few peaceful nights. This time was different, once the anchor was down Truce turned broadside to the swell and started rolling.  We rolled and she showed no sign of desisting, I was not surprised.  The anchor came up and we motored around to Te Puna Inlet where we finally escaped the swell and found a good anchorage in Patuni Bay, 6 meters and a muddy bottom with calm waters.  The wind gusted around in the evening but we were well anchored and had a peaceful night.

The next morning was nasty, overcast, windy and rain squalls.  I watched my neighbour on a motor launch take his large dog ashore in his dinghy for the morning ritual.  Both dog and master looked miserable and unenthusiastic, but both knew they had to do it.

By mid morning I decide to have a look outside and see if the wind and sea had abated and allow a course to be set for Cape Brett.  The the sea was still barreling up the channel and the wind was almost dead ahead.  I returned to anchor and started on lunch.

Just before two in the afternoon I looked outside and things had changed, I had been tinkering with some electrical stuff and missed it.  I quickly picked up the anchor and headed out to take a look.  The sea was down and the wind about twenty knots, just free enough for me to lay Cape Brett.  With two reefs in the main and yankee and staysail we sailed on making good speed, in the right direction, with no Yanmar noise.  The swell was still three meters plus but good sailing.  Of course this sort of thing doesn’t last long and by four in the afternoon the wind was down to about five knots, we motored for an hour in washing machine seas before rounding Cape Brett.  If only we had departed an hour earlier!

In the evening we anchored in Whangamumu Harbour, just off the whaling station.  A swell came into the harbour, not enough to be uncomfortable, just a nice gentle rocking. Once again we were the only boat in town, everyone seems to have gone home for summer.

The next morning offered light rain and overcast skys plus the attention of sandflies.  The anchor was soon up and we headed out to ten knots from the North East.  Full sail was set and we were soon cruising south with the wind on the quarter and the windvane steering, happiness at last.  We sailed on past Rimariki Island, Elizabeth Reef and Tutakaka before the wind started to go light from the North.  For the last two hours we motored around Bream Head and into Whangarei Harbour to find an anchorage in Urquharts Bay at six in the evening.  A good days sail with sunshine most of the way.

The next days sail from Urquharts Bay to Kawau Island was glorious. We had about fifteen knots from astern, gusting to twenty plus at times, ideal conditions. We scampered along down the coast in sparkling seas and bright sunshine. What a change, the dark gloomy days of rain and wind almost forgotten. In early afternoon we anchored in Dispute Cove on Kawau Island. The anchorage was busy with many boats enjoying the last of the good weekend weather, although of course the rain appeared later.

After a peaceful night at Dispute Cove it was a late start in the morning. Not far to go back to the marina at Hobsonville and the flood tide to take me home starts late afternoon. Today was another good sail down to Auckland then engine up the final stretch into the marina. By six in the evening Truce was all secure back in the berth. So an early end to the summer cruise. But I am happy to end early as there seems to be a cyclone brewing far up north, promising to bring some nasty wind and rain. Happily I have maintenance jobs to keep me happy for a while.

PLOTTING AN ESCAPE ROUTE

10 May 2023

New Zealand weather has been disappointing so far this year. Too much North Easterly wind and rain and with the prospect of winter around the corner I feel the need to escape. I feel the need some warmth and sun. Time to head north.

The visit to New Zealand by Cyclone Gabrielle was devastating, bringing widespread destruction and a few deaths. Fortunately we were spared any serious damage and I was happy Truce was secure in the marina. For the last few weeks I have been tinkering on projects and doing some maintenance as usual. I took the opportunity to haul truce out and do an annual antifoul. I was expecting a quick haul out and paint job but was most disappointed to see small barnacles covering the hull. The antifoul is eleven months old and I was hoping for a better result. The paint rep informed me that most boats coming back from the Bay of Islands had the same problem – no matter what antifoul they were using.

The barnacles were well stuck on and took a couple of days scraping to completely eradicate. Thankless and tedious work, it just has to be done. My few days on the hard turned into a week and then the weather was too nasty to get the boat down the slip. After twelve long days the weather finally relented and we re-launched and headed back to the marina for – more maintenance.

I have now built a small watermaker. I thought I could build one cheaper than an off the shelf model, well it has turned out cheaper but not as much as I expected. However, I did manage to fit it into a small space and will certainly know how it works (or otherwise). Its not tested yet so I wont comment further at the moment but will write about the success or otherwise and costs at a later date. I have also had the sailmaker do some repairs on the Yankee where the UV had degraded the cloth (my fault).

One of the biggest achievements this month has been the acquisition of a second hand carbon fibre spinnaker pole.  For so long I have been lusting after such a beast.  Now, the second hand unit has been broken (hence cheap) and sleeved which makes it a bit heavy at one end,  Fortunately it’s heavy at the mast end so its still very light to handle and the Forespar fittings are all in excellent condition.  The only remaining item now on my big wish list is a light downwind sail.

The inflatable pig has not been given a bright new orange coat. The PVC fabric has stood up remarkably well to constant exposure to the sun and holds air well. But this can’t go on forever so I have applied some Marine Shield Ultraflex paint to give additional protection. The coating looks good and appears to be well adhered and strong, the bright orange certainly looks stunning and may grow on me.

Now that Truce has a clean bottom it’s time to use it and go sailing and north is the direction, towards the warmth. My plan is to sail up to the Pacific Islands or across to Australia to cruise up the east coast. Australia seems to be the most attractive if the weather is right.

Now I am just looking for a weather window.

ESCAPING SLOWLY

19 May 2023

Friday 12th May, departed from Auckland and headed North towards the Bay of Islands. Steven, my son is with me and eager to undertake his first offshore passage. In the early afternoon we took the outgoing tide from Hobsonville Marina, motoring under the Auckland Harbour bridge and then sailing with headsails up to Kawau Island. We anchored in Mansion House Bay in the early evening and had a quiet and peaceful night at anchor, awaking to flat calm in the morning.

From Kawau we had a wonderful sail with a southerly breeze up to Whangarei Harbour where we anchored in Urquhart’s Bay for the night. Once again, we had a calm night and excellent sleep. Then we decided to take a trip up to Parua Bay and pay a visit to the tavern. We met up with some friends and good night was had by all. The following day we used the new washdown hose to clean all the Parua Bay mud off the anchor chain before heading down the harbour and turning left around Bream Head towards the north again.

Our next stop took us to a small cove in Helena Bay called Taiwawe Bay. This bay provided an excellent anchorage in the settled conditions and is a delightful spot to call in. Yet another good night’s sleep and flat calm morning. We had a leisurely breakfast before sailing off the anchor and heading north on a building southerly breeze. We had good sailing up to Cape Brett where the wind went light and we resorted to the mechanical advantage of Mr. Yanmar who took us around to the Bay of Islands.

Once into the Bay of Islands we anchored for the night in Opunga Cove. There were four other boats there, far different to when we were here last in January – it was packed with boats, from trailer boats to superyachts. Another flat calm night, the high pressure is holding out.

Of course, this spell of high pressure and calm nights had to come to an end. There is a large tropical depression bearing down on New Zealand, this is the reason for our pedestrian progress up the coast. We are waiting for the nasty winds and rain to dissipate before heading offshore. The effects of the leading edge of the depression should be felt soon and after a visit ashore to Pahia we anchored for the night in Okokawa Anchorage, a good place to be in the Northerly winds that we expect to kick in soon.

The wind kicked in on the morning of the 18th. A strong Northerly and rain. Another check of the weather forecast indicated that this could last for a few days. Not wanting to be anchored and boat-bound for days on end we headed into Opua where we picked up a mooring just between the marina and Pine Island. The mooring has a four-ton block so should be good for a blow.

Yesterday we headed ashore in the rain and made use of the laundry and showers before heading to the Opua Cruising Club for refreshments and sustenance. Steven won the menu choice with Spare Ribs, a Flintstone size portion.

The dinghy ride back to Truce was a horrendous trip, the wind had picked up and the rain was lashing down. We arrived back at truce completely soaked and probably suffering mild hyperthermia. All the good work of a hot shower was undone.

We initially booked outward clearance for Monday the 22nd, but after looking again (and again) at the weather we delayed for another twenty-four hours and now plan to clear out on Tuesday. The Customs guy said they will be busy on Tuesday and most others had also cancelled the Monday departure. It seems there is a backlog of boats waiting to head north. So, until Tuesday we will sit out the storm on the mooring and head ashore in the weather breaks.

TIME TO CHECK OUT

29 May 2023

Well, we didn’t take the weather window on the 22nd of May, the weather was just not right for us.  A few other boats sailed out, but we decided to head north to Whangaroa Harbour and relax for a couple of days and do some fishing.

Unfortunately, with this latest delay it means that Steven will have to return to Australia on Friday.  It’s disappointing we can’t sail across to Australia together, we were both looking forward to the trip.  But you can’t go against nature and there will always be another time.

In the meantime, we had a couple of excellent days in Whangaroa.  We caught plenty of fish, we kept one for eating and dined well on snapper, Steven whipping up fish chips and peas with a nice beer batter.  The following day we managed to visit the Whangaroa Fishing Club and took refreshments, the Pizzas were too good to miss, we had a feast. 

On Friday morning Steven departed and got a lift to Kaeo from where he caught a bus to Auckland.  With Steven gone, I suddenly felt very lonely.  It had been wonderful having him on board.  Steven likes his food and is also a good cook.  I ate very well and now will be back to my boring diet of quick, easy and eating when you are hungry.

With Steven gone I decided to head back to the Bay of Islands as there was a northerly gale on its way, I should make it back before it arrived.  By late afternoon I was motoring out through Whangaroa heads and heading up to Flat Rock.  As the day was drawing to a close, I decided to anchor for a few hours in Waiti Bay.  The anchorage turned out to be a bit rolly, a low swell was setting in from the north.  By five in the morning, I had my fill of rolling and weighed anchor, heading south towards the Bay of Islands.

By ten in the morning, I had anchored in Patunui Bay.  This is an excellent anchorage in a northerly blow with a good muddy bottom.  For the next two days the wind blew with heavy rain.  The wind I saw most was a gust of thirty knots, on the other side of the hills on the coast it was blowing almost fifty knots.

I used this opportunity to test out my steading sail that I made up from a very old staysail.  It’s only small, about twelve square feet and I rig it off the backstay with the topping lift.  The effect on Truce is positive.  Truce has always sailed around at anchor in strong winds, particularly gusty winds.  First the bow pays off with the wind and then she sails upwind on the anchor.  Once she had ranged to the maximum on one side she turns back and charges in the opposite direction.  Most yachts do this, but Truce seems to be very proficient at it. 

Anyway, the steading sail dampens down the initial swing and seems to prevent the boat sailing forward on the anchor.  I am pleased with the results so far and certainly the movement and the swing is reduced, much more relaxed and only occasionally stressing the snubber. 

The weather now looks good for sailing north on the 30th of May.  I have stopped off in Russell and topped off the provisions so am all ready to go.  Outward clearance is booked for tomorrow afternoon with customs. 

CLEARED OUT AND HEADING NORTH

30^th May 2023

A look outside this morning and a double take – thick fog.  At 10:00 the anchor was aweigh and with radar on we slowly motored from Matauwhi Bay down to Opua.  By 11:00 we were anchored off Opua Marina and the fog was lifting.  With ships papers and passport in hand I headed off to custome to complete the outward clearance.  An hour later I was back on board Truce and getting ready for sea, it was actually hot now that the fog had gone, a beautiful sunny day to be going boating.

We motored out of the harbour into a headwind to just past Ninepin Rock where the wind backed around, full sail was set and the motor turned off. What a wonderful feeling, no motor and just the open ocean ahead. Setting off on a voyage is always an exciting event, no matter how big or small the ship is. The course was anything northerly for the first night and we sailed close hauled on port tack making a comfortable five knots.  Early evening the wind increased and in went the first reef in the mainsail, at midnight the ride was getting a bit too bumpy and I furled the Yankee fifty percent to give some comfort until the morning.

The next day was the same with a few angry clouds and rain squalls thrown in, still going to windward.  Mid morning a big old Albatros came by, he did a few circles of Truce, seeming to find everything to his satisfaction he headed off, he didn’t flap his wings once.  So unusual to see Albatross this far north, maybe the last one I see for a while.

The next day the wind reduced all day and by late evening there was no point in sailing, I lashed the tiller, left the mainsail up and went to bed.  Four hours later a slight SW breeze sprang up and we sailed in rough seas and light winds for the next two days dodging storm clouds.

4^th June – all the rocking and rolling in light winds has upset Micky the windvane and something is amiss. Fortuitously, this coincided with us being becalmed. This enabled me to climb over the back of the boat and remove the windvane on board for further inspection.  I found that the set screws securing the azimuth ring to the vane shaft had worked loose due to fatigue. The stainless set screws wearing away the softer bronze material they are tapped into.  Basically the holes are too large to hold the screw thread tightly.  I reassembled everything and inserted new set screws (spares for the PSS Shaft Seal that were the same size) with lathered them with Loctite.

MICKEY HAS A SCREW LOOSE – CHANGE OF DESTINATION

After thinking about the windvane problem for a couple of hours I have decided to divert up to Noumea in New Caledonia.  Its only three days away and with more favorable winds than the route to Australia.  I felt that Mickey may not survive the longer crossing to Australia with stronger winds and quartering seas.  There is no point in risking the longer crossing to Australia, if the windvane were to fail the sailing would be miserable and I don’t want to be miserable. The route to Noumea should put less strain on the windvane.

When I get Mickey fixed in Noumea it’s a shorter hop across to Australia.  Noumea will also be a good place to stop and break up the trip anyway.  So with the decision made we altered course to the north and with a steady wind we should be in Noumea on the 8^th June. 

The first day towards Noumea the weather turned it on, strong southerly gusts saw us reduced to three reefs in the main, staysail and furled yankee and still making over six knots.  The wind continued to increase and we ended up with just a triple reefed main and half furled staysail to keep the speed down and find a comfort level at around five and a half knots.  By early morning normal service has resumed and we increased sail to get a bit of speed to counter the rolling, the swell was now four meters from the south, but it was the rough sea that caused us to squirm around uncomfortably at times.

Gradually the seas eased and the wind turned more southerly.  I poled out the yankee to port and the triple reefed mainsail to starboard.  Our classic downwind rig, we always seem to be able to get into a groove with this set up and once rigged its easy relaxed sailing. Good to be sailing downwind although a bit rolly and wet on deck now and then. 

Around midnight we took an awkward cross sea and Mickey took a knock.  I think it was a combination of spray from the wave hitting the windvane sail and the rudder slamming over in the opposite direction.  I noticed that the set screws were slipping on the shaft again.  Nothing much I could do to help, slowing down would make it worse so we kept driving on. 

The 7^th June was good sailing in southerly winds varying between four and twenty knots, quire a few rain clouds and small squalls, the sailing was good and we made ground towards the destination, Passes de Boulari.  By midnight we were eighteen miles from Amedee Light which was visible. 

By two thirty on the 8^th June, with the engine on and light winds we passed between the reefs in Passe Nord, the reefs were close by either side but I didn’t see them, we were mid channel directly on the excellent leading lights of Amedee lighthouse.   By five in the morning we were anchored in the Baie des Citrons awaiting to move around to Port Moselle later to complete our inward clearance.

The ladies at Port Moselle Marina were most helpful and instructed me how to find immigration to start my inward clearance. First a walk to the office (in the hot sun) to do the paperwork. Then back to the marina to complete the customs paperwork. Then down to Truce with the biosecurity lady who happily confiscated all the vegetable matter on board. It all took a couple of hours.

My next task is to find a workshop that can repair the windvane. If I can find a shop today I could be good to move on by the weekend. Otherwise I may be loafing around Noumea for a few more days.

FRUSTRATION AND WAITING

12 June 2023

It has been a lovely weekend in the marina.  Lots of new friends to chat with and share a beer.  Some new friends know other friends so we have something in common.  As lovely as marina life can be it also slowly sucks the life out of you.  The good news is that Mickey has undergone surgery, been reinstalled and is ready to go again.

Last Thursday the search for a workshop that could repair Mickey proved fruitless.  I must admit to becoming quite frustrated at the attitude of the locals.  They didn’t seem to understand that my problem should really concern them.  Friday, I trekked around the industrial area from one shop to another, always being sent somewhere else that could do the job.  Finally after visiting the fifth shop I had success – but of course the weekend is coming and nothing will happen until Monday.  Nothing I could do but enjoy the weekend.

Monday, the ladies at the marina office helped me phone the workshop.  It turned out the manager wasn’t available (still sleeping), and nobody knew what was happening.  Finally, a couple of hours later it was confirmed the work was complete.  I took a taxi to the workshop.  The workshop had no facility to take a credit card so a taxi trip to the bank and return.  Finally, cash handed over I had the repairs in hand, the repairs look good, they have inserted helecoils into the screw holes, everything seems tight now. 

I had planned sailing in the afternoon so took the taxi to the immigration office, just making it before they shut for lunch.  Then I had to go to the customs office and Port captains’ office for clearance out.  Well, it was lunch time so I had to wait.  The walk to customs was a long way, the paperwork process, although simple took a long time.  Then it was onto the Port Captains office, another long walk.  By the time I had the clearance in hand it was mid-afternoon, and I was hot and tired.  I needed a beer. My enthusiasm for sailing had disappeared and sailing in a hurry when tired is not good.  So, I booked another night in the marina, will have a good nights rest and be fresh for sailing in the morning.  The rest of the afternoon I spent reinstalling Mickey and checking everything was working properly.

Looking at the weather forecast the next leg of the trip across to Australia could be a slow affair, the winds are predicted to be very light. But, the swell and waves also look low so should be slow but comfortable. I have stocked up on a few food items, not too much as its crazy expensive here and any excess may be confiscated upon arrival on Australia.

NOUMEA TO GLADSTONE INC. GANNETS

21 June 2023

The morning of the 13^{th of} June, as soon as the marina office opened, I dropped off the gate pass and said my goodbyes.  Ten minutes later Truce was passing the breakwater heading out of the Marina.  I could not get away from Noumea fast enough.  I am sure New Caledonia is a wonderful place (many people say so) but to me Noumea is just a frustrating expensive place.

Once out of the harbour a helpful breeze sprang up and sails were hoisted, the engine switched off and peace returned.  We sailed out from the lagoon through Passe de Dunbee wing on wind with about 10 knots of SE breeze in calm seas.    We sailed on, the wind gradually reducing until midnight on the second night out when calm prevailed.  I lashed the helm and went to sleep until morning.  I don’t do that very often. 

The next day the wind built slowly and by midday we were sailing again.  A slow day only 57 miles.  All afternoon the wind built, I progressively reefed down, ending up with 2 reefs in the main, staysail and 50% reefed yankee.  A short 1.5m sea made life uncomfortable on board.  The next day followed the same pattern, squalls, calm periods and a short sea, spray, uncomfortable ride and reefed sails.  Managed 114 miles but hard work.

The fifth day out we had good sailing conditions, calmer seas and a steadier breeze giving a daily run of 134 miles.  This felt better.  The sixth day started well, we made 128 miles to noon then it got progressively slower until at midnight with flogging sails and I stopped trying to sail, dropped the main, lashed the helm and went for a sleep.

A short time later I was disturbed by a thud on deck, a sound different to all the other usual boat sounds.  I went out and found a gannet sitting on the side deck.  I kicked it off and returned to sleep.  As soon as I laid down, I heard some sounds from the cockpit.  I checked and found two gannets sitting there happily shitting away.  I kicked the off and went back to bed.  Five minutes later I heard some more unusual sounds and going on deck was confronted by a whole colony of gannets.  Anywhere on the boat that a gannet could perch there was a gannet.  The crosstrees, the radar dome, the spinnaker pole, the dodger, the windvane, the tiller, the outboard, the antenna mast.  They all looked am me as if to say – your move sucker.

It was clear I was not going to have a quiet night and in the dark it was unnerving to have so many birds around, they get quite aggressive when you try and move them.  I decided to motor out and try and escape the situation.  I started the engine and motored off at about five knots.  The gannets seemed quite relaxed and happy to motor on.  I then started kicking them off one by one.  As I kicked them off they tried to get back on board but the boat speed made it more difficult for them and after about thirty minutes I had the boat clear.  I motored on for the remainder of the night, some gannets tried to return and landed on deck but were quickly thrown off. 

What a weird night, soon after the gannet episode spiders started falling from the sky.  First, I felt something on my head and knocked it off.  Under torchlight I found a spider, then more on deck.  No idea what that was all about, maybe Global Warming or something.

GLADSTONE MY NEW FAVORITE PLACE

24 June 2023

I love Gladstone marina.  Now, I am not a big fan of marinas, they are just a necessity in certain parts for refueling, provisioning, sheltering from weather, repairs or a good shower.  However, Gladstone marina is exceptional.  Knowledgeable and helpful staff, excellent facilities, showers, lounge, courtesy bus into town and all set-in park surrounds, quite chill and relaxed.  I don’t expect it’s a place for serious repairs and maintenance (there is no sailmaker) but a great stop over marina.    

My first priority on day one was to get all the laundry done.  I had quite a lot to do, a months’ worth and all the bedding, towels etc.  The laundry is superb, a couple of ladies showed me how to use the machines.  I don’t know why females assume males can’t operate washing machines, I am pretty sure washing machines were invented by men.

Then it was on with the chores.  I had a long list, restocking just about everything, beer, gas, diesel, water and provisions.  I also needed to do a repair on the Yankee where a rip 40cm long had appeared along the leech. 

I have made a temporary repair of the yankee with some stickback tape, I hope it holds until I can get to a sailmaker for a more permanent repair.  It looks like the ultraviolet has damaged the cloth, it looks quite weak.  Of all the sails the Yankee does get the most use and is usually out, furled to various degrees in all conditions.  It does a lot of work.

The Australian cruisers in the marina were all friendly and ready to give helpful advice for the trip north.  The majority seemed to be on large catamarans, beautiful boats.  In future I can’t see why anyone would cruise on a monohull.  Catamarans offer so much more space and comfort plus a view of the world. 

In the evening I walked over to the Yacht Club and had an excellent meal of Coral Trout, chips and salad.  My first salad since New Zealand, it all tasted very good.  Even the local brew was acceptable.

The last day at the marina was quite hectic, a trip into town to the supermarket and pick up a local SIM card, refuelling, filling a gas bottle, topping off water tanks, giving the boat a washdown and countless other little jobs.  By the end of the day I was tired, but happy everything had been completed.  Tomorrow I can relax and sail at my convenience in the morning.  I plan to anchor out for a couple of nights before heading north.  The weather is northerly for a couple of days and I don’t like going to windward  I also I want to get the boat organised and everything neatly stowed away before heading off again.

ESCAPING THE HONEY TRAP

24 June 2023

I checked out of the marina this morning – I could have stayed weeks longer. It’s a honey trap, sooner or later it will drain the funds and suck you dry. Time to move on.  Moving only a short distance, just four miles to an anchorage at Turtle Island.  Here I want to get back into boat mode and get shipshape after the marina stay.

The provisions need to be properly stowed, the laundry put in its proper place and stuff like fleece jackets and long johns bagged up as they won’t be needed for a while.

The anchorage at Turtle Island was super calm, tranquil and peaceful.  A low hum in the background of Gladstone industry working through the night came across the calm waters.  Ships, ship loaders, LNG plants all working away generating wealth for Australia.

In the morning I noticed the boat is covered in a layer of black grime, Gladstone is not a clean place, plenty of dust and pollution generated by the industry.  After a relaxed morning I weighed anchor and headed up the North Channel.  I had wanted to travel through a shortcut north called the narrows.  This route required high water to navigate and unfortunately the high tides are all during the night at the moment.  The Narrows are unlit, so a night passage was not a safe option.  At the top of North Channel I anchored just behind Rat Island to provide some protection from the northerly breeze.  Not a very nice anchorage and the northerly breeze blew for two nights.

Eventually, a southern breeze was forecast and we motored out of North Channel in flat calm.  Well, the breeze didn’t really arrive, I tried sailing but it was hopeless.  We sat for a while becalmed off Cape Capricorn, enjoying the scenery.  Someone told me once that less than 3% of the worlds population live south of the tropic of Capricorn, I don’t know if that’s true but thought provoking. When I discovered we were moving backwards on the tide the engine went on and we motored north at economical revs.

The destination was keppel Island.  However, on the way we passed Hummocky Island and the anchorage there looked very inviting.  As there was no wind and the noise from the engine was bothersome it wasn’t a hard decision to anchor early.  We could get to keppel Island tomorrow.

Hummocky Island proved a good fair-weather anchorage.  Although there were some currents circulating in the bay causing small wind against tide conditions and spinning the boat around.

NORTH TO PERCY ISLAND

2 July 2023

An early morning departure from Hummocky Island to take advantage of the southerly wind.  Unfortunately, the breeze continued to decrease and by ten in the morning the tide was taking us backwards.  Reluctantly I started the engine and we motored towards Keppel Island, arriving just after one in the afternoon. 

Keppel Island is a tourist resort and there are many speedboats, jet skis, and tourist boats around.  It’s a beautiful place, as I cruised up past the resort, I was surprised to look over the side and see the seabed, the water is so clear.  I will have to get used to seeing the seabed when I look over the side, a bit disconcerting.  We took anchorage off Long Beach on the south side of the Island to shelter from the forecast overnight northerly winds.  This proved to be a lovely peaceful anchorage overnight.

The following day a strong southerly wind was forecast, time to move around to the northern side of the island for shelter.  No sooner had I moved around, the wind started.  By nine in the evening, we had gusty wind and lulls, horrible. The snubber was active on the bow roller and I slept in the salon on the settee, the forward cabin was too noisy.

Early next morning I was away, using the southerly breeze to take us north towards Pearl Bay.  We had a wonderful sail all day as the breeze gradually faded away, just having enough puff to ghost us into the anchorage at Pearl Bay before sunset.  The day had been cold, the southerly wind had a chill in it and the sails screened the sun all day.  Pearl Bay is a beautiful anchorage but this night it turned out to be bumpy, strong wind gusts and wind from astern against tide made for an uncomfortable night. 

The next day I had planned to go to Island Head Creek.  A protected creek where you can anchor among the mangroves.  But the Australian Defence Force were conducting war games in the area and it was off limits.  I continued north on a light breeze and anchored ay Hexham Island for the night.  It is only a small anchorage and there were two catamarans in residence so I had to anchor out a bit among the strange currents and tide rips.  Later all three boats got together for a social and sundowners.

At four in the morning the south wind arrived as forecast and by first light we were heading northward again.  This time it was only a short hop, twenty three miles, up to Middle Percy island.  It was a sparkling sail but the wind from astern was cold again.  Just after ten in the morning we were anchored in West Bay off a beautiful beach fringed with palm trees and the famous Percy Island Yacht Club. Can’t wait to get ashore.

ROLLING AT PERCY ISLAND

4 July 2023

After anchoring at Percy Island I was eager to get ashore.  But it was just too rough and the wind too strong to put the dinghy in the water.  I stayed on board and scanned the shoreline with binoculars. We rolled all afternoon and reached a crescendo coinciding with high water just before midnight.  Only then was some sleep possible. 

The next day, Monday, was overcast with rain sprinkles.  The sky looked ominous and the forecast equally nasty.  Late morning and I was able to hitch a ride with a couple from one of the big catamarans in their suitably large dinghy.  A nice big dinghy with a grunty engine, what luxury.  Once ashore we met up with the caretaker, Malcolm, a friendly and informative chap.  He was picking up fresh passion fruit from trees just behind the beach, he gave me some, so good.  Coconuts are everywhere for the taking.  Although I have not yet learnt how to husk them.  We visited the Percy Island Yacht Club but unfortunately our time ashore was limited as the weather was turning fast and low grumbling thunder was coming closer.  Heavy rain was not far away.

Back on board Truce I completed the long overdue job of hooking up the cockpit lights with a new electrical connection.  As usual it took just about every tool on the boat to complete the job. 

In the early evening the weather turned evil.  A six meter tide, strong tidal currents, a northerly swell and thirty knot plus blasts of wind made life miserable.  We rolled as did the other monohulls in the anchorage.  One boat in particular rolled so badly that I was almost seasick watching it. I learnt later that they rolled their gunwhales under and lost their boarding ladder.  Just before midnight the anchor dragged, we moved about twenty meters before it caught again.  That got my attention. I was up the rest of the night and at four in the morning picked up the anchor to try and find calmer conditions on the south side of the Island.  At dawn we anchored in Rescue Bay on the south of the island.  Conditions were still not nice, but Rescue Bay was far calmer than West Bay. 

Later in the morning I received a call from one of the other cruisers, they had their sewing machine out and asked if I had anything that needed sewing. Oh yes, could they sew a patch onto my Yankee? Yes was the response – wonderful, I immediately got to removing the Yankee from the furler and bundled into the dinghy. An hour later, repairs done I got the sail back on the furler. What a splendid gesture and I am very thankful.

I got ashore in Rescue Bay at low water. The sky’s were threatening and about thirty minutes after taking the photo it rained continuously for twelve hours.

ASHORE AT PERCY

5 July 2023

Finally, after southerly winds, northerly winds, rain and a rolling swell the weather improved, allowing a run ashore without being tipped into the surf.  I had started the day off trying to sail north to Digby Island but the wind disappeared, so I returned to West Bay to explore.

Percy Island is a splendid place, such a shame that the West Bay anchorage is such a poor anchorage when there is any swell running.  Just a small swell seems to curl around into the bay and make life very uncomfortable.

I spent some time looking around the A frame building that is the Yacht Club.  Cruisers from all over have left mementoes, there are literally hundreds of items.  Many are real works of art and imagination, must have taken a while to make them.

I then went for a long walk up the track through the bush.  Plenty of goats and kangaroos around and squawking ravens followed me.  Later in the afternoon I returned down the track to a place called ring ring rocks.  There a phone signal can be picked up from the mainland.  The sun was setting and the view was spectacular across to the mainland with the other islands clearly visible in the distance.  I sat and admired the view, very peaceful, a special spot.

Later that evening I went across to another boat for dinner.  The boat was a large catamaran and dinner was taken on the back deck, a huge space with outdoor dining table.  I can understand why catamarans are so popular now.  Returning later to Truce I had an accident with the dinghy.  My fault entirely, trying to multitask.  Anyway I ended up hitting my left arm hard and ending up in the water.  Not the best way to finish off a very good day.

INJURED AND LIMOING ALONG

9 July 2023

I awoke this morning feeling very sorry for myself.  My left arm was painful, I couldn’t use it, couldn’t lift it.  I had done something terrible last night. My first thought was something was broken the pain was that bad.  But, the swelling would have been worse for a fracture.  Must be a strain or pulled muscle.

I pottered about the boat and gave my arm a good rub with Tiger Balm, then I took some pain killers, they didn’t help much.  I sat in the cockpit at smoko with a cup of tea and gingernuts and contemplated my situation.  My mind went back a few years to when I broke my ribs on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  I needed a management plan.

The immediate plan is to make ground to the north and find a sheltered anchorage to recuperate for a few days.  I needed to minimise the use of the left arm to prevent the injury getting worse and prolonging the healing time.   

The water at Percy was flat calm and the southerly wind was forecast to arrive shortly after midnight tomorrow.  I decided to motor the twenty-three miles northward to Digby Island.  Anchor at Digby Island and await the southerly wind, then sail with the headsail to Brampton Island some sixty-four miles further north.  Sailing with the headsail is easy and there will be less stress on my arm.

Part A of the plan worked well, I motored on a calm sea to Digby Island passing whales on the way, arriving just after four in the afternoon.  I turned in early, knowing I would be up again in a few hours.  As I was nodding off to sleep I heard strange noises, it took a moment to recognise whale song coming through the hull.  A real lullaby, I slept well.  Just after midnight I was woken by the wind singing in the rigging, by two in the morning we were clear of Digby Island and sailing with a slightly furled yankee doing almost six knots on a building breeze. 

The sail up to Brampton Island was simple, the wind held all day.  I sailed right up to the anchorage and dropped the hook just before two in the afternoon.  So far so good.  Two good days moving north without having to strain the injured arm.  Brampton anchorage was quiet as the breeze died away in the evening and I had a good night’s sleep. 

The following day a good south easterly wind was forecast again.  The plan today was to see how far towards the Whitsundays I could get.  There are a few anchorages along the way, so I had a plan B, C and D in reserve.  Today the wind angle was just not right for free flying the Yankee, I would have to use the pole.  Getting the pole out with one arm was a challenge and took over an hour costing me four lost miles.  Once the yankee was set and pulling the work and pain were worth it, we held a good course downwind with Mickey steering.

Later in the afternoon the tide turned against us creating a nasty short choppy sea, speed was down, then the wind started to go light.  It was slow progress, but we managed to sail around the top of Long Island before putting the motor on and anchoring in Happy Bay.  Finally, away from the offshore Islands and into the protected Whitsunday area.  Now to reassess the situation.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

13 July 2023

Happy Bay was a good anchorage and I slept well after the work of the past couple of days.  Not the calm, quiet and still anchorage I had hoped for, they don’t seem to exist here at the moment, but a good place to be and quite secure.

I spent all day in Happy Bay, tidying up and resting my arm as much as possible.  In the evening the wind came back and there was some strange wind against tide stuff going on, not very comfortable and the waves were slapping on the side of the hull.  I decided to move on the next morning. 

My next anchorage was Nava Inlet.  The guidebook said it was calm and tranquil.  Yeah right.  The southerly swell came straight up the inlet and as did the breeze.  It wasn’t bad, the boat nodded to the small waves all day and night, but calm and tranquil it was not.  Anyway, I pottered about on board and made some water with my home made RO machine.  Wonderful to be able to make forty litres of water just using solar power in the morning and have the batteries all topped up again by late afternoon.

In Nava Inlet there are some walks, a freshwater lake for swimming, a waterfall and caves with Aboriginal paintings.  I desperately wanted to get ashore and do stuff, but my arm was not up to launching the dinghy and outboard motor.

I awoke early the next morning to find only a slight improvement in my injured arm.  This is frustrating, I am fed up with looking at the shore and going nowhere.  Resting here isn’t working.  The thought of spending another day on the boat in confinement was depressing.  I can’t rest and unable to get ashore.  As much as I wanted to spend some time in the Whitsundays it isn’t going to happen.  I must admit to feeling a bit woeful.  I gave myself a stern talking to, pulled myself together and am now looking at the positives again.  A new plan was called for.         

I decided to keep moving north and make ground while the wind is steady from the south.  I can stop in Townsville or Magnetic Island to top up my provisions with fresh stuff along the way.  My aim now is to get to the Hinchinbrook Channel area.  I have been told that this is a magical place of mountain views, Mangroves, creeks and crocodiles with calm protected anchorages with good fishing.  Just the sort of place I can chill for a few days.  The plan is to continue sailing north in easy steps using the headsail with the following wind. The route, Gloucester Passage, Cape Edgecombe, Cape Upstart, Cape Bowling Green, Townsville or Magnetic Island.

I departed Nava Inlet in fresh bumpy conditions that saw a fair amount of spray in the cockpit, thank goodness for the dodger.  The wind and seas evened out as we cleared land, we had a nice easy sail up to Gloucester Passage. 

As luck would have it, we arrived at Gloucester Passage at the wrong time, the last of the outgoing tide over the shallows.  It was very shallow, less than a meter below the keel as I edged between the reefs.  Finally, after a butt clenching experience we were through the shallow waters and on track to Cape Edgecumbe where we arrived just after three in the afternoon.  Evening meal this evening was Thai Fish curry with potatoes cooked in the pressure cooker.  Not my best creation but it will sustain life.

The anchorage at Cape Edgecumbe turned out to be surprisingly good, the wind calmed down at night and the rolling was gentle.  I had a decent night’s sleep until five in the morning when the wind returned to sing in the rigging.  Setting off early it was a good sail, thirty-three miles to Shark Bay in the lee of Cape Upstart.  The wind was good again and we passed the impressive Abbot Point coal loading facility mid-morning. 

By one in the afternoon we were anchored in Shark Bay under the lee of Cape Upstart.  The wind was gusting down from the hills but no rolling, I hoped for the wind to die down at dusk as it has on previous nights.

Unfortunately, the wind persisted all night and then the wind against tide thing started again.  I couldn’t sleep, the wind was howling and the boat jiggling and joggling against the tide.  By midnight I could stand it no more.  Time to put to sea and use the wind to advantage, I weighed anchor and fled this horrible place.  By early morning we were passing cape Bowling Green in boisterous conditions.  The shallow sandbanks around the Cape throwing up steep waves even though we were five miles offshore in deeper water as recommended.  The wind picked up for a while at the cape and we sailed with just the staysail, still making good speed.  Once past the Cape normal service returned and we sailed on towards Cape Cleveland in more settled conditions.

From Cape Cleveland I had the option to go to Townsville or Magnetic Island.  I decided on Townsville and to try my luck in getting an anchorage behind the outer marina wall.  I was in luck – sort of.  The anchorage is very shallow and just outside the channel to the marina.  The first spot I tried was just outside the channel but too close for comfort and one of the locals seemed upset that I should anchor so close to him.  Well, it is very tight anchoring in amongst the moored boats.  I tried again and a guy on an anchored catamaran suggested I anchor close to him and move into his spot (with a bit more depth) in the morning when he departed.  That was good, finally I squeezed in, just out of the channel and with less than half a meter under the keel at low water.  My irate neighbour was slightly further away now and happily preening his ruffled feathers.

SOJORN IN TOWNSVILLE

16 July 2023

The anchorage behind the marina breakwater is shallow, tight and windy.  Every second day the BOM (Bureau of Metrology) seems to issue a high wind warning and so far they have been remarkably correct, both in timing and strength.  On the first morning my irate neighbour came over in his dinghy to say hello.  No doubt feeling guilty about being such a prick the day before. 

I didn’t go ashore the first day, there was a strong wind warning and being anchored in shallow water on short scope decided to stay on board for safety.  Tomorrow is another day and I feel my arm is starting to heal so another day resting will help, the orange pig can rest on deck for another day.  My hope that the rolling would stop here has been shattered, but it’s only a small lazy roll unless its high water.

There has been a squeaking or chirping noise coming from the engine recently.  I suspected the bearings on the alternator or freshwater pump were wearing.  However, I noticed that if I unloaded the alternator with the engine running the noise disappeared.  I inspected the alternator belt again and found a delamination going on.  Changing the belt has cured the problem (90% sure).  Now I need to get another spare belt, they work hard charging the batteries through the DC/DC converter.  Belts are consumables and this is only the second belt in 7 years I have replaced a belt, must not complain and always have a spare belt on board.

Feeling happy that nothing more serious than a drive belt was wrong with the engine I then pickled the water maker.  I won’t be making water here in the harbour and it will be a few days before I use it again.  Pickling will prevent the growth of nasties inside the membrane and filters.

I then launched the pig over the side.  This basically involves manhandling it over the rail and letting gravity take over.  Sometimes it lands the right side up, which is a bonus.  This time it didn’t so I just flipped it over from the deck.  Getting the outboard off the rail and into the dinghy was a painful exercise.  

I have been ashore a couple of times now and can report that my first hot shower in three weeks was wonderful and long.  I probably smell less offensive now as well.  Today (Sunday) I went ashore in the morning before the forecast strong wind in the afternoon.  The dinghy ride into the marina is usually wet due to the waves splashing into the dinghy.  Today it was wet as it was raining!  No complaints, the rain is washing all the salt off Truce and it didn’t last too long anyway.

The run ashore was to pick up some fresh provisions. The supermarket didn’t open until nine, so I had a coffee in the park and watched the fit people running around.  A colourful bird came and sat down beside me, no doubt looking for crumbs and left disappointed.

Moving on into town I was pleased to see there was a Sunday market and an excellent fresh produce stand.  I picked up Paw Paw, lime, radish and tomatoes, the radishes actually taste like radishes, hot and peppery unlike their supermarket clones.

I bought a few items in Woolworths, not too much as I had to carry the bag back to the dinghy at the marina.  Food here is much cheaper than New Zealand, I did an online comparison of prices and was amazed to find that New Zealand equivalent price was 30% more expensive.  There is something out of kilter here, it is the same supermarket chain and wages are lower in New Zealand than Australia.  It is no wonder so many Kiwis are moving to Australia to work and live.

MAGNETIC ISLAND

19 July 2023

Monday morning, there was a light breeze for a change.  I hopped in the dinghy and headed ashore for a walk and look around Townsville.  I didn’t really see anything of significance.  There were a couple of Irish Bars, I made a mental note that a pint of Guinness and some Irish grub may be a good idea in the evening.

Later in the day I returned to Truce and emptied a couple of jerry cans of diesel into the tanks and then headed ashore to the fuel dock to refill the jerry cans.  Once more the fuel tanks are full. 

In the evening the winds were still light and after a shower at the marina I headed off to the Irish pub.  Unfortunately, both were closed.  Disappointing.  I ended up in a bar with a beer and Berger – both second rate, I shouldn’t have bothered.  I am done with Townsville.

The next morning I returned to the marina for a final hot shower and soaked my wretched arm in hot water for ten minutes to ease the pain.  I then handed in the marina key and headed out.  It was with no regrets that I departed the anchorage called the duck pond (which it’s not) behind the breakwater.  The next stop Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island. 

For the first time in days the wind died and we motored on flat seas, (there was a swell of course) rolling around to Horseshoe Bay.  We arrived at horseshoe Bay just after noon, I was surprised to see so many boats at anchor, the place was packed.  Not surprising really, this is the only sheltered anchorage from the SE Trade winds for thirty or forty miles north or south.  Magnetic Island was named by Captain Cook, 1770, as he thought the rocks of the island were influencing his magnetic compass.  Cook wasn’t sure if the island was an island or a headland according to his journal.  Modern day tests have not found any magnetic anomaly.    

I wasted no time getting ashore.  What a happy place, a few eateries and bars along the beach, a convenience store and ice crème shop.  Perfect.  I ordered a beer and a plate of calamari, both excellent. 

I also met up with an interesting couple from Sydney and we spent a couple of hours chatting.  Later I met up with another single-handed sailor.  He complained of the incessant wind and rolling – made me feel better that it wasn’t just me being a pussy.  I returned back on board late afternoon feeling relaxed. 

Wednesday morning, I had a restful night at anchor, the wind blew a bit then died down and the swell was low and lazy.   I did a couple of small jobs on the boat and a bit of splicing and whipping rope ends.  Then ashore in the pig for a lunchtime refreshment.  I met up with Barry (the old seadog) and we had a couple of beers and an interesting chat.  He is also heading up to Cairns so we may meet again along the way.

Later in the afternoon I returned to Truce and stowed the dinghy on deck, shortened up the anchor chain and made ready for sailing in the morning.  Next destination is Hinchinbrook Channel with maybe a stop at Palm Island or Orpheus Island along the way.   

DIY WATER MAKER

23 July 2023

The idea of making fresh water from seawater on the boat is very appealing and adds another level of independence to cruising.  But such a luxury comes at a cost – money, space, added complexity and power.  Being mainly single handed with a small yacht my freshwater requirements are modest, most off the shelf water makers didn’t fit with my needs.  So, I thought why not look at making one to fit the boat and my expectations.

My basic requirement were: –

1. Run on 12 Volt DC from existing on-board house batteries
2. Output volume around 15 Litres per hour
3. Space efficient and modular
4. Simplicity of use and maintenance

Water makers are quite simple devices that use pressure to force sea water through a membrane to separate out fresh water through a process called Reverse Osmosis.  The heart of the system is a pressure pump, working around 800 PSI.  On most off the shelf water makers these pumps are usually electrical AC driven or belt / mechanically driven from the boat’s engine.  I discounted the AC pump option for two reasons.  Firstly, they had a high output and secondly, I can’t fit a large inverter to convert DC from the house batteries to AC current.  The engine driven option was not suitable due to lack of space and additional engineering complication.  I also want to operate the water maker at anchor or sailing with the engine shut down. 

The pressure pump is the key component, by going for a 12 volt DC pump my pump options seemed very limited.  Luckily, I found a suitable pressure pump from a company called PumpTec in America.  The pump is designed for misting operations but has the capacity to supply a small water maker and can operate up to 1000 PSI.  The guys at PumpTec were helpful and confirmed that the pump had been used previously in reverse osmosis water makers with success.

With the pump issue solved I set about organising a parts list and schematic drawings.  Once I had figured out what I needed the process of procurement started.  As to layout, I decided to use some space in the bosuns locker where a hot water heater had previously been installed.

The existing seawater inlet was used for the water supply, the same supply that is also used for the deck wash pump.  A small boost pump was added into the deck wash line to boost pressure to the high-pressure pump.  This arrangement will allow the deck wash pump to act as a boost pump in the event of a failure of the small pump.  An isolating valve separates the water maker from the deck wash when in use.  The brine water drains into the cockpit and goes down the cockpit drain, no need for another through hull fitting.

For the pre filters I used an RV dual filter housing and filters were sourced from a local hardware store.  The piping for the system is a mix of John Guest click fit, 13mm water hose and 10mm clear hose and the high-pressure side is custom made hose and fittings.

I found it convenient to mount the HP pump and membrane housing on a backing board that I screw onto the bulkhead of the bosuns locker.  The supports for the membrane housing are drain pile supports from the hardware store.  The pressure gauge, needle valve and other high-pressure bits were sourced from Amazon.  The high-pressure piping and end fittings were made up locally by a firm specialising in high pressure fittings.

Below are some photos of the project and installation.

The schematic drawing went through many revisions as I altered and fine tuned the installation.  The final drawing is as shown below.

For a budget I aimed to complete the installation for NZ$2,500.  Unfortunately, the project went over budget for a couple of reasons.  The first being the sharp increase in prices from the time of first planning to actually purchasing the equipment, post covid inflation.  The second was sourcing the membrane and housing from Australia and having high pressure hoses made up locally.  In both these areas I could have saved considerable money by purchasing from China but as time was running out, I could not afford any doubts about delivery or quality, it had to work out of the box.

The main costs are shown below in New Zealand dollars: –

High Pressure pump                           $804

2521 Membrane and housing             $990

Needle valve                                       $23     

Pressure Guage                                   $13

Stainless HP fittings                           $406

Filters                                                  $41

Electrical cable and fittings                $25

High pressure hose and fittings          $576

Plumbing fittings                                $120

The total cost of everything including the board, paint, numerous additional screws, fastenings and hundreds of miscellaneous bits came to NZ$3,164.

Operating the water maker for the first time was heart in mouth, would it work?  I double checked and then triple checked everything before starting it up.  First the boost pump to fill the pre filters, that worked Ok and I purged the air from the filter housing.  Then I switched on the pressure pump, yes water was flowing from the outlet into the cockpit.  After a few minutes I started to slowly close the needle valve to increase the pressure.  As I increased the pressure at 700psi the first product water started to appear in the sample hose.  By the time I had increase to 800psi there was a steady trickle of water.  After a few minutes I took a reading with the TDS meter – 300.  A few minutes later it had dropped to 220.  Then  a reading of 200.  Bingo, we were making fresh water, The satisfaction of producing fresh water from seawater was immense.  I even tasted it and drank some, I don’t usually drink water.  Even today, after producing many litres of water I still get satisfaction from the process.

A few days ago I made forty litres of water in the morning when at anchor and by late afternoon the batteries were back at 100% capacity from the solar panels.  Being able to make fresh water just from solar power is amazing.

The output from the water maker is approx. 15 – 18 Litres per hour

Power consumption is about 15 amps

Water quality is between 180 and 220 ppm (usually about 193)

Now that the water maker is operational and has been in use a few times is there anything I would change or improve?  Yes, if possible, I would like an automatic needle valve that maintained the working pressure at 800psi.  I have found that the needle valve is very sensitive and has to be monitored every few minutes to make sure the correct pressure is being maintained.  Apart from that the water maker is easy to operate and produces good water quite economically, certainly sufficient to be self sufficient.

NO F*#!ING ROLLING

25 July 2023

I love the Hinchinbrook Channel. For the first time since departing from Gladstone I had a wonderful sleep without rocking and rolling. The creeks here are flat calm, the swell can’t reach them. The scenery is wonderful and so far the mosquitos and sand flees have been absent.

From magnetic Island we had a slow sail up to Great Palm Island, not much wind, just enough to keep us going right up to the anchorage. The wind dropped even more overnight and the anchorage was peaceful, just a slight swell curling around the headland to rock me to sleep.

From Great Palm Island it was another slow sail, just a few miles to Orpheus Island. It took all day but there was no hurry. Whales were all around the boat. They were diving and spending many minutes under the surface. I am not sure what they were doing down there as the water is quite shallow, I suppose they must be feeding on something. A couple of miles short of the anchorage the wind died away completely, there was no option but to use the motor to get in before dusk. Luckily I found an empty parks mooring and dropped the large mooring hawser over the bow bollard. All secure for the night. I like being on a good mooring, more secure and comfortable than being at anchor most times.

On Saturday morning it was a short sail across to the entrance to Hinchinbrook Channel, I could see the sugar loading jetty from Orpheus Island anchorage. I was aiming to get to the channel leading marks a couple of hours before high water as there are some shallow sandbanks to cross over. We arrived on time and I was relived to see an excellent sectored leading light to follow all the way into the channel. The sugar loading terminal is a way offshore in deeper water and the conveyor to take the sugar out seems to go on forever.

Once in the channel the wind died away and the water became flat calm. We motored on up the channel enjoying the warm sunshine and spectacular views. There were a number of small boats out with people fishing, not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. At Haycock Island I dropped anchor for the night. Once the engine was off I could hear the birdsong in the bush. At last an anchorage without swell or rocking and rolling. This is the first time since departing from Gladstone that there has been calm water, I will sleep well.

After a quite night at Haycock Island I drifted up to Sunday Creek and anchored for the night. Sunday creek is a branch off the main channel and very quiet with mangroves either side of the creek. I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon relaxing and reading a book in the cockpit enjoying the scenery, tranquility and wildlife. Of course there are crocodiles around here and I have to admit to being scared of crocodiles. Australians I have met on the way have filled my head with crocodile horror stories so now I am paranoid about the things. I have been told that Sunday Creek is home to a large crocodile with a liking for inflatable dinghies. I will not be going anywhere in the dinghy, it will remain firmly lashed on deck.

Monday morning and I moved from Sunday creek a few miles north up the channel to Gayundah Creek. Another sheltered spot with a good view of the Hinchinbrook Island mountains. I had a weird dream last night about crocodiles, maybe it was the cheese I ate, but I decided to leave Sunday Creek behind.

Gayundah Creek proved to be a calm and tranquil anchorage. Tuesday and I had planned to sail further up the channel today. However, a strong wind warning deterred me, I decided to stay where I was. During the course of the day another five boats came into the creek and anchored, also sheltering from the expected strong south easterly wind. I am not adverse to having other boats around, it was very dark last night and now there a few lights around and company.

It looks like the wind will be strong offshore for a couple of days. Nothing too bad, just strong trade winds that could give me a good push up the coast. I will have another look at the forecast tomorrow, maybe I will stay here for another day and wait for it to pass.

500 MILES UNDER HEADSAIL

5 August 2023

Since hurting my arm at Middle Percy Island I have been sailing with only the yankee headsail and sometimes also the staysail when conditions allow.  My left arm is just not up to the stress of handling the mainsail, but I can manage the headsails on the furlers with one arm. 

With the constant trade winds, sailing with just the headsails has been easy and really not much slower than if I also had the mainsail working.  By sailing this way I have covered almost five hundred miles since departing Middle Percy Island.

My time in the Hinchinbrook Channel turned out to be very relaxing and stress free.  I enjoyed the calm and tranquil anchorages and ended up staying six nights.  The last two days were windy with rain but still very secure.  On leaving Hinchinbrook Channel I sailed thirty plus miles up to Dunk Island.  Overnight at the anchorage the good weather disappeared and the morning brought rain squalls and unpredictable winds.  I weighed anchor early to get out of Dunk and headed north to Mourilyan Harbour.

After a difficult sail with rain squalls and shifting winds I dropped the anchor in Mourilyan Harbour just after midday.  The harbour is sheltered, the swell doesn’t intrude into the harbour past the narrow entrance.  The wind died down in the evening providing a calm overnight anchorage.

The next morning I weighed anchor at first light and was clear of Mourilyan Harbour and well on the way north by sunrise.  The wind picked up gradually to a steady twenty knots and we were flying along with the yankee poled out to starboard and the staysail catching wind to port, the wind so steady that the windvane kept the sails filled perfectly.

By two in the afternoon we had arrived at the anchorage at Fitzroy Island.  The wind was blowing and the swell curling around into the anchorage.  Not game for an uncomfortable anchorage I gave Fitzroy a miss and pressed on towards Cairns, still sailing at good speed with a strong wind.  A couple of hours later the engine went on and we motored up the dredged channel up into Cairns small boat anchorage for the night.

The following day I picked up a pile mooring – need a break before heading north again.  This is for rest and recuperation and to get ashore and visit a doctor to check out my arm which seems to have been getting worse after a slow but gradual improvement in the last couple of weeks.

Well, I made it to the doctor.  He says (and confirms) I have torn a tendon and suffered a rotor cuff injury.  He attributes the apparent worsening condition over the last few days to the fact I ran out of the anti-inflammatory pills I was taking.  I have now got some new pills and although I have only been taking them for a couple of days they are helping to reduce the pain at night and the arm is easier to move.  I am also booked in for an ultrasound scan, but that’s two weeks away. The truth is that I was very concerned that I would be unable to carry on sailing. Now I have seen the doctor I am reassured that I can continue, just need time to recover.

I now intend to hang around Cairns for a couple of weeks more and hope for the weather to improve a bit.  It has rained every day I have been here so far and there seems to be a strong wind warning every day.

BALI AND A WEDDING

20 August 2023

I have put Truce on a mooring in Cairns.  The reason for taking a mooring is that I needed to travel to Bali for a wedding.  A mooring is a fraction of the cost of an alongside marina berth and as I won’t be onboard for a while the inconvenience of a mooring isn’t really an issue.

My initial plan was to sail to Bali for the wedding as I had told everyone that I had given up with flying.  However, due to weather delays, detours to New Caledonia and such forth the option of sailing to Bali disappeared.  So, I had to eat my words and take a flight.

Needless to say the flight to and from Bali was horrible, just reinforced why I don’t want to fly anymore.  Australian airlines are still struggling to escape the ‘Chicken or beef’ era with service and check in straight out of the Fly Low manual.  No more moaning!

Bali was as good as ever but much more crowded than I remember from previous visits.  I was very happy to be met at the airport and taken to my hotel courtesy of an Indonesian friend who I worked with back in the day.  My accommodation and transport was all taken care off, wonderful.  Of course Ngozi and her friends were there when I arrived, great to meet up again.

The wedding was for Natasha and her future husband Sam.  Natasha is the daughter of my best friend Jim Britton.  Unfortunately Jim passed away a short time ago.  The wedding was delayed time and again by covid and unforeseen events.  Jim did pick out the wedding dress, he did a good job. 

Natasha was concerned about walking down the aisle alone and after some thought it was agreed between us that I would stand in.  Natasha was happy and I was very honoured to walk her down the aisle or in this case across the sand.  The wedding was excellent, great atmosphere by the beach, excellent food and an endless fountain of drink – true Britton style.

All too soon my time in Bali came to an end, I had to return to Cairns.  Truce is waiting and I need to continue moving north.

MAINTENANCE IN CAIRNS

27 August 2023

I arrived back from Bali on the 15^th August and it was good to be back on Truce again.  The trip to Bali was a great opportunity to rest up, relax and catch up with Ngozi.  Truce has not suffered any hardship whilst I have been away but needs a good clean and I have some outstanding maintenance and repairs to complete before moving on.

After the injury to my left arm I have been sailing with just the headsail.  Most of the time I have poled out the sail as its been mostly downwind sailing to the SE trades.  The trades at times can be strong, gusting to 30+ knots occasionally.  It looks like I have stressed the spinnaker pole and opened up an old break in the carbon fibre.  This needs repairing before setting off again.    

>>>Photo

For the repair I used an epoxy bandage, comprising seven layers of glass fibre cloth tapered either side of the break.  I also found another potential weak spot and bandaged that at the same time.  The repair looks good and hardly noticeable now that it is faired, sanded and recoated with white paint.  For the topcoat I used the new International ‘one topcoat’  I find this to be an excellent product, giving a far superior finish than their old Toplac.

Photos above, top right first four wraps of cloth applied. Bottom right 7 wraps plus one extra ready for fairing. Left, all finished and ready to go again.

The other big job I completed on the mooring was giving the deck a coat of KiwiGrip non skid.  Its quite a quick process, applying a thick coating of paint and the rolling with a textured roller to produce the non skid finish.  I finish I wanted was not too aggressive, this tends to trap and is harder to clean. The finish I ended up with is non skid, easy on bare feet and if needed I can always top up the texture with a bit more KiwiGrip. Its very forgiving stuff. The weather was hot and the decks warm with the heat from the sun.  I had to work quickly before the paint dried.  Then I had to whip off the masking tape as soon as I had finished a section to get a clean edge.  Quite frantic work but after two days all was complete, looking good, and will provide a good non skid surface for months to come.

The other maintenance was general run of the mill day to day stuff that has to be done to ensure happy stress free sailing.  The maintenance list is a bit shorter but of course doesn’t actually disappear, it shrinks and expands as jobs are ticked off and new ones added. 

During the maintenance time the trade winds had been mild and perfect for sailing north.  As soon as I was ready to depart the stronger winds set in again.  As I don’t want to sail in the stronger winds and more importantly, I don’t want to be at anchor rolling around in the swell, I delayed sailing.  It has been a long stop in Cairns but I have enjoyed it immensely.  Cairns is a good place and easy to get around, it has everything needed to sustain boat life.  I took the opportunity to stock up on provisions as there are no more provision stops before Cape York that I am aware of.     

One of the delights of Cairns was Bob’s Apartment.  Bob and I had worked together many years ago In Nigeria and elsewhere.  We had always kept in contact loosely as men do.  On my way up the coast from Gladstone I was surprised to learn that Bob and his wife Phillis had taken up residence in Cairns.  Bob offered me use of his apartment and I gladly accepted.  I had a few restful nights there and made full use of the shower.  Many thanks Bob and Phyliss.

The time in Cairns also provided some rest and recouperation of my arm.  I think its getting better slowly, I can certainly have a greater range of movement now.  The pain at night is still there but that is expected according to Google.  I was booked for an ultrasound scan but cancelled it, time to move on.

DEPARTED CAIRNS

31 August 2023

Finally, at last, by the 29^th August the trades had moderated and I let go from the mooring as the tide turned to ebb and headed out from Cairns.  Truce had been tied up there for nearly a month and developed a nasty scummy slime around the waterline.  Time to sail it off.

The first stop out from cairns was Low Island.  We had a good SE wind of 15 to 20 knots to take us along briskly with just the headsails again.  I am still doing the lazy sailing and resting my arm as much as possible.  With the trade winds here you don’t have to do much thinking about sailing, just steer in the direction you want to go and put some sail up, engage windvane and settle back for the ride. 

By early afternoon I picked up a public marine park mooring just off the lighthouse on Low Island.  The wind continued blowing into the evening and there was no opportunity to put the dinghy in the water for shore leave.  Anyway, the first night out I was very happy to stay on board and relax.

At two in the morning I was woken by a banging on the hull.  We had a wind against tide situation.  The wind was coming off the mainland and the mooring buoy was trying to bash a hole in the side of the hull.  I quickly started the engine and went astern to get the buoy off the side of the boat.  A look around the other boats at anchor and on moorings showed similar chaos.  Two fishing boats just beside us were anchored one behind the other, they had managed to tangle their fishing gear and flopper stoppers.  The guys on deck were trying, unsuccessfully, by the looks of it, to extricate their boats from the tangle. They had bigger problems than me. 

I decided to move out immediately.  I dropped the mooring line and motored to the north clear of the anchorage then set sail and all was peaceful again.  Half an hour later I saw that another boat was following me, shortly after another boat from the anchorage followed.

It was a horrible start to the day, but on the upside we had a good early start on the day and were able to clock off an impressive seventy two miles before anchoring in the afternoon under Cape Bedford. It had been a long days sail but easy in the trade wind conditions, sometimes single handed sailing is not too difficult.

CAPE BEDFORD TO FLINDERS ISLAND 

3 September 2023

Yesterday was a good sailing day, we covered 72 miles from Low Island and had a peaceful night at anchor under Cape Bedford.  It was my intention to call into Cooktown after Low Island, but the plan changed.  We are on spring tides and the anchorage at Cooktown is notoriously shallow and tide prone, I decided that the stress of a dodgy anchorage with potential wind against tide snafu just wasn’t worth it.  People also told me that Cooktown was expensive and touristy.  Cape Bedford looked far more comfortable, easier to access and only a few miles up the coast from Cooktown.   

The sail to Lizard Island is a far less strenuous undertaking, just 36 miles and with the perfect wind of around 10 knots it was a very relaxing ride.  We saw dolphins and whales on the way, arriving at the Lizard Island anchorage early in the afternoon.  The anchorage is very scenic and the water crystal clear with fish swimming all around.  There is a resort here, a small shop and a bar open to boat people a few nights a week.  Once again my plans changed, I had intended to go ashore at Lizard Island and visit the place where Captain Cook stood on high ground looking for a passage through the reefs.  Instead, I got a severe lazy attack and stayed on board, I could not be bothered putting the dinghy in the water and even the invitation for a cruisers beer and bar b que ashore couldn’t break my  lazy state of mind.  I did finish off painting a small area on the foredeck with KiwiGrip and overhauling the outboard motor.  I stayed two peaceful nights at anchor.  There is no hurry in life.

Lizard Island is a beautiful place but I am sure that Captain Cook wasn’t interested in the pretty beaches when he landed there many years ago urgently seeking a safe passage out of the reefs for his severely damaged vessel the Endeavour.  After nearly losing his ship on a reef and then finding a safe place in which to make repairs he then had to escape the reefs surrounding the coast.  His sailing Master wanted to retrace their track south and find safe water.  But Cook must have known that his ship, in her weakened state was too fragile to beat into the strong trade winds.  Cook left the Endeavour off the mainland coast, taking a pinnace sailed to Lizard Island to use the high ground there to survey a possible exit from the reefs.  He climbed the hill on Lizard Island, as his journal records, ‘With a mixture of hope and fear proportioned to the importance of our business and the uncertainty of the event’ and from this vantage point detected an opening in the reef to seaward.  He immediately sent out the pinnace to survey his findings.  Cook camped overnight and ascended the hill the following morning but a haze had set in reducing visibility.  However, the survey from the pinnace convinced him that escape from the reefs was possible.  The rest is history.  

After my lazy stay at Lizard Island I set off with a very early start northwards again.  The route now follows the coast inside the reef system, this route is also used by commercial shipping so not only reefs but other ships to watch out for.  For the evening anchorage I had a plan A, B, and C.  In the event I went for plan D.  The wind from Lazard island was a steady trade wind, around 15 to 20 knots and we made easy miles. 

I looked at the anchorage under Cape Melville but it seemed windy and unstable.  I had also been reading some history.  In 1899 more than 100 fishing vessels were anchored under Cape Melville, a tropical cyclone struck and more than 300 crew were lost, must have been a tremendous storm.  The cape is like nothing I have ever seen before with huge boulder mountains.  It instantly reminded me of the pyramids its on such a scale.  The individual boulders are huge – its just there.

The anchorage in The Flinders Island Group in Owen Channel was supposed to be an all weather anchorage so I pressed on.  On arrival in Owen Channel it was low water and the anchorage was very windy with big tidal swirls.  I tried anchoring but got wind against tide and didn’t like it.  I picked up anchor and motored around to Stokes Bay behind Stanley Island in increasing wind and strong tidal current, arriving in the dark.  There was no moon, it was very dark, there was one other boat in the anchorage, the first boat I had seen all day.  The anchorage was good and protected from the swell, the wind blew all night but it was just a blustery wind off the land and not gusty. 

Today had been a big days run, almost 94 miles.  I had not intended such a big run but with a good wind I just had to keep going. 

FLINDERS TO PORTLAND ROADS

6 September 2023

Another early morning start, we departed from Stokes Bay before six, the sky was just starting to lighten in the east but in the anchorage it was still dark.  We arrived and departed from Stokes Bay without seeing the shore.  The reason for an early start today is that the run up to Morris Island is around sixty miles and I do like to get anchored and settled down if possible before sunset.

The forecast for the run to Morris island is ESE 15 – 20 knots.  A good forecast and we had the sails pulling well just a few minutes out of Stokes Bay.  The Yankee was poled out to Starboard, the double reefed main out to port and the staysail filling the gap sheeted in to port.  With this sail configuration we are well balanced, track well and reel off the miles in comfort.  We passed Taiwan Shoal, to port with Fife Island being passed to Starboard.

Just before four in the afternoon we anchored in the lee of Morris island.  Although there is not much relief from the wind there is no swell here.  We anchored in 10m with 40 meters of chain in the water.  It had been a good sail up from Stokes Bay, I only saw one other boat all day.  The wind increased during the night and decreased towards sunrise.  The night at anchor was comfortable, I had a good rest.

A beautiful sunrise and a light breeze coming across the reef.  I was in no hurry this morning, its only about twenty miles up to the next anchorage behind Night Island.  After a leisurely breakfast I made some fresh water for a couple of hours.  Just before midday we sailed off the anchor and we were on the way to Night Island, sailing with just the Yankee in about ten knots of wind. 

As it was a short hop and easy sail I put out the fishing lure.  After about ten minutes I had something on the line.  I furled in the Yankee and set about retrieving the fish.  It was very heavy and only putting up the occasional fight. 

When I got it close to the boat I saw it was a large shark – not what I wanted.  The fish was too heavy to get up to the rail and retrieve the lure so I had to cut it loose.  I was not happy to lose my lure and I had also bashed my shin on a cockpit winch.  So, there I was, hot, sweaty, bloody, in pain and damaged with no fish to eat.  It seems impossible to catch small fish. I am not fishing single handed underway from now on, its not productive and too dangerous.

By four thirty in the afternoon we had anchored behind Night Island in 10m of water.  I didn’t see any other boats today, there are not many people around up here.  At Night Island there was lots of birdlife.  Towards sunset hundreds of Torres Strait Pigeons flew into the island from the mainland.  They settled into the trees ashore and set up a cooing sound that came across the water to the boat. 

The next morning it was a sunrise start for the sail up to Portland Roads.  The lee of Night Island is quite protected and once again I had a good nights sleep, was rested, refreshed and was ready to go northward again.  Today we had a fresher wind, 2 reefs in the main and a couple of furls in the Yankee saw us romping along at 6 knots plus for most of the day.  We passed Dugdale Rock, Asthon Rock, Cape Direction and Restoration Rock before heading around into Portland Roads and anchoring in 7m water just after one in the afternoon.

Its been a good sailing day and I saw one other boat in the distance inshore.  There are no other boats at anchor in Portland Roads, a bit surprising as I thought it was a popular anchorage.  But its windy this afternoon and a bit of a sea is creeping around the corner to set us rolling occasionally.  There are a few houses here and a small community, I cant see anybody on shore.

I spent a quiet afternoon at Portland Roads.  I thought it was too windy to put the dinghy in the water for a trip ashore.  Instead, I made some water, wrote a blog and pondered the daily problem – what to have for dinner?

PORTLAND ROADS TO ESCAPE RIVER

8 September 2023

Portland Roads was a bit of a disappointment for me.  The weather was a bit windy for my small dinghy and there was nothing tempting me to go ashore.  After an average comfort night at anchor I decided on an early morning start north again. 

The Barrier reef is starting to close up towards the coast now with the shipping lane running between the coast and the reef.  The sea inside the reef is much calmer and swell is diminished making sailing northwards on the SE trade winds a delight.  Its also good to see the commercial shipping sailing up and down the lanes, adds a bit of interest to an otherwise deserted strip of water.

We sailed northward making good time passing Middle Reef, Kemp Rocks and Inset reef before coming up to Home Island Passage just before noon.  The sail through Home Islands was beautiful, calm and scenic with the fringing reefs clearly visible.  After Home Island I had a look into Margaret Bay which the cruising guide says is an excellent anchorage.  It didn’t look too inviting to me and as the day was still young and the wind fair we sailed on leaving Sunday Island to starboard towards Shelburne Bay or Schelburne Bay as it is called on the more modern charts.

Just after two in the afternoon we anchored close in under Round Point in 5m of water.  There were no other boats here, but a catamaran came in later in the afternoon.  Its now becoming unusual to see another cruising boat.  The anchorage was good and sheltered, I had a relaxed afternoon and made some more fresh water. 

The next day it was an early start again for the trip of about sixty five miles up to Escape River.  The forecast for today seemed changeable and the morning was overcast and cloudy.  The wind was good to start with and we sailed past Viking Reef and  Cairncross then the rain started.  The visibility reduced, the sky became very overcast and the temperature almost became cool.

Unfortunately the wind almost died and we had a slow damp sail up to the Escape River entrance.  The wind came back strongly as we entered the Escape River across the bar and at five in the afternoon we were anchored in 8m water.  The wind was blowing but the water was calm inside the river.  Escape river is much bigger that it seems from looking at the charts and there are extensive drying banks.  There is a pearl farm in the river and pearl floats are marked on the charts, I didn’t see any floats or activity so maybe its no more.  Once again we were the only boat at anchor.

There is obviously a weather change coming but the forecast doesn’t seem to give any clues.  I will wait overnight and see what tomorrow looks like.  For rounding Cape York I would really like to have easy weather and hopefully get in close and anchor. 

AROUND THE TOP END

10 September 2023

Escape River was wide, boring and lonely.  Unfortunately, the weather was blustery and overcast with occasional rain.  I stayed two nights and one day expecting the poor weather to pass over, it wasn’t going to happen.  From Escape River I am going around Cape Your and really wanted some nice light weather to cruise around and if possible, anchor under cape York for the night.    

Truce is once again the only boat in the anchorage and its quite a remote and dark place at night.  The second night was too much, I decided to get around Cape York in the morning no matter what the weather was doing.  Turned out the morning weather was nasty, overcast with rain and pitch dark but I was committed to move.  I weighed anchor before sunrise and headed out from the anchorage, careful to retrace my route in avoiding the extensive shoals and mud flats.  As we approached the Entrance the sky was lightening and the sun about to rise, the wind and sea picked up a bit going over the bar but soon settled down once we were clear of the shallow water and our course turned to the north again.

The run up to Albany pass was quick with a brisk wind behind us with a good tide as well.  As we approached Albany Pass the seas became confused for a while with the tidal currents, but we still made good speed, passing a big tide rip as we entered the Albany Pass.  Once inside the pass the sea became calm and the wind dropped to a gentle ten knots.  With the tide beneath us we shot through, almost too fast to take in the scenery on either side. Passing Albany Bay to starboard and Somerset to port. This area once held great potential and was a bustling port, now its quiet.

Once clear of Albany Pass we had a good wind to take us around Eborac Island which lies to the north of Cape York.  At 09:46 on the 9^th September 2023, Cape York lie to the south of us, another milestone passed.  We had completed our cruise up the east coast of Australia from Gladstone to Cape York.  For the most part the sailing has been wonderful, pushed along effortlessly by the SE trade winds.  The anchorages however have been a different matter, I have endured too many fretful and uncomfortable nights, I won’t come this way again.   

Unfortunately, once around York Island the wind picked up, gusting thirty knots and it wasn’t possible to get in close under Cape York.  I reduced sail to just the staysail and we were surging along in the gusts at nine knots, a crazy strong wind that was not present on the east side of the Cape.  We aimed for the passage between High Island and Possession Island, as we rounded Peak Point the wind had another go at us with ferocious blasts until we reached the calm waters in the lee of High Island.  The wind was quite a surprise, I had expected calmer waters in the lee of Cape York, never mind, the wind helped us on our way.

The last few miles down to Seisia were uneventful, running alongside and then through a gap in the outlaying reef to the Seisia channel.  We motored into the channel, the twenty five knot wind on the nose, gusting to thirty, it was slow going with our small engine.  As we approached Seisia the sea flattened out and the wind eased as we dropped anchor in 6m of water, I put out 50m of chain for peace of mind.  I was happy and relieved to be around Cape York and facing new adventures ahead.

ENTERING A NEW SEA

16 September 2023

I have sailed the seven seas.  But, never before have I sailed on the Arafura Sea or crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Now I have.  My stop in Seisia was excellent apart from a couple of days when the wind blew too hard for me to get ashore in the little rubber duck dinghy, at least not without a soaking or risk of being blown to Timbuktu.

The trade winds that were so effective on the east coast ignored the narrow strip of land separating Seisia from the east and blew with some energy into the anchorage.  This wind from the land also picked up the smoke and ash from numerous fires the locals start to burn bush.  Soon Truce was covered in a layer of ash and burnt vegetation which mixed nicely with the sand and dust carried by the wind, a bit of a mess. 

Ashore I visited the small supermarket for some fresh supplies.  The store was surprisingly well stocked with eye watering prices, reflecting the remoteness of this area and the logistical challenges of getting supplies delivered.  I also visited an art shop where I sat and enjoyed a coffee.  The owner of the art shop, a lady originally from Brazil called Simone, offered to give me a lift into Bamaga later in the afternoon to buy some beer. 

Later in the afternoon I set off with Simone in her car to Banmaga where I purchased some beer to replenish my dwindling stock.  (Its warmer now and the beer evaporates faster). Then Simone generously gave me a tour of the local area.  We drove down to the Jardine River, Umagico, Alau Beach and other scenic spots, very enjoyable.

The next day I went ashore again for a walk around.  There are numerous camp grounds around where the adventurous Australians in their big 4WD vehicles and trailers of all sizes. They pitch their camp chairs in a line and drink beer.  They are a sort of land bound cruising sailor.  Some of the vehicles and trailers look extremely expensive.  The fuel used to get these big rigs up towards Cape York will be giving some people a rather large carbon footprint.  Talking about carbon footprint I took my five-liter petrol can ashore to top up with petrol for my outboard motor at the filling station called a servo.

As the forecast was for more wind in the coming days I decided to depart from Seisia rather than be boatbound at the anchorage.  I could use the wind to take me west towards Gove, my next stop.  The departure from Seisia had to be planned to catch the rising tide over the shallows in the Endeavour Strait.  Fortunately, a departure at the civilised time of six thirty in the morning would bring us to Endeavour strait at the right time to take the rising tide through.     

We departed on time and once clear of the buoyed channel had a lovely wind pushing us fast in the right direction.  Just after eleven in the morning we were clear of Endeavour Strait and the echo sounder started reading in double digits again, that was a relief.  From now on it’s a straight sail across to Gove without any reefs, rocks or shoreline to dodge.  I recalculated the ETA at Gove and found we could make a daylight arrival in two days if we averaged six and a half knots.  This is quite a high average and I decided to take it easy and slow down to make a morning arrival on the third day.  I was set on a daylight arrival at Gove as the anchorage is reported to have numerous mooring buoys and unlit vessels hanging around.

With such a good wind, at time gusting to almost thirty knots we made good time, in fact we were going too fast and I had to reduce sail until we had three reefs in the main, half a yankee and a reefed staysail.  Later on the first night the wind became stronger and I struck the mainsail to ease the stress on the boat, we didn’t lose any speed.

The second day the wind eased and we had mostly around twenty knots with occasional gusts.  The seas were horrid.  Short seas, only about two meters high but with such a short period and on the quarter, Truce rolled heavily.  Most uncomfortable, the short seas most likely caused by the shallow waters and currents.  Lovely sailing but the short waves continued and now they had breaking crests.  There seemed to be so much energy in the waves, disproportionate to the wind strength.  One wave actually broke over the stern which is most unusual.

On the third day at daybreak we could see land as we ghosted on a dying breeze past Bremer Island towards Gove.  Just after nine in the morning we anchored off the Gove yacht club in calm waters.  I will stay here awhile and recoup.

PIT STOP IN GOVE

21 September 2023

Gove anchorage, in Inverell Bay is mostly a peaceful place.  With the easterly and southeasterly winds there is no sea or swell intrusion.  The wind when it gets up is only a minor disturbance.  So that’s good.  The downside is that Truce is becoming a dirty red colour, the same as everything around here.  It’s the windborne bauxite dust that settles everywhere.

Gove is dominated by Rio Tinto who have a large bauxite mine in the area.  The bauxite is carried from the mine site on a long conveyor belt before it is loaded onto bulk carriers for export.  For some reason I had always thought of bauxite as being grey, but no, its red and relentlessly invasive.

Being at the top of Australia Gove is quite a warm place, in fact it gets hot.  Sleeping at night is often a damp affair when there is not much breeze.  To assist with shade and ventilation I have made a low profile wind scoop for the forward cabin hatch.  This provides shade during the day and delivers a cooling stream of air at night into the cabin – at least when the wind is blowing.  The scoop is still in development / prototype stage and made from an old piece of canvas.  It will improve over time, a work in progress.

Of course there are still the constant repairs and maintenance issues to attend to and Gove is a good place to catch up.  On the way across the Gulf of Carpentaria we had a couple of strong wind gusts and this resulted in one of the mainsail slugs breaking.  This is quite an easy fix to sew a new one on but now I am running out of spares so need to look at sourcing a few more for the spares kit.  They are not a common size in New Zealand and the last ones I managed to get from a chandlery in Waikawa of all places.

Before and after repair of broken mainsail slug. Phot Ray Penson

Gove yacht club is open five nights a week and serves drinks and food.  The food is excellent but on the expensive side in line with everything up here in Arnhem land.  The folks up here that I have met so far are all super friendly and helpful.  A couple of days ago I was offered, and accepted, a lift into Nhulunbuy which is the closest town with a supermarket. 

In the evening there is often an informal meeting by the beach for sundowners.  A bit of an old boys club but good for a chat and to learn local stuff, including the opinions and collective wisdom, devoid of PC baggage, of the remote living, elderly Australian male.  

Essential items are being attended to in Gove. I will top up the diesel tanks, load some provisions, beer, laundry and refill the spare cooking gas cylinder. Now I have the water maker I am free from the toil of lugging jerry cans ashore thank goodness. At anchor I have been running the water maker for an hour a day. This keeps the tanks topped up and allows me to have a nice long shower every afternoon as the sun goes down to cool off and refresh, such luxury. The simple things in life can make you so happy.

HEADING TO INDONESIA

13 October 2023

Gove has been a good place to stop and relax.  The people have been welcoming and helpful.  The main downside of the place is the red bauxite dust that settles everywhere.   But its time to move onto new adventures.  My visa for Indonesia arrived yesterday, now I can get going again to continue my journey, visit new places and meet different people. 

Unfortunately, today is Friday the 13th and it’s impossible to sail on this date.  So, I have delayed my sailing until early on Saturday the 14th, after which the seas will be calm and the wind fair all the way to Indonesia.  I am aiming for Saumlaki to clear into Indonesia as it’s just a few days sail from Gove.

The anchorage at Gove in Inverell bay has been excellent.  In this season there is no sea or swell coming into the harbour, its quite calm.  There is a bit of wind now and again, its not been too bad and often dies down at night to give a good peaceful sleep.  The boat club is open five nights a  week and serves excellent food, the portions are truly awesome, there is never room for seconds.  It looks like the boat club is the only show in town and people come from far and wide to enjoy the oasis.

Also here with me for a couple of weeks has been Barry “The Old Seadog” on his boat White Shadow.  Barry has a YouTube channel (he is famous) and is slowly working his way back to Plymouth, where he started some years ago.  I first met Barry in Magnetic Island and we have been bumping into each other as we headed up the east coast.  Barry has been excellent company and beer drinking companion, he has now sailed on his way to Lombok in Indonesia.

Late this afternoon I checked out with the Border Force and will be on my way shortly once the dinghy is stowed and everything is shipshape for sea again.  I am looking forward to the next few days being back at sea.  Truce needs some salt water over her decks to clean off the dust and I need some fresh sea air and sea spray to blow away the land cobwebs.

You can check voyage the progress of Truce and my occasional comments on the tracker.

CHECKING INTO SAUMLAKI

20 October 2023

The trip from Gove to Saumlaki was a slow affair, taking a full day longer than I expected.  However, once I overcame the sheer frustration of being becalmed at one point, the voyage progressed at a constant slow speed with favourable winds and a calm sea.  Sailing wing on wing it turned out to be a very pleasant trip . 

After departing from Gove on Saturday the 14^th October I decided to take the route via the Gugari Rip (Hole in the wall) through the Wessel Islands.  The Hole in the wall has a fast tidal flow and transit is best attempted at slack water with a favourable tide to take you through.  I wanted to pass through it in daylight as there was no moon so had to hang around for a few hours until nine in the morning.  By good fortune we sailed up to the entrance just on high water slack, I dropped the sails and motored through at slow speed.  It was a beautiful day and flat calm inside the passage, it’s just a cut in the rocks between two islands.  There was a lot of birdlife around and boat, artists had painted their boat names on the rocks alongside the cut.

Once out from the Gugari rip on the morning of the 15^th the motor went off and sails were set for the voyage up to Saumlaki.  The weather forecast was excellent, 10 to 15 knots all the way, I anticipated a good fast trip to arrive on the morning of the 18^th. 

The weather forecast turned out to be overly optimistic and after a good start I never saw more that 10 knots on the whole passage.  On the 17^th we were becalmed and the sails were flogging, a situation I dislike almost as much as going to the dentist.  Even the birds were fed up with no wind and hitched a ride, although why one chose to sit on the moving windvane is a mystery.

After a few frustrating hours the wind returned in a diluted form, wafting us along at between 2 and 4 knots.  Wing on wing this proved to be very comfortable with a low sea state and I settled in for the long run, informing the agent in Saumlaki that we would be a day late.  The light breeze held and I was able to sail right up into the anchorage at Saumlaki at first light, avoiding the early morning fishermen in their small boats and scattered fish traps.

Getting ashore in Saumlaki is via the stern ramp of a ferry moored alongside a jetty.  Not the easiest access and the stern ramp is rusty with sharp edges, perfect for putting holes into inflatable dinghies.  I decided to haul the dinghy onto the ramp to avoid damage.  On the ferry I met up with Bobby who is helping me out to check into Indonesia, then the fun started.

First was Quarantine, They came out to the boat and checked all was OK and we swapped copious amounts of paperwork, the ships stamp came in handy.  Then it was the turn of the customs and immigration.  The customs only sent one man out to inspect the boat as my dinghy is so small.  The Immigration decided not to visit the boat in the dinghy and satisfied themselves with taking photos of Truce from a distance.  Why immigration wanted to visit the boat is a mystery, they could not answer my question. During the day, I was flitting from office to office on the back of Bobby’s motorbike and of course we had a lunch break.

The following day it was back to customs as they had put the wrong port of registry on my documents.  Then to the Port health to get the health clearance, then to the Harbour Master to get my port clearance.  Phew, a relief to get everything done.  Its not a difficult process but takes time and a great deal of paperwork with many repetitive questions from different organisations.  Bobby was a great help and obviously knows everyone in town.  His contact is Tel: +62 812 4092 0220 and email bobbybetaubun06@gmail.com .

After the clearance was complete I set off to buy beer as my stocks are getting worryingly low. Well, no Bintang in cans to be found in town, only big bottles.  Only one case of Anchor beer in small cans and the only other option is Anchor beer in large cans.  Anchor beer is OK but I prefer the small cans – but needs must and I now have sufficient beer on board to get me to a place where I may restock. 

In the vegetable market I was able to get some fruit, papaya and lime for breakfast, mangos, tomatoes, onions, cabbage and eggs.  No point is stocking up on fresh stuff as it goes off quickly in the heat and singlehanded, I can’t eat too much.  Cabbage, onions and eggs will last a while.

After my exertions of  the last couple of days I slept well.  Tomorrow, I will sail out of Saumlaki, it doesn’t have much to offer and getting ashore in the dinghy is a chore.  I don’t intend to sail far, just to a quiet anchorage where I can chill and relax before heading out again.   

STRUGGLING TO GET WEST

31 October 2023

It’s been a while since I posted a log.  I have been working hard for not much gain and not been inclined to socialise much.  I have entered a depressed state due to high temperatures and lack of wind, frustration has set in.  Being hot and frustrated is Aaaagh!  I need something to jolt me back into full mojo mode. 

The heat and lack of productive breeze saps the energy, making normal easy tasks a bothersome chore.  I have no one to blame but myself.  I have left it too late in the season to head west, the trade winds have disappeared, it will be calm periods for the next month as we transition to the NW monsoon.  I am also a bit disappointed in myself for changing my plan to head up towards Raju Ampat.  The winds are favorable for going north and I could have spent the monsoon period up there as originally planned.

However, I bowed to outside pressure and agreed to a meet-up in Bali.  It was too difficult to get to Sorong, a long plane trip.  It appeared much easier for me to sail/motor over a thousand miles to Bali.  Decision made, l have to live with it, suck it up and carry on.  I am going to be motoring most of the way to Bali by the looks of it and not much time to stop off along the way and enjoy the sights.  I did say that I was never again going to put myself under pressure to meet at a time and place but here I am doing it again. 

We sailed from Saumlaki on the morning of the 21^st October, just a light breeze and we ghosted the twenty four miles to Pulau Selaru where we anchored for the night.  The anchorage turned out to be not that nice with a very uneven bottom and no water clarity.  The night turned calm as the breeze dropped at dusk.  I was happy to get the anchor up clean and getting away early the following morning.

From Pulau Selaru my next destination was Pulau Babar, about ninety miles to the west.  The first day we had a very light SE’ly breeze just keeping us moving and by midnight had clocked off forty-seven miles.  Overnight the wind died and we drifted in between puffs, hard work to keep moving.  By midday on the second day we were caught is some tide rips and got pushed to the north.

The day was getting late, I gave up trying to get into Palau Babar and headed on towards Palau Romang a further one hundred and thirty miles west.  The wind came and went but never more than eight knots.  Sails went up, down and in, out to try and catch some wind.  Our twenty-four hour run was fifty miles.  The next twenty-four hours saw us clock off forty miles followed by a sixty mile day.  On the fourth day we arrived at Hila on Palau Romang after motoring for the last three hours against the tide.

I was exhausted, every inch of the way had to be fought for.  The wear and tear on the boat is awful, sails slatting, boom constantly working, chafe and relentless constant repetitive snatch loads on blocks and lines.

The next morning I tried to have a lie in but it was too hot to be comfortable, the guys at the mosque were also up early for the morning call.  Instead, I set about making a good breakfast, fried eggs, toast, and marmalade with fresh coffee.  Feeling much better and refreshed I decided to sail across to Perai on the island of Wetar.  When I went to weigh anchor I found it was fouled on the seabed some twenty five meters below.  After forty minutes of working it around and back and forth it came free.  Relief would be an understatement!  I was quite happy to see Palau Romang disappear astern – slowly of course, there was not much wind.

At noon the wind filled in from the SE.  The first time in thirteen days and over seven hundred miles of sailing that the wind has been over ten knots.  Glorious full sail and for a few hours the trials of the last few days were forgotten.  Of course, the wind was teasing me, it went light again.

After two days and some interesting encounters with tide rips and a lee shore we anchored in Perai.  The anchorage here is very uneven and after a couple of attempts I finally anchored in thirty meters of water.  I have decided to stay here for two nights, I need a rest and there are some maintenance issues to attend to.  In the afternoon I was visited by some of the local children hoping for some treats. 

On the second day the Harbour Master came out to have a chat.  He was surprised to see a sailing boat anchored and wanted to know what I was doing in his port.  He seemed happy that I was resting and didn’t want to see any paperwork.  When the Harbour Master arrived I was just about to go ashore in the dinghy.  He put me off the idea – there is nothing here he said, no shops, no market, just a few houses.  I stowed the dinghy back on board, it was just too much effort to go ashore.  Another quiet night and a good sleep were far more important.

Tomorrow is ten days since leaving Saumlaki, its been a long ten days.  Next destination is Pulau Alor and the town of Kokar on the NW side, just over ninety miles distant.

ISLAND HOPPING WESTWARD

7 November 2023

The sail from Perai to Kokar was slow going.  We had the wind against tide thing, tide rips, calms and a bit of wind to keep insanity at bay.  Despite drifting and going backwards at times, we made Kokar on Pulau Alor in one and a half days.  I also put the clocks back an hour to central Indonesian time, another milestone on the journey.  There aren’t many options for anchoring in Kokar.  I found a spot in twenty meters of water, close to the reef and some moored fishing boats.

I am still not too comfortable with this reef navigation stuff.  People tell me you need the sun at your back and someone up the mast or on the bow.  Well, I can’t arrange where the sun goes and being on the bow or up the mast when single handing is impracticable.  The use of georeferenced satellite images is very helpful, in most cases the reefs can be clearly seen on the images.

Early morning in Kokar and numerous fishing boats started to enter port, I assume that they must have a market or something going on today.  As I was weighing anchor, boats were buzzing by either side out of the early morning gloom.  Not many have lights, you usually hear their unsilenced engines before you see them.

From Pulau Alor it was an eighteen-mile run across to Kabir on Pulau Pantar.  The distance between the islands and anchorages is becoming less now and from here to Bali onwards I should be able to  day hop along the island chain.  Approaching Kabir we had a large thunder cloud ahead.  I was hoping for some refreshing rain, all we got was a few drops that didn’t even wash the decks.

We are starting to see a lot more FADS (Fish Attracting Devices) now.  These take many shapes and forms and are mostly unlit at night making night time navigation a risky business.  These FADs can be moored in very deep water, you never know where they may pop up. Getting tangled up with one of these in the dark would not be a nice experience.

The anchorage at Kabir was quite spacious, I found a spot in fifteen meters of water near some local boats which turned out to be very comfortable for the night. 

Shortly after anchoring some of the local boys came out in a leaky canoe.  They were happy to chat, practice their English and get some treats for their troubles.  I gave them a pack of Indomie each, the universal currency of kids worldwide.  Unfortunately, their canoe sank on the way back to shore and I fear their noodles got a saltwater soaking.

The next morning, we were on the way again, this time to Balurin on Pulau Kawula, about a thirty six mile run.  We managed a full hour of sailing with all sail set before having to resort to motor once again.  I have given up waiting for wind.  If the wind is there I will sail, if not I will motor sail or if its calm I will motor.  There are no other options if I want to arrive in Bali mid-December.

Coming around Tanjung Pau on the north end of Pulau Kawula was impressive, a headland with the mountain in the background rising to fifteen hundred meters.  Houses scattered and precariously  clinging to the steep slopes. The photo does not do it justice.

Balurin anchorage turned out to be a delight.  Entry is through the reefs and a dog’s leg into the harbour where a natural basin opens out with plenty of sheltered space to anchor.  Along by the side of the harbour are waterfront properties on stilts – Highly desirable sea view and mooring for the boat outside the lounge, a real estate agent could really talk that up.

I would have liked to spend the day looking around Balurin but I was on a schedule to get to Loweleba where there is an ATM and some stores.  I need some cash to buy provisions, and Loweleba has both.  I just hope that its open on Sunday.  The run to Loweleba is thirty miles, unfortunately, its not all in the right direction and I will be doubling back on myself a bit. 

The route to Loweleba is through the Boling Strait where a good current can run.  I calculated the best transit time and we got an excellent push through.  The anchorage at Loweleba is average, we anchored in nine meters of water just off the Olympic Ballroom.  The Olympic Ballroom was in full swing that night, the bass on the speakers was awesome, setting things buzzing on the boat.  Those closer to the action may have ringing ears in the morning I suspect.

Like most anchorages in Indonesia, there is no facility to land with a dinghy.  I found a space just past the commercial dock on a patch of sand, the local boys promised to look after the dinghy for me.  From there I went to the Olympic Hotel and had breakfast, not a feast but good value.  Then the hunt for money.  There are a number of ATM’s in town and at the fifth one I managed to withdraw cash.  Now for provisions.  It was Sunday and the Christian ladies were all coming out of church, looking very smart and happy in their Sunday best.  But, the shops were open and I collected a few things including fresh bread.  It was so hot ashore I just wanted to get back to the boat, I didn’t get all the provisions I needed but I have enough for a few days. Loweleba seems to have an identity crisis.  I have seen the town name spelt four different ways.  Maybe its areas and suburbs, not sure. 

Back on the boat I spliced and rigged a new reefing line for the first mainsail reef and did an oil change on the engine.  I normally do an oil change every 150 hours but it’s been running so much and the seawater is so warm, not providing as much cooling as usual, I did this one at 120 hours.  The little engine works so hard I don’t mind pampering it a bit.

I got an early morning start from Loweleba for the sail around to Teluk Sagu on the island of Andonara.  I calculated an early start would get me a good push north through the Boling Strait.  My calculations were wrong, we had the current against us going up through the strait, speed down to one and a half knots at times.  I recalculated my figures and couldn’t find anything wrong – just how it is sometimes.

The anchorage at Teluk Sagu is delightful, at the end of a bay protected by some reefs.  Ashore is a fine beach and coconut trees.  I sat in the cockpit having a sundowner beer watching a local family tending their cows, goats and collecting firewood.  It looks idyllic but in reality, its subsistence living with no luxuries.  However, the people do seem very happy with what they have.

Today we have clocked just over a thousand miles since leaving Gove in Australia.  It feels much more than a thousand miles, they have not been easy.  The next six hundred miles to Bali should be easier as it will be mostly day hop sailing along the coast of Flores, Sumbawa and then Lombok.  As Dory may say, just keep sailing, sailing, sailing.

MADE IT TO FLORES

10 November 2023

A lovely anchorage and a calm, peaceful night at anchor at Teluk Sagu.  I weighed anchor before six in the morning and motored out of the bay, careful to backtrack my Navionics trail of the previous day, avoiding the reefs scattered about.

By 11:00 in the morning we were off Tg. Kopondai, the North East point of the island of Flores.  Such a romantic name, Flores.  Not so romantic at the moment, strong currents were pushing us back and making life difficult for Mr. Yanmar, clattering away beneath my feet. 

The strong currents seemed to attract a tremendous amount of floating rubbish, mainly plastic.  Much of the plastic seems to live in the first meter of water, suspended just below the surface and only visible as you pass close by over it.  A whale was breaching in the midst of all this floating garbage, so sad to see such a beautiful creature amongst the trash.  I have given up dragging a lure behind the boat, all I catch is plastic and have been constantly cleaning the garbage off the hook.  On one particular haul I caught five types of fishing gear.

Rounding Tg. Watupayung and once we had passed through a tide rip the currents eased and in calm water we motored the last couple of miles into North Hading Bay.  The anchorage is around an outlaying reef and between that and the coastal reef.  The coral bottom was very uneven.  I spent some time hunting around with the depth sounder and eventually found what I assumed to be a clear spot in 16m.  After anchoring we swung into 32m water depth.   I am still not comfortable anchoring in these coral type places.  Advice is to look at the bottom, fact is that I haven’t been anywhere in Indonesia yet where the bottom has been clearly visible, either because of light, wind, waves or murky water.  In Australia I was often able see the bottom clearly. 

Anyway, we had arrived on Flores.  I know it’s just another Island along the chain but for some reason Flores seems to be another milestone on the voyage.  In the morning I gently retrieved the anchor and up it came, clean as a whistle.  I backtracked around the reef and in calm weather set course for Seaworld near Maumere.  I had heard that a good feed could be had a Seaworld.  Motored all day on flat calm seas and anchored off Seaworld Resort mid afternoon.

A local guy came out in a boat and offered to provide services, I took him up on his offer and requested 40 litres of diesel.  With all this windless weather I am burning through the fuel at an alarming rate.  Bring it in the morning I said and headed ashore for a beer and some food.

It turned out the resort was dead, only two other residents present.  The beer turned out to be not quite cold enough and the food was hopeless.  The two residents, two gentlemen, a German and an Australian came over for a chat.  An odd couple but we had an interesting chat before I made my apologies and headed back to Truce.  Disappointing really but it had been a different evening.

The next morning the fuel arrived as promised and we were soon on our way again.  Today we are heading to a small bay just to the south of Tg. Sada.  Once again, no wind and flat calm.  After an easy motor we anchored in the picturesque bay, just outside the fringing reef in 20m of water. 

It didn’t take long for the local children to find something to hitch a ride on and come and visit.  A yacht arriving must be the equivalent of Mr Whippy arriving in the street for NZ kids.  Of course they want stuff and unfortunately I don’t have any kids stuff to give out.  But they are grateful for anything and drinks and food are always welcomed by kids.

FOUND AN UNCHARTED SHALLOW PATCH

13 November 2023

05:20 engine on and weighing anchor from Tg. Sada.  Another beautiful calm morning, the the sun not yet up, still cool, well just less than 30 degrees.  The water temperature here is over 30 degrees, on the boat the temperature rarely gets below 30 degrees in the cabin.  With the engine running the temperature reaches almost 40 degrees after a while.  The boat is never as cool as it is on land at night.

This morning I has an alarming experience.  As we were approaching the coast I knew that there were offlaying reefs.  According to the chart the track I was taking would take us clear inside the reefs in deep water.  The chart showed the current water depth to be over 200m.  However, for some reason I decided to switch on the depth sounder.  Shortly after the 5m shallow water alarm went off.  This didn’t cause me any concern as when off soundings the echo sounder can turn up spurious readings.  I went to cancel the alarm and saw that the sounder was showing 4m and decreasing.  Whoa! Something wrong, immediately I put the engine in neutral and looked over the side.  Amazingly, I could see the coral bottom, very close on the starboard side.  The port side seemed clear.  I put the helm hard to port and immediately got back into deep water. 

I drifted for a while, checked my position, scanned the water around and double checked the chart.  I could see no discolouration of the water indicating a shallow patch or reef.  That evening I scanned some satellite images and detected a slightly lighter patch where I had found the shallow water.  I don’t know how close to touching bottom we came, I guess we never had less than 3m of water under the keel – but consider that is 197m less than I expected. 

The lesson is – always keep the depth sounder on when there is any chance of reefs about outside the established deepwater shipping lanes.  It reminds me of a teacher we had when I was studying for my Second Mates ticket – during a navigation lesson he said to me “remember sonny, the nearest land is usually underneath you”  I have not forgotten that advice.

Following my close encounter with the seabed, I navigated cautiously around the reefs into a bay under the lighthouse at Tg. Kartebileh.  It was a short trip today, we arrived at the anchorage late morning and anchored with some fishermen in 20m of water. 

In the afternoon I made some fresh water, as usual I ran the feed pump for ten minutes to flush the pipes before switching on the high pressure pump.  After a few minutes I realised the valve to the drain line was open and I was filling up the bilge with seawater.  What a day! I set about pumping the bilge dry and doing a bilge clean.  Thirsty work in 36 degrees temperature.   

I then put 40 litres of Indonesian diesel into the port tank, fingers crossed its OK.  It looks good and clean and has a strong gas oil smell.  I will monitor the filters for any debris and crud.  Nothing else untoward occurred, the night was quite at anchor .  The fishermen worked the bay during the night.

Another early morning start.  With yesterday’s experience fresh in my mind, I gingerly navigated through the outlying reefs using some satellite imagery as back up.  By 06:30 we were clear of reefs and heading to Tg. Lenjawa.  

Another day of no wind and motoring.  By mid afternoon we were anchored in 20m of water in the most picturesque Bay.  Protected on all sides, the sort of anchorage where a sailor can relax in the knowledge that anything short of a storm is not going to cause any problems.  By far the best anchorage for protection so far in Indonesia.  Peaceful, relaxing and surrounded by birdsong.

I sat in the cockpit and watched a couple with a young child clearing an impossibly steep hillside of bush.  Obviously very hard work in the heat and to my mind they were getting a meagre return for their efforts.  In the evening they paddled their boat back to the village over a mile away, waving happily to me as they passed.  What fortitude they possessed.

A couple of fishermen came over for a chat early evening.  They said they don’t see many boats.  That evening they lay their nets around the bay and by early morning had hauled nets and headed home, hopefully to sell their catch.

I slept in the cockpit and balls of lightning flashed across the sky, some kind of reflected distant lightening below the horizon.  There was no thunder.  In the early morning I was awoken by birdsong, the dawn chorus.  Time for a cup of tea and get moving again. 

I carefully departed the anchorage through the reef fringed entrance channel.  Another flat calm morning.  Mr. Yanmar happily clattered away beneath my feet, sipping his new Indonesian fuel, no indigestion yet.

As I motored along the coast a couple of whales headed in the same direction close by.  They were coming up for air together in flawless harmony.  When they dived is was perfect coordination as their backs arched and their tails came free of the water to drive then down to the depths.  10:10 for the perfect synchronised dive.  Awesome creatures, I never tire of watching them.

Todays anchorage is at Toro Baso, I anchored off the beach in 8m of water.  A nothing special sort of place.  The local boys didn’t have a boat to come visiting with, they each had a piece of wood to paddle out with.  I am afraid their efforts were wasted, I didn’t have anything to give them. 

LABUAN BAJO FOR RESUPPLY

16 November 2023

We departed Toro Baso without regret, not much of an anchorage and not much of interest.  Our direction today is towards Labuan Bajo and it looks like it will be another hot windless day.  There are a couple of stopping off points along the way and I will see how far we get before I turn off the motor.

I was right, another hot day of motoring, we dodged inside some reefs and I now have the echo sounder running all the time.  The fishermen tend to line themselves alongside the reefs, that gives a good indication of where they are. 

By mid afternoon I had had enough motoring and went to anchor in a bay on the south side of a small island called Gilibodo.  It took a couple of attempts to find a good spot to anchor, eventually finding a spot in 25m of water just off the fringing reef.

Gilibodo turned out to be a pleasant anchorage, no pesky insects and nice and calm.  In the late afternoon I sat in the cockpit, having a cold one.   A large family of monkeys came out of the trees for an evening stroll on the beach.  After about thirty minutes and the sun was going down, they retreated back to the trees, presumably to bed down for the night.

The following morning the monkeys were out in force on the beach, about fifteen or twenty of them with lots of young ones.  They were far more active than last night, the young ones running around and playing while the adults spent more time scavenging on the beach.  As the sun rose higher the monkeys took to the bush.  Interesting to watch as I had breakfast in the cockpit.     

I don’t have far to travel today, just a short hop to Labuan Bajo.  No need for an early start and I want the sun to get a bit higher to make the identification of shallow water easier.  After an easy run in calm water we anchored off the Silvia Resort in 15m of water.  There was one other cruising boat at anchor, an Australian yacht.  This is the first cruising boat I have seen since departing Saumlaki almost a month ago.

The Silvia resort has a plastic floating dinghy dock, very convenient for getting ashore.  The main town is a couple of miles away with a very crowded anchorage, local boats, fishing boats and numerous tourist boats running diving trips and ferrying tourists to the Komodo National Park to see dragons. I had sundowners on the beach and an evening meal at the hotel, very relaxing.  

The next morning I had to take a trip into town to buy some fresh provisions and top the diesel jerry cans with fuel.  Mr. Yanmar is very economical with fuel but all this motoring is really getting through the stocks.  In one month we have consumed as much as we would usually use in six months.  The trip into town was good.  I had morning smoko at a coffee shop on the main drag with some lovely fresh fruit.  There are numerous cafes, bars, tour shops and restaurants.  It’s not too busy like Bali and feels quite relaxed.  I found good provisions in the Roxy Supermarket, they even sold beer. 

The town is undergoing a tremendous amount of development, buildings are shooting up everywhere.  There are a number of big hotels under construction along the coast, brands like Sheraton are popping up.  Well, with the airport close by its likely to become a bigger tourist destination in future. 

The Silvia hotel is convenient when visiting on a boat, there is a good anchorage and shore access is easy.  The hotel and staff are looking a bit tired, a spruce up and some motivation are needed I think.

Now I am stocked up again its time to move on, next stop Komodo Island.  I have just realised I forgot to get any fresh bread, very annoying.  Its way too hot to be making bread, I will just have to do without for a few days.  As they say, ‘worst things happen at sea’.

Next stop is Komodo Island.

KOMODO DRAGONS – NAH.

20 November 2023

Last night I was reflecting on my plan to visit the Komodo National Park to see the dragons.   The diversion will take a couple of days and cost $$$ to see the dragons.  I have already seen a Komodo dragon in Balikpapan, a guy there had one in a cage (I don’t know why).  Anyway, I have been close up to a dragon and had the opportunity to poke it with a stick, something not recommended in the wild, they are not particularly nice creatures.

So, I have decided to skip the dragon visit and save a few $$$ by continuing my way to Lombok.  The weather is so hot at the moment and tramping through dragon country will be hard going and not much fun.

We weighed anchor and departed from Labuan Bajo in the early dawn, heading west towards the top of Komodo Island.  There was not much wind and we motor sailed the twenty-five miles across to the north of Komodo Island. 

By midday we were anchored in a large Bay on the north side of Komodo Island called either Loh Serau or Teluk Batumonco depending on which chart is in use.  The anchorage was completely deserted, no other boats or sign of life ashore, this is unusual in Indonesia as there is normally some human activity just about everywhere.  There were some strong currents swirling around the bay and for a while we had the dreaded wind against tide thing. 

The anchorage was visually impressive, beautiful looking beach with a fringing reef, scrubland ashore rising to barren hills.  On the beach there were three sets of dragon tracks.  In the late afternoon we had a rain shower, lovely fresh smell of rain on land, refreshing but it was over too soon.  Then a large black pig came on the beach and ploughed a long furrow in the sand with his snout.  I get the impression its dragons in the morning and pigs in the afternoon.

The night at anchor was unsettled, the current swirled around the bay and the hills accelerated the southerly wind, gusting into the anchorage.  Nothing too strong but just enough to be tiresome through the night.

The next morning there was a breeze and we had a good sail across the strait, north of Banta Island to Sumbawa.  Unfortunately, as soon as we approached the Sumbawa coast the wind died and the effects of a strong adverse current could be felt.  The engine was called upon and we crept slowly along between the coast and Sangeang Island.  Mr. Yanmar doing his best and heating the boat up nicely.

Later in the afternoon I found an anchorage on the coast in a bay about 10 miles outside the port of Bima.  Not the best anchorage but good for an overnight stop in settled weather.  During the night the wind swung around to blow blustery gusts off the land, and we lay out safely in deep water. 

Another early start the next day and I was not unhappy to get away from the anchorage.  Today we are heading for a place called Kilo, thirty plus miles away.  The breeze helped us for the first two hours and then died away, on went the engine, the air became hot and I spent more time on the foredeck where there was a slight breeze and I could see the fishermen and their nets cunningly laid out to trap us.  With the remote control for the Pelagic Autopilot its an easy matter to alter course from the foredeck and dodge the nets.

From mid-morning until we reached the anchorage at Kilo the wind and engine were on and off.  One minute we had a perfect sailing breeze and the engine was shut down.  A few minutes later the breeze died, then teased us with small puff before returning for a while then disappearing completely.  Back to motoring and wait for the next breeze.  Late afternoon, we anchored in 20m just off the beach at Kilo.  The children watched from the beach and by the time we had settled at anchor they had found a leaky canoe as transport to Truce.  They had mango and coconut to trade for pencils and biscuits.

The anchorage was a bit windy late afternoon but later at night it calmed down for a restful night.  Once again, we were off early in the morning, an early start is so good as the temperature is slightly cooler.  The weather has been so hot, almost unbearable, even the locals are complaining.  Today we are aiming for Kananga on the north coast of Sumbawa.

The day was quite uneventful, not much wind, flat calm, and the forty four miles was completed under motor.  We anchored at Kananga off the beach in 25m of water.  I was exhausted after motoring all day and fell asleep in the cockpit for a couple of hours.  The temperature inside the boat was almost forty degrees (the downside of a fully insulated boat) and unbearable.  But I have made good progress to the west and am getting close to Lombok.

I have a decision to make now.  The fuel reserves are getting low, I can stock up in Badas which is on the route but requires a detour.  Alternatively, I can hope to have some wind and sail part of the way and press on to Lombok.  After some consideration I have decided to head on towards Lombok but will do a final decision based on the weather tomorrow.  Its been a long hot trip from Saumlaki and I need to get somewhere cooler, eat good food and have some serious sleep.  The heat of the last weeks has drained me, I need to recoup. 

ARRIVAL LOMBOK

25 November 2023

The overnight anchorage at Kananga was OK.  I slept most of the night in the cockpit as inside the boat was so hot, only moving inside when the dew began to settle.  After my morning cup of tea I decided to head direct to Lombok.  Worst case scenario we run out of fuel and end up sailing the remaining miles.  It might take a bit more time, but we will get there.

Once we departed Kananga an excellent fifteen to twenty knot breeze sprang up.  All thoughts of stopping for fuel were blown away as we romped along towards Lombok.  The wind held until the early afternoon when it died away.  The wind gave us a good push of thirty-five miles and all concerns about fuel had long disappeared.  I turned on the engine and took the opportunity to make some fresh water as we headed into Potopaddu anchorage for the night. 

Potopaddu turned out to be a delightful anchorage.  The entrance is through a narrow channel fringed by reefs and around a sand spit into a protected basin. I dropped anchor in 10m of water with a mud bottom and felt very secure.  The local fishermen came over as usual to say hello and enquire about gifts.  I explained that I didn’t have much left, just a few pencils for the children and a pair of sunglasses that I don’t use.  Later in the evening one of the fishermen brought me a fresh squid that he had just caught – lovely tasting and I was very grateful.   

The anchorage at Potopaddu was so good that decided to stay another day and take a trip ashore to the nearby village.  The walk to the village was extremely hot.  Monkeys were playing around in the bush.  Horses and cattle grazed on the outskirts of the village.  The village itself was clean and tidy, the locals were very friendly and eager to chat with the stranger.   

I bought some fresh water and snacks at the two small stores in the village and enquired about some fresh fruit.  They didn’t have any for sale in the store but raided a couple of gardens and came up with a nice papaya and mango for a good price.  The fruit was wonderful and tasty. 

That night at anchor it was perfectly calm, not a breath of air and the heat was terrific.  I slept in the cockpit; it was a sticky night and the bugs were fierce.  The next morning I was ready to depart, it may be a perfect anchorage, but the heat and bugs took the shine off it. 

The trip across the strait to north Lombok was forecast to be good sailing with a breeze from the south.  I was looking forward to a good beam reach across.  The wind didn’t arrive, we motored nearly all the way to the north coast of Lombok where I anchored for the night in 13m of water just off the coast.  In the early evening the clouds to the south cleared for a while and I had a good view of Mount Rinjani in the distance, an impressive sight.    

The next morning was calm again and we set out under motor for the last few miles down to Medana Bay Marina.  As we turned around the northwest corner of Lombok the temperate dropped slightly, the seawater is slightly cooler here than the thirty degrees plus we have been subject to since arriving in Flores – slight relief.  At the Medana Bay Marina I picked up a mooring and then went ashore to introduce myself.  The staff were very helpful and relaxed, a friendly and welcoming place.

There is a restaurant and bar.  I was soon tasting the wares, wonderful to be sitting ashore in a cooling breeze overlooking the boats in the bay and drinking cold beer.  I am here for Christmas and the New Year, a bit early but better to be early than rushing to make an ETA.  Time to relax and chill out.  Truth is that I am quite exhausted after the trip from Saumlaki.  The constant heat, lack of wind and almost daily motoring have worn me out.  I am looking forward to recuperating and a family visit for Christmas and New Year.

2023 Destination Attained.