The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson
Sailing Yacht Truce
The trip around from Gili Sudak was just a twelve mile hop and as there was only a slight breeze from ahead we motored all the way. It was an easy motor in calm seas, I took care to keep well away from the reefs which can be seen on the satellite images but not necessarily on the charts. We arrived at Gili Gede and anchored off Marina Del Ray just before ten in the morning.
As we progressed south the wind played fickle tricks and the tide and currents toyed around with us. With no firm destination planned in the South Gili islands I just went with the best wind angle, as we got closer to our destination the wind selected Gili Sudak as our destination. I decided to tuck in around Gili Sudak, through a reef fringed channel. There we would be protected from the north westerly winds and in calm water.
Christmas and New Year are over, its time to get industrious again. I hauled out at Medana Bay Marina on January 2. Truce isn’t due for a new antifoul yet but I have been experiencing some knocking from the shaft at certain engine revs. I am sure its nothing too serious but as a precaution I want to inspect all the running gear and find out what the problem is – and rectify it.
Of course, the reality of cruising an area or coast is often different from the perceptions. This was very true of my cruise inside the Barrier Reef. I started the voyage in Gladstone, Queensland and finished the Barrier Reef section In Siasea, just around Cape York in the Gulf of Carpentaria, amazingly still in Queensland – Australia is a big place.
As they say in football – today has been a day of two halves. From midday to midnight we romped along, reefed down, in twenty knot winds doing a comfortable six knots. At midnight, we had clocked seventy plus miles and all was good. After midnight we ran into a rain squall (probably a front) and after a brief flurry... Continue Reading →
Looking at the log book for last night I see I was having a hard time. Sails up and down, in and out, tacking, gybing and engine on. Sometimes reducing sail as going too fast and others just no wind. I was surprised to find we had covered 109 miles noon to noon, a commendable... Continue Reading →
I have been back in New Zealand for ten days now. So good to see family again, but It’s difficult to transition from being a freewheeling sailor to the role of domestic slave, taking orders from the ‘Boss’ wife. The creature comforts of home are however a welcome change, having a hot shower on tap... Continue Reading →
We anchored overnight in Marble Bay, where there is a mine, marble I guess. The day started flat calm and the sun shone. The air was cool but by nine in the morning it was warm enough for shorts and t shirt. Taking advantage of the warmth I opened up the boat, all hatches, carpet... Continue Reading →
I didn’t get much sleep last night. The selected anchorage looked promising on the chart but turned out to be a wind funnel and we were hit with gusts all night. The rain continued all night and into the morning but took a break this afternoon. Its back again tonight. I am on Prince of... Continue Reading →
Rain pissed down all day today, heavy in the morning and light in the afternoon and now what a local refers to as Scotch Mist in the evening. A busy day doing chores as this is the first port call for a couple of weeks. Garbage disposal, two trips to the launderette, ship chandlers, Library... Continue Reading →
The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson 