Thursday 5 January 2023

LOOKING BACK GOING FORWARD 18th Feb 2022

 


I know this post is long overdue!. We've had a very busy year and I will endeavour to bring everyone up to date over the next few weeks. Going right back a whole year to catch up so here's the first instalment.

On the 7th of December 2022, we departed Boatworks bound for WA. 2500nm The Queensland borders were due to open to the rest of Australia and Omicron outbreaks were inevitable. Passing up the opportunity to cruise Morton Bay we instead elected to head on south, directly to Tasmania. Tasmania was still Covid free and Tasmanians were still welcome in Fortress WA. 

The trip downriver to the Seaway at Southport, where we had decided to Anchor for the night, was without incident and the boat was skimming along smoothly and quietly under motor. After the Gearbox rework this was encouraging. Electing to carry on instead of anchor, we left the Seaway on dusk and headed south expecting to forge on directly to Tasmania. 1500nm. The seas got rougher the further south we went and with it the engine noise increased to a point we knew we had a problem. There was a serious knock coming from somewhere. Not the gearbox but we suspected one or more engine mounts were broken. At Port Stevens, 325nm south, we went in for further inspection.


Some nice sailing.

Dave and Pattie Bowden, cruising friends from back in 2002, live in Port Stevens and they spotted us from their balcony, phoned to offer advice re anchorages and to arrange a catch-up. We had established that the exact 4 engine mounts we needed were in stock in Newcastle about an hour's drive south. Dave immediately insisted on driving down to pick them up, so within no time we had moved into Soldiers Point Marina, with new engine mounts aboard, and with no idea how to go about fitting same!!. All the mechanics were.. "flat out until mid March at least" So armed with spanners and a lot of patience David carefully measured the mount placements and numbers of threads showing etc and then one by one using a small hydraulic jack, he undid and raised the engine off each mount enough to slide out the old one and slide in the new one, tightening each one just so.... each time. 

Wonderful Sculptures dockside at Soldiers Point Marina

There were lots of bits of the engine to be removed including, at the last, the alternator and heavy mounting and big Jabsco damage control pump. It took 5 long weary dirty days to complete the work and Dave and Patty fed us and fettered us on several occasions as well as providing much largesse from their amazing vegetable gardens. We were in Port Stevens for 10 days and pleasant as it was, we needed to get moving. Tasmania was due to open its borders and that would mean WA closing the gate on Tasmania and anyone who was coming in from there.

WA had announced it would open the borders on the 5th of February but we had serious doubts based on the rapid spread of Omicron which was now occurring. On the 19th we set sail south again with the noises all gone. There was some pretty serious weather off Sydney and Pittwater but even in the roughest conditions, the engine was still purring away quietly. Port Hacking provided shelter for a night during a strong southerly wind shift and the next day we were able to continue to Eden to await weather for the Bass Strait crossing.

Unable to go ashore for fear of compromising our entry into Tasmania, we stayed aboard and were able to continue on south on the 23rd, 222nm, arriving at Lady Baron Flinders Island on the 24th of December. Looks like Xmas alone in Flinders Island while we try to negotiate the G2G pass bullshit. These passes are issued electronically and are only valid for 24 hours. Einstein!! you can't sail from Eden to Tasmania in a small boat in 24 hours. So eventually we negotiated permission to enter. God it's worse than all the international borders we've negotiated in the past 18 years!!!

Xmas 2022 at Lady Baron Flinders Island



A very quiet Xmas was spent at Lady Baron, also not going ashore, then the wind changed and we had to go for cover to a pretty doubtful bay at Orchard Point on the north of Cape Baron Island. Nothing there. It may have been nice walking but the weather was foul and it was blowing dogs off chains so we tucked in for a couple of nights. We had also discovered that the alternator bracket had loosened and was hanging on only one of its 7 bolts. It transpired that when one replaces these bolts after removing them one must use new bolts as the act of tightening them originally stresses them too much to reuse. Lesson learned.

Flinders to the Tamar River Tasmania

Fixing stuff. Missing bolts!

Beautiful Port Dalrymple Yacht Club


On the 27th at the break of dawn, we crept out and headed to The Tamar River  85nm. First decent sailing day in weeks. Made it into the anchorage at Port Dalrymple before dark and had a very nice quiet night's sleep. The Port Dalrymple Yacht Club is super friendly and has one of the best fuel docks anywhere. Here we managed to get a taxi into Launceston and locate and purchase the wretched bolts for the alternator. We took the opportunity, not being in any hurry now that we were in Tasmania, to repaint the bracket and over a couple of days we got everything back together and shipshape. 


Tamar River

Gift of preserves from the lovely manager of the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club


Remember WA was going to open to the rest of Australia on the 5th of Feb. Well by now it was just the 3rd of Jan. The announcement came that the border would remain closed indefinitely and Tasmania was moving to Extreme Risk meaning there's no way to proceed to WA from Tasmania unless you are a football player or tennis player or the Premier!! We had to leave Tasmania before midnight Friday the 5th

There wasn't much in the fridge, cabbage, beetroot a few carrots this and that, and the fuel situation was not ideal but rather than risk any further shore forays we elected to bolt. This proved easier on paper than in reality. Gale forecast for the eastern Bass Strait waters forced us to backtrack and seek the shelter of broad shallow beach west of Stanley. An 0100 arrival time is not ideal in 30+kn. Having re-anchored the following morning, a little further inshore, we settled in to sit out several days with gusts over 40kn. Bouncy, noisy, and generally unpleasant.

On the 7th we were able to motor out in calm conditions, albeit with a somewhat rolling swell remaining. Another pleasant day's sail, passing quite close to King Island and sadly not allowed to visit. In the late afternoon, a fog swept in and it wasn't long before visibility was extremely poor. These conditions continued on and off over the next 12 hours. We were relying on Radar and AIS for ship positions


Holed up off the coast near Stanley Tasmania

On the 9th, just north of Portland Victoria, we caught a darn cray pot line around the Rudder!! It was pretty calm and we were sailing so it didn’t get around the propeller. After a little manoeuvring into the wind, it eventually dropped off. Pots are extremely heavy. No chance of pulling it up. We probably dragged it a couple of km before getting rid of it The night was all sailing and the stars were stunning. They felt like they were falling on you. Can’t remember seeing such bright stars.

With a strong Easterly system bearing down. We had to find a safe gunk hole to wait it out. The sea state gets too sporty with the wind of 30+ against the current. So we headed towards Kangaroo Island to spend a couple of nights on anchor somewhere isolated.

Kingscote King Island

Several anchorages were available in various wind conditions and we used them all over the coming week as the wind swung around the compass before settling to a steady westerly.


American River Anchorage King Island

Kangaroo Island anchorages

Kingscote provided respite although again we were not able to go ashore. Eventually, the wind died and promised to become easterly again so we chanced a couple of light days and with dwindling fuel headed into the Great Australian Bight and made a beeline for Albany, 960 nm west.

The Great Australian Bight.

January 14th. The first 24 hours were slow. Reluctant to use fuel we waffled about making as little as 3 knots at times. While the autopilot would steer, we sailed. The wind arrived and conditions became pretty sporty with a decent following wind wave and a good cross swell from the southern ocean to keep our attention. Cold. It was extremely cold. Fladden suits were absolutely necessary on watch.

Fladden Suits.

We stopped at Middle Island, east of Esperance, on the 19th of Jan, riding big swells into the nice protected anchorage to sit out a few more days of sporty weather. Seriously pretty spot and plenty of squid, but we were still dealing with border control and trying to get permission to enter WA W'ed been isolated at sea since the 18th of December! Stupid Covid rules.

Middle Island

Fortunately Lisa Blair arrived in Albany without permission and someone saw. fit to recognise the fact that shed been at sea alone for 18 or so days so she was granted permission to enter. Lisa kindly gave us her contact in the Police Department and. we were also advised that we were permitted to enter and Quarantine Free. Yipee!! Arriving in Albany on the 22nd of January we were welcomed by many family and friends and escorted in by Jason and family in their little Penguin. Weather couldn't have been better and we were relieved to be finally home with Taipan 19 years since her last berth in Albany.

Arrived











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