News

Saturday July 3, 2004
With the winds dwindling, I hauled up the spinnaker again.
Took the main down as it was blanking the spinnaker.
Sailed all night under a full moon with spinnaker only.
Speed was down to 3.5 to 4.5 knots, the seas almost flat.
It was as if IT was gliding on air!
Passed New Year Island at 0300 hrs this morning, took a new bearing for Cape Don which will lead us into the Dundas Strait and into Van Diemen Gulf.
Caught a wahoo and a shark on my lures, but lost both when I tried to haul them into the boat! My kingdom for a gaffhook or fishing net!

Position at 0700
10-50 S
132-38 E
Cog 250
Sog 4 knots
Wind 6 knots
Wind from the SE
Spinnaker's clew tied to bow, sheeted in, like a genoa, on a beam reach, port tack.

Friday July 2, 2004
At daybreak, hauled up the spinnaker with all the running rigging and sailed for 4 hours on a run. Wind was light and I had to steer myself as there was not sufficient wind to control the windvane. The wind shifted and strengthened after 4 hours and I got the spinnaker down, this time I tied down it's port clew to the bow, hauled it up, poled out the starboard side, and we sailed all day on a broad reach, port tack.
The skies cleared for the first time and it was smooth sailing all day. At nightfall, the breeze strengthened and I hauled the spinnaker up with the staysail.
With an almost full moon and clear skies you could see the whole ocean around you. Magnificent!
Had a pork chop, scrambled eggs and bread for supper!
This morning, skies are very cloudy and I see storm clouds to the south.
Still under full main and staysail.

Position At 0600 hrs
10-50 S
134-40 E
Cog 265
Sog 5 knots
Wind 11 knots
Wind from the SE

On a broad reach, port tack.

Thursday July 1, 2004
Closing on Cape Wessel.

Sailed in rainy weather yesterday, skies cleared late afternoon, hauled up the spinnaker and we were running at 6.5 knots. Took spinnaker down at nightfall and under full main only, sailed all night on a run.

Position at 0500
10-50 S
136-50 E
Cog 275
Sog 4 knots
Wind 7 knots (apparent)
Wind from the ESE

Daily run-- you figure it out, a minute is one nautical mile !

Wednesday June 30, 2004
Wind went down late afternoon yesterday. Seas became calm and we sailed all night on a run, speed from 3.5 to 4.5 knots. I passed another sailboat last night and it was on my starboard quarter this morning. At first light I saw that it was further back and now I cannot see it anymore.
Had pork chops for supper last night !
Wind is picking up now, it has also shifted and I took a jibe just a while ago.
It is very cloudy with scattered rainshowers.
I have the spinnaker ready and am just waiting for the weather to get better.

Position at 0600
10-54 S
138-48 E
Cog 265
Sog 5 kt
Wind 10 knots
Wind from the ENE
Running

June 29, 2004
It is now 0400 hrs and I am watching two freighters passing me. One on my starboard and one on my port side. We are under double reefed main and staysail only, but still get along at 7.2 knots in this 18 knot breeze. The freighters go around at plus minus 12 knots.

We are now in the Arafura Sea and we are sailing just north of the Gulf of Carpentaria, bearing 265 degrees. Already 80 miles away from Thursday Island.

Position at this time
10-40 S
141-00 E
Cog 265
Sog 7.2 kt
Wind 18 kt
Wind from the SE
On a broad reach, port tack.

Monday's Log
At first light, I went up the mast and replaced the halyard and block for the staysail. Checked out the starboard spreader arm, which was very loose. Drilled two 6 mm holes through the arm and T- bracket that is attached to the mast. Using two stainless bolts, bolted it up and the spreader arm is good as gold again.
At 0900 hrs customs picked me up and took me off to their offices where I filled out more paperwork and then over to the immigration offices where I explained my problem to immigration officer Saliman Bin Juda. He made a few phone calls then more paperwork and they then granted me a 30 day visa. Thank you mate!
Off to the laundromat to wash my dirty clothes. Met gals, Andrea from Germany and Natalie from the UK, they are on a coastal cruise around Australia with 4 other persons on a 60 footer yacht. They had so much laundry that they occupied all the machines at the laundromat!
Off to the library where I checked out my website in a hurry. To the hotel, had a beer and a T-bone for lunch.
I decided to take my trip to Darwin in more style, so off to the supermarket where I bought fresh bread, butter, milk, onions, avocados, cheese, bananas and finally a BBQ pack which consisted of T-bones, lamb chops and ribs.
Off to customs where I thanked everybody for their kindness and help. I presented them with an autographed Kwagga T-shirt which they will hang up in their bar. They presented me with a nice customs cap and customs souveniours and some blocks of ice. They then took me back to IT, loaded my empty water containers, went back, topped them with fresh water and returned them to me. I started up the refrigerator and unpacked all my fresh food. At half past three I hauled up anchor, hoisted the sails and off we went again.
At nightfall, I fried some chops in the pan, topped with cheese and onions and fresh buttered bread! My first real supper on board IT!

A SPECIAL NOTE
I want to express my sincere thanks to Dave Donnan, supervisor of customs operations, Torres Strait, at Thursday Island and the rest of the staff for their very professional manner and kind help whilst I was there. Thank you mates!!

Got my visa!!!
Got my visa!!! The immigration granted me a 30 day border visa!! Thank you
mates!!! Leaving in a couple of hours, destination, Darwin !

Monday Morning June 28, 2004
It is 0500 hrs here.
I have never slept so well!
Will wait for daybreak and go up the mast and drill two holes in the starboard spreader and bolt it up to stop it from swaying back and forth.
Will write again when I get done with customs and then leave for Darwin, which will be today.

Customs at Thursday Island
I was really taken aback by the professional way in which the customs handled me. They came aboard, asked questions, filled out paper work, this had to go, this can stay, took all my mayonnaise, that is the law, I cannot complain, they were very nice. They gave me a ride on their zodiac back to the mothership. We were hitched up by a lift and up we went, snugly onto the mothership. They took me off to their offices where I met more people, names later, dropped me off at the hotel where I had some R and R's. Took me back to IT, will have to wait till business hours Monday morning and then they will go to the next step. Will do everything to help me, even contact Darwin when I get close after e-mailing them with an ETA, via Bev. The town and climate, remindes me of Messina with a cooler breeze. The only difference is, it is completely surrounded by water and more islands and reefs. The view from the hotel which is up the hill overlooking the bay ..........breathtaking...... and those guys know how to boat. No half throttles or reefed sails, they go for the top of the green!!!! Wow !!!! And the breeze..... wow.. it can blow ...Everybody wears shirts with a collar with rugby shorts and sandals, they also drive on the left side of the road, just like in SA!
IT is riding on anchor in 25 feet of water for the night and customs will come and pick me up again tomorrow, to complete the necessary paperwork, and quarantine, They even know how to talk rugby..... with beer of course !!!!! Well, this is Wallaby country anyway !!
I am very very tired, but happy. The Strait was hell, 24 hours of no sleep, but what I am seeing now made me vow to return here one day !!!! No more night sailing through it!! Period.
I am in love with this place!!
Will get up early tommorrow, go up the mast and replace the lost halyards and block to resume the trip to Darwin without the roller furling sails. The plan is to use the assymetrical spinnaker (the trades are blowing!) in place of the genoas, thus eliminating the use of the roller furling system, which is in need of repairs.

Sunday June 27, 2004
Sailed safely through Bligh Entrance on a beam reach until we hit the channel, but I did not see any markers. Got confused and almost wrecked IT when we sailed over 6 foot of water. Checked the charts again, I got it all figured out and resumed sailing in 80 feet of water. No markers, but as it became dark, the lighted markers came on and I navigated all night through these tricky waters with reefs scattered everywhere. Had to plot every 15 minutes as it was all blind sailing in a whole different world. Dealing with the oncoming freighters was not easy and where the channel took a loop, I decided I had had enough of traffic and took my own route through the reefs.
The wind has picked up to 25 knots and IT was pounding the waves as we went on through a close reach. Never been so tensed up before. You can give me Cape Horn, but this ??
I was well rewarded as at 0200 hrs this morning we had a 22 mile long wide space all to ourselves.
At time of writing we are approaching the channel again and it is about 20 miles to Thursday Island where I will deal with the Australian Customs.
Never knew this place existed !!!
Looking south I can see the Australian landscape of Cape York Peninsula already!!
Position
10-30 S
142-30 E
Cog 240
Sog 7 knots
Wind 18 knots
Winds from the SE
On a beam reach, port tack.

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