Log of the Yacht Magic Wednesday 07.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Wednesday 07.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Wednesday 07.04.2010  Under sail ;-POS recorded incorrectly but most likely 25º25;S 153º19'E according to track on Laptop (see note below)

02:00  Abeam Indian Head and can see the light at the top of Frazer Island

POS 24º57'S 15º:24'E

SOG 6.0kts

Windspeed 17kts from 122ºM

Course to steer 355ºM

In the last 7 hours an 15 minutes we seem to on my reckoning have been doing an average SOG of 8.02 kts.

The recording in the log at 22:00 hrs would suggest that we did 57 miles Northing in two hours... probably not in this boat!

The recording in the log at midnight 24:00hrs suggests we did 16 miles of Southing (perhaps we turned round in the night without noticing!!!  And the log recording at 0200hrs suggests that we did 3 miles of northing in the previous 2 hours!!!

I think I'll go with a typo in the log for 22:00 and 24:00hrs.  Six hours of mystery!

03:30 Almost abeam top of Frazer Island

POS 24º49'S 153º25'E

SOG 8.0Kts

Windspeed 17kts from 121ºM

Course to steer 355ºM

04:40 WP 21 missed by 1.7NM (Blew my top and gave a little lecture on waking me and watching course)

SOG 6.0kts

Windspeed 17kts from 120ºM

New course to steer 340ºM

Making for Sandy Cape

Reefed main and #2 headsail

07:30 Making for Breaksea Spit

POS 24º25'S 153º19'E

SOG 7.5kts

Windspeed 17kts from 171ºM

New course to steer 310ºM

Nav lights out.

08:10 Reaching past Lady Elliot Island

POS 24º22'S  153º15'E

Windspeed 20kts from 100ºM

New course to steer 320ºM

Fine sunny day, reefed Main and full #2

09:00 Abeam Breaksea Spit

Being set to the north and east.

New course to steer 310ºM

10:00 Breaksea Spit just abaft

Started motor to charge batteries and engaged prop at 1800 rpm

SOG 8.7kts

Windspeed 10kts from 104ºM

Course to steer 310ºM

12:30

 Following a discussion of the various possibilities we decide on the Curtin Channel as the most scenic and altered course to steer new course 250ºM.  This will takes us between Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands into the Curtis Channel.  Weather is overcast and rainy.  Motor on and stowed ALL SAILS.

13:15 Off the bottom of Lady Musgrave

POS 23º54'S  152º45'E (Made 30NM of Westing since 08:00 this morning)

SOG 7.0kts

Motoring in little wind and occasional rain

Cup of Soup for lunch

15:50 Passing South of Lady Musgrave Island at 1.5NM off.  Lots of fishing boats and one Navy Mineseeper.

POS 23º56'S 152º25'E (made another 20NM of Westing since 13.00hrs)

SOG 6.5kts

Windspeed 12kts from 115ºM

Motor sailing with headsail rolled out.

16:20 Passing South West of Lady Musgrave

POS 23º56'S  152º22'E  (made another  3NM of Westing since 15:50)

New course to steer 290ºM

18:30 Passing West of Boult Reef

POS 23:56'S  152:08'E

New course 280ºM

Being pushed NE by set 

Making for Rock Shoal

Beers and Gin and tonic were broken out for happy hour, now looking forward to dinner.

Nav lights on, coloured at deck and all-round white aloft.

19:00 Passing West of Fitzroy Reef

POS 23º48'S 152º06'E

New course to steer 270ºM

Moved WP 26 to West of Rock Cod Shoal.

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Log of the Yacht Magic Thursday 08.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Thursday 08.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Thursday 08.04.2010 Under sail POS 23º08'S 151º18'E

02:20 Approaching Capricorn Light in Curtin Channel

POS 23º20'S  151º25'  (41 miles of Westing and 28 miles of Northing since 19:00hrs yesterday)

SOG 6.0kts

Windspeed 4 to 7 kts at 200ºM

Motoring with all sails stowed, clear night with late moon.  28NM from Keppel Island.

Aim to make landfall on the greater Island at 06:00.

Rolled headsail out to assist boat speed

05:30 Approaching Egg Rock

POS 23º12'S  151º12'E

Making for Great Keppel Island for anchorage, sails are stowed, headsail taken in at 05:30hrs

SOG 6.0kts

Windspeed 10kts from 125ºM

Weather is fining up after scattered rain overnight.  Looks like a nice day coming.

08:30 Dropped anchor in 3M of water behind Great Keppel Island on the Northern side at the Airport end of the beach.

Hard to see rocks off the beach as we made our approach as it was high tide.  The pass either side marker with light appears to be missing and this made it even more difficult.

Stopped motor and took hand bearings for anchor.

Dinghy was unshipped only to discover that the outboard wouldn't work.  Weary went to work with the help of Andrew Rose and after much huffing and puffing the motor coughed into life and after some uncertain test drives Weary got to work again and stripped the carb. that seems to have fixed the problem as the thing  now starts on the first or second pull and runs ok.

Boys visited the beach and Andrew D went for a swim along the shore.

14:30 Keppel Island

Stowed dinghy on deck and raised anchor.  Took a while to find the anchor circuit breaker, had to check with owner by phone.  Luckily we had Telstra coverage.

14:35

 Retraced course to clear the beach and the shoal then made course for Rosslyn Bay Marina for overnight and refuel.  Motoring with all sail stowed.

16:50 Rosslyn Bay

Secure alongside at berth Green 23 at Rosslyn Bay Marina.

Water tanks full.

Fuel 70ltrs.  Checked oil and water levels on motor ok

Attempted to fix head without success.

17:00 All crew ashore for showers and dinner at the Marina restaurant which was excellent.

Followed by a rum and coke before turning in. 

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Log of the Yacht Magic Friday 09.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Friday 09.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Friday 09.04.2010 Alongside at Rosslyn Bay Marina 

07:00 All crew ashore for showers and breakfast

08:30 Departed Rosslyn Bay bound for Percy Isles 7 PoB

Fuel full

Water full 3 tanks

08:45 Just off Rosslyn Bay

POS 23º07'S  150º47'E

SOG 6'5kts

Windspeed 7kts from 275ºM

Motoring all sails stowed.

Course 005ºM

WEATHER IS FINE AND WARM CLEAR SKIES AND NO SWELL  (Typical reef weather)

0950  Clearing Shoal west of North Keppel Island

POS 23º00'S  150º49'E

SOG 6.7KTS

Set 0.4kts setting 109ºM

Motoring, weather continues fine and warm

Course 010ºM

Rebooted the laptop to clear fault with internet modem.

13:50 Abeam Cape Manifold

POS 2141S 15051E

SOG 4.7kts 

Set 1.8kts setting 145ºM

New Course to steer 330ºM bound for Port Clinton

Windspeed 4 to 7kts variable direction.

Fixed RayMarine Plotter now giving fixes again.  Suspect that the aerial is part of the problem.

16:10 Anchored behind Mt Flinders in Port Clinton

POS 22º32'S 150º45'E

Motorsailed from Rosslyn Bay due to lack of wind

Land fall through the entrance was tighter than I remembered in Sorcerer and needs to be much closer to the southern shore than I remember.

Launched dinghy and boys went ashore to swim and walk on the beaches.]

18:00

 Dinner following drinks at sundowners was worth waiting for.  

Very quiet anchorage with good holding.  No wind overnight.

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Log of the Yacht Magic Saturday 10.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Saturday 10.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Saturday 10.04.2010 At Anchor Mt Flinders Bay - Port Clinton  POS 22º32'S 150º45'E

Sunset At Port Clinton...

06:15 Engine check oil and water.  Checked belt tensions.

06:25 Up Anchor

Note that Fish Rock is miss marked on my C-Map charts at 1:30000 and is shown @100M further West than it is.

07:05 Abeam Round Island

POS 22º30'S 150º46'E

New course to steer 010ºM

SOG 6.9kts

Wind 4 to 7kts variable

Motoring sails stowed

Dinghy on deck

Weather fine and sunny

07:45 Abeam Delconyn Is'

POS 22º26'S  150º46'

SOG 6.3kts

New course to steer 325ºM

08:15 Abeam Dome Island in then Hervey Group

22º24'S  150º45'E

SOG 6.5kts

New course to steer 305ºM to pass inside Clara Group

09:00 Abeam Clara Group inside

22º20'S 150º42'E

SOG 5.7kts 

Set 0.6kts setting 146º

New course to steer 320ºM 

10:00 Passing inside Leake Rock

POS 22º15's 15OºE

New chart 822

11:10 Abeam Cape Townsend

22º09'S 150º36'

SOG 4.7kts

COG 314ºM

Set 2.3kts setting 120ºM

New course to counter leeway 305ºM

12:05 Approaching Steep Island

POS 22º06'S 150º32'E

Set is 2.6kts setting 116ºM

COG 308ºM

HAve made less than 3 miles Northing in the last hour.  Rolled out headsail to see if we can improve SOG.  Hoping for the wind to swing.

13:20 Leaving Steep Island astern

POS 22º01'S 150º27'E 

COG 315ºM

SOG 5.6kts

Set 1.3kts setting 075ºM

Rolled up headsail.

13:30 New course 315ºM to close Island and afford some leeway should the wind swing.

14:05 West of Low Rock

POS 21º57'S 150º25'E

SOG 5.5kts

COG 320ºM

Set 0.9kts setting 095ºM

Motoring all sails stowed.

Beer is now officially on rations.  No more that two cans each left!

14:15 

POS 21º55'S 150º23'E

Rolled out headsail continued motor sailing.

SOG 6.5kts

COG 317ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 105ºM

15:05 Abeam Hanna Rock

Hoisted Main to first reef

POS 21º55'S  150º21'E

SOG 7.1kts

COG 316ºM

Set 0.4kts Setting 106ºM

16:00 Abeam South Island

POS 21º47'S 150º17E

SOG 6.5kts

COG 325º

Set 0.2kts setting 313ºM

Rolled up headsail at 15:45 now under main and motor

Making course for Whites Bay.

16:05 New course 325ºM

POS 21º48'S 150º16'E

16:15 New course 355ºM

21º45;S 150º16'E

16:17 POS 21º44'S 150º16'E

Hixson Island Abeam

New course 360ºM

16:30 POS 21º43S 150º16'E

SOG 6.5kts

COG 355ºM

Hixson Island is abaft

New course 005ºM

Course 355ºM

16:50 

POS 21º42'S 150º17'E

Rolled up headsail and stowed Main

17:15 Whites Beach Middle Percy

POS 21º40'S 150º17'E

Dropped anchor in 4 meters of water off the beach.  One other yatch and one small motor launch at anchor.  Launched the dinghy ans sent the boys to get a weather forecast from the other yacht.  The boys went ashore and walked the beach.

18:00 Sundowners on board.

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Log of the Yacht Magic Sunday 11.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Sunday 11.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Sunday 11.04.2010

24:00 Checked Anchor all ok on deck

02:00 Checked Anchor all ok on deck

04:00 Checked anchor all ok on deck and wind nil.

06:20 Up anchor at Whites Bay

Motor started then key switched off.  This prevented the anchor winch control from working.  Stopped and started motor and this fixed the problem.  Weather fine and sunny no wind.

06:40 Cleared Island and made new course 350ºM to clear Normandy Rock.

07:00 Abeam Normandy Rock

POS 21º41'S 150º13'E

New course 305ºM

07:25 Abeam Pine Light Top of Middle Percy

21º40'S 150º10E

SOG 6.0kts

COG 300ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 240ºM

09:00 Bound for Hendreson Island in the Beverly Group

POS 21º34'S 150º02'E

SOG 6.3kts

COG 308ºM

Being set to the west 

New course to steer 310ºM

No Telstra coverage

09:15 New course to steer 290ºM

Rolled out headsail, just filling on this heading.

09:30 Motor Sailing Full rig  on Stb Tack

POS 21º32'S 150º.00E

SOG 6.1kts

COG 290ºM

Set 0.1kts setting 005ºM

09:45 Trying to fetch below Digby Island

Motor sailing as previously

COG 276ºM

SOG 7.3kts

10:15 Abeam to the South of Digby Island

POS 21º30'S 149º54'E

SOG 6.4kts

COG 277ºM

Set is 1.3kts setting 071ºM

10:35 Noel Abaft, came to new course 288ºM

SOG 7.0kts

COG 287ºM

Set 0.6kts setting 035ºM

Full main and #2 Headsail

11:00 Tacked onto new course between Minster and Beverlac Islands 030ºM

POS 21º27'S 149º50E

COG 032ºM

SOG 8.4KTS

Set 1.2KTS setting 004ºM

Main and #2 headsail

11:00  Tacked back to stb to clear Minster Island

POS 21º26'S 149º 51'S

SOG 7.4kts

COG 308ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 054ºM

Wind light at 7kts variable.

12.00 Passed over the tail of Lloyds Shoal in 16M of water.

POS 21º23'S 149º52'E

SOG 6.9kts

COG 306ºM

Set 1.6kts setting 014ºM

Not quite fetching Purdhoe Island on this course.

13:15 Big lift got us round Purdhoe Island

POS 21º17'S 149º40'E

SOG 8.0kts

COG 284ºM

Set 1.2kts Setting 288ºM

Windspeed 8.5kts 

Full main and #2 headsail

Now sailing between Outfall and Overfall Rock  We are sailing really close to these islands for the fun of it and tacking  north and  west as the course and water depth allows.  I've never come on this route to Mackay before far too risky in dee keel yachts like Sydney.  So it's cool to get up close and personal with all these little Islets.

17:05 Secure alongside Mackay marina

This was a chance for shower and runs along the shore and most importantly to restock on beer, rum and other necessities of life like coke.  We ate ashore at the beef joint which was just OK.  no marina to date has come close to Rosslyn Bay for eating out.  After failing to get fuel, too late for the fuel wharf, we let slip the mooring lines and cleared the marina and harbour making a course for Hamilton Island to allow Adam to catch a flight at midday tomorrow.

20:30 let go marina, cleared Harbour followed harbour leads until we were abeam Slade Island Light.  New course to steer is 046ºM

20:50 Abeam Slade Island Light to the North.

POS 21º06'S 149º15'E

Came to new course 045ºM

SOG 7.1kts

COG 042ºM

Headsail rolled out adding about 1.0kts to boat speed

Windspeed 7 to 10kts variable

Flat seas, partly cloudy and moonless night.  Moon not due to rise until 0400 in the morning, full watch on deck.

22:10

Decided to navigate the inside channel, this is slightly shorter than the outside channel but much more difficult to navigate.  However it will take us close to many of the islands and will be more interesting for the boys.  So our course will take us North East to clear Blackwood, Hunt and Llewellyn Shoals at 21º00'S 149º 24'E before turning North West and negotiating the Hillsborough Channel.

22:20

POS 21º00'S 149º 24'E

New course to steer 305ºM

SOG 7.7kts

COG 300ºM

Turn point now mid channel.

Wind slight and variable Motor sailing with Headsail

St Bees Island light in view abaft the beam now, some fishing boats working in tandem had us confused for a while over the last hour.  These are now clearly moving east and south now.

23:10

 Have been plotting position on the chart since 22:00hrs as a cross check on the RayMarine Plotter and my laptop, the former is again playing up and I've had to reboot it's internal GPS twice in the last hour or so.  All the other instruments are showing good to very good fixes with accuracy at 8meters.

POS 20º56'S  149º20'E (plotted on chart)

SOG 6.8kts

COG 302ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 054ºM

Headed by breeze and rolled up headsail.

23:25 Within 0.2NM of WP 38

POS 20º55'S 149º19'E (Plotted on chart)

SOG 6.9kts

COG 292ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 035ºM

Came to new course to WP 39 at 285ºM

Motoring all sails stowed.

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Log of the Yacht Magic Monday 12.04.2010

Log of the Yacht Magic Monday 12.04.2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Monday 12.04.2010

 

00:20 Approaching WP 39

POS 20º52'S 149º13'E (Plotted on the chart)

SOG 6.3kts

COG 290ºM

Set 0.7kts setting 069ºM

14 miles to WP 40

Still little wind and motoring in flat seas, slightly overcast.

03:00 Red flashing lights sighted

POS 20º42'S 149º00'E (plotted on Chart)

Nothing on chart to indicate any obstacle close aboard.  Lights bear 345ºM.  We are abeam Ladysmith Island mid channel.

Altered course 15ºM to  port to see if light bearing changes and attempt to establish how far off the lights are.

03:30 Red lights still in view bearing 345ºM as near as I can establish.  We now have a white light to the east of the reds.

POS 20º39'S 148º55'E (Plotted on Chart)

Altered course to Stb new course 290ºM

Have established that the lights must much further away than at first thought as the bearing hasn't changed in the last 30minutes

04:00 Moonrise, last sliver of moon has risen and given us a little more visability

Red and white lights continue to bear 345ºM

Slight wind but mostly in the NW and no good to us so we continue under motor

05:00 Lights now appear to the red aeros on Hamilton.  That aligns with our bearings over the last few hours.

POS 20º31'S 148º58'E (Plotted on Chart)

Dent Passage white light to West of reds is now in sight.

Motoring, flat seas, scattered cloud sky brightening in the East.

06:15 Hamilton Island now clear and Dent Passage is in sight.

POS 20º25'S 148º57'E

SOG 5.1kts 

Set is now very obvious and we can see the water swirling alongside us.

06:35 At the entrance to Dent Passage, tide running very strongly against us.

POS 20º22'S 148º56'E 

06:55 Off Marina entrance,  Called marina off on 16 without any joy decided to enter and hope to find a T end free.

07:00 Secure alongside T end B in the main marina. 

Boys ashore to shower and breakfast.  Hamilton is as it was last time I visited and very run down.  The new work to the Golf course on Dent is obvious and the Yacht club is impressive though as it doesn't open for breakfast we didn't get to have a close look.  After breakfast moved to the fuel wharf and refuelled.

10:00 Fuel Wharf Hamilton Island.

slipped lines at fuel wharf, put Adam ashore on T arm B and cleared the marina to the north and set course for Whitehaven beach for the rest of the day and if weather holds we will overnight there.  6 PoB.

10:10 Navigated Fitzalan passage on the NW  tip of Hamilton and passed close to Cats Eye Bay, the only beach on Hamilton. 

 

Set course to clear the shoal off Craig point and then turned to approach Flint Rock.  Passed East of Flint Rock at 10:35

Navigated Solway Passage to enter Whitehaven Bay.  Dropped anchor  SE of Martin Island close in to the beach in 5meters of water.  Unshipped dinghy and set up Boom Cover to provide much need shade as the sun is now up in a serious way.

Andy Rose took the dinghy ashore to explore and the rest of us prepared to enjoy a restful day.  Beer rationing has been abandoned and now we are confronted with the problem of not leaving surplus supplies onboard when we leave...

Lots of visitors to the beach from resorts close by and the boys reported lots of talent ashore. 

POS 20º17'S 149º03'E

Quiet overnight with little or no wind.  Checked anchor on several occasions and found all secure.  Nice sandy bottom with good holding.

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Log of the Yacht Magic 13 & 14 April 2010

Log of the Yacht Magic 13 & 14 April 2010

Message from paul@kerrigan.net:

Tuesday 13 April 2010

06:00 Up anchor and made course for Solway Passage 

Retraced yesterdays course round Craig Point and through Fitzalan Passage and round the top of Henning Island.

Set course to Round Point on the South tip of South Molle Island.

POS 20º17S 148º49'E

Came to new course 321ºM to pass East of West Molle Island in Molle Channel to fetch Pioneer Pt

08:30 Approaching Pioneer Pt and Pioneer Rks

POS 20º13'S 148º45'E

Abeam Pioneer Rocks 

Came to new course 245ºM

To fetch Marina at Able Point.

09:00 

Called Able PT marina office several times on 16 nothing heard.  Another ship copied our calls and suggested we call on channel 09 There seems to be some confusion regarding our short term and long term accommodation and the Marina has asked us to stand by.  As we are rapidly approaching the entrance to the marina and as we are limited by our draft to 1 hour either side of high tide I have asked them to expedite the matter as I have only a small access window.

10:05 

Marina has provided a berth on the Northern end of the marina.  Stern in, portside too.

Less than 0.1M of water under the keel when we passed through the entrance and 0.3 at the berth.

At low water we will be aground in this marina.  So the decision to put the yacht on a mooring will possibly be the best outcome all round.  Ashore for showers and made arrangements for life rafts to be shipped to Sydney.  Spent the morning cleaning up, packing and stowing all the boats gear to secure it for a prolonged stay on a swing mooring.  Removed the headsail and bricked and bagged before stowing below.  Cleaned galley and heads.  Packed personal gear.

12:30  

All except Robert made for Airlie Beach township for lunch by taxi.  Apparently only two possible locations for lunch, as the first is said to be a backpackers haven we choose the other.  Lunch was acceptable and the beer was OK.  Returned to boat with additional supplies of beer.  Afternoon spent waiting for courier to pick up life rafts and generally cleaning up the boat. 

18:00 

All ashore for dinner in town at the same place we had lunch.  Then to the backpackers haven so the boys can try their luck and conversational skills. Returned to boat and the last of the rum and coke.

Wednesday 14 April 2010

08:00

All ashore for showers and then Weary made breakfast onboard with last of supplies.  Then Andrew and Robert put the yacht out on the mooring while the rest of us waited for the courier to pickup the life rafts.  Taxi for airport due at 12:15  for the boys and I'm booked on the 12:00 ferry to Hamilton

11:45 Boys return from mooring Magic and we all say our farewells and I take off for the Hamilton Is ferry.

End of Magic Log 12:00 Wednesday 14 April 2010

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Photo's of the new bowsprit on Margaret Rintoul

We have to thank a number of people for their help and advice in locating the right piece of Oregan for the work especially Donny Finch who spent days with me travelling round the countryside trying to locate the right piece. And John Moorcroft who located two likely sources before we selected a third.

Many thanks fellas.

Bowsprit repaired...

Margaret Rintoul sports her new bowsprit. After 3 and a half months the new bowsprit is in place and with only a quick slip on Monday to antifoul the bottom left on the work list it seems likely that we'll be racing again by Wednesday next...

St Pat's Day - 17th March 2010

The usual crowd and a few visitors gathered for the celebration and the odd pint of Guinness at the Union Hotel North Sydney last Wednesday.  many photo's were taken and a sample is provided here for those that can't or don't do FaceBook.

As you can see a fine time was had by most...

A fine looking threesome...

A little drink had been taken...

Waiting for lunch...

Still waiting for lunch...

After Lunch...

And some wore hats...

Paul Kerrigan

Mob +61 432 216 476

My profiles:
Contact me: paulfkerrigan paulkerrigan kerriganpaul paulfkerrigan

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Log of the Yacht Strewth 3.01.2010 to 20.01.2010 - Day 3

Monday 04.01.2010

1600hrs:               Motor sailed on to Simpsons Bay.  Dropped anchor at the North end at 43.24S and 147.35E close in to the beach and in company with several other yachts...  Nice and snug from the breeze.

View Larger Map

All the boys went ashore to walk across the island to the ocean side.  It’s about a 1000 metres.  I remained on anchor watch and got ready for dinner.

The flathead fillets proved a very welcome starter

for a dinner of roast lamb with rosemary and of course the traditional Pink Eyes.  The boys all returned by pre dinner drinks time and we all enjoyed a leisurely dinner followed by the usual red wine.

Overnight the wind died and we enjoyed a beautiful anchorage. 

Tuesday 05.01.2010

0900hrs:               Late breakfast onboard with bacon and eggs courtesy of Gouldie and after a bit of a tidy up we set of on our journey further down channel.

The weather picture has confirmed our original expectation that the best window for the west coast will be a departure early Thursday morning... so we will overnight tonight within reach or Recherche Bay either at Dover or Southport a little further down.

1030hrs: up anchor and off further down the channel.  We reached across to Dover and tied up at the fishing wharf at about midday.  Gouldie, Brooksie and Champ go ashore to top up our fresh our provisions and to see if there was any chance we could snatch a cray or two.

That left Ralph and I on board.  Ralph set off to chat up a couple of lobster fishers from a nearby boat and see if he could scam a cray.  After about an hour or so he returned with a grin from ear to ear... see his prize below...

Ant when the boys returned from the shopping trip they unveiled their prize... three little tiddlers that together weighed about 1.5Kg and cost $145.00 yep real Aussie dollars....

So the afternoon was spent preparing the above and having a few dinner drinks in anticipation of the wonderful repast that awaited us for dinner.

We also ran into the famous Tasmanian sailing couple Jeremy Firth & Penny St Clair and WHO SAIL A BILGE COOLED YACHT called  Rosinante ... not sure of the spelling.  I first met them on the Circumnavigation a few (possibly four years ago) with Michael on Drina and in close company with Erich Broselle (erich.brosell@transproduct.com.au )

Erich is the proud owner of a beautiful Baltic Yacht named Holger Danske... He’s entered in the next circumnavigation and is a born sailor.  He’s a hero of wooden boats locally.

If you are interested in a really detailed description of the 2005 circumnavigation then I suggest you follow this link:

http://www.sail-world.com/CruisingAus/index.cfm?SEID=0&Nid=23730&SRCID=0&ntid=39&tickeruid=0&tickerCID=0

1500hrs:   Having secured an invitation for a BBQ at Penny and Jeremy’s on our return leg we slipped our lines ad set off for Rabbit Island for the night.

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Log of the Yacht Strewth 02.01.2010 - 20.01.2010 - Day 2

Log of the Yacht Strewth 02.01.2010 - 20.01.2010 - Day 2

02.01.2010.

At 1430hrs: we let slip the fuel wharf at the RYCT and motor sailed with headsail down river. Much discussion resolved that we should spend the overnight in Barnes Bay on North Bruny Island. Link to Google map below...

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at 1630hrs: In very little water in the southern arm of the inner bay we dropped anchor at 1630hrs. Position 43.13S - 147.35E. Despite our fears, the bay was empty except for two other yachts and they left within the next half hour. Fishing tackle was deployed and Ralph and Champ set about catching our dinner. Just in case they didn't succeed I started roasting our first beef roast and getting the famous pink eye potatoes on the go. As it turned out the fishing was all fishing and no catching so roast beef it was, washed down with several bottles of Shiraz.

03.01.2010.

0900hrs: After a very pleasant evening and a quiet night we breakfasted late and discussed the next stopover. The long range forecast for the south west coast indicated that we might get a window for the leg from Recherche to Port Davey in two to three days. Brooksie and I thought that Thursday 7th Jan was probably the earliest we could expect the right conditions. So it looked like we had a few days to spend getting to Recherche. It was decided to make for Simpson Bay or rather the Northen tip as our next overnight anchorage. Since this wasn't all that far down channel some fishing for flathead was suggested on the way.

1030hrs: raised anchor and under motor made for the channel. Somewhere off Woodbridge at approx 43.17S - 147.25E we dropped anchor and sent the boys away fishing in the duck. The remainder of the crew spent the next few hours lazing about reading, sleeping or in Gouldies case checking under the floorboards for leaks... Earlier in the day we had nudged a sandbar and he thought it worth checking... It was all in vain as we had a leaking rudder bearing and so much water was coming in there that it was impossible to check for other minor leaks.

1430hrs: The duck returned and they proudly displayed a bucket full of flathead... These are very bony fish and have to be expertly filleted to be any good. They are also slippery little buggers. Luckily Gouldie had the necessary skills and in a matter of an hour he had a respectable plateful of flathead fillets ready for the cook...

Log of the Yacht Strewth : 02.01.2010 to 20.01.2010 - Day 1

Log of the yacht Strewth:  02.01.2010 to 20.01.2010

Rendezvous with Zeus at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania at 10.30 hrs to transfer the wine I brought for the trip.  We are also to collect our inflatable dinghy and outboard form Bruce Champions neighbour.  11.00 alongside the fuel wharf at the club we begin fuelling while the rest of the crews say farewell...  Dave has been delivered to the airport the previous day with his leg in a serious way... However the hospital has given him the all clear to return home.  He is replaced on the Zeus crew by my old friend Pat Price a local cruising sailor who jumped at the chance to join Jim, Robert and Phil for the delivery back to Sydney.  Jim is due in hospital in Sydney to have his heart fixed on the 18^th January hence the need to leave asap.  Bruce Champion has arrived with lots of dry and canned goods that need to be stowed and the boys have gone to collect the meat and milk, beer etc.

A check of the boats systems results in some bad news...  The auto pilot is not working!  This is a major blow to our cruising  plans as we have only five on board and with no auto pilot to steer one of us will be tied to the wheel at all times.  Which in turn means that we have to stand a two person watch system while underway.  If the auto pilot was working we could all have an extra hour off watch.

Otherwise all the usual stuff seems to be in working order,

Instruments                       OK

Navigation computer     OK

GPS #1  Position Check  OK         

Navigation Lights              OK

HF Radio                              OK

VHF ship                              OK

VHF Handheld #1             OK

VHF handheld #2             OK

SeaTalk Network              OK

Power voltage 12.9v       OK

Bilge pumps                       OK

Circuit polarity                   OK

Chart set complete         OK

Auto Pilot                            RS

Engine Oil Level                OK

Engine Coolant                  OK

Start Battery Voltage      OK

Water Tanks Full               Ok

Fuel Tanks Full                   OK

Anchor Warp check         OK

Anchor tackle                    OK

Spare anchor checked   OK

Electric winch check        OK

From: Posterous [mailto:post@posterous.com]
Sent: Saturday, 6 March 2010 11:16 AM
To: paul@kerrigan.net
Subject: Posterous | Re: C77 Sorrento

Posted via email from PK's Sailing posts

A View of Bathurst Harbour, that's Strewth at anchor in the foreground. The shot gives a little view of the extent of this beautiful harbour... It stretches on out of shot both to the left and right for miles and miles... Truly a great harbour!

Champ, our on-board botanist points out the main features of a Huon Pine. These remarkable trees of which species only a few are left live for thousands of years and a full grown specimen may be 130 feet high and 6 in diameter.

Stuck on the beach....

A paddle we are not looking forward too!
Stuck on the beach at Port Davey on the west coast of Tasmania with a fecked outboard waiting for the wind and tide to change so we can paddle back to Strewth moored out in the bay across the bar and about two miles away...

Not a paddle we were looking forward too!

Flights of Black Swans we raised at every turn in the river... At times there were so many lifting off from the water that they looked like snow flakes...

The trip up the river was spectacular in itself, this part of Tasmania is hardly ever visited except for those few like ourselves that are prepared to brave the trip up from the bottom of Tasmania against the famous Roaring Forties.

So we saw a pristine river system, no rubbish, not even a bottle top!

The water in both the river system and the Harbour is coloured black to brown as a result of runoff from the local vegetation, some sort of bracken like grass. The colour is only a few inches deep as the water quickly stratifies so it's only coloured on the top. A few inches down it's clear as crystal.

However the top brown layer discourages some species of fish, mainly those that like to live close to the surface. So many sea birds are also absent as a result. This makes for a rather eerie silence when you stop to notice the lack of bird sounds.

Our visit to Port Davey - Bathurst Harbour was indeed the main rationale for our trip up the west coast. While the trip up will be the subject of another post it's worth saying that the harbour and port were spectacular of themselves. Very hard to describe and well worth the effort we all made to get there.

Bathurst Harbour, early on a windless morning...