I’m off again
It’s so easy to get used to dock-life. It’s fantastic. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the ‘B finger’ community where tiny-house, inner city living is at its best.
But my hope has been to actually go sailing – at least while I can, or until I get tired of it. My first voyage took me up to the Gold Coast and back. It was an adventure in every sense of the word and included many ‘firsts’ as a single-handed sailor. By the time I arrived at the Gold Coast though, I was fatigued and pretty much ready to come home. It felt like I’d been living in fight-flight mode every day 24/7 for about three weeks. I needed to rest, digest and relax again. Still, it was a great and important trip to have, and I feel a lot less nervous now as I head out again. At the very least, it won’t be my first time dropping anchor in a few of my stops along the way.
Getting the ‘to-do’ list down as much as necessary, I planned for an Easter departure, and so on Saturday 8th April, I slipped the lines with the help of Levi – my son, and a couple of his mates, and Lynchy – one of my Great Mates (GM). It was a boisterous sail up to Port Stephens in front of 20-25kn breezes from the south. All went well though and I picked up a buoy in beautiful Shoal Bay just as the sun was setting. Lovely start!
It seems that the buoy was in fact a commercial one as I was moved on the following morning so that a whale watching outfit could do its thing with a boat-load of passengers. No problem, I went over to a bunch of other yachts and dropped my anchor.
I had a week to get to the Gold Coast where the plan was to pick up Waz – another GM, and head up to Airlie Beach together. It was tight, but worth making an effort to have some company for some of these long stretches. So the following morning, bright and early, I raised my anchor and turned my ship towards Coffs Harbour, around 28hrs away. All being well, I should arrive late morning on Tuesday.
Coffs
It all came to pass. The brisk breezes from the south and reasonable swell, made sure that I was never too comfortable, though I pulled into the now familiar Coffs Harbour, as predicted. My first overnighter was OK! I don’t think they can ever be unreal. I extended my naps from 10 to 20 minutes this time and it made a huge difference. I arrived feeling tired yet quite satisfied that all was well. This same destination had taken me three days last time. I stopped everywhere I could so as not to have to sail overnight. Safely moored, I spent the day relaxing and recuperating.
The following morning I noticed a smaller yacht had snuck in overnight next to me. It was an S&S34 (think Jessica Watson) and was home to Patrick and Anuhei. Patrick had departed from France some two years ago and talked Anuhei into joining him at Tahiti. Their plan is to continue around the world and back to Tahiti where they might live in a simple hut on the beach somewhere. They were an amazing couple, that’s for sure.
Noticing that four of my mainsail slides had come away from the sail, I took the chance to sew some webbing strap around them rather than the (not so) trusty zip ties – something I perhaps should have done before I left. Anyway, done now and ready for another overnight up to Yamba, some ten hours.
Again, there was plenty of breeze and swell once we got going. As the breeze increased I started to reef away some sail which, when it comes to the main sail is always an effort – especially on your own. It is though, one of those things that is better done sooner than later, as trying to get it done in too much breeze is quite the challenge. Surprisingly the auto helm (self steering) stopped working in the middle of this down-sizing exercise. I assumed that it was just being overpowered by the increasing wind and would assume its critical job once we were better canvassed. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I found that there was no way I could leave the wheel for the following five hours into Yamba! Quite an exhausting stint, and it was very relieved to finally drop my hook back in Yamba. I was keen to make amends with Yamba, after our quite rude first introduction back in August.
Yamba
The auto helm was a quick fix – a split pin had fallen out! – and I was soon all back in order. I was exhausted, but not enough to refuse an invitation to a delightful evening with Jesse and Emily (son and daughter in law) who have recently relocated to up here, and Em’s mum Maria – and their steaming hot shower!! Yamba is a truly lovely coastal town attracting enough visitors to inspire great cafes and restaurants, yet quiet enough outside holiday periods to yield all the small town intimacies, and good surf! I’m still getting used to visiting my kids in their own homes. After so many years being the dad and having them under my roof, I feel a little bit of a fish out of water. Watching them do their thing is a strange mix of deja vu, sadness, joy and pride.
Friday morning was spent at a cafe with J,E&M, as well as grabbing a few provisions. Miraculously, a part that I’d asked a mate to post to me in Yamba arrived just before I departed for the Gold Coast some sixteen hours further north. It would be another overnighter, which was quite uneventful apart from the engine starting to overheat at idle!, arriving the following morning around 10am.
Goldie
The Gold Coast is just so full of people!! Big boats, little boats, jet skis, even parachutes towed behind boats. The waterline bordered with tall buildings must be admired by some people I suppose. Anyway I wound my way down to the south end where I found a nice little place to anchor and await the arrival of Waz.
I’d made it to the Gold Coast in a week! Quite the contrast to the three weeks it took last time. I noticed that I had changed gears from dock-mode to transit-mode. Dock mode is where you can tie your boat up and almost forget about it and the weather forecasts. Transit mode though is where I am constantly aware of the weather, the tides, the security of my anchor or mooring and my next passage. It can quite easily become an all-consuming thing. So much so that you forget about the place I am actually at! Ain’t that typical of life in general!
Waz and I had dinner at a local pub and talked about the possibilities of sailing further north in what looked like not-ideal weather. We had options though, as well as motivation, enthusiasm and a slightly over-heating motor. What could possibly go wrong?
