Today I set sail for the Barrier Reef on my yacht, Gypsy Princess. Deep down, I'm incredibly happy. On the surface I think I'm just relieved and quite a bit tired. I'll run through the huge jobs list I've completed in a future post. Just for now, this post will be short.
The last few days have seen some bad weather along the Australian east coast. Winds have been gusting over 30 knots, with quite a bit of north in them. Not that I was ready, or even wanting, to go earlier but bashing into those conditions would have been slow and uncomfortable. However, the BoM was saying today would be good, so today it was going to be.
I stayed on board last night and kept waking to the sound of the same, wild wind whistling through the marina. In my semi conscious state I was nervous. However the pre-set alarm went off at 3.30 to the sound of ... silence. The winds had calmed and moved around to the south west, where they stayed all day. My crew, Greig and Gene, arrived at 4am and within 20 minutes we were off the marina and heading north.
I can only say that the day gave us a glorious sail up the coast. Wind and current were both behind us, and the seas were comfortable. After a cold start we had a perfectly clear day, with only the plume from a bush fire burnoff visible in the distant south, presumably somewhere in Sydney.
First day of this cruise also gave us our first dolphin and multiple whale sightings. Most remarkably, we had two whales surface immediately beside the boat, about 15 feet off, as we were making 7 knots near Port Stephens. I've seen lots of whales, but none so close. Now, I won't deny their majesty, but I'd be a whole lot happier if these 30 ton animals decided to surface a little further away from my boat than 15 feet!
We covered about 80 miles today, averaging close to 6 knots. We've anchored for the night at Broughton Island, about 10 miles north east of Port Stephens. Since we arrived here just after dark, I haven't seen any of the island, so I'm looking forward to seeing it in the morning. The wind is brisk as I write, probably close to 20 knots, but the water is pretty flat and I feel quite safe. All in all, a great way to start this cruise.
I must say that the boat is behaving wonderfully. She's simply lapping up the winds of up to 25 knots and giving us a beautifully smooth ride. I'm very proud of her.
Tomorrow might be a longish stretch straight through to Coffs Harbour. There's the threat of a decent blow coming through on Saturday, so we want to be somewhere secure. We'll see what happens in the morning.
Finally, my thanks to everyone who's sent their good wishes. I really appreciate your thoughts.
First sunrise of the cruise, off the Central Coast
