Gypsy Cruising

11 June

Platypus Bay to Bundaberg Rendezvous

I think I finally feel my cruise has begun for real.  Last night's anchorage was quite beautiful.  On one side of us the tall white sand dunes of Fraser Island sheltered us from the prevailing wind and on the other the flat waters of the Barrier reef extended all the way off to the horizon.  These are the waters I've waited so long to sail on my own boat, and the horizon is calling.  The only other boat we can see is the catamaran Kailani, another boat on the Alfreds cruise, anchored just 100 meters from us.

We headed off after a quick breakfast.  There seemed to be no-one stirring on Kailani.  For our part, we set both sails, switched on the Gypsy's autohelm and entered the heading for Bundaberg.  We maintained a pretty constant 7 knots, broad reaching in about 10-15 knots.  I brought the computer up on deck and used the time to write some posts for this blog.

It's probably as good a time as any to comment on the remarkable technology we have available to us as cruising sailors.  We had 45 miles to sail today.  I was able to simply point to a location on the GPS chartplotter's screen, a point that in reality was far over the horizon and which wouldn't come into physical view for many hours, and the boat's navigation system would take us there without any further involvement from us.  In past years we would have been required to take bearings off identifiable landmarks, transfer those measurements to paper charts to find our current location, then calculate the bearing to our destination.  We would have had to make estimates of the effects of tidal currents, and then monitor our progress with additional bearings, if we could actually see land along the way.  Now it's all done with 2 or 3 touches on a graphical screen, and after several hours sailing the destination comes up over the horizon precisely as expected.

The range of information we have constantly available to us on multiple graphical displays, all while steering, is extraordinary.  Not only that, I had my computer sitting on my lap, being charged with 240 volt AC power that we generate on board.  I'm connected to the internet via radio so I have access to a virtually unlimited range of information.  I can track other vessels using my AIS system and chat with people on my phone anywhere in the world, thanks to the mobile phone booster system I have installed.

All this capability removes a very large cause for worry that once existed for all cruising sailors.  Cruise management is becoming an executive function!

The sail was so smooth I eventually climbed on to the mid deck to do a bit of work cleaning up some old silicon sealant.  This was a great way to head into the first rendezvous.

It's a tough place to have to work.  Note the very comfortable boat speed and wind angle.  Also note the bag of superfood sitting beside me.

Entering Bundaberg Marina was uneventful, and we took the chance to fill up the diesel tanks.  Three other Alfreds boats are in Bundaberg - David and Sonia on Galadriel, David and Jenny on Kailani and Bill and Dianne on Seas the Moment.  We met for drinks at 4.30 and then had pizza dinner at the marina restaurant.  This is the final night Gene will be with me.  He flies home tomorrow.