Four months earlier, after crossing the Bight from east to west, we’d stayed only a few hours in Albany. This time, we spent a few days enjoying Western Australia’s fifth-largest city and oldest European settlement, which beautifully blends maritime and ANZAC history with historic charm. The National Anzac Centre , which tells the story of the women and men who served in Australian and New Zealand…
Leaving Geraldton on March 29th was a difficult farewell for us. Having visited “Gero” three times, the town had begun to feel like a second home and we hoped to return one day. We’d been recommended to visit the coastal town of Lancelin, which would take two days to reach. Day one consisted of 68 nautical miles to the Beagle Islands. Unfortunately, we just lost the light by the time we arrived.…
When I lived in California, we used to say “West is best”, and I think the same is true of the West Coast of Australia. After a two-week intermission, we were excited to be back in WA. Swapping a flight for the bus from Perth to Geraldton let us see the inland landscapes we missed while at sea. To us, sailing trips are always enhanced by land-based exploration—hence our frequent car rentals at…
The title of this blog post might have been “Fremantle to Timor”. Two years ago, when I started planning our Western Australian sailing trip, my dream had been to continue all the way to Indonesia and Timor Leste. However, life’s diversions meant those northern climes would have to wait. This will be a speedy recap as almost a year has passed since we made this voyage. We spent six days enjoying…
Pirates Down Under? Aye, matey! John 'Black Jack' Anderson was an African-American sealer turned pirate. His nefarious haven was Middle Island, so named because it is located roughly in the middle of the Recherche Archipelago. The island is blessed with anchorages offering shelter from all directions, plus an abundant supply of food, in the form of sea lions and fur seals, as well as freshwater. I…
The Great Australian Bight, commonly known as The Bight , is a legendary stretch of water that tests even the most seasoned sailors. It is the enormous open bay along the southern coast of Australia, which spans 630 nautical miles (1,200 km). At a speed of six knots, a non-stop crossing takes five days, plus an extra day on each end to reach the nearest anchorage. A crossing takes you well…
"An extensive mass of dangers” was how Captain Matthew Flinders famously described the Recherche Archipelago. That is not exactly what you want to read in your cruising guide. I was initially inclined to give the whole area a wide berth, as sensible navigators should. Of course, thanks to twenty-first century charts, the potential for danger is now manageable, and the risk is further reduced by…
You might have noticed that cruising catamarans don't have backstays. The reason they can manage without this common feature on monohulls comes down to their design. First, catamarans are wider. Their significantly wider beam allows the shrouds (the wires supporting the mast from the sides) to be attached much further apart and often further aft. This wide stance provides the necessary stability…
Leaving Eucla, our plan was to sail for Eyre, the nearest anchorage to our west. According to the Western Australian Cruising Guide (WACG), it is possible to anchor there between the shore and a shoal, although protection from the south is limited, reminiscent of Eucla. A stop there would mean one less overnight sail, though. We retraced our path to Wilson Bluff then headed offshore for three…
The tiny township of Eucla is located approximately midway between Adelaide (1,265 km) and Perth (1,430 km), where the Nullarbor Plain meets the Great Australian Bight. It was established in 1877 to service the telegraph repeater station on the original overland telegraph line that connected Western Australia with South Australia. Its location was also strategic from a maritime standpoint, as…
We continued sailing under full mainsail and gennaker through the night, until the wind vanished around 02:00 am. Approaching Flinders Island (South Australia, not Tasmania) from the south took us past several anchorages on the island’s east coast, but we pushed on to Flinders Bay on the north coast. We took care to do a wide loop and approach from the northwest, in order to avoid a reef extending…
Preparing for a big sailing trip always seems to take longer than expected. During final boat checks, I noticed that the inverter was not working. I cursed myself for overlooking it, but we seldom use the inverter on our regular sailing trips. However, with over two weeks of sailing head and multiple laptops and other devices to power, including a stick blender, AC power was essential. That meant…
In a week or so, I'm setting out on a sailing trip from Adelaide to Perth, a distance of about 1,350 nautical miles, plus or minus detours. The Western Australian Cruising Guide (WACG), which is a free publication of the Fremantle Sailing Club , has been an invaluable trip planning tool. One piece of advice that resonated with me is that nautical charts are not 100% reliable in some out-of-the-way…
If you find yourself stuck somewhere for a week, few places beat Apollo Bay. The town is located roughly halfway along the Great Ocean Road, which winds for 240 km (150 miles) along Australia’s rugged southern shore, mixing spectacular coastal scenery with lush temperate rainforests. It is regarded as one of the most popular scenic roads in Australia. We were waiting for a replacement steering…
Sometimes, the best things lie at the margins, which is certainly true of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Without doubt, the best part is Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, located on the peninsula's southwestern tip. By sea, it is 78 nautical miles (145km) from Adelaide. By land, it is twice that distance, most of it nondescript farmland until the park is finally reached. I've sailed past…
You may have noticed that we’ve had a spate of bad luck. First, we were rammed in the middle of the night, while fast asleep at anchor. Then, only a few days later, we were dismasted in Bass Strait. That was ten months ago and now Arriba was good as new. What could possibly go wrong? Our stay at the suitably-named Cats Bay was as brief as it was uneventful. Exploring Phillip Island and its penguin…
Summer is an inconvenient time for urgent boat repairs. First, there is the long holiday break and, second, boat yards are generally busy with jobs that have been booked months ahead of time. Arriba sat forlornly in her Yaringa berth for two months, looking like a giant Kraken had chomped on her cross beam. The nearby gantry stood ready to lift Arriba but there were no hardstands available. Like…
Arriba’s fallen mast had come to rest on the port side and, although a few windows had broken during its fall, the hull appeared undamaged. My relief was short-lived though, when I realized that the mast was dragging through the water. Cathie was soon joined in the saloon by Merri and Vela. There was shattered glass everywhere—the saloon floor, the saloon sofa, and the bathroom floor. I cautioned…
Today is International Women’s Day , so I’m dedicating this post to four intrepid women who circumnavigated the world. Jeanne Baret (1740~1807) Mode: sail Duration: 2 years 3 months Disguised as a man, Baret became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in the 1760s as a member of the French expedition of Louis Antoine de Bougainville. She was an expert botanist and served in that role on the…
It was midnight and my watch had just ended. I’d barely climbed into bed when Cathie starting bellowing from the helm, “Alan, the boom doesn’t look right!” What now? I’d already had enough excitement for one night. Barely two hours earlier, the gennaker had come tumbling down when its halyard gave way. It had been hard work carefully retrieving the sail in darkness, which had dragged through the…
Three months had passed since we’d sailed from Nouméa to Sydney . We’d enjoyed Sydney for a few days then sailed 52 nautical miles south to Shellharbour, where we’d berthed Arriba . Now, it was late November and with summer-like conditions and a fresh crew, it was time to resume our homeward voyage. Our first stop was the delightful town of Kiama, a mere eight nautical miles down the coast. The…
Wow, how time flies! Nine years ago, I posted 10 tips for sailing catamarans . Since then, I’ve learned a few more tips I’d like to share. On technique: 11. Tack fast, tack tight Tacking a cat can be challenging, especially in light winds. Due to their lightness, cats lose speed very quickly when tacking, so you need as much speed as possible going into the tack. Further, a tight, centered main…
Have you ever wondered how longitude was calculated before the era of GPS navigation? The concept, known as the timekeeper method , is simple. The Earth, which revolves around the Sun once every 24 hours, is divided into 360° of longitude. Longitude can therefore be calculated by comparing the local time, as defined by the Sun's position at local noon, with the time at a known place, such as…
Our last day in New Caledonia had arrived, which meant one last chance for breakfast at our favorite boulangerie. After that, Merri and I went to Johnston’s Supermarket for essentials, such as wine, cheese and souvenirs, while the rest of our party went food shopping at the Port Moselle market. By 11:33, we were refueled and on our way. The excitement of our bluewater passage was tempered by…
To export or not to export, that is the question. If you are confused about whether or not sailing overseas from Australia constitutes “exporting” your vessel, you’re in good company. Some have argued that if you plan to return in the same vessel to Australia, exporting is unnecessary. Past performance is not an indicator of the future, though. A quick web search uncovers this ABF web page which…