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14th July 2009
The time has finally come ...... after 19 months since we decided to purchase a trawler design motor vessel, the 1000’s of hours of internet searches, reading books, researching and selecting just about everything, through the manfacturing process, the instrument installation and finally the commissioning and of course Trish would kill me if the interior decoration didn't get a mention ..... we are on our way.
At 5am on Tuesday the 14th July Trish and I we dropped the lines and we were off. At that stage we were not sure how far we would get on the first leg. We thought maybe Port Stephens, about 85 nautical miles, but the weather was good and everything went so well on the boat we ended, 2 days later, at the Great Sandy Straight behind Fraser Island, a trip of 743 nautical miles. Not bad for an initial shakedown cruise.
The weather started off a bit ‘blowy’ with 20 to 25 knots of wind from the W/SW going up past Newcastle and across Stockton Bight, this gave us a quartering sea but the autopilot was doing a good job. We decided to follow the land in shallower water rather than the rhumb line as we were getting at least 1 knot of current against us (East Australian Current made famous by Nemo).
When we arrived at the Broughton Islands just north of Port Stephens we were joined by another Selene 59, Spanish Eyes, who had left Sydney the night before and had stopped for lunch.
From the Broughtons to Tweed Heads on the New South Wales / Queensland border the weather was perfect. Light breezes, sunny skies and most importantly, flat seas. We arrived at Tweed Heads at 11pm and as if to welcome us to Queensland, things turned bad. The wind got up to 20 to 25 knots, the sea had a short, sharp chop and we had 2 knots of current against us. Around the corner, Spanish Eyes peeled off for Southport and we continued. The weather, sea and current continued up the east side of South Stradbroke and Moreton Islands and on to Double Island Point, but then as we turned towards the Wide Bay Bar, considered one of the worst in Australia, as if by magic the wind eased to 10 to 15 knots and the seas flattened out.
After talking with the local Coastguard, we decided to cross the bar that night even though it was getting dark and the tide was in full ebb. The crossing went well and we finally dropped the anchor in Pelikan Bay off Inskip Point at 7pm on Thursday 16th July. After a meal and a well deserved bottle of wine, we slept very well indeed.
Sunset over Wide Bay Bar Lat 25º 47.625'S Long 153º 08.028'E
20th July
Having left Inskip Point late morning on the 17th, we traveled through the Great Sandy Straight. The general approach is to leave one end of the Straight at low tide and reach Sheridan Flats, a particularly shallow stretch in the centre of the waterway, to coincide with high tide.
After an overnight stay off the Kingfisher resort, we continued on to Bundaberg where we filled up with fuel, met some sailing friends from Melbourne for dinner and a good night’s sleep
The following morning we left Bundaberg at 6:30am for a single leg to Mackay. The weather was great; warm, sunny skies, very little wind and flat seas. The desire for Australia’s resources was apparent, as we passed 19 ships waiting to get into the Gladstone coal loader and another 52 ships were anchored off Port Dalrymple waiting to get into the Hay Point coal loader.
Making excellent time, in spite of some tide against us around Cape Townsend and up past the Percy Isles, we arrived at Mackay Marina at 4:30pm having covered 1166 nautical miles (approximately 2,160 kilometres) from Bobbin Head in 7 days, where we stay for a week catching up with some cleaning and routine maintenance tasks.
All in all, a very successful shakedown cruise.
2nd August
We left Mackay in what seemed like a reasonable forecast, 15/20 knots from the South East and since we were headed to Thomas Island, which is practically due North about 40nm away, how bad could it be?
Well the firstly the wind got up to 30 knots true and coming out of the harbour toward Keswick & St Bees Islands, we had a 2 – 3 metre beam sea. We ended up weaving in, out and around the Oom, Llewellyn & Hunt Shoals to keep in deeper water. There is plenty of water over the shoals except for a few odd spots, but in the shallower parts (8 metres or so) the swells were breaking. So the first hour and a half was not what we were looking for!!!
However, the further we got North, the better the conditions became. The wind dropped to 15 – 20 knots true, the seas flattened out and we saw our first whale. We had seen plenty of water spouts but this one breached, landed and rolled over about 100 metres off out port beam.
As conditions looked good, we decided to stop at Goldsmith Island, which while protected and beautiful, it can prove to be a ‘rolly” anchorage, but today it was just fine with just the odd bullet coming over the island. No sooner had we dropped the anchor an inquisitive green turtle came to check us out, and later more followed.
The next morning we left for Thomas Island, as we had never been there and heard that it was worth a visit. However, after a couple of hours and changing anchorage, we decided not to stay as we were rolling all over the place. We therefore left for Shaw Island, a known good flat anchorage that we have used many times before, arriving at lunchtime.
As the wind continued, we stayed there for 3 nights. We had to be in Airlie Beach by Sunday to get the boat cleaned up and supplied as we were expecting friends Lyn & David on Monday. However, checking the weather, Sunday was expected to blow 30 knots so we left on Saturday. So we are now tucked up in Able Point Marina and of course the strong wind warning has been cancelled!! Oh well, that is boating.
Shaw Island Lat 20º 30.233'S Long 149º 02.708'E
8th August
Having spent a few days in Able Point Marina at Airlie Beach during which time we cleaned up Buena Vista for the next part of our voyage and also restocked with food and most importantly, wine.
Some friends from Melbourne, David & Lyn, arrived on Monday the 3rd August and after a meal out in the town, we set off at 9.00am the next day. As it appeared that there was little of particular interest until Magnetic Island, we decided to do it in two day trips.
The first leg was to Cape Upstart, about 65nm from Airlie Beach where we overnighted and dropped anchor in a 30 knot wind after what was a gentle breeze virtually all the way ..... strange. On the way we encountered a Greenpeace vessel that looked more like a spy ship, bristling with antenna. They were loitering in the vicinity of the Abbot Point coal loader for some reason.
Although the breeze was stiff, we spent a comfortable night in Upstart Bay behind the high headland. The wind died down sometime overnight and the following day was spectacular, a very light south easterly and a sparkling clear blue sky. We set off at 8.00am to make the 60nm trip and arrived at Horsehoe Bay on Magnetic Island in time to anchor and go ashore before dark. This we managed but got comfortable in the ’local’ and left our departure a bit late, arriving back at Buena Vista after dark.
Thursday (6th) was a little cloudy at first but little wind and warm. We decided to take a hike over the hills to the adjacent Radical & Balding Bays. It was a good walk and a beautiful bay, but we were a bit disappointed that when we got there expecting seclusion after a hard slog up and over a rocky track, we found there was a road in there from the other side of the island, plenty of cars and a tour bus!!
Friday we took the Island bus for a ‘hop on hop’ tour of the island bays. There are very few facilities on Magnetic Island but it a nice quiet place with some excellent bays.
On the Saturday morning we took off at 8.00am, destination Orpheus Island, very little wind, very calm seas, cloudless sky ..... ahhhhhh.
Lunch on the Flybridge with friends
14th August
We spent a very sheltered night (8th) in Little Pioneer Bay on Orpheus Island but in the morning, while this was a good spot, we decided to take the opportunity to cross to Zoe Bay on the east side of Hinchinbrook Island as it was a calm day and this is a well recommended bay, but only on clam days.
This was the start of what turned out to be a series of not very good decisions. Zoe Bay was indeed magnificent with a beautiful sandy bay and Mt Bowen towering in the background (Mt Bowen is 1120m, so not high by international standards but as Australia’s highest peak – Mount Kosciuszko - is only 2228m, it is substantial for a coastal island peak for us). However, by the time we got there the swell had arrived and it was uncomfortable. So after a couple of hours we moved to Little Ramsay Bay, which is apparently a bit more sheltered. It was when we arrived, but after a walk on the beach, the swell picked up and we were too late to move. A very uncomfortable night.
Therefore the next morning we exited the East side of Hinchinbrook Island for the West side and the Hinchinbrook Channel. There we anchored in Gayundah Creek, a cyclone anchorage, so no rocking and rolling here!! After two nights in Gayundah and an excursion in the dinghy into the mangroves in search of wildlife (the fauna version!!) and a trip in Buena Vista up the length of the channel, we spent the next night (12th) in Port Hinchinbrook Marina. Here we met up with some other friends, Bill & Georgie, who were heading south in their caravan. A note of caution ... the sand flies in Hinchinbrook Channel are fierce, we all got eaten alive.
After lunch at the Marina (13th), we left at for Dunk Island, which is a delightful spot and obviously very popular!! Ferries, planes, water taxis, supply boat etc are continuous. The walk to the top of Mount Kootaloo, although only 6kms from the resort and 271 metres high, is challenging in the heat, but well worth the effort, with views over the Family Islands and the Australian Mainland.
As we need to be in Cairns on Saturday (15th) we left Dunk Island early, arriving at Marlin Marina in Cairns mid afternoon.
After 4 nights in Cairns, where we caught up with re-stocking cupboards and cellar and catching up on some routine maintenance it was time to complete the first part of our journey with a short 30 nautical mile trip to Port Douglas.
Although it was a short trip, it was not without drama. There was a strong wind warning north of Cairns 25/30 knots, we were moored with barely a fender width between us and the next boat with the wind blowing us off the pier and on to the boat next to us and finally we arrived at Port Douglas, which is notoriously shallow, on a falling tide. Still, after a brisk trip with a following sea, all went well and we tied up at the Meridian Marina at 11:30am to wait for the family to arrive.
So after nearly 6 weeks and 1729 nautical miles (3,200 kms) we have completed what we consider our maiden voyage, with no major problems.
Mount Bowen taken from Hinchinbrook Channel Lat 18 22.337S Long 146 12.094E
5th September
After a good week in Port Douglas, which is an excellent well laid out holiday town with no high rise and where we attended a family wedding, it was time to move on.
So on the 26th August we left with one of our sons, daughter-in-law and little one year old granddaughter and headed out for a short trip to The Low Isles about 9 nautical miles off Port Douglas. For anyone in this area, the Low Isles are highly recommended with a sheltered anchorage and great snorkeling and an immediate visit by an array of large fish. We had many large fish join us; Remoras, brightly coloured Batfish and an as yet unidentified large fish that looked like “the boss”, all taking refuge under the boat.
After a couple of nights we moved on to Double Island and on the trip saw 2 whales and a calf about 200 metres off coming up vertically clear of the water and crashing back with a huge spray of white foam. Double Island is also a recommended anchorage but at low tide the swell comes over the reef and was less than comfortable. It also blew quite hard while we were there and was narrowly missed by a fishing trawler that dragged it's anchor, presumably while everyone was sleeping as it dragged a very long way!! We called on VHF Channel 16 and raised them and all was OK.
Therefore the next morning we went to Green Island for the day, again excellent snorkeling, before going to Fitzroy Island for the night. It was quite calm but around Green Island is an extensive reef so it is necessary to anchor a long way off and we could find very little sand and the thought of the anchor chain grinding on coral all night is not what good nights rest are made of.
Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island is a great protected overnight anchorage and also has great snorkeling. Unfortunately, the resort and day facilities that were supposed to be completed in 2008 were still not finished so the area around Welcome Bay resembled a building site. However, there are some good walks and we will return on our way south.
So, it was then back to Cairns to drop off the family so they could fly home to NSW and we took the opportunity to catch up with some down time, cleaning and maintenance tasks.
Whooohooo rain ....... it rained this morning (3rd September) for the first time since leaving Bobbin Head (14th July). We should have expected it though as we have spent the last two days cleaning the boat from top to bottom. Not a good old fashioned downpour you understand, no, just enough to bring down all the airborne dust onto our nice clean boat!!
Before leaving Cairns, we took a side trip to Kuranda on the historic railway, returning on the Skrail. Kuranda is a very touristy little village in the rainforest with a truly beautiful railway station and the place is certainly worth a visit but the highlight for us was the train & skyrail. Great scenery and the Skyrail is a major engineering achievement, 7.5kms across a mountain range, river and a rain forest.
Girls Day Out on board Buena Vista on our way to the Low Isles
11th September
Just before leaving Cairns, the other Selene 59 ‘Spanish Eyes’ that we came up the NSW coast with at the start of this trip arrived at the Marina. We spent time comparing notes on our respective trips and that night had dinner together, as we were due to leave the next morning.
From Cairns we went a short distance to Fitzroy Island for a couple of nights, did some walks and saw our first Ulysses Butterflies, beautiful blue butterflies that are pretty much the symbol for Northern Queensland, we also saw a metre long Goanna.
However, on the second night the wind changed to a North Westerly and the anchorage became a bit lumpy but more to the point, we were being blown onto a lee shore .... so at 7:30am it was time to move. As we were close to Kings Beach on Cape Grafton, which is only tenable in Northerly winds, we nipped over there and were glad we did. It had a magnificent large sandy beach backed by a mangrove area, although it was a bit of an uncomfortable night with a North Easterly swell that rolled us around all night.
The next morning saw calm conditions and the Met Bureau weather report was light and variable winds, so for a power boat, an ideal time to move on. We thought we may stop at Russell Island about 25 nautical miles south. But ..... by the time we got there the wind was up to about 18 knots from the South West (we have had no Westerly predictions since we left Bobbin Head) and was building, with it was a North Easterly swell. The former making Russell Island uncomfortable and the latter making Normanby Island uncomfortable. The Bureau of ‘Maybeology’ strikes again.
Given stopping was not really an option or at best uncomfortable, we continued south and arrived at Dunk Island at 3pm. Although the wind got up to 25 knots true on the way, by the time we got anchored in the lee of the Island, the wind eased, we were well protected and immediately went ashore for a swim and a laze on the beach .... we love this spot!!
We went on an around the Island walk today, which while it is a bit of a hike in the hot & humid conditions, about 12kms in all up and down hills, steep in some places and on a rough path, if you are game you will be rewarded with a beautiful walk through pristine rain forest and we saw another Ulysses Butterfly this time a big one.
During the walk, we took a side trip to Edmund & Bertha Banfield's grave. Banfield was an interesting character, a jounalist in Townsville and with his health failing he looked for a desterted island paradise to spend his remaining days. He became the first white settler on Dunk Island in 1897, living an isolated existance with his wife Bertha on a 360 acre lease until his death in 1923 ..... so he lived another 26 years with failing health .... can't be a bad place. They existed on the income from his writings, most noteably his book "Confessions of a Beachcomber". (available as a free e-book download if anyone is interested)
Encouraged by "Confessions of a Beachcomber", Henry Allason purchased the freehold on the neighbouring Bedarra and Timana Islands in 1913 for ....... wait for it ....... 20 pounds about $50, where are those bargains now?
Brammo Bay, Dunk Island from the walking track Lat 17º 56.020S Long 146º 08.050E
19th September
As much as we love Dunk Island, it was time to move on when the wind got up and swell started to invade the anchorage and make it a bit uncomfortable.
Looking at the charts for a very sheltered anchorage, Macushla Cove in behind Cape Richards at the top end of Hinchinbrook Island seemed to fit the bill. After a windy and choppy two and a half hour trip we arrived to about 5 knots of wind and dead flat water .... luxury.
We relaxed there for a couple of nights before moving on. Our original plan was to stop off overnight at Orpheus Island and then on to Magnetic Island, but the wind was only about 10 knots and water relatively flat so we pushed on directly to Magnetic.
Mmmmmm ..... maybe a mistake. As we passed Great Palm Island the wind started to build and after that, of course, the seas too. Still it wasn’t too bad and Magnetic was only a few hours away. Anyway, the bottom line is that this turned out to be the worst conditions we have had in Buena Vista so far. Still not too bad as the seas were not particularly big but they were typical wind waves, short sharp, no backs and close together, this together with a brisk 20 – 25 knots of true breeze made the whole experience uncomfortable.
However, we kept thinking, we are glad we were in Buena Vista and not out there in my sail boat trying to do this trip. We were inside, dry and set up in comfortable seats reading.
We also had another little drama when Townsville Volunteer Marine Rescue came on the radio and announce a military live firing exercise in Halifax Bay ....... we were in Halifax Bay.... doh! However, when we got the details there was an exclusion zone of 5 nautical miles around Rattlesnake Island and as our current course took us within 8 nautical miles at its closest point, assuming our Diggers were good shots, we were OK.
By the time we were tucked up in Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island, of course we were sheltered and we wondered what the last 5 hours had all been about. By the time we anchored it was about 5pm, so we quickly had the dinghy in the water and were off to shore for a walk along the beach, then a drink and a dozen oysters in the bar on the beach while we watched the brilliant sunset. All in all, not a bad day at the office!!
Time to resupply, the cellar is getting depleted and we had run out of some of the daily staples like pate, quince paste and truffles .... hahaha .... only joking. So it was off to the Breakwater Marina in Townsville for a few days where we could also have a cleanup and catch up on some maintenance tasks.
 A great water park / adventure playground on The Strand in Townsville
5th October
We can't believe the weather on this trip, since leaving Bobbin Head nearly three months ago, we have only had about an hour of rain and probably only a couple of days that have had any significant cloud. It has been clear blue skies every day.
It’s true what they say about cruising that the longer you are in a place the harder it is to move, but after a week in Townsville, the time had come. The wind didn’t look too strong for a couple of days, which is a bonus when travelling against the trade winds!! Also, as it was AFL Grand Final Day in a couple of days and Trish is a St Kilda supporter, we had to be somewhere that we could comfortably watch the game, so it was leave now or wait until after the weekend.
Once we got started, as the wind wasn’t too strong and the seas were pretty flat, we decided to keep going and do Townsville to Whitsundays in a single leg. It’s only about 130nm so it isn’t far. We left at 11.00am on the 25th and arrived at 3:30am on the 26th, motoring into Mays Bay just outside Cid Harbour in the Whitsunday Islands.
Some friends of ours were already in the bay in their Nordhavn 46 ‘Dauntless’ and coincidentally, Iain is also a St Kilda supporter so they came over to Buena Vista for the game and far too much wine was consumed as we watched St Kilda get beaten. Ahh well there’s always next year. The next day was a bit slow!!
On Monday, it was off to Whitehaven Beach as we were in need of a good long walk. Glad to report, it looks as beautiful as ever (you can see some photos in the Travel Photos section – it is magnificent), although the view was somewhat spoilt this trip by poor visibility due to dust storms being blown from the interior. Fortunately we didn’t get it as bad as Sydney, but it was bad enough ..... red dust everywhere.
Another Nordhavn friend of ours arrived in his 55 ‘SKIE’ on his way to complete a circumnavigation of Australia and we met up at Whitehaven beach with yet another friend in his Maritimo 52 ‘Rex’. The Selene 59 ‘Spanish Eyes’ is also here so we are hoping we can all rendezvous before we all move on.
We have tripped around the area a bit in the last two weeks, visiting old favourite anchorages. Having spent the night in Hamilton Island Marina we left to explore the northern area a bit, where we haven’t spent much time in the past.
Our first night was magic, we anchored in Woodwark Bay about 10nm north of Airlie Beach. It is a large bay and we shared it with two other boats, both of which were so far away they were barely visible. It was a warm night and after dinner we sat on the foredeck seat with a glass of wine under a full moon that provided a shaft of light across the water right up the bow of Buena Vista.
After a couple of days in Woodwark, we moved on to the Gloucester Passage a bit further north. We dropped the anchor in a sheltered Bona Bay for the evening and the follwing day moved a couple of miles south to the bay adjacent to the Cape Gloucester ECO Resort, where we had a magnificent hot & cold seafood platter washed down with a bottle of Riesling ..... Yum Oh.
Looks like our visitors had an argument after arriving!!
29th October
Just a quick 'blog' so that you know we are still around, although not much has happened.
After Gloucester Passge, we returned to the Whitsunday Islands, cruised around for a while, had a couple of nights in Hamilton Island and caught up with friends before working our way a bit further south to Mackay Marina.
We left the boat in the Marina while we went back to Melbourne to catch up with family and friends, grand children's birthdays etc. Fortunately we took some of our good weather back with us so we didn't feel the cold at all, although it was a bit funny wearing long trousers and shoes again!!
We are now back on Buena Vista, still in Mackay Marina, waiting for a South Eastery blow to go through. It is blowing 20/25 knots and would be right on the nose if we poked it outside the marina. So being creatures of comfort these days, we are happy to wait for more favourable wind conditions.
5th November
Yet another quick blog. As we are now into getting the boat back to Melbourne, we are not cruising so not much to tell.
Finally the SE winds changed and we were eager to leave Bundaberg, unfortunately in our eargerness we left at 5am on Tuesday the 3rd and that was about 6 hours too early!! Those who have sailed around these parts know that the waters outside Mackay Harbour are always sloppy and they didn't let us down. After 2 weeks of strong wind from the SE there was a rotten short chop left and it was a bit uncomfortable.
However, by the time we got past all the Bulk Carriers waiting to load coal at the Hay Point loader, there were 64 of them at anchor, and past Prudhoe Island things started to settle down and from then on we had a good calm run with the wind gradually swinging through the East around to North East.
Rather than stop at Great Keppel Island, which we passed at 2am, we pushed on to Bundaberg arriving at 4pm on Wednesday. The trusty weather bureau informed us that North Easterly winds were to be short lived and another South Easterly change was due on Saturday. This meant we needed to fuel up at Bundaberg, get through the Great Sandy Straight and out over the Wide Bay Bay on Friday (6th) or risk getting caught behind Fraser Island. Basically a low pressure trough and South East wind can cause a large Easterly swell to build up and potentially make the Wide Bay bar dangerous.
So this morning we will fill up with fuel and get down to the Great Sandy Straight, anchoring around the Kingfisher Resort somewhere and leave on Friday morning to get over Sheridan Flats on a rising tide. Sheridan Flats is a very shallow section of the Great Sandy Straight and we require about 2 metres of tide and preferably a rising tide, to get over there comfortably. From there we hope to get straight out over the bar and on to Mooloolaba, arriving Friday evening.
Hamilton Island Marina with the Whitsunday Islands in the background
12th November
The journey south continues, although it is a case of jumping to when the weather is right. By now you would expect a good portion of the wind to have swung around to the north, but we are still getting mainly south east winds with the occasional day or two of northerlies.
We left Bundaberg as planned on Thursday 5th but instead of anchoring at the Kingfisher resort we continued on to Bookar Island, arriving just on dusk at 6:30pm. Kingfisher was a bit exposed to northerlies and the wind had strengthened due to the north east sea breeze.
The next morning we left at 9:00am with 2 metres of tide and went across Sheridan Flats without a problem although it is a bit disconcerting in that the sand bars are moving and some of the lateral navigation buoys have been moved so on the charts it looks like you are crossing dry land!!
By the time we got to the southern end of the Great Sandy Straights we had missed high tide and had to cross Wide Bay Bar about 1.5 hours into the ebb tide. This made the bar a bit lumpy but was safe. We then continued, arriving at Mooloolaba at 7pm that night.
After a few days of stiff south easterlies ..... again ...... we left Mooloolaba at 5am on Wednesday 11th so that we could arrive on the Gold Coast in the light and at high tide at the Southport Seaway bar. The seas were surprisingly choppy and the swells quite large at 2 to 3 metres given that the wind had dropped to 10 knots the day before. Anyway the trip was comfortable enough and we arrived at the Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast at 4:30pm.
This morning (6:30am) is brilliant, not a cloud in the sky, the air is crisp and there is barely a breath of wind. Hopefully we will get away from here on Sunday and continue our treck south.
16th November
We left the Gold Coast on Saturday 14th in a light northerly wind and flat seas. As we proceeded down the NSW coast the weather held in and although a southerly change was forecast it was a mild change and we decided to press on. We arrivied back in Bobbin Head Marina, where we started this journey from, at 2am on Monday morning.
This successfully completes our first round trip in Buena Vista of 3,800 nautical miles approximately 7,000kms.
We will now fly home to catch up with family and wait for some minor warranty repairs to be completed, returning to Bobbin Head at the start of December to continue our journey south to our home port of Melbourne in good time for Christmas.
12th December
Having had all the little warranty repairs completed, it was time to make our way back to Melbourne for Christmas. In many ways, this is the most challenging part of the trip as the weather becomes more unpredictable.
As mentioned previously in the Blog, the winds now should be predominantly from the north but this year the weather patterns are far from normal. When we get a northerly, it only seems to stay in for a day at most before turning back south for days on end. However, we saw an opportunity on the Saturday the 5th December and having had family on board for a cruise around the Hawkesbury River area during the day, we took off at 7:30pm for the dash to Eden on the south coast of NSW.
The plan worked well as we arrived in Eden at 10pm on Sunday just before the next blow arrived, after a comfortable trip. We spent the next few nights at anchor in East Boyd Bay while the wind blew up to 35 knots from the west and south west until our next opportunity arived where some lower winds and a north westerly change were forecast.
So, on Wednesday 3rd, we left at 8am for the next leg to Refuge Cove on Wilsons Promontory, arriving at 9.45am on Thursday after a very comfortable trip . At this stage we were travelling with another Brighton boat, Seaduction. We were thankful to be here in one piece as there have been gale force winds forecast and it didn't let us down, with 40 knot winds over the next few days. Checked the Met Bureau site and there was 42 knots and 53 knot gusts off Wilson Prom at 7am this morning ..... oh yes and it is bucketing down with rain and cold!! Glad to be nearly home ...... mmmmm??
17th December
Finally the strong westerlies and big seas eased on Monday 14th and we left Refuge Cove at 3pm into 15knots of wind from west south west with 1m to 2m seas and a remaining 2m to 3m swell. As we progressed the wind died, the seas flattened out and the swell diminished to provide us with a comfortable trip.
We kept throttling the engine back but with a tidal assistance still arrived a bit early at Port Phillip Heads and entered the Heads at 5.30am on the 15th when the tide was in full ebb, not the best time but although The Rip was quite steep considering the calm conditions, we were soon through it.
It was a magnificent morning going up the Bay, arriving at Yarra Edge Marina at 9.30am. We tied up Buena Vista at its home for the next month, tidied up a bit and went home to be re-acquainted with our house, having been away for six months.
Buena Vista with the beach to herself at Refuge Cove, Wilsons Promontory
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