We’re on our way! We left Newcastle at about 3pm on Wed., once the SE wind had eased, and motor-sailed through the night.
It was a fairly uneventful overnight passage, other than occasional ships to dodge. Poor me (Jackie), I haven’t got my sea legs yet and felt pretty ordinary!
Alex decided to stop in Jervis Bay to wait out a southerly change for a day. We arrived just in time for sunset and took the opportunity of an early night to catch up on sleep.
We woke up to a smoke haze from a nearby bushfire, but it soon cleared up and as the day warmed up we took advantage of the calm conditions to top up the fuel tank and to enjoy the 21°C water.
Alex checked the prop and hull, I did laps around the boat, and Anne, being the most energetic of the crew, swam to shore for a long walk on the beach!
The plan is to set off very early tomorrow and sail all the way to Schouten Passage in one go, taking advantage of light, favourable winds and, hopefully, a small boost from an eddy in the East Australian Current. It’s still a longish passage of 460mi.
