We're Bound for a Land Down Under

Location: Just over halfway from New Caledonia to Australia.

Date: 24th October 2023

Just 340 miles to go now. It's 03.34 and my night watch is 34 minutes in. Yesterday we put our clocks back one hour for the last time this year. We are now on UTC +10, Australian (east) time. Consequently dawn comes early so in an hour or so it will be properly light.

It's been a good passage so far. We've got on really well with our crew Kris and Maree and the sailing has been generally smooth and increasingly downwind. No fish but two or three pilot whales were right alongside much to everyone's, especially Maree's, excitement. We have though bent two stantions (sp?) on the starboard side with a slightly uncontrolled gybe. The preventer shackle must have worked loose unnoticed over time. Luckily no real harm done.

Yesterday we shared the customarily rum with Neptune as we passed the passage halfway point with delicious quesadillas de Sally for lunch.

However, we have an issue. We are caught between two nasty weather systems. East of us Cyclone Lola is developing over Vanuatu but more of an issue is a large area of very strong winds expected off the coast of Australia. Today is Tuesday, the winds are due to start building on Friday morning.

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Continued on Wednesday morning.

Well, we have been motor sailing for almost a day as the winds drop and we aim to beat the 35+ knot winds due on Friday at Bundaberg. So all is good there. We should arrive tomorrow around lunchtime.

However back in Vanuatu the cyclone has developed into the biggest hurricane ever recorded there in October with winds of up to 320 kph. We pray for the boats we have met that are still there. Insurers will not insure for "named storms" after November 1st but will they cover one before that date.

So, it's time to start thinking of our arrival. Water to make, fresh produce to be disposed of (or eaten), yellow arrival flag to be hoisted and boat to tidy from the usual long passage chaos. We're nearly there!

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