Yes, we’re back home. It was a wet trip, with regular drizzle all the way. But it was a pretty fast trip, less than 21 hours from Laurieton to Barrenjoey with a favourable Easterly 15-25 knot breeze.
I really enjoyed the return trip from Grafton, the boat handled well and the company was great, thanks Bruce!
Where Next?
We’re currently halfway between Camden Haven and Pittwater. We’re making excellent progress with speeds up to 9 knots. At this rate we’ll be back on the marina by 3.00 am Sunday. We’ve had persistent drizzle all the way sofar, but we’re in good spirits (even had a small glass of red with dinner just now).
The photo was taken by Jeanette from Reeflection as we leaving Laurieton this morning. Jeannette and Doug are not just good company, they also take nice pictures!
If you are going to get stuck somewhere, Laurieton / Camden Haven is the place to be.
No doubt some time the rain will stop and the wind will abate. At which time we’ll miss dinners at the Laurieton United Servicemen Club!
Meanwhile, the crew of Reeflection has been experimenting with their wet weather setup.
When we left Iluka, the Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) station reminded us about a strong wind warning for the day. We had looked at the forecast NE at 20-25 knots and decided it would give us a quick run down the coast. While the wind indeed got up to around 25 knots during the day, the sea state was very modest and Te Moana enjoyed the conditions, averaging 7 knots for the day. We wondered about the effectiveness of the hourly strong wind warnings which we kept getting from the VMR stations while we were enjoying a great day out at sea.
Joy has started her land trip home and Bruce and I left Iluka this morning, heading for Camden Haven and hope to get there early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. There is a nice 20-25 Knot North Easterly, moving us along at a brisk pace. We just passed South Solitary Island and will pass Coffs Harbour in about one hour. I’m looking forward to the night sail. It’s full moon and it should be magic out here.
After driving back to the boat yesterday, we covered the last few miles to Grafton and we’re now anchored close to the bridge. The local cruising/racing yacht club put on a barbeque for us last night to welcome us. And of course, it’s Jacaranda Festival time.
From here, we’re focused on the return journey. Joy is driving back and Bruce and I will take Te Moana back to Pittwater in a few hops, starting Monday. Watch this space.