Annual Haul Out 2001

Posted on March 21, 2001 by George Backhus

Last week didn’t rate too high on the fun meter for us, but as any yachtie knows, hauling out is part of any boat’s regular maintenance program. Unless you want the bottom of your boat to look like a miniature underwater wildlife preserve, it needs some regular attention

Fortunately, we didn’t need any major work, just some attention to a troublesome thru-hull fitting, a repair to a leaky shaft seal boot and a couple of coats of anti-fouling paint below the waterline.

In a perfect world, thru-hull fittings are there to allow salt water for engine and refrigeration cooling and head flushing, to pass through to systems inside the boat, or allow wastewater to pass out of the boat. In the real world, they can be a source of irritating leaks. Leaks mean that there is constantly water sloshing around in the bilges. Water in the bilges means that anything stored there will get wet, rusty, mucky, and eventually become unusable, if not a meal for some unseen creatures lurking underneath the floor boards. It also means that the humidity level on board makes it an ideal humidor for cigars, but food, clothing and other items soon become covered with a thermo-nuclear resistant variety of black mold.

When Moonshadow is out of the water, systems like toilets, refrigeration and air conditioning that utilize outside water for flushing or cooling become inoperative. This, combined with a 12-foot trip up or down a ladder, usually with only one hand free, every time one wants to board or leave, makes life during a haul out a bit more challenging. Usually boat yards aren’t in the cleanest, safest, quietest or most scenic parts of town. Oh, and the toilets are usually grody enough to put off a career gas station attendant.

We hauled out at Noake’s Boatyard, one of the few yards in the greater Sydney area that could handle a vessel of Moonshadow’s size and weight. Noake’s is a pleasant exception to most of the experiences I’ve had with other boatyards. It is quite clean by yard standards, situated a boomerang’s throw from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a quiet neighborhood and enjoys a pleasant view across the Harbour to Sydney.

Despite this, Cate and I elected to stay shore side for a few days. We organized a home stay, which is sort of like a casual, inexpensive bed and breakfast, in the lovely nearby suburb of Crow’s Nest. It was nice to get away and relax after a hard day of wrenching and mucking about on the boat. We always appreciate a few days of being able to have a “real shower” as opposed to “military” style and to flush the toilet without a minor bicep workout.

The Noake’s staff was friendly, professional, well organized, and finished all our work to our satisfaction, on time, and on budget. We came out of the water on Monday and were launched that Thursday afternoon, spit and polished, fresh bottom paint, clean and dry bilges, ready for the next cruising season. They are certainly the exception to our overall experience with the boating industry in Sydney!

Now we are nearly to the bottom of the “To Do” list, and it’s just about time to hoist the “No Wrench” flag and head north for the winter. Perhaps there’s just a bit more time to do some land cruising before we toss off the lines.

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Some Scoop on SCUBA

Posted on March 7, 2001 by George Backhus

I learned to SCUBA dive at the age of 15 and next to sailing, it is still my favorite sport. One of the many great aspects of cruising is the ability to visit and dive in some of the world-class spots I’d always read about in the dive magazines, as well as discovering some new and remote spots along the way.

Gear

For cruisers planning to incorporate diving into their lifestyle, there are a few things you will need. Obviously, a full set of gear for every diver is a good starting point. If you are already a diver, you know all about that stuff. Here are my thoughts on some accessories that the average recreational diver might not consider when diving from your own yacht:

-A dive computer is nice, but not necessary, as we find we usually don’t dive more than once or twice in a day and usually less than 60 feet.
-I feel that a dive skin or wetsuit is an absolute must to protect oneself from coral scrapes (they can easily become severely infected in the tropics) as well as stinging things like jellyfish. I use a full 3 mm neoprene suit that keeps me well protected and warm in tropical winter water temperatures. If you tend to be “cold-blooded” add a separate hood to your dive wardrobe as a great deal of body heat is lost through the head.
-If you wear dive booties consider buying a pair with non-skid soles. These can double for cool weather deck shoes, and provide good foot protection for beach, reef or jungle walking.
-Dive lights are necessary for night diving. They also double as long lasting and durable general use flashlights for use on and around a boat. We find that the 3 to 4 battery size with halogen bulbs are all around easiest to handle while providing excellent light.
-A snare or a spear is helpful for catching lobster. Protective gloves are a must. A fighting lobster will make hamburger of your hand. Take a game bag if you plan to catch more than one. I prefer the type with nylon fabric around the opening as it won’t snag as easily on the lobster’s sharp spines.
-A good anchor for your dinghy is essential. Nobody wants to surface from a dive to see their dingy drifting off towards the Canary Islands, so make sure that the hook is properly set as soon as you drop down to the bottom. I use a small Fortress with a few feet of stainless chain at the bottom for protection against coral abrasion, but mushroom anchors or grappling hooks seem to work equally as well. We always “double buddy” with a second set of divers and their dinghy when we dive in remote waters, strong current, or outside of the protection of a barrier reef. This insures us against a lost dingy or mechanical breakdown. We also carry a few tools and spare spark plugs. It’s always a good idea to check your fuel before you go!
-A pocket digital depth sounder or lead line is handy to help find good dive spots and anchor your dinghy.
-I prefer shot bags as opposed to lead weights for my weight belts. They won’t mar the deck when dropped and make good paperweights for charts.
-A submersible strobe light or cyalume stick hung down in the water can help you easily find the dink or your boat’s stern ladder after a night dive.
-A “hooka” regulator with a hose that is approximately 2/3 the length or your boat is handy for getting underwater to quickly check on “things that went bump in the night,” make repairs, change zincs, un wind the dinghy painter from the prop or to clean the bottom. You can leave the tank on deck or on the dock and have better freedom of movement.
-An air nozzle attachment to allow you to use compressed air from your tank to clean parts or unblock small passages will invariably come in handy.
-Take lots of first stage “O” rings as well as other service parts such as high and low pressure hoses, regulator service kits and spare straps for masks and fins. Dive shops in the boonies, if there are any, are usually poorly stocked. We keep a spare “O” ring attached to the first stage regulator of each tank.
-Use some sort of “swimmers ear” prevention. We make our own from 2 parts isopropyl alcohol to one part glycerin and put it in with an eyedropper. A few drops in each ear after your day of diving will prevent infection and kill small crustaceans that may think of your ear canal as a cushy new home.

Dive Compressors

Now, if you really want to get away from the dived out spots and resort’s cattle boats, you may consider having your own dive compressor. This will enable you to dive when and where you want and not have to come into the local dive shop (if there even is one) to buy air. Some of the best diving we encountered in the South Pacific was just outside the pass at Beveridge Reef. The nearest dive shop was 200 miles away We spent five days anchored inside this reef protected, shallow spot in the ocean and got in at least 8 dives. Once the word is out that you have “air” you will also have plenty of diving friends crusing to your schedule and you will likely be bestowed with plenty of adult beverages for filling their tanks.

My dive compressor was probably one of the best additions I’ve made to Moonshadow.
I purchased a reconditioned second-hand Bauer portable unit from a dive shop called Brownie’s Third Lung when I was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1994. It is powered by a 110-volt motor and has been retrofitted with an automatic pressure cutoff and condensate release. It cost around US $2500 at the time, including a 90 day warranty. It is quite compact (approximately 30” wide, 17” high and 12” deep), weighs about 35 pounds, and can fill an 80 cu.ft. tank in about 25 minutes. We incorporate tank filling into the daily genset run. I’ve semi-permanently mounted mine on a shelf inside the lazarette, but they it could also be portable and brought up on deck for use. For those not using a genset they also make gas engine powered versions. A 10-15 foot extension for the fill hose is handy if you want to fill tanks while they are still in the dinghy.

I’ve been quite pleased with the Bauer unit, but have spoken to other cruisers who have had other brands that do the job as well, if not better for the same or less money. As it is with any boat gear, it usually pays to do a bit of shopping around to find the best solution for your particular needs and budget.

If one mounts a compressor permanently, there must be adequate space for ventilation. Compressing air creates plenty of heat. You will also need a hose to bring in fresh air from outside when the unit is running. Be sure that the air intake hose is well away from any exhaust or other fumes, or else you will feel like you’ve got a major hangover after your dive. Be sure to carry spare air filter cartridges, v-belts and compressor oil, and try to run the unit at least once a month to keep all the seals and valves in good working order.

Dive Spots

In our travels since late 1994, we’ve had the chance to dive on hundreds of sites in more than a dozen countries. Some sites we heard about from other cruisers, some from previous experience, some from dive guides, some from cruising guides and some from the locals. But there is nothing quite so rewarding as finding one all on your own, just by exploring with the dink and depth sounder, then putting on your mask and sticking your face in the water where you get a good vibe. No beer cans or broken coral. Just the ocean as God created it.

Here are our top ten spots to date in no specific order:

-Beveridge Reef, between the Cook Islands and Niue, South Pacific Ocean. The best spot was just outside the pass and turn left. Depths ranged from 10 to 60 feet with lots of coral canyons and sandy bottoms. Lots of sharks, an occasional whale, plenty of reef and pelagic fish, and lots of bugs in the caves along the coral canyons. Yum! Visibility was awesome. We discovered this one on our own.
-Isla Carmen and Isla Danzante, off the coast of Baja near Loreto, Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Lots of friendly fish and beautiful steep rock formations on the northern and southern tips of both islands. Visibility was incredible except in the odd event when it rained. Lots of yummy chocolata clams in the calm sandy shallows.
-San Blas Islands, Panama. Lots of king crab, lobster and conch in the deeper water where the locals can’t reach. Best Thanksgiving dinner ever! Great coral-world class diving. The local Kuna Indians are helpful in pointing you to the good dive spots.
-Palmerston Island, Cook Islands group. In the anchorage, right off the back of the boat, excellent 100+ foot wall, pristine coral gardens, lots of big fish, great vis and an occasional whale sighting or lobster for the pot. This was a great spot for a night dive as we didn’t have to use the dink and there wasn’t much current.
-Rainbow Reef, Viti Levu, Fiji, in the channel between Viani Bay and Taveuni. Great walls, beautiful and unique white soft corals, big fish, caves and swim through arches. Local guide Jack Fisher is the man to see if you have gear and want to dive. Don’t try it on your own as the current is strong, and the good spots like the White Wall and Fish Factory are difficult to find. Jack will mind your dinghy and show you where to go for a very reasonable price.
-Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Dive the passes in the more remote atolls. You can even hold on to your dinghy painter for a drift dive. Abundant fish, pristine coral. I think this is the best diving in French Poly by far.
-Great Astrolabe Reef, Kandavu, Fiji. We spent a month in this remote area diving every possible opportunity when the weather allowed. Best visibilities I’ve ever seen. Lots of pristine coral, big fish, sharks, massive walls and pinnacles, caves, arches, fan corals. There were huge coral trout and grouper in the passes. It’s very remote and some of the best diving on the planet. Provision well, as all that is available there are coconuts, papayas and fresh fish, if you can manage to spear them. The fish, that is. Great shelling on the beaches and an occasional Chambered Nautilus.
-Louganville, Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu. The wreck of the Coolidge and Million Dollar Point are must do’s if you are in Vanuatu. Great diving is also found along the reefs of the nearby islands. Plenty of big fish, WWII artifacts, clear water and lovely coral. We’re going back!
-The Bay of Islands, Honduras. Diving along this barrier reef, the second largest in the world is absolutely sublime. It’s everything you would expect from a world class dive destination. Get there before the liveaboard outfits dive it all out.
-Belize, the outer Cays. This is along the same barrier reef as the above mentioned and nearly as good. If you get there, check out the world famous Blue Hole inside Lighthouse Reef. Great stalactites on the old cave ceiling start at about 120 feet.

Snorkeling:

There are plenty of good reasons why one would not be able or want to SCUBA dive. No worries, as you can still enjoy a lot of the experience with a lot less investment and hassle. A good set of snorkel gear doesn’t cost much or require a lot of maintenance and is easy to stow on any boat. Snorkeling is great fun, good exercise and can be enjoyed by almost anyone. We do it all the time, particularly when looking for a meal with the trusty speargun. With all the beautiful things to see and enjoy below the waterline, the most important thing to just get in, get wet and see how the other two-thirds live.

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Cruising Broken Bay

Posted on March 3, 2001 by George Backhus

The Australian dock talk we’ve heard is that there are only two areas in New South Wales that are worth cruising, Broken Bay and Jervis Bay. Cate arranged a couple of weeks off work and I finished most of my boat project for the season, so we took off for a little “sail-about” to see for ourselves.

We put in a bit of “tucker” (food) and sailed out to the Sydney Heads. With the winds blowing a fresh 20-25 knots out of the South-South East, it was an easy decision to head north toward Broken Bay. Alan Lucas, in his Cruising Guide to New South Wales, touts Broken Bay as one of the world’s great cruising grounds. It is also one of the few areas where one can encounter both a koala and a penguin and not be in a zoo. Two long gybes and two short hours later we were rounding Barrenjoey Head, the entrance to Broken Bay.

Our first anchorage was at Palm Beach, just inside the most popular lobe of Broken Bay called Pittwater. Located just a 45 minute drive from Downtown Sydney, Pittwater is both a lazy suburb and a beach resort. The spit of land between Pittwater and the Tasman Sea is quite narrow so a walk or short ride will get one from the beautiful surf beaches on the outside to the flat, protected waters inside. Inside Pittwater, the leafy shoreline is dotted with gorgeous million dollar homes sporting docks, boatsheds or semi-private beaches. Oh, and yes, lots of boats, ranging from 10 foot “tinnies” (aluminum dinghies) to spectacular mega yachts. The yacht-racing scene is quite active, and the Royal Motor Yacht Club’s Monday twilight series is purportedly the biggest Monday sailing yacht race in the Southern Hemisphere. Just a bit ironic, I would say.

Cate and I were keen to get in on the action and hooked up to crew with Newport resident Les Lovett (no relation to Lyle) for a race on his yacht Jayne. Thinking long term, Les safely named the yacht after a deceased pet as opposed to a wife or girlfriend. We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed racing and easy sailing on the calm waters of Pittwater, some good Aussie humor and fellowship, and of course a bevvie or two afterwards at the Royal Motor Yacht Club. Apparently Les liked us, as he invited us back, and we joined him for the following Monday and Friday’s twilight races. Warm weather, cold beer, flat water, and gentle breeze-as it should be!

Australia has some extremely strict regulations as it relates to yachties and water pollution. Dumping any sort of waste overboard is a major no-no and it is even illegal to use any sort of soap when washing one’s boat. Make bubbles, go to jail. Since Moonshadow had been collecting grime for three months in Sydney with no more than an occasional fresh water rinse, she was overdue for a major scrub. Cate and I sailed up to a secluded cove on the brackish Hawkesbury River near the town of Brooklyn and committed the unthinkable, heinous crime of boat washing. With malice and forethought, we conspired to mix up buckets of soapy water and then, for nearly three hours, we viciously and savagely brushed and scrubbed the decks and rigging. The swift ebb current washed away the evidence of our evil deed, and Moonshadow’s renewed luster was the ill-gotten spoil of our criminal act.

While in the area, we did a bit of exploring around the town of Brooklyn and nearby Dangar Island. Brooklyn’s main attractions are the Angler’s Rest Pub, a very nice and modern marina, and the railway station. We enjoyed an excellent Indian dinner at one of the little restaurants, marred only by the proprietor’s insistence on indulging himself in conversation about American politics. We knew it was time to get the check when he insisted that Bill Clinton was the greatest American president of all time.

The railway bridge at Brooklyn limits boats with masts taller than 12 meters from navigating further up the Hawkesbury, so the following day, we struck out to do some exploring by dinghy. We headed up the mighty Hawkesbury, which meanders through a valley lined by green hills and dramatic sandstone escarpments. It was quite a scenic ride, and with mostly flat water, we were able to zip along at full throttle most of the way. Yeeehaaaaa!

After nearly two hours, we had mild cases of “dinghy butt” and a pretty good appetite. We tied up to the wharf at the little town of Wiseman’s Ferry, which from our charts we estimated to be 20 miles or so upstream from Brooklyn. After refueling dinghy and crew, we headed back downstream. By then, the afternoon sea breeze had begun to follow the track of the river up the valley, making the ride home a bit more bumpy and wet. By the time we reached Moonshadow, we had major “dinghy butt” and “dinghy back,” as well as wet clothes from punching through the wind-driven chop. Our anchorage had also turned uncomfortable, so we pulled up the pick and headed for Cowan Creek, another lobe of Broken Bay.

Cowan Creek is located in the Kuring-Gai Chase National Park. We were told that it was “pretty nice up there” but found that to be a typical Aussie understatement. We cruised up a tributary called Smiths Creek and found a mooring in one of its snug little coves. According to my GPS, this gorgeous spot where I took the photo of Moonshadow on a mooring was just 12.7 nautical miles from Downtown Sydney! It could easily have been1200 miles.

The steep banks (actually this is at sea level) are dotted with sandstone outcroppings and covered with beautifully barked eucalyptus. The area is mostly undeveloped and is ruggedly beautiful. During the week there was nary another boat to be seen. The moorings were mostly vacant, the water was what water skiers call “glass,” and except for the morning and evening choruses of the cockatoos, kookaburras and other native birds, it was an almost eerie quiet.

The weekend arrived and with it came the yachts, launches, houseboats, fizzboats, personal watercraft and associated “toys.” The quiet turned into a cacophony of straining internal combustion engines, and the “glass” into a myriad of criss-crossing wakes, slapping against our hull. Once the moorings were all taken, the leftovers had to anchor-and usually too close to us. The only thing to do is crank up the stereo and join in the fun.

We popped in and out of Smiths Creek for nearly a week to pick up and drop off visitors and to visit Newport for the yacht races. On our last night away, we picked up a mooring in Refuge Bay, a few miles downstream. Refuge Bay is a larger, but well protected anchorage with plenty of moorings. While not as pretty as Smiths Creek, it has a lovely waterfall that drops over a cliff right to the waters edge. There is nothing that can quite match a fresh water shower under a waterfall right after morning coffee. Now seasoned soap abusers, we indulged ourselves just a bit and lathered up with Dial.

The winds out in “the Tassie” continued to be fresh from the southern sector (ladies and gentlemen don’t sail to weather), and we were running out of time, so we flagged Jervis Bay, at least for now. Cate needed to return to work, we had guests arriving in a few days for Sydney’s Mardi Gras, and I needed to get things ready for a quick haulout, so we headed back to the dock Sydney on Monday. After a couple of weeks of operating in “cruise mode” we are once again acclimating to the noise, hustle and bustle of Sydney.

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Road Trip to Canberra and Melbourne

Posted on February 21, 2001 by George Backhus

When my good friend and old Chico State fraternity brother Rob Salisbury asked me to join him on a business trip to Canberra and Melbourne, I jumped on the opportunity. I had wanted to see both cities and just hadn’t made the time. Rob has been living and working in Oz for a few years now and recently married a lovely Australian gal named Sue. He now calls Sydney his home.

We jumped in Rob’s Land Rover Freelander and headed from his home in Brighton le Sands, just south of Central Sydney, towards Canberra, the nation’s capital. Getting out of Sydney is no easy task as there are few freeways or even major arteries that make it all the way into the city. To escape from Sydney, one must run a gauntlet of surface streets, roundabouts, signals and traffic jams for at least 30 minutes to an hour in every direction. The southern suburbs came to a rather abrupt end we found ourselves moving nicely along a beautiful four-lane freeway in countryside that could easily pass as the coastal hills of California.

Three hours later, we arrived in Canberra. Like the US, Australia’s Capital was a planned city, so has lots of green space, a lake, and wide boulevards and is situated more or less in a circular fashion with Capital Hill at the center of the hub.

Chicago architect Walter Burly Griffin, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, mapped out Canberra in the early 1900’s. The overall feel to me was a cross between Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley. It’s green, quiet and with a population of well under a million, very uncrowded. It felt a bit sterile to me, but the locals apparently enjoy a very good overall quality of life.

I had a nice cruise around town while Rob was in a meeting and stopped for a cleansing ale at one of the local pubs. After the meeting, Rob and I enjoyed the best Mexican dinner I’ve had on this side of the Pacific at a little café called Viva Zapata.

After dinner, we hit the road to Melbourne, some 650 kilometers south. We were making good time, so stopped to recharge our batteries for a couple hours at one of the many roadside rest stops. We arrived in Melbourne just before the morning rush hour, dropped our bags at a mate of Rob’s home, and headed to town to have a look around.

Rob and I spent the morning exploring Melbourne City and then headed out to Fitzroy, one of the more Bohemian neighborhoods for lunch and a stroll.

Rob had another meeting that evening, so I pulled an old contact and got myself a ride on Jeff Nixon’s Take Five, a 34’ sloop, for the Thursday night yacht race out of the Sandringham Yacht Club.

It was a nice easy race in flat, protected water of Port Phillip Bay in ten to fifteen knots of breeze. That is until we rounded the final windward mark. In a flash, the sky darkened and the wind revved up to 40 knots. Our boat speed went from six knots to eleven, with just white sails on flat water. The pulses of the crew saw about the same percentage increase. Take Five crossed the finish line in short order, and the crew struck the sails and put the boat away before the squall hit us with full force.

The Sandringham Yacht Club is quite a friendly venue and throws a good post-race party. With a nice clubhouse, cheap drinks, a tasty buffet dinner, live music and dancing, it is no wonder they usually get a good turnout for Thursday night racing. Like the Kiwis, the Aussies take their fun quite seriously.

On Friday I did a bit more exploring in Melbourne Central and South Yarra. Rob joined me between meetings. Melbourne has a much more of a cultural feel than Sydney. The architecture is more interesting and diverse and it definitely has a huge café society.

Strolling around on Friday evening, there were open-air cafes with live music in St. Kilda, sidewalks and outdoor cafes jammed on Fitzroy Street and a full on boulevard cruise scene on Chapel Road. There were literally hundreds of souped up old Holdens jamming the street, revving engines and inching along with chrome bits shining. Steroidal stereo systems booming inside cars with rolled down windows absolutely polluted the night air.

Rob had an early meeting on Saturday morning, after which we hopped in the Rover and drove south for an hour to the coastal town of Mornington. He is doing a bit of sponsorship work for Grant Wharington who invited us to join the crew of his 83-foot maxi sled Wild Thing for an afternoon race. You yachties may recall that Wild Thing took second place line honors in the recent Sydney to Hobart race.

Racing Wild Thing around the buoys is like driving a Formula One car to the corner grocery. By the time we got the spinnaker up and trimmed on the downwind leg, it was time to drop it again at the leeward mark. I mean this thing does 10 to 12 knots with just a main in pre-race maneuvers. On a beam reach, we effortlessly sailed at the wind speed of 15 knots.

Sunday’s weather was beautiful. We took in a bit of the annual St. Kilda Festival and enjoyed a lazy afternoon by the water.

First thing Monday, we hit the road again. It was 850 kilometers and eight hours of easy freeway driving to Sydney along the Great Dividing Range, through backwater towns with names like Wadonga, Wangaratta and Yass. There were at least a dozen dead kangaroos along the way, and as many McDonald’s. Although they do eat kangaroo meat here, I’m not suggesting there is a correlation.

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Bits and Pieces (Sydney 2001)

Posted on February 15, 2001 by George Backhus

I’m planning a road trip to Melbourne followed by two weeks of cruising so am trying to get completion on as much boat work as possible this week. The great thing about Australia is that the people are laid back. The bad news is that if you are trying to get some boat work done, the workers around Sydney are just too laid back. Follow up and stay in their faces has become my Sydney mantra. If I want any serious work done in the future, I’ll go to New Zealand or Queensland (Northeastern Australia).

We got most of the major projects completed. Autopilot motors were rebuilt and reinstalled, the headsails got a “tummy tuck” to remove some of their middle age bulge, salon settee leather was cleaned and new slip covers made, the depth sounder calibrated, the windlass motor rebuilt, the nav station chair repaired, etc., etc. The only list longer than my “to do” is Clinton’s pardons on his last day of office.

When the nav station chair came back from repair, it was dirty from sitting in some shop or van, so after I set it in it’s mount, I popped into the engine room to get a rag and some cleaner. When I came out again, a “hitchhiker” had come out into view. On the top of the seat back was a brown, hairy spider the size of my open hand. Aieeeeeeeeeee!
I had never seen anything that big and ugly except through a thick pane of glass. I snuffed him with the rag before thinking clearly enough to snap a photo. Bugger! It turns out that he was a Huntsman Spider, which is quite common in these parts. They can inflict a painful bite, but unlike some other Australian species, has no poisonous venom. When I shared the story with the guy who fixed the chair a few days later, he flippantly said, “welcome to Australia, mate.”

Any yachtie knows that the lighter your boat, the faster you go. We generally practice the “add something, take something off” rule, but drawers and lockers seem to have a strange way of becoming smaller along the way. Cate, the keen racer she is, informed me that it was time to “lighten ship,” particularly in the galley. I didn’t bother to remind her that she had just given me a set of Petonk Balls (smaller Bocce Balls) for Christmas. I tried unsuccessfully to explain to her the necessity for a mushroom brush but gave up when we got to the wine re-corker.

Between jobs and boat work, we do get out on the town every now and then. Even though we have a car, we don’t use it much in town. There is so much within 15 minutes walk or ferry ride, including the iconic Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Central Business District, the Queen Victoria Building shopping mall, the Botanical Garden, a multitude of useums, the Star City Casino (very tacky), the Darling Harbour shopping/dining/entertainment complex, Maritime Museum and a plethora of bars, cafes and restaurants.

The Aussies are friendly, fun loving and have a great and unique sense of humor. In our wanderings we’ve enjoyed a good chuckle at some of the names on the local business. Here are just a few:

A jewelry shop in Paddington called Verne Jewels.
A bookstore in Newtown called Better Read Than Dead
A Jaguar (pronounced Jag-you-er here) Parts Store called the Cat House
A Sushi Bar in Newtown called Eat Me
A chic clothing store in Paddington called French Connection United Kingdom or simply FCUK. (I know, you have to look twice)
A wrought iron fabrication shop called Ironic Twist
A pet store in Balmain called Heavy Petting

Cruising friends Cindy and Tim from Total Devotion popped in for a long weekend with us on their way through Sydney from a visit to the States. It was great to catch up with them, do a bit a social sailing, socializing, cooking and catching up on the latest goss. We always seem to both need and enjoy Cindy’s world famous Bloody Marys.

We remarked how important computers are to cruisers these days. We use them for, working, communications, managing affairs back home, gathering weather and tidal information, navigation, vessel management, passage planning, as well as all the other things “earthlings” would use them for. Between the four of us that weekend, we had five laptops on board! How does anyone cruise without one??

My web browser mutinied the other day, and it took me a full day to repair it. I got to know all the local Microsoft Help Line guys on a first name basis. They are a great group of blokes and after many hours with a phone in my ear, we eventually got it fixed. I feel sorry that Bill Gates is not making enough money to properly staff the local office. Perhaps he is saving up so he can retire and go cruising.

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Australia Day 2001

Posted on January 28, 2001 by George Backhus

Sydney has had no shortage of celebrations this summer. Since our post-Olympics arrival, Sydney Harbour has been the venue for the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race, New Year’s Eve, the Centenary of Federation and Australia Day, which is like the fourth of July for us Yanks.

Of course it is an official holiday, which in itself is cause for celebration in Sydney. Add to it a day of perfect summer weather and top it off with a full schedule of events and once again Sydney goes off.

Sydney Harbour is rather narrow in spots and we were warned that everyone with a boat would be out on the water, so we opted to keep Moonshadow safely snug in the marina. David and his dog Skipper from Bossanova, Cate and I jumped into the dink and took a putt out to the Harbour Bridge to get up close and personal with some of the on-the-water action.

As expected, the harbor was “jammers.” We dodged boats and wakes as everyone jockeyed for position. Every conceivable type of vessel from small “tinnies” (aluminum dinghies) to posh mega yachts was out on the water. Much of the driving was less than professional, so we hugged the sidelines. The atmosphere was festive and the Sydneysiders were doing what they do best-enjoying themselves. There seemed to be a party aboard every vessel on the water.

The first event of interest to us was the Ferrython. A key part of Sydney’s excellent public transportation system is its extensive ferry system. There are all types of ferryboats, from old tubs that move in both directions (props and rudders at both ends) to sleek, modern, high speed, shallow draft power cats that look like a Ferrari without wheels. They are nearly as fast (first gear for the F-Car) and leave a negligible wake. At 1100 hours the start gun went off and a fleet of patriotically decorated ferries raced from the Harbour Bridge to Manley, near where the protected harbor opens out into the unforgiving Tasman Sea. It was quite a spectacle and the smoke from all the straining engines was enough to choke a herd of kangaroos.

Next was the tall ships parade and race. In the light air, there wasn’t much speed, but I always find it an awesome sight to see a tall ship gliding along under full set of sails.

We took a break and headed over to the fish market for a casual lunch. As usual for a weekend or holiday, it was jammed, but the meals are fresh, tasty and cheap and the atmosphere very, well uh, fishy.

On the way back to the marina we watched a flight of military jets doing some fine formation flying over the area, and were rudely harassed by a Waterways (like the Coast Guard) officer for missing a traffic signal at a draw bridge (we didn’t even go under the opening part) and exceeding the eight knot speed limit (with three people and a dog in our dingy-NOT!) This bloke clearly had no sense of humor.

After a relaxing afternoon, a quick trip to the gym for some exercise and a light dinner, we hopped into the dink and took a short ride out to the end of our wharf in Pyrmont Bay to catch the “Jazz on the Water” Concert.

The stage was set up on the poop deck of some sort of funny looking Navy ship and the music was directed out to a massive fleet of boats that had anchored in Darling Harbour, many just a few feet from each other. We poached a front row seat by tying up to the stern of a trawler that had anchored in prime position. The finale was at around nine when an impressive display of fireworks was set off in front of us in nearby Cockle Bay. They reflected off the glass skyscrapers of downtown Sydney to our left while the band played jazz to our right. As they they say down here-simply brilliant!

The revelry went on into the wee hours, much later than us, until a downpour fell on the city. We woke up to clean decks and a lousy weather forecast, squelching our plans to sail north to Pittwater for the weekend. Bugger!

Posted in All Cruising Logs, Australia Logs | Comments Off on Australia Day 2001

Christmas in the “Land of Oz”

Posted on January 21, 2001 by George Backhus

Christmas in the middle of summer-the Aussies got it right! We have been here since early November, typically the start of the Christmas rush back in the States. Downtown Sydney, a week before Christmas, and there is no more “rush” than is typical in the middle of a city of 3.something million people. Sure, there is the typical holiday hype and decoration, but the Aussies take Christmas, and life for that matter, a bit less seriously. The outdoor lunchtime cafes fill from 1pm to 3pm, the dinner restaurants from 9 to midnight. Long, liquid meals are customary. No worries, mate this is life “down under.”

Cate has been working for a few weeks now on a business analysis project for an e-commerce company and I have been chipping away at the “to do” list. This is a document found on most cruising yachts in one form or another, which has the annoying ability to grow from both ends faster than items can be crossed off from the middle. It’s Christmas Eve and time to get away!

Our original plans to visit friends and family in New Zealand were interrupted by some technicalities with New Zealand Immigration relating to my residency visa there. Plan B is to get away from Sydney and see some of the New South Wales countryside. We decide to further our viticultural education and study some of New South Wales’ wine industry.

First stop was the Tizzana Winery and Bed and Breakfast along the lower Hawkesbury River to the North of Sydney. This Tuscan style winery, built in 1887 of sandstone into the side of a hill, has been lovingly restored by the Peter and Carolyn Auld, and includes two beautiful and spacious guest rooms. I suppose any room more than four feet by eight feet is spacious to someone who lives on a yacht, but these rooms are huge. The Auld family are keen winemakers, extraordinary chefs and superb hosts. We enjoyed a fantastic Christmas Eve meal, accompanied by their wines and port, in their dining room overlooking a nearby lake and surrounding bush lands,. The next morning we were included us in their Christmas day brunch where we met some local family and friends. We enjoyed a delightful spread of food and warm company in the cool of the rustic wine cellar.

Their neighbors, Al and Tizzy invited us over for some wine and conversation around the spa that afternoon. That evolved into a lovely shrimp dinner with their family and more great Aussie wine and hospitality. Al and Tizzy have a lovely sprawling home on a beautiful 25-acre ranch with their own lake, their own mountain, lots of privacy, cows, sheep, ducks and plans to plant a vineyard. All this, and less an hour commute to Sydney. Al came over from L.A. on business about 12 years ago, met Tizzy and decided to stay. There’s no way you could find a place like this near L.A. and get change back from your ten million. He now speaks with a distinctive Austramerican accent.

We did a bit of touring around and visited some of the old hotels along the Hawkesbury. River. We lunched at the old hotel at Wiseman’s Ferry under its shady trees overlooking the winding Hawkesbury. It boasts accommodation, a pub, gaming, and a bistro and seems to be the local hangout for the Harley-Davidson set. The Hotel at St. Albans was really a classic, with, thick sandstone walls and low doorways. Everything was rough-hewn, including the patrons. The weather and hospitality were both warm Aussie. This is one of the oldest areas of New South Wales, developed because it was close to Sydney and could support the agriculture necessary to feed it’s booming population. The Hawkesbury provided the necessary artery to get the produce to market.

Next it was on to the Hunter Valley wine region. We stayed at a modest B&B, but anyplace where we can take long showers, sleep on a stationary bed and not have to pump the toilets is just fine with us.

The Hunter Valley seems to shrug off development. With nowhere near the hype and traffic, it conjures up visions of what the Napa Valley must have been like fifty years ago.
Wine tasting is always free, and tasting rooms aren’t cluttered with tacky wine accessories, food and books. It’s all about the wine. As is should be!

For some reason, the road maps of the area are inaccurate. We got lost in little towns with names like Cessnock, Pokolbin and Broke. . Next time I will bring along the hand-held GPS. The valley has a quiet and remote feel about it, and at sunset we saw kangaroos lurking in the bush surrounding the vineyards.

The Hunter Valley produces some of Australia’s finest wines and sells a significant percentage right out of the cellar doors. Some of the big wineries like Lindemanns, McGuigan’s and Rosemount Estate produce enough to achieve worldwide distribution, but the real primo drop, hand crafted by some of the smaller vintners, is snatched up right here. We found some superb Semillon that had ten years of bottle age selling for less than US $10, and some lovely five year old Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon for under $15. Our visit there was an excellent opportunity to replenish some of Moonshadow’s “drinkable ballast,” and we returned to Sydney with the boot of the Holden absolutely chokker. That’s Australian for “the trunk of the Chevy was completely full.”

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Fiji, Vanuatu and Sydney, Australia

Posted on December 20, 2000 by George Backhus

Gidday from Sydney!

There is no hope for a “White Christmas” for us and Jack Frost won’t be nipping at our sunburnt noses.  It is 32 degrees outside (Celsius, that is-or 90 Fahrenheit), and definitely summer “down under.”  

Although Sydney is not exactly a haven for visiting yachts, we managed to find reasonable berthing, left over from the recent Olympics, a short walk from the Central Business District in neighboring Pyrmont Bay.  There are more museums, casinos, restaurants, parks, shops and theaters within a one mile radius than we will ever be able to visit in the next six months.

After a month here, we have settled in, purchased a car, started to find our way around and seen some of the sights. Cate has even landed some contract work as a Business Analyst for an E-Commerce consulting firm.  I am catching up on the bottomless list of boat projects and maintenance items that popped up during the last cruising season as well as upgrading some of our onboard systems.  Yes, finally, a new computer!!

I know this is a bit out of sequence, but thought I would give you a few of the highlights (and a low-lights) of the last couple months of the most recent cruising season.

Fiji-Viti Levu and the Yasawas



When we last left off, we were in the Great Astrolabe Reef in southern Fiji.  After nearly a month of solitude and some of the best diving we had ever experienced, we were running low on rum and fresh veggies, so we headed to the main island of Viti Levu.  With a nice fresh breeze just aft of the beam, we made the 100 mile passage from Cape Washington on the Island of Kadavu to Port Denerau in about 12 hours, logging a top speed (while surfing down a large wave in a big puff) of 15 knots with just a full main and small jib.  It was a fun and exhilarating sail, particularly after lying “on the hook” for so long.

  The “Bossanovas,” Rita and David, were anchored there so we enjoyed a few days of catching up and nice meals out in the Nadi/Denarau area.  Somehow, David and I got into sort of a Hawaiian shirt competition.  For the next month or so, it seemed like we each bought a new one before each social event.  I ended up with a locker full of loud shirts, but at an average of about US $10-15 per copy, didn’t exactly break the bank.  “Stolen Pig” and “Mambo” shirts got top ratings.  The garment industry is large in Fiji and I think we gave it a little boost.

We provisioned up again and headed west across Bligh Water to the Yasawa Island Group.  Westernmost in the Fijian chain, the Yasawas are best known for the “Blue Lagoon” of the Brooke Shields movie fame.  Bligh Water can best be described a coral maze that you might see in your worst nightmare.  It is literally hundreds of square miles of the most-reef fouled waters that I have ever encountered.  It can only be safely crossed with local knowledge or with good charts, in good light and in settled conditions.  We had good conditions for the first half of the trip and then the weather went south on us.  The only thing to do was anchor in a shallow spot near a reef and wait it out, which is exactly what we did.  Two days later, the weather came right and we safely finished the trip to Yasawa Island. 

We spent a few quiet days visiting the villagers, beachcombing and exploring the half under water caves at Sawa-I-Lau Island and enjoyed some snorkeling off the rocky coastline.  When the Bossanovas caught up, we sailed to the North end of Yasawa, where we found some of the clearest water and best spearfishing (see photo) on the western side of Fiji.

We took about a week to meander throughout the Yasawas, stopping at the Blue Lagoon for a couple of days.  We found it a bit commercial and overrated.  With regular stops by cruise ships, it becomes crowded with loads of sunburnt, camera clicking tourists in designer beach wear.  Not our bag.

We worked our way back to Port Denerau to provision and pick up good friends Cheryl and Jonathan, on vacation from California.  Everything was on track until the engine started making funny noises as we left the marina.  Ruh-roh!  

To cut a long story short, we burnt up a connecting rod bearing as a result of some faulty engine work done by Whiting Power Systems in Auckland.  To date, they haven’t made us fully whole on the situation, and have been, well in my opinion anyway, real WANKERS!  If you are cruising to Auckland and need engine work, I recommend you email me and I will put you on to someone who I know will do a good job and stand behind their work.  

Cheryl and Jonathan were real troopers through the ordeal.

We decided to make the best of an unfortunate situation and go cruising anyway.  We tied the dingy to the stern quarter and used it as a little “tug” to get us in and out of port, and did what one is supposed to do with a sailboat-SAIL!  Now Fiji is not the easiest place to sail due to all the reefs and shoals, but we did just fine with not even a close call or tense moment.  It was great to have some experienced crew on board, and we all had a good time hanging out around Malolo and Castaway Islands.

One of the highlights was a “Shark Dive” out near the barrier reef.  About a hundred divers dropped into the water and assembled at the site.  An old Fijian man (we heard that he died a few weeks later of old age) brought down a box of fish carcasses and hand fed a school of circling sharks.  He hugged them, petted them, stuffed food into their mouths, grabbed their fins, teased them and still managed to come away with a full inventory of digits and appendages.  He had apparently been doing this for many years, and if he could have spoken underwater, would have told us not to try this at home.

Wherever there are sharks there are remora, a little fish that attaches to sharks, whales, mantas and other pelagic fish by means of a suction device on the top of it’s head.  They eat the “leftovers.”  Well, one of these little guys obviously mistook me for a fish and attached itself to my leg (See photo).  When I would stop and look, he would try to hide behind me, reattaching himself when I continued to swim.  I suppose that I didn’t offer enough left over fish bits to keep his interest, so as I headed for the surface twenty minutes later, he headed for fleshier pastures.

After a fun week, Cheryl and Jonathan headed back to reality.com and instead of participating in Musket Cove Race week and the Musket Cove to Port Vila race as we had planned, we began the unpleasant task of repairing Moonshadow’s engine.  After three weeks of endless waiting, long distance phone calls and faxes, more waiting and being lied to and jerked around by Tony Whiting, Cate flew to Auckland to sort things out while I guarded the boat against the coup-ing Fijians.  

Our yacht insurance broker, Nick Cressey got involved and was a huge help to us in Auckland (and this wasn’t even an insurance issue!).  He helped Cate deal with Whiting’s and arranged for an independent engineer to assess the problem.  Huge thanks Nick, and if you don’t have yacht insurance or are looking for better, I’ll give you his details.  Cate did some snooping around and was able to arrange for another secondhand engine to be airfreighted to Fiji, so that we could get out before the onset of cyclone season.  Four days, four greasy hands, four hours of sea trials and countless skinned knuckles and bruises later, Cate and I were under way again.

We made one last shakedown run to Musket Cove, and had a nice farewell dinner to Fiji and all its beautiful people, islands and waters (see photo).

  A huge thanks goes out to local diesel mechanic Dave Bloxham for all his hard work, support and friendship throughout our ordeal.  He and his wife Lynn, Kiwi ex-pats, are wonderful people.  If you are in Fiji and need it fixed, Dave is the man. ( his details are in the yacht help book ).



Passage to Vanuatu



The sailing conditions were not ideal and this was the first double-handed overnight passage for Cate and I, but we were pleased to be moving again after accumulating a lot of perspiration, barnacles, mosquito bites, Hawaiian shirts and marina bills in Port Denarau.  As soon as we popped out of Wilkes Pass, we had 25 knots of wind, gusting 35 knots and 3-5 meter seas, all from due east.  Not great when you want to go due west, but not too bad either.  We gybed our way across, making the 600 mile (on the rhumb line) passage in three days flat.  Cate saw 17 knots on the GPS, while surfing down a wave in a good puff with just white sails.  The trip was lumpy, and we hardly got any sleep for three days, but at least it was safe and quick.



Vanuatu



We arrived at Espiritu Santo Island, know as just “Santo” by the locals, around mid day on a Sunday.  We picked up a mooring just off the Aore Resort, across the channel from the town of Luganville.  The Bossanovas were there to greet us and we all had a nice dinner ashore and a much needed sleep.  The next day we breezed through the Customs check-in in Luganville and began to do a bit of exploring.

Luganville was a US military base during WWII.  It had a large supply depot, aircraft engine repair facility, hospital and R&R resort for our servicemen in the Pacific Theater.  It is the setting for James A. Michener’s book Tales of the South Pacific, which was later made into the movie South Pacific. It was also the home base of Pappy Boyington’s Black Sheep Squadron of Baa Baa Black Sheep TV show fame.  There is a lot of history there, and a lot of it is still there to see.

  This area is strewn with artifacts from WWII.  The most famous is the wreck of the President Coolidge.

The Coolidge was one of American President Lines new luxury passenger ships that was commandeered by the US military and converted to a troop carrier.  In 1942 she sailed into Luganville without benefit of a last minute dispatch informing her skipper of the route to take to avoid the mines protecting the harbor entrance.  She found a “friendly mine” (now that’s an oxymoron) and was holed.  The skipper careened her in an attempt to save the ship.  Before sliding back into deeper water, rolling onto her port side and sinking, more than 5000 men made an orderly disembarkation from the ship, with only two fatalities.  

Today, the Coolidge is one of the most famous diveable wrecks in the world and we had the opportunity “drop in” and visit her three times while we were in Luganville.  In addition to a lot of well preserved war artifacts, there remains some of the finery of a luxury cruise ship of that era, including some beautiful mosaic tile work and “The Lady,” which is a porcelain bust of a lady and a unicorn.

We also dove on “Million Dollar Point” which is a huge dumping site for the construction equipment sent to Santo to build the military base.  When the US left Luganville, they offered the equipment to the French/English condominium government for 8 cents on the dollar.  Thinking that the “stupid Yanks” would leave their gear their either way, the then New Hebrides Government declined the offer.  The Americans pushed all the equipment into the sea, leaving a rusty junkyard, and interesting dive site off one corner of the island.  Neener neener neener.

While in Luganville, we ran into old cruising friends Helen and Jim from Go West.  They sailed into Luganville, found their utopia and decided to call it home.  Helen and Jim were most gracious in showing us around and suggesting where to go and what do while we were in Santo.  They are currently developing a resort on the lovely little Island of Aore, across the channel from Luganville.  They have some great plans, and it is a spectacular location.  We can’t wait to see it progress!

By far the highlight of our visit to Santo was the “Man Bush Tour.”  Now I’m not much for tours, but this one was a real hoot.  

We were picked up at 0800 by our guide, a New Zealand Maori in a Toyota ute (pickup) with a wooden bench seat added to the bed and plywood sun shade.  He gave us a history of the island and drove us through the countryside past many old W.W.II bunkers and other artifacts.

We then went to a “custom” (where the natives live according to the ancient customs) Ni-Vanuatu village.  We met the chief and some of the other village people, toured their homes made of grass and sticks, and had a peek at their way of life. These people live almost as they have for thousands of years so a walk through their village was like a walk through history.  A real National Geographic moment (see photo).

Next, we were off to a large private cattle ranch.  The road, a gross exaggeration of the word, was about as rough as any I had been on.  Our guide skillfully negotiated his way into the hills, taking us deep into the jungle.  We parked and hiked about a quarter mile to a gaping hole in the ground with a ladder leading to the bottom.  At the bottom, there was a spring running through a mud and sandstone cave.  We walked upstream a bit until there was no more headroom.  There we donned our dive masks and with flashlight in hand, pulled ourselves upstream along an underground line to another chamber about 30 feet further in.  A bit scary, especially for those of us who are at all claustrophobic, but quite beautiful once we were in the next room.  Our guide said they discovered the cave when they were hunting wild pig one day.  A hunting dog fell in the hole so they lowered a guy down with a rope to rescue him.  Good dog!

After doing the whole process in reverse, we headed for a small river that cut it’s way through the jungle.  Once there, we were given the choice of jumping in from the bridge (40 feet) or the bank (10 feet).  Most of us chickens opted for the shorter plunge.  We regrouped downstream a bit and began a wild drift for about a mile down the swift jungle river.  The native bush, bird life and sculpted river banks were nothing less than spectacular and the ride refreshing and exhilarating.  This was sort of a Tarzan moment and even though we were told nothing would harm us, we couldn’t help but keep checking the water for crocodiles and piranha.

  We popped out where another tributary cascaded into our stream.  Amazingly, we could quite easily walk up the cascade without slipping, as the distinct lack of algae growth on the rocks afforded us a grip worthy of Spider Man.  We hiked up stream a ways, while our guide pointed out a variety of native plants and their various uses to the custom Ni-Vanuatu people.

With the end of the cruising season closing in on us, it was necessary to get moving.  We had a leisurely fifty mile sail from Santo to the eastern tip of Ambe Island, where we anchored in an extinct volcanic cone bordered by a quaint native village that looked like something off the cover of a Martin Denny album.

The following day we had a short sail across the channel to Maewo Island and the gorgeous Asanvari anchorage.  

We had heard wonderful things about this place from Cindy and Tim on Total Devotion who loved the place so much that they decided to tie the knot, then and there, a month or so earlier curing their visit.  It is a beautiful spot and a perfect place for a quiet, romantic wedding.

We were only able to spend four days there, but hope to return next season for a longer visit.  Chief Nelson welcomed us all to his “Yacht Club,” which was a grass shack with a few benches around the perimeter, a couple of tables, and some old yacht club burgees hanging from the rafters.  He arranged a dinner, custom dancing and a kava party for us.  Unlike Fijian kava which looks, tastes like and has about as much of a narcotic effect as dirty diswhater, the kava in Vanuatu is “the real thing” (see photo).  One “shell” (they serve it up in a coconut shell) and I was buzzing.  After the second shell, I was flying at flight level three-five-zero and starting to see in-flight movies.

There were a number of attractions to Asanvari.  In addition to being a well protected anchorage with crystal clear water, there was a network of what the Ni-Vanuatu call “roads” (dirt paths) that connected all the quaint, tidy little villages of the area, making for some excellent hiking and sightseeing.  There was a huge coral bommie on one side of the anchorage that was an excellent dive and spearfishing venue.  We were able to pop a couple of nice fish, one of which we gave to Chief Nelson for his table.  One of the villagers had a small bakery and was happy to deliver us fresh bread each morning in his dugout canoe.  Our favorite feature was the double pool, cascading stream that went right into the cove.  It was a real treat for us to pop over there each morning for a fresh spring water shower under the waterfall after our morning coffee.  Special anchorages like Asanvari make us think, yes, this is why we sailed for thousands of miles-to get here, to an unbelievable place like this.

It was now time to head southeast towards Port Vila, our jumping off point to New Caledonia.  The good news is that Vanuatu is fairly free of off lying reefs, which makes navigation relatively easy, compared to Fiji.  The bad news is that the island chain is situated more or less from northwest to southeast, and the predominant winds are east to southeast trade winds.  Its great if you are heading from Port Vila to the northern islands, but can be a real bash if you are doing the opposite, as we were. One must pick the right weather conditions and move with them.

  The weather was fairly settled, so we headed south to Pentacost Island for an overnight stop.  While snorkeling late in the afternoon, we found a nice drop-off with some strong current running by it.  There were all kinds of large and potentially yummy fish-coral trout, grouper, sweetlips and walu (Spanish mackerel) to shoot at.  I managed to thread a large (30 LB) walu, which somehow managed to escape the barb on the end of my spear.  Bugger!!  Then a few sharks showed up and the party was over real fast.  Pasta for dinner.

The next day we had some light air so pressed on further south to Lamen Bay on the island of Epi.  Lamen Bay has a very friendly resident dugong (similar to a manatee or sea cow) that is quite friendly to swimmers but scared to death of outboard motors.  We got a few glimpses of her, and while we were swimming over for a closer look, the  yachties next to us fired up their outboard (they obviously hadn’t read the cruising guide) and attempted a high speed dinghy approach.  We never saw hide nor fin of her again, but enjoyed a nice sunset drink and a great inexpensive meal at the local guest house on shore.  

A couple of days in Lamen Bay and it was time to head to Vila.  Other than getting whacked pretty good by a strong breeze and some real square seas coming around Devil’s Point (I wonder why they call it that?) in to Mele Bay (Port Vila), the trip was relatively easy.

Port Vila is quite hip little enclave with chic cafes and restaurants, boutiques, luxury hotels, casinos, golf courses, inexpensive duty free shopping, a yacht club and some other nice amenities for yachties.  Vila has a very strong French influence, evident in the style of clothing, food, architecture as well as the language.  The local TV is broadcast mostly in French.  It’s difficult to comprehend the diversity in lifestyle in the span of just a few miles.  I mean, less than fifty mile away, people are scraping to survive off the land, living in grass huts and wearing grass skirts or penis sheaths.

After a week of the easy life and a few more inexpensive Hawaiian shirts in Port Vila, we got a favorable weather window for the trip to New Caledonia.  We provisioned up, checked out and took on diesel for the short passage (300 odd miles) to Noumea.

We departed on a Saturday afternoon so we could time our arrival at Havana Pass, the eastern channel through the barrier reef leading to Noumea, in the morning with the sun on our backs.  All went well and we were checked into Noumea on the following Monday.  

We were planning on arriving in Noumea in time for the South Pacifica Festival of the Arts.  We made it, but it was quite a disappointment.  Having visited nearly half of the countries represented, we had been exposed to a much greater breadth and depth of art than was exhibited.  The best part was the closing ceremony, during which each country paraded down the beach boulevard and then took the stage for a few minutes of singing and dancing.  When we got tired of standing, we took seats at a nearby beachfront cafe and watched from a distance over a glass of wine.  Yea, now that’s better.

We enjoyed Noumea nonetheless, and found that even with it’s similar French influence, it has quite a different character and attitude from Tahiti and the Society Islands.  The city of Noumea is much cleaner and more well organized, and the beaches with their seemingly endless boardwalks are attractive and clean. There are two excellent marinas with facilities and a very hospitable yacht club.   At latitude 22-1/2 degrees south, Noumea is near the bitter end of the tropics and the weather is noticeably cooler, particularly at night.  It was nice to pull covers over us again.

Although we had little time to do much exploring before we departed for Sydney.  We liked what we saw and wish to return next season.

There were quite a few weather systems running across the Tasman Sea and we listened in while many of our friends on their way to Australia and New Zealand got whacked by rough weather on their passages.  We were hypersensitive to the weather for our own passage south.  Bob McDavitt predicted an excellent weather window for the 1100 mile passage to Sydney, so we seized the opportunity and made a hasty departure.  In hindsight, as usual, he was spot on with his predictions.  Thanks Bob!



MaiTai ~(^..^)

MaiTai is doing OK.  For all of you who have fallen victim to her claws at one time or another, revenge is yours.  She has been diagnosed with an allergy to fish.  That really sucks if you are a cat living on a yacht!  Its Science Diet Chicken flavor for now.  Otherwise, she has just completed her fifth season of sailing and has about 25,000 sea miles under her paws.

Holidays Down Under

The holidays here are noticeably different here than in the States.  Aside from Christmas falling in summer, which I think is quite a nice concept, it is a lot less commercial.  One doesn’t see nearly the same amount of Christmas decorations, vacant lots full of wilting pine trees or massive throngs of power shoppers.  Its just not as big of a deal, which is a pleasant change.  There are lots of parties, barbies (bar-b-ques), casual get-togethers and people heading off for a day at the beach-all good fun.  Kids are out of school and many businesses close for two or three weeks for a summer holiday.

  We plan to spend two days in each of the Hunter Valley and Hawkesbury River wine regions, sampling and educating ourselves a bit on the local drop.  We will return to Sydney and find a vantage point, perhaps our dinghy, for the huge annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display.  To quote an Aussie friend, “the fireworks display is the biggest, and they light up the Harbour Bridge like a coat hanger.”  

After New Years its more contract work for Cate and boat work for me, and we plan to do some cruising to some of the many excellent destinations up and down the New South Wales coastline.

 

Posted in All Cruising Logs, Australia Logs, Fiji, Pacific Ocean Logs, South Pacific Logs, Vanuatu | Comments Off on Fiji, Vanuatu and Sydney, Australia

Landfall in Sydney

Posted on November 12, 2000 by George Backhus

Our last evening at sea was quite pleasant and uneventful. We were able to sail all night and well into the morning on a deep broad reach in gentle seas, making nice speed in the East Australian Coastal Current. This meant good sleep for all the crew. The only drama was keeping an eye out for all the ships coming and goingÊ from Sydney Harbour.

We motorsailed between the heads at around noon local time with a beautiful Sydney skyline and the Harbour Bridge looming in the background. By 1230 were snug on a mooring in the lovely Watson’s Bay. We had a bit of time to tidy up the ship before the arrival of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine people, who ended up being more than an hour late for our appointment. There was a lot of food that wouldn’t be allowed into the country, so we made a last ditch effort to get rid of as much as possible. We had a bag of beautiful frozen California strawberries that were doomed to confiscation by Quarantine. Hang on, get out the blender and the rum – “voila!,” strawberry daiqueries!

Once on board, the Australian officials were professional, efficient and we completed the process of checking in in about 45 minutes.

We’re still not sure if MaiTai will have to “do time” in quarantine, but as of this writing, she is still on board awaiting her sentencing from the local authorities.

Bossanova arrived about two hours behind us, also checked in and we all had dinner on shore at an excellent seafood restaurant. Since it was a fishless passage, we were up for it.

Our crew, Clarisse was up at 0500 this morning to head off to Brisbane to make two films about the Great Barrier Reef. We were very lucky to find her on short notice, and she turned out to be excellent Moo-crew.Ê Hopefully she will be back for another passage in the future.

We’re off this morning to Pyrmont Bay Marina near the city center. Then we start the process of dealing with all those little administrative things that have piled up since we left Auckland last May. We have also amassed pretty big “to do” and “to get” lists, not to mention a lot of dirty laundry. We will be busy!

 

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Noumea to Sydney, Day 3

Posted on November 8, 2000 by George Backhus

While you were watching election returns, the weather gods were serving us up a smorgasbord of conditions.

Since the last writing, we have had calm winds, 30 knot winds, calm seas, 3 to 4 meter seas, squalls with torrential rain, lightning, warm sunny periods, and just about everything in between. While variety may be the spice of life, this variety at sea means lots of exercise and not much sleep for the crew. We have set sails, killed the engine, reefed sails, struck sails, started the engine, shaken out reefs, etc. constantly since last night. All this while trying to get an hour or so of sleep and a meal down here and there. No complaints, just part of the game, and I never did care much for election returns anyway. The lightning show was pretty cool. The flashes were all contained in the cloud cells and I heard no thunder. Must be the Aussie variety.

As of this afternoon things started to stabilize as we sailed closer to a high situated in the South Tasman Sea. We are now close reaching into 12-15 knot south-southeast winds and averaging 8 knots towards our waypoint at the entry of Port Jackson (Sydney). We haven’t had to do any sail handling for at least two hours. Whew!

It has been too rough, and we’ve been too busy to fish.

At around 2 PM this afternoon, we reached our half way point, so we have less than 550 miles to go to Sydney. Our noon to noon run put us 171 miles closer to the mark, and our present Lat/Lon is 28 00 south and 158 51 east. At last check, “Bossanova” was motor sailing a lower and more comfortable course in light winds about 35 miles behind us. David doesn’t want us to sail into Sydney Harbor first, so let’s just see what he’s got up his sleeve.

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