d'Albora's Action Project: AUS 360 Blog Update
Presented by Pivotel
Afternoon All,
I have wind.... Yes its so exciting after drifting for most of yesterday the winds have finally arrived and I have been sailing now in 20 knots NE and NW winds. I am just skirting the edge of a little low pressure system. It does mean that I am close hauled so my life is now on a 45 degree angle which generally makes most things more difficult but all in all I am just happy to be moving and even making almost course with the current winds.
I sailed past Fraser Island today and have just cleared the sandy cape at the Northern tip and I can only just make out smudges of land in the distance. The Plan is to now sail directly North to the upper right corner of the Great Barrier Reef and from there I will turn left towards Cape York. I ummed and arhhed about if I should sail inside the reef or outside but in the end I opted for outside as it is simply the safest course to sail as it limits my exposure to traffic and as I will likely be keeping a safe distance from the actual reef. It also minimises my exposure to the reefs and islands until I need to enter at the Northern End at Rain Island.
Traditionally I would also start getting the ESE Trade winds that blow from here on however as is my luck with the weather at the moment I am sailing into lighter winds as there is a high pressure system that has pushed a little further north and is now going to make that section of the trip much more difficult with fickle winds. For now the forecast is to stay with the 20 knots of NW winds through the night with another light patch due tomorrow so for now I will just focus on making as many miles as I can in the right direction. So I have just been on deck to shorten the sail area by putting a reef in the main sail and I am sailing off my small jib the J3. I also just needed to avoid 2 container ships on their way south but now the ocean looks clear at least for a while.
Overall I am still feeling pretty good about the whole trip, I feel like I have settled into life at sea again well and I even managed to get a few extra naps in this morning so I almost feel rested. I will be even more happy when I have cleared the Great Barrier Reef as this for me is what I see as one of the larger challenges of the trip just because of the tricky navigation. Its also getting more warm and I am wondering just how hot it will be up North as the boat is already a sweat box. I have a small mat so when weather permits I will likely camp on deck to get some cooler airs.
Anyway thats it from me for now.
Thanks to the following Sponsors for all their continued support: d’Albora Marinas, Pivotel B&G, Australian Geographic, Zhik , Park Fuels, Karver, 3M, White Bay 6 Marine Park, and Great Circle Life Raft
