AHOY! Sailing Australia & The South Pacific- October 2022

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND CRUISING YACHT HAVEN

Located ON Brisbane's Moreton Bay, Scarborough Marina provides visiting yachts with easy access to the many anchorages and the islands of Moreton Bay, including Moreton Island and the Tangalooma Wrecks. The City of Brisbane and the Brisbane international airport are only 40mins away, with Public Transport right at our door. The suburb of Scarborough is home to families and retirees who form part of the safe & friendly community. With the convenience of waterfront Cafes, Clubs & Restaurants plus major shopping centres and medical services nearby and our popular weekend farmers & craft markets, Scarborough really is a home away from home!

Recognised by the international cruising community as the preferred destination when visiting the Brisbane Region.

Safe Enclosed Harbour Protected from swell & unaffected by flooding. Clean, Modern & Well Maintained Facilities Modern Cruisers Lounge with TV and free WIFI Electronic gated Access, with 24 Hour CCTV Monitoring Hour Fuel Wharf Boatyard with 35 Tonne Travelift Chandlery

Down Under Rally Prize Draw

Latitude

Louisiades

By Steve and Jody s.v Enavigo

Latitude Louisiades

“Steve and Jody set off from Southampton, U.K., in June 2016, for an around-the-world adventure in their Grand Soleil 45, SV Enavigo.

The journey so far has taken them across the English Channel to Europe, into the Mediterranean, and then across the Atlantic to Trinidad and Tobago. They sailed up the Caribbean chain, up and down the eastern seaboard of the US from Maine to the Florida Keys, then over to Cuba. From there, it was Grand Cayman, the San Blas Islands, through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific.

After cruising in the Galápagos, the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Tonga, New Zealand, Fiji, and Vanuatu, they joined the 2019 Go West Rally in New Caledonia to Bundaberg. Having spent 2.5 years in Australia due to Covid travel restrictions, they are finally on their way again, heading back to the U.K. via Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.”

“Where are you planning to go after Australia?” was the question we were asked by the owner of a powerboat we met whilst tied up to the public dock in Brisbane. We said, "Papua New Guinea (PNG) and then Indonesia." "Are you going to the Louisiades?” he asked. We’d never heard of the Louisiades, but the more he told us about them, the more intrigued we became. And then, the more we researched them, an alternate plan began to form. Now we just had to wait until the borders opened and people were able to start moving around again. Cairns was the logical departure port, and we arrived there in late May, expecting to leave in June. We applied for our visas online without any problems, but they took about two weeks to be processed. It was now mid-June, and we’d just missed a good weather window. So we waited... Enavigo

Cairns Marlin Marina

Steve & Jody

Cairns Marlin Marina

Latitude Louisiades

Strong southeast wind warnings for the Coral Sea were nearly continuous for over three weeks, which was extremely frustrating. We only needed to get about halfway across before entering a more moderate weather system.

Finally, we decided to go for it in the second week of July. It still looked a bit dicey in the middle of the Sea, but less than it had been. We started with two reefs in the main, which was a good decision.

THE PASSAGE:

Day 1, we had 15 20 knots, SE to ESE; a beam reach, a bit lively but tolerable.

On Day 2, the wind increased to 20 25, backed to a steady ESE, and was now forward of the beam. The boat began leaping about; there was about a 2 metre swell, with wind driven chop on top. Uncomfortable, especially since we were only getting our sea legs back from being stranded by Covid for so long!

We suffered for about 20 hours, then on Day 3, we sailed into the new weather pattern 12 knots and sunny! We shook out the reefs, and although the wind was still from the ESE, it turned into an enjoyable sail. We entered the Louisiade Archipelago through the Duchateau Passage and anchored at Panuwabobaiana Island just before sunset. The passage took three days and 9 hours.

We suffered for about 20 hours, then on Day 3, we sailed into the new weather pattern 12 knots and sunny!

We shook out the reefs, and although the wind was still from the ESE, it turned into an enjoyable sail.

Latitude Louisiades

We were the first yacht they’d seen in 5 years due to the pandemic, and we received a steady stream of visitors throughout the day as they paddled out to the boat in their outrigger canoes.

The Louisiades are virtually a cashless economy; islanders rely on visiting yachts to trade fruit and vegetables for goods that are hard to source due to their isolation.

We traded rice, sugar, flour, noodles, fishing hooks and line, laundry soap, and instant coffee sachets for bananas, papaya, limes, coconuts, green beans, eggplant, eggs, and sweet potato. It was a good trade, as most of our fresh produce from Australia was gone. We were also asked for pens, paper, clothes, tools, and batteries.

Bagaman Island Anchorage

"Bagaman Island has a well-sheltered, north-facing anchorage and was our initial encounter with the locals."

Visiting canoes

Latitude Louisiades

Chief Gulo & Friends visiting Enavigo

Steve playing catch with the local kids at Bagaman Island

Chief Gulo gave us a village tour, and we signed his guest book. He asked for a newspaper; fortunately, we still had a copy of the Weekend Australian on board.

Latitude Louisiades

With time being of the essence, we needed to keep moving. Our plan was to sail from Bagaman Island to Panasia, where the pass through the reef required good visibility. As luck would have it, a nasty squall hit with heavy rain, and we couldn’t see 200 metres ahead of us! So we diverted to Motorina Island and anchored in Riman Bay, on the northwest side. This anchorage had a bit of a swell running through it, which made it a tad bouncy, but it had to do.

Almost immediately, the villagers came to visit. Anna, with her daughter Lucy, came with oranges and asked for a needle, thread, and paracetamol for her husband, Johnson, who had been injured. Matthew came by with greens, potato, and a bush egg, which was at least twice the size of a hen’s egg. He asked about watching a movie, so the following night we had about 15 kids sitting in the cockpit watching “Hook” on the laptop! They all got back into their canoes and rowed ashore in the dark when it was over. No health and safety issues here!

Our Welcoming Silau

Movie Night Feature Film 'Hook' in the Cockpit of Enivago

Latitude Louisiades

The next day, William and his wife and son came on board for coffee and afterwards, we went ashore and got a tour of their garden spinach, tapioca, and yam. We had two invitations to dinner while at Motorina Anna and Johnson and William and family consisting of cooked chicken yam, served with a chicken and coconut broth. (Although our hosts sat with us, they did not eat with us. Then, once we had finished, they wrapped up the leftovers for us to return to the boat ) The mobile phone came out for pictures and selfies, a big hit

Saturday was Sports Day at the school on the island's north side, and William and Johnson invited us to attend. There were four soccer games and women’s netball. We had a tour of the school and were given chairs to sit and watch the games. We felt like royalty as everyone else sat around on the ground. We were also given fresh coconut to drink and some passionfruit to take back to the boat.

Dinner with William & his family

Motorina Primary School

"What You Learn Is What You Read"

Latitude Louisiades

The following day the weather was fine as we approached Panasia, and the entrance through the reef was easy to see.

This was a beautiful anchorage and very well-sheltered. There was only one house on the beach where John and his family live. John needed some fuses and a USB cigarette charger. Glynne, his wife, had a swollen knee, so we gave her some ibuprofen. In return, we were treated to a delicious lobster tail dinner!

The next day, we took the dinghy around to the other side of the island, where there is a large limestone cave.

We didn’t know exactly where it was, so we beached the dinghy at the village and soon had the local children guide us.

When we returned to the boat, Mackenzie, wife Janet and son Norman sailed over from Little Panasia with giant clam meat. He needed canvas, sail repair material, fuses, and cable. We gave what we could.

Another stream of visitors brought papaya, fish, and a beautiful nautilus shell, which we exchanged for sewing needles and shampoo.

Sadly, we had to decline another invitation to dinner for the following day, as we needed to be on our way.

"Another stream of visitors brought papaya, fish, and a beautiful nautilus shell, which we exchanged for sewing needles and shampoo."

Panasia Anchorage

Latitude Louisiades

We left Panasia via the Cormorant Channel. There was no wind, but lots of flying fish and dolphins. Nivani is part of the Deboyne Island group, and a Japanese Zero from WWII was ditched there. It is nearly intact and lies in about 2-3m of water, making for an easy snorkel. It’s now home to lots of colourful fish. We then moved to Panapompom to anchor for the night. More visitors, more greens and some chillies.

The next morning, there was a nice breeze, so we took advantage of it and started our 400+ nm passage to Rabaul.

There were many islands in the Louisiade archipelago that we didn’t get to, mainly because we didn't want to go further east, given the prevailing wind and time constraints. It is a beautiful cruising ground where one could easily spend six weeks cruising.

The people are lovely; we were never harassed, and nothing was stolen.

We felt woefully underprepared to meet their needs. We wished we’d brought clothes (especially children’s clothes) from the charity shops, batteries, and old tools from the market. We had a wonderful experience and encourage other yachties to make the journey. It’s well worth it.

Steve & Jody

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CRUISING VANUATU

By Richard Chesher, Rocket Cruising TWO ISLANDS

PART TWO CRUISING VANUATU’S CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ISLANDS

In the September AHOY we explored the Southern islands of Vanuatu and Efate. This month, let’s continue on to the Central and Northern Vanuatu Islands.

Once you have completed your shopping and exploration in Port Vila, toured the island of Efate, obtained your outisland sailing permit from Customs and extended your one-month immigration status, it’s time to continue your cruise north through the Vanuatu islands.

You'll want to plan your cruise through the central and northern islands of Vanuatu so you can attend one or more of the festivals. The dates when they are held and the kind of festival vary each year and can change unexpectedly, so when you are in Port Vila, stop by the Vanuatu Tourism Office to find out the latest festival news.

THE CENTRAL ISLAND GROUP

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

Yachts leave HAVANNA HARBOUR on Efate and either day hop north via EMAE ISLAND or sail 51 nautical miles to Revolieu Bay on EPI ISLAND and then on to Lamen Bay, a favorite anchorage for yachts.

Both Epi anchorages have good holding and are reasonably calm except in Westerly winds.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

The Rocket Cruising Guide offers suggested GPS routes between island groups, and you'll see these in more detail when you zoom in by clicking on a region or an island.

From Epi you'll plan your cruise north through the central island group.

CRUISING

THIS IS DAY SAILING AT ITS BEST!

Plenty of deep water, few offshore hazards, and lots of good anchorages with a genuinely wonderful, welcoming culture. You'll decide which way to go depending on if you want to attend a particular festival, how long you have available if you intend to return to Port Vila or clear out in Luganville, and the wind forecasts.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

The rich cruising grounds of Vanuatu’s north central island group.

MALEKULA - VANUATU’S SECOND LARGEST ISLAND.

You'll want to go to Ambrym to see the volcano and the traditional magic. Ambrym's art and dance emerge from the ecology of a live volcano; powerful, primitive, and potent. The annual traditional dance at Southwest bay in August is simply amazing.

There are 5 major art forms, sand drawings, tam tam drums, magic rocks, fern tree carvings and the holistic blend of costumes, movements and surroundings of Ambrym's Rom Dance. You can see the artwork anytime, but the Rom Dance only takes place during the Back to My Roots Festival in August. Yachts are welcome to attend and there is a per person fee for most Vanuatu festivals. The people in rural Vanuatu have very few ways of earning cash and contributing to the villagers by attending the festivals is the best possible way to offer some financial assistance.

The Rom Dance during the Back to My Roots festival on Ambrym.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

Malekula has more good anchorages than any other Vanuatu island, annual festivals, wilderness walks and a diverse and interesting culture. The east coast, from the Maskaline Islands in the South to Vao island in the north, has 22 anchorages, and there are nine anchorages on the southern and western coasts.

CRUISING

PENTECOAST AND MAEWO - THE EASTERN CENTRAL ISLANDS

Pentecoast and Maewo - the eastern central islands - are great to explore if the winds are SE to E, but the anchorages are totally exposed to the west so when you are cruising there, you'll need to keep a close watch on the weather.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

If a cold front is approaching and winds are expected to shift counterclockwise through the north and then blow hard from the west, use the cruising guide to pick out the nearest anchorage with protection from the north and west winds and get moving right away

CRUISING

ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU’S LARGEST ISLAND

Espiritu Santo has lots of good anchorages protected from westerly winds. Santo is Vanuatu's largest island and Luganville is the second largest city and a port of entry.

When you arrive in Luganville, you need to check in with Customs and Immigration The Rocket guide shows you exactly where they are located and how to get to them.

Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island has excellent anchorages and truly fascinating experiences ashore and underwater.

Luganville Harbour on Santo is a port of entry and you need to go see Customs and Immigration even if you cleared into Port Vila or Lenakel.

After checking in with the authorities you can resupply with food from the village market or one of the supermarkets in Luganville.

If you need a lot of fuel, you can, if there is a calm spell or winds from the north, tie up to the commercial wharf and have a tanker bring the fuel, but if you don't need much fuel, you can bring your own containers to the service station in town and fill them there.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU’S LARGEST ISLAND

Thereareveryfewplaces toanchoraround Luganvilleandyachts oftengototheprotected northcoastofAOREisland andgetamooringatAore ResortorAoreAdventure SportsandLodge. AoreResorthasashuttle soyoucangotoLuganville foraday’sshopping.Or,if youhaveagooddinghy, youcanmotoracrossto Luganvilleyourself.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

Moorings at Aore Adventure Sports and Lodge in recommend the a fun trek a there is a the the Village tour on Santo

CRUISING

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

THE BANKS AND TORRES ISLANDS

Gaua is 48 nautical miles from Port Orly, Santo. Gaua is thought to be the first island settled in Vanuatu some 4000 years ago. It is a live volcano with a lake in one of the craters and the largest waterfall in the Pacific Islands; a great two day trek from Losalava anchorage.

Vanua Lava is only 16 nautical miles north of Gaua and you'll want to head for Sola, on the east side of the island. Sola is an official port of entry and the district centre for the Banks Islands.

You can organize a trek to the top of the volcano, a visit to the Sulfur river to see crocodiles, or do some limited shopping.

Visiting the very remote Banks and Torres Islands is such an interesting & rewarding experience.

CRUISING

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

THE BANKS AND TORRES ISLANDS

Uriparapara is even more remote and the Lorup bay anchorage is actually inside the volcano crater. While you are looking at the anchorage on the Rocket Guide, be sure to click on the bottle with the note inside for a fascinating story about the yacht Bamboo Free.

"The yacht Bamboo Free’s amazing encounter at Ureparapara is something the islanders there will never forget."

From Uriparapara you can go 56 nautical miles west to the Torres islands or 22 nautical miles South to Waterfall Bay on the west side of Vanua Lava, and then begin planning your return to Luganville and/or Port Vila.

Snake dancers at Rah Island, only 10 nautical miles NNE of Sola. If you call ahead the Rah Paradise Bungalows will organize traditional dancing and lunch.

CRUISING VANUATU

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

During your adventures in Vanuatu you will, no doubt, make friends with some of the villagers and find anchorages you really enjoy and want to return to again.

You'll also discover you just can't go to all the places you'd like to explore and do all the things you'd like to do in one cruising season. The next time you return to Vanuatu you'll have a much better idea of where to go and what to do. It's always like that; the second time you go you'll be ahead of the game

The Rocket Cruising and Travel Guides offer you the perfect way to experience Vanuatu so when you arrive for the first time it will be like you ’ ve been there before.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Richard and Freddy Chesher have cruised the South Pacific since 1976 aboard their Kelly Peterson 44 Cutter Moira. They were residents of Vanuatu from 1997 to 2005 and are now residents of New Caledonia Richard is a PhD marine scientist, and Freddy is a professional photographer.

Together they created the Rocket Cruising and Travel guides to New Caledonia and Vanuatu in 2000 (5 years before Google Earth existed) and have updated the guides continuously with the latest information.

The guides are interactive programs not books and work on Windows or Macintosh computers (not Ipads or Android tablets) Rocket Guides offer thousands of full-colour, high-resolution images from space, professional aerial surveys, drones, and surface and underwater images illustrating an encyclopedic amount of detailed and carefully surveyed information on every aspect of cruising and tourism in both countries.

By Richard Chesher Rocket Cruising Guides

Th i Yachting wallmarina,lotsofswingmoorings,laundry,servicedapartments, ghy wharf, WiFi Internet, and a They are also happy to assist with cht and air freight, trash disposal, and friendly on cruising

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Extreme Weather Warnings

Avoid Getting Caught Out This Storm Season !

When doing a quick check on the weather forecast, it is easy to miss the indicators which can often signal extreme weather, even when the averaged forecasted conditions are benign.

To ensure you do not miss these extreme weather events, PredictWind now has alerts on the forecast pages and a new GMDSS weather warning overlay on the forecast maps

THE FOLLOWING KEY INDICATORS ARE INTENDED TO ALERT YOU OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS:

Lightning Index

Cape Index for Thunderstorms

Rain Squalls

High Gusts

Fog Wind Chill Wind against current Tropical Cyclones

PredictWind Users are able to see the above warnings throughout the PredictWind ecosystem.

FORECAST TABLES:

The potential for extreme weather is shown in a new row called “Warning”. If an event is predicted, it is shown with a warning symbol.

The extreme weather feature, exclusive to PredictWind, has been created to give maximum safety on the water.

Extreme Weather Warnings

DAILY BRIEFING:

FORECAST MAPS & GMDSS WEATHER WARNINGS:

You can now view the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) weather warnings overlaid on any of our weather maps. The text forecasts are analysed in the PredictWind cloud using machine learning. Then each weather system, front and warning region is plotted accurately on the map, giving you a world-first, global view of the GMDSS forecast.

Extreme Weather Warnings

Avoid Getting Caught Out This Storm Season

WEATHER ROUTING:

In the weather routing tables, you will see the extreme events marked with a warning symbol.

In addition, on the weather routing map, you will also see the extreme events highlighted in orange, ensuring you are alerted to possible extreme weather events.

The GMDSS overlay can also be displayed on the weather routing pages.

BOAT INSURANCE CAN BE OVERWHELMING!

Understanding what insurance cover, you need for your Boat can be complex, particularly as boats generally are very diverse assets, largely dependent upon the individual owner. It can be devastating if you get it wrong, so it does pay to have an Insurance Broker on your side who knows Boats and Boat Insurance.

As your Insurance Broker, I work for you, not the Insurers. Utilising my 25 years of Marine Underwriting experience in Boat Insurance, I’ll take the hard work out of getting the right cover for you, arrange the policy and manage the administration of any claims if and when you need to claim

By Rod & Christine s v Pneuma

FISHING CATCHING ON PASSAGE

By Rod & Christine s v Pneuma

Fishing is one of the most popular topics that are discussed over a sundowner or two at the end of a passage. A lot of cruisers fish whilst on passage but by comparison, only a few actually do any catching!

We have had some success ourselves over the years but I would define our success as inconsistent. On the other hand, Rod & Christine of s.v Pneuma, who have participated in the Beyond The Barrier Rally in 2021 & again in 2022, consistently catch fish whilst on passage whilst others who are cruising in the same location at the same time do not. So I asked Rod & Christine if they would share some of their secrets to success...

We were absolute novices at fishing when we first brought in a marlin off Shute Harbour onto the tramp of our previous boat (a Farrier trimaran). We are still by no means experts, but we are happy to share our methods which are the result of persistence & a lot of learning by trial & error (read plenty of trials and errors!) in our delightful Schionning catamaran PNEUMA over the past two years.

Typically we are cruising along at 7-9 knots in a decent breeze, and suddenly the “zing” of the line going out causes the relatively passive event of having our lines out turn into action overload. What an adrenaline rush with the expectation of a feast that evening and fish to share with others!

We generally have 2 rods in holders rigged with 50lb+ strength line to a quality ball swivel, to 70+cm wire trace, and always a red and white ’Qantas’ lure with double, triple hooks on one rod and a suitably sized different lure on the other rod.

s.v Pneuma Beyond The Barrier Rally 2022

Just one of the many fish Rod & Christine shared with the fleet

FISHING CATCHING ON PASSAGE

By Rod & Christine s v Pneuma

THE 'ZING' OF THE LINE IS OUR CALL TO ACTION WHICH GOES LIKE THIS.

1. BEGIN THE PROCESS OF SLOWING THE BOAT DOWN. If on the wind, release the mainsheet and set the auto helm to wind mode and hold the boat sailing on an eased headsail alone between 2 4 knots, ideally around 40 deg apparent and ensure the boat is stable and adjust wind angle heading to attain slow, If sa only then is go days freez If the blank the m cons any i

2. BEGIN THE WRESTLE WITH THE FISH. Plan equip harne dong strap wrest speed We av relati bring other

FISHING CATCHING ON PASSAGE

3. BEGIN REELING IN THE FISH.

With our vessel managed, we begin reeling in the fish adjusting boat speed and direction as required keeping the fish below the surface and behind the boat.

When the fish is finally near the boat, and over its panic at seeing the boat, Christine takes over with the rod with a softened drag to avoid the shortened line breaking and sits further back from the transom, still reeling in whilst Rod is holding the line and keeping the fish to the outside of the boat with gaff ready.

If the fish runs again or goes frantic, let it run as too often this is where we have lost such wonderful fish.

4. GAFFING & DISPATCHING THE FISH.

This we don’t find easy, nor is it at all enjoyable. We go for the top of the fish (not the underside) up to 1/3rd length from its mouth, ideally in the head, yet the speed of the boat and thrashing of fish makes it difficult

Once the fish is gaffed, the rod is reattached to its tether and placed back into the rod holder One of us will stun the thrashing fish by hitting it on its head behind the eyes with a baton whilst it is already beginning to bleed out, hopefully from the gaff injury, or by a sharp knife into its head The bucket is tethered, and fish tethered by a tail fin in the bucket or across the transom steps when it’s a big one. We try to bleed the fish tail up by first slitting it behind the gills, then kept in a bucket with sea water till able to fillet and dispose of the carcass appropriately.

When filleting, we try to keep the blood & mess isolated to the back transom steps by placing a tethered fold up table on the lower step and then sitting up two steps with the fish tethered on the table.

Another good method we’ve heard of in mono’s is to hang the fish up by the tail above a bucket and fillet everything dropping the mess direct into the bucket, which sounds nice, but we can’t do that

By Rod & Christine s v Pneuma

FISHING CATCHING ON PASSAGE

By Rod & Christine Pneuma

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS & SUGGESTIONS

Fish recognition is tricky for newbies like us, so we rely heavily on the use of a handy-sized laminated flip chart with size details, which is significant to keeping our oceans filled with fish in the future.

Fish releasing with long nose pliers or a long-handled hook is another area to become more skilled in to ensure undersized or undesirable fish species aren’t taken.

"Shark hookups have created some hairy moments after a long, disappointing fight where it can be the safest option to lose the lure still attached to the angry, aggressive shark by simply cutting the line!"

FISHING CATCHING ON PASSAGE

By Rod & Christine s v Pneuma

We have also found at times it necessary to bring our lures in when hungry birds are convinced the lures are the real deal and an easy feed, so give it their best shot to dive on the moving lure. Fortunately, we haven’t had a bird strike, but at anchor, we’ve had the rods sitting out in their holders with the lures hooked back up into the eyelets and had a cormorant think he was in for an easy feed and got his webbed foot hooked up Safely released, he flew off a little stunned with a small nick in his foot but able to fly and live another day. Diligently watch out for GBRMP prohibited fishing ‘green zones’ at all times. Keep your maps on the table, and learn how to identify green zones on your chart plotter

Diligently avoid injury at sea, from sharp hooks and fish teeth, fish spines, knives & gaffs, falling overboard, or from one another… Take your time; it’s just not worth it!

We can add up to an hour onto a passage for a fish brought in, so if pushing for time to reach your next destination safely, bring the lines in.

RODSOUT&SAFESAILING!

P.S We have been fortunate to enjoy two Down Under Rally - Beyond The Barrier adventures in May 2021 and May 2022, sailing to incredibly remote destinations in the Coral Sea. The company, snorkelling, weather and fish caught whilst on passage have all added to making these a highlight of our sailing life. Preparing for the rally with John’s valuable courses, advice, experience and eye for detail brought us and the boat up to speed relatively easily. We are looking forward to joining the 2023 Go East Rally to Vanuatu & New Caledonia and some more Catching On Passage ! Cheers, Rod & Christine

Rod&ChristineWhite

Sometimes all the reasons other times for all the right ones, but regardless of why it is memorable, there is pretty much always an entertaining story to tell afterwards.

It can be long or short, funny or scary, informative or entertaining or, as is often the case a little of everything.

Write your story text in a word document or similar. How Many words? Submit as many or as few as it takes to tell the story The pictures tell the story, so the more images that help tell the story, the better

When writing your story, add a line to the text saying 'insert image description' here Make sure the image description is the same as the image file name. Send the images as separate files.

"

The great thing about cruising is that something memorable happens."

Nuclear testing history, shells and no shoes!

By Donna Watson credits Andrew

West Coast Cruising

By Donna Watson Image credits Andrew Maffett

Like many, we had been planning a sailing trip beyond Australia for almost three years – and then COVID hit. Despite being disappointed we couldn’t go as planned to Indonesia, my partner and I decided to explore Western Australia’s vast and remote coastline.

We set off from our home port of Fremantle to the Montebello Islands, off the north coast of Exmouth. The group comprises about 70 limestone and sand islands with good anchorages, surrounded by coral reefs.

The Montebellos are now a conservation reserve rich with animal, plant and marine life we saw wallabies, lizards, quolls, sharks, stingrays, turtles, dugongs, and so many fish!

It’s hard to believe that in the 1950s, three nuclear explosions were detonated here by the British military - including the largest ever detonated in Australia at 95 kilotonnes - as we wander around, the landscape looks untouched. Radiation levels are now considered low but it is suggested that visits to some parts of the islands should be brief.

The “Montys”, as they’re affectionately known, are like nothing I’ve ever seen before The rich marine life contrasts with parts of exploration and explosives infrastructure abandoned after the British nuclear testing. Rusty and twisted metal shells, concrete pads and remnants of railway lines lie scattered at strategic points. One wonders about how the tests were conducted and who was here at the time.

West Coast Cruising

By Donna Watson Image credits Andrew Maffett

There are some who remember those days and recall times when their mates worked at the islands.

Neil and Judy Baker are a couple of characters we met along the way. Neil talked about his friends who had lived and worked at the Montys, many of whom died from cancer.

Neil Baker 83, and his wife Judy, have been collecting shells from nearby island groups for more than 60 years.

They have an incredible collection now housed in a museum in the coastal town of Onslow, not too far from the Montebellos.

The Abrolhos Islands are a convenient half-way point to the Montys, whilst care needs to be taken with navigation as there are many reefs and the area is notoriously windy – so good anchoring is essential!

See "Shire shells out for collection" by Caitlyn Watts Pilbara News Credit: Picture: Chris Lees

“Old Pete, he never wore shoes when he worked there, and he got cancer. The same happened to John and Jim…and there were quite a few others ”

“So, I think it’s a good idea to wear shoes!”

West Coast Cruising

By Donna Watson

Image credits Andrew Maffett

Consisting of 122 low-lying and windswept ironstone islands and rocks surrounded by coral reef, The Abrolhos Islands have a remarkable maritime history, with the reefs having claimed many vessels; the most famous is Batavia with the murder and treachery that ensued. Twenty historic wrecks have been discovered in the island waters.

John Fitzardinge (72) lived on North Island, Abrolhos, for more than half his life.

These days the rock lobster fishing season brings many fishermen to the islands, however, John and his wife Beth were one of the pioneering fishing families back in the 1980s.

“I went there with a mate and his family when I was about 18 and helped them with rock lobster fishing.” “Those were the days" John said. “There were about 25 families, we had sports competitions and a fully licensed bar. We worked hard and played hard.”

Donna

The young fisherman always loved boats and the ocean and built his first small boat in the front yard of his Perth home when he was just nine years old. Schooling in Perth, followed by a short period of studying architecture and surveying, didn’t satisfy his desire to be around fishing and boats so an invitation to visit the Abrolhos with a mate and his family was too good to refuse.

“It was a pretty good life and when I wasn’t catching crayfish, I was drawing boats – designing, I guess My mate’s family liked what I did and struck a deal to build them a boat, which I did, in the front yard I began designing and building boats in the front yard, and with the increasing success of fishing around Dongara, there was more demand for boats, so I built a shed nearby, which is now Dongara Marine ”

The veteran fisherman continued to fish for rock lobster while some of his work involved building boats for clients ranging from WA Police and various search and rescue organisations to offshore supply boat clients in Singapore and Vietnam. These days John drops into the “sheds” at Dongara Marine most days to see how things are going. The company employs more than 35 local people and offers shipwright apprenticeships to young men and women (one young woman had won a scholarship to become a professional dancer in London) and has now swapped her ballet shoes for steel caps, studying to be a shipwright. John continues to take his 50-ft cray boat out for fun and is involved with several fish research organisations around WA.

West Coast Cruising

By Donna Watson

Image credits Andrew Maffett

As we were sailing back down the coast towards Fremantle, I was thinking about sailing, sun, surf… yoga – and how great it is for the soul. I couldn’t believe it when we stopped at Batavia Coast

business Salti Hearts (yoga and surfing retreats for women) for 10 years in Indonesia

This gentle Argentinian soul is now teaching yoga in Geraldton whilst continuing to support her friends and employees in Bali Yeni is continuing to enjoy her “salti livin’” down under and hopes to return to Indonesia when she can.

So, now as we are permitted to venture beyond Western Australia, I’m even more in the mood for yoga, sun, surf, oh, and usually not wearing shoes or anything at all when sailing off the beaten track on our own yacht! our journey on chasing horizons.

Batavia Coast Marina

By Chris Rose

CRUISINGKTHEIMBERLEY Sailing SV No Regrets Four)

Waking up to a perfectly still glassy morning, we launched to drone for a morning flight over Mia Cove to get a bird’s eye view of the spectacular anchorage we had just stayed the night. With a very short motor of only 5 miles we moved a little further north towards Jar Island.

CRUISINGTHEKIMBERLEY

By Chris Rose

There are a couple of significant Aboriginal art sites on the northern and western sides of the island where ancient artworks can be found. Deciding to first anchor directly out from the beach of the northern art site, we took the tender into the white sandy beach between a couple of large rocky outcrops.

After a short 250-metre walk through the spinifex and over the smooth sandstone rocks, the art site can be found under the overhang of a very large rock.

Returning to No Regrets, we up anchor and make our way a little further around to the western side of the island. Great care is required in this uncharted area as there is a significant pearl farm in operation and the pearl lease boundary extends quite close to the western side of Jar Island. There is also a submerged reef on the western side which extends out from the beach quite close to the pearl farm restricting access further. The Kimberly Cruising Yacht Club guide suggests it is safer to anchor just north of this shallow reef, and as we were not intending to stay the night, we chose to keep north and avoid the risk.

Taking the tender to the beach, we followed the meandering path across from the sandy beach, FOUR)

CRUISINGTHEKIMBERLEY

(PART FOUR)

By Chris Rose

The sandy path from the beach soon changed, and we now found ourselves climbing between rocky crevices to reveal a lagoon dotted with mangroves and filled with water. With our concerns about crocodiles very much on the forefront of our minds, especially with many of the risk factors being present in this location, we decided it wasn’t a good plan to wade across in this very remote lagoon.

Climbing back up the rocky ledge, we jumped from rock plateau to rock plateau across crevices that were becoming increasingly deeper as we ventured further around the lagoon. After nearly two hours of rock and crevasse jumping, climbing through treetops extending from the ground up to the top of the rock plateaus, we finally managed to get across the lagoon and climb up to the elevated rock art site.

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY

(PART FOUR)

By Chris Rose

The rock art is located up under the overhangs in an elevated location, spectacularly looking over the lagoon and bay. The artwork is quite extensive and well worth the effort to see.

"After sitting in what seemed like a purpose-built armchair overlooking the bay, you can’t help but wonder how many first nations people have also sat in the chair, taking in the picturesque view over the past 50,000 years."

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY (PART FOUR)

By Chris Rose

Havingbeenhighupandlookingdownuponthelagoonandnotseenanythingsuspicious,the prospectofrockhoppingbackthewaywecameandjumpingoverthedeepcrevices,whichwas quitedangerous,wasnotthatappealingso,itwasdecidedthatcrossingthelagoonmaybeasafer option.

Keepinganeyeout,ourpartyscoutwadedacrosswaist-deepwaterthroughthelagoon50meters totheotherside.Thedistancedoesn’tsoundveryfar,butwhenyouarewadingthroughwastedeep waterinandaroundmangrovetrees,keepingaveryactivelookoutforcrocodiles,itwascertainly furtherthanwereallywantedtobecrossing.

Once our scout was safely across the lagoon with nobody having observed any sign of crocodiles, the rest of the party then made the crossing with the lookout duties now being undertaken from the other side.

There was certainly a sigh of relief from everyone once we were all safely across. As if to remind us that caution must be exercised in the Kimberley and the risks of what we had just done, we spotted a crocodile swimming around the lagoon entrance as we crossed back to the beach.

Although we had assessed the risk and crossed safely, it was certainly possible that a crocodile could have been a little too close for comfort.

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY

(PART FOUR) By Chris Rose

"Exploring many of the sites in the Kimberley requires careful timing around the large tides. The best plan is to head in 2-3 hours before high tide and return 2-3 hours after high tide.

The creeks will have sufficient water to permit motoring in the tender and allow sufficient time to explore the region before the outgoing tide becomes too low to exit.

Being able to sound the depths was an advantage as we could determine the depths and plan to exit the area on a level lower tide than we entered once we had depth sounded a deeper water passage.

It is not a good idea to cut this too fine as getting stuck with an outgoing tide would result in a rather long wait for the tide to return, most likely into the dark with active crocodiles and no escape from the countless biting insects."

Back on No Regrets it was a short 10 nautical mile sail up to Freshwater Bay.

After carefully avoiding the extending reefs and setting the anchor in the middle of the bay, we made a very short trip in the tenders to the first of three freshwater falls and swimming holes, located directly in from the anchorage.

As we navigated our tenders up the mangrove-lined winding creek, we were also carefully keeping an eye out for any lurking crocodiles.

Arriving at the rock bar, we tied up the tender where we planned to return with the outgoing tide a few hours later.

By Chris Rose

Walking up the rocky riverbed, we found several water monitors sunning on the rocks and swimming in the clear freshwater pools.

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY

We discovered that Second Creek has a much tighter entrance where you need to push through the mangroves with your tender. This creek is much smaller and only a tiny plunge hole was found for a squeezy cool off in a pool barely enough for just one person. The creek is still very pretty and walking along in the shade under the trees in the creek bed, wading through the shallow water keeping your legs wet was enjoyable and refreshing.

The following day we continued our tender tour further along the coast to second & third creeks

CRUISING THE KIMBERLEY

UR)

By Chris Rose

A little further west you pass Boab Beach as you head to the third freshwater creek. Passing this lovely beach where we had planned to stop, we spotted several very large and freshly made crocodile tracks. These tracks came out of the water and up around the boab tree before returning into the water. Seeing these multiple fresh tracks left us not feeling quite so keen to land the tender on the water’s edge and explore this beach, so we gave it a miss.

At Third Creek, we made our way up the creek bed, where we found another small swimming hole where the boys had a swim. The ladies, however, were far less impressed with this swimming hole as it was quite shallow and had some algae present. The boys were determined to get in and made the best of it by sweeping the algae and vegetation away.

Having explored 2nd and 3rd Creeks on the same tide, we returned to the tender before the tide had receded too far and we became stuck. That evening we caught up with a couple of fellow cruisers where we exchanged information about anchorages visited and the sights to see over dinner and drinks, which is something we really enjoy as part of the cruising lifestyle.

EASY EASY PEASY PEASY PIZZA PIZZA

Unfortunately there is no pizza delivery at sea, so for Uyears nfortunately there is no pizza delivery at sea, so for years now I have been making pizza using wraps as the nbase. ow I have been making pizza using wraps as the base

One of the most surprised and excited looks I received from Captain and Crew on passage was when I served up pizza for dinner. Food brings with it so much pleasure and can be such a moral booster in the ocean.

Wraps are a versatile, easy to use alternative to bread, they have a long shelf life and make a great Pizza base!

UTENSILS Wraps

Tomato Paste, Pizza Sauce or Tomato Sauce

Italian herb mix (Hoyt’s is a favourite with garlic herbs & spices) INGREDIENTS BASE

METHOD

Cut up small portions of preferred toppings and grate cheese and set aside Spoon 2 tablespoons of Pizza Sauce the middle of the base of the wrap/s & use the back of a soup spoon to spread sauce over the entire wrap base Sprinkle with Italian Herbs

Layer your ingredients of choice, finishing with cheese

Place non stick Frypan on the stove to heat, reduce to 3/4 1/2 Heat

Spray or wipe a small amount of oil in the base of the pan if a not using a non stick frypan

Place fully loaded pizza in frypan and place on the lid Check base with a spatula after 2 min to see if browning. Adjust heat to suit how fast or slow the base is cooking You want to allow at least 5 10 min to cook the top and bottom of the pizza through. Season, Slice, Serve and Enjoy

SUGGESTED TOPPINGS

The best part about Pizza is that you can use pretty much anything. Here are three of our favourites.

DOWN UNDER RALLY MEMBERS DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE VIA THE MEMBERS PORTAL

Tip: oven on high heat or use Grill to brown cheese after frying the pizza.

RUISING THE BOWEN & TOWNSVILLE COASTS

By Greg Luck

HazardBay containsthe OrpheusIsland Lodge,aluxury resort.

Partners &

"I wanted open air and adventure." found it on the sea."