NOUMEA TO BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
One hundred and thirty eight miles to go before we complete our circumnavigation- yeah!!
Although I have a feeling the last 40 miles will be quite memorable and not for the right reasons. The weather forecast is predicting 25 knot winds from the south just as we get into Morton Bay – so it looks as if we are going to have the tide and the wind against us as we complete our four and half year journey, not a pleasant thought as Morton Bay can be quite tricky in those conditions.
The 800 mile journey from Noumea to Brisbane didn’t start well as the first 2 days we had 25knots ESE winds and huge seas. We reduced our sails to a furled jib just to try and keep the boat from bouncing around too much and we still were going at 7knots.
It wasn’t long before Penny and I were feeling a little green around the gills, it’s the first time for a long time we have felt like that. Anyway the seas have now calmed down and in the last couple of days we have been back into cruising mode – sleeping, watching movies, reading books and watch keeping.
All very boring until…. the topping lift broke in the middle of the night causing the boom to drop onto the roof and smashing one of the solar panels. We managed to rig another one using the spinnaker halyard to hoist the boom. Then it jammed around one of the pulleys and we couldn’t drop the main. We eventually sorted the problem and both agreed that when at sea boredom was good!!
We are now down two reefs in the main as the rest of the sail is completely stuffed with 3 large tears in it. Hopefully it will last us another 24 hours!!