Changing Winds, Days 6 & 7

DAY 6 (Continued)
Monday, September 24, 2012 - Great Sailing Day

After studying our weather information, we left Great Keppel Island on the morning of Day 6, anticipating that we would take advantage of the nice northwest wind that we hoped would blow us south for a few days.  We had a great sail on day 6.  We ran with all of our sails up and filled with 15 - 20 knots of wind and pushing current.

The wind dropped off to less than 10 knots after sunset, and we reluctantly took down the sails and turned on the engine, expecting a shift in the winds from the north to south.  We had a waxing moon and a clearing of clouds right over the boat most of the evening as we headed southward.  The night sky on the horizon of the bow was filled with dark clouds, horizontal and vertical lighting over the land mass ahead.  Needless to say, we weren't excited about moving towards it, but we did.

DAY 7
Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - Winds Shift from North West to South East

I had first watch until 2:00 a.m..  Russ had second watch.  Nothing remarkable transpired through the night, other than the anemometer was spinning around not sure which way to register the wind.  The seas were nearly flat, and lightning ahead calmed down.  By morning, a slight headwind coming from the south, south east and continued to build.

By noon, we were passing by Bundaberg where we could have gone into a marina.  But, we decided to push forward and duck into Great Sandy Strait because the southeast wind forecast for he next couple of days looked brutal on the seas.  We could be stuck in Bundaberg for days until the SE wind and seas settled down.  At least we would be sheltered in Sandy Straits and could still make passage south for a couple of days.

The wind was building, but was only about 10 knots on our nose.  Shortly after 1:00 p.m. the wind increased to 15 knots, then 20.  By 2:00 p.m. we had 30 knots on the nose along with 1.5 meter swells, and 1 meter wind waves.   We had a strong tail current pushing us forward and the winds and waves pushing us back. We were caught between two opposing forces.   The seas were choppy and steep.  Worrall Wind was hobby horsing through them, and the waves washed the decks as she dove into each wave.

I stuffed sponges and towels into our dorads (ventilation from outside to in) that never seem to close completely and when water washes the decks we get salt water splashing through into the lower cabin.

Photos Just Don't Capture the Size of swells and Depths of Troughs

We kept an eye on Hydie, solar panels, and dinghy.  These were the kind of seas we were in off the coast of New Caledonia when Hydie 1 committed suicide last year.  It was only 2:00 and we could expect another 4-5 hours of pitching seas until we reached more sheltered waters.

It was a slow, bumpy slog, our forward speed dropping below 2 knots after a particularly large plow into a wave.  As the sun was setting we reached our first green marker into the strait.  Once the sun sets, here in Australia, there is only about 20 minutes of dusk until it quite dark.  It was only 5:45, and we still had over an hour to go before we would reach an anchorage that we thought would be protected.  Fortunately, the 1.5 meter swells had subsided, and we only had to contend with the wind, wind waves, and the approaching darkness.  Only once before had we anchored in the dark, and that was in San Carlos Bay on Baja Ha Ha when we were in terrible seas and my coffee had spilled into the navigational computer.

At least this time, we had some moonlight and our technology was working.  Great Sandy Strait is like the California Delta.  If we stay in the marked channel, we shouldn't touch bottom.  But if we stray, we could easily go aground.    Our electronic maps and gps were programmed to keep us on track.  We were happy to see that channel markers were lit and with the moonlight we could see vague shadows of the land and islands.  We finally reached our destination by 7:00 p.m.  The wind was dying down, the waves were just a short chop, and we were tuckered out.

We went outside of the pilothouse to the fan tail and prepared to anchor.  We couldn't tell exactly where we were, but had an electronic waypoint and a plan to drop the anchor when we reached the 30 foot level.  All went according to plan, and by 7:15 we were finally at rest after traveling 177 miles in 43 hours.

S   25 23.150
E 153 01.650

Phew!  Another lively day at sea.  With salt on our decks and a well set anchor we retired for the evening.

DAY 8
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - Happy Birthday Russ!

Sheltered Shore in Great Sandy Straits

We were up by 7:00 a.m., and on the move by 9:00 a.m.  By then we had eaten, dressed, and I had baked Russ's birthday cake.  While doing so, I couldn't help but think of the last couple of birthday cakes - always devils food chocolate with fudge frosting.  Two years ago, I was baking at sea while sailing from Samoa to Tonga.  Last year, we celebrated in New Caledonia with Brian & Claudia, and Danny from SV Regina.

Today we are only motoring about 10 miles down the strait to a waypoint where our friends Brian and Claudia anchored last season when they were here.  So we won't be celebrating Russ's birthday with them, but on the spot where they have been.  We passed by channel markers and and sandy bars as the tide is dropping, and arrived an anchored by 11:30 at low tide in 25 feet of water.  Tomorrow we will go through the shallow areas in the early morning on the rising tide.  But for the rest of the day, we expect to relax.  I promised Russ some braised lamb shanks in wine sauce fore his birthday, and of course there is the chocolate cake to look forward too.

The sky is filling with gray clouds, and it looks like we might get some showers.

All is Well With the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind