Airlie Beach Stopover

Airlie Beach stopover

By the time we leave Australia I will have spent eight days here in Airlie Beach, both working hard on the boat and being a tourist. The latter has certainly been the most enjoyable so I am going to forget about UNICEF for the moment and concentrate on the more pleasurable things in life.

Cousin Anne and her family have come up here from Sydney for a short holiday, somewhere they have ever been to before, so I have been able to spend time with them. The day after they arrived Anne, Andrew and I headed out to Shute Harbour to the east of Airlie Beach and went for a short walk through endangered tropical rain forest and along a lovely coral sand beach to a lookout point over the sea. It was good to get out of the sun and to walk along a beautiful shady track down to the beach where there were warnings about estuarine crocodiles. Luckily none were spotted and we returned safe and sound.

The following day I went for a short flight over The Whitsundays and outer reef with some Clipper friends. I had thought long and hard before booking as it wasn't cheap but I am so glad I splashed out. Looking at it all from the air gave me a sense of perspective and has helped put it all into context. I hadn't realised how rocky and rugged the interior of these small islands are, and I imagine totally impenetrable on foot. We saw Shute Harbour and then further out Dent Island where a couple of the UNICEF boys went to play golf the other day. Then on to fly over Whitehaven Beach where I am snorkelling later today and a further 10 minutes offshore to the outer reef.

The plane dropped down to about 500 ft over the reef so we got a reasonable view on what was going on down below. A large Ray was spotted 'flying' through the water along with a shark by someone else. It was then over to see the iconic heart shaped piece of reef that is on all the tourist brochures. It is only about 17metres wide so if you blink at the wrong time you miss it. The pilot was a great help and counted down from about 15 seconds so that the iconic picture could be taken. It was also interesting to see a 'river' course through the reef with diving platforms and boats moored up for the ultimate diving experience. There were sea planes on the beaches and small helicopters on floating landing pads - so a well visited area.

As I said earlier it was great to see it all from the air and I now look forward to visiting it from the sea, though unfortunately not the outer reef. It takes about three hours to get to the outer reef by boat, six hours travel time in total, and I think I will have enough boat time over the next few weeks not to worry about missing this trip.

Our boat trip started on the jetty being given a 'stinger' suit which is an all in one light weight suit that everyone wears to protect them from being stung by jellyfish. Practical though not particularly beautiful. We then got into a large inflatable boat that had 'Ocean Rafting' down  one side and after a quick safety briefing off we went. This was not a trip for the faint hearted and we sped along at just under 28 knots. A little bumpy but nothing like it could have been with waves coming over bow.

We had a lovely day snorkelling on a small reef off Hamilton Island, a walk to a look out overlooking Whitehaven Beach and then lunch on the beach followed by a swim - in a stinger suit. So wonderful to be sharing this experience with Anne and her family.

We are leaving tomorrow and I have typically run out of time. Watches and rotas still have to be be done and I haven't started to pack yet. Still, it will all be completed by tomorrow morning, well hopefully.

Thank you to everyone who is following this blog and to those that are supporting me with their thoughts. Da Nang, Vietnam, is our next stop and our expected arrival window is between 17th - 21st February, to leave on the 27th. My camera has died so not many photos on the next Leg but I will do my best with iPad and phone.

Take care everyone and bye for now.
Kate xx

Hobart to Airlie Beach

Hhh.   Kkkjjhn

Hobart to Airlie Beach

It is incredible how quickly the tough bits of a race are forgotten when conditions become benign and pleasant.

Race start in Hobart was exciting as the boats jockeyed for position on the start line. We still had Martin as our skipper and his philosophy is to stand back, get clean air and take a run up to the line. It has meant that we are usually last over the line, but when there are over 1600 miles to go a couple of minutes shouldn't really matter. Or does it?

The scenery going east and north from Hobart was stunning with tall cliffs of columnar dolorite all along the south coast. As the wind picked up the seas became rougher and the boat heeled over further. Unfortunately there are lots of leaks from the deck fittings and conditions down below became quite uncomfortably wet. Five of the six cave lockers around my bunk filled up with water on a regular basis and had to be emptied along with the bilges - not easy when I had to clamber up onto the top bunk with bucket, scoop and sponge as we heeled over at 45 degrees in the wrong direction.

Conditions up on deck were wet and cold and I was able to get out the dry suit I had bought from Eddie when he left the boat at the end of Leg 3. Getting in and out of it wasn't easy but I think it will get easier as time goes on. Wearing it also gave me the confidence to go up onto the foredeck for the first time, though I am not sure how much use I was.

By the time we got parallel with northern New South Wales the days became drier and sunnier and with a following wind we were able to fly the spinnaker most of the time. Conditions on the boat improved and the wet and rainy days were forgotten as temperatures rose, fewer clothes had to be donned and getting up on deck didn't seem to take as much effort. The Australian coastline is stunning and it has been a real privilege to witness what few have seen. A few mishaps with various sails meant we slipped back in the fleet but at the end of the race we came in seventh which is probable where we belong - about mid fleet. The challenge is going to be to stay there when Jim comes back for the next Leg up to Da Nang.

My experience of Cloughy as our Skipper has been very positive. He has taught us a great deal technically and has lead us into a position where we are not last on the points table. He has lead by example and can be seen up on the foredeck helping with sail changes or down in the sail locker wooling spinnakers. He talks to everyone and doesn't seem to have favourites or to shy away from answering questions or discussing the weather and preferred tactics. Cloughy is a racing Skipper and
I am not sure Jim is. The bottom line is though is that Jim is coming back for the next Leg up to
China and we need, as a crew, to move forwards and deal with that decision. I think our position on
the finishing line will give a good indication of how it has been so let's wait and see.

All the boats got up to Airlie Beach in good time and arrived a couple of days earlier than expected. This has meant an eight day stopover, so a good break before we move onto the next race. Our welcome from the local community has been warm and generous and the stunning weather and sea scape is making it a stopover to remember.

I am sharing an apartment with three others, a fifteen minute walk from the marina, and close enough to the restaurants and bars in town to make walking home after a night out the preferred way of travel. There is a pool in the complex, a lovely place to wind down in after a day on the boat trying to get maintenance sorted, or,as this morning, somewhere to take that early morning swim.

I am going to sign off now by saying thank you for all your support and do continue to keep in touch.

Airlie Beach

Hi All
A quick post to let you all know that we arrived safely in the early hours of this morning, a good seventh place and just behind Ichorcoal. A few of us have found somewhere to stay, not far from the marina, so I won't be homeless for the duration of our stay.

A beautiful setting, wam and tropical, so it should be a good stopover.

More, once I get settled, but with eight days here there should be time to catch up on a few posts.

Sydney to Hobart - update

The Sydney to Hobart race was a spectacle from start to finish. We were down on the boat by 0800 hanking on the bright orange storm sails that are part of the conditions for racing in this iconic race. It was then out into the harbour for the traditional 'Parade of Sail' where we, the twelve Clipper boats, lined up one boat length apart to parade towards the bridge and Opera House and back again. It was a bit like crossing the M25 in rush hour with boats all over trying to avoid us. It was then storm sails up to parade past the committee boat so that they could acknowledge our adequate preparation for the rigours ahead. We then nearly collided with the committee boat as we tried to weave backwards and forwards across the middle start line. Nothing like the line on Frensham Pond which is a bit like a walk in the park in comparison. It was at this point, as Cloughy our replacement skipper floored the throttle to avoid the anchor chain, that the throttle handle came adrift from the boat. Good timing - not - as we then didn't have any control of the engine from the helm. Back to traditional means of communicating as the bridge shouted instructions to an intermediary who shouted down to the engine room where two crew members controlled the throttle and power. Not an ideal start to this iconic race.

We managed to cross the start line without further ado and sail out through Sydney Heads and on towards Hobart. The winds had already picked up but once past The Heads we were able to hoist the spinnaker and head south. It was a rocky ride and most people suffered a bout of seasickness that lasted a couple of days. Later that first evening the wind switched from northeast to southeast and were yet again beating into a strengthening wind. The Southerly Buster hit with force resulting in about thirty boats having to retire from the race. Not an option for any of the Clipper fleet so we battled on. High winds, rough seas, excellent helming, many sail changes, forays onto the foredeck to drop and raise sails. A couple of days later it became calmer and as we crossed the Bass Strait for the second time we were starting to be sucked into a wind hole. We avoided it in the main and had some good racing with other boats always in our sights. It was an exciting race and we changed position many times before finishing. We eventually crossed the finish line not more than a few hours after the first boat came in.

The throttle was still not fixed so submarine like commands were relayed back down to the engine room - slow ahead, neutral, etc. Cloughy did a magnificent job in getting us safely docked in the marina before the cartons of beer started to be loaded onto the boat. Thank you!!

The waterfront here in Hobart has been a hive of activity since we arrived, culminating in a spectacular firework display in the harbour last night to celebrate New Year's Eve. There was partying on the boat until the early hours, a shopping trolley hoisted half way up the mast on one of the boats, and the theft of helium balloons from a local bar. Janice and I eventually got back to the house we are staying in at about 2am, slightly worse for wear.

We are staying in a house two doors up from her cousin in South Hobart: a real luxury as we are not having to stay on the boat. I spent most of New Year's Eve working on the boat repairing bits in preparation for the next race up to Airlie Beach, leaving Hobart early on the 2nd. Today I have had
the privilege of going to MONA (museum of old and modern art) with her family. The weather has cooled significantly and it looks like it could be quite a windy start tomorrow morning.

As usual time has run away with me and I am going to have to sign off. But .........
A very happy new year to everyone and I'll be in touch when in Airlie Beach in about 2 weeks time.

Kate xxxx