Staying in Darwin for the Wet Season

Hi everyone,
We've had a busy three weeks since arriving here in Darwin.  Lots of work done on the boat, and plenty more still to do.  We've settled in at Tipperary Waters Marina and met many of the sailors here.

After reviewing the state of the cruising kitty we've decided to stay in Darwin until next year.  It looks like we'll not have trouble getting work and I have secured some initial consulting work.  Staying here will allow us to better prepare the boat for ocean sailing.

Jobs done here so far include:

• Installed a new (but same Garmin GPSmap 451 model) GPS chartplotter, giving us a 5 minute swap-out with the old
• Purchased two 32W flexible solar panels from SolarTechPlus.
• Replaced bolted-in brackets for the "larder"/"pedestal"/saloon table with glassed-in brackets
• Had a removable wooden chopping board / work surface sink cover fitted
• Had a wooden cover / work surface fridge cover fitted
• Had a removable wooden insert fitted to convert the forward V berth into a double
• Had cushions made for the above insert and also two cockpit seat cushions
• Had the mainsail, No 3 jib, storm jib and trisail checked and made good by Nautical Supplies
• Replaced all rope bags (the old ones were _very_ old)
• Purchased courtesy flags for Mauritius, France and South Africa from National Flags
• Fitted retaining lines to washboards
• Fitted storm-retainers to several lockers 
• Purchased canvas cockpit dodgers and companionway cover from The Canopy Man
• Sanded back and epoxied the original (and current spare) tiller
• Had a wooden emergency forward hatch cover fabricated
• Purchased a spare electric macerator assembly for the head
• Lodged our fy1011 tax returns!

However by far the biggest job we've done was inspecting the "egg crate" on which the mast support column sits.  For non sailors, this vertical stainless steel column fits between the deck and the hull, transmitting the load from the mast to the hull.  We wanted to inspect the area under this column since there was evidence of some water getting into the cabin around the bottom of the column.

Mast compression post removed to expose base plate

Base plate removed to expose forward "egg crate"

My parents visited us and helped with the inspection.  We had to move the foot of the mast a few inches aft to gain access to bolts securing both the step and the top of the column.  That was fun!  Then we had to jack up the deck enough to take the weight of the mast so we could get the column out.  With the column out we could then remove the base plate, give it and the fibreglass "crate" a good clean up, and then seal and refit them.  There's more work to be done there in due course, but the work helped prove the boat is structurally sound (as the shipwrights in Mooloolaba confirmed).

Work still on our to-do list, and all subject to cruising kitty constraints, includes:

• All-chain anchor rode 
• Boom tent and foredeck awning 
• Replace winches 
• Replace cabin headliner 
• Permanent inner forestay with furler and new storm jib 
• No 2 headsail 
• Trisail track 
• Towed generator 
• Replace cabin windows 
• Sea anchor 
• Manual watermaker 
• Retainers for remaining cabin lockers

Sunset over Cullen Bay from Darwin Sailing Club

Oh yes, HMB Endeavour caught up with us a couple of weeks ago...

Darwin!

Hi everyone,
We arrived in Fannie Bay anchorage at 2100 last night after a 5 day 10 hour passage at an average of 6.3 knots.  We logged 824nm through the water but only 756nm over the ground, so we had a lot of current against us - 68nm worth!

Zen Again Track

We're now in Tipperary Waters Marina and spent today cleaning up the boat.  It's amazing how much salt attaches itself to the boat.  Lots of international boats here, many of which are heading towards South Africa in a month or two.

In the lock at Tipperary Waters

Our cruise so far has logged 2896nm, we've had the engine on for 99 hours, and been at sea for part or all of 36 days during the three months since we departed Batemans Bay.  The boat has performed really well.

Darwin is a major decision point for us.  Originally we thought we'd either head overseas (Cocos Island, Mauritius, Reunion and South Africa this year), or head coastwise to Perth.  We now have a third alternative which is to stay in Darwin until next year, topping up the cruising kitty here before heading overseas.  One thing is sure - we'll be here for at least three weeks and don't need to make a decision for a couple of weeks.

Enroute to Darwin

The last day has been very pleasant sailing. Yesterday afternoon we changed from the No 3 (small) to the No 1 (big) headsail on the furler. Quite fun changing the sail at sea in a 2m seaway but we got it done. We could then drop the main and sail under the big headsail alone. This is our "trade winds" sailing configuration and we wanted to try it out for real. The sail sets very well when furled down to a No 2 size and we were still doing 7 knots in a 20 knot breeze. We can also run dead downwind without fear of gybing.

Tradewinds Rig

We've now done nearly 700nm on this passage. The long passage has encouraged us to start thinking about the sailing as an "end" rather then it being a "means" to get somewhere in a day or three. For ocean passages we need to enjoy the passage, not just the destination! We're doing a lot more reading and listening to audio books, and making the daytime watch system less strict (although one of us is always "it").

Just another sunset

Yesterday and today the CoastWatch aircraft buzzed us - that's four days in a row. We had a mostly clear night and are continuing to improve our knowledge of the stars. Handy if we ever need to get out the sextant. Saw a satellite and several shooting stars too.

Earlier today we saw a sea snake in the water, and we've seen several turtles during the passage. Right now we're moving into shallower water as we approach the Coburg Peninsula. That's reducing the waves and giving us a much more comfortable ride.

Tonight the winds have gone very light as we approach the land. We're ghosting along at 3.5 knots with full main and No 1.

On arrival in Darwin sometime Sunday night or Monday we expect to initially anchor off the sailing club. We'll move into Tipperary Waters Marina a day or two later.