Test Sail on Darwin Harbour

Hi everyone,
We're having a great Easter cruising around Darwin harbour.  On Friday afternoon we locked-out of the marina and motored around to anchor off Cullen Bay.  We took the opportunity to do a speed trial of the engine...

• 2000rpm => 5.4knots
• 2200rpm => 6.0knots
• 2500rpm => 6.5knots
• 2700rpm => 6.8knots, stern digging in and some black smoke

That's a full knot faster than before the recent service work.

We had a great evening enjoying being at anchor rather than in a pen.  The boat felt alive!  We tested the HF radio and connected to Winlink Sydney, Winlink Melbourne, Sailmail Sydney and Sailmail Brunei.

At anchor in Cullen Bay

Sunset in Cullen Bay

This morning we tested the West Marine windscoop (works great) and had an otherwise lazy time.  This afternoon we went for a great sail in the harbour.  The No 2 jib (which we had cut-down from an old No 1) looks good.  The new staysail is great.  The new deck gear, and particularly the Andersen winches, are fantastic.

Moonrise at Woods Inlet

We're now at anchor in Woods Inlet.  Very nice spot on the western shore of Darwin harbour (just south of Mandorah).  Thanks Fiona for the tip.

Happy Easter!