Once Jeff and I got back to Port Vila, we started on preparation for the next passage. But a couple days into it, we had to take the opportunity to check out the celebration for Vanuatu’s 45th anniversary of independence. On Wednesday, July 30, we left the boat at 7:00 a.m. and started walking toward the center of town. We followed other people, many dressed in Vanuatu’s national colors, to a large park used for assemblies. The park was already crowded with stalls selling food, and families on blankets sharing picnics. We stood with others in a ring around what we thought would be the center of activity. After waiting for more than three hours, our patience was rewarded with speeches, pageantry, marching bands and parades of various military and youth groups. A big highlight was the colorful clothing worn by the various celebrants.
Waiting for the ceremony to begin
Parading
Marching band
The dresses!
For the next several days, we proceeded with chores, such as changing the oil in the diesel motor and filling up the propane tanks. Jeff worked on a project to add water-cooling to our air-cooled refrigeration system. We found a crack in a stanchion and shored it up with a support that would work until we could get it welded in Australia. We cleaned the boat inside and out and shopped and cooked. Jeff went up in the bosun’s chair to clean the shrouds. He also made a carrot cake for my birthday.
Jeff made a carrot cake for my birthday
Johno arrived on Monday, August 11 in the afternoon. We had been looking at weather and had not seen a window to leave for Australia, so we were looking at places to hang out while we waited. Then on Tuesday morning we unexpectedly saw an immediate window and decided to leave that afternoon. Johno wasn’t going to have time to acclimate or see any of Vanuatu. While the guys made final preparations to leave, I checked us out of the marina and out of the country.
We untied the dock lines shortly after 2:30 p.m. and headed out of the harbor. With no wind, we motored for about two hours. Then the wind came up enough to sail. It kept building into the teens. By midnight, it was in the twenties. We went 78 nautical miles in the first 12 hours and 165 miles in the first 24 hours, not bad.
For the next four days, we had nice wind and continued to make good progress. On Sunday, August 17, we had lighter winds and had to motor a lot. Then on Monday, we were back to sailing. You would think I would provide stories about these kinds of passages, but the truth is that during a passage, each of us does our watch and then sleeps until the next watch. The only other thing we do is eat. I also of course have to check weather forecasts every few hours.
On Tuesday, in the early evening, we approached the beginning of the Hydrographers Passage, a shipping lane that leads through the Great Barrier Reef to the east coast of Australia. We tried to time our entrance into the passage to optimize for currents, so we sailed around the area for a couple of hours. We may not have timed it quite right because shortly after our entry , we were motor sailing with 5 knots of current against us. It was eerie because it was dark except for a few beacons on islands that marked the borders of the channel. And for the longest time, the beacons didn’t change position relative to the boat. We also had to stay clear of large tankers or cargo ships that approached from ahead or behind us. Johno had the first watch and had the worst of the uncertainty about whether we were going to make it through the passage unscathed. Jeff’s watch followed with less current. By the time I came on watch, conditions had improved. We were even able to turn off the motor and sail.
After sailing half the next day, we determined that we wouldn’t make it into MacKay harbor in time if we didn’t motor sail, so we turned the motor back on to assist the sails. The rest of the trip toward MacKay harbor was in fairly shallow water. We saw lots of whales. We arrived at the harbor at 3:30 p.m. and went to the fuel dock, where international boats check in. The Australian Border Force team (Immigration and Customs) was able to clear us in right away. But the BioSecurity folks weren’t available so we were quarantined on the boat overnight. The next morning, we had a very pleasant session with the BioSecurity guy, which took a couple of hours but was very informative.
As soon as we cleared that hurdle, we were joined by Robert and Robyn Stynes. They live in Mooloolaba, Australia but were on a road trip and just happened to be in the area on that day. I met them in the 1990s when they were buddy boating with my friends Jim and Linda in the Indian Ocean. It was great to see them again. They helped us move the boat to our assigned marina berth and then they took us in their car to buy groceries and run errands. We had lunch together and then parted ways later that afternoon after celebrating together on the boat with champagne that Robyn had brought.
The next day, after a good night’s sleep, we started on the typical routine of doing projects and shopping for parts for projects. Jeff and Johno worked on running a new Starlink cable and Jeff worked more on the refrigeration cooling project. We continued with projects for another couple of days. We also met some nice local cruisers on the dock and they gave us advice on which islands to visit as we headed north toward the Whitsundays.
On Monday morning, August 25th, we left the berth at 8:30 a.m. and went to the fuel dock to fill up the diesel jerry cans. Then we motor sailed east to Scowfell Island. We picked up a mooring ball there and took the dinghy ashore for a walk. The anchorage was windy and the water was cold, so there wasn’t much to do.
Scowfell Island
The next day, after pondering our options, we motor sailed against the wind up to Brampton Island. We had got a late start so the anchorage was very full when we arrived. We anchored on the outside of the other boats. The next morning, we took the dinghy ashore and hiked on the island. We saw Blue Tiger butterflies and a Koala in a tree right off the trail. Upon returning to the boat around noon, we decided to continue moving north. We motored for three hours to Thomas Island. The preferred anchorage on the south was full so we went to the one next to it and were all by ourselves.
Blue Tiger Butterfly
Koala
View on Brampton
On Thursday morning, August 28, we took the dinghy to shore. Johno snorkeled in the cold water looking for lobsters while Jeff and I explored. That evening, while we hung out on the boat, a mother whale and her young one came into the anchorage and circled around it. The baby was having fun practicing breaching. Johno went back in the water once more looking for lobsters but didn’t find any.
On Friday morning, we moved the boat around to the north anchorage of Thomas Island, which was quite populated with boats. Jeff and Johno worked on fixing the foot switch for the windlass. It was a calm morning and we all swam in the cold water. The next morning, a big yacht left the anchorage, leaving a hole for us to move into. Then we took the dinghy to shore and walked across to the south side of the island. When we returned, we took the dinghy to an island in the middle of the anchorage and explored that a bit. Around noon, a big gusty wind began to blow and continued through Sunday night. We stayed on the boat all day on Sunday.
North side of Thomas Island
Johno checking out the view from Thomas Island
Jeff exploring Thomas Island
Aldabra at Thomas Island
Exploring the island in the middle of the anchorate on Thomas Island
On Monday morning, we went up to Sawmill Bay in Cid Harbor on the west side of Whitsunday Island. It was crowded in the anchorage because it was one of the few protected spots. Signs were posted warning people to stay out of the murky water because of bull sharks. We took the dinghy to shore and hiked up to Whitsunday Peak, enjoying a beautiful view of the Whitsunday Islands.
At the top of Whitsunday Peak
The next day, we went back south to Hamilton Island, which is a populated resort island, unlike the others we had visited so far. We stayed for three hours, buying some provisions and enjoying some ice cream. Then we traveled north again to the west side of Hook Island. We spent the night on a mooring ball. On Wednesday morning we went farther north around to Butterfly Bay on Hook Island. It was crowded and we didn’t get a great spot. We had a windy, rolly, uncomfortable night. The next morning, we pulled up anchor and took a mooring ball on the other side of the bay, which was much more comfortable. We swam there in the very cold water and then Jeff and Johno worked on fixing the wire to our GPS antenna, which had accidently been cut during work on the Starlink cable.
On Friday, September 5, we went back to Sawmill Bay to hunker down for an expected blow. We found a decent enough spot to anchor in the crowded bay and had a very windy day and night. It was windy again on Saturday but we took the dinghy ashore and walked the short distance to Dugong Bay. It was still windy on Sunday. We took the dinghy ashore and Jeff and Johno hiked to Whitsunday peak again while I hiked up for just an hour and then back down. We had another windy night. It was still windy on Monday. Jeff and Johno troubleshot some issues with the B&G network connections.
On Tuesday morning, September 9th, we motored back to Hamilton Island and settled into a marina berth. We went on a really nice walk to Passage Peak and then had showers and dinner. The next day, we filled up the diesel jerry cans and one propane tank. Then we had lunch and walked Johno to the airport. He flew to Sydney and then back to San Francisco the next day. We were sad to see him go.
View from the top of Passage Peak on Hamilton Island
