Archive | November, 2016

Although New Caledonia has many bays we could have explored, we saw a weather window for sailing to  Brisbane so we decided to take it. Onward to Brisbane! Did I mention it was getting colder? The sea temperature continued to decrease as we headed South. Fleece blankets were retrieved from their hiding spots and hats were de rigueur for night watches.

We entered the harbour (respecting the Commonwealth spelling) at night, with Darren at the helm. Major channels in Australia have blue leading lights; when the leads are in line, you are traveling in the middle of the channel. These were super useful as both the city lights and the large cargo ships can make for a confusing night entry. In addition, the headlights from the dune buggies on the western islands sometimes seemed like approaching vessels, keeping us all alert for a few hours.  There are a few unlit minor channels whose large markers create a hazard at night.  We had one last minute swerve to avoid meeting a marker.  The reason they are unlit is to avoid leading large ships away from the major channel.

For the Brisbane area, the point of clearance is Rivergate Marina. There isn’t much there but the staff are very nice and the flat whites at the café are tasty.  [Jason comment:  There was quite a lot at Rivergate Marina if you want to rebuild your transmission, haul out a ferry, or, install a new electrical system on your megayacht.  Gail’s nothing refers to restaurants, cycle paths and museums.] Australian Customs and Immigration were efficient and friendly. Biosecurity performed a full inspection of our boat, and after an hour or two, we were cleared. Thinking back to the supercilious guy on the dock in Tonga, who told us we were mad to go to Australia instead of New Zealand, we reminded ourselves that negative people are just that.

Australia will allow people to stay 90 days on a e-visa.  Yachts can stay one year and then apply for another one year exemption.  It gets complicated if you try to sell a boat in Australia, but nothing a broker can’t help you through if your last stop is Australia.

With a full day to explore, we headed to the Koala Sanctuary, where we couldn’t resist the tourist photo with the locals. Darren’s koala didn’t want to leave him but Salwa’s koala was uncharacteristically standoffish. I would have carried mine out if they had let me.

We headed to Moreton Bay to explore and anchor for the night. The westerly swell was a bit uncooperative as we lowered the dinghy. Eager not to repeat our Îles de Pins mishap, we secured the dinghy, bow and stern.  Sandhill races on the coast? With points for style, Darren certainly got the gold.  Too bad the westerlies continued so we gave up at nightfall and headed for our eventual Australian home at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.

Jason was bummed that Salwa and Darren didn’t join for a warmer leg.  Swimming and Scuba were curtailed.  We also had run low on the tank in terms of energy, so we did not explore as much as usual. We only had a few more days with our guests so a whirlwind tour of Brisbane, Noosa headlands and the Gold Coast rounded out our trip.

We couldn’t believe that we were actually in Australia after spending the last year planning for our trip and sailing across the Pacific.  Those who have sailed across the Atlantic can wear red pants, but what color do we earn for the Pacific?  Maybe a floral print? Perhaps my next gift for Jason. The question left for us to answer was “What’s next?”.

After a bumpy, into the wind and waves, start to the trip, the crew and Two Fish quickly settled into old habits. We were headed to New Caledonia, a French territory on the edge of the Coral Sea. Once again, we were going to visit a country that I hadn’t heard of until our Pacific planning. I introduced the crew to the joy of the portable Starbucks Mocha Latte. “So, that is what took up all the room in my luggage,” Salwa said. However, they quickly joined my camp and looked forward to their daily allotment. Because it is an essential passage pleasure, I had to institute strict rationing to prevent any binge drinkers running down the supplies before Australia. Jason, a non-coffee drinker, was amused by the whole process.

Our first stop, Îles des Pins, received a somewhat mixed review.  Many cruisers claim this is one of the best stops in the Pacific.  It was a bit early in the season, so the water was too cold for me, but Darren had no issues taking a quick dip.  The temperature change was a big shocker for our Pacific blood.  We layered on the sweaters in 60 degree (F) weather because we had not seen winter in 3 years.  We assumed all of the world’s oceans were over 80 degrees warm.   The main beach in Îles des Pins had a touristy restaurant with awful food, but the bay was beautiful and it was a welcome rest stop.  We were shocked that the French could produce low quality food but happily ate plenty of carrot salad.

Just a few steps away from the main area, we turned down a random path and hiked through the pine woods.  This turned out to be one of our favorite walks. Darren tried out a new crab shirt logo (see photo) and a dead snake gave us pause, but we trudged on, eventually finding our way back through someone’s overgrown yard. Cook named the spot the Island of Pines in 1774. Unlike other Pacific islands, where sailors planted pine trees to ensure future spar inventory, these pines seemed to be native. Perhaps a pine cone or two floated over from Australia many years ago?

 

We had been so excited to explore that we did not think about our dinghy when we went ashore.  We had beached the dinghy and then tied her to a tree in anticipation of a rising tide.  Lesson learned: we found that as the water came in the small waves splashed into the dinghy. Each wave contained fine sand, leaving us with a very heavy dinghy.  Fortunately, we carry a manual bilge pump on board and a water scoop.  Jason pumped for quite some time and finally One Fish was light enough for the four of us to drag her into deeper water. After some cleaning the boat was as good as new, but, just to be safe, Jason changed the fuel/water separator on the engine.  The next day we left before sunrise for the capital of New Caledonia: Noumea.  The night before  Jason had drawn a map of the nearby anchored boats to help us depart in the dark.  Darren manned the night vision scope and found the yellow no anchoring zone marker.   We would have used the radar but it was out of commission, waiting for a new part in Australia.

When we arrived in Noumea, it was blowing a good 20 plus knots.  We had come to a marina since our starter seemed to be having problems (Note:we have since installed a new starter and all is running smoothly).  So we were down to just one engine.  Docking with only one engine is much harder.  The marina has no weekend staff and had left us cryptic instructions on our berth.  Why do marinas make it so hard?  I think my next job will be a marina manager.  We thought we had found the correct slip but at the last minute realized it was in use as there were existing dock lines.   Jason now had to do a loop through a mooring field full of tiny boats.  The tiny boats were moving actively and there was little space for the oversized Two Fish.  In such a windy location, two engines would have been helpful while executing the tight turns.  Instead Jason used the rudders and blasts of forward and reverse to complete our loop.  On final approach Darren called out the distance to the dock and then executed a huge leap to the dock.  Salwa, inspired by Darren’s bold leap, copied him in a more modest proportion.

Jason had hoisted the French courtesy flag  and our Q (Quarantine) flag before entering New Caledonian waters, as required for all visiting yachts.   It seemed like a good thing to also hoist a New Caledonian flag that we had in our collection.  Not a good call.  This flag indicates that we support secession of New Caledonia from being part of the French state.  Two Fish is a politics-free zone and we have no views on any territories. Fortunately, a passer-by gave us a heads up before the angry gendarme could scold us. The rebel flag was struck immediately.

We were in Noumea for a few days; it looks like the multiple bays and large lagoon would be a great place for a holiday.  We had dinner with friends from Spirit V and Zoom, Jason replaced a water hose, and Darren and Salwa navigated the back roads. I learned that taxi drivers in New Caledonia can be less than helpful; I might still be waiting for the driver with the bigger trunk (see photo) had we not rented a car for the day.  Arriving in Noumea was easy as the Marina did most of the paper work.  However, leaving was a three hour mission.  We had to visit three separate offices in opposite, far away locations, reminding us of Brazilian immigration procedures.

How could I forget? There was a significant happening in Noumea – Jason’s birthday! We chose a French chain restaurant in hopes of tasty sausages but ended up disappointed. Jason’s plate looked like an odd sack of meat.  For the next week, ridiculing this meal became a boat joke.  Time for a rescue operation back on Two Fish engineered by Darren and Salwa: Eclairs and Champagne for all.

You might not recognize Australia in the heads up chart view below, but, after leaving North America in September 2015, we were finally just 4 days and 19 hours from a new continent.