Aore to Brisbane

22-26 November 2010

Saturday morning, November 22, anchored in the Segond Channel at Aore, we were awoken at 0600 by a radio call from Liquid Courage. Don had just received weather advice that would postpone their planned departure, and change our planned route to Brisbane. The STCZ was going to cause a Squash zone in northern section of the large High Pressure that was influencing our weather. This would cause stronger South Easterlies between Vanuatu and Australia, with the possibility of a developing Low to the north of our planned route.

We decided to depart immediately and “Do a Runner” direct to Brisbane, thus avoiding the worst of the strong winds. Our departure was slowed by our big Bruce anchor tangled in the anchor chain after moving backwards and forwards in the tide in the Segond Channel for two weeks.

Cyndy driving us down the channel between Aore and Espiritu Santo

A passing salute to Geoff and Lee on their jetty and we were off.

Geoff and Lee waving us good bye as we leave Aore Island

By the time we had cleared the islands we had the full main and jib flying in a steady South Easterly, making good speed straight down the Rhumb Line to Brisbane.

We pulled in our first reef that afternoon and our second just after dark in the strengthening trade winds.

That first night of the passage was quite uncomfortably hot and humid below because with water constantly flowing across the deck all hatches and windows were secured, and would remain so until we entered Moreton Bay.

Salacia was in her element on a fast beam reach tracking beautifully on Autopilot and handling the beam seas with ease.

Our watch system of hour and a half on and four and a half off was working beautifully in the bright Moonlight.

Next day we prepared the third reef and pulled it in before nightfall without a significant drop in boat speed.

The jib had been reefed to a pocket handkerchief and Salacia was very comfortable with the tiny rig flying along in the now thirty plus knots of ESE. The boat sounds were quieter and the motion was easier but Salacia danced along with the bit in her teeth. What a privilege to be able to reduce sail like this and still have amazing boat speeds. We carried this rig right through the passage until the last day when the breeze abated enough to carry our full rig again.

Wind strength for most of the passage was varying between low twenties and mid thirties and Salacia was romping along in the six metre swell with confused and often breaking seas atop the swell.

The occasional beam sea would break over the top of the dodger and give the cockpit a thorough dousing, but Salacia was basically dry below except for the water entering from the Companionway when these seas broke over the decks.

The currents were moving in eddies, with a northerly flow indicated by rougher seas and a lower sea surface temperature of 23 degrees Celsius.

With the water temperature of 25 the current flow was in our favour, running south, resulting in smoother seas and higher ground speed in the 8 to 10 knot range.

We reeled off 200 nautical miles day after day, with Salacia entering the NW Channel at Caloundra just over 5 days after leaving Aore.

Customs formalities were very friendly and efficient at Rivergate at 2300 that night, followed by a celebratory drink after Salacia’s more than 11,000 nautical mile crossing of the mighty Pacific Ocean.

Ronnie taking down the quarantine flag after we cleared with Customs, Immigration and Quarantine in Brisbane

We think that is fitting to retire our much travelled (and much mended) Australian Flag which our good friend Murray Kornweibel gave us before the Fremantle to Bali Yacht Race for our UFO 34 in Perth in 1982-3.

Our much mended Australian Flag will now be retired

We are trying to get back to real life after our adventures of the last 12 months. We are already pinching ourselves !!!

DID WE REALLY JUST SAIL ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN ?