Current Position: 11 09.754’S 143 18.155’E; Local Timezone: UTC+20 SOG: 5.0 kt COG: 317; TWS: 18 kt; TWD: 142; Distance to Waypoint (Thursday Island): 85 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 8744 nm; Engine Hours: 187 Estimate Fuel: 52+12+50
Comments: After the ordeal placing the anchor, I did not have a lot of confidence in it. I had 250’ of chain and the bridal out in 65’ of water. The wind howled all night 20-25 kt and the crashing waves on the reef did not add any comfort. I used the CORTEX system to set an anchor watch and monitored it for over 2h. There was no evidence of dragging. I have decided to sail to Pearson tomorrow. I will sail there in the morning. Note the tide is rising in the afternoon, which could afford me access to the lagoon at Pearson. As the crow flies, it is 25 nm, but it is 31 with four jibes to take advantage of the prevailing wind and to avoid obstacles. I will note that the route chosen by PW would have brought me in contact with obstacles. I set the anchor watch alarm but otherwise no other alarms and went to sleep at 21:30. It is 4:40. The boat has not moved an inch. The wind and current directions have not changed, so it is glued to this spot. This is the strangest anchorage I have ever been at. It is like being anchored in a river with the water rushing by. It feels like you are sailing. And the sound of the wind and the crashing waves add to the sound of the rushing water to give you that feeling. It is 5:10 and I’m not going back to sleep. Sunrise will be at 6:44 and sunset at 18:15. I a tempted to keep my schedule and sail to Collette, but I am also reluctant as Hellewell discussed his troubles anchoring there. I’d need to get there early enough to be able to see the coral heads. I have a feeling that I am going to be able to sail with the jib alone as the prevailing wind and currents are in the direction of the waypoint. For some reason the furler is not making the last few turns. I thought it was because I didn’t put enough raps on the drum last night when I tried to untangle it, which is not the case. Also, I noted that in was unusually hard to furl it in yesterday, even though I had headed up to unload it. I am concerned something may be bent. I have 6 nm to play with it in this reef to see if I can figure out what is going on. It is 6:10 and still dark. A squall has hit and it is raining. Should have expected it with these winds. I am readying the boat … draining some water out of the fuel line, preparing the cabin for jibing, etc. Of course, raising the anchor also proved to be a problem. First the deck switch didn’t seem to work. When I did get it to work the anchor was clearly snagged on something. The water was clear enough that I could see the rock 70’ down. The rock was both a blessing and a curse. It is what finally allowed the anchor to hold last night, but it was giving me problems unhooking. I powered forward and it broke free … I was off. I unfurled half the Yankee and was doing 4.7 kt in the 20 kt wind and 5.5 in the 25 kt gusts. Most importantly, I could run with it, allowing me to go in the direction I need to. I unfurled a little more and trimmed making 4.8 in 17 and close to 6 in the gusts. It is 20 nm to Pearson and 50 nm to Collette. It is 8:20 and I won’t make Collette before dark at this speed. I could raise the main, but I’m not sure I’d make that much more speed on as I would need to sail 45 degrees from where I need to go. I could be in the shipping lanes in 70 nm. While there are a lot of reefs, there are actually relatively few obstacles that are shallow enough to be a problem. In the relatively clear weather, I was able to see the tower on Raine Island from across the GDR. At 9:59 (an hour from now) it will be low tide (+2.4’). High tide will be 16:52 (+5.8’). There were substantial wind-driven waves coming out of the W end of the GDR. It is 10:00 and I just passed through another reef system. There is nothing to see … navigation is via charts, the first one after the deep channel that separated the GDR from shoal waters (50-100’) that I will follow over the main reef. The fact is, it does not matter whether it is day or night. I have about 60 nm to go before I am through the GBR. Beyond that are the shipping lanes, a different challenge. I might make Collette by dusk, but I’d probably end up anchoring in the dark again, and there are supposed to be even more hazards there. I will probably press on. Once in the shipping lanes I can doze. I could probably slow the boat down to arrive at Wyborn at dawn tomorrow or press on to arrive at Thursday Island on Saturday. A squall has arrived to help me make up my mind. It is 11:20 and I will pass Pearson by noon. I have no real interest in stopping. I am making about 5 kt on the jib alone. I am about 35 nm from Collette, at least 7h, which means at best I will arrive there right at dusk. I won’t be able to see the bottom, and I have no interest to dropping the hook randomly with the hopes of not getting wrapped around a coral head. Ditto for the anchorage that is 53 nm away. Wyborn is about 80 nm away. In 11h I can be across the reef and out of danger, about 22:30. Wyborn sounds like it is easy to anchor at in 25’ of water and is supposed to offer outstanding protection. That is 16h away, 4:00. In all likelihood I would arrive there by dawn (Saturday). This is looking like the most attractive option. As I passed Pearson at noon, I saw no evidence in the surface from 1 nm away. The bearing to Wyborn is 307, and you can travel there practically in a straight line. However, you pass through many shoal areas, including some less than the draft of Aegir-Ran (6’). Two are on a bearing of 307 from Pearson, about 3 and 10 nm away. I motor sailed out of the GDR, in part to charge the batteries. But the fact is I have averaged 5.2 kt since with the jib alone, perhaps only 0.5 kt slower than when I was using the engine. The one thing though is there’s a lot of roll, and the roll is reduced significantly at higher speeds … the 0.5 kt makes a difference. A small squall arrived with rain at 12:20. I passed the feature 10 nm from Pearson, Indefatigable Reef, and spotted water breaking over it. Upon inspection with the binoculars, there was a good-sized piece of sandy land exposed that was not on the charts. Because of the direction of the wind, if I continue on the port tack, I will enter a region that is uncharted. I am going to tack in a bit so I am able to pass N of Collette and not S. It is 14:00 and I am now on a starboard tack to a 100’ deep channel just S of Collette that is flanked by shoal water. The channel is about 15 nm long 0.5-1 nm wide and happens to be at the correct angle for a port tack. There are a couple of obstacles downwind from there, but it is comparatively clear to the shipping channels relative to what I face between here and Collette. In other words, I will be through the worse of it during the daylight hours today. It is 17:00. I am 5.5 nm from Collette and averaging 5.6 kt. As predicted, I would have arrived there right at sunset. I have no interest in repeating the events of last night, so I will keep going. Today’s sailing has been the most complicated of the passage … finding a path through the reefs and negotiating the boat through them under sail. I feel confident that I will be able to perform these tasks after dark. There really are only two more obstacles after Collette between me and the shipping channels. Once I was safely in the channel to Collette, I went below and made a proper meal, while watching Navionics to make sure I stayed on course. Sure enough, while scrambling the last of my eggs for a burrito, a control line popped off the windvane. At 17:45 I saw a powerboat S of me anchored at Collette. 15n later I was visited by a large pod of dolphins. These were the first I had seen since Fiji. In about 4h, I will be out of the GBR, and while not technically in the shipping lanes (I will be avoiding them as much as I can), there will be no natural objects in the way. I am 45 nm from Wyborn and 60 nm from York Island. If I keep going, I’d likely end up at York Island about dawn. York Island is only about 25 nm from Thursday Island, which I would probably reach late tomorrow morning if I chose to do that. The idea of not stoping again is appealing. I received an e-mail that I am to report to the Australian Border Force (ABF) office at 10:30 on Monday.
Comments: After the ordeal placing the anchor, I did not have a lot of confidence in it. I had 250’ of chain and the bridal out in 65’ of water. The wind howled all night 20-25 kt and the crashing waves on the reef did not add any comfort. I used the CORTEX system to set an anchor watch and monitored it for over 2h. There was no evidence of dragging. I have decided to sail to Pearson tomorrow. I will sail there in the morning. Note the tide is rising in the afternoon, which could afford me access to the lagoon at Pearson. As the crow flies, it is 25 nm, but it is 31 with four jibes to take advantage of the prevailing wind and to avoid obstacles. I will note that the route chosen by PW would have brought me in contact with obstacles. I set the anchor watch alarm but otherwise no other alarms and went to sleep at 21:30. It is 4:40. The boat has not moved an inch. The wind and current directions have not changed, so it is glued to this spot. This is the strangest anchorage I have ever been at. It is like being anchored in a river with the water rushing by. It feels like you are sailing. And the sound of the wind and the crashing waves add to the sound of the rushing water to give you that feeling. It is 5:10 and I’m not going back to sleep. Sunrise will be at 6:44 and sunset at 18:15. I a tempted to keep my schedule and sail to Collette, but I am also reluctant as Hellewell discussed his troubles anchoring there. I’d need to get there early enough to be able to see the coral heads. I have a feeling that I am going to be able to sail with the jib alone as the prevailing wind and currents are in the direction of the waypoint. For some reason the furler is not making the last few turns. I thought it was because I didn’t put enough raps on the drum last night when I tried to untangle it, which is not the case. Also, I noted that in was unusually hard to furl it in yesterday, even though I had headed up to unload it. I am concerned something may be bent. I have 6 nm to play with it in this reef to see if I can figure out what is going on. It is 6:10 and still dark. A squall has hit and it is raining. Should have expected it with these winds. I am readying the boat … draining some water out of the fuel line, preparing the cabin for jibing, etc. Of course, raising the anchor also proved to be a problem. First the deck switch didn’t seem to work. When I did get it to work the anchor was clearly snagged on something. The water was clear enough that I could see the rock 70’ down. The rock was both a blessing and a curse. It is what finally allowed the anchor to hold last night, but it was giving me problems unhooking. I powered forward and it broke free … I was off. I unfurled half the Yankee and was doing 4.7 kt in the 20 kt wind and 5.5 in the 25 kt gusts. Most importantly, I could run with it, allowing me to go in the direction I need to. I unfurled a little more and trimmed making 4.8 in 17 and close to 6 in the gusts. It is 20 nm to Pearson and 50 nm to Collette. It is 8:20 and I won’t make Collette before dark at this speed. I could raise the main, but I’m not sure I’d make that much more speed on as I would need to sail 45 degrees from where I need to go. I could be in the shipping lanes in 70 nm. While there are a lot of reefs, there are actually relatively few obstacles that are shallow enough to be a problem. In the relatively clear weather, I was able to see the tower on Raine Island from across the GDR. At 9:59 (an hour from now) it will be low tide (+2.4’). High tide will be 16:52 (+5.8’). There were substantial wind-driven waves coming out of the W end of the GDR. It is 10:00 and I just passed through another reef system. There is nothing to see … navigation is via charts, the first one after the deep channel that separated the GDR from shoal waters (50-100’) that I will follow over the main reef. The fact is, it does not matter whether it is day or night. I have about 60 nm to go before I am through the GBR. Beyond that are the shipping lanes, a different challenge. I might make Collette by dusk, but I’d probably end up anchoring in the dark again, and there are supposed to be even more hazards there. I will probably press on. Once in the shipping lanes I can doze. I could probably slow the boat down to arrive at Wyborn at dawn tomorrow or press on to arrive at Thursday Island on Saturday. A squall has arrived to help me make up my mind. It is 11:20 and I will pass Pearson by noon. I have no real interest in stopping. I am making about 5 kt on the jib alone. I am about 35 nm from Collette, at least 7h, which means at best I will arrive there right at dusk. I won’t be able to see the bottom, and I have no interest to dropping the hook randomly with the hopes of not getting wrapped around a coral head. Ditto for the anchorage that is 53 nm away. Wyborn is about 80 nm away. In 11h I can be across the reef and out of danger, about 22:30. Wyborn sounds like it is easy to anchor at in 25’ of water and is supposed to offer outstanding protection. That is 16h away, 4:00. In all likelihood I would arrive there by dawn (Saturday). This is looking like the most attractive option. As I passed Pearson at noon, I saw no evidence in the surface from 1 nm away. The bearing to Wyborn is 307, and you can travel there practically in a straight line. However, you pass through many shoal areas, including some less than the draft of Aegir-Ran (6’). Two are on a bearing of 307 from Pearson, about 3 and 10 nm away. I motor sailed out of the GDR, in part to charge the batteries. But the fact is I have averaged 5.2 kt since with the jib alone, perhaps only 0.5 kt slower than when I was using the engine. The one thing though is there’s a lot of roll, and the roll is reduced significantly at higher speeds … the 0.5 kt makes a difference. A small squall arrived with rain at 12:20. I passed the feature 10 nm from Pearson, Indefatigable Reef, and spotted water breaking over it. Upon inspection with the binoculars, there was a good-sized piece of sandy land exposed that was not on the charts. Because of the direction of the wind, if I continue on the port tack, I will enter a region that is uncharted. I am going to tack in a bit so I am able to pass N of Collette and not S. It is 14:00 and I am now on a starboard tack to a 100’ deep channel just S of Collette that is flanked by shoal water. The channel is about 15 nm long 0.5-1 nm wide and happens to be at the correct angle for a port tack. There are a couple of obstacles downwind from there, but it is comparatively clear to the shipping channels relative to what I face between here and Collette. In other words, I will be through the worse of it during the daylight hours today. It is 17:00. I am 5.5 nm from Collette and averaging 5.6 kt. As predicted, I would have arrived there right at sunset. I have no interest in repeating the events of last night, so I will keep going. Today’s sailing has been the most complicated of the passage … finding a path through the reefs and negotiating the boat through them under sail. I feel confident that I will be able to perform these tasks after dark. There really are only two more obstacles after Collette between me and the shipping channels. Once I was safely in the channel to Collette, I went below and made a proper meal, while watching Navionics to make sure I stayed on course. Sure enough, while scrambling the last of my eggs for a burrito, a control line popped off the windvane. At 17:45 I saw a powerboat S of me anchored at Collette. 15n later I was visited by a large pod of dolphins. These were the first I had seen since Fiji. In about 4h, I will be out of the GBR, and while not technically in the shipping lanes (I will be avoiding them as much as I can), there will be no natural objects in the way. I am 45 nm from Wyborn and 60 nm from York Island. If I keep going, I’d likely end up at York Island about dawn. York Island is only about 25 nm from Thursday Island, which I would probably reach late tomorrow morning if I chose to do that. The idea of not stoping again is appealing. I received an e-mail that I am to report to the Australian Border Force (ABF) office at 10:30 on Monday.