Author: Ning Xue

21/10/2020

Woke up naturally in the morning before 6:00 a.m. Continued set out to south, 15 to 20 knots of northerly and 7-8 knots of boat speed. A big catamaran was following us but couldn’t overtake us until it raised Spinnaker. A water bird landed on our deck and rested for a while, then suddenly took off and landed on the next boat. I called it Freddie Freeloader (Miles Davis’ music).

The wind dropped a bit in the afternoon and we put the genoa back on.

Later afternoon the wind was particularly good so we decided to sail at night. There were some strange clouds J said he didn’t like the look of it but we still didn’t think it would come near…

After dark there was lightning in the clouds to the west, which seemed far away and we couldn’t hear the thunder, so we continued at 6-7 knots. I made stir fried pork with eggplant for tea, and we sat at the table to eat before I went out for watch.

The wind picked up after dinner and we dropped the genoa and changed to jib just to be safe. The lightning was still coming from the southwest, and it was becoming more frequent. The sunken pink moon was gradually covered by thick black clouds. As if a flying witch was about to appear. We passed by a steep rocky island called Steep Island, only its towering shadow was visible in the darkness of the night, like a giant devil. We passed it quickly, not knowing if we were sailing into a deeper darkness…

After midnight the lightning became more frequent to the west and the stars faded overhead, but fortunately the lighthouse on the Clara group 4 nautical miles ahead was still flashing in rhythm. The wind was getting stronger and we dropped the jib and sailed on the mainsail only. It was obvious that there was a strong current against us that kept the boat almost on the some spot. It was right where the tidal stream is marked on the chart.

We started the engine but didn’t see much forward movement, suspecting a problem with the gearbox. There is a spare outboard motor on board, but we both didn’t pay attention while Bob was demonstrating how to untie it, so we gave up for now. At about 2 or 3 o’clock thunders rolled overhead, rain was pouring down and the waves were getting bigger and bigger. We sailed with the wind to the southwest towards a bay, so the boat can stay stable. After a while we got closer and closer to the bay and had to turn the boat around. It was difficult to do so with just the mainsail, not to mention in a storm, so we had to try the engine again, still no use. I suggested a granny jibe, that is, a gentle turn to the rear and continue turning until the mainsail swung to the other side. This time it worked, and the bow turned northwest, drifting away from land.

At about four o’clock, we were far enough away from land, so we decide to drift for a while. J dashed to the deck with protective gear to lower the mainsail. The top bit of the main sail got stuck and couldn’t get it down no matter how hard he tried. So J tied up the rest of the mainsail for now and came back to the cockpit. We just sat there and floated in a stormy sea. The moments of lightning were as bright as daytime, with glimpses of the skyline and the turquoise coloured sea. Luckily the cockpit was well covered, with not much rain flying in. Big waves one after another, making a sensation a bit like riding a carousel, not like on Dagmar it will roll so badly. This trimaran has wide flat area, just like a floating platform, easing from one wave to another.

After a while the sky was a little brighter, never feel so eager for the daylight to come, the feeling of the unknown dwindling away. As dawn came, the rain subsided and Mustang passed the storm test. The boat and us have been through harshness and were really bonding together now.

Three o’clock in the morning is a bizarre time, as it is said to be the time when many boats get into trouble. This was our shake down cruise, we didn’t lose much stuff except for a bucket as we hadn’t tied it on deck so it was blown away.

I’ve always wondered what it feels like to encounter a storm on a boat at night. I was mostly calm, my legs were shaking only a little bit, my jaw were only a little tight, but I was able to joke, sing a song ‘Stormy Weather’, and humming the Doors’ ‘Riders on the Storm’ in mind… mainly because I trust J very much. He was very calm, with accurate judgement and decisive execution, without showing any sign of panic. He bravely went into the rain several times and worked on the deck to get us through safely. He is a real sailor!

20/10/2020

I slept well last night, woke up before 6am, as it was very bright early in the morning, and Mustang has more windows to let lights in. There was only a little breeze outside and J said he would like to try to raise the anchor and sails by himself. I was very happy to let him so I can stay in bed longer.

Mustang has shallow draft so it is much easier in shallow water. We don’t have to keep an eye on the sonar like we did before.

J tried the engine again, it was worse than yesterday, it stalled as soon as it started, J suspected it was the fuel supply. He gave Bob a call and he asked us to check if the filter valve was turned backwards. J checked and it was. So it was easyfix, we were all relieved, so was Bob. He said the engine had been running fine before, he had changed the oil and filter before he left, it shouldn’t have been a problem. The problem turned out to be the poorly marked valve. Bob also told us that he moved in his new boat So Good. It was originally named Hurts so Good, it is a name of an eighties pop song that Bob didn’t like, so he changed the name in the easiest way: paint off Hurts. He is sailing north tomorrow, and we agreed to meet halfway.

In the morning the wind picked up and we got to know better of the new boat, and Mustang ran smoothly. Later we dropped the jib and put on genoa, we run faster than a fully powered catamaran next to it. But since several of the old stays had not yet been replaced, we changed back to jib just to be cautious.

Fell asleep in the cockpit after lunch, and when I opened my eyes it was well past the Smith Islands, and it felt so good to be moving steadily.

Arrived at Turtle Bay on Carlisle Island at 6pm. We did 46 nautical miles today.

In the evening I had time to cook a healthy and tasty meal with meat and vegetable stir fry.

19/10/2020

Got up before 7am this morning and called vicroad to pay my car registration fee that is due to expire tomorrow. Picked up bed and bedding, moved to Mustang, dumped trash and old engine oil, went to boat store bought 30m rope and small anchor for dinghy. Went to pharmacy to buy sunglasses. Last stop was the marina office, J didn’t forget to let the staff know that there was a couple of Plovers had laid eggs on the lawn outside in the parking lot (a terrible place to lay eggs, but it was their land originally before human invasion), he asked the lawn mowers to keep an eye out for them. Back to Dagmar, J baked a big sourdough to make full use of the oven(no oven on Mustang) and we made a few more trips to move the last bit of our belongings. After a last shower in Marina and finally it was time to leave Dagmar. A little sentimental to leave, but excited for a new journey to begin.

After shifting everything including ourselves to Mustang it was almost 2pm. Stuff was piling up in the cabin. We made a quick tidy up, had sardine toast for lunch. Around 3pm, we were eventually leaving Airlie Beach where we had stayed for too long. I was feeling a bit tired already …

It was the first time we sail Mustang by ourselves, inevitably a little nervous. We started the engine when we set out, didn’t seems to work very well, always losing power. That was not a perfect start, it seems engine problems are following us. Once out of the crowded area, we raise the sail, the boat started to run, only a little bumpy but not rolling.

I was used to using the straightforward helm like a steering wheel before, not too used to using the tiller on the Mustang yet, as the direction of the tiller is opposite to the boat direction. After practice for a while, I gradually found out the way to do it. The trick is to move the tiller to the ‘out of course side’ until it has been corrected. Soon muscle memory formed, but I still got confused at times.

The wind died down in the evening, we were exhausted after anchored at Dugong inlet. I just made some quick noodles for dinner. After dinner J asked me if I missed Dagmar and I said not really, (I can adapt to new environment quickly due to moving around a lot). He said he missed it a lot. I knew he could have been tired and hadn’t quite adjusted to the new boat yet. Compared to Mustang, Dagmar feels spacious, so you could lie on the couch when you want to be lazy, while the new boat interior is more compact, there are two double beds but can’t really sit up on them. I believe he will feel better tomorrow after a good sleep.