VANUATU TO MACKAY, AUSTRALIA, TUESDAY 17 AUGUST, 2010

 

We are in our last 24 hours of crossing from Vanuatu which we left on Thursday 12th August.  We came through one front with 25 - 30 knot winds but it only lasted a few hours. On Friday,after checking around,Jonathanfound a large split pin on the deck. we checked around on deck first and found none of the pins missing, this meant that Jonathan had to go up the mast to investigate, either that  or risk the mast coming down.  Problem was that it was still quite rough so would not have been easy for him and we as crew mutinied and said 'no' wait until the seas calm down a bit. He eventually went up on Sunday and everything looks intact, but still a mystery of where it has come from.

 

We have been having some lovely sailing averaging 7 - 8 knots in 15 - 20 knot winds.

 

I have been doing a lot of cooking up of food as we cannot take anything raw into Australia, beans, meat, cereals all  have to go, plus herbs and spices, very annoying but I suppose understandable.

 

We have had an extra passanger on board over the last few nights, a Red Footed Boobie, took residence on the dingy, but crapped everywhere.  Two tried to land on the mast last night but we managed to get rid of one but another sat on the cross trees and refused to budge so the decks were in a bit of mess this morning.  Photo to follow, of the Boobie, not the mess. Wearrive in Mackay tomorrow night, we arrive at the Great |Barrier Reef tonight at about 1 am and go through Hydrographers pass hopefully on a slow tide, they rip through at times at 6 knots.