Newcastle 'Q'
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 2 Dec 2015 23:57
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Coming In and Checking In to
Newcastle, Australia
 In the grey, damp, cold morning air, Newcastle came into view.
 Going south was one of
the Navios fleet of chums. Unless you can get a glimpse of their back you
don’t know which one – Rose, Apallon, Midstream and countless others. We have no
doubt that she will be able to shrug at whatever the wind and waves hit her with
but we wished her well.
 After gaining permission to enter, I held
back for David Allan.
 Once inside the shelter
of the breakwater, we had flat, calm – a sigh of relief. The wind though
began to gust to twenty five.
 Well colour me confused. You don’t think
to look out for a chap paddling on his board when
you’re looking for chums, pilots, tugs and the like......... Then we realised he
was doing his sea rescue practice stuff. We waved and he waved back. Just as
well there are these hardy souls taking care of the numpties who get into
trouble swimming out of their depth.
 Talking of pilots, we passed their station.
 We sidled over to the right of the
channel, just in case anything massive came out of the main fairway to the
right. We watched a ferry cross from the town side to
our side and park ahead of us.
 What a ‘Welcome to Newcastle’. Water jets
behind one of the sheds. Apparently the temperature rose into the forties which
in part brought on the cold stuff we are in, but damping
down becomes an important safety prevention against spontaneous ignition
of the piles of coal and other combustible stuff about the harbour.
 We always laugh at these chaps as they look
like stick men with their hands on their
hips.
 Here we turned left into a cul-de-sac.
I noticed a lady just to the right of the red leading
mark.
   She is rather
handsome, could have done with her chest soothing the rough
sea.
 Up on our left we could see Christ Church Cathedral. We will do a proper explore of
Newcastle on our way north - as planned, and this modern place of worship is on
the must see list. Hope she will be all repaired for then.
 It was rather lovely to watch a pecalin go through his flying moves, we haven’t really
seen any since the Galapagos.
 Next on the right, some very handsome tugs.
 I don’t care who I have to chat up, I need a visit to this place.
Rightee-oh then. Newcastle is one of
Australia’s oldest and most interesting cities, containing a quirky blend of old
and new architecture – we remember from our brief drive-through last year. One
of the busiest ports in the world and the world’s largest coal export port
Newcastle has twenty operational berths [nine dedicated
to coal] facilitating more than 159.6 million tonnes in trade throughput and
4,600 ship movements annually. To the left of this monster
building we could see the tiny yellow Quarantine
Buoy.   Tied up at nine o’clock, engine off,
logbook update and the usual chores needed to be completed as we settle to
little movement. Always a laugh, you get used to walking around on a pitching
and wobbling floor, so at first, it’s hard when it stays still. Beez
Neez is feeling rightly very proud of herself. As ever, she has risen to
anything thrown at her, never shuddered or shirked, continued to be our trusted
friend – well more a family member and in four days we have lived permanently on
her for seven and three quarter years and been sailing on this At-Venture for
seven and a half. Time for a sandwich, toast our girl and to take stock. Above
left, our track in. Above right, our position on the Q ball.
 Not
quite sure what happened to the first bit of our journey line only the
last bit shows on the chart plotter. Oh
well.
 Well, colour me happy. Half way through my sandwich a chum is coming toward us with two working girls, another
heading out to her, presumably to get her nestled alongside. Immediately, I said
I was quite happy if Border Patrol was really busy today, that I am more than
chuffed to sit here and watch this excitement.
 In the now howling wind, the working girls
manoeuvre Chengtu into the middle of the
fairway.
 Darling
pushed her hips at the massive empty side of the giant behind her and did her
stuff. This is as good as it gets........
 A while later, Chengtu is safely tethered opposite us and
awaiting her load. No surprise I looked her up later..........
Chengtu is a general cargo ship built in 1991. Home
port: Hong Kong
IMO: 9007362
MMSI: 477549000
Length: 177 metres
Beam: 28 metres
Draught: 10.14 metres
Gross Tonnage: 18,391
Summer DWT: 25,661
She loaded here today and is off on the morrow, bound for
Auckland, due in on the 7th of December.
  Meanwhile, beside us, we watched two men inspect all the fixtures and fittings at the top
of these storage silos.
 This busy little
lady, darted back and forth and the chaps aboard waved every time they
passed.
 Just then a small white craft with
a couple of meaty engines pulled up beside us. “Hello, I’m Michael. I’m Border
Patrol. Can you follow me to the marina, far side of ‘A’ dock and we’ll begin
your clearance procedures. Part of me was torn, I was having such a good time,
but, engine on........ Beez had to lurch forward hard to allow Bear to
get the tether off the ‘Q’ ball. That done, we followed on, in gusts to twenty
five knots. Do so hope for a few minutes lull as I park...........fingers
crossed.
 To our right we passed a very attractive working combo.
 Another look as
we pass.
Well colour me
baffled. I heard Bear say next to the green and white
boat. Michael and his driver [never did find out his name] were
bobbing just beyond it, so who was I to not follow captains orders, all of a
sudden in here. Oo, very hard left next to a
cream and white boat, must teach him to roll his r’s. Thank heavens the bow
thruster worked. Can you pull a little to the
right. No chance, the twenty knot wind was pushing us sideways left,
all I could do was control a slow forward against the thankfully padded pontoon
and thrust to the left to pivot off and onward. Not the prettiest but Michael
later complemented.
A few minutes later Helen and Dean
appeared. Helen was the first person to step onto Beez in Australia and
therefore had to have a big hug. Dean, sporting a blue machine that looked like
a hoover with no suction tube told me that he was never hugged as he did all the
swabbing and testing. Knowing full well his fancy machine would find no trace of
anything illegal aboard he was given a slightly smaller squeeze. Dean went to
his task and Helen sat with me to do the initial paperwork. Michael later on sat
in the cockpit and when it was Bear’s turn with Helen I went to
chat.
“Do you not
feel bothered about being rummaged” NO, I just have to think platypus, kangaroo
and koala bear to feel the need that they and so many other creatures and flora
must, at all costs, be protected and if that means an hours worth of being
‘rummaged’ – rummage away. Let’s face it the Pink Island is unique.
Dean’s machine found nothing despite many
swabs and tests. It was time to bade these three polite, efficient, but above
all friendly and welcoming officials a fond ‘farewell’. Bear is to bimble over
to their office tomorrow for our cruising permit.
Howard, marina manager popped over with a
couple of gate passes, such a lovely, helpful man, but knowing we still had our
yellow flag up, couldn’t come aboard for a chat. Ditto a young couple from a few
boats away. Nothing for it but to have a game of backgammon which Bear kindly
let me win – always nice to get the first victory on a new island,
country..........you’re trying to upset me
again. Nnnnooo.
Tony from Quarantine appeared late
afternoon and found all our stocks printed out on spreadsheet. He settled to his
pile of forms and we all chatted like old friends. I knew to have the tomatoes
and one apple ready for disposal and asked a list of other things I wasn’t sure
about – Oxo cubes, fine. “Beans” chirped Tony, no, no beans of any kind. Dried
peas ???, “no beans, bran or popcorn”. No, none of those. “Flour”, cornflour,
gravy mix I said in a hopeful way. “No, no trace of bugs”. Dried mash not in
packets, fine. Tinned chicken and tuna, fine. That went on for a while and then
the steady beam of Tony’s torch looked at several edge joins to look for termite
droppings. None found. Lastly, I had a couple of shells and trinkets on the
table. No boring marks found so a clean bill of health. Everything signed, three
hundred and sixty dollars paid on our credit card and we said our ‘farewell’ to
Tony. Bear went to plug in the electrics and take down the yellow flag. We were
here, we were all legal and the radio chirped as Scott-Free invited us to the
Yacht Club for happy hour at five. Perfect timing. Wash face and teeth, change
clothes and we were out the door.
Big hugs in welcome when we met up for the
first time since the Blue Lagoon in Fiji. Celebratory libations and what the
heck, I had fish and chips and Bear had the pork special. We met the Royals
house guest and old friend, Nick and the evening tore away from us. Home to
snuggle against each other – the best thing after a long passage.
 Beez Neez on the marina, slip A12, Newcastle,
Australia having completed 1034.21 nautical miles, in 193.5 hours, an average of
5.34 knots per hour. 84 hours solid sailing and the rest - engine ticking over
just to keep on course, until we gunned for Sydney, just sixty miles away and
the rest can be forgotten about as we plan a few days here and an overnight to
Sydney on Monday after this weather system has faded to history.
Exciting times
and much planning, not tonight as the lids locked tight.
ALL IN ALL AN INCREDIBLY GOOD
DAY
THE DAY FLEW BY BUT SO WELCOMED BY
EVERYONE |