Melbourne Cup Day
Ripple2
Mon 13 Nov 2006 01:32
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After an awfully pleasant stay at Musket Cove,
Fiji, we reluctantly left for Australia. Did I mention that we had our first hot
shower since Panama about six months ago at Musket Cove. Bliss.
Our intention was to do the 1400 miles straight. We
were a bit tired of waiting for weather windows, customs (especially bothersome
in Fiji) and dodging reefs and thought....this time when we go we'll just keep
going. Oh, and the fact that cyclone season had officially started (there had
already been one in Oct.) and Christmas was coming, literally.
The weather had been on and off but we'd decided on
Saturday as our day to go. Of course we met some nice people in the couple
of days leading up to Saturday and wanted to stay......but....
Sat came with clear skies and forecast 25 knot
winds from the east. We were heading west. "How bad can 25 kts be behind you"
everyone said, and we thought the same. How bad? Well somewhere between hell and
Melbourne (sorry G+B) !!!! I had been told that the first 20-30 miles out of
Fiji are always rough due to "the Fiji effect". OK Well the seas were very
large 12- 15 feet and breaking! Forget the course we wanted to go.....we had to
ride the waves as best as we could. Things did get a little better after the
first 20 miles but the seas remained big for 2 days and nights. No attempt was
made to cook at all and Annie was seasick for the first time since she first
sailed offshore 15 years ago!!! 1400 miles to go. What have we done!? Of
course in these conditions THERE IS NO WAY TO GO BACK.
After the first 2 days things settled down to their
usual rolly and bouncy self. At least cooking was possible, although still a
challenge. I noticed a small tear in the mainsail. There was an island 250
miles away. The sail should be mended. It would be our (2nd) last chance to
stop. This was not an official Port Of Entry to Vanuatu which means that
you are not supposed to go there until after you have been to an OPE first. But
we'd heard that a guy comes out in a canoe and writes down your details and as
long as you don't go ashore it's OK.
All day we had been listening to Radio Australia
and the build up to the Melbourne Cup. For those who don't know the MC is a
horse race held in Melbourne on the first Tuesday of November at 3.00 pm.
It is not just any race but "the race that stops a nation". Everyone in every
office, factory, building site, and restaurant stops to watch or listen
to The Cup. It's even a public holiday in Melbourne. All Aussies
overseas,stop and watch/listen, hey that's us.
Much to our delight we put the anchor down at the
southern most island of Vanuatu 3 minutes before the start of The Cup. How could
we be so lucky! How wonderful. I got 2 beers from the fridge. Annie was still
coming back from the bow and the engine still on....2 minutes. This is perfect
timing. Then I saw to my horror not one but two small boats 100 metres away
........heading directly for us. One was a dinghy from the only other yacht in
the bay, the other a local boat full of locals. SHIT! One minute to go. Don't
these people know the Melbourne Cup is starting NOW! It'll be over in three
minutes. Could they not wait 3 minutes? No. "And they're off" the radio blared
as the first boat came alongside. "Hello" I said to the locals "the Melbourne
Cup is on" hoping that they would somehow understand and come back later. They
didn't. SHIT SHIT! They wanted to know where we had come from (Fiji) "oh so you
are not checked in" (no) " well you can't go ashore" (OK). By now the fillies
had run half the distance. "bye" I said and ran below. I could still catch the
finish. A quick slug of VB and immediately the dinghy comes on the other side of
the boat. "as they turn into the home straight of the 2006 Melbourne
Cup......"the radio said. SHIT SHIT SHIT. "Hello" I said weakly then
dashed back below and left Annie to talk to the woman while I caught the last 10
seconds of the race. The favourite came near last and Japanese horses came
first AND second. Was I hearing right?
I'm afraid I was a bit rude to our 2 visitors (the
first one it turned out was a chief in the village) but jeeze The Melbourne Cup
was on. No other Aussie on the planet (including Antarctica) was doing
anything but listening to The Melbourne Cup.
Next day we repaired the sail and cleaned up the
boat. The day after at 3 pm we set off again. About 1,000 miles to
go.
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