Applying the brakes - New Caledonia to Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Wed 21 Oct 2009 09:36
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26:37.672S 154:10.134E
Applying the brakes as much as you can on a
boat anyway. The wind is cooperating in this endeavor - there is hardly
any of it and it has moved all the way around to the northeast. We motored
part of the night last night and all day today on a calm sea with a perfectly
clear sky. Very nice, but where's the challenge? There's not even a
need to hang on when walking from one end of the cabin to the other. This
after clinging on to every handhold in sight for two days while the boat bounced
and tilted at will. Very anticlimactic.
Oh, hang on - the wind just came up enough to
sail. Don just killed the motor and we are now floating along at a mere 5
knots - perfect for approaching Brisbane at first light tomorrow morning.
Ahhhh, now this is nice - no engine droning, no wind howling, just the
comforting sound of water percolating along the hull. Oh and the constant
clicking of the autopilot as it steers us in the right direction. The
autopilot clicking is barely noticeable when the engine is on, but almost
deafening when sailing on a quiet sea. Can't have it all, now can
we?
Sabbatical III (the other Amel) is still in sight
just a few miles to the south and we are already starting to see some
freighter traffic. We heard the Australian version of the Coast Guard on
the radio for the first time. So odd (and reassuring) to be back in a
place where a Coast Guard exists.
We have only 85 miles to go and should have no
trouble arriving per the plan at noon tomorrow (10/22). We'll send an
update after we arrive.
Anne
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