Arrived Port Phillip, but not quite there yet
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Tue 26 Feb 2013 04:47
Course: North Nor' East
Wind: East, F1 - light air
Sea: calm Swell: nil
Weather: sunny, warm
Day's run: 86 Nm
It has been a frustrating twenty four hours, but we have at last arrived in Port Phillip, though we are not quite where we need to be yet. The breeze came and went yesterday but at 3.45 this morning we were at last within striking distance of the heads. The tide was favourable, but the wind was dying, it was starting to rain, and the swell was as bad as ever. My choice was to either drift around at the entrance to Port Phillip dodging shipping and rolling around like a sailor on his first night of shore leave after six months at sea, or flash up the BRM and motor in to the bay, so that this particular sailor can get a bit of shore leave. The latter option was unanimously agreed upon. Once inside we found a little breeze and my thought was to continue up the Western Channel and sail overnight across Port Phillip to anchor off St Kilda so I could catch up with by brother and his family tonight. However this was not to be. The wind died, the tide turned against us, and the rain started to bucket down, conditions not at all conducive to a night sail. I flashed up the BRM yet again and motored to anchor in the southern approached to the Western Channel. With a sigh of relief we dropped the pick at six this morning and turned in to get few hours sleep.
I set the alarm for ten as by then the tide should have turned in our favour, which proved to be the case, so we got underway, still no wind, and motored up the Western Channel. Once through to the other side a light easterly breeze could be felt, and now that we had plenty of water to drift around in, I stopped the engine and hoisted sail. And here we are.
I was still hopeful that I might get to anchor in time to be able to make it my brother's place tonight, but as the day has worn on and the wind has remained very light, the hope has evaporated along with the wind. At least it has stopped raining.
Now my plan is to continue to anchor off St Kilda, where we will hopefully arrive sometime tonight and then catch up with Mark and family tomorrow evening.
All is well.