Departed Edithburgh

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Wed 3 Nov 2021 02:19

Noon Position: 35 16.2S 137 30.7E
Course: WNW Speed: 3.5 knots
Wind: WSW, F3 Weather: sunny, warm
Day’s run: 21nm

By the time we had found the mooring yesterday evening, the wind had picked up again. We waited awhile with a beer each that John had brought to see whether conditions would moderate sufficiently to allow us to get ashore. Fortunately it was a one beer wait and we managed to get the dinghy in the water and row ashore well before sunset.

Edithburgh is a typical small country town with a large caravan park, and two pubs, one police station and one post office all sharing the central intersection of the town’s main streets. We visited both pubs, enjoyed the company of the one patron and the barman in one pub and had a meal in the other. It was dark by the time we got back to the dinghy but by then the wind was very light and the row back was relatively easy.

This morning dawned calm with an overcast sky and patches of drizzle. I reviewed the weather situation and decided the calm conditions wold make for an easy motor through the Troubridge Shoal channels out into the clear waters of Investigator Strait before the wind picked up. This plan worked pretty well up to about an hour ago when the wind died out again, leaving Sylph wallowing in a residual sloppy sea and making very little ground in the desired direction. So, in the interests of preventing a mutiny, I have once more flashed up the BRM and we motor sail into the light winds. The wind is expected to freshen later this evening from the SSE so that should make for a reasonable sail around Cape York and into Spencer Gulf. Also I am hoping once the tide turns in a couple of hours the seas will smooth out a bit and we might be able to make better use of what little wind there is and turn the noisy engine off.

All is well.