1500 Position: 38 19.0 S 144 35.0 E
Course: SW Speed: 4.5 knots
Wind:SSE F3, gentle breeze
Sea: slight Swell: S, 2.0 m
Weather: mostly sunny, mild
Day's run: 35 nm

The Melbourne mission has been accomplished, namely catching up with niece, Issy, on Saturday to celebrate her fifteenth birthday.  No doubt appropriate to her age, we met at a large shopping mall where we had lunch together, with her dad Mark of course, and then she went shopping. And yesterday evening I caught up with Mark one last time, enjoying a barbecue at his place.

With Melbourne duties fulfilled and an okay weather pattern for the next 24 hours, I decided to make the most of it and get underway. So this morning we had an early start, slipping our lines at the Ferguson St Pier at 0635 and motoring out into the bay. Once clear of the shipping channel we set sail to the light W'ly breeze and shut down the motor. Despite the light breeze, we made good time across the bay, then tacked our way down the Western Channel with the help of the ebbing tide, and cleared the Heads at 1435.

The tide was still ebbing when we were negotiating the Rip but with the light winds and by staying well over to the western side of the entrance we avoided the worst of the turbulence and overfalls that I could see quite clearly toward the centre and eastern side of the channel. Now we are back out in deep water and well clear of the Rip, Sylph is close hauled on starboard tack to a gentle S'ly breeze, her bows softly rising and falling over the two meter swell.

The wind is forecast to remain a gentle breeze out of the SW overnight, freshening to a moderate breeze in the morning, so hopefully we will enjoy a relatively peaceful night before settling into the routine of bashing to windward tomorrow. If all goes well, we should round Cape Otway late in the evening. Once around Cape Otway the winds are forecast to veer into the west and strengthen to force five, which will make for a bumpy ride. I will assess conditions and review the forecast tomorrow. If the weather looks too boisterous then we will likely seek shelter in Apollo Bay just to the east of Cape Otway and there await for a better weather pattern to develop.

All is well.