Alongside RSAYS Marina
Wind: E, F2 slight breeze
Sea: calm Swell: nil
Weather: sunny, hot

The Hyundai Getz has at last been sold. I didn’t quite get what I wanted for it and the selling process through the online sales sites was a painful experience, with lots of “tyre-kicking”, ridiculously low offers, and failed appointments; but it is now off my hands and I hope the little car will give its new owner many kilometres of trouble free travel.

Another shore-side tie I need to deal with is my storage locker in the Squadron workshop. I hope to empty this out over the next few days so as to obviate the need to pay the monthly fee for an unknown period. Once this is done I can turn my undivided attention to the most important matter of getting Sylph ready for sea.

As mentioned last week, I have set a departure date of Wednesday 28 January but, unsurprisingly, the forecast for Wednesday is fresh to strong S’lies. SE winds are the dominant prevailing winds at this time of year, so I am either going to have to be very patient to wait for a more favourable weather pattern or I am going to have to accept a bit of a hard slog to windward. My current inclination is to head off on Thursday morning when there is a bit of lull and the wind has a little more East in it. I reckon if I stay close to the Eastern shoreline I can avoid the worst of the short seas that build up in the Gulf with S’ly winds. Hopefully I will at least be able to make it down to Kangaroo Island where I can assess our progress and decide whether to continue out into the open ocean to slog it out for the 200 miles from Backstairs Passage to Cape Northumberland, or remain within the shelter of Eastern Cove until conditions improve.

At least, with this course of action, our voyage will have begun and I won’t feel cooped up in the yacht basin, forever poring over weather maps waiting for more favourable conditions that may never eventuate – at least not in time for us to get to Sydney for the ‘91 Gulf War reunion on the 28th of February.

All is well.

And Happy Australia Day (as a nation and people may we find unity through celebrating our strengths, acknowledging and overcoming our failings, and accepting with grace and understanding the day’s contested meaning for many).