And Drifting and Motoring ...
Where Next?
Bob Williams
Sat 7 Feb 2026 02:26
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Noon Position: 38 44.9 S 143 49.4 E
Course: NE Speed: 4 knots Wind: E, F2 slight breeze Sea state: 2 - wavelets Swell: S 2 meters Weather: overcast, mild Day’s Run: 75 nm
Contrary to expectations, we managed to get a bit of sailing in yesterday, carrying a slight breeze from late afternoon until around midnight. This was enough to get us past Cape Otway where it once more died leaving Sylph drifting and wallowing in the
short relatively steep two meter swell running in from the SW. By 0130 I had given up on trying to sail anymore through the night. I dropped the code zero and left Sylph to tend to herself, while I got some sleep. (Of course, as usual, getting up every
hour so as to ensure all was okay.)
This morning, at 0700 when I arose, I found that we had drifted only about a mile from where we were when I had turned in. There was still no wind so with the view of possible visiting my brother in Melbourne, I flashed up the BRM and got Sylph pointing
in the right direction. An hour later a bit of a breeze filled in, I hoisted the code zero and shut down the engine. We managed to sail at a speed of three knots, slowly closing the coast as we did so. At 1100 I tried to tack away to gain a bit of sea room
but now with the swell more on the bow rather than astern of us, Sylph could not keep her head up into the light breeze. It was clearly going to take us a long time to get to Port Phillip.
Studying the weather, I became more ambivalent about the wisdom of visiting Melbourne, thinking that given our slow progress to date we should just keep on going. But after a conversation with my brother, Mark, this morning I renewed my determination to pay
him a visit, even if it was only for one day. Who knows when I might get another opportunity to do so?
Consequently, we are once more back to motoring. Later this afternoon the wind is forecast to pick up a little and veer more into the SE, so I remain hopeful that we might get a bit more sailing in yet. It is 45 miles to Port Phillip Heads, then of course we
have to negotiate the Rip, and then it is another thirty miles across Port Phillip to Melbourne. We will aim to make slack water at the Rip at 0205 tomorrow. We are expecting light winds once inside Port Phillip, so I reckon it will take us about ten hours
to cross the bay, which will have us arriving off Melbourne at around midday tomorrow.
All is well.
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