North Stradbroke Island to Iluka

Emily and Rob

Well the ocean definitely humbled us this leg. This was our most challenging and scary sail we’ve had yet. Broadwater was stunning to navigate through. It started off as thick thick fog, which eventually opened up to a beautiful blue sky day! We then came across transmission lines that were 20m high and we were completely unsure of how tall we were. Rookie mistake number one! We did a quick emergency anchor, ran rope up the mast from a halyard and ran it to the water. We were 17m (with a bit of fat), so we passed under just fine (although nervous). We later passed through the Gold Coast seaway. A popular bar crossing that we didn’t have any qualms about… until we were in it. We misjudged our path (second rookie mistake) went up a 5m wave, flew down a 5m wave and had a 5m wave crash over the boat and into the cockpit. It was terrifying. The dinghy, which was on the deck, got an absolute flogging. The force of the wave snapped the ropes, the attachments of ropes on the dinghy itself and even the nets metal framework. We were then met with 3m swell for the next 17hrs of the journey. Bigger than what we anticipated, and scary after our bar crossing experience. We were safe, but on edge the whole night. Rookie error number 3… we also found out we didn’t have B&G charts downloaded south past Tweed, so we were completely reliant on Navionics. It wasn’t all bad though! After these experiences a Booby bird perched on our starboard railing, and hung out with us for hours and hours. We also saw whales and dolphins. It was like the ocean was trying to get us back in it’s good books! We then crossed the Yamba bar, which was whipped up by the big swell coming through. We logged in with the coast guard this time, talked to the VMR radio operator and skipper on duty and we waited outside the bar and counted sets before coming through. This was a much better approach, and we got in safe and sound! NSW bar crossings are not to be underestimated. We are sooo happy to be back on anchor! Our learnings from this trip: - Know how tall your mast is - Contact VMR and get tips or coordinates on every bar crossing. Just cause it’s popular, doesn’t mean you should be complacent. They can help you make an informed decision. - Check in and out with the coastguard for peace of mind. - Always have your charts downloaded for the areas you are going.

Boat & Crew

Zen

Simpson, 34ft Inspiration 10

Emily and Rob

Owner