We had a great sail from Heron Island to Great Keppel Island. Flat water and a steady 10-15 knot breeze. Dinner was covered for five nights with a spotted mackerel caught on passage and we enjoyed some repeated breaching by a very energetic whale off our starboard transom. While it was too far away for… Read More »
Heron Island has one of the few resorts located on the GBR. Unfortunately, it doesn’t welcome yachties who might venture out this far, however there’s always a walk around the island on offer as we have access up to the high-water line. We did visit reception though and they were generously agreeable to us having… Read More »
Apologies to my email subscribers, another try … There are so many coral cays out here but the weather and time dictates how many you can visit as sheltered anchorages are a must. If there is an island, they are quite small. We can usually circumnavigate them in under an hour by foot, so it’s the… Read More »
It’s so wonderful to be back in the water! A warm and calm patch of weather over the last week has meant I’ve unexpectedly been able to enjoy my underwater world in the Bunker and Capricorn group of coral cays and islands, in the southern section of our wonderful GBR. We are now back in… Read More »
Woohoo, our 2019 east coast journey begins! After we left The Boatworks we caught our breath with a few nights in the Broadwater, familiarizing ourselves with our ‘second home’. Living between two homes involves some clumsy moments remembering just where things are. Of course, on The Bossa, it’s a tad more important as many things… Read More »
I think we left Melbourne at the right time! Winter has well and truly set in now with wind, rain, hail and even snow. And it’s COLD downsouth!! Sunshine and 25 degrees up here. We are now on the water enjoying a rest … and the sunshine!As per the previous four years, we left The Bossa… Read More »
Take two! I’m trying to improve on my layout for you email subscribers. This is what your post update should have looked like … It’s that time of the year again … when we swap ‘homes’. Our 2018 sailing season has come to an end. We have arrived back at Boatworks and packed our boat… Read More »
Take two! I’m trying to improve on my layout for you email subscribers. This is what your post update should have looked like … It’s that time of the year again … when we swap ‘homes’. Our 2018 sailing season has come to an end. We have arrived back at Boatworks and packed our boat… Read More »
It was on this day 5 years ago, when our Bossa Nova slowly glided down our driveway, behind a monstrous truck. It was such a memorable day! After three years of blood, sweat and tears building our Fusion 40, our baby was finally leaving our paddock. A big truck entered our work yard, backed under… Read More »
Lady Musgrave Island is probably the most well known coral cay in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Day tour boats visit from Bundaberg and it’s a popular stopover anchorage for yachties on the way north and south. It’s approx’ 35 nautical miles from Pancake Creek, south of Gladstone. We had visited Lady Musgrave a few… Read More »
We loved Fitzroy Reef. The lagoon has a white sandy bottom, such clear water and so much reef to explore. I had snorkeled every day for a week now I think. Was I snorkeled out yet? Nearly. If Heron Island was all about big fish, Fitzroy was about the little fish. After a long 2-hour… Read More »
Entering the Fitzroy Reef lagoon entrance on dead low tide made it quite spectacular. Once inside, it was a glass-out! Not a breath of wind. Absolute perfect outer reef weather … whoopee! After a 3-hour motor on flat oily water from Heron Island, we followed Take It Easy through the somewhat narrow Fitzroy lagoon entrance, with both… Read More »
After a calm night at anchor at North West Island we woke to glassy water and a blue sky. It was a short motor hop to Heron Island and Wistari Reef. Fortunately, the two moorings were free so with TIE and The Bossa securely attached, it was snorkel time, once again taking advantage of the midday… Read More »
We left Great Keppel Island at day break (5 am) and arrived at North West Island at lunchtime, after 7 hours of motoring (remember, we didn’t want wind). An uneventful 43 nautical mile trip, our longest passage, until we leave Lady Musgrave Island at the end of our Southern Reef adventure. North West Island is a large… Read More »
In my last post I mentioned we were heading out to sea. We have just spent the last seven days in the Southern section of the Great Barrier Reef, at the Capricorn and Bunker Groups of islands. Why haven’t we visited here before??!! I suppose Lady Musgrave Island counts, but I also think perhaps we are… Read More »
I hope I haven’t bored my readers with this endless collection of underwater snaps yet?! We are venturing out to the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef very early this morning. Maybe more underwater photos that even “gazump” this collection? There will be no phone reception out there so my next post will be… Read More »
Snorkeling has become my number one activity when I’m on The Bossa. I’ve mentioned how disappointing and sad the state of the Great Barrier Reef is around the Whitsundays. The silt and algae, along with the damaged coral, will be having a big impact on the tourism there. However, back south, here at GKI, it… Read More »
Each morning we get up in anticipation. The weather forecast! We are planning to hop down the coral cays of the Southern Great Barrier Reef with Take It Easy. We need light winds, clear sunny skies, neap tides, a low tide in the middle of the day and a favourable wind direction to get us… Read More »
We have arrived at Great Keppel Island (GKI). The northerlies finally arrived so several yachts departed the Whitsundays around the same time, all southward bound. I counted 30+ yachts in a few of our anchorages. It is approx. 200 nm from the Whitsundays to GKI so its usually a 4-day passage. We had a brilliant weather… Read More »
We hopped down south to Plantation Bay, Lindeman Island. An unexpected treat was another ‘last snorkel’. Little did I know I would finally see some Anemonefish. Here’s a few pics …
Friends (non-boating ones) often ask … “what do we do?” We sail, we fish, we read, we walk, we talk and we just love the cruising life. But, it’s the people we meet along the way that have the biggest impact on our cruising life. Lasting friendships are formed. We are beginning our southern journey… Read More »
My last snorkel in the Whitsundays! While the reef here is not what it used to be, there’s still plenty to see under the water. While the bottom is covered with a layer of brown murky sediment and the water somewhat cloudy, seeing the bright fish life and the new corals, is still my favourite… Read More »
It has been a rollercoaster ride over the last few weeks here in the Whitsundays. There are a few ‘safe havens’ in these waters. When the wind blows too hard, we yachties look for shelter (contrary to what some think … we don’t like strong wind either). Nara, Macona and Gulnare Inlets, along with Cid… Read More »
It’s so good to be back in the water. However to date, I’ve only managed to get to the fringing reef around the islands. The outer reef is hopefully not too far away … we are waiting on a ‘weather window’! The popular Whitsundays snorkeling spots here have been the likes of Blue Pearl Bay,… Read More »
Wow … Wow … Wow! We picked a day with a clear sky forecast and then a time with the sun overhead and also low tide. We booked a one-hour Reef and Islands flight out of Airlie Beach. The day was perfect with little wind and no clouds. My last experience on a small plane… Read More »
We have just enjoyed 12 days of glorious weather, but more importantly, 12 days of family time with Abbey on board. First stop … Whitehaven. THE best beach! After many visits to the Whitsundays over the years, on our last visit here in 2016 we actually visited a bay we hadn’t been to before. Waites Bay… Read More »
It has been a few weeks since my last post. We are anchored in Gulnare Inlet, near Hamilton Island, ready to collect Abbey tomorrow. We have had such a run of great weather. Clear blue skies, warm and gentle sailing breezes. We’ve even had super calm days without a breath of wind. We do treasure… Read More »
The big … While we have seen so many whales on our trip north this year, I’m still hoping for that ‘special’ shot of a whale breeching. We have seen some acrobatics, but way too far away. We’ve also had whales close, sometimes too close, but they’ve been simply heading north like us. We have… Read More »
Did you know … Magnetic Island was named by Captain Cook, whose compass played up when he sailed past in 1770? Visiting Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island is a bit like visiting a friend. Familiar, easy, friendly, secure, pretty and calm (its protected from most wind directions) … a ‘yachties paradise’ Neville would say. It is… Read More »
While our 2018 visit to the Whitsundays has been a brief one to date, we have already seen some of Cyclone Debbie’s destruction and the its lingering consequences. We stopped at Hamilton Island to re-provision, to South Molle Island for a walk to the lookout and we are now anchored off Gloucester Island, a favourite… Read More »
A perfect day for updating my blog! We are anchored at Shaw Island with Pas De Chat (pronounced pa—da-cha). It’s blowing 20+ knots so it’s a day on board, but we have blue skies and 24 degrees … and internet … so who’s complaining? We left The Narrows two weeks ago for Great Keppel Island. It… Read More »
Let’s mix it up. We think some of our blog ‘followers’ might enjoy this little side story. We are a sailing boat, so yes, we always want to sail. If we need to, we motor-sail, which is a combination of sailing and motoring (usually because there’s no wind). And then there’s motoring, which we don’t really want… Read More »
One of the bonuses of the cruising life is visiting places that are only accessible by water and are also not on the ‘tourist’ run. Yellow Patch on the northern side of Curtis Island not far from here comes to mind and also where we are now, Pancake Creek. The anchorage ‘hops’ up the east coast… Read More »
This is our fourth year on The Bossa and our third cruising the east coast. Our trip north this year began slightly differently … we joined friends at Byron Bay and celebrated my entry in to the next decade with a 3-day land interlude. (My biggest concern was spending this occasion under our boat with… Read More »
We are back! Not sure where we should call ‘home’ these days but sharing our time between our home on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria AND on our catamaran bossa nova certainly works well for us. We have had discussions about one or the other … but we like it both ways! So after a grueling… Read More »
This will be my last post for 2017. With our cruising adventure now over, its time to enjoy our land life. I have added two links to my blog that may interest … My New Caledonia 2017 – Amanda’s Slideshow showcasing the lagoons of New Cal and the underwater life in photos … And Neville’s… Read More »
Welcome to … such a lovely place … We are back ‘home’ … at The Boatworks. It all started here way back in April and it’s finishing here too. Time for our 6 months’ adventure on land now. 3,500 nautical miles on the clock and 145 days away. 2017 will be remembered for the Go… Read More »
The Rumline to Bundy … yes I think a few rums were consumed by the guys on their return to Oz. Our “tribe” have all arrived now … Aqualibrium, Supa Trooper, Zofia, Easy Tiger, Sans Souci, Skellum and finally Cruising Kitty. All with stories to tell! I returned to The Bossa after my 10-day sojourn… Read More »
We are back in Australia! It certainly isn’t feeling like the tropics with constant heavy rain and strong winds here in Bundaberg. After I flew home home to visit family and catch up with friends, Neville and his crew sailed The Bossa from Santo, in Vanuatu, to Bundaberg, Australia. Sailing 1,000 miles, five days and… Read More »
We spent our first five days in Santo on a mooring in the ‘front yard’ of the Aore Resort on Aore Island, opposite Santo’s main town, Luganville. Bliss, no anchor to worry about. The Segond Channel that separates Aore Island and Luganville (our clearance port of departure) is extremely deep and with the current running… Read More »
We now have a timeline. My flight is booked for the 9th October and our two crew, Jim and Greg, are flying in to Santo on the 8th October. We always planned on approximately 30 days in Vanuatu and our 30 days are up on the 11th October. Neville has extended his 30-day visa; in… Read More »
Port Vila is one place we knew what to expect. In 2014 we visited with friends John and Denise BCP (before Cyclone Pam). We spent a very relaxing two weeks seeing the sights, with our friends showing us Efate by road (many of which we remember being in a state of disrepair as well as… Read More »
We are now at the island of Eramango, 50 miles from Tanna. Port Vila is next. As we entered Dillons Bay after a brisk sail with following seas (with our kite getting a gig), we were greeted by local ni-Van villagers in their dug-out canoes. Children and adults. Before long soccer balls and dinghy oil… Read More »
Cats in the Rally … By popular demand … Neville’s “unoriginal musical score with original words” performed to the tune of Harry Chapin’s ‘Cats in the Cradle’. Johnny Eyebrow planned a rally just the other day To sail to New Cal in the usual way But there were boats to prepare and bills… Read More »
Apart from the island of Tanna being one of the shortest passages to Vanuatu from New Caledonia, the main reason we chose Tanna as our destination, was its volcano, Mt. Yasur. Mt. Yasur is an active volcano and is accessible by 4WD followed by a short climb. Many of our rally yachts had already visited,… Read More »
We have arrived in Vanuatu! After 31 hours at sea, we entered Port Resolution on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu at 7 am. Sunday. Hearing the village roosters and seeing the steam rising from the cliffs, we knew we were in the right place. We had departed Ouvea at midnight on Friday so we… Read More »
Ouvea … Loyalty Islands We departed Toupeti at 5 am one week ago for the Loyalty islands, leaving Grande Terre behind us for the last time. It was a vigorous sail to Ouvea averaging 8.1 knots, arriving at midday, much earlier than we anticipated. Nothing better than a quick passage! Waow! Ouvea. Turquoise waters, 25… Read More »
After a few weeks of cruising with Easy Tiger, Sans Souci and Cruising Kitty, we all decided to share our New Cal photos. This came about when we got together one night after one of our walks. We ‘airdropped’ (a brilliant way to exchange photos thanks to Apple) each others photos to our various devices. … Read More »
I have found that every venture in to the clear blue water here in New Cal has offered something different. But a few things have been constant, making the barrier reef here quite exciting. The Grand Terre (mainland) is surrounded by its barrier reef creating a large lagoon. It’s the largest lagoon in the world… Read More »
Every stopover here in New Cal has something to offer, above and below the water. We only had an overnighter at Ilot Brosse, an island not far from Kuto and we didn’t snorkel, but we had a lovely beach for a walk and enjoyed one of the best sunsets so far from the beach. We… Read More »