Chapter 7 Interlude
Losing your mast is one of the worst disasters that can befall the ocean cruiser. It hasn't happened to us -yet. But on two occasions we have come close. At some stage while crossing the Pacific in 2004 half of a key component of the rigging fractured. This was discovered during a rigging check in Whangerei, North Island, and duly replaced. Then, last year, on our way up to Fiji, one of the intermediate shrouds broke after a gale. Luckily this happened when we were rolling about in the rough seas left after the wind had died down and we were able to make port with the rig still standing.
We had renewed all the rigging before we left England and had reckoned on it lasting us all the way around the world. But it seemed that we would be taking a big risk to ignore these warnings and so, early in February, we motored ALIESHA up the Paramatta River to Mortlake, where we commissioned Joe Henderson, a well-recommended local rigger, to replace the lot once again.
Land tour
While he did so, we hired a car and set off to see more of Australia. In the next two weeks we visited Canberra, the Snowy Mountains, the Rutherglen wine-growing region, Melbourne (where we saw the yachts taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race), the Ocean Highway along Victoria's south coast, the old gold mining towns of Bendigo and Ballarrat, took to the River Murray at Echuka on an ancient paddle steamer, went caving in the Blue Mountains and got breathalysed on the last leg back to Sydney. (I passed!)
Lasting memories of such a trip? First, Canberra, a 20th century city, neatly laid out and with many beautiful public buildings, yet somehow without a soul, a sterile sort of place. The War Memorial/Museum is both moving and really interesting, reminding us how Australians had not hesitated to support Britain in so many conflicts. The Parliament Building is modeled on Westminster in many ways, but is quite different in style, of course. We liked the fact that visitors can walk on the roof, which is grassed over. The architect felt it was good for democracy that citizens could walk on their elected rulers!
On the way south to the Snowies we stopped for lunch at a roadside pub, about a hundred and thirty years old, in a place called Bredbo. Inside were the landlord and two stockmen in worn leather hats and boots. They soon picked up on our accent and made us feel really welcome in their "local". The beer was pretty good too.
Melbourne is so different from Sydney, a less spectacular setting and many fewer skyscrapers but a wealth of cafes and restaurants and the superb Botanical Gardens. The weather is pretty changeable, four seasons in one day, the locals say, and we experienced them all. It appealed to us as a place to live and we would have liked more time there.
The drive along the Ocean Highway and the obligatory stop to
see the Twelve Apostles is every bit as good as
the brochures claim.
The same cannot be said for the cities of the Gold Fields, hyped to the skies
but pretty unexciting when you got there. That said, we loved Malden, a
small gold town
dating from about 1860, and largely undeveloped since then.
We stayed in the most amazing B&B, dating from 1908, took a couple of beers in
the local hotel and dinner in the restaurant next door, chatting to the locals
and enjoying the feeling of being welcome which is such a feature of travel in
Australia.
Just on the edge of the Blue Mountains lie the Jenolan caves, a series of grottos in a patch of limestone hills. We chose to see the Temple of Baal, had a wonderful guide, knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm. We've seen a lot of caves along the way but this was the best yet! Definitely a high spot, as was the B&B we selected for that night. If you visit Aussie, stay in B&B's, they are comfortable, owned by interesting people who provide loads of insights into life over here which you just won't get in a motel or hotel.
And a lasting memory we'd like to share with you. Crossing from New South Wales into Victoria we noticed that the road signs had changed. Nothing obvious, but there were more of them and they were subtly different. Then came our favourite. "DANGER. TREES NEAR ROAD" We were stunned.
A problem back home
We had been back aboard ALIESHA for just a day when we heard by email that Pam's Mother, Edna, had fallen and broken her hip while attending a concert at Chichester Cathedral . Two days later she was given an artificial replacement. Although Pam's brother David lives in England and was able to do all that was necessary while she was in hospital and then subsequently in a rehab. facility , we felt we should return to help Edna's recovery when she was allowed to return to her own home.
To lessen the miles we had to cover to be in Darwin by 1st July (why is explained later) we promptly set off to sail ALIESHA north to Brisbane, from where we would fly home. The trip north was rather a rush but we managed the 600 miles without incident and arrived back in the UK on 20th March to make ready Edna's house for her homecoming.
And there we stayed for most of the next five weeks, managing a few trips to Lymington to see Kate, Steve and Amelie, nearing her first birthday, and a couple of meetings with Jon and Jo. We had to cancel seeing several of our friends due to a really vicious bug we both caught just before Easter. Still, Edna had walked the quarter mile to the local shop and back before we left and has since gone from strength to strength, so we feel the trip was very worthwhile
Planning the voyage back to the Mediterranean
It has taken us nearly five years to get to Australia, about 28,000 miles the way we have come. If all goes to plan we will enter the eastern Mediterranean via the Suez Canal in under a year's time. That's about 10,000 miles, plus maybe a couple of thousand more for detours along the way.
Why are we rushing the second half? Well, it's partly because of the weather systems we'll meet along the way, and partly because we feel we want to be nearer home.
Take a look at the chart. This shows the first part of our route homewards.
It is roughly 2000 miles from Brisbane to Darwin and we are busy working our way up the Queensland coast as I write (late May). There are many lovely anchorages to stop in and just ahead of us here lie the Whitsunday Islands. It would have been nice to take more time over this leg but we have signed up to join a rally of some 100 yachts going to and through Indonesia and which departs Darwin on 22nd July. We decided to do this as it provides an easy route to getting all the paperwork travel through Indonesia requires, should give us added security in waters where piracy is not unknown (!) and also a gentle introduction into the culture of that vast and sprawling land.
The rally will go all the way to Singapore but we may well leave it after a couple of islands. Travelling with 100 fellow cruisers does not seem quite our style but we shall see.
After a stop in Singapore, about the end of September, we shall work our way up the west coast of Malaysia and over the border to Phuket in Thailand. We'll spend Christmas here. Hopefully Jon and Jo will join us and we may be able to travel inland a bit as well.
Remember learning about the monsoons in your geography lessons at school? well, we shall be in monsoon country. About the end of December the NE Monsoon sets in, bringing dry continental air to Thailand and the Indian ocean. We and other cruisers will set sail for the 1150 mile sail to Galle in Sri Lanka, hopefully somewhat recovered from the pasting it suffered in the 2004 Tsunami. From there we sail 450 miles to the Maldives, and hope to spend a couple of weeks among these atolls before another longish leg, 1250 miles to Salalah in Oman.
In Oman we are told that cruisers form convoys of five or six boats who sail in company the 750 or so miles to Djibouti. Why a convoy? Bandits/pirates/terrorists, call them what you will but there are a small number of unprovoked attacks each year on passing yachts and there may be safety in numbers. Happily the great majority of boats get through unscathed.
And then 1000 miles of the Red Sea, said by many to be the high spot of their circumnavigation. Deserts on both sides, strong winds, usually from ahead, beautiful coral reefs.... the trick, they say, is to start at dawn, motor sail if necessary until about 1000 am and then find a reef anchorage to spend the rest of the day, swimming, snoozing and so on. And when the wind is favourable, sail day and night to get north!
After we pass through the Suez Canal, a two-day trip, we have about 300 miles to Cyprus, where we plan to lay up ALIESHA for a visit home, then spend a couple more years cruising in the Mediterranean and Adriatic, while wintering in England.
That's the plan. We'll keep you posted as to how it actually works out as and when we can.
