F o r a w o m a n n o t f o n d o f c h a n g e , 2010 was a challenging
Growing concerned, Peter called him and received a reply we’d never
year! We had transited the Panama Canal on our Oyster 435 Tamoure
heard before (to be read with a Chinese accent): “Cannot change
in 1999 and spent ten happy years in and around the South Pacific,
course. The pilot is in the toilet… pilot in toilet!” Ten minutes later we
returning to Gulf Harbour, New Zealand, for seven southern summers
were feeling a bit like needing the toilet ourselves, so close was he to
(which included getting married!), and Mooloolaba, Queensland, for
our position. We called again, and received the same reply from an
three. Those who know us well thought we’d never leave but we always
impatient Chinaman: “Wait, wait. Pilot in toilet… Pilot in toilet!” This is
said we’d stay for a maximum of ten years. So in March 2010, we bade
better in the telling than in the writing, but eventually the pilot finished
farewell to New Zealand and set off on the next stage of our adventure,
his business and the ship altered course to clear us safely.
starting with a 1300-mile ‘hop’ across the Tasman Sea to Bundaberg from where we began the long march up the coast and round to
Most days, the weather was kind to us and we had great downwind
Darwin. Australia is a very big country! We didn’t sail every single day,
sailing, with Tamoure recording speeds as never before. She’d had a
but it still took 66 of them to cover 2000 miles.
big refit in New Zealand in 2009 and we could almost hear her saying: “Mum, Dad – this is what I’m good at!” as we regularly tore along at
This was a trip which I (as navigator, and generally an anxious person!)
8 knots. That’s fast for us! Our philosophy (not 100 per cent successful,
was apprehensive about, but contrary to expectations, it wasn’t
as we were to experience once closer to the squall-ridden Equator) is to
unpleasant at all. The route, on paper and electronically, looks nerve-
avoid stressful situations whenever possible. “Stress will find you
wracking, winding through reef-strewn shallows, constantly dodging big
anyway,” proclaims the skipper, “no point in seeking it out.” With this in
ships, but the reality wasn’t so bad. Channels are well marked and ships
mind, we sailed more overnight than strictly necessary and avoided
well behaved, though we did have one amusing experience, on a day
possible shortcuts, bypassing both the Escape River and the Gugari Rip.
when the log recorded: ‘Hideous, awful, ghastly day! 100 per cent
Surely there’s a hint in those names!
cloud cover + squalls. Sailing ‘blind’ amongst reefs + shipping lane.’ A 60 to 70-mile sail for us is the tricky one. Much as we hate late Unable to hold our course for long, we gybed and gybed and gybed
afternoon departures, we’d rather sail overnight and arrive in the
again, relying on our new chart plotter to tell us when to do so. This is
morning with good visibility and time in hand, than have the anxiety
something we never do – put all our eggs in one electronic basket!
of not reaching our destination before dark. Reefs and shallows abound
But the reason for not being able to lay the course initially has been the
off the Australian coast and loss of sleep is a small price to pay for peace
source of much laughter ever since. Coming in from the outer shipping
of mind and safety of vessel. The annual trek to Darwin is tough on boats
channel on a NW course was a very large ship, heading straight for us
and crews, many of whom underestimate the stresses of downwind
instead of altering course to keep to starboard, as we expected.
sailing and have much to fix on arrival. We are very cautious; but maybe that’s why we’re still ‘out there’ and motivated after 20 years! »
summer 2013
OYSTER news
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