Fenix to OZ

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

I left Whangarei, Friday afternoon March 30th on the flood tide.

The day before northern NZ was inundated with rain. The local report said they recieved two

months worth of rain in 24 hours, my guess was about 12 inches came down without letup in 24

hours.

The town Basin Marina was filled with floating debris, in size, up to small trees. At the

height there was a current of about six knots flowing, which would have been stronger except

it was during the flood tide.

The next day it was sunny with a nice breeze from the south to help me on my way north to

Opua, Bay of Islands. In the wee hours of Saturday morning the breeze died and the ol' iron

topsail propelled Fenix to the bay. I arrived about noon and had the anchor down in 40 feet.

It's a short dingy ride to the dingy dock that belongs to the Opua Cruising Club. The club

has a brand new building just opened in Jan '07. It's a great clubhouse and they serve meals

three days a week at good prices. There are also nice new bathrooms and a great hot water

shower.

On Sunday evening there was a potluck going away party for a couple on a US boat heading

back to the states for a vacation from thier vacation of sailing. The boat is staying here

on the hard for about 6 months.

That is something many cruisers do here. Store thier boat on the hard and return to the US,

Canada or various parts of Europe.

After being here a few days and getting to know the layout I took a dingy ride about 3 miles

down the bay, that is generally NW, to Pahia. Pahia is at the mouth of the bay on the south

side and quite a tourist destination. Russell is right across the bay. There are all manner

of activities related to the water in Pahia. Whale watching, fishing and some diving(too

cold for me). Prices in Opua, a very small town, are quite high so the ride to Pahia for

shopping or even better to Whangarei is often worth it.

One night here at anchor I was awoken by a commotion in the water outside the boat. It was

dark and cold so I didn't want to leave a warm bunk to check it out. After listening awhile

I realized it was dolphins playing about right outside the boat. Thier frolicking was such

that the waves they generated were rocking me about. A couple of days later they did the

same thing but in the morning daylight so I got to watch them up close. Quite a treat.

Opua is home to a large marina and many moorings. There are many NZ boats here as well as

the large group of cruisers. Most cruisers are gearing up for departue by sometime in May.

Some to return up north to Fiji, Vanuatu and other islands, some a bit more ambitious are

going farther east to Tonga and some like me are heading to OZ.

I plan to leave mid-month(April) when the weather looks good for the 1,300+ miles to

Bundaberg. At first I thought the passage was only 900 miles or so. But the other day I

started putting waypoints into the GPS, the straight line distance from my anchored position

to the entrance to Burnett River is 1,290 miles, so I figure somewhere around 1,350 or so

depending on wind direction. I must sail a bit north at the start to get above the northern

end of NZ before I can turn to about WNW. Right now I'm about 35S by 174E, Bundaberg is

around 25S by 152E.

Sometime after this weekend I will be reporting in to the ham net and my daily positions

will be reported on the internet. I have some pics from here but the internet connection is

dismally slow, so I will wait 'till I get to OZ to upload.

Take care all and enjoy the begining of your sailing season.
Fred

[Neil Gordon]

Fair winds, Fred. Thanks for the update and we look forward to your next report (and pictures!)

[Carter Brey]

Thanks, Fred-- we all look forward to your updates.

Take care,
Carter

[Dick Barthel]

I know a lot of us can't wait for the next Fenix post.

Here's to smooth sailing on the next leg.

Dick

[bill2]

Thanks for the updates - the mental images you're painting are priceless while we start to get our boats ready for spring sailing.

Fair Winds

[Paul D.]

Fred,

This time of year in 1990 I left Russel just as you for New Caledonia and Austrailia. I was crew for one forth of the food costs. It was aboard a homebuilt NZ made wooden Atkins Ingrid which I helped put in six weeks of labor getting her ready including pulling the rudder and adding a pintle and gudgeon. She was the boat that the 1990 Whitbread racer "The Card" hit at the Auckland start. The Card lost her mizzen, the Ingrid bent a shroud (9mm galvanized if I remember correctly) Fun work and I learned a lot from the builder and eventually my friend, Dennis Ryan who was 75 at the time we sailed.

It is a great time to go. We made Noumea in 9 days and from there sailed for Gladstone in ten or so. Downwind all the way save for a few squalls. We could smell the pines of Norfolk Island halfway. We were the slowest boat in the herd. There were two cruising fleets that year leaving NZ, one for the islands of Fiji and beyond and one for Austrailia.

Gladstone and, I reckon, Bundaberg is lit up like a highway and it takes a long time from when you pick up the first light to when you start getting in close to shore like another day of sailing. Watch for big ships. and also, the Rum in Bundaberg!

If you are heading up the coast from there check out the motorcycle museum on Hamilton Island if it is still there. I think it is one of the best in the world. Where else can you find a Vincent Black Lightning '53 and a Brough Superior in the same room?

All the best and fair winds,
Paul

[George Shaunfield]

Good to hear from you, Fred. Thanks for the update. We look forward to hearing more, and seeing the pictures too.

George
Wings of the Morning
CD26

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Fenix and I are in Bundaberg.

We had a rather sedate passage of 14 days. Generally conditions were light or no wind. We did have a very nice period of about four days in the middle of the trip. The wind was on the starboard quarter and the course about 300 true. Used the motor for almost 4 days altogether. It was a pleasant sail with only one small squall the day before we reached OZ. That brought the best wind of the trip.

I got to see four small, about 20 feet, humpback(?) whales just lazing along one morning. Good thing I happened to go out in the cockpit for a look see 'cause I think I would have run into one of them otherwise.

A bit later in the day I also saw a pod of porpoises frolicking about. These are the kind of things that make crossing oceans fun and interesting.

A couple of nights before reaching OZ I was no longer a single hander! It was a calm night and Fenix was motoring along to the WNW. I was laying in the v-berth catching a little snooze when I heard a very strange sound outside. I figured it was just a bird. It was.

I went on deck to get some sail up because the wind was finally returning. Sure enough there was a good sized seabird standing on the bow pulpit. It was completely at ease with my presence and didn't even flutter its wings as I raised the yankee.

This was about 10 pm. My crew stayed for the night. I thought he was just resting but what a tough way to rest, having to continually grip that small round tube with his webbed feet. He slowly rocked back and forth as the boat pitched and rolled its way along.

When I got up at sunset he was still there and I was able to get a short video of him on his perch. A few minutes later he was gone, looking for breakfast I'm sure.

At the end of the trip the wind went westerly and tried to frustrate my forward progress. A small storm system was coming down the coast but the wind did go SW, which at the time helped me along nicely. As the sun went down on my last night at sea I neared the light marking the northern end of the reefs off the end of Frazer Island.

Once I reached that light I altered course to the SW and Bundaberg. By this time the small storm system was gone off to the SE and I was left with a very light N wind. It was still nearly 50 miles to Bundaberg. I started seeing lights from numerous vessels, fishing boats I think.

I settled in the cockpit with a couple of pillows and my blue blanky, peering about the horizon from time to time. There was a large gibous moon and a nearly clear sky on this easy passage. Frazer island to the SE made a very nice breakwater to shield me from the S&E swells.

By sunrise the light northerly winds were gone, replaced by a building breeze from the SW. Right on the nose! So Fenix had to tack back and forth hard on the wind for the last 10 miles. Fortunately the wind backed a bit to the south so we had a favored port tack.

It turned out to be a glorious, sun shiney day. We made port and tied up to the customs dock by 10 AM. Peter, who worked at the marina, was there to help with the lines. Rebecca, from Aus Customs, was waiting with the normal sheaf of forms to be filled out. As she left she assured me that Amy, the quarantine officer, would be along in a couple of hours.

Ha! A couple of hours turned into all day. Amy, a very pleasant woman, got tied up in other duties and almost didn't make it at all. But for me this was very agrivating. Having just finished a 14 day passage I was very much looking forward to some well earned R&R ashore.

Grrrrr! I grumbled at the delay. And of course no one informed me what was happening so I had no idea where quarantine was or when they would arrive until almost 4:30 in the afternoon.

So by time I was finally cleared and got ashore everything was closed down for the evening. Damn! One yachtie did take pity on me and smuggled me a cold soda from the store. But of course this was illegal.

OZ evedentally takes this whole security business very seriously, as noted by a few yachties who have run afoul of the paperwork snafu. One guy told me yesterday that one yachtie is now into the whole mess for something like $60,000. Yep that's sixty thousand dollars!

Anyway, today I will head up river to the city of Bundaberg. Right now I am still at the port, right at the river mouth.

BTW there is a Cape Dory 36 just a few slips away from me. It is now owned by an OZ couple. The original owner sailed it down here from the US but didn't want to continue or head back to the US. So he sold the boat here and flew home.

And right next to me is what I think is a sister ship to Joshua. It is dark blue and has a flush afterdeck instead of the small cabin top of the original design.

More to come later, including some new pics.

Take care,
Fred

[Russell]

Thanks for the trip report! A good read indeed. I have heard so many stories from friends about their experiences clearing in to OZ, yikes!

BTW there is a Cape Dory 36 just a few slips away from me. It is now owned by an OZ couple. The original owner sailed it down here from the US but didn't want to continue or head back to the US. So he sold the boat here and flew home.

I wonder if this is the one that about 5 years ago sat on the market, listed in Aukland, for over a year. You have no idea how many times I was tempted by the thought of buying a CD36 in NZ, it was a bargain price as well (probably due to being an unknown boat in the area). It wouldnt suprise me if this was the boat, was bought and sailed to OZ to find a home. Even if it is not though, what a delight in finding another CD so far from its home.

[chase]

Sounds like the hardest part of the voyage was customs -- glad you made it there safe and sound. Whales to boot!!

Is the Joshua sister-ship steel?

Hope you have a fun time in Oz -- thanks as always for keeping us on your list.

Chase

[Michael Ellis]

Fred,
I can view most of your 2006 videos (there are a couple I still can not view), but when I attempt to view your 2007 videos the QuickTime logo gets a question mark superimposed after about a minute. Is the file format used for the 2007 videos any different than what was used for 2006? Actually, before you posted the last two videos I was able to view the first 2007 video, but since adding the next two, none of them are viewable. I am running MacOS 10.4.9, and QuickTime 7.1.5. I will be at a location tomorrow that has a PC, so I will check it from there.

Mike

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

The Joshua sistership I saw was made of steel.

To all: While I have uploaded some new pics and info to the website not all the video links are active. If you do not get anything from them it is because I have not as yet uploaded the file. The internet connections here are slow and expensive and the video clips are large, 28MB, files. But as time allows I will upload the new videos, one has been uploaded. The other files for the website, regular pics and such, go fast and are no problem.

I left the Bundaberg port area Tuesday about noon, just before the begining of the flood tide. The Burnett river has some real thin spots and I found a couple of them. As typical of most rivers the bottom is mud and sand so no damage running aground.

On the first one I had to wait for about 20 minutes to get free. Set the main and left the engine running at a slow speed. Eventually the incoming tide caught up to me a Fenix floated out of the mud.

A bit further up the river we hit a sand bar. Just about stopped the boat dead. I later found out I was on the wrong side of the channel markers. In this river OZ uses the US system, I thought it was the same as NZ, the opposite of the US. Anyway no harm done and we were off in a matter of seconds, Fenix having plowed her way through the bar.

A short time later we were tied up to a floating dock in the Mid-Town Marina. Helpful folks here and it only took a few minutes to get signed up for a week's stay. Then I went exploring a bit around town.

Bundaberg is a small town about the same size as Whangarei, NZ. But it has a different feel to it and looks a bit more worn and rough. There are all the normal things here, stores, eateries and such. The downtown area is set up for a lot of foot traffic were pedestrian right of ways abound.

I spent the first day doing a few boat chores and the second spending a large sum at the grocery store. Now I am waiting for my updated Documentation form to be sent. Once I have that I can start to work my way up the coast, probably about the middle of next week.

I will stop in Cairnes for a bit. My friend Bill, captain of Quest a WS 32 is heading there direct from NZ. It will be good to meet up with him again.

The really great thing about OZ is the fact that it is warmer here. And it will get quite a bit warmer as I head north even though winter is approaching. As I understand Darwin is just plain hot and humid.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

A quick note from Townsville, Aus.

When I left Bundy the weather was very nice. I had to sail due north for a bit to go to the entrance of the Capricorn Channel, then we went off basically NW. Bowen was the destination.

It was a very pleasant sail once well inside the channel. The seas were 2' or less and the breeze 12-15 on the strb quarter. At the SE end of the channel it is very wide open so collisions were not a concern. The main shipping course was marked on the chart.

It took 5 days to reach Bowen. I tied to a morring in the small inner harbor. Somehow the area reminded me of Texas. Part of the town was blocked off. A movie was being made using the town as a set.

I do not know the name of the movie but it will star Nicole Kidman and is set in the 1930's.

I stated in Bowen a couple of days then headed NW again. Here the channel narrows so I started daysailing towards Townsville. Fortunatly the are good anchorages spaced about 40 miles apart making it and easy trek. The only bad part was the absence of wind. There was a light breeze but I had to run the motor to ensure the distance was covered to the next anchorage.

I got here, in Townsville Tues afternoon and will be leaving tomorrow, Sat AM. Once again I will be anchor hopping my way NW to Cairns.

In Townsville I bought a few food items and am relaxing a bit. The weather is great but a bit humid. Still this area of the coast is considered dry. By Cairns the real tropics start. Because of the coastal mountains Cairns has much higher rainfall.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

We made it Cairns with just one stop. I spent the first night anchored at Orpheus Island one of the Great Palm Island group.
Ashore was a small resort but I did not bother going there.

That night I looked closer at the chart and distances and decided that I could make Cairns in one 24 hour hop. Setting off at sunrise we were greeted with clear skys and a building breeze. By about noon the clouds were rolling in bigtime.

The rest of the daylight hours were spent in a series of rain squalls, usually with increased wind. And then followed by near calms. So the day was spent with much reefing and sometimes off and on with the motor.

For the begining of the trip I made very good time. With a tide assist Fenix made almost 7 knots for a couple of hours. Only one problem really and that was interesting in comparsion.

During this part of the passage and indeed for the entire run up the Capricorn Channel the width slowly decreases. Just south of Cairns is one of the narrowest parts of the channel and there are numerous reefs and small islands scattered about.

As nightfall approached and the weather continued to deteriorate I pondered the coming of night. I knew that the moon was just past first quarter so that would help greatly with visibility. There was a good following breeze to help me on my way. And the ship channel is clearly marked on the chart.

BUT...With the weather going bad, rain frequent and visibility sometimes much reduced I was a bit concerned with the coming of night. And sure enough as the sun went down the clouds continued to increase. They increased so much that the help I thought I would get from the moonlight was non-existant. Plus of course the rain sometimes increased to a real downpour making visibility almost nil.

That's when I started to remember last year. It was the same time of the year almost the exact same day when I was headed into Panama. Dark cloudless night, pouring rain, bigs ships about...It was deja vu all over again.

But the universe was smiling in my direction. Fenix and I came through it all just fine. As sunrise approached we were entering the channel markers guiding the way into Cairns, which lies at the mouth of a river. As the sun came up we slowly putt-putted up the river, just for a look see. After a while I turned back downstream and settled on a spot to drop the hook.

Tidy the boat a bit, get the dingy ready to go and off I went to take my first peek at Cairns. When there I treated myself to a cold Coke and checked to see if my CG Document caught up to me yet(no it didn't).

Cairns is a big time tourist destination. It is the tropics and calls on everyone to see it all. Reefs, fishing, diving, rainforests, crocodiles, sailing, etc.

I'm staying for a few days. Will get some more provisions and then head north again. Cookstown will probably be my next city stop, then it's on to Thursday Island around the top of OZ then west again to Darwin.

I may look for a crew for the Darwin-Phuket part of the trip. Since there are many hazards to navigation on that leg I think it would be a good idea to have another set of eyes to keep a look out 1/2 of the time. 'Cause I can't stay up 24 hrs a day for the entire trip.

I do have some new pics but will probably wait until Darwin to upload everything at once.

Take care and get out there and go sailing,
Fred

[Warren Kaplan]

Thanks sooo much. I just loved your "installments" of your sailing saga!

How long a run is it up to Phuket??