Finding the right weather window proved tricky and a bit stressful. The further west you get in the Pacific and the nearer to Australia/New Zealand the weather is increasingly influenced by the lows and associated fronts that travel east between the highs. The passage is about 800nm or around 5 ½ days so we were looking for some steady SE to E winds for that period.
There were a number of boats looking and the first opportunity came up to leave on the 10th Oct. This was understandably ruled out because that is Deb’s birthday and “I am not starting a passage on that day!”. It was also a bit too soon for us. We didn’t plan to spend too much time in New Cal, but then again we didn’t want to rush it either. So we watched a few boats head for the pass as we sat on a mooring behind an atoll and figured we would get the next window in about a week or so.
Turns out the “week or so” became a moving target. The weather models did not agree and the story kept changing each day, which gave us little confidence in their accuracy. Ultimately they did settle down a bit and we aimed for a Wed departure, heading into town the day before to do all the check out formalities. Then the wind piped up again and we delayed exit, aiming for the Thursday instead, although several others were looking at the Friday. Sticking to our guns, we headed out on the Thursday and had a similar start to our Fiji/New Cal passage. ie 25knots and rough seas exiting the pass and for the first 12hrs as we got out of the acceleration zone on the SE corner of New Cal.
After that the wind and seas settled as predicted and we had what can only be described as the perfect passage. Winds varied from 15 to 20kn mostly reaching and the swell and seas dropped to about 1m. These are the perfect conditions for a catamaran and we regularly sat on 8 to 9knots without having to think about sail changes or spinnakers. So we had a very fast passage for us, arriving in Harvey Bay at dawn after just 4 ¾ days and averaging 7.3kn for the 800nm. What a great way to finish this part of our adventure, having bought the boat 2 ½ years ago in Papeete and sailing home to Aus in great style.
We also allowed ourselves a little self congratulation on the pick of the weather window. We had trusted our own judgement, and it turns out we got it spot on. Only 1 boat left on the Friday and had a “spicy” trip as they described it. Most of the boats remaining in New Cal decided not to go and as I write this (10 days later) they are still waiting for a weather window to appear for them to leave. And the boats that left on Deb’s birthday ended up motoring for 2 ½ days with no wind!
So a bit of luck and a bit of good management had us appreciating one of the best sails we have had.
The arrival in Port Bundaberg and all the formalities also went very well. On top of the very strict biosecurity checks we also had the added complication of having to import the boat. Since we bought her in French Polynesia, we now had to formally import her and pay the various taxes (duty plus GST amounting to about 15% of the value). The system is not really set up for small boats, it is intended for shipping and large cargoes, so the process involves a lot of paperwork and local agencies that understand how it works. The difference between getting it right and not can be a 4 week delay to being allowed to leave the port and much bureaucracy.
For this reason we had employed an import agent to handle it for us, and also chose Bundaberg for our port of entry. Not only is the port the easiest to sail to from New Cal but the local folk – the marina and the border force/customs/biosecurity agents – are familiar with cruising yacht arrivals and know how to get it done efficiently. On top of that they are without exception a lovely group of people who delivered a warm welcome to us and made the whole check in process a breeze.
Deb had been very conscientious with making sure we did not have any unwanted food items aboard and had scrupulously cared for her shell collection. So this became a source of interest and discussion with biosecurity and not a bother. We had also been very careful to clean the boat inside, in all the nooks and crannies to ensure there were no unwanted passengers like ants or cockroaches and the recent haulout in Fiji meant the hull was also 100%.
So that all over, we sorted ourselves out in a marina berth, had a bottle of champagne and a good night’s kip.
It is fair to say the feelings of being back in Aus are a little mixed. On the one hand it is a shame our Pacific travels are over (at least for a while), but overwhelmingly we are very pleased to be home. For many years we had said we would buy a boat in French Polynesia and sail it home. Well we have done that and it has been a wonderful couple of years which have rewarded us with so many memories.
I think that we need to do a separate blog reflecting on all that has happened since March 2023, where we have been and the people we have met. For now I would just say it has far exceeded our expectations.
What happens next? It is all a bit vague; we haven’t really got further than getting back to Aus. The broad plan is to be in Sydney in December/January to catch up with friends and have a family Christmas on board, then return north in Feb/March before parking the boat somewhere like Scarborough for a while and heading over to Europe for a mix of sorting out family stuff in Jersey and travelling the continent. That probably takes us to July/Aug when we return to the boat and take it from there. Mowzel Cat will still be our home and there will be a mix of refit work we have looked forward to doing and cruising the Qld coast. Many adventures to come yet! We have a great boat, time and lots of ideas.