Yacht Delivery Blog

May my enemies be cursed to sail the Java Sea for a thousand lifetimes! Yesterday the wind finally picked up enough for us to get the mainsail up, and we spent most of the day sailing. We had to sail a few degrees off our course because of the wind angle, but it was worth it to make some good miles without relying on the engines. As usual, the day involved weaving our way through the seemingly endless collection of enormous FADs, tug boats towing barges and commercial shipping that fills these waters. Interestingly, despite the number of fishing boats, the only wildlife I've seen in the last couple of days is a single bird, so I'm not sure what everyone is catching. This morning we've stopped to make water and are hoping a bit more breeze arrives when the tanks are full so we can get the mainsail back up. Sitting stationary out here feels a little uncomfortable. There's a tug and barge in the distance, and part of me is convinced they're thinking, "Let's go...

 I arrived in Lombok and we spent the night on board before getting an early start the following morning. The first job was carrying out our boarding inspection, checking all the systems and safety equipment before departure. Everything checked out well and the boat passed our inspection, ready for sea. The next challenge was organising the crew change. Indonesia doesn't make it easy. We had numerous messages from different agents, all saying they could arrange everything. Each time we agreed to proceed, the requirements seemed to change, so after a lot of back and forth it became clear the simplest option was to complete the crew change in Bali instead. We left the marina around midday and moved out to a mooring for the night before departing at first light the next morning. The passage to Bali we motored pushing against a strong current for the whole trip. In Bali we had to anchor in the middle of the channel while waiting for the paperwork to be completed. It wasn't an ideal...

 The last 24 hours have delivered strong and consistent progress, with 163 nautical miles logged , placing the vessel firmly on schedule for arrival into Port Vila the following day. This level of daily run reflects stable conditions and efficient sail handling, and it positions the vessel well for a timely clearance and dockage on arrival. The passage period itself has been largely uneventful — a desirable outcome on any offshore delivery . Sail was carried for most of the day, with conditions remaining stable enough to maintain steady averages without unnecessary strain on the vessel or crew. After nine days at sea, the rhythm of four-hour watch cycles compresses the perception of time. While days tend to blend together, vessel performance, log data, and weather trends provide the objective markers that matter operationally. Weather Management and Power Use Weather conditions over the previous day were warm but manageable, with intermittent cloud cover moderating temperatur...

  Well, we are finally tied up safely in Sanctuary Cove , concluding the Horizon PC52 delivery. But before we celebrate the completion of the voyage, let me backtrack and detail the Australian arrival experience. The final run down the Queensland coast was based on a forecast persistently showing 30 knots of North-Westerly wind . Our strategic swing worked perfectly: we kept going further east toward Bundaberg, then turned sharply south, giving us a far more comfortable angle on the waves and a safe run into the Brisbane River. We tied up to the fuel dock in the marina, as the dedicated quarantine dock (Q-dock) was occupied. And this is when the trouble started. The Australian Border Force (ABF) informed the marina that the fuel dock was now strictly out of bounds to everyone while we were tied up for quarantine. Now, that has nothing to do with me, right? Wrong. Apparently, it was entirely my fault. For the next 18 exhausting hours , we were the inadvertent roadblock. Commercial ...

                          A ship at 2.5nm  We are now officially heading south down the coast of Queensland, and while I know Australia must be somewhere to our starboard side, it’s currently impossible to tell in this persistent gloom. It’s that final, stage of a long passage where the land is close, but not quite visible. The good news is the wind didn't increase as much as the forecast suggested. We're still getting some movement, but I am certainly pleased to be getting some shelter from the vast landmass now. In fact, I'm especially happy the wind stayed mild, as I washed the boat down a few days ago, and I'd been bracing for the PC52 to be immediately caked in salt again. A small victory to end a long journey! Now, the final stressful race: clearance. It's touch and go whether we can get cleared in today, and honestly, it’s looking a little doubtful. We still have around 70 nautical miles to cover, a...

The last few days have been a testament to luck over planning (and my modesty). After all those frustrating delays in Fiji, the minute the autopilot was fixed for the third and final time, we left immediately. We didn't have the luxury of waiting for a weather window and had to take what came - within reason! Of course I wouldn't have left into poor conditions. My passage plan was simply to stay north to avoid the stronger winds in the Coral Sea and head over the top of New Cal.  Being pushed into the urgent situation paid off. There had been a small low-pressure system threatening to form on the weather models around the 11th, which would have put us right in the washing machine south of New Cal. For anyone monitoring our current course and comparing it to our destination, you'll see we are actually heading quite far north of Brisbane. This is a deliberate tactical choice. We have some more strong North-Westerly winds forecast to start developing over the next day. If we...