Tropical Vibes and Missing Birds

Well, it's definitely feeling and looking more tropical now, but those steady trade winds seem to have taken a break. Yesterday, as the wind started pushing us south, we gybed, expecting it to shift - which it did, for a while. Then it would sneak back to where it was before gradually coming around again. Everytime we thought about changing course there would be a hint of a wind shift. Talk about indecisive.

Around midnight, it was clear another gybe was in order. So, here we are, pushing on even as the wind decides to take it easy. We had a little burst of excitement last night when it picked up to around 18 knots, but now it's back down to below 15. And if the forecast is right, it's going to ease off even more and shift behind us.

I've been moaning about the lack of seabirds for a while now, blaming it on overfishing and the damage it does to the environment. Even a few years ago, it wasn't unusual to have boobies and other seabirds hanging around the boat during the day. We'd often even have one hitching a ride at night, catching a nap on a railing.

But yesterday, I was reading about how bird flu is affecting marine life and seabirds. Now I'm wondering if maybe it's not just overfishing, but a combination of that and bird flu that's causing the eerie quiet out here. It means there is less bird 'deposits' to clean off the deck. But I am going to be shooing them away in future. After going through unprecedented times I was looking forward to things going back to 'precedented times' and not worse.

Arrival in Sydney: Delivery Complete!

This morning, the Excess 14 slid gracefully into her new berth at Middle Harbour Marina, marking the successful completion of her delivery from the Gold Coast. The final approach into Sydney Harbour is always a great sight, a fitting end to a coastal voyage. This passage was a comprehensive real-world test of the boat's capabilities. She proved to be a joy in light airs, demonstrated strength and stability in heavy weather, and showed impressive maneuverability during a tricky docking. It’s clear that the Excess 14 is a versatile and robust catamaran, perfectly suited for everything the Australian coast can throw at it. The final tasks onboard are ones of quiet satisfaction: coiling the lines perfectly, writing up the final log entry, and giving the boat a last clean and polish. For Yacht Delivery Solutions, it's a pleasure and a privilege to deliver a vessel of this quality. Handing her over to the brokers at Flagstaff Marine clean, secure, and ready for her new owners is t...

Done and Dusted in Brisbane!

We are done! The boat's tied up safe and sound in the marina, the crew has packed their bags and headed off, and I'm here doing the final clean-up before I leave at 6 am tomorrow morning. I have to admit, I was pretty anxious for the last 24 hours. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping those saildrives would hold out for the final stretch. I even changed the oil in both of them around 3 am, because we were going to make landfall around 5 am and its quite a way up the river, and the tide was going to be dropping as we went up, meaning they'd have a bit more work to do. And the final approach was definitely… engaging. There was a fair bit of tide coming out of the river, which dropped our boat speed down to around 4 knots. We also had the added obstacle of river traffic to contend with, and the channel margins were tight – about half a meter on either side. It was one of those situations where you're constantly running through scenarios in your head. I was thinking things ...

Last 24hrs

This is our last full day and night at sea. Tomorrow, we'll be tied up in the marina in Tahiti , and I'll be turning off the engines for the last time. The main and headsail will be dropped and stowed away, and I won't be touching the sheets or halyards again. It feels peculiar to think that Namarie and I have kept each other safe throughout this incredible journey, and in a few days, I'll be on a plane heading home. On this yacht delivery Namarie and I started in the Bay of Biscay and headed south into the Atlantic, getting to know each other along the way. We made a brief stop in the Canary Islands, our last contact with Europe before heading further south and leaving footprints in the red dust of Cape Verde. We left West Africa behind and headed further west across the Atlantic, dodging hurricanes and grabbing fuel and provisions in the southern end of the Caribbean. From there, we pushed onwards through the Caribbean Sea to Panama and the canal. Pretty soon after, ...

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