We are still comfortably "plodding along on our own little world," with the Horizon PC52 eating up the miles across the Coral Sea. We recently navigated through the scattered reefs around Chesterfield, just west of New Caledonia, and are now officially heading directly for Queensland.
However, the weather models are starting to argue a bit about what our final arrival holds. There is a strong, possibility of some gusty Northerlies sweeping through as we approach the coast. To ensure we avoid a repeat of the uncomfortable conditions we experienced a few days ago, we’ve made a strategic adjustment to our course.
We are now heading slightly further north of our destination. This gives us the tactical flexibility to turn southwest as we get closer to Australia, which will allow us to have any incoming waves further aft. This significantly improves the comfort and safety of the ride.
In tandem with this course change, we've also decided to clear in to Brisbane rather than Southport. The entrance bar at Southport can be tricky, if not dangerous, in poor weather, and safety always comes first. Plus I don't want to end up on YouTube. A few years ago we were delivering a 50 ft catamaran and we lost an engine and had to get the boat hauled out. It was an extremely challenging approach to the haul out as we had to thread our way through some moored boats, and then get the boat into the travel lift area. It was pretty obvious we had an issue and of course the boat yard knew. As a sign of the awful times we are now in people ashore were ready to start filming with phones at the ready. Not long ago they would have been getting lines ready to throw, or standing by with fenders to help rather than hoping you crash so they can get half a dozen thumbs up. Brisbane offers a much more straightforward port of entry under these uncertain conditions.
Logistically, we're locked and loaded. All the relevant Australian authorities have been notified of our arrival, online forms have been completed and submitted, and the usual cascade of emails has been sent, received, and replied to.
On board, everything is running smoothly. All necessary fuel has been transferred, monitored, and calculated, leaving us with excellent reserves for this final, crucial tactical run.