Yacht Delivery Blog

We're down to about 70 miles to go, but it's looking unlikely we'll make the marina before sunset. Normally that wouldn't bother me too much, but this is Southeast Asia. Trying to pick your way into an unfamiliar harbour after dark, with fish traps, unlit obstacles and local traffic doing its own thing, is generally a poor choice. So another night at sea is looking more and more likely. There's an old sailor's saying: "All the wrecks are on the rocks." The point being that if you don't put yourself close to the rocks in the first place, you're already a long way towards avoiding becoming one of the wrecks. Another night at sea has very rarely been the thing that caused the accident. We'll make the call later today. The route into Phuket is littered with fish traps and other hazards, and I'd much rather arrive with the sun high enough to actually see what I'm trying to avoid. Last night provided another reminder of why. Many of the ...

We're definitely on the homeward leg now with less than 200 miles to go. If you've been looking at our track over the last 24 hours, you might be wondering what on earth we were doing. I was thinking yesterday after we left the TSS it might be worth heading back and sticking close to the unofficial shipping lanes would probably offer a bit of protection from fishing boats and the more creative navigation styles you encounter out here. It didn't. So we made a course change direct to Phuket. We ended up making several further course changes to avoid large concentrations of fishing boats and then, just as things were settling down, a cable-laying ship called us on the VHF and asked if we'd alter 20 degrees to port and give them a wide berth. Fair enough—it's easier for us to move than them—but it added another little kink to the track. The biggest surprise of the day, though, was seeing some of the worst FADs I've ever come across. Most of the Indonesian ones at le...

 At about 3 am last night we officially exited the structured anarchy of the Malacca Strait Traffic Separation Scheme and entered the marine equivalent of the Wild West, where might is right and the law of tonnage is king. The TSS at least had rules. Sure, not everyone followed them, and there were plenty of times I found myself shaking my head wondering what the heck they were thinking. One ship of about 600 feet decided he'd drive the wrong way between the streams of traffic, managing to be port-to-port with one ship while simultaneously starboard-to-starboard with another. Surely it would have been easier to cross over to the correct side and drive the right way, but apparently that was asking too much. Now we've left all that behind. Out here there are no nice orderly lanes. Ships are going in every conceivable direction and the rules don't so much get ignored as simply not turn up. We've got about another 300 miles of this before we reach the relative safety of Phu...

Ships, rain, fishing boats and ships. It's a bit busy to try and write in the rain. So pics - starting from the most recent. 

All is well on board but there is a lot of traffic. 

Yesterday was actually a pretty decent day. We had enough wind to keep the mainsail up for a good part of it and, although we were sailing a little off course, the VMG was good enough that it made sense to leave it up. It's nice when the engine gets a bit of a rest for a change. Plus there was less than 10 fishing boats over the whole 24 hrs! As usual though, the wind started giving up just before sunset. We dropped the main, furled the headsail, and pointed the bow where we actually wanted to go and carried on under engine. The plan was to get into Nongsa on Friday so we can start the checkout process before heading up the Malcca Strait to Phuket. I've been emailing the marina over the last day or so, and they sent me the list of documents they needed. It was one of those moments where you wonder if they're checking a yacht in or applying for a mortgage. By the time I'd replied there were fifteen attachments on the email. Hopefully someone enjoys reading PDFs. Just as ...

Last night was very quiet by Java Sea standards. We saw fewer than ten ships throughout the entire night, which counts as a remarkably peaceful watch in this part of the world. There was still the usual need to keep an eye out, but for once it wasn't a continuous obstacle course of fishing boats, tugs and commercial traffic. Yesterday we gave sailing another attempt and hoisted the mainsail for a few hours. Once again, reality quickly caught up. The wind remained well aft, and to keep any pressure in the sail we had to head 20–30 degrees off our desired course. Unfortunately, that pushed us towards shoals and islands. Gybing wasn't much of an improvement either, as that side of the course was populated by ships and tug-and-barge combinations. The only way to avoid them was to head even further upwind, which defeated the entire exercise. Eventually common sense prevailed, the mainsail came down, and the engine took over. We also transferred fuel today using a pump and filter set...

 Another day crossing the Java Sea. We've got a full moon at the moment, which definitely makes me feel a little more comfortable, although I'm fairly sure it doesn't actually make much practical difference when it comes to spotting FADs. If they're difficult to see during the day, they're not exactly going to stand out at night just because there's a full moon. One thing that has improved is the amount of traffic. Last night was noticeably quieter and instead of a constant stream of fishing boats, they seemed to appear in "clumps". I'm not sure what the collective noun for fishing boats is, but clumps seems about right. When they get close we get flies on the boat Stocking up in Indo was a struggle as I had to stay on the boat as we were anchored in the middle of a channel. Between the crew and I we have zero words of Indonesian so purchases were approved by photos sent over whatsapp. This is, admittedly, coming from the same person who once bough...

The weather remained committed to doing absolutely nothing useful. We carried on with around 10 knots of apparent wind directly behind us, which isn't enough to get this boat moving with any real enthusiasm. So we continued towards Singapore, burning diesel and watching the miles disappear at a rate best described as "eventually." I saw a bunch of dolphins which i was a little surprised about although they looked like they'd been surviving on an intermittent fasting diet they hadn't signed up for. Can dolphins get ricketts? Later in the morning I spotted a couple of pilot whales, and they looked equally undernourished. Perhaps that's just what marine mammals in the Java Sea are supposed to look like, but they certainly weren't the glossy brochure versions. Then - absolutely nothing. Now, you'd think nothing happening would be a good thing. Experience in the Java Sea suggests otherwise. After enough time out here, a long period of peace starts to feel l...

The Java Sea continues to keep us on our toes. Yesterday we passed dozens of FADs, but unlike the small house-style structures we'd seen earlier, these were little more than floating platforms sitting awash. Most had nothing protruding above the surface at all. A handful carried tiny flags, but they were so small they were not visible until you could already see the platform itself, making them useless as a warning. There is a raft under here! With so many of them scattered across the water, I spent most of the night on edge. There's zero margin for error when you're trying to spot an object in the dark thats awash, so I backed the engine RPM off slightly to reduce our speed. We managed to get the mainsail up yesterday for a few hours of sailing, which made a change after so much motoring. Unfortunately the wind gradually shifted. As we followed it around, our VMG steadily dropped and our course started taking us towards a field of oil and gas platforms. Gybing would have p...

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...

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 ...

We are officially back in the routine of passage making, which currently involves managing some spirited weather. The 27 knots of yesterday is gradually easing—it's down to around 15 knots now and slowly swinging to the southeast. There's still a significant sea running, however, which makes things incredibly uncomfortable. Typing is a challenge, and cooking is currently impossible (thank goodness for pre-made provisions!). The good news is the heavy spray has finally died down, so we are no longer having salt caked over the windows and everything else on deck. Which meant having to hose things off outside every now and again. I had anticipated things would be a bit spicy as we crossed the top of New Caledonia. So, just before exiting the Grande Pass , I slowed the PC52 down, turned off downwind to stabilize the motion, and we did a fuel transfer, filling the main tanks from the IBC tanks stowed on deck. It is definitely helping the motion to get nearly a ton of weight off t...