Yacht Delivery Blog

Well, we're on the move again after a brief but necessary stop to fix the generator. We weren't supposed to stop anywhere before reaching the clearance port and checking in with the authorities, but we got special permission to drop anchor as long as we stayed on the boat. Not that we were tempted to go ashore – we were too busy with repairs, and honestly, one island starts to look much like another after a while! The repair job was a bit of a "make-do" situation with the limited supplies we have onboard. I think I did a decent job considering what I had to work with, but fingers crossed it holds up! We ran some tests last night, and things were looking okay after a bit of fine-tuning once the generator cooled down. Our current plan is to clear into Tual. A quick Google Maps search shows several hardware stores and what look like some engineering workshops. Depending on how our recent patch job is holding up, I have a few ideas for improving it. It's a tricky ...

Well, the weather hasn't exactly been great since we left the Torres Strait. Yesterday was a bit of a rollercoaster – squall after squall with moments of flat calm in between. Then, from early afternoon, we were in a non-stop squall-fest for hours! Thankfully, around midnight the wind finally eased off, but now it's barely 5 knots, which is pretty much like trying to sail uphill on ice. So, we're playing a delicate game right now – trying to make decent progress in the right direction while also keeping an eye on our fuel consumption. Oh, and let's not forget the ever-present challenge of dodging cargo ships, tankers, and those dense clumps of fishing boats and nets!  And a quick note to everyone on the Lewmar design team: the name "captive winch" kind of implies the rope is being held against its will on the drum and not allowed to bunch up and fall off. Maybe "unconfined winch" would be a more accurate name?

We finally popped out of the end of the Torres Strait! I'm so pleased to have that part of the trip over – it feels like a huge milestone is behind us. For the last week, the weather models have been showing we'll get wind "in 2 days," but then the next day the wind is still 2 days away. So I was very encouraged as we stuck our nose into the Arafura Sea and felt a tickle on my face. We got the mainsail up, and the tickle remained, but not from the same direction! We've been chasing the breeze around ever since. We also had a lot of squalls blowing through last night, which kept us on our toes. The wind would shift and increase, then fade away, before increasing and shifting again. A bit of a wild ride! It appears that the sunrise is bringing light headwinds, which I'm not going to complain about at this stage. The big plus is that we're able to head directly where we want to go. And the bigger plus is we aren't burning any of our precious diesel.

It's been another challenging night on board as we make our way to Phuket. The wind has been playing tricks on us, changing direction and speed without warning. Sometimes it dies off completely, leaving us with a sluggish sail and a quiet engine. Other times it picks up suddenly, filling the sails with a gust and pushing us along at a brisk pace. We are currently sailing at 7 knots with a little over 15 knots of wind over the quarter. That's not bad for this time of the year, when the monsoon season is starting to kick in. But for now, we have to head a little further west than I would like, to keep the apparent wind up and avoid banging sails. The sea state is moderate, with some swell and chop. Nothing too uncomfortable, but enough to keep us alert and on our toes. The boat is handling well, with a balanced helm and a steady course. The autopilot is doing most of the work, but we check it regularly and make minor adjustments as needed. The night sky is clear, with a bright mo...