Yacht Delivery Blog

Well, we are almost over the line! It's taken a while to get this far, dodging cyclones, making boat repairs in remote locations, and dealing with all the hiccups and issues that inevitably pop their heads up on trips like this. It's a testament to the resilience of both the crew and the boat (and the skipper's ability to MacGyver solutions!). To give you an idea of how close we are to the end of our resources, I'm down to less than 10 cable ties and probably less than two meters of duct tape! So its pretty tight. And I've got just enough oil left for maybe one more gearbox oil change. I did the starboard one last night, and that gave me enough confidence to increase the RPMs by a few hundred. I'll do the port one shortly, top off the starboard one with the last of the heavy gear oil, and that should get us up the river. I'm no expert on emulsified oil or sail drives, but it seems like the oil still has a lot of its lubricating properties. The sail drives a...

The wind decided to take a break overnight, and we're now down to around 5 knots of breeze from the east with the main and headsail being stowed around midnight. So, we're gently motoring along on one engine, just cruising towards the finish line. Today's agenda includes an oil change on the gearboxes. I want to get that done in preparation for the final push tomorrow when we'll be heading up the Brisbane River . It's always good to have everything fresh and ready for those final maneuvers. I also took another look at the port saildrive this morning, after we'd been motoring all night. And it's not as bad as I feared! There doesn't seem to be a ton of water in there. The oil is definitely milky, which isn't ideal, but it still appears to be providing lubrication. And since I'm only motoring at around 1500 RPM, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that we'll make it in without any horrible noises emanating from the engine room or, even worse...

Well, I had thought the chances of headwinds were diminishing, but it appears they actually minished (a nautical term, I'm sure). The breeze has kicked up quite a bit and is in the high 20s at the moment. The good news is that we can lay Brisbane at about 50 degrees off the wind, so at least we can still make progress and don't have to tack. I had been hoping to have a little bit more east in the breeze but it is what it is. The main has two reefs in (and the second reef is very deep!), and we've got several turns in the headsail. Every now and then, a huge wave explodes over the boat, just to keep us on our toes. Unfortunately, the inevitable has happened. I had my suspicions the day before yesterday, but it was definitely confirmed yesterday: the port saildrive now has sea water in the oil as well. It's absolutely no surprise, really, but I had been hoping it would hold out a little longer. So, we'll have to be managing the engines very carefully, as it looks lik...

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! We're 65 nautical miles in a straight line from where we anchored for the generator repair, but we've probably sailed at least double that zig-zagging into the wind and current and dodging fishing boats.  On the way out of the anchorage and along the south end of the island, the wind was westerly and looking fantastic for the trip up to Tual. Unfortunately, as we got out to sea, it started to swing around to the northwest, so essentially blowing from exactly where we want to go.  The generator has run for a few hours since the patch-up, but it's nerve-wracking! The life expectancy of the repair is unknown, and every beat of the engine puts pressure on it. With two electric motors for propulsion, the generator is essential for us. So if you're wondering why the blog isn't as upbeat as usual, that's why. And it's Christmas Eve, and we have at least 150 nautical miles to go in a straight line to the next place to try and get a be...