day 1 fri 10th june

Taking advantage of the calm conditions for a quick dip

First of several trips over the side to deal with rudder problems

After clearing Customs at 0630 hrs we needed to wait for the tide to turn so filled in the hours having a final hot shower and putting the last few things away and getting out the relevant paper charts and putting routes and co ordinates into the g.p.s. Finally we departed Rivergate Marina at 08.45hrs. Once clear of the river mouth we calibrated the self steering then headed toward Tangalooma and the North West Passage. We sat on a comfortable 5 to 6 knots until abeam Tangalooma when the wind dropped away and the incoming tide threatened to send us back into the Bay. Due to the heaviness in the steering I was forced to go overboard and reset the rudders, the girls took the opportunity to also have a quick dip but the water was quite cold.

We eventually started the motors to clear the Bay and did so at about 23.00hrs with a freshening breeze. The self steering began to malfunction due to the heaviness of the tillers so reduced sail and headed North at 3 to 4 knots Not impressed but all in good spirits.