Jurien Bay to Longreach
When the alarm went off at midnight we were feeling well and truly fatigued. Passages are energy sapping, even though you are sitting ‘idle’ a lot of the time, your concentration and awareness levels are heightened, as well as dealing with the constant moving, slapping, bouncing and general uneveness of a yacht under sail - unless of course conditions are perfect! So waking from that alarm had the feeling of night shift to it when you are a little numbed to everything around you. Kettle on, bright white lights of the service jetty made it appear like daylight so prepping the boat was easier than usual. A quick check of the weather and swell forecasts to make sure nothing has changed - don’t want any surprises out in the channel in the dark…
After a bowl of cereal and a cuppa, we start the engines to warm the up and as the wind is light we raise the mainsail whilst still tied off to the jetty. Easier to do it here than out on the water in the dark so we are soon ready to cast off. Our passage buddy Jason is also just about ready, so we cast off first and make our way out through the harbour channel and into Jurien Bay.
The wind is blowing from the south east still - but we were expecting this and it should continue to swing all the way to north east as we move into the early hours of the morning. We are navigating out of Jurien Bay by cross referencing a number of different points - primarily the lead lights - which are essentially two lights one behind the other and when lined up together to form one light you are on the correct bearing to maintain safe passage. We cross reference this to the chart plotter and our course as indicated by our gps position and shown on our map. It is a constant scanning of reference points, watching for cray pots and trying to read the ocean using the available moonlight. We can see Jason’s red and green nav lights behind us and following our track out.
Before long it is time to start tracking to the south west and then south as we clear the various islands and reefs that lie off Jurien. The seas are fairly calm and the engines are off - sailing south!
Pete takes first watch and Nicky heads for the couch to get some sleep prior to taking over about 0300 hours. Although all senses are heightened, it is a fairly uneventful first few hours and we manage to dodge the craypots as we make our way south at about 6 knots. In the early hours of the morning the crayfish boats start to make their way out to sea - of course with no AIS indicated as they don’t want any of their fishing buddies to see where they are. As we approach Cervantes a faint light appears in front of us and peering through the darkness it takes a few minutes to confirm that yes it is a boat heading west. A quick cross reference with the charts shows that the boats position is right on the leads in and out of Cervantes so it is most likely a cray boat. As it passes out to the west we see the deck light blazing and remember why we always keep a look out on watch!
The darkness soon passes and with it the easterly stiffens a few more knots, but also thoughtfully comes a little more from the north, making for a smoother passage. By 0730 hours we are abeam of Wedge Island and making good time south. Pete has been listening to ABC radio and decides to send a cryptic message to his Mum via an onboard traffic report to Tom Baddeley along the lines of “Morning Tom and Slim…. traffic report. We are three miles west of Wedge Island sailing our catamaran south after the northern season. Humpbacks to the left… humpbacks to the right! Giving way as we go!! Pete and Nicky”. Needless to say it got some airtime as well as a discussion about getting an outside broadcast from Singularity.
Pete’s phone was soon running hot with a whole bunch of friends who we didn’t realise were closet ABC fans.
By lunchtime the wind had dropped away almost completely and it was motor on for the final push to Rottnest Island. Our ETA was showing an arrival at Rottnest at about 5.30pm, so the plan was formulated to sail straight into Longreach, anchor and secure the boat - then head to Geordie bay Cafe for a burger and beer!
And so it was that at about 5.45pm, and 115nm from Jurien, we dropped sail - which we had really only left up as it helps show our position to ships etc, and motored into Longreach. Mother Nature must have sensed the significance of the occasion and provided us with a homecoming that would be hard to beat; a stunning sunset over silky, calm waters with Wadjemup lighthouse as the backdrop. Magic! Funnily enough, a few of our cruising buddies were already anchored so after anchoring and securing the boat we said a quick hello before heading into the beach and to the cafe for burger and beers… and they were good!
We also took a moment just to reflect that we had completed a seven month trip up and down the Western Australian coast, travelling about 2500nm and feeling a whole lot more wiser on our return. It was a great first season and one to cherish for all of the moments and memories along the way.