Bound for Botany Bay...or thereabouts

This journal has always been slightly out of date - so many readers will now be familiar with the awful fate of Arjuna.  What follows is an account of the final leg of Arjuna for those who came in late.

Planning on this voyage has always been a careful blend of up to date information supplied by those saintly workers toiling at the Bureau combined in the right measure with ancient sea craft: a look to the West at sunset, a careful stroke of the sea beard while staring at the wind playing upon the currents in the distance. A Captain considers many variables when planning a passage, weighing up the life of the crew, the safety of the vessel and the level of the remaining sauvignon blanc stores. However, when considering the departure date from Port Stephens, it ultimately came down to the fact that the Second Mate wanted to spend his birthday in Sydney over a tankard of soft drink rather than in some forsaken sun-drenched aquatic playground on the NSW coast drinking filtered boat tank water from an unbreakable plastic cup. 

Iconic sunset cover shot. Also figuratively: 'the sun is setting on this voyage'

Do not hurry the journey

Ithaka

written by Constantine P. Cavafy

1911

 

As you set out for Ithaka

hope the voyage is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

The Voyage of Arjuna 2014

Iluka to Port Stephens

It has now been twelve months since we sold and packed up our house in Brisbane and moved onto Arjuna. Over recent weeks many miles of slogging south have brought our voyage close to completion, but the adventure is not quite over yet.

 

On Tuesday 30th December, we headed off from Iluka at the very crack of dawn, so we could cross the Clarence river bar at high tide. Along this section of coast, it's all about getting across river bars at the right time and in the right conditions.



Life jackets are compulsory when crossing river bars.

Up the Mighty Clarence

 On Boxing Day, we headed 15 nautical miles up the Clarence River on a Huck Finn style adventure. The Clarence is navigable for about 100km inland to Grafton, but this involves getting under the Harwood Bridge which, with only 8.5m clearance, is too low for our 19m high mast to pass under.

Have we got enough clearance, Clarence?

Tangalooma brought to you by the Able Sea Monkey

This post is written by the Able Sea Monkey.