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?

Merry Christmas from the Arjunauts!

Christmas lights in Brisbane after a slap-up feast in town to celebrate the end of school year.

Merry Christmas!

In Which We Cross Time Zones

Some time after departing Sydney, we finally experienced a wind not from the North East. Excitement was in the air and the sense that finally some sails might be trimmed. We arose very early lapped by the shallow waters of Yamba Harbour. The tide was exceptionally low but by ignoring the advice of the crusty old sea salts on the marina two days earlier we felt confident that we could navigate the channel. We made a call into VMR Yamba to log in and check how the bar was running after the strong winds of the previous day. No one was home at VMR Yamba but we exited the marina and cautiously maneuvered back through the harbour and out into the river - hugging the sand banks here, skirting the mooring marks there; all the while reading loudly from the Book of Lucas and quoting from his Soundings.

The Battle North Continues

Our next hop North was a relatively mild(?) distance of 68nm (again). As usual, the wind, swell, sea and fish were all the wrong direction. Most of the crew dutifully arose at first bell for yoga and pilates on the foredeck before their breakfast of eggs benedict and fresh expresso coffee.