A Sailing Tale

Just thought I’d indulge and re-visit a post I wrote a few years ago.

Given it’s New Year’s Eve (2015) and he – The Retired Husband – is out there on the high seas, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into his favourite play-time on our 52 foot ferro-cement yacht, Finnally . If you’re interested in how it was built you might like to read this – A boat in the backyard. There are other boat stories too in Categories – Finnally. She has one all her own. She deserves it!

Leaving the moorings in Pt Adelaide early Wednesday morning 30.12.2015. Three of them. Male bonding. No. I do not sail. Anymore. If you want to know why, read this – No Sea Legs . It’s a sad and sorry tale.

See the sea ? It’s pretty flat. Almost as a pancake.

After a 38 C degree wind-less day of forced motoring they anchored over night at Second Valley. They are heading south. Or so I thought until I saw a post on Facebook “Now, where is Victor?” OMG!! They’ve lost Victor Harbour!!!!!!!!

I was worried until I noticed they had posted a photo of this marine chart. Thank goodness! They could have ended up in Antarctica. That would not have been good. It has icebergs and stuff. And it’s freezing cold. I mean really, really, reeaally COLD! I’ve just read a book about it and it’s not nice down there. Well, bits of it are when the weather is behaving itself. But it’s still cold. I mean seriously, they are only clad in shorts and T-shirts. I don’t want to have to thaw him out when he’s returned home. Which he would have to be as his limbs would not work in a frozen state.

Just who would do that I don’t know. Perhaps the Coast Guard. They seem to deal with all manner of things to do with boats and the sea. Sorry, my imagination is running away with me. This would only occur in the worst case scenario. And I’m confident that will not happen…at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Here they are, sailing their way to Victor Harbour. I AM so glad they found it. At least on the map. That’s a good start. Here’s hoping they don’t miss it.

This is a photo of something called ‘whisker-poleing’. Now I know they don’t have a ship’s cat on board so I’m not sure whose whiskers are being poled. Or even why they would do that. And Cody the sailor dog is safe on shore – I think. Then again, he does love the boat. Cody was born to sail. But four days? Even for Cody that would be stretching it. If you want to know why, read this – Four Sea Legs And if he is there it would mean dog whiskers. Whether it makes any difference be it a cat or dog is also a mystery to me. Anyway, I’m sure I will be told what this whisker business is without having to ask.

They are rounding Cape Jervois at 8.5 knots. That means they have wind. Just thought I’d mention that. Oh dear – I better clarify that. There is a brisk breeze pushing them along filling the sails. Whether they personally have wind or not I am not privy to. They may well do if baked beans or high fibre food has been had. Be that as it may, it would not be enough to sail the boat. It would simply be a matter of managing the farts and the smells. As they are male bonding I don’t think that would be an issue. Farting, the louder and longer the better, is essential. Accompanied by hoots of admiration and laughter. And an escalation of trying to outdo each other. Just why that is will forever remain a mystery to me doesn’t matter how often it is explained.

Two views of The Southern Ocean. Note that you can see the sea from both vantage points.That would be because they are on top of it – except for the keel and half the hull which is under it. And therefore the sea is not only under them, it surrounds them on all sides. Isn’t that interesting!

Sailing through Backstairs Passage (NB: it IS a legitimate seafaring thoroughfare, not the physical anal kind) was a breeze apparently. Kangaroo Island is on the left and the mainland on the right. In between is a direct route out to the ocean and Antarctica. Which is not where they are going.

Victor Harbour straight ahead. On a more sombre note, the smoke on the mainland is a fire that started today in the 40.9C heat at Currency Creek. It is the height of the bushfire season here. Victoria is in the grips of a massive bushfire along the Great Ocean Road that started a week before Christmas, leading to emergency evacuations of people in the middle of eating their Christmas dinner. Over 100 homes have been destroyed. It is expected that the fire will continue burning for some weeks yet.