Port to Port Rally or Reef, Rocking and Rolling

P2P Rally route

Sula sitting

I am writing to you from my favourite hang out in Bundaberg “The Sugar Cane Café”, a frinking and dishing establishment. Fait brought us here! We endured the worst passage of all from Chesterfield Reef to Bundaberg with raving winds and waves. The passage from Port Vila to Huon Reef and further to Chesterfield was a treat. Nice mellow trades and time for fishing, but we caught nothing and got a few hooks straighten out by unknown monsters. However, on approach to Chesterfield Reef fish were everywhere. We got an 8 kg Trevally! Nothing can beat fresh fish in the freezer!

Chesterfield Sunrise

Goodbye Chesterfield

Trevally Tandrum

Yadranka's Shells

Huon Holliday

The reefs were nice; it was time to relax with snorkelling and beach combing. Also time to socialise with other cruisers with the consequence that we ran out of booze! We spent time with Neil and Kathy on Attitude and Steve and Vicky on True Companions. On the spacious deck of their cat we were introduced to Mexican Train Domino – great fun! Watching the nesting birds on the islands was interesting. Even these remote reefs cannot escape the curse of humankind – floating garbage! There were many fresh turtle tracks indicating nesting activity. It was full moon!

Storm Approaching

We left Chesterfield Reef on a Saturday with the confidence of a load of grip files showing initial little SE winds and then freshen to about 16 knots for the next four days. Twenty four hours later we had fresh grip files and 25 knots winds gusting to 30 with six meters waves! It was like being in a washing machine – an industrial one! Fortunately, it was all out of SE so we raced on with boat speed up to 9.5 knots eventually settling to 7.5 knots with reduced Genoa and a trysail in the main. After 48 hours we were still in it easing to twenty, but expected to arrive in Bundaberg 12 hours earlier than we told the customs! Aeolus performed well, but the monitor was in constant need for adjustment. Water came over the cockpit so all navigating activity was from the hatch with small athletic excursions. Not much food – was once thinking about chewing on an old salty shoe!