The northerly breeze persisted till midnight, and we motored a fair bit. Poor Kelly tried to sleep through the rumble of the engine and the occasional slamming into the short sharp chop whipped up by the pesky sea breeze.

I stayed up till midnight, sailing hard on the wind but still being pushed further and further offshore and into the current. We were now losing two knots to the south setting current. My patience was rewarded when the forecast westerlies appeared exactly as forecast around midnight. I trimmed a course that would take us closer inshore and then woke Kelly as I was by now feeling more than ready for bed.

I briefed Kelly at length (she’d be justified in digging up the “does a bear know how to shit in the woods” reply again!) and then hit the quarter berth…

Going to windward in 25 knots, making 7 to 8 knots. Sound like a wet and wild sail? Not with our enclosed cockpit. It’s dry and warm in here! What joy! We’ve now got one reef in the main (no need to leave the cockpit) and consistent with the the forecast, the wind is dropping. We’re meant to be getting 20 knot westerlies after the lull, so I’ll keep the reef in for now.

Left Newcastle Yacht Club at 13:30 this afternoon for Mooloolaba. Lovely sunny conditions and westerly breezes.

Motor Vessel Mame Escorted over St Helens Barway

It has once again been been a busy summer for the St Helens Marine Rescue Association. Their radio logs show that during this period they:

• logged 3,012 radio transmissions on VHF;
• logged 262 radio transmissions on UHF Channel 94; and
• provided assistance and tracking to a total of 793 vessels, carrying a total of 2,245 persons.

Their rescue boat activities comprised:

• thirty-five (35) escorts over the barway;
• eight (8) assists and/or tows of vessels;
• assisting with three (3) police call-outs; and
• assisting the Tasmanian Police with one (1) rescue.

In total, they helped 47 vessels into the safety of St Helens/Georges Bay, carrying 121 persons. The value of the vessels assisted to safety is estimated at over $10 million.