If you have to sail from Southport to Sydney, and you’re in a hurry, what would you wish for: 25 knot northerlies and a 3 knot current behind you? That’s exactly what we’ve got! In just over 10 hours since leaving the Gold Coast Seaway we’ve done 90 miles directly towards our target: Broken Bay, Sydney. At this rate we’ll do the 400 mile trip in less than 48 hours, even allowing for loss of the current around Port Macquarie!
Nearly ran into a whale…
We were still motoring off Surfers Paradise, at the start of our passage to Sydney, with the Autohelm steering. I was down below navi-guessing when I heard excited shouts on deck. I poked my head out and nearly crapped in my pants! There was a tail out the water, wide as Sunny Spells is long, probably 30 metres dead ahead!
Two leaps to the helm, Authelm off, 90 degrees to port. Hey dudes, are you nuts!!!?