(Followers of our Blog, please note - we will be posting this and other Louisiade entries via Satphone and hence pics [sadly] will be absent and the text will be briefer. We will, however, provide Latitude and Longitude details of our anchorages, and you may follow us on Google Earth)
We cleared Customs in Townsville on Monday 16/8, 1000hrs with official forms, check of medications, Duty Free, passports, and our safety systems by the two officers who came on board. Our Australian Registered Ship then has 48 hrs to exit Australian waters. Calista is groaning under weight of provisions, fuel, water, - enough for over two months.
Departed Townsville 1445hrs in light conditions to overnight at Magnetic Island, and left Horseshoe Bay on the island at 0615 on 17/8 in 15kn ESE in company with Pandana for the 590nm passage to the Duchateau Islands in the Louisiades. At 6kn our chartplotter gives our passage time of 99hrs, and we are nervously excited as we make for Magnetic Passage through the Great Barrier Reef. It is our moment of truth. We have soon lost sight of land and our Fleming Wind Vane is holding our course admirably. Cleared Myrmidon Reef 4.10pm and in rougher conditions entered the Coral Sea. By next morning, with little sleep we have covered 147 nm - great going.
For the next two days with our Fleming holding course we encountered winds 20-25kn but uncomfortably on our bow. Calista was handling the conditions well but the passage had become an uncomfortable bash with spray everywhere, and movement on board, and sleep below very difficult. The hardest parts were in the early hours, with the part moon gone, trying to keep dry on watch in the cockpit.
Day four brought a new problem, because although the angle of the wind had improved and we could really fly, we had to slow the boat down so that we did not reach the reefs off Duchateau in darkness. We sailed Calista like a hobbled kelpie. Our final night at sea brought a new challenge, that of extensive ship traffic, to and from Australia via the Jomard Entrance to Asia.
Dawn on Sat 21/8 saw us searching the horizon ahead for signs of islands, and soon, there they were! By 8.45 we were abeam of Duchateau (11.18S, 152.23E) and at 0950hrs our anchor was deployed in the Pana Bobai Ana Is lagoon (11.16S, 152.21E), alongside Pandana with Derek and Bella on board. We had travelled 593.4nm from Townsville, and 3162nm from home. We had made it!
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