Everything in moderation, especially moderation.
The monster within the seas seemed to have calmed down, as Magic Miles and its intrepid crew upped anchor and went in search of fuel around midday. Much was at stake as the Emms-family’s senior twin brother, our Skipper, Jimmy, expertly brought us alongside Anchorage Marina, Port Stephens fuel berth under trying conditions. Alas, this would be Laurie’s last hurrah with us on this trip, as his agony from a lung infection had brought his adventure to an untimely end. Magic Miles does wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully get to see him again on a trip sometime soon!
The gloomy nature of our refuelling pit stop did have a silver lining, as the world, yet again displayed how small (and not flat!) it is as the Marina’s Manager, Mark’s wife and Jimmy’s old friend turned out to be the same person! As a token of good faith, we were allowed a metaphorical solace from the storm brewing in the night, as Mark decided to give us a berth for the night for free! Maybe he was absolutely impressed by my jumping-off-the-yacht-onto-the fuel dock skills, maybe he’s just a nice bloke, either way, we had cover for the night!
The evening went from great to ecstatic, as we realised that this particular marina had probably the cleanest and fanciest shower facilities, any poor soul travelling the high seas, has ever come across in this part of the hemisphere. The crew decided to relax onboard for the evening, as Sonia’s spaghetti-bolognaise warmed the cockles of our hearts. I decided to hit the hay early as Ross made wild claims of having invented the question-mark symbol and Brett seemed to agree with him. Merrilyn tried and failed to complete her college thesis on ‘A history of violence upon trans-women’ as Magic Miles swayed in the night.
The next day was a day of rejoicing in feelings of long gone teenage angst and rebelling without a reason as a small defect in the mainsail car meant, that I got to skip the pre-planned Ocean Sailing Expeditions team Zoom meeting. I know I’ll have to watch the recording of the entire meeting at some point, but, it’s the little things you see. The seas welcomed Magic Miles with open arms, as the crew actually managed to enjoy a beautiful day (and night) of sailing. Stuart and Tony outdid themselves in the galley, as a meal fit for ancient Roman royalty was prepared. Brett, in usual fashion, managed to expel more food from himself, than he injested. I did compliment him on his stunning appearance, in the shadows of the saloon, as a most definite fit into any George A. Romero Zombie movie and he seemed to agree with, a near perfect undead-grunt. The night sky’s stars sparkled like diamonds as Magic Miles wove her Magic towards the North of the Tasman Sea.
The next day’s agenda was simple. Reach Coffs Harbour for a round of fish and chips for lunch, or catch some fresh fish on the way and rustle up some Sashimi. Johnathan’s fishing attempts went in vain, but we did manage to catch a fleeting glimpse of a majestic humpback whale showing off its breaching skills on our way into Coffs Harbour. I got my sugar and caffeine hit from a nearby coffee shop and decided to climb a nearby Muttonbird sanctuary/hill. Bear in mind, this is the local delicacy of Bluff, NZ. Incidentally, Bluff was also the place where our Salt Lines, Chief Mate, Jess, was almost tricked into marrying a local, due her almost breaking the six-week rule there, but that’s a story for a different time!
More humpback whales and dolphins followed up on our way out towards the final leg of our journey, towards the shiniest coast in Australia, the Gold Coast. Sonia managed to outdo herself again by not only treating Magic Mile’s weary crew to pancakes with actual Canadian maple syrup (courtesy of Johnathan), but also a Thai green curry fiesta in the evening. As I write this, Jimmy and I are keeping a close look at the main engine’s coolant levels (its got a leaky pipe that seems to be just evading us) as the winds seemed to have forsaken us and the mood might become a bit intense, if our engine temperatures run too high. In conditions like this, it is imperative to keep well clear of all navigational obstacles and look at giving the engine necessary breaks in order to be able to allow it to cool down and top up its leaky coolant. Fingers crossed and RADAR ready!
- Arjun Thimmaya, Chief Mate, Magic Miles