Hmmm where did we get to?

Ahh yes a low then a high then another low all sandwiching themselves together(in Melissa’s words) making for some nasty weather headed our way.

With Silver Fern making a run for Kangaroo Island a day early we decided to wait another day just to be extra sure that our engine was up and running again properly and to wait for Sandie to finally get that pesky tooth pulled that had been causing her some grief since Freo.

One tooth lighter and an engine that was running(yes!) we were ready to go. We made the short trip across to Kangaroo Island arriving mid morning the next day. We booked a 10 seater bus for the day and I offloaded my crew onto Silver Ferns dinghy as Marco offered to play taxi driver. Little did they know the dinghy ride would probably be the most exciting(and wettest) part of their day.

While the crew galavanted around the island checking out honey farms, eucalyptus distilleries and more seals, Matt and I decided to service all four winches on the foredeck. Some of the winches had been slipping on the way over and we’d done a quick fix it job while at sea the previous day. With a strong cold breeze of 20kts + blowing on our bow I did plead my case that maybe it wasn’t the best weather for doing said job. Maybe a calm sunny day in the marina would be best? Well yes….that would always be better but as Matt pointed out with the gnarly weather coming our way it was best not to take anything by chance and we would want the gear working properly when we needed it.

Our crew arrived back later that day(yes they came back) and we had a chat through the plan for the next few days. With the second low pressure system headed our way the plan was to make a run for Portland on the back of the first low pressure system.

We set off the next morning in the brisk breeze averaging around 9-10kts in speed! We quickly pulled away from Silver Fern and the race was on! As the breeze began to dwindle through the night Silver Fern caught up to us due to their lighter weight and quicker motoring speed(that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

We arrived in Portland a couple of days later with some weary nauseas crew who were ready to get their feet on dry land. Arriving around 2am I think…..I get confused with these ever changing timezones, we’d timed our run perfectly. We hunkered down in Portland for the day and waited for the worst of the storm to pass over. With the use of a car from a local friend, Sandie decided to take Sharon, Aaron, Melissa and myself for a drive out to see the spectacular petrified forest and blowholes at Cape Bridgewater. Looking out onto the Southern Ocean which was blowing a good 40knots we knew we had made the right decision to take refuge in Portland. As Sharon and I were taking videos of the blowhole we turned around and noticed Sandie running towards us wildly gesturing to come hither and yelling something inaudible. Melissa and Aaron were nowhere to be seen…….

As we became within earshot we heard Sandie say ‘quick we’ve got to get to the hospital, Melissa’s broken her wrist’. Well that wasn’t what I was expecting. Poor feather weight Melissa had lost her footing on the gravelly path and been blown over by the wind. Dislocating and fracturing her wrist in the process of breaking her fall. With a 20min drive ahead of us to get to the hospital Melissa was surprisingly calm about the amount of pain she was in. I’d made the mistake of taking a glimpse of her swollen wrist and promptly made myself feel a little bit sick. But this wasn’t about me. We dropped Melissa and Aaron at the hospital……then there were 5!

Uh oh, our numbers were dwindling. With Aaron and Melissa out for the count and a windy passage from Portland to Geelong the next day we were going to have our hands full! Luckily James from Silver Fern kindly volunteered to come and help us out for the last 160NM push to Geelong.

We left early the next morning so we could time our run to get through the tidal gate at the Port Phillip Heads. Running with steady 20kt winds, 30-40kts squalls and 4m + seas we had a ‘sporty’ passage ahead of us. Making good time through the night and maxing out in speed at 15.5kts down a wave I’d have to say it’s probably the most exciting bit of sailing we’ve done since we left Southport. Happy to say we made it safely to Geelong albeit a little sleep deprived and in need of a hot shower!(as usual).

4 legs down, one to go! I’ve heard it’s been snowing in Tazzy so I’ll be buying some more winter woolies in Melbourne.

Photos again courtesy of our photographer Christopher Howe. Thanks Christopher!

Till next time,

Jess :)