Australia-Bound

[KodiakMike]

Just a quick hello from a new member. My wife and one year old son and I left home in Alaska five months ago, bound for Oz. Had a great summer sailing out of Alaska and have been working our way down the west coast of U.S. since September. The mainland US makes us miss Alaska, but we're primed for everything that Mexico and the South Pacific may have in store for us!

[Ex-Calif]

Mike welcome aboard! You adventure sounds like a dream come true.

Maybe you could fill out some more of your profile so we can learn a bit more about you. Especially boat type etc...

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by KodiakMike

Just a quick hello from a new member. My wife and one year old son and I left home in Alaska five months ago, bound for Oz. Had a great summer sailing out of Alaska and have been working our way down the west coast of U.S. since September. The mainland US makes us miss Alaska, but we're primed for everything that Mexico and the South Pacific may have in store for us!

Should be a great adventure. Don't miss New Zealand. I would highly recommend Middleton Reef on your way to Oz (300 miles ESE of Brisbane). Too many boats miss that treasure. Excellent (large) anchorage in pure white (good holding) sand. Wide open to the wind but protectected from the swell except from the NW (it rarely blows from there) Best snorkeling and diving in the world. 300 ship wrecks. Amazing place. Zero land. Everything is below the surface.

I've stopped there on 2 different occasions, 10 days each time. Had 30kt trade winds for a few days at a time and we were perfectly comfortable.

[44'cruisingcat]

Make sure you give customs plenty of notice before arriving in Aus. 96 hours minimum.

Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

[Randyonr3]

Great to hear about your trip. We'll be pulling out in the spring from SF with the same ideas.. Hope to see you out there. Enjoy...
Randy & Ramona on S/V-R3

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Make sure you give customs plenty of notice before arriving in Aus. 96 hours minimum.

Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

There are Austrailian Embassies and Counselets all over the So Pac. Plenty of time to notify Australia of your arrival.

Just don't commit to any time schedule too far in advance. That is probably the A#1 rule in cruising....."NO TIME COMMITMENTS". That will get you in trouble faster than anything. You would be wise to write that right on the front of your log book. That's what I did.

[northerncat]

hopefully with the change of government aussies can now relax a little as rudd turns it back from a police state to the peoples country, hopefully all those letters about customs will be read by the new ministers
sean

[kath&john]

Welcome guy's...And a Big Hello from Melbourne, Australia.

[cooper]

...Dont forget to knock before you enter...... ; ) seriously though, if you do not have hf or sat phone, and are arriving in OZ from say NZ then you can contact the authorities on leaving NZ, even though it is outside the "time window" BUT you MUST contact them at before least 96 hours before arriving. THEY WILL FINE YOU HEAPS......Sorry ...in the olden days i would have just said welcome to friendly Australia.... ps the north is great, but in Autumn tassie (north and east) is mumble mumble...ssshhh dont tell anyone....

[MarkJ]

Yes we have a capacity to make stupid foolish rules and then to enforce them strictly so that we dont have to admit we were stupid foolish cretins for making the rule in the first place.

[44'cruisingcat]

96 hours is the lower limit though. AFAIK there is no upper limit. So just notify customs good and early. AND KEEP A RECORD OF THE FACT.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Yes we have a capacity to make stupid foolish rules and then to enforce them strictly so that we dont have to admit we were stupid foolish cretins for making the rule in the first place.

I'll never forget.....one time when we arrived in Australia, they made us put a big huge, self-adhesive banner on the side of our boat (with an ID #). What a mess it was getting that thing off.