Gettin her from Wynnum to Fremantle

[Cavalier 32]

Hi All.

Delivery passage from Wynnum (Qld) to Freo, 36 footer.
At this point in time, single handed.
Would like to know the size of the task before I write a cheque.

Best time of the year?
Average time to complete?
Best passage plan?
Best Cruising Guide?
Best stops along the way?
Longest legs?

Assuming Omicron doesn't screw these plans as well. Also, good spot to keep her until I can get over there from Freo. Hardstand, Pen, Safe Moorings?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Keith

[ilenart]

This utube video recorded a presention of a guy that sailed his yacht solo accross he top fron Sydney to Fremantle single handed. Should answer some of your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1mR...GpnEj&index=17

I’m currently 1/3 of the way around Oz, left Fremantle in October, currently heading from Pt Fairy to King Island. My connection keeps dropping out so chat later.

Ilenart

[Wotname]

Traditionally (for the past 200 years), the 'easiest' way around Australia in to go counter clockwise.

However either way, you need to avoid the northern shores in summer and the southern shores in winter.

Up the east coast of far north QLD, over the top and down through the Kimberley will give you some of the best remote cruising grounds you will ever likely experience but do note the word 'remote'.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Cavalier 32

Hi All.

Delivery passage from Wynnum (Qld) to Freo, 36 footer.
At this point in time, single handed.
Would like to know the size of the task before I write a cheque.

Best time of the year? Feb/March while the high centers are fairly far south, so you get easterlies across the bottom of Australia some of the time

Average time to complete? It will be way easier on you if you have crew. Just one other person on the 32 footer. Plan to have some breakage, it is quite common on new-to-you boats that have been inactive for some time.

Best passage plan? Take advantage of favorable wind directions. If there are two of you, you can go watch on watch the whole way if the weather cooperates. Sometimes people find themselves waiting for weather in Twofold Bay. (Check your insurance, some companies don't like it--don't cover you--because you have to pay attention and do the Twofold Bay Shuffle: south side for s'ly winds, north side for n'ly winds.)

Best Cruising Guide? We like Alan Lucas for NSW and Queensland. Don't know about VIC, SA,. There is one, no experience using it, by Jack & Jude from Bandayah (sp?)

Best stops along the way? What's your criteria for what you want at a stop? If you need easy access to shops, it is different.

Leaving from Wynnum, we would go down via the Broadwater with the tide and overnight in the open roadstead at Curidgee, then out through the Seaway on an overnighter to the Clarence R. planning to arrive about 3rd hour of the flood, and anchor in Iluka. There is a marina across the way at Yamba. Both have shopping.

Jim and I are a couple with lots of overnight watch on watch coastal passages, and so how we plan is based on that. You may want to limit yourself to about 20 n mi/day passages if you're singlehanding. Suggest you look at the met bureau's representation of what the EAC is doing, to see how far offshore it is and how strong. We like using it (the escalator) southbound, the winds are often a little stronger a little further offshore. You won't, so much, if you need to duck in frequently for easy sailing and resting.

With favorable weather, we'd go through to Broughton Is, or into Pt. Stephens, or Newcastle, but there are plenty of stops between the Clarence and there. Laurieton is quite nice, friendly RSL has a dock you can tie up to. It is just that we like to take advantage of favorable conditions, and rattle off the miles.

We usually stop in Pittwater to see friends, then Jibboon Beach (Port Hacking), Jervis Bay, and Eden. You'll probably not want to do that in the Cav, you'll want stops closer together, so figure on stopping in Bateman's Bay (we've anchored out in the bay, not gone into the marina) and possibly Bermagui (which will be okay with insurance that doesn't like Eden). Then it is a longish one to Lake's Entrance.


Longest legs? Southport to Clarence & Lake's Entrance to Wilson's Prom.


Assuming Omicron doesn't screw these plans as well. Also, good spot to keep her until I can get over there from Freo. Hardstand, Pen, Safe Moorings? You'll have to phone around and get estimates. We often use the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club, but it is no longer cheap. Still, it has excellent access to public transportation, shops, chandlery, and they have been very friendly to us over the years.



Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Keith

You can trust the Lucas books. If anything, Alan writes pessimistically of the open roadsteads. All the soundings on his chartlets, he took himself. If you can tolerate the rolling, using the open roadsteads will save you hours on travel legs, helping you stay rested. Anytime you use a river you will need to play the tides, and it can add a lot onto your travel time between anchorages to have to add a couple of hrs. at the beginning and end. The rivers often have a lot of water to get out through a small opening, so the tidal streams are strong. You will be motoring in. Slack water occurs about 3 hrs. past the lows and high tides. There are web cams at most of the barred entrances, so once in internet range, you can view ahead of arrival what the bars are doing. It is better to go on, or wait (depending on the weather) than try a breaking bar, especially in an unfamiliar boat.

Southbound on the east coast you can avoid the EAC most places (you'll find it at Cape Byron), but going south (with it), it can really speed you on your way. Our Northbound strategy has many more stops, and of course many of them can be used whichever direction you're headed, because then, one stays close inshore to be out of the current, and we like to stop at night, unless we're in a hurry. Ymmv.

There are Volunteer Marine Rescue outfits along the way whom you can contact by VHF (or telephone). They can give you reports on bar conditions, but are not allowed to tell you if it is unsafe. If it is a time of large ocean swells, some of them will be unsafe in wind against the tide conditions, and should not be attempted. [We have never gone into the Tweed nor Richmond Rivers.]

There's a CF member, GILow, who recently did the Hobart to Adelaide route through Banks Sts, to the mainland. Maybe he'll show up and tell you about his portion of the trip. He was singlehanding a Swanson 42.

Ann