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Old 24-10-2016, 15:30   #61
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pirate Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

Start your trip on a nice day so you have 24hrs to settle into it.. and nap when you feel like it during the day.. set a 20 min alarm if you want..
At night crash when you feel tired tho' likely the 1st night will be an adrenaline rush so could be around 5am before the Zzzz's hit..
Don't over think it..
Have a grand trip mate..
PS; Reef your main down at night.. don't want to be dashing up to the mast while still groggy.. let the genny do the work.. assuming you have a furler.
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Old 24-10-2016, 15:37   #62
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Where to and from?

The image of Aus didn't show much ais traffic. Personally I'd get a good bit offshore and go for it. Getting off the continental shelf helps lots as there aren't any fishing boats any more. Few fishing anyway.
24 hour legs are nasty imho, takes a day or 2 to get back in shape again. Though everyone is different, I agree with foolish about the first 5 days being different but for me that's just to relax into it, I'll still sleep but just be a bit on edge. Actually, worth mentioning a couple of things, if I feel the eyelids getting a bit heavy then straight into a bunk curled up for a snooze - every little helps Also, it can really wear you out just being in a hot tropical sun all day, staying down below with a lookout every 10 minutes or whatever won't wear you out quite so much.
But your call, everyone did a first one , good luck either way
The plan is from the Eastern tip of Kangaroo Island straight to the West Coast of Tasmania, Port Macquarie to be exact. Hence the first bit is done inside of a shipping lane (admittedly a pretty quiet one) and the last bit only seems to have to contend with fishing boats, of which I am told there are quite a few, probably more of a concern than the shipping lane leg. There's also a brief period where I cross a moderately busy shipping lane, but I cross it pretty cleanly so I just expect to be on watch a lot more during that bit.

The short trip warning has come up a number of times from a number of people whose judgment I trust, hence my considering doing this as a straight run.
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Old 24-10-2016, 15:43   #63
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Start your trip on a nice day so you have 24hrs to settle into it.. and nap when you feel like it during the day.. set a 20 min alarm if you want..
At night crash when you feel tired tho' likely the 1st night will be an adrenaline rush so could be around 5am before the Zzzz's hit..
Don't over think it..
Have a grand trip mate..
PS; Reef your main down at night.. don't want to be dashing up to the mast while still groggy.. let the genny do the work.. assuming you have a furler.
Right, sounds like a plan.

Regarding sail plan, we work best as a cutter, so I am assuming yankee and staysail deployed (each on furlers) and the main with one reef unless weather forecasts say two reefs (reeves?). The genoa on our boat just makes us sail like a dog, unless reaching, and pretty broad reaching at that, so it tends to live in a bag in the sail locker, there for emergencies only. I feel like the two forward sails are very manageable in a crisis.
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Old 24-10-2016, 15:48   #64
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Heavens; this is certainly no reason to avoid the trip. Just understand that you'll be really tired while doing it. Go out there an enjoy the experience, however it takes you. I keenly remember my first hallucination. I thought "wow, so that's what they're talking about." I would NEVER avoid a singlehanded voyage just because of lack of sleep. That's why God invented coffee.

That will be true for someone who has done a few trips and is more comfortable, but for a first trip the lack of sleep is a given. The OP will be able to sleep three or four hour each night, but 8 hours is wishful thinking.
I am not sure I am all that keen on the hallucinations bit, but I did have a really weird experience coming into Apollo Bay harbour at night where I could see a fence line running right across the channel blocking the entrance to the harbour. Nobody else on board could see it so I just told my eyes to butt out and drove the boat through it. It vanished when we were about two boat lengths away.

I mentioned it to the harbourmaster the next day, he just looked at me funny, but his 2IC said he had seen the same thing and reckoned it has something to do with the lights in the town behind the harbour.

Either way I have sworn of night time approaches to unknown harbours now.
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Old 24-10-2016, 15:52   #65
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Either way I have sworn of night time approaches to unknown harbours now.
Good advice. I came into Grays Harbor, WA, last month at dusk with a lowering fog ceiling, but the buoy lights were not on yet. Really confusing until the lights came on halfway in. No grids across the entrance, but there could well have been!
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Old 24-10-2016, 16:18   #66
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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but I did have a really weird experience coming into Apollo Bay harbour at night where I could see a fence line running right across the channel blocking the entrance to the harbour.
That's all part of "the 3am effect" that I mentioned earlier. The brain just does not work in the middle of the night. Once you understand this, you can adjust for it.

And hallucinations are fun, once you come to embrace them. There are people who pay lots and lots of money to have these experiences.
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Old 24-10-2016, 17:00   #67
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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And hallucinations are fun, once you come to embrace them. There are people who pay lots and lots of money to have these experiences.

:^)


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Old 24-10-2016, 17:16   #68
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

G'Day Matt,

It's been a long time since my singlehanding days, so I won't offer advice on that part. But do keep in mind that the entrance to Macquarie Harbour (not Port Mac) is not always do-able if the wx packs up whilst you are under way. Hell's gate can be pretty nasty, despite being somewhat sheltered from the SW by Cape Sorrel. One can shelter in Pilot Bay just to the south, but it isn't exactly well protected! Or, you can carry on down to Port Davey, where entry is sheltered by Breaksea Island (what a great name!) and entry can be made in pretty awful wx.

FWIW, the day before we left Macquarie last May the wave rider buoy off Sorrel recorded 14.8 metre swell height. The next day it was down to 4-5 m and we didn't find it too bad leaving. Might have been a bit off-putting coming in, though, especially if it was your first time! IN your place, I'd look for <3 m combined if possible.

Do try to get up the Gordon if you go, for it is just beautiful. I'll even give you the exact coordinates of where we abandoned our Manson Supreme and 20 m of chain, should you feel like an adventure dive!

Cheers,

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Old 24-10-2016, 19:14   #69
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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G'Day Matt,

It's been a long time since my singlehanding days, so I won't offer advice on that part. But do keep in mind that the entrance to Macquarie Harbour (not Port Mac) is not always do-able if the wx packs up whilst you are under way. Hell's gate can be pretty nasty, despite being somewhat sheltered from the SW by Cape Sorrel. One can shelter in Pilot Bay just to the south, but it isn't exactly well protected! Or, you can carry on down to Port Davey, where entry is sheltered by Breaksea Island (what a great name!) and entry can be made in pretty awful wx.

FWIW, the day before we left Macquarie last May the wave rider buoy off Sorrel recorded 14.8 metre swell height. The next day it was down to 4-5 m and we didn't find it too bad leaving. Might have been a bit off-putting coming in, though, especially if it was your first time! IN your place, I'd look for <3 m combined if possible.

Do try to get up the Gordon if you go, for it is just beautiful. I'll even give you the exact coordinates of where we abandoned our Manson Supreme and 20 m of chain, should you feel like an adventure dive!

Cheers,

Jim

I was wondering if you'd give me a shot at finding that anchor. :^). I'm always up for a challenge. Right now I am waiting for the weather to improve to help a mate retrieve TWO that he has lost so far. They are only tinnie anchors but still, they were not free.

The whole arrival at Hell's Gates is preying on my mind a little. We went through once on the tour boat and I remember them quoting some pretty insane wave heights from that bouy. Strangely enough I seem to have erased the actual numbers from my memory. Could be a form of self defence. Or denial I suppose.


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Old 24-10-2016, 19:15   #70
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

Slightly off topic, but I am wondering if the converted ex Sydney Ferry is till hanging around Macquarie Harbour?


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Old 24-10-2016, 19:46   #71
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Slightly off topic, but I am wondering if the converted ex Sydney Ferry is till hanging around Macquarie Harbour?


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don't recall seeing any such, Matt. Mostly big catamaran ferry/tourist boats and one ~65 foot ketch (Stormbreaker) that did charters and raft retrievals. Trevor, the owner of the ketch is a very nice bloke, and knows the river and harbour as well as anyone does. He's the cartographer for the river mud map...

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Old 24-10-2016, 20:16   #72
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

Obviously, doing some formal study on this topic, & then testing it out/applying it would be wise. That way you can determine how best to optimize your sleep & watch sked's so as to stay rested, while keeping a sharp eye on things.

As, for example, my sleep cycle seems to take about 2hrs for me to go through all of the stages of sleep. So that if I can get one or several 2hr blocks of sleep per 24, then I'm in good shape. My brain & body not having been cheated of the proper recharging that comes from the different stages of sleep.

Another tip is to optimize your foulies & deck wear for ease of donning & doffing. Since both can take a lot of time & energy, & different configurations can make a huge difference in this. As my Musto 1-piece takes but seconds to slip on, & is far quicker & easier to climb into than even just foulie bibs alone. So this savings helps way more than I'd have ever imagined when I first bought it.
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Old 24-10-2016, 20:22   #73
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Slightly off topic, but I am wondering if the converted ex Sydney Ferry is till hanging around Macquarie Harbour?


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The fish food transporter for the salmoneras? The one the owner had painted in 'Army Green' ?

Dunno... was still there in 2001ish...
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Old 24-10-2016, 20:45   #74
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Re: Transitioning to longer solo trips

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The fish food transporter for the salmoneras? The one the owner had painted in 'Army Green' ?



Dunno... was still there in 2001ish...

Which was about when I went through the area. Hmmmm.... My memory of it seems a little more romantic than yours. :^)

Given Jim's comment above, though, it sounds like it might have gone. Of course Jim always has his head under water looking for detached anchors, so he might have missed it.


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Old 24-10-2016, 20:47   #75
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Transitioning to longer solo trips

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Trevor, the owner of the ketch is a very nice bloke, and knows the river and harbour as well as anyone does.


Jim

Does he know where your anchor is? (Snigger!)

Sorry, couldn't resist. I am up to my armpits in termite ridden floorboards while you lot swan around in your boats. It's just sour grapes all the way for me today.


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