Got so far to Maldives!! Trying to repair a broken goose neck and cap shroud

Hey, that's great stuff - many thanks. Now all I have to do is wait for the boat owner to pull the trigger on it! I think the worst part will probably be Seychelles to Bali: there's a "Pirate Armed Group" (PAG)operating about 100 miles North of the islands at the moment - but I reckon keeping well South and doing a dash Eastward should be OK. I've contacted the Bali Marina and its all apparently relatively "civilised" clearing in there with not too horrible fees nowadays....we shall see! I'll keep you posted. Many thanks, Tony

( had to send in two parts. Overran the word count) If you are in a hurry, you dont HAVE to stop along the way. But its nice sailing IMHO inside the reef as there is more sealife, birdlife, landmarks and things to steal your thoughts away so to speak. Also the reef is a huge swell blocker. So the wave heights are smaller inside as the fetch is minimal compared to the pacific side of the reef.Yes you're right about head winds. The S/E trades will be starting again as S/H winter approaches. So it will be on the nose. Which, considering what I said about wave height, may make inside a better choice if you need to motor into it to make time.

Stay in touch, I would love to hear more about your trip. What sort of boat? Time frame? Regards Dave

Hi - I noticed your post on autopilot in the Whitsundays.

I'm delivering a catamaran from the Seychelles to Brisbane shortly and wondered if you had any comments about sailing down the East Coast. I'd love to do a bit of tourism but really I'm on a bit of a mission so - would it be better to coast-hop inside the Barrier Reef or do a straight shot down "outside"? I'm assuming I'm going to get head winds most of the way down that coast as well? Cheers, Tony