You guys might remember I was disappointed when I wasnt able to go sailing just before I went off to Byron Bay.
I stayed in contact with John, the skipper of the yacht and on my way to Nimbin I got the ok to start another adventurous sailing trip on Tuesday.
On Monday I travelled back to Brisbane and did some shopping for the trip.
On Tuesday I met with John (66, Aussie) and Liam (26, English) at the marina.
John, great Aussie bloke
We were quite impressed when we saw our 1987 51-footer "Bright Morning Star" for the first time and we were even more impressed when we heard that this vessel participated in the 54th Sydney-Hobbart-Race in 1998 where 6 sailers perished during an ernormous hurricane. There is a book called "Fatal Storm" which tells the story of the 54th Sydney-Hobbart and John proudley showed us the paragraphes where his boat was mentioned. He bought the boat 3 years ago and lives aboard ever since.
Bright Morning Star
The interior was very spacious and comfortable. If you go thru the door just next to the mast you will come to my "bedroom". I was basically the storage room with a tiny bunk bed in 1.5m height. Tiny, narrow, crammed with ropes and headsails. You gotta love it, felt so much like vacations and I slept so well.
We went to Moreton Bay where I have been with Phil before and anchored there for the night. The boat has a huge wheel which makes it a lot easier to steer.
Moreton Island
The next day we decided to stay anchored for the day. John had some repair jobs to do at the engine and so Liam and me went for a walk in the dinghy. It is actually not that easy to get from such a high ship down to a little dinghy when you got some waves and current. We managed somehow and where off to Moreton Island
Liam and me in that tiny dinghy
For some reason we came parallel to the waves and as you could imagine this was the end of our dry trip. I basically was soaked whereas Liam was literally sitting in the water. After walking around the island and climbing a little mountain to enjoy the view we tried to get back on board. I still cant believe we got there dry but having learnt to approach a vessel from windward the wind was on our side.
Ocean sunset
It was a bit strange to see the combination of wind and current. During my sailing course at home the boat always pointed into the wind and towards the buoy. Here in Moreton Island there is an additional current pointing the vessel 45 degrees away from the mooring.
The following day there was some more sailing to do but we had to charge the batteries and so wie did some motor-sailing. After a couple of hours the engine was finally switched off and I got what I came for. We hoisted the jib and when the boat heeled it felt like sailing again. For some reasons I was at the helm for most of the time and I sure didnt complain.
Sailing in Queensland with some rum and Coke - Life is magnifique
Had some rain on our last day and since I was the only one with waterproof gear I "had" to take the helm again. The others couldnt be bothered to put up any sails and so I brought the Morning Bright Star back to Manly Harbour using the engine. Not quite the same feeling but still nice. Unfortunately I was not allowed to drive into the the harbour, maybe a good idea cuz you dont see much standing at the helm.
Limited view at the helm
It was a really nice trip and we saw dolphins at least once a day. The more often I go sailing the more I enjoy it. As a matter of course you always come home with a lot of cuts and bruises from climbing around the boat and tightening sheets but thats just part of the deal. Now I am looking forward to a nice, long, hot shower and a decent meal.
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