Sailing Around Australia; Playing the waiting game

Saturday, 18 April 2015

Sailing Around Australia; Playing the waiting game

Jervis Bay, New South Wales

19/4/2015 Playing the Waiting Game

There have really only been a few times like the present, where we have had a significant hold on our sailing around Australia adventures, due to the weather conditions.

Having sailed Easy Tiger across the south coast of Australia we have found the mostly the weather patterns come in stages of four or five days. That means that the ideal weather to sail from one place to another, has been mostly four or five days apart.

Mind you, last winter we tied on in Port Lincoln, and left to travel back home to Western Australia. Then, we spent three months in Cairns, so we probably didn’t experience that much of the southern winter weather.

This week is going to be a real test for myself and Leanne. It is forecast to blow up to 50knots with combined seas and swell of over 8 metres! So that means we will batten down and stay right here in Jervis bay at the hole in the wall. The test will be with how we cope being locked in the boat on a mooring and not moving for a week. Sitting around not doing anything or going anywhere is not my or Leanne’s strong suit.

This is a beautiful bay with the huge trees of the Boogeree National park on the shore. A white sandy beach stretches along the shoreline, with greenish water that is so clear, you can count the fish swimming around underneath Easy Tiger.

We have already taken every opportunity in between rain and wind to get ashore in the dinghy and walk up and down the kilometer or so of the beach.

Leanne is contacting as many friends and rellies as possible for long chat’s on the phone.

We have several drama series that my sister very kindly put together and quite a few movies that we have been swapping and trading with other boaties.

But when you are used to being on an adventure and sailing to new destinations such as this one in Jervis Bay, it is a real challenge to be locked in one place, especially if patience is not one of your strong points.

Something tells me, it’s going to be a very long week.