Sailing from Brisbane to Sydney

Along the way to Brisbane I explained that I was going to Brisbane to go sailing to Sydney for FREE except the costs of food and beverage. He brought up the topic several times during the drive and I could tell he wanted me to invite him along but I was in no place to do so. So when time when speaking to Mike (the boat's owner) on Jusford's mobile I asked if there was an extra spot on the boat because the guy that was giving me a ride to Brisbane has some boating experience and was interested in coming along. He said probably and that we would figure it out when we arrived. (He just wanted to speak to Jusford and make sure is he OK before saying yes.) We arrived at the dock in the early evening and met Mike. Quickly he gave Jusford the OK and we were set. The plan was going to be for Jusford and I to sleep on the boat that night but Jusford has a sister and her husband that live a bit outside of Brisbane so we went there for the night. She cooked us up some dinner and, in the morning, gave us a ride to the marina (a big favor because getting their using public transport would have been a major pain). Then we got the boat ready and set off.

The "crew" at this time was Mike, the owner, another Mike, who was older and the engineer, two girls that were travelling in Australia together, one English and the other Canadian, Jusford, and myself. The girls had no boating experience at all. Jusford spent some time on a boat but a very different kind of boat. I have spent a little time on a boat but not much and that to was a very different experience. Mike the engineer has spent a lot of time on boats but is not really a sailer much more than I am. Clearly the other Mike has a good deal of experience.

We were stopping in Southport, just a bit south of Brisbane, to drop off Mike, the owner, so he could bring another boat north, and pick up a new skipper, Paul. Mike went out that night and came back to the boat at 7AM. A couple hours later the new skipper arrived and, to my surprise, met Mike, the owner, for the first time. This means that Mike was putting somebody in charge of his US$500,000 boat that he had never met until now. It was pretty incredible.

Then plan from Southport to to sail all the way to Sydney. We ended up stopping in Coffs Harbour as well because the English girl could not stop vomitting. She got sick 18 times in a 24 hour period. The seas were rough, the wind and tide going against us, and somebody getting sick was inevitable. I got sick too, but only once. It was strange, I felt fine, then I was sick, then I felt fine. It was as if I just needed to do it once to get it over with even though I felt OK. At Coffs, in addition to dropping off the girls, Jusford and the skipper we picked up in Southport also departed. Jusford needed to get to Sydnet quickly to help out with family stuff and I forgot why Paul needed to leave but we had a new skipper, Al, or "Big Gay Al," lined up. It turns out that "Big Gay Al" is the same Al I met in Brisbane getting the boat together and is not gay. Of course, the nickname stuck. However, at this time it was just Big Gay Al, Mike, the engineer, and myself. Mike was not comfortable with the limited sailing experience on the boat. Luckily, Al's (it is just easier to type) father has a sailer friend, Dennis, with a reputation of never, ever, ever turning down a chance to sail. Sadly, he is in Sydney working. Al called him up inviting him. He said he would call back soon. About a half hour later, Dennis called back saying he would land in Coffs at 2:30. This means he was checking out of work early, catching a last minute flight, into a small airport, that much have cost a few hundred dollars, only to return to Sydney just an hour before an important meeting.

The sailing the rest of the way was pretty awesome. It was challenging but, I think, a more real experience than the previous legs. We did not stop the rest of the way, sailing constantly for 42 hours. We basically did 4 hour shifts, meaning that two people slept for four hours while the other two controlled the boat. The hours were pretty flexible, if you felt OK to do another hour you generally did it and if you could not manage your four hours you found a way to make it work. We were going slow, about the speed a slightly above average person could run a mile in was basically the pace. Except we were doing it 24 hours a day while the runner would probably struggle to do more than a few hours. It was a great experience an probably the most memorable part of my time in Australia.

Sailing into Sydney harbour is a sight to be seen.