Year 2 – 28th April 2025 - Mackay Marina- New Crew

It was another nice day and we started with a quick breakfast. We had 3 new crew arriving this evening and so we had to finish preparing the boat and to provision which will be a big job. We are effectively going out to the Whitsundays for about 16 days so we have to provision for 5 for that period which is a bit like provisioning for an Atlantic crossing but without much leeway. Paul and I had made a good list of what we needed.

I started on cleaning the outside of the boat and Paul went up to do some washing and to check out car hire. I had checked my plumbing repair and it had not leaked in the night but I wanted to get it checked. I called the plumber on a local number and the man said he would send someone down in half and hour which as great. He came and took off the fitting and we worked out where the pipe went from the engine room and into the shower cupboard in my heads. He thought we may need to replace that section of pipe. However, in refitting the connector he thought it would now work and it did not leak. However, for peace of mind I agreed that I would buy off him a 3m section of pipe should I need to replace that section and I made sure I had all the fittings. That was good and I then had to put all the generator housing back and tidy up the engine room.

Paul came back and said we could rent a car for 4 hours for Oz$40. We went up to discuss this with the marina and if we took the car at 12.30pm we could keep it until the morning which meant that we could pick up the new crew at the airport. This cost would be less than a cab back and the cost of a taxi from the airport for the crew. We therefore went for a coffee and then at 12.30pm picked up the car. What they call here a “wreck”!! It was a bit and had done a few miles -but it still ran which was the main thing.

We decided to start with a drive along the breakwater which is over 500 m long and has a two-way road on it and we had seen many cars drive along it from our berth. The picture of the day is the view over the marina from the breakwater with Stormbird in the foreground. You certainly get a good view out to sea from here and the various Islands. We then drove to Mackay main town which was fairly modern and looked slightly American. When you drive inland from the marina you realise there are various waterways, mangroves and there are lots of bridges and creeks.

We found the shopping centre which was huge and you can almost buy everything you need from there. I had a quick haircut as I hd started to look like the wild man from Borneo again!! We then went to the liquor store and stocked up with wine and beer and took that back to the car. We then went into Woolworths and filled 3 trolleys and managed to get everything other than eggs. Apparently, they have had a lot of bird flu here and chickens have had to be slaughtered so they are in short supply. I went to another supermarket and they had some but I could only buy 24. We tried several other stores but with no luck. Paul manged to get 12 at the bar in the marina so we only have 36 now. I can imagine if Keith Watson is reading this he would be glad not to be on this trip as he likes eggs every day!!!.

We came back to the marina with a carload and we then had to load it into trolleys and take it to the boat which sounds easy. However, due to the tide the ramp down on to the pontoons was at an angle of about 25 degrees so we had to walk down slowly and carefully without letting go to negotiate the ramps until we were on to the horizontal pontoons. We got it all onboard and then of course you have to stow it which can be quite a challenge. We had done it by 5.30pm and went to meet Antonio, who was in the marina and who is also joining the Indonesian Rally. He was from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and has sailed quite extensively. He did the Arc this year and is joining the World Arc later this year. It was good to meet him and to share stories.

Paul and I returned to Stormbird and had something to eat and we then drove out to the airport trying to get more eggs on the way, but without luck. We met the guys who were more or less on time. There were 3 of them. Peter Saint -who did the Atlantic with me in early 2024, Angus Fear who joined me in Spain to the Canaries (2023) and then Panama to French Polynesia (2024) and his friend John Assael who has not been on before and who is an Architect. It was good to see them and we returned to Stormbird for a welcome beer and chat.

We all retired to bed and after briefings etc will head out to The Whitsundays tomorrow pm. It had been a busy day but we had done it all and we now are 5 and they got here safe and sound. The Whitsundays were claimed and named by Captain James Cook in 1770 on the 7th Sunday after Easter on “Whitsun,” giving way to their colonial name and the influence of the modern world. 

Need/Opportunity Year Two

I am in need of more crew from late June to Mid-July. In addition, there is one space from Cairns to Indonesia from mid-July - so if of interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

In year two I will be going from New Zealand to Sydney and hen up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com