We're taking advantage of a couple of days' settled weather before Storm Ciara (with gusts of up to 75 knots) arrives on Saturday. We took the opportunity to sail round to Salcombe from Dartmouth and had a great 14nm passage.

Salcombe is always hugely busy in the summer, both on the water and in the town, so it's quite a novelty to find it almost deserted. This allowed us to moor on the Normandy Pontoon (so named because this was the departure point for over 60 large landing craft and thousands of American troops for the D-Day landings) so we can walk ashore to explore. We'll head back to Dartmouth tomorrow and there we'll secure Maunie with extra mooring lines to ready her for the storm.

Back on the mooring after an excellent 3 week cruise - we covered 782nm and discovered some excellent new anchorages as well as re-visiting old haunts.

This will be our last proper sail for a while - we haul Maunie out in mid-June for a fairly serious refit - so it's been great to have such an interesting and enjoyable cruise.

Departing the Yealm after an OK passage from Falmouth yesterday (3 hours of good spinnaker, 3 hours motoring).

Heading back to Dartmouth at the end of a very good cruise.

Back in St Mawes after a 59nm motor on a glassy sea from Scilly yesterday. Anchored alongside Quayhog, a sister ship to Maunie, so owners Duncan and Elisabeth joined us for supper last night.


We'll have a day here today and hope for some wind tomorrow.

Always good when a plan comes together as you hoped it would. The Irish Sea is a tricky stretch of water to cross so we were delighted that our weather window turned out pretty much as we'd hoped. Some slow but steady sailing with the Parasailor for the first few hours reduced our average speed for the 160 nm passage but we had the delight of about 40 dolphins and three pilot whales (whose breath stinks, by the way) playing with us. The wind increased nicely through the early evening and we dropped the Parasailor at about 22.00 in the last of the twighlight as it got up to 20 knots.

The rest of the passage was very easy (though quite bumpy and rolly) and we arrived off the alarmingly rocky west side of the Scilly Isles just as the wind began to ease.

We're anchored in Porth Cressa, on the south side of St Mary's, where we have perfectly flat water and good shelter from the remaining NW breeze. Tired but happy Maunie crew.

Just set off from Baltimore. Spinnaker is rigged and ready, just hoping the wind will fill in as we clear the coast. ETA St Mary's, Scilly, lunchtime tomorrow.

Anchored off Sherkin Island in Baltimore harbour. Maunie was originally called Maunie of Baltimore and her first owner kept her on a mooring just a mile from here. Slow internet via mobile phone but enough to tell us that we'll set off at about 10.00 tomorrow.

At last the wind has swung around from the SE but it was still on the light side so we've delayed the passage to Scilly until tomorrow. With an extra day to play with we left the anchorage after lunch and had a great reach with the Parasailor across to South Harbour, Cape Clear Island. We had the anchorage to ourselves as we ate supper but decided to move on due to the issue of zero phone signal. This would usually be a bonus but the navigate wants updates on the weather for a planned crossing to Scilly tomorrow morning so needs the interweb.

A 34nm sail from Bantry to Crookhaven in more typical Irish weather. Started well, with a gentle spinnaker run towards the mouth of Bantry Bay, then had favourable tide but wind on the nose heading past Mizen Head so a very lumpy, confused sea and we had to motor-sail on and off to maintain momentum. Anchored in the lee of Rocky Island but we'll pass on the delights of the excellent village pubs - the wind should swing round to the NNW tomorrow afternoon so we'll take advantage of it to do a 26 hour or so overnight passage back to Scilly.

After 2 nights at anchor in Glengarriff we had a nice 7 mile beat over to Bantry this morning. The town used to have a poor reputation for yachts as the only option was to anchor or take a mooring in the rolly, rather open bay. However a €9M investment was completed in 2017 - the silted area inside the town pier has been dredged and a great little visitors' Marina installed. Easy walking into town and good provisioning so we'll be here for a couple of nights.

A very pleasant 11nm sail further up into Bantry Bay. Anchored in Glengarriff, a beautiful harbour. This wind direction isn't the best for here so we avoided the visitors' moorings and instead anchored behind the tiny Bark Island which is high enough to give us shelter from the breeze. Ashore to explore this afternoon.

A great day's exploring - we dinghied up river to visit the little town of Sneem this morning, with the electric outboard doing nothing to disturb the wildlife. Then a 39nm sail round into Bantry Bay, via the very narrow and tidal Dursey Sound where, if the swirling tide and the close proximity to the rocks doesn't worry you the apparently negligible headroom under the cable car will.

We're in another beautiful and deserted bay, Adrigole Harbour on one of 7 visitors' moorings. No other occupied boats.

Tomorrow the moving high pressure will bring back moderate to fresh SE winds for a few days so we are well placed in the SW-facing Bantry Bay to explore in relative shelter.

All very happy on board.

On a visitors' mooring in Oysterbed bay near Sneem - wow, just a beautiful spot.

After 3 nights in the bright lights of Dingle (with a perfect luck of the Keatings moment last night when a band of Irish and Czech musicians asked if we'd mind if they joined us in our sung, complete with open fire, in Dick Mac's, an amazing pub. We stayed till after midnight listening to their great Irish folk tunes), we left this morning to head to the Kenmare river. Our track on YIT will show us taking Maunie across some sizeable hills but of course we took the long way round (45nm) and had a great sail - the Irish Flag spinnaker was flown and a very good fish pie was created under way.

Another small world moment - we crossed within 100m of a British yacht called Lacerta. David and Debbie joined us on Maunie for the Robin Knox-Johnston sail-by in Falmouth last month when their engine was playing up.

In the morning we plan to explore up river in the dinghy to the town of Sneem before moving on to Bantry Bay where we'll have to wait for a few days while another period of frisky SE winds comes through.

Safely into Dingle after a bit of an epic sail from Scilly. A bit too much motoring to start then 5 hours with the Parasailor - we took it down at midnight (always a fun challenge) then used white sails reefed ever smaller as the wind increased to Force 6-7. 218 miles in 33 hours so an average of 6.6 knots.

As ever the boat did us proud and the pilothouse is the only way to sail - we even had the heating on when it got really chilly at night (and the wind has been really cold).

Wildlife included a pilot whale, lots of dolphins and several puffins.

Passed Fastnet Rock an hour ago with dolphin escort. Slower progress than hoped yesterday as the breeze took a while to arrive and we had some adverse current. Still aiming for Dingle this evening but may divert to Pormagee Valentia Island if the easterly builds too much. All well aboard.

Departing Scilly for Dingle (SW Ireland) in an hour. Looks as though we'll start under engine then head west to find the wind but then hope to be flying the Parasailor. ETA 17.00 tomorrow.

Ignore previous updates if you subscribed by email - it had us in Wales then Belgium! Must go to Specsavers!

On a visitors' mooring in New Grimsby Sound, between the the islands of Tresco and Bryher in Scilly. We picked a super weather window to sail the 121 miles from Dartmouth overnight - gave us NW veering to NE Force 5 to 6 so a close reach all the way rather than the usual beat into the prevailing SW winds. Pretty bumpy at times and lots of shipping and fishing boats to dodge so neither of us got much sleep but it's great to be here. Tomorrow's forecast is for sunshine and light breezes so we'll do some walking ashore.

Anchored off Trelissick House on the River Fal after entertaining day yesterday. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston marked the 50 years since his homecoming as the first person to circumnavigate solo and non-stop in his 32ft wooden ketch Suhaili. He sailed the beautifully restored boat across the finish line at exactly 15.24, the time of his finish in 1969, and we joined a flotilla of about 40 boats to follow him. Quite a moment.

Sorry for any confusion over lightning speed passages between Devon and Sydney - the YIT app appears to keep randomly inputting an old Australian entry from about 2 years ago! Anyway, Maunie is definitely staying in the Northern hemisphere this year and is back on her Dartmouth mooring after a good four-day mini-cruise down to Falmouth and back

It's good to be back aboard and doing a proper mini-cruise after a summer of weekend sailing - this working 5 days a week is very overrated!

We left Dartmouth this morning and had a cracking 40nm sail to Plymouth - wind right on the nose, of course, but flat seas and 15-18 knots of wind made it easy. We had forgotten how pretty the coastline is here and the challenges of tidal flows around the headlands makes for interesting navigation.

We have anchored off the pretty village of Cawsand, at the entrance to Plymouth Sound, and tomorrow head for Falmouth, another 40 miles to windward. Hopefully our reward will be a spinnaker run back on Saturday & Sunday.

Maunie is back home! We arrived to tie up to our mooring in Dartmouth at 1440 after an eight hour passage from Weymouth. We started the day flying the Irish Flag spinnaker and wonderful beam reach sailing. Sadly the wind only lasted for a few hours before we resorted to motor sailing. We were entertained by the navy chatting to various boats as they passed within their firing practice range, a tiny bird joining us as additional crew mid passage and finally Laura's excitement at spotting two dolphins as we approached the entrance to Dartmouth. Perhaps it was a welcome home! Ok so we'd have preferred to sail Maunie all the way around the World but it's still nice to be back here! All very well aboard.

Maunie is back in British waters! After 6 weeks on the deck of the mv Dmagracht she looked remarkably clean and untroubled by all those sea miles. The unloading process was way more entertaining (if equally nerve-wracking) than the loading because we were allowed onto the deck of the ship to get Maunie ready for the lift (backstays removed, fenders and lines set). A worrying few minutes trying to free a seized padlock on the main hatch was the only glitch in an otherwise very smooth process.

We are now in Hythe Marina, across the water from Southampton docks, for a few days to refit halyards, sails and canvas. All is very well aboard, though it's only about 10 degrees C!

Well, this is sad - our last YIT report from the southern hemisphere! We're in Newcastle Marina (and have been for a couple of weeks) waiting for the ship mv Damgracht to arrive. We're loading Maunie aboard in the next day or so and she'll retrace her wake across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal, arriving in Southampton sometime in May. The voyage from the UK has been amazing and we've been away for nearly six years so we can't complain about having to return to work. Of course, we'll miss the live-aboard cruising and the sunshine hugely but at least we'll have Maunie back on her mooring in Dartmouth for weekends and occasional longer trips.

Our final couple of days aboard are in driving rain and near gale-force winds, designed, perhaps, to make us feel better about stepping off the boat that's been our wonderful home for so long. So long to all our cruising mates, it's been great knowing you - we suspect we'll be back!

Anchored in Hen & Chicken Bay for the strong southerly to roll in at around midnight. Only 2.5m depth of water but said to be very good holding in mud, according to the pilot book. Well, we dragged, very slowly, about 1000ft until the anchor finally settled into something firmer. Thankfully we had plenty of space around us

Anchored in Hen & Chicken Bay for the strong southerly to roll in at around midnight. Only 2.5m depth of water but said to be very good holding in mud, according to the pilot book. Well, we dragged, very slowly, about 1000ft until the anchor finally settled into something firmer. Thankfully we had plenty of space around us

Our final sail under the Harbour Bridge as we beat out to Rose Bay this afternoon. Anchored in 6.5m in calm water. Heading north to Pittwater tomorrow, but we will be sorry to leave Sydney.

On the only NSW Govt visitor's mooring in Watson's Bay - a tad rolly since it's pretty close to the route used by the high-speed ferries coming into the wharf but easy access to the beach. A great walk up to The Gap, overlooking the ocean, and then to the end of South Head

In beautiful Bantry Bay on visitors' mooring. We moved here at 07.00 after an event-filled night. We were on a visitors' mooring just upstream of the Spit Bridge and a 50ft light-displacement motorboat came and took the neighbouring one. At 04.00 the wind picked up, with some heavy gusts, and the motorboat was shearing around the mooring like a crazy thing – we woke up as we collided. He swung against our stern, damaging the Windpilot (a broken aluminium casting) but no one aboard their boat woke up! When we told them this morning they seemed very unconcerned, in spite of the scratches down their side – “It’s not our boat” said the woman in the cockpit.

In Blackwattle Bay. Shocked to find the rigging-wire, used to lock the dinghy to the public pontoon, had been severed somewhere between 11.00 and 14.00. The thief abandoned the boat when he / she couldn't start the engine; luckily the wind just blew it against the seawall. A river police boat came by so we registered the event with them so they said they'd step up patrols in the area.

We are very relieved not to have lost the dinghy; thank goodness we always take the kill-cord off the motor.

After a few days anchored in Blackwattle Bay (handy for the fantastic fish market), we opted for a complete change of scene. With winds averaging 15 kts, we had perfect sailing conditions for a beat into Middle Harbour. Arriving early for the 14.15 opening of the Spit Bridge, we took one of the visitor buoys. Once through the bridge, we motored up to the beautiful Castle Cove and anchored in 9 metres. The scenery is stunning so all is very well on board.

After a great time in Broken Bay and Pittwater, we took advantage of a good breeze to fly the spinnaker down to Sydney Harbour yesterday - a brilliant daysail. Anchored off Manly and we have some boats around us that we know so it'l be fun to catch up with old friends. All very well aboard.

We moved into Pittwater on Monday and are on a mooring organised by friends Sue and Ian. This is a busy sailing centre with hundreds of moorings and several marinas and yacht clubs to cater to the needs of the locals and people living in Sydney. We can see the attraction - the water doesn't have all the commercial vessels and high speed ferries of Sydney Harbour and there are plenty of places to anchor or moor if the weather blows up. About 600 people live on Scotland Island, just across from us, and many commute by dinghy across to Church Point and then take a car or bus to their workplace.

We plan to stay here for Christmas Day and then think about moving down to Sydney.

We motored to the Head of Cowan Creek, in company with s/v Bravo, and are on visitors' moorings at Bobbin Head. In spite of the proximity of a large marina and being only 40 minutes drive from Sydney, it's really quiet her. It's a really beautiful place with densely-wooded shores but it has been incredibly hot, peaking at over 38 degrees at lunchtime. A very short walk in the gum tree forest, in the heady aroma of warm eucalyptus. was all we could manage in the heat but today it's cooler so we plan a hike in the National Park.

A superb sail from Newcastle yesterday - a close reach with the Irish Flag spinnaker in 15 to 20 knots E backing NE and a gentle sea state. Arrived in Broken Bay at 19.00 and came up to America Bay to pick up a mooring.

The bay is full of moorings (50 or more) which are owned by various yacht clubs for the use of their members but the arrangement is that non-members may use them as long as they vacate immediately if a club member arrives. At weekends and, particularly, over Christmas this place will be full but today there are only 8 boats here, enjoying the sunshine, the mirror-calm water and the beautiful forest which is alive with the buzz of cicadas.

We'll explore further into Cowan Creek today.

We have been in 'stealth mode' for the past few days. We actually arrived in Newcastle, after a beautiful spinnaker run down from Port Stephens with dolphin escort, on Thursday but kept quiet to surprise Adam & Cindi who were returning to Bravo here after their trip to the US. Great to catch up with them with a meal aboard Maunie last night - in spite of their jet-lag they were on great form.

We're enjoying Newcastle and had a really good Hunter Valley wine tour on Saturday - 4 wineries plus a brewery visited, 30 wines and 6 beers tasted. The only snag was that the Yacht Club marina was full, due to a Farr 40 regatta, so we got onto the pontoon next to the Maritime Museum. It is a great location, apart from the wash from the huge tugs as they return from guiding the vast coal ships in and out of the commercial docks. Last night at 4.00am we had a tug in an extra hurry to return to its berth and Maunie was rolled violently and slammed against the pontoon - a rude awakening that's also left a mark on our topsides. Currently awaiting a call back from the Operations Manager at Svitzer, the tug company, to give him some constructive feedback!

That aside, all is well and we will stay another day before heading on to Broken Bay and Pittwater.

The tail-end of a weather system which brought flooding to Victoria a few days ago is still giving us variable winds and, yesterday, a thunder storm with torrential rain for about thirty minutes. Barometer dropped from 1016mb to 1002mb but we are back to blue sky, sunshine and calm this morning and the pressure is rising.

We returned to Fame Cove yesterday and we are just debating when to move south - there has been a big swell (over 3 metres) offshore for the past couple of days but it is supposed to be reducing. The light winds at the moment would mean motor-sailing so we don't fancy rolling in big waves!

After a productive day, in warm sunshine, yesterday recaulking teak decks (the project is nearly complete!!), we motored over to Lemon Tree Passage under grey skies this morning. We are moored alongside the new public pontoon and were told by local sailors to ignore the signs saying "Maximum One Hour Stay". So we've got the laundry done and then have had a very entertaining BBQ with friends Michael and Annick on the German yacht Lucie, plus locals this afternoon, so we have learned a bit more about the place. We'll head off to another anchorage in the morning but the unsettled and showery weather means we won't head further south along the coast until Thursday or Friday.

A fabulous day sail from Crowdy Head to Port Stephens. Although the wind was disappointingly light this morning, it built enough to fly our beloved Parasailor from midday. Once we had the current with us, we made good speed. On a visitor's mooring in Salamander Bay and looking forward to a few days of exploring Port Stephens. All well aboard.

A pleasant downwind sail, Irish Flag spinnaker flying, from Port Macquarie; the crew was on a sugar-rush from Dianne's latest batch of excellent orange and walnut flapjack but the breeze faded so we motored the last hour. We've come into the tiny man-made harbour of Crowdy Head which feels a bit like a ghost-harbour. The fisheries co-operative has closed, the once-busy fishing fleet has gone (just 4 or 5 small and scruffy boats left on the fishing pontoon) and the visitors' pontoon has been condemned. The only new bit of kit is the fuel pontoon (which doesn't actually have any fuel pumps) and it is alongside this that we are moored, as directed by the helpful Marine Rescue team when we phoned them. Long lines and fender-board are deployed as it is a fixed pontoon but the piles are well-fendered and the water is calm.

More rain and light winds are forecast for tomorrow so we may stay here to do some boat jobs before moving on to Port Stephens.

We motored up the Hastings River this afternoon and found a nice spot on a bend, just opposite where the Maria River joins the main waterway. Very rural and peaceful, apart from the buzz of cicadas in the trees, so we weren't expecting to be passed by some reasonably major shipping. The Marine Rescue team made several VHF announcements that a tug was bringing a 60m vessel into the river and it transpires that, unlikely as it may seem, there is a fairly substantial shipyard upstream.

We followed the progress of the tug on AIS and a NSW Maritime Police boat came up to us to warn us of the approaching tow (they were happy that we were anchored well out of the main channel) and it passed us at a steady 4 knots - the tug was the Kotor and the ship was a suction dredger called Pelican.

All well aboard Maunie, enjoying a relaxed Sunday afternoon in the sunshine.

Arrived at Port Macquarie at 13.00 today (pretty much at HW) after another calm-sea motor-sail in glorious sunshine. More dolphins (including a huge pod of perhaps 40 of them close by) but an otherwise uneventful passage and the bar entrance was calm. Port Macquarie is a busy holiday town and the little marina has seen some recent investment so there's a new pontoon on the river, with self-service fuel dock, and new pontoons being installed in the existing marina. There's a big shopping mall close by so we've restocked on fresh provisions and then had a good walk down to the breakwater before supper. We'll check the weather and either leave late morning to do a 3 hour hop down to Camden Haven or, more likely, move up the river here for a quiet rural overnight anchorage to allow the NE wind to develop a little more before leaving on Monday.

Anchored in 4m of clear water in Trial Bay after a pretty windless 35nm passage from Coffs. Trial Bay splits the passage to Port Macquarie neatly into two but we discovered that the bar to the Macleay River has 'closed up' - basically it needs a good river flood to clear out the shallows but for the moment the leading marks have been removed and depths of only 0.6m have been reported.

Luckily the swell is less than 1m and the breeze has died away again so the open roadstead anchorage is very calm (it probably doesn't get much better than this here). We'll leave for Port Macquarie in the morning to get to the bar at HW (lunchtime) and there we'll wait for a couple of days for the NE wind to arrive properly; we've had enough of motoring!

All well aboard

Arrived in Coffs Harbour Marina after a 64 mile passage from Iluka. This was all motor-sailing with a great deal of current with us (up to 2.1 knots). Plenty of shipping to spot moving from Newcastle to Brisbane along with fishing boats, Rock Lobster Pot markers (close to South Solitary Island) and dolphins. All very well aboard, especially when Thatchers Gold Cider on tap was spotted at the Marina Bar - that is, until we found they'd run out!

Arrived at Iluka, Clarence River, yesterday lunchtime after a very good 35nm sail from Ballina. Judging the timings to safely cross the bars at each river entrance was tricky - we left Ballina at 06.00, HW minus 4 hours, so had about a knot of incoming current at the bar (It's vital to avoid crossing bars with the current flowing out to sea because the waves quickly build up and can become dangerous) and had about 0.75 knots of south-going current along the coast. We arrived at the Clarence River bar at HW plus 1.75 hours with the current still just flowing in to the river (there's roughly a 2.5 hour 'over-run' so that the flow changes direction around 2.5 hours after local HW and LW times) so it all worked out very well.

Anchored in 3m, well sheltered and out of the current and we'll stay here another day due to the wind veering SE / SSE - the town of Iluka is very pleasant and the fishermen's cooperative does great fish 'n' chips. It gives us time to sort a problem with one of the mainsail reefing lines which had become jammed in a block in the boom - a bit of a challenge....

Anchored in Mobbs Bay, near Ballina on the Richmond River, after a lovely 65nm passage from the Gold Coast. A few hours of motoring across a glassy sea we then had quite a spirited beam reach under spinnaker in 15 - 18 knots from the ENE; great to be sailing again!

The anchorage is pretty shallow (max 3.5m) and the mud very soft so it took us three attempts to get the anchor to bite but it's a very peaceful spot. We plan to dinghy across the river to explore the bright lights of Ballina tomorrow before resuming the south-bound passage. All very well on board.

Maunie is back on the move after re-launch. Heading south tomorrow. All well aboard.

On a marina pontoon at the Boat Works. We came up the Coomera River yesterday in torrential rain in order to get a Raymarine technician aboard to resolve a problem with our autopilot, only to be told that ex-cyclone Debbie heading our way. Huge rainfall meant that businesses and schools were closing and there were widespread flood alerts.

Anchoring in a flooding river is a Bad Idea - vegetation and debris can build up around the anchor chain pulling the boat's bow down or breaking the anchor out so we were lucky to get the one remaining berth in the little marina here, tucked downstream of a big motor yacht. As the day progressed and the rain continued to fall, the river turned dark brown and branches, navigation buoys and all sorts of unidentified floating objects swept past us.

Overnight a gales swept through but we were well-sheltered from it. This morning, hallelujah, the rain has stopped and there is a little sunshine so we can dry out! Now we have to find if the technicians have been able to get in to work so that the job we came here for can be addressed.

We completed our 100 nm passage up the coast from Yamba, arriving at the Gold Coast at 0930 (0830, Queensland time). The wind was light so we had to motor/ motor-sail all the way with favourable current only helping for the final six hours. Still, the settled conditions allowed us to pass relatively close to Cape Byron and Point Danger, making the most of any tidal assistance. During daylight we were challenged by some new and disturbing alarms from Constance, the autopilot - another job for the list while we're here; night watches included several fishing boats which we both monitored using radar. Now back on the Gold Coast, we're anchored in Bum's Bay, from where we set sail back in November. Coughs and colds getting better on board so all well.

We arrived safely at Yamba Marina, at the mouth of the Clarence River, at 07.30 this morning having decided to divert here for 36 hours to allow a brief front, bringing northerlies on Sunday morning, to pass. A good passage of 306nm from Sydney, averaging 6.3 knots in spite of some adverse current, but lots of rain and poor visibility - thank goodness for the comfort of the pilothouse, it would have been miserable to have to stand watches in the cockpit.

Di's cough and cold has really hit her hard but Graham's man-flu is being held at bay, just. We'll need to restock at the Yamba pharmacy today!

Made good progress yesterday, with the trick of hugging the shore paying off to gain some favourable current back-eddies at times. Wind dropped away during the night so motor-sailed in calm conditions so both got some half-decent off-watch sleep. This morning we have wind and waves and, unfortunately, the south-going current comes close inshore so we have over a knot against us. We considered putting in to Camden Haven for some r&r but the breeze is too good to waste so we are pressing on, despite the coughing and sneezing of the crew.

The southelies have arrived at last! We are about to leave Manly on a passage to the Gold Coast - 450nm / 3 days' sailing, though we might stop at Iluka about two-thirds of the way up, depending on progress. Neither of us feeling on top form - Di's hacking cough is still plaguing her and Graham has the first signs of a cold which could, of course, turn into full-blown man-flu at any moment - so we aren't exactly fired with enthusiasm at 05.30!

Back in Blackwattle Bay, Sydney after an entertaining sail up the coast. The swell was running at nearly 3 metres and we were entertained at the entrance to the harbour by one of the big double-ender Manly ferries doing a bit of a detour towards Sydney Heads to allow the passengers to enjoy(?) a serious bit of rolling in the waves!

We managed to sail under the Harbour Bridge without starting the engine and it is good to be back in the city. Noticeably warmer, too, but we have gained nearly 10 degree of latitude since leaving Recherche Bay in Tassie. Will be in the harbour for about 10 days - a mix of boat work and seeing more of the sights..

We completed the 72 nm passage from Jervis Bay to Cronulla, arriving at 19.00. The wind was around 20 knots from the SE most of the way so apart from 3 hours of motor sailing to get us in before dark we sailed all day in quite boisterous seas. En route we experienced the exceptional customer service from the Aussies: 1. Dave, the marina manager at Cronulla did his best to find us a space in the full marina and finally installed us on the fuel berth with key left for us in a secret place; 2. Doug, the volunteer Marine Rescue officer on duty today at Port Kembla did everything he could possibly do to identify a VHF radio transmission fault. Both above and beyond the call of duty. We had an entertaining arrival into Cronulla sailing through the very active racing fleet as they tacked around the buoys. Very happy to be in but our legs are a bit wobbly on the pontoon after the last two days.

We left Bermagui at 06.00 and have had good winds from the south with big seas making for some great sailing on passage to Jervis Bay. ETA in the Bay is 20.00. We plan to pick up one of the overnight moorings ready for a much needed sleep before setting off to Cronulla tomorrow morning. Making the most of the southerlies while they last. All well on board.

Arrived safely in Bermagui, moored up alongside a fishing boat at the Cooperative Wharf. The crew were super-friendly and helpful with mooring lines and shore power cable (we were a welcome break from their maintenance work!).

We'll head ashore to explore this afternoon.

=20 Only 15nm to go to Bermagui so we should be in time for Sunday lunch. Good sailing yesterday and overnight with the wind doing exactly as forecast, swinging more to the S and increasing during the night. We're now goosewinged and rolling dead-downwind in a 2m swell so a level table for the lunchtime beers with be a welcome novelty.

Overall, the passage has gone pretty much to plan, with some fast sailing though the adverse current (nearly 2 knots at times) was a pain. We are hugging the coast for the final few miles and it does seem to have taken us out of the tide's grip. We have not managed to get into any really good sleep patterns, however, so a post-lunch siesta may be required.

=20 d: 04/03/17 09:17 GMT+1100 As expected, the wind dropped away to about 4 kts last night resulting in 12 hours of motor sailing. The wind has returned this morning with 14 kts from ESE so we are happily sailing again. Our speed of 5.2 knots SOG is due to about 2 knots of tide against us - not helpful! We have 145 nm to go and after catching up on sleep are both well aboard.

=20 A bumpy, sleep-deprived first night but, so far, the wind is delivering the goods. We are making good speed, goosewinged for most of the night and now reaching. The slightly confused sea conditions meant that Winnie the Windpilot struggled to steer a reliable course so we sacrificed amps to Constance the autopilot and are now running the generator to replace them. All well on board.

We came through the Denison Canal this morning with no hitches (thankfully) and then had a lovely sail once we'd cleared Maria Island. The wind was from the SE giving some good close reaching. We're on a meal stop at Crocketts Bay on the North Coast of Schouten Island before setting off on passage to Bermagui this evening. There are about 12 other boats in the anchorage so we'll wait and see if they all have the same plan. All well aboard.

We arrived at our anchorage of Eaglehawk Neck early this afternoon. At that point there was bright sunshine and from the top of the mast we could see out across the Tasman Sea. By late afternoon a sea fog had rolled in. Tomorrow we will navigate the Denison Canal and then on wards up the coast. All well on board except for sad feelings about our imminent departure from Tassie shores.

Re-provisioning complete, we left DSS and motored 500 metres across to RYCT to fill up with fuel. Then we were ready to say farewell to Hobart, a city we've come to love, and motor/ sail past beautiful scenery with mainly southerly winds and full sunshine. We arrived in this anchorage, Connely's Bay, just as the wind went around to the North East. Tomorrow we plan to head down to Eaglehawk Neck before taking the 'short-cut' through the Denison Canal on Thursday. Both well on board.

We have returned to the Derwent Sailing Squadron marina in Hobart for a few days to restock and do some boat jobs. Removing and rebedding the fore hatch to solve a drip in heavy weather is the latest fun task.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the cruising down the east coast of Tassie and can recommend the island as a brilliant sailing area, even if it does get a tad chilly when the wind blows from the south.

We have returned to the Derwent Sailing Squadron marina for a few days to restock and complete a few boat jobs (removing and re-bedding the fore hatch to solve a drip in heavy weather is the latest fun task). It has been a great week of cruising and we thoroughly recommend Tasmania as a sailing base, even if it is a tad chilly when the wind blows from the south.

Anchored in Alexanders Bay after a lovely sail, goose-winged in 15 knots of southerly wind, up from Daniel's Bay, arriving at sunset (about 8.00pm). The forecast is for brisk northerlies today so we'll move about a mile north-east to Quarantine Bay this morning for shelter. The good news about northerlies is that the temperature will go from mid-teens to mid-twenties.

A lunch-stop anchorage in Daniel's Bay with a 3km walk to Bruny Island Premium Wines winery. Lovely lunch but we were less impressed with the wines which were certainly Premium in price!

In the well-sheltered anchorage of Port Cygnet after a really entertaining sail - spinnaker for a while then a little motoring and finally a pretty brisk beat up the Huon River (watch out for those fish farms). A cold front crossed us as we approached the river so there was suddenly 30 knots of wind and rain squalls. Lots of the wooden boats that we saw at the Festival seem to live here and we are anchored just outside the moorings, close to the Yacht Club.

After a great week in Hobart, it was good to be off sailing again. Just a gentle sail, with the Irish Flag spinnaker, down the D'entrecasteaux Channel to The Duckpond anchorage. The Maunie Crew (Graham, Dianne and Kerry) all suffering from colds so the sailing in sunshine was punctuated by burst of sneezing.

We motored the 20 nm from The Duckpond along the D'Entrecasteaux Channel; this morning it was smooth with 2 k of wind at most. The glassy waters meant that we could spot countless penguins so all were very happy on board. We're back in the same berth at DSS Marina where we'll be based for the next week. Looking forward to Kerry from Sel Citron joining us tomorrow, visiting MONA, the incredible art gallery, meeting up with various sailing friends and, of course, going to the Wooden Boat Festival.

Our 'crew from heaven', Suzie & Roald, have gone off for a few days of land travel so we departed Derwent Sailing Squadron at lunchtime for a great sail under the Irish Flag spinnaker down the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. En route we were entertained by seals who were literally waving tails and flippers at us and amazed by the vast Lavender farms which stretch across the hillside. We've anchored in a very sheltered bay called the Duckpond where we should be well protected in the southerly winds. All very well on board.

Arrived in Hobart yesterday afternoon and we are moored in the Derwent Sailing Squadron's newly-extended marina. Good meal in the clubhouse last night and we are off to explore this morning. Roald and Suzie leave Maunie today for a few days of land travels and we'll head out again on Sunday for few days but return for the Wooden Boat Festival at the end of the week. It is a big event here, drawing up to 200,000 visitors.

Anchored in Port Arthur, near the remains of the old penal colony buildings (now a World Heritage site).

The sail down the coast yesterday took us past the spectacular cliffs and rock stacks at the southern end of the Tasman Peninsula and through the 'Hole in the Wall' between Tasman Island and Cape Pillar.

Yesterday, being the 1st of February, marked the end of Dry January so a couple of cheeky beers were enjoyed in the quaint mock-Tudor Fox & Hounds pub.

There's a strong wind warning for today so we'll stay here and explore ashore before sailing for the bright lights of Hobart tomorrow.

For some reason our last couple of updates don't seem to have worked. We are now in Fortescue Bay, anchored in the tiny Canoe Cove to the NE side. Sending this report form the campsite as there is no internet signal at the anchorage...

We sailed from Maria Island this morning, having experienced some great close-quarters wildlife encounters: a snake (one of three, all venomous, species on the island), echidnas, black cockatoos, wallabies and (our favourite) wombats. Suzie and Roald completed the long hike up Mount Maria whilst the skipper and mate did a somewhat less challenging walk to the beautiful Haunted Bay at the very southern end of the island.

The sail south was a bit mixed as the northerly wind was rather fluky, but we flew the spinnaker for a while and motor-sailed a little in cloudy and rainy conditions The anchorage in Canoe Bay is beautiful and sheltered from all directions; we are tucked behind the wreck of the 1907 Dutch cargo vessel Andre Reboncas (later named William Pitt). The wind will go southerly tonight and tomorrow so we'll hike some of the coastal path and, we hope, see some penguins, and then sail round to Port Arthur, the old convict station, on Wednesday.

Moved last night to a free visitors' mooring off Shelly Beach.

For the first time since we arrived in Tasmania, there are clouds in the sky but we should have a good sail across to Maria Island to explore the National Park.

Alongside a beautiful 1953 classic wooden ketch called Laurabada at the fishermen's wharf at Triabunna. The top of the channel was a bit shallow (only 2.2m at 4hrs after HW) but we were able to give Maunie a fresh water wash to get rid of the salt, refill the water tank and get provisions. Luckily for us Laurabada had ordered a fuel delivery to the quay so we were able to add an order for 80 litres.


Awesome fish and chips lunch from the Fish Van and very friendly folk in the Tourist Information centre.

Anchored in Morey's Bay, Schouten Island. Yesterday saw an epic climb up Mount Amos, overlooking Wineglass Bay - not a particularly high hill but there were some reasonably challenging sections of bare rock slopes to negotiate. The reward was a superb view in bright sunshine and blue sky.

This morning we had a gentle sail down the Freycinet peninsula and we are anchored off the National Park Schouten Island in 8m of clear (but cold) water. The wind has just turned SWSW and gusty so, although we are reasonably sheltered, a 33ft yacht that anchored ahead of us just dragged its anchor and came very close, very quickly. Luckily the crew were still aboard and motored to find another spot.

It is another perfect summer day with bright sunshine so another walk is planned for this afternoon.

Arrived at Wineglass Bay (which is stunningly beautiful) at 10.20am after a great night's sail. Unfortunately our gamble that we'd arrive before the low pressure trough (down to 999mb) backed the wind to the SW didn't quite pay off so the last two hours were motorsailing to windward with three reefs in the main and just the staysail in 35 knots of wind and gusts up to 45, to the accompaniment of confused seas. Lots of water over the deck and over the helmsman! More testing of the deck for leaks - still a couple to resolve....

So it is very good to be here and we already feel better after bacon sandwiches and salad. The wind should drop a little this evening to allow us to get ashore for a walk tomorrow.

All very well aboard.

=20 Having four people aboard does make a wonderful difference to the night watches. Two hours on, six hours off is a big improvement on our usual four on, four off regime. Suzie and Roald are skilled sailors too, so spinnaker hoists and other sail changes go smoothly and quickly, and they are good company to have aboard.

Today has been an easy day but a frustrating one in that the wind was just not enough to sail at any respectable pace so we motored from 08.00 until 19.00. The Irish Flag spinnaker flew for an hour of peace as we consumed the excellent lasagne that we made before leaving Eden but there was then another couple of hours of motoring.=20 The wind has now kicked in so. after an fast hour with the spinnaker, we are back to white sails with two reefs in the main as the wind increased into the mid-20s. The wind is on the beam, though, so at the moment it is lovely, fast sailing in fairly flat waters and our ETA for Wineglass Bay is about 09.00. This will, we hope, be well before the wind goes south westerly.=20 All very well aboard and we are looking forward to landfall.

=20 We left Eden at 06.00 yesterday morning in perfect conditions =E2=80=93 blue sky and calm sea, No wind, unfortunately, but the Bass Strait has a reputation for bad weather so we were happy to take a day=E2=80=99s motoring at the start. at 20.00 last night the breeze filled in from the NE, we hoisted the Parasailor and had a brilliant 6 hour run into the night, with about a knot of tidal assistance. Things got pretty rolly at 02.00 this morning as the tide changed so we reverted to white sails and are currently going a bit too slowly for our liking; a strong westerly is forecast for tomorrow and we=E2=80=99d like to be under the lee of Tasmania (or better still anchored in Wineglass Bay) before it arrives.

We have crew aboard - Suzie and Roald joined us on Thursday evening and, after a final shopping expedition in Eden, we had a brisk test sail across the bay yesterday in a gust 30 knot wind. Anchored back in East Boyd Bay with gusts up to 38 knots yesterday evening.

The window to leave for Tasmania tomorrow looks OK, though with a trough coming through on Tuesday bringing strong westerlies for a few hours, so we'll just check the forecast update this afternoon and make the decision as to when to leave (probably in the early hours of Sunday morning). Meanwhile we are preparing on-passage meals today.

We have just completed another Twofold Bay Shuffle after a busy day in Eden - shopping, lunch at Fisho's, the Fisherman's Club (excellent fish and chips, as you would expect), and a visit to the interesting Eden Whaling Museum.

The reason for the move is that a southerly gale is forecast for later tomorrow. We could probably have shifted in the morning except that a naval vessel is due to come alongside the ammunition-loading jetty here at 07.00 and it'll have a 500m no-go zone imposed around it. Anchored boats already here can remain at anchor but nobody will be able to come into the anchorage until the re-arming process is complete at 16.00.

The wind is from the NE today so we motored across to anchor in Snug Cove, the port of Eden, in bright sunshine. Anchored in 10m of water just outside the local yacht moorings and there's a good set of dinghy steps at the root of the western-most jetty (which has water and power for $25 per night for alongside mooring but it's a rather rough structure suited more to fishing boats that yachts). Walked up the hill into town for petrol for the outboard and a few essentials for us - seems like a very nice, rather sleepy place. At the wharf there is a pretty well-stocked chandlery catering to the fishing fleet and the yachting fraternity and there are some good looking seafood places to try.

Met two boats we know from Opua, NZ, here - Mekyo and Seeker - and there are quite a few others queuing up for the crossing to Tassie. Looks as though we'll all be waiting for another few days at least....

The wind strength and direction continued through this morning and we arrived into Twofold Bay, Eden at 14.00. We're anchored in East Boyd Bay, beautiful for its beaches and rocky peninsular and not so much for its Wood Chip Mill and Wharf. We're currently the only yacht anchored here but suspect this may change when the winds switch to southerly and other boats move across. Pleased to report that across the 133 nm passage, Maunie averaged 7.1 kts (7.6 kts since 01.00) - not bad for a heavy lady! All very well on board.

On passage to Eden. We left Jervis Bay at 19.30 yesterday and, as forecast, the wind increased through the night - up to 30 knots NNE at times. We are running, goose-winged and reefed and making excellent progress, helped by a knot or so of southbound current. Wonderful sailing in the bright moonlight and today has dawned sunny.

We should be in Eden early afternoon.

We moved over to anchor off the lovely white beach at Vincentia. There is one public mooring about 500m along the beach to the east of us. The bay would be pretty exposed to strong SE to N winds but the provisioning opportunities are very good here - a large Coles supermarket and a fuel station are within easy walking distance of the beach, plus the usual holiday stores and coffee shops.

So re-fueled and re-provisioned, we are ready to set sail for Eden tonight.

Just completed another Jervis Bay Shuffle back to the south side of the bay. Flat calm, bright sunshine and hot, hot, hot at the moment but a southerly wind is forecast for this afternoon.

It looks hopeful that we'll get easterlies then a fairly brisk NNE tomorrow night and Friday so that should be our window to get to Eden. The next challenge will be finding a good passage window for the 300nm to Tasmania.

A gentle, sunlit sail across to a public visitors' mooring off the little seaside town of Huskisson. A very good butcher and bakery, plus a rather limited mini-supermarket, allowed us to replenish the vital supplies. There is a public pontoon with a 20 mins maximum stay at the mouth of the river with water taps and, strangely (given the time limit), 240v power sockets but we didn't test the shallow approaches in Maunie.

After checking the 16.00 forecast, we did indeed head out on passage to Eden, looking forward to the forecasted wind blowing 10-15 kt from the N. We knew we'd need to do some motoring which wouldn't be ideal but better than what we actually got: the wind was still from the South, 12 kt and the seas were uncomfortably rolly and confused. We decided we weren't in that much of a rush to get to Eden and agreed to turn around. Having already filed a passage report with Marine Rescue (a good idea for a long/ over-night passage) we called them again to explain our decision; the duty officer chuckled and said 'fair enough, mate!' So we look forward to exploring Jervis Bay for a few days until the next sustained and reliable Northerly develops - not such a bad outcome.

We have just picked up one of five visitors' moorings near Hole in the Wall (an obvious rock formation on shore to our east) having completed what's known as a 'Jervis Bay Shuffle'. The bay is so big (around 8nm north to south) that the wind can quickly build up a sizeable set of waves - this morning the wind has swung around to the south so our last anchorage became a lee shore, whereas here all is calm. A pretty spot, with white sand beaches and dense woodland behind, and the water is clear.

The forecast suggests the southerly breeze will be short-lived and so we plan to check the update at 4.05pm then head south for an overnight passage of 120nm to Eden. Suspect we'll have to do some motoring but the sea state has calmed.

A cracking sail south to Jervis Bay yesterday. The original plan to depart the day before was scrapped as we had heavy rain and no wind all morning - even the J24s taking part in the Australian Nationals took the morning off!

Once the wind kicked in at about 11.45 we had a couple of hours with the Irish Flag spinnaker flying, until the wind got up to the early twenties, then back to white sails, reefing down as the wind increased. Jervis Bay is huge and there is a long fetch for wind-driven waves to develop so we had a great beat, lee rail in the water, up to the northern beach where the tall trees gave us some decent shelter. Good holding in clear sand in 5m depth.

This is a beautiful place - unspoilt by development on land or marinas and masses of moorings on the water. The golden sand beach in front of us demands inspection.

Today's forecast is for 25-30 knots from the north and 2.5m waves which would mean a rolly, dead-downwind run to Eden (about 18 hours away) so we are going to sit tight, wait for a brief front (with southerly winds) to roll through on Monday morning then do an overnighter Monday night (if the forecast remains unchanged).

All well aboard.

The first leg of the southward route to Tasmania was a short hop down the coast to Port Hacking, south of Botany Bay. A slightly rolly sail but the Irish Flag spinnaker gave us good speed, with a slight detour to windward to avoid a huge Chinese container ship on its final approaches to Botany. The downside was rain for quite a lot of the day.

Cronulla Marina is well-placed (you could get the commuter train from here to Sydney if you needed it), well sheltered and very friendly. The ablutions facilities are pretty basic, though, for $55 per night.

We'll head south 60nm today to an overnight anchorage in Jervis Bay; we need to get to Eden before Sunday night as the northerly winds swing southerly for a few days after that.

Anchored back in the very sheltered Blackwattle Bay as the wind goes southerly.

This was our anchorage for the stupendous NYE fireworks! Hundreds of boats in very close proximity (and 14m depth t this position) but luckily the wind dropped to nothing in the evening. It was just the most memorable event.

We caught the 08.30 Spit Bridge opening to sail only 4 nm across to Watsons Bay. We're very excited to be well positioned to watch the start of the Sydney- Hobart Race as it passes by. With the forecast of NE winds of 20-25 kt, some records may be broken on this year's race. Can't believe we're here to see the actual start which is something that Di's Auntie Brenda has in the past sent videos of. All very well on board.

Happy Christmas from Maunie! We're in Middle Harbour, near Cammeray, on a mooring belonging to friends we met Vanuatu. Yesterday saw us tick off that iconic sailing moment - going under the Sydney Harbour Bridge - and today we'll enjoy the warm sunshine.

This morning we dragged ourselves out of stunning Pittwater; we say this as Sue and Ian have been wonderful hosts during our stay, we've met some great people and experienced the fabulous Woody Point Yacht Club Wed night race as assistant race officers (this is a club for 'sailors with a drinking problem' and the constitution says 'we welcome members from all walks of life - we even welcome ladies and Kiwis'!) So we headed south in the direction of Sydney, flying the Irish Flag spinnaker most of the 20 nm. We arrived at Manly where we've previously caught the ferry and anchored among several boats we know. We did some final provisioning in town and finished the day off with a glass or two in The Four Pines micro brewery where Graham was delighted to down a glass of hand-pulled, non-fizzy real ale (the first since the UK!)

We have fallen on our feet! Sue and Ian, whom we met in Vanuatu when they were guests aboard Sel Citron, have lent us their mooring off Newport at the southern end of Pittwater. Wonderfully generous of them and it is a brilliant spot!

Getting here this afternoon involved a very entertaining beat in rather un-entertaining drizzle and cool 19 degrees - very much like summer sailing in Galloway, to be honest, and quite a refreshing change from all that hot sultry weather last week

We will base ourselves here for a week or so to explore the delights of Sydney by bus and to recce suitable anchorages there for Maunie over Christmas and NYE.

=20 Our first disappointing coastal sail in Australia today - the forecast was for strong winds to start then 15 to 20 knots from the NE but we got very light breezes and had to motor-sail for all but 2 hours of the 12 hour passage. To add to the disappointment we had a substantial colony of flies and butterflies blow off shore and join us. Swatting the flies kept us busy, until Di swatted with too much enthusiasm and broke the fly-swat (a posh telescopic one at that!). The regular dolphin escorts were much more welcome.

We did consider diverting into Newcastle but are pleased that we carried on now that we are on a visitors' mooring in the stunningly beautiful America Bay, close to Pittwater. The wind has swung around to the SE as forecast but we're well sheltered under high wooded cliffs.

We left safely through the bar at Tuncurry-Forster at 0730 and enjoyed another epic sail mainly under Parasailor (aka The Big Blue Monster). Our destination was the spectacular Port Stephens which covers a larger area than Sydney Harbour and offers an abundance of stunning bays, rivers and beaches to explore; we'll have to plan our itinerary carefully to fit in all the spots before moving on. We negotiated another shallow river past oyster beds to our anchorage off Winda Woppa. Our exploration tomorrow will be mainly aboard Dinghy McDingface; can't wait to try the delicious Myall River prawns as recommended by Kerry. All very well aboard.

An excellent sail yesterday to Forster, spinnaker flying most of the way until we swapped it for the foresail to slow down a bit (to get the tide right for the bar entrance). The entrance was a bit frisky - we got the tide right but the 20 knot NE wind and waves made it a bit bumpy.

We decided to anchor as the wooden landing-stage berths on the Tuncurry side of the river would have had the wind pressing us onto them. However as the tide ebbed, we found ourselves in an eddy which pushed us close to the sandbank and we had to do a spot of re-anchoring at 23.30!

Heading further south to Port Stephens (45nm) this morning.

Arrived safely at Camden Haven at 07.00 after a 145nm passage that had a bit of everything - 4 hours of great sailing with the Parasailor, an increasingly brisk night with poled out yankee and main, rain, lightning, passing ships and dolphins playing in our bow wave.

The navigation was a little challenging as we had to take into account favourable (flood tide) conditions at both river entrances, whilst watching the forecast updates for the timing of the northerly winds to suddenly go southerly. The fantastically-helpful East Coast Current gave us a boost of up to 2.5 knots at times so we arrived just after dawn to catch the last of the flood tide and just as the wind began to change direction - perfect!

We're on a free visitors mooring in the river so will inflate the dinghy to explore ashore later. We may be here a couple of nights, waiting for the northerly winds to return.

An overnight stop at the very nice and wonderfully-sheltered Yamba Marina and we're about to head south down the coast for Camden Haven, 150nm away. Timings for favourable conditions at both river bars and the relatively short window of northerly winds before they turn SE tomorrow morning make the navigation planning interesting but the south-going coastal current should give us a decent boost.

On the new pontoon at the village of Ulmarra, a couple of hours further up the Clarence River. The village is full of old wooden houses and the hotel did a very nice lunch. It's hot though - high 30's so thank goodness for a breeze across the water and sunshades rigged over the cabin top.

This will probably be the limit of our inland exploration as we need to return to the southbound sailing; we will probably go back through the Harwood Bridge on Tuesday and, weather permitting, be back on the ocean waves on Wednesday.

The temptation to stop all the traffic on the main east coast Pacific Highway was just too much for us so yesterday we came through the lifting bridge at Harwood and up the mighty Clarence River. The bridge lift involves making an arrangement 24 hours in advance and the operator travels 80km to do the honours. 3 boats went through together and we anchored off the lovely little town of Maclean.

The river is navigable for masted vessels up to Grafton so we'll explore upstream to there but the (free) public pontoon at Maclean has just been vacated so we may go alongside (max 24 hours allowed) for water, provisions and some walking.

Anchored at Iluka at the mouth of the Clarence River. An 'interesting' 110nm overnight passage from the Gold Coast as we had several electrical storms coming out from the coast and bringing 180 degree wind shifts and some amazing lightning displays. The BOM live radar feed on the internet was very useful to judge what was coming and we managed to keep clear of the sparks.

Arrived at 06.30 local time as the fishing fleet was heading in for the beginning of the flood; the bar was very calm. There are a couple of boats we know, Skellum and Taranui, anchored here among a dozen or so visiting yachts.

Anchored in the Marine Stadium anchorage, just south of the Seaway at Southport. This is better known as Bums' Bay as boats tend to live here (though there's technically a 7-day maximum stay, which is sometimes enforced).

The ‘small world’ nature of sailing was once again illustrated when we met the boats Ginelli and Calista (both last seen at Oyster Resort in Santo in September) and Acrux (who we met only via the SSB last season), all anchored here. It’s a great sheltered anchorage though the incessant helicopters, obviously doing joy rides for the Asian tourists, get pretty annoying in the daytime. We’re looking forward to heading somewhere a little less busy!

A few more shore jobs in the next couple of days then we hope to be heading south....

After our relaunch at The Boat Works on Monday following a fantastic but sweltering lift out, we'd anchored off for the final repair on our Generator. Thankfully that was successfully completed yesterday so we've motored/ sailed out to Tipplers Passage where we plan to explore ashore before it gets too busy at the weekend.

Arrived at The Boat Works this afternoon ready for a lift out of Maunie tomorrow through until Monday (bottom scrub, anti foul touch up, generator repair and lots of other jobs on the list) . So far we've seen a very slick operation and excellent customer service. This morning saw more navigation through very tidal, narrow and shallow channels with a touch on the bottom at 1.8 metres; Maunie soon moved off and we considered it preparation for her bottom scrub. After a lunch stop at Tipplers Passage, we sailed/ motored past the pretentious and broadly taste free mansions lining the Gold Coast canal network.

After a fantastic, action-packed long weekend based in RQYS, Manly, we set sail again this morning south across Moreton Bay. Our average speed was 7 kts with just the main and yankee across the bay. We enjoyed navigating through the well marked channels that run among the islands. After a lunch stop anchored off Lamb Island we set off once again under sail with depths averaging 5 metres and continued the wildlife theme by anchoring off Kangaroo Island.

A great sail from Scarborough to Manly, crossing the busy and narrow shipping channel into the Port of Brisbane. We called up VTS control and dodged various ships including the incoming Warship, Darwin. Now happily settled in the section of the marina at Manly belonging to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. We'll be based here for four days to enjoy some city life and catch up with more 'yachtie' friends, Steve & Michelle from Citrus Tart. All well aboard

In Scarborough Marina for a night after a gentle motorsail down the coast from Mooloolaba. Very pleasant and the navigation between the sand bars of Moreton Bay keeps you busy!

=20 Safely in to the Wharf Marina at Mooloolaba after an uneventful crossing of Wide Bay Bar on time at 0800. After that we were quickly under full sail followed by the flying of the Irish Flag just an hour later. When the wind dropped we did have to motor sail briefly but from midday we happily flew along the coast under main, spinnaker and stay-sail with an average of 7 knots. Whilst nothing jumped on our fishing line, we did spot three whales breaching about 3/4 nm away and then we were joined by a pod of spinner dolphins as we approached Mooloolaba. Great to catch up with Rod & Mary from 'Sheer Tenacity' for drinks once we were in as well as wave at various other boats that we've met over the past week or so (it's a small world out here!). All very well aboard.

Anchored in Pelican Bay, inside Inskip Point. Apparently the conditions to cross the Wide Bay Bar were as good as they get today so we hope they will be just as good in the morning - we are heading for Mooloolaba, some 55nm further south, so will leave at 6.30am.

A brunch stop at Garry's Anchorage, Fraser Island, heading south. The anchorage is behind Stewart Island but we learned that the northern entrance to the channel is shallower than it shows on the chart - we touched the bottom even at HW so aborted that and came in the southern channel. Moving on to Pelican Bay.

After a week of R and R, boat work and re-provisioning in Bundaberg, we left this morning to travel south, inside Fraser Island. There are lots of sandbanks to catch the unwary and we had 2 knots of current with us as we approached Great Sandy Straight on the rising tide but the novelty of accurate charts and navigation buoys in all the right places made it easy.

We anchored just as the sun set and are well placed to leave just before the 08.00 high water in the morning to take us through the shallowest section of the channel which is just 0.4m deep at the lowest low tide. We will anchor tomorrow near the southern tip of Fraser Island to able to exit Wide Bay Bar (not to be messed with!) at the optimal state of tide on Saturday morning.

=20 Arrived safely at Port Bundaberg Marina, Queensland. The breeze picked up again this morning so we re-hoisted the Parasailor at 07.00 and had an increasingly sporty ride towards Bundaberg - it was blowing 20 knots when we finally wrestled the sail to the deck.

We have completed formalities with Border Force (Immigration and Customs) which all went smoothly; the officers were very welcoming and friendly. We are now waiting for the bio-security / quarantine inspection but the wait allowed us to cook the last of our bacon and egg for butties of the same name.

Only after this final inspection will we be allowed to go ashore and explore. The marina's quite a way out of town so we suspect the introduction to Australia will be gradual, which is just as well after the past 10 days!=20 All well aboard, we are very happy to have arrived.

=20 After the previous night's squalls, we had a very pleasant sail yesterday. The wind gradually backed to ENE and reduced to 15 knots so the Parasailor was hoisted at 17.00 and carried through the night - a real magic carpet ride at around 6.5 knots of boat speed. At 04.00 however the wind dropped to 8 knots from dead astern and there was a danger of the sail wrapping itself on the rigging so we dropped it and are now motoring the final 30 miles to Bundaberg.

All well aboard and we are looking forward to dawn revealing the imposing foothills of Bundaberg. Oh, apparently there aren't any, it's flat sugar cane growing land so the first mate tells me. Whatever, we should be blowing the froth off the top of a few cold ones by the barbie this arvo.

=20 Last night's increasing wind and seas saw Maunie well reefed down, allowing her to take the rain squalls with gusts of 40+ knot winds in her stride. Conditions have eased this morning so hoping for a steadier 180 nm approach to Bundaberg (ETA Monday morning). All well on board.

=20 Departed Chesterfield Reef at 10.30am yesterday. After a very gentle motor across a calm sea, the breeze arrived at 22.00 and we have had good sailing since, the wind backing almost easterly so we are now broad reaching. Slightly rolly but otherwise all well aboard

=20 Moved anchorages yesterday to the eastern side of the lagoon. This one is a little rolly but is close to islands with yet more species of birds, plus turtles and reef sharks (another boat, Muneera, reported Tiger sharks here when they were gutting fish yesterday).

Departing today for Bundaberg - ETA Monday afternoon to arrive ahead of a trough approaching there on Monday night. Amelie 4 and Muneera also leaving today. We=E2=80=99ll be sorry to leave this magical place.

=20 Still in Chesterfield Reef. Wow, what a place! Dinghied to an island on the reef to photograph thousands of terns, boobies, frigate birds and others we don't know nesting then had two turtles mating only 5 metres from the dinghy as we paddled back towards Maunie. Wow!

This is the southern tip of Chesterfield reef and a good spot to anchor

=20 We arrived in Chesterfield Reef this morning after a fast (for us!) and often slightly lumpy 4 day passage from Luganville. There was a slight sting in the tail after we hove-to just outside the reef in about 10 knots for a couple of hours to wait for the light. At 8.00am, after a brief rain squall, the wind came in at a steady 22-24 knots from the south; David at Gulf Harbour said that a 'surprise' low had popped up out of the trough just south of New Cal. Anyway, that made for a very wet beat down into the southern tip of the lagoon, which was far from calm, and we are now anchored in brilliant turquoise water just 5m deep (how weird is that in the middle of the ocean?) at the very southern tip. There's still a half metre wind chop but it's not bothering us, we'll sleep through anything. All is very well aboard.

=20 After a beautiful sunny day, making good progress yesterday, we have been hove to since 0415, 12 nm outside of Chesterfield Reef. Awaiting good light to enter the passage. All well aboard.

=20 The wind has dropped overnight and with it, thankfully, the swell so our progress is a little slower (and the annoying adverse current has returned) but a lot more comfortable. Blue sky dotted with small clouds so the sun is coming! The spinnaker should make an appearance today if these conditions remain. ETA Chesterfield Reef is tomorrow around dawn.

=20 Another grey day but a glimpse of brightness behind the clouds. Sea conditions continue to be a tad uncomfy but we're making good progress.

=20 Wind: 24 kts SE, 80% cloud cover, 1.5 metre swell.

The roller coaster ride continues but Maunie is galloping along. Winnie, the windpilot is doing a fine job and we've both got used to the conditions. All well aboard.

have 1kt of adverse current but no doubt they are enjoying the speedy conditions

=20 A good but bumpy first night on passage with 25kt SE and 2m swell. We've had almost 1.5 knots of adverse current since evening but are making good boat speed of around 7 knots. All well aboard.

Back at Luganville. Our attempt to clear out yesterday was thwarted by it being Constitution Day, a public holiday, so we'll be at the Customs offices at 07.30 this morning. Departing mid-morning, all being well, to catch the last of the west going tide down the Segond Channel.

ETA Chesterfield Reef is Monday 10th

Anchored off Oyster Island resort with Sel Citron. Leaving at HW (08.00) this morning to go to Luganville for final re-provisioning and to clear out.

Planning to leave tomorrow (Thurs), ETA Chesterfield Reef Monday 10th

Back at the Beachfront anchorage after a lovely spinnaker sail from the east end of Aore Island.

We were planning to leave for Bundaberg tomorrow but the wind looks a little light on Tuesday / Wednesday for this heavy boat so now looking to depart Thursday (better timing for the swift tides in the west end of the Segond Channel too). We'll move somewhere more picturesque in the morning to enjoy the bonus days in Vanuatu

=20 At the lovely Ratua Island resort - great meal last night at the resort. Spending the weekend getting the boat ready for the passage to Australia; hoping to clear out on Monday morning.

Luganville

Test YIT update No 2 from the poolside, Beachfront Resort

=20 Test YIT update; resting by the pool at Beachfront Resort

Back in Luganville, Beachside anchorage in the calmest conditions - Graham jumped over the side yesterday to snorkel Million Dollar Point as we passed it. This is where the US military dumped Jeeps, bulldozers, trucks and all manner of hardware at the end of the war - an amazing dive site now. Looks as though it'll be a hot day for carrying jerry cans of diesel and bags of shopping!

=20 In Surundu Bay, Santo. Beautiful morning, glassy calm water.

Still anchored at the lovely Port Olry =E2=80=93 crystal clear water and a beautiful spot. The village was celebrating Samna Day for the past few days =E2=80=93 lots of football and music. Planning to move back to Luganville tomorrow.

A lovely sail from Luganville to Oyster Island - beating out of the Segond Channel then a nice reach northwards. The inner pass into the anchorage lagoon is interesting - just 40cm under our keel (2.3m of water and hour and a half before HW) - but the anchorage off Oyster Island Resort is a mangrove-fringed spot of calmness. Will have to check out the cocktail bar later.

Anchored off Beachfront - a slightly choppy anchorage but good holding (just as well, as this is a lee shore). Off to watch the NZ All Whites U20 football team vs. Solomon Islands this lunchtime in Luganville.

Weather is cloudy with 15kts SE wind

Back in the anchorage off the Beachfront Resort at Luganville - and about to go ashore with a big bag of laundry and then on to the market. Thankfully our 22lb Wahoo is now filleted and in the freezer so we'll just need to get some of the local beef - Santo Meat Packers sell big cuts so we'll share a full fillet with another boat here.

Just about to weigh anchor in Vanihe Bay to sail to Luganville. Shame to leave such a tranquil, beautiful place but we need some shops!

We are anchored once again in the tranquil Vanihe Bay on the NE tip of Ambae, hoping that our return trip will include much less rain so that we can explore this beautiful anchorage tomorrow. Sel Citron and Field Trip are our neighbours. Our sail across from Pentecost was a broad reach taking just under four hours. The bonus occurred as we were about to wind in our fishing line before entering the anchorage; we hooked a 22 lb wahoo. Sadly in the process we lost our gaff but at least we didn't lose the fish.

We are anchored once again in the tranquil Vanihe Bay on the NE tip of Ambae, hoping that our return trip will include much less rain so that we can explore this beautiful anchorage tomorrow. Sel Citron and Field Trip are our neighbours. Our sail across from Pentecost was a broad reach taking just under four hours. The bonus occurred as we were about to wind in our fishing line before entering the anchorage; we hooked a 22 lb wahoo. Sadly, in the process we lost our gaff but at least we didn't lose the fish.

Anchored of Bwatnapne village, Pentecost, having left Ambrym this morning. Raining most of the way, with poor visibility at times, and 25-28 knots SE wind between Ambrym and Pentecost with 1.5m waves. Glad to have it behind us rather than bashing into it!

We did stop at Wali Bay en route but the swell was rolling into it so it wasn't comfy - our final anchorage is better but not entirely free of roll so a stern anchor will probably be deployed to keep is pointing into the swell

Torrential day yesterday but the ROM dance was spectacular. Still raining, 1014, less than 5NNE

In Nopul anchorage, Anbrym. Seconf day of the Back to My Roots Festival was also excellent, though we were glad of the advice to take an umbrella. The final day today features the Rom masked dance (unique to Ambrym) – are we likely to see the rain clear away for it?

In Nopul anchorage, Anbrym. First day of the Back to My Roots Festival was excellent, going back for more today!.

Return to the Roots festival sis not start yesterday but will start today! Hopefully!

In Nopul anchorage, Anbrym. Another fun (but rather bouncy) beat down from Pentecost yesterday in 20 –25 knots SE. We are with Sel Citron, Quickstar and Bright Angel in this anchorage, with another 6 yachts visible at Ranon, a couple of miles to the south. All gathering for the Back to My Roots Festival.

In Loltong Bay, Pentecost. A fun (but very wet) beat down from Ambae yesterday in 20 –25 knots SE. Met up with Sel Citron en route (they were in Asanvari, Maewo) and just the two of us anchored here. Hope the weather will left enough to let us explore ashore today

Anchored in Vanihe Bay, Ambae after a good close reach sail across from Luganville. Planning to head down to Loltong Bay on Pentecost tomorrow. Rain is topping up our water tanks. All well aboard as we listen to the bats.

on their way out of Luganville

Back on a mooring at Aore Island, Luganville for the airport run this afternoon. Looks as though we’ll have to wait for weather for the passage to Ambrym for the festival as a trough is heading our way.

Off the very smart, French-owned, Ratua Private Island Resort. Had an expensive but delicious meal ashore last night with brilliant entertainment from The Bamboo Band. The resort has two moorings (pink buoys) which are free of charge – they prefer yacht to use these to prevent damage to the sea grass and coral. Lots of turtles around us.

We sadly say goodbye to Laura on Monday when she flies on the (weekly) direct flight from Luganville to Brisbane. We’d then like to head back to Ambrym (departing Tuesday) for the Back to My Roots festival so will we listening with interest to the weather forecasts for next week.

We moved over to a mooring off the north coast of Aore Island yesterday as a weather front crossing offered the risk of squally conditions. Heavy rain burst during the night but otherwise it's calm.

Thanks to Patricia's recommendation, we went to the abattoir yesterday to buy some great-looking beef mince and steak!

Anchored off the Beachfront Resort at Luganville, Espirito Santo. Arrived here yesterday so enjoyed our first restaurant meal on 3 weeks - lovely! A busy day of laundry, provisioning and refuelling ahead.

se side of malekula. wanting to head to Luganville

After spending yesterday in Banam Bay which included a walk ashore where we were greeted by very friendly villagers and taken to meet Chief Graham in Fartapo, we decided to move further up the coast this morning. Sailing in company with Sel Citron, we managed a fabulous hour and a half of flying the Parasailor before the wind died. We're anchored in Crab Bay in 8 metres of murky water, 15 metres off the beach. Apart from being a little hot, all well aboard.

In Banam Bay where we were welcomed this afternoon by more than 20 Spinner Dolphins leaping 2m clear of the water around us! We’ll head ashore in the morning to meet the locals and to get an explanation of the loud human yelps, cries and whistles from the shore after dark. Herding cattle at night or some kind of Kustom dance????

Arrived in Banam Bay this afternoon - lovely sheltered spot and we had 20+ Spinner Dolphins performing around us for an hour, doing amazing, spinning flips a full 2m out of the water. Will go ashore in the morning to say hello to the villagers.

In Port Sandwich where there is said to live a large hungry shark who isn’t averse to the odd human snack. So, despite the heat, no swimming today! The short passage up from Uliveo island was a motor-sail in a light SE breeze; we enjoyed our time there but it was a busy few days so it is good to be able to relax a little.

Anchored in Port Sandwich, Malekula where there is said to be a hungry shark that's not adverse to the odd human snack. Shame, because it's warm and a swim would be nice.

After a very enjoyable and busy 6 days in Ulevio Island, we had a gentle motor-sail up the coast in 7 knots of SE wind and we are happy just to relax and catch up on a bit of world news - there's reasonable internet access via Digicel here

Meskylenes, SE Malakula

Anchored in a very sheltered lagoon off Lutes Village on the west side of Uliveo Island, Malakula. The entrance through the reef was a bit bum-clenchy (narrow and only 4m depth) but the anchorage is deep (17m) and clear. About to go ashore to say hello to the locals.

In Gaspard Bay. After a calm day yesterday, watching 6 dugong around us, last night turned gusty with a couple of rain squalls. The anchorage remains free of any swell but the wind funnels down it.

This morning we started with the plan to motor a short distance to the East Lagoon anchorage off Uliveo (16 deg 32.17 S, 167 deg 50.20 E). We had intended to meet the Chief and headmaster, Jack. This was described as a 10 metre anchorage in the Rocket Guide but we aborted when we found a 2.1 metre depth with rolly conditions. Everything happens for a reason as we instead dropped our anchor in 8 metres at the beautiful Gaspard Bay. We were greeted by two dugongs who have regularly surfaced and then waved their tails as they dived back down. No internet so photos will have to follow. All very happy and well aboard.

Anchored at the Meskylenes off SE side of Malekula

Motor-sailed over from Ambrym this morning in a light 8 knot SSE breeze (and surrounded by a super-pod of dolphins) and navigated up the eastern channel into the Maskelyne Islands where the current was running at nearly 2 knots against us, even though we arrived an hour after local low tide. Anchored in the lovely and very well-protected bay to the west of Awei island. Lots of outrigger canoes, including several under sail, around us.

leaving Ranon today for Malekula/ Meskylenes

Ambrym approx coords of anchorage

In Ranon Bay, Ambrym, off to the Fanla Festival today

In Lamen Bay, Epi, sailing to Ranon Bay, Ambrym, today

Anchored in Lamen Bay, Epi after a brilliant Parasailor sail up from Emae (leaving with an escort of a dozen dolphins) in 20-24 kts SE - pretty much at hull speed the whole time and only one broach when a big wave kicked Maunie's arse! The anchorage is calm and we've had a couple of really big Green Turtles close to us but there's no sign of the resident Dugong yet. We've had a walk ashore and tomorrow move up to Ambrym.

Anchored in Sulua Bay on the West coast of Emae. The bay is wide so ample room for Maunie between two catamarans. Today's passage began with motoring due to wind shadow from land; when the wind arrived we had white sails flying and then the Irish flag giving us good speeds. Sadly another day of no fish on the hook. We look forward to doing more island spotting on our way up to Epi tomorrow.

Anchored in Esema Bay, Havannah Harbour. Beautifully flat water but a nice cooling breeze after a lovely sail up the coast from Port Vila; it was good to be on the move again after 6 nights in the big city. Heading off early in the morning to Epi (about 65nm).

Port Vila

We weighed anchor in Ponamlas Bay at 0340 this morning and set sail for the 74 nm across to Port Vila on the Island of Efate. The wind was astern of us but sadly always a little too strong to fly the Parasailor. We completed the passage under white sails, tying up to mooring no. 6 at 1540. It was great to chat to old cruising friends on Pacific Highway, Bruce and Laura, as they departed Port Vila. It was even better to celebrate with Kate and Paul, on Iolea with a bottle of Champagne, recognising that we'd sailed in tandem all the way from New Zealand. Cheers! All very well aboard.

An 03.00 alarm call and we left the anchorage at 03.40, sailing in company with Iolea for Port Vila on Efate. Good sailing but wind's right on our stern again so goose-winged and rolling a little. All well aboard, looking forward to the bright lights and internet in PV!

on route Erromango to Port Vila Efate

a less exposed anchorage and in fact quite pleasant - Erromango

A very pleasant two hour coastal sail this morning saw us arrive in Ponamias Bay on the North coast of Erromango. Anchored in 10 metres of crystal clear water with the beautiful bay to ourselves. We spent an hour or so experimenting with a stern anchor to reduce the slight roll from a few gentle waves that curled into the bay. Seems to have been successful and we're hoping for a better night's sleep. All very happy aboard.

A fabulous sail from Tanna with the Parasailor flying all the way. Only down side was the failure to land the fish that we hooked (and it was a big one!) A rolly night in Dillons Bay anchorage on the west side of Erromango (our third island in Vanuatu) so planning to explore up the coast this morning.

the rip up the mountain last night was in great conditions. Awesome. Off today to Erromango. P Resolution is a bit choppy.

Anchored in Port Resolution (just a long, shallow bay) in Tanna, with 9 other boats here (several flying Q flags having arrived from New Caledonia). We had a great sail yesterday with the Parasailor all the way, racing against Iolea. Going to do the Mt Yasur volcano tour this evening, so we hope the skies will remain clear for us – it is an expensive trip (about £60 each) but a once in a lifetime opportunity...

about 10 boats in Port Resolution Tanna

On passage from Aneityum to Port Resolution, Tanna, ETA 15.00 Lovely sailing with the Parasailor, in company with Iolea and Bright Angel after a rolly night in the anchorage as the front went over and the wind went from NNE to SSE.

off to Tanna today

Still in Aneityum but loving it - excellent snorkelling, good walking and very friendly people. 6 boats here, all waiting for a front to cross us tonight to bring a return to SSE winds for the next passage up to Tanna (a day-sail away).

Can see Bright Angel entering the Aneityum anchorage

Arrived safely in Aneityum, with a minor drama of a fouled headsail furler requiring Graham to scale the mast in 25 knots to clear a wrapped spinnaker halyard. However, we are delighted to be stationary for the first time in a week!

Feels as though we are on the home straight now - 130nm to go to Aneityum and we have a lovely 0.7 knot favourable current pushing us along. Good sailing through the night, though we put in two reefs in the main when it blew up to 25 knots. Still bumpy and rolly so off-watch sleep is hard to get.

Current speed puts our ETA in the early hours of Monday morning. If the sky is clear to allow the full moon to light our way into the bay, we'll attempt a night-time arrival but if there's any doubt we'll hove-to until dawn. Looking forward to still waters!

Yesterday saw the flying of the Parasailor before we erred on the cautious side and returned to full white sails when the wind increased. Yesterday afternoon we had the excitement of three to four whales less than 20m away from Maunie as they headed south. A drop in winds saw some motoring over night. Finally temperatures are increasing with the sea state calming so all well aboard.

Good sailing yesterday but with some rain squalls. Sailed into upper level trough last night so wind died and we started motoring at 0430 NZST. Hoping for the return of the breeze later today. All well aboard.

Good sailing but pretty rolly downwind. A few rain squalls last night saw winds up to 30 kts and seas build to 3m +. Will go back to goose-winged sails this morning (even more rolly) for a better course towards Vanuatu but we're hoping the wind to go more SE or ESE so that should improve things. All well aboard

The second day has seen us start to settle in to life on board. We kept ourselves busy deciding to sail with the yankee and pole but then switched to the Irish Flag spinnaker; unfortunately this suffered a wine glass wrap and was swiftly dropped. We called off flying the Parasailor again due to too much wind. All these efforts were rewarded with a delicious Lasagne! Yes, it’s still slightly rolly but all very well on board.

A good start to the passage. Left Opua at 10.30 yesterday and flew the spinnaker until 17.00 when it all became a bit too sporting for that kind of bravado. Rolly downwind sailing but all very well on board.

Hurrah! Cleared out of customs and we'll be leaving in 30 minutes.