Year 2 – 7 April 2025 -Facing Island– Gladstone

If anyone reading this and is free from late June to mid July 2025 to come to Australia then do contact me as I am short of crew during this period at present. In addition, there is a space from Cairns to Indonesia mid-July so if you are interested in either or both then please email me.

We had a reasonable night and it did not rain. However, by the early hours the stern was into the swell and so I was woken by the slapping of the water on the hull. It was a lovely sunny day with the odd white fluffy cloud and hot and humid. There was little wind to speak of.

We woke early and had a quick cuppa before upping anchor. High Water was at 5.45am and we had to get through the North Channel and  Facing Channel before we had the deeper water of the main Gladstone Harbour. When we upped anchor the instruments said we had 1.1kts of tide flowing behind us so a lot of water was going out. We had to go against this on a reducing tide and so I was anxious to get going. We upped anchor at 7.20am and headed into the North Channel. This meant heading for the first red buoy and then heading toward some markers and you then turned in front of them to the next marker and so forth. The lowest depth we saw was about 3.5 so only one metre under our keel. The channel zig zagged here and there and we followed the plotter’s suggested line. We then got to a stage on the North channel where we had to turn South and go through a shallower channel to the main channel. I had planned this and set waypoints in the right places so we followed the course I had set.

We eventually by about 8.30am came out to the main channel and motored on and up to opposite Auckland Creek and we then had to cross over to the creek and the entrance to the marina. We came into the Gladstone marina and had been allocated a different hammerhead. We moored and then set about sorting out the boat and cleaning it. I did the inside and David the outside. I also sorted out the front heads (toilet) and changed the joker valve. In fact, we had to go to a shop called Universal Fittings to get some new screws for it. We cleaned carpets and galleys etc. By the end of the afternoon, she was a clean boat and ready for new crew.

We then had a well-earned beer, a shower and went out for supper. We had a Thai meal which was good and different. We were now getting ready for Paul Hardcastle to arrive tomorrow evening. In addition, I have to urgently go home for about a week as I have a close relative who has a terminal illness and I need to visit them. I will be back on 18 April but in the meantime David and Paul will look after Stormbird and may continue their own blog. The picture of the day is looking over the harbour in the dark from near the Thai restaurant.  

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