Hi All

It is 08. 45hrs (05. 45 WA time) on Boxing Day.  Nice morning.  18 kts favourable north east wind.  Yesterday’s head swell not having much effect.  This morning it is comfortable sailing. Yesterday wasn’t! It was very overcast, rain sometimes with winds coming from the south the way I was heading …. or I was trying to go. 

At this moment “I am actually going” i.e., making progress in the direction I want to go, because wind and weather today are nice.

Who wants a nice day on Xmas Day.  How boring. No, let’s have rough seas and strong headwinds just to make the voyage interesting.

To beat into the head sloppy, rough sea I would need to make my mainsail bigger.  But that would make the yacht heal lots and behave all over the place with green water over the deck (I have a dinghy tied down there).  So I just stooged off the NSW coast until the wind changed, as was forecast.  The forecast was accurate.

Off the Australian coast every 4 hours I get the BOM (Bureau of Metrology) coastal forecast on my HF radio.  It’s a 3-day coastal forecast- up to 60nm out to sea. On the HF Radio. At other times major weather events, warnings, and long, long range weather patterns etc is also broadcast.

The eastern side of Australia including the north and south coasts is broadcast from Charleville – hinterland Queensland.  The western side of Australia the BOM weather is broadcast from Wiluna – hinterland from Western Australia (including WA north and south coasts). I reckon those BOM forecasts are the best anywhere in the world.  One can almost set one’s clock by the forecast – wind, weather, fronts etc.

I think they must now have repeaters around Australia because I can find the forecast on different frequencies at the same time “at my position” much more than earlier voyages.

Today is Saturday … Boxing Day.  Nice forecast today but tomorrow, later in the day – the wind will head me with wind to 30 kts.

Tomorrow I should be clearing the New South Wales and Victoria state border and entering Bass Strait. I will then begin the long non-stop passage south of the Australian continent to Albany, Western Australia. 

I am self-isolating on this yacht – 21 days with no contact (that’s what solo sailors do).  I have a G2G pass to allow me to enter WA so I cannot put in anywhere because of Western Australia’s COVID restrictions which I think have been very good in stopping the spread of the virus.

I have two trackers on this yacht so I guess later tomorrow you will see me stooging in a strong headwind. Same for some of next day, Monday 28 December 2020. After that I expect my passage making will soon improve lots as the fronts pass south of me.

I had a most beautiful Xmas present given to me on departure from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron by the Will who is CEO of RSYS … a Xmas-pudding with sauce. I was a guest of Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron including accommodation. Wow, what a truly beautiful and hospitable Club.  Thank-you.

Today is my Xmas dinner day …. with Xmas pudding.  The weather is good.

Kindest regards to all

Jon