We barely got back in Australia – after a 30-hours flight from Amsterdam – and in less than 24 hours, we explored down town Sydney, went to the movies to conquer our jet lag, winded up in a hectic Indian restaurant, slept a bit, crossed the city, met with Peter, boarded his boat, motored along a few bays, found some powerful wind and hoisted the sails. We are exhausted and wide awake at the same time!

Sailing feels so good. The sails trimmed in tightly, acting like a wing. Wind gusts up to 25 knots (!). Our hair tousled. The boat slicing through the water. Beating up wind. 7 knots of speed! How awesome! We are literally flying through the Sydney Harbour. That said, according to the chart. The famous Opera House and Harbour Bridge are hidden by the smoke caused by the bushfires… Too bad… BUT we are sailing, we’re back Down Under, back on our world trip and ready to start a new adventure. ✌🏻

The aim is to sail a 38ft Northshore – a racer cruiser – to Brisbane. A voyage of ±500 nautical miles, almost a 1.000 kms. The crew consists of Peter – the captain, Fedor – his friend and the two of us. We’re ready to set sail, however it’s gusting up to 30-35 knots on the open ocean. Pretty fierce, hence we let it pass by and allow ourselves some sleep. At mid night, Peter gives the go-ahead. All crew on deck! 🧑🏻‍✈️🧑🏻‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️🧑🏼‍✈️

As expected the wind dropped into a nice breeze coming from the South. It’s just that the sea state is not used to it yet. It’s confused and giving us some pretty big waves on the beam. Peter and Fedor take on the night shift as our eyes are half open. For them a tough shift. Focused and hard work on the helm (steer). For us a tough sleep. The boat is rolling and heaving, making it impossible not to bump into each other with each and every wave. Around 05:00 AM we take over, the waves are now behind us and we have fun surfing down the waves. At midday we arrive in Port Stephens. The first 85 nautical miles are a fact. 💪🏻

The next few days we hang around in Port Stephens. Gale warnings keep us safely inside the marina. Our jet leg doesn’t mind. Good food, lots of sleep, reading, the movies, a few boat jobs and the four o’clock wine and French cheese summarizes the day. The good life inside a marina. 😇

After three nights of relaxing marina life, the wind is favorable. All hands on deck! 🙌🏻 We expect to keep moving for at least 48 hours to benefit the southerly as much as we can. And we do. We’re flying! 7 knots of speed is no exception. We even hit the 10 while surfing down a big wave! Fantastic! Most of the voyage the wind is behind us and so we’re goose-winging a lot. Meaning the main (that big sail on the boom) on one side and the jib (that sail on the bow) on the other side. This way the wind is literally pushing us towards Brisbane. When the wind falls a bit, we even get a chance to fly the spinakker (that huge colourful sail). Love it! 😎

The hours fly by. As do the dolphins at some point. Another dream comes true: sailing and being entertained by a dozen of dolphins. They jump and shoot like a rocket through the water next to the boat. Magnificent. Check them out. 🐬 I researched a bit why dolphins act like this and to me it appears we don’t know. At least there are various views. Some think they wait for us to throw some food at them. Others are convinced they hunt the fish who are completely confused by that huge ‘thing’ (the boat) that just rushed over their fish head.  And others believe they want to safe energy by surfing the bow wave to their next destination. I like the idea of their curiosity and that they simply want to play.

In the evening we start a watch system. 3 hours on, 3 hours off. The first night is wonderful. Starry skies and good wind. We follow the coast line to stay out of the Pacific current going South. It’s full moon and we can see and hear the waves breaking on shore. Night sailing won’t get any better than this. 😍

The watch system brings us into a rhythm and the hours pass by. Although the second night the hours pass by somewhat slower. It’s cloudy and there is nothing to look at. We’re alone. No other ship seems to be out here. The light of a light house and a change in course is the only interruption. Yawn. 🥱

The next day we finally sail near South Port. It’s the place we looked forward to. To have a shower and a good night sleep. We counted the hours to South Port. But now we’re here we all prefer to keep on moving. Once you’re in the rhythm of a watch system your body gets used to the short naps and even though you’re tired, it feels as if you can go on forever. The last part is in-land, through a beautiful area occupied by islands and blue water. Plenty to enjoy and easy to stay awake. After 60 hours at sea and 395 nautical miles of sailing, we arrive in Brisbane and are welcomed by the hospitality of Peter and Susan. A shower, a beer, good food and a comfy bed are waiting for us.👌🏻 Thank you so much 🙏🏻💕

We did it. 💪🏻😎 Not sure we can call voyaging fun, but the challenge, the achievement and certain moments makes it special. The sailing, dolphins, the stars, team work, surfing the waves, the ocean, good company, fool moon, feeling alive, talks, trimming the sails, the weather systems and so on, makes voyaging an amazing and unforgettable experience. Thanks Peter 🙏🏻