This is an uncut story, I revived what has happen with Sweet Chariot when I sold her in January 2011. Port Pirie , SA /sorry pictures are not where they belongs to/
The trip home to Wollongong The following is my account of the trip home in my own words. Unfortunately, there is much more to a trip like this, than can be written: the thoughts, the moods, the joys and happiness, the fears, the terror. Yes the terror.
I wish to thank my crew: George, Les and Ros who worked together to get us through, not only the good times but also the bad times when they were called upon to undertake tasks in rough conditions wearing life jackets and harnesses, barely able to hold on to something to steady themselves. For carrying out all the day to day duties that it takes to keep a small boat occupied by four people not only liveable but also comfortable. For keeping us all fed with a variety of meals. For keeping us going in the right direction with efficient use of both sail and motor (when found necessary).
I wish to also thank my son Adrian, for assisting with transporting me, mine and all the crew's gear from home to Port Pirie and then returning home with the car etc. For helping with the final jobs prior to leaving port. For collecting my crew at Adelaide.
DAY 1 Monday 7th MarchIt was with nervous anxiety that I had said goodbye to my son Adrian and his girl Sally, and as we slipped our mooring lines and motored out of the river, to begin our journey home to Wollongong, I reflected on the events over the past few days.
We had had an eventful trip over on Thursday night. For the first time ever, I drove a lap of the famous Mt Panorama race circuit, at Bathurst, having watched the race for more years than I can remember. Near Broken Hill we hit a kangaroo, remarkably doing no damage but a dented rego plate.
I had purchased "Sweet Chariot" in January and had to wait till the annual leave, which I had arranged earlier for another reason, came round in early March.
This had given me time to arrange the crew, the necessary stores and gear, and all the other stuff that goes with putting a trip like this together. It had been a busy four or five months since I first spotted "Sweet Chariot" on line.
The crew – (see photo - left to right) George Papaconstantinos, Steve Cowie (Skipper), Les Hurt and Ros Espino.
I knew I had chosen my crew wisely.George - My right hand man. Greek, a very good hand both on deck and in the galley. This I could personally vouch for as we have sailed together on a prior delivery.
Steve - Skipper. Scottish. Have carried out a number of earlier deliveries: Gold Coast - Sydney. Melbourne - Wollongong, and others but this one is definitely the longest in both distance and time and also the first time in my own vessel.
Les - Australian, Engineer. If there was anyone you could rely on to get you out of trouble through use of fault tracing and improvisation then Les was the one.
Ros - Philippine. Nurse. Got all bases covered I'd say.
What an excellent mix of talent, nationalities and personalities. I am quite sure we will all get on well together.
Adrian and I had spent the weekend fitting the new Bimini that I had purchased, removing the old GPS and installing the new one, and a host of other preparatory jobs that needs to be done.
He had been gone since yesterday, having driven down to Adelaide with the intent being to collect my crew this morning when they arrived at the airport. He was also meeting up with his girl, Sally, who was accompanying him on the trip back to Wollongong in the car.
After breakfast on what was looking to be a most glorious day, local boatie Syd gave me a lift into town for some fresh grocery shopping etc.
Back at the boat and all the shopping stowed away, I thought I would take the opportunity, whilst waiting for Adrian to arrive back, to call the Coast Guard, checking that my radios were functioning properly and get the latest weather forecast. Having made contact with them and in receipt of the latest weather forecast it looked a pleasant night's sail was in store and I was comforted in the fact that my radios were working well.
At approximately 2:30 pm I received a call from Adrian advising that he was nearing PP and that the crew wanted to do a bit of shopping prior to arriving at the boat.
It was at this time (and I am still unsure of what made me do it) that I thought I would turn on my radios in preparation for the journey. As I switched on the VHF radio I noticed that the small screen was blank. I checked the fuse and found that it had blown. Strange!! Fuse replaced and switching on the radio the replacement fuse blew immediately. Some fault diagnosis revealed the radio had developed an internal short somewhere. Would you believe it – it was OK a couple of hours ago. On the phone to Adrian I requested he go to the Marine dealer in town and purchase a new VHF radio. When he arrived and the crew had settled in to the boat we set about and changed the radio. All well – it works.
All gear now stowed away I ran through a safety briefing and familiarisation session with the crew prior to getting underway. All done we cast off at approximately 5.30 pm for our voyage to Wollongong – a distance of over 1200 Nautical Miles.
Leaving Port Pirie in beautiful sunshine and clear skies, it appeared that we would have pleasant night in store. How wrong we were. At approximately 9 pm a storm squall came through and forced us to reduce to mainsail only and we then had to motor in order to make correct headway. The wind associated with the rain squall passed however the rain remained. And remained and remained.
At about 2:30 am a freighter passed on our starboard side heading up the Spencer Gulf – either to Whyalla or Port Pirie.
DAY 2 Tuesday 8th March8 am - I handed over to George and Les after what was a very wet night.
Continued motor sailing throughout the day and night. Very uneventful as we saw no other vessel traffic whatsoever. We were accompanied by quite a large number of Albatrosses.
Rained all day and all night again. It was so miserable with sharp piercing "needles" of rain striking us in the face as we kept up the unenviable task of steering and handling the boat. We had to keep going - besides there was nowhere to stop anyway. Thank goodness for the Bimini. It kept the "vertical" rain off our heads.
We motored sailed the whole time as the wind was against our heading and tacking proved to be too slow and wasted too many miles.
DAY 3 Wednesday 9th MarchDawn broke with the sky showing what looked like a nice day ahead of us. With the fuel tank now showing only ¼ full we decided to slow down and top up the tank from the jerry cans that we were carrying. This gave us another 40 litres on top of the 20 litres that was still left in the tank.
During the morning I went to use the toilet. When I lifted the lid I saw that the bowl was full and nearly overflowing. Somebody had neglected to pump out the toilet, I thought to myself.
I held the pump handle and when I lifted it to commence pumping, the handle came right out of the pump. Oh Oh. Someone had “broken” the toilet discharge pump. I tried to re-attach the handle by screwing it back into the plunger disc but was unsuccessful in my efforts.
Not to worry, I thought, I have a spare pump unit, I will just change it over. Well, if there ever was a situation that would cause one to be sea sick this was it. When I undid the flange on the pump the inevitable happened. The contents of toilet outlet hose (which needs no description) commenced to run back onto the floor of the toilet in front of me. YUK – how bad is this? I managed to get it all wiped up but the feeling of nausea was overwhelming. To my credit I manage to stave it off and once the job was complete and in the fresh air I was feeling a lot better.
The replacement pump unit had no adjustable gland on the pump handle and each time it was moved there was a leak out from the pump handle gland. Having purchased (fortunately) a new Porta Potti I declared the toilet to be out of use for the duration of our trip.
By now we had made our way out of the Spencer Gulf and were proceeding through the Investigator Strait. I had decided that we would take this route rather than going around the south of Kangaroo Island. Running through the Strait all day saw us face 15 – 20 Kt winds with associated choppy seas. By night fall it was evident that there was going to be no let up in these conditions so we pushed on slowly. I had made up my mind that were not going to attempt the backstairs Passage in these conditions so I sought refuge in Kingscotte Harbour on the East end of Kangaroo Island. This is a small port but was subject to the prevailing winds at the time and as we entered the harbour at approx 02:30, I found an empty mooring buoy that I decided to secure to for the night. Not sure of the condition of the mooring and the fact that there were a number of vessel tied to adjacent moorings I had a reasonable sleepless night maintaining an anchor watch as Sweet Chariot was riding tight on the mooring line due to the wind. I wanted to be alert should she let go the mooring.
DAY 4 Thursday 10th MarchDaybreak arrived with little change in the weather. The wind was blowing quite strong and the seas were quite choppy. With little likelihood of getting some fuel here I heard communication on the radio between VMR American River and local craft.
I called VMR American River and spoke to a lovely lady there named Carol. Giving her the details of my situation she suggested I proceed to American River where I can get fuel and sheltered waters.
We entered the river at approximately 1130 and as we motored up the channel in what I thought was sufficient water, the depth suddenly shallowed (on the depth sounder) and before we could reverse our way out the keel touched bottom. We managed to motor our selves off and then proceeded towards what looked to be deeper water. It was and we had no further problems and safely secured alongside the wharf astern of a charter vessel about 1200 hrs.
Calling Carol on the radio to let her know we had secured alongside the wharf she advised that there would be a “Courtesy Car” left for our use when we need it and to be sure we “sign the bonnet”. At the car park at the wharf there was a car left for our use. There were a number of other mariners who had used the car previously and their details etc were penned on to the bonnet. We complied with Carol's request and “signed” the bonnet when we had finished getting fuel and other supplies from the General Store.
Whilst we were refuelling Carol arrived at the wharf and we enjoyed a chat about a number of things. When she asked what we were planning I replied we were still contemplating whether to proceed to sea she stated that she would not go to see in those conditions for “quids”. That made my mind up for me. “We are staying here for the night guys”, I announced. Carol then suggested we make use of the shower facilities located in a nearby park. That we did and then proceeded to have a meal in calm conditions. Once the meal was over we spent some time getting the boat ready for tomorrow. A good night sleep was had by all so when we awoke we were refreshed and ready for the next leg of our journey.
DAY 5 Friday 11th March0730 saw us get underway from American River and as we entered the Backstairs Passage it was evident that with the current wind, the sea conditions were going to be uncomfortable. So true as we punched our way into a head wind and sea.
The trip through the “Passage” took approximately 4 hours and once through we had reasonably good sailing conditions so the motor was turned off and we sailed for quite some time. As dusk closed in the wind dropped so we were forced to motor through the night. When I switched on the Navigation lights I could smell something behind me burning. Turning around I noticed that the cabling for the stern light had been worn through by the metal around the hole it passed through and the wiring was shorting out on itself. It was quickly turned off to prevent further fire and the spreader lights were activated to provide a rearward facing white light.
DAY 6 Saturday 12th March Dawn brought very clear skies and little wind.
Motoring throughout the day on what could only be described as conditions suitable for water skiing instead of sailing we proceeded to Robe on the South East coast of South Australia where we sought some fuel and some fresh supplies, milk, ice etc. Whilst the shopping was being carried out I had a look at the stern light wiring and concluded that it would need to wait until I got home to do a proper repair.
The locals advised us that Robe only gets 10 days sunshine per year and we have struck one of these days.
Fuelled up and replenished we departed Robe at 1700 hrs for what was going to be a long run through to Apollo Bay.
About 1900 we ran into a rain squall with 20 – 25 Kts wind and heavy fog reducing visibility down to less than 100 metres. This lasted a few hours and then passed. We then spent the night motoring through calm seas and dodging floating lobster trap buoys.
DAY 7 Sunday 13th MarchAs dawn broke there was a heavy sea fog develop reducing visibility once again down to about 100m. When the sun rose and the air warmed up the fog disappeared and the wind grew to about 15 – 18 kts from the south – south west. Good sailing conditions so we enjoyed a good morning sail until the wind dropped once again. During the morning we were treated to a display of whale spouts and one whale swam under the boat quite close. There were a number of dolphins sighted all morning.
We enjoyed a meal of cocktail franks and salad served in the cockpit in bright sunshine for lunch. The afternoon was spent watching the numerous dolphins that decided to accompany us.
Motor sailing through the night we were treated to the loom of numerous oil rigs rising over the southern horizon.
DAY 8 Monday 14th MarchAwakening to a moderate swell and light S/E winds it looked like a fine day ahead.
After breakfast we needed to empty the Porta Potti. Being well out to sea it was only a matter of pouring the contents over board. This was achieved without drama until it was time to replace the cap on the dump spout. You guessed it! I dropped the cap overboard. What to do now? Thankfully the dump spout is the same size as a can of Coke so an empty Coke can was cut and taped over the dump spout. What a job! Worked great.
Arriving in Apollo Bay at 1900 we tied up to the Fuel Wharf. Ringing the contact number provided brought no response so we decided to walk into town with the jerry cans. Les and myself set off with the jerry cans whilst George accompanied us to do a bit of shopping (Ice bread etc).
As we finished filling the 2 jerry cans a car pulled up in the service station and the driver asked if we were off the Swanson tied up in the harbour. Yes we were I replied and the driver then offered us a lift back to the boat. Accepting his offer and getting into his car I asked him how he knew it was a Swanson in the harbour. He replied he owns a Swanson 36 berthed in the harbour at the moment.
Asking about our trip and finding out we were about to pass through Bass Strait he advised that the Swansons are the best craft for Bass Strait and that they would handle anything Bass Strait threw up at us. This was comforting knowledge to say the least.
Dropping us back at the boat I thanked him for the lift and the advice and he wished us a safe journey and then left. Filling the boat up Les and I then walked back into town to get another two jerry cans. Once these were filled we caught a taxi back to the wharf where we filled up the tank completely. It was at this time that we were approached by the local “harbour master” who asked us where we were headed and how long we would be staying in Apollo Bay. I said with the forecast that is current we would be staying overnight and asked if there was any charge to stay alongside the wharf. He advised that he would be here in the morning about 0730 and if we were not here it would be OK. I replied that we would be gone by 0730. He then offered us the use of the local showers and toilet and left us a key for the said complex. We made use of the showers and then had a good meal and an even better night's sleep in the calm conditions.
DAY 9 Tuesday 15th MarchOn wakening we were pleased to see a relatively cloudless sky and what looked to be a fine day ahead.
As we enjoyed breakfast we were visited by the local harbour geese coming in close to the boat for something to eat.
As we departed the harbour we set course for Cape Liptrap. Planned run 110 NM to the Cape. We had to motor for a while due to the lack of wind but that changed as the day progressed. We were able to maintain our desired course so we enjoyed a good day sailing.
We sailed all day and night and the wind grew steadily stronger until it reached 25 Knots + with 3 to 4 m swell and gusts increasing to 30 kts +. Before we could reef the main it tore badly. Reefing it down to the first reef point eliminated the tear so we left it at that for the rest of the night. It turned out to be a very uncomfortable night with reasonable difficulty experienced in maintaining our desired course. The angle of the swell and our desired course did not agree and we found ourselves getting further and further off course. One thing in our favour was the direction we were off course was taking us closer to shore (we were still a long way off shore) rather than away from shore and away from our destination.
DAY 10 Wednesday 16th MarchDaybreak saw us proceeding down the West coast of Wilsons Promontory and rounding the point we decided to head for Refuge Cove which we arrived at approx 1230.
Entering the cove we saw a couple of yachts already at anchor. After a total run from Apollo Bay of 148NM it was good to get out of the persistent swell and have some calm water under the boat for a change.
We took the opportunity here to sort out some other sails and we prepared the storm jib and set it up on deck for an easy deployment should it be needed.
Ros and George spent some time fishing and starting off with some bread Ros caught a yellowtail. This was filleted and the remains used for further bait. In total there was a bream and two flathead caught to add to the yellowtail fillets. Ros had hooked a large fish but was unlucky to lose it before it could be seen. We enjoyed a meal of fresh fish fillets, a sauce that George concocted and a freshly made salad. We slept very peacefully all night.
DAY 11 Thursday 17th MarchDeparted Refuge Cove early we set course for the oil rigs. Conditions were a slight SW swell with very little wind. Looks like motoring will be the norm for the day. We motored sailed all day and enjoyed reasonably comfortable conditions. It was a pleasant day.
Upon darkness I switched on the companionway light for the first time and lo and behold the Steering Compass light came on. We had travelled all this time thinking that it was not working as I was not aware it was connected to the “Companionway” light switch.
As we neared the oil rig “Bream”, we altered course for Gabo Island.
DAY 12 Friday 18th MarchOn day break we were welcomed by nearly 100% cloud cover as we got ever closer to Gabo Island. Passing it during the latter part of the day in between periods of rain we then made our way toward the VIC – NSW border. It was in this area amidst the rain that the reel on the rod screamed aloud as the line was pulled off by a fish. Being the closest to the rod I grabbed it and successfully boated a reasonably nice Bonito. This was cleaned and before long the reel screamed again as another fish fell prey to the lure we were trolling. This was also landed and both fish were cut into steaks for later.
Crossing the border at 10:50pm we celebrated with a nip or two of Scotch. At 4:30am I made contact with Marine Rescue Eden and advised them of our position and intentions.
DAY 13 Saturday 19th MarchAnother day another 100% cloud covered sky and rain. Making our way up the NSW South Coast we arrived at Bermagui at 1130 hrs.
Approaching the Fuel wharf I noticed a man leave the fish and chip shop and walk towards the wharf. We tied up and when I went ashore he approached me. I asked him if there was anywhere I could get some fuel. He said sure and made a phone call. Unfortunately there was no answer to his call. He then asked me if I had any jerry cans and I replied yes. Get them he said and I will give you a lift to the petrol station. This I did and he took me to the service station. I filled up the two jerry cans and on the way back to the boat I asked him, in conversation, if he worked around here. I own the fish and chip shop came his reply. OK when we are finished here I will get the boys to have some fish and chips from your store. He said I did not have to and I said it would be least we could do.
As I was filling the boat up from the jerry cans I was asked by a man on the jetty if I needed any more fuel and not to bother with the jerry cans. I replied that we rang someone and got no answer. He replied, “I am that someone”. Oh good we can get fuel without the need for the jerry cans. I then filled up the boat tank and as this was happening a trawler with a huge load of leatherjacket berthed in front of us and proceeded to unload his catch.
As we were filling up the boat George and Ros walked into town to stock up on Ice bread etc. On their return we were offered the use of the showers at the Fish Co-op. It was so good to have a shower. After that we sat down to a meal of fish and chips. Once done we went onto the shore and had a coffee at the local cafe near the fish co-op.
After this was all done we decided to head off and get underway. It was approx 1700 and we had arranged through Marine Rescue Bermagui to contact Marine Rescue Batemans Bay at 2000 hrs. We were unable to make contact with MR Batemans Bay at the scheduled time of 2000. We also were unable to contact them at 0000 and 0400 despite many attempts. The night conditions were moderate to rough with rain all night
DAY 14 Sunday 20th MarchDawn saw more cloud cover and rain.
At 0900 we were 11NM east of Ulladulla and contacted marine Rescue Ulladulla and informed them of our position and intentions. Advised that we would contact Marine Rescue Shoalhaven at 1500.
We had a very sloppy run to Jervis Bay where we decided to pull into to get some calm water so we could cook a meal. As we entered through the heads of Jervis Bay I ordered all crew out of the saloon and into the cockpit with lifejackets on. Conditions were terrible to say the least. We had not had a cooked meal for over a day and a half. Entering Jervis Bay we rounded the north peninsula and dropped anchor in Longnose Point. This was perfectly sheltered from the ocean swell. We cooked the Bonito and had Bonito steaks for lunch.
A rain squall struck whilst we were at anchor in the Bay just long enough to wet everything and make it miserable. Hearing that the forecast for Monday was for winds approaching 30 knots + we decide to set off today before we got stuck here for days.
As we left Jervis Bay I contacted Marine Rescue Shoalhaven and let them know of our intentions and that we were heading to Wollongong. We were advised that there was some dirty weather coming. OK I said. I'll watch out for it. With this advise I decided to lower the headsail and hoist the storm sail that we had set up on deck ready. This was done and we proceeded up the coast. Off Werri Beach were met with a southerly travelling rain storm and squally winds. These were quite strong so I call the crew on deck to withdraw the storm jib as I would prefer to tackle this storm with bare poles. Once the rain had passed I called marine Rescue Port Kembla and asked them of their current weather conditions and if the predicted storm had passed there yet. There is no storm here was the reply. Good I thought, that must have been it just gone through now. How wrong I was. We were then pummelled with 25-30 knot winds and 3-4 meter very confused swell. Around the Bass Point area I was having great difficulty in concentrating due to fatigue and with the conditions we were in it required full concentration. I asked George to come and take the wheel for a while to give me a rest. He did this without question although he said he did not know where to go. I said you steer the boat I will direct you. Punching through very rough seas we had a number of waves break over the boat giving us a severe soaking each time. Rounding Bass Point I was giving George directions to safely round Martin Islet, the small island out the front of Hill 60. Safely rounding this it was evident that the conditions were going to go from real bad to worse.
Making our way towards Port Kembla Harbour I was sitting in the cockpit with George beside me and I had the following with me:-
Wearing Automatic Inflatable Lifejacket
Automatic water activated strobe light attached to my right sleeve
Grab bag with EPIRB, Flares, Vee Sheet, Chemical Light sticks, Marker dye and other safety equipment and its handle was wrapped around my left arm.
Between Martin Islet and Port Kembla Harbour a large wave crashed into the cockpit of the boat completely drenching all of us and when I looked up my spectacles had been washed off my face. I had a quick look on the cockpit floor but there were not to be seen. This now made it really difficult to guide George as all the lights I needed to look out for were just one large blurr.
I asked George to find a red flashing light on the breakwater. He found it and the accompanying white rocks that depicted the end of the breakwater. Having located these it was a matter of safely rounding them and entering Port Kembla Harbour.
I asked Ros if he would pass me out my spare spectacles, even though they had only one arm, a legacy of an earlier accident on board, I thought they would be better than no spectacles at all. At least I would be able to see. Ros handed me a pair of spectacles with two arms. When questioned about these he said he found them. How lucky was that???.
With spectacles on I could now see where we were and we made our way to the small boat harbour and boat ramp where my wife Sharon, Les's wife Heather and children were waiting for our arrival.
When we had finished with the hello hugs and kisses I got the bottle of Scotch out and we had a tote each to celebrate our arrival home, despite being soaked right through to our skins.
Wondering what to do with the boat I looked around and noticed a few empty berths in the small boat harbour. I thought to myself "If I don't put the boat into one of those I am not going to be able to get off the boat as there was nowhere I could leave her unattended". I said the same to my crew and we moved her into one of the vacant pens. As we were preparing her for leaving, George rang our mate Noel, who has a vessel in the same harbour, to come and unlock the gate so we could leave. The pier is locked to unauthorised persons.
Before Noel arrived, Sharon had managed to talk one of the port workers into unlocking the gate. When Noel arrived he let me have the key as he was going to be going to NZ in the next couple of days and needed an eye kept on his boat. With the key in hand, the boat locked up, I could not wait to get home for a hot shower and a good sleep.
Due to the sea conditions whipped up by that storm we were unable to get the boat to her home until a week later despite an earlier attempt in which we were forced to return to Port, again due to stormy weather. It was fitting that the crew that brought her all this way actually took her the final leg. Unfortunately Ros could not make it as he had to work, so it was left up to George and Les, who brought his young son John along for the ride.
