We have made it back to Port Phillip Bay. Anui is berthed in a marina for six months and we are just about ready to step off the boat after nearly 9 years of living aboard full-time. It has been a pivotal week!
Here is our track for this last week:
From the Prom to Cleeland Bight
We finally rounded the Prom last Friday under engine in very light conditions after experiencing a week of 30 to 50 knot westerlies. It was a quick dash to Cleeland Bight (Phillip Island) while we could, since the contrary winds returned with a vengeance the next day, pinning us yet again for several days!
Things have changed at Cleeland Bight. There used to be several public moorings, making it a handy stopover, but these have been removed so you now have to anchor. It’s a matter of finding a shallow spot in sand rather than seagrass or gooey clay and hope your anchor sticks in the tidal currents that rush in and out of Western Port. We anchored along the 5km curved beach which goes from the rocks at Cape Woolamai to the bridge linking St Remo on the mainland to New Heaven on Phillip Island.
We floated around while waiting for suitable conditions to continue into Port Phillip Bay. It was an opportunity for a catch up with Wade’s brothers, and two of his old school friends over the next days… it had been quite a number of years since we had made an appearance around these parts and news of our arrival at Phillip Island travelled fast. They were keen to reconnect with Wade face to face!
Being anchored close to Cape Woolamai, there are scenic walks to be had with beautiful beaches and granite cliffs. Here are a few images of our outings. The first gallery is about realism and literal views that caught our eye, the second is about softness, minimalism and impressions through ICM.
On Tuesday, our guest Trevor left us, getting a lift back home from San Remo with friends, before we departed for the final leg of the trip. It has been nice to have his company. We have a lot of history together and sharing this significant part of the voyage was special. Plus, visitors who are not fussy, chip in with the cooking and don’t need to be entertained are gold. We are told the earth is still moving after two weeks on board!
We made our escape on Wednesday morning, bound for the Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and then onto Wyndham Harbour. It was a very grey, gloomy day, with hardly any wind, so you guessed it, we motored all the way!
11 December 2025 – Momentous day
And then just like that, the migration south was over.
The 11th was a momentous day: as well as arriving at the Marina, we bought a car, and the settlement on Brunswick took place! It is the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new phase in our life. This whole year has been a build up of organisation and decisions to get to this point. And now we are here! It’s an odd mix of excitement, relief, but also apprehension.
We are at the cusp of a series of changes in our life: a move to cruising seasonally rather than full-time, a break focused on regaining fitness and wellness, an opportunity to reconnect with land friends face to face, a chance to restart hobbies we could not maintain while afloat, a time for assessing where and how we now want to live, and for confirming what really matters to us.
We are a wee bit uneasy. There are so many big questions: How will we feel going from isolation to proximity, endless horizons to suburbia… How will we occupy ourselves now that boat maintenance, weather monitoring and sailing to different locations are no longer daily endeavours? The two of us have done everything jointly for the past years, we have spent every minute of the day together in a small space and now we will have more freedom, more variety… Our life afloat has been such a part of our identity too… Anyway, you get the drift… it’s a very odd feeling. The transition is going to be interesting!
But first, we are staying on board for a day or two as we have practicalities to sort out. For a start we need to park the boat in her berth… it was just too windy to squeeze in when we arrived, so we spent a couple of days alongside a jetty and will move when the wind dies down.
Leaving the boat is like moving house: food, clothes, personal gear need to come off and Anui has to be cleaned and prepped so it can be left unattended. We will make a few trips back and forth between the marina and Jan Juc to sort it all out.
Our priority on our first day was to go and buy a car. It’s a secondhand Subaru Outback, an AWD touring wagon which will come in handy as a work horse. Now that we have our wheels, we can start the process of packing and cleaning!
At some stage on the weekend we will drive to Jan Juc, open up the garage where all our furniture and chattels are stored and face the music! But that’s a story for next week!
Sv-Anui 
What an exciting and challenging transition!! The bright blue car is gorgeous and I pray both of you will adjust smoothly to life on land. Can’t wait to hear more about your adventures.
Thanks Esther, if anything it will be easier!
It’s a new adventure!
Wow guys, this is a major life change! I hope your blog will continue on. The car is a lovely color! I hope Anui will be okay when left by herself so much, security wise.
Hi John, Anui is in a secure marina and we won’t be too far away.
Oh, that’s great! I wish you guys all the best in this time of change. 😎😊
Thanks John, yes time for a break and change of pace. And the blog will continue but differently as things settle.
You are welcome guys, and that’s good news. Be well! 🇦🇺😎
Wow. Welcome to the hard stuff (ground surface, although coming decisions could likewise be labelled). ‘I hear ya,’ with all those questions. See you soon on terra firma! xx
Hi Trish, We know you two get it! See you when you come south.
Wishing you all the very best on your new journey. Hope all goes smoothly for you. One step at a time and you will get there. You have had the most amazing time at sea and the land adventure will certainly be different. Have a wonderful Christmas. It will be different but no doubt enjoyable. Take care. Cheers Caroline
Thanks Caroline, hopefully we will get to enjoy the best of both worlds: seasonal cruising on Anui and an easier life on land.
Wow, 4 Wheels instead of 2 hulls. I’m sure that you will enjoy the next phase of land based and look forward to the seasonal cruising with renewed relish
Hi Graham, yes, looking forward to it. We think it will work well for us.
Glad you’ve made it safely to Wyndam Harbour. Lots of changes ahead, and new adventures to come in your subaru!
Enjoy settling into a different rhythm of life where the weather doesn’t dictate quite so much of the pace. And what fun to be delving back into your stores possessions! So many memories to sift through.
Hugs from both of us❤️
Hi Helene, lots to sort through! Looking forward to an easier pace and rediscovering what we stored away! There are treasures from my mum and dad we shipped here after they passed away which we never got to open… sure to be a few tears! Let’s hope all is in good shape and no vermin has invaded the garage.
Oh that will be an emotional time, but hopefully filled with wonderful memories too.
Definitely!
Welcome back to your southern roots. It’s been quite a journey. Waking up on solid ground will seem very strange for the three of you. Hope you settle comfortably into your land base and then take some time to catch your breath. Take a cue from the pussy cat and have a good explore then pick your favourite spot to sit and relax for a bit.
Morning Ann, yes we have been keyed up these last few months with the sale of Brunswick and the work at Jan Juc, so looking forward to catching our breath after the peak in the next few days. We are hoping Bengie settles well too and gets a new lease of life with the garden…
Welcome back to Vic! Yes changes ahead. But Anui will still be a big part of your life, just not the only part. Good luck with the pack-up. Not my favourite part of our season, but for you, a much more momentous one. Will keep in touch.
Thanks Amanda! We will do it in stages over the next couple of weeks… as we unpack Jan Juc, we’ll close off Anui! Every day there is another step… this morning we squeezed into our berth with help from the marina guys. A good thing done… we didn’t sleep much last night freaking out about it! The hard bit is behind us now.
Wow, What a milestone!!
Congratulations and good luck!!!
Thanks Matty – a much needed change of pace which will make life easier… and we will still cruise on Anui, just not live on it full time.
Reading later than usual – sending you lots of energy and ticks after getting things done, I am, first of all, thrilled that you do plan to keep the posts going on land – would miss you and your doings bigtime 🙂 ! Have to know how Bengie is faring after all ! Absolutely love the photo of the two of you – you do not look too out of sorts! And the one of Wade with his brothers is heartwarming after all this time . . . oh, the car does not quite have the looks of Anui but seems a very handsome and practical choice . . . take care and come say hello . . . !
Hi Eha, we are relieved we got the car sorted yesterday… the mob we got it from were very accommodating. Definitely planning a few road trips so you might just see us your way!
Bengie won’t know herself when we get to Jan Juc: grass to chew on and a garden to trot around… might give her a new lease of life. She is worryingly skinny.
Thinking about what I want to do with the blog… probably keep the Friday schedule but alternate between ‘life updates’ and photography projects.
That would be absolutely perfect . . . say even if you can manage every second Friday! Just so we all do not lose contact! Bengie has always loved wandering up-and-down beaches and parklands . . . the life ahead might ‘suit’ very well . . . have a good week beginning your mostly landlubber era . . .
Thanks Eha 😊 The blog is a rhythm I don’t want to lose, but it will be a bit different and hopefully still of interest to our subscribers.
Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts as well as your adventures. You’re an inspiration! Pilots say that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing, so you’re doing well!
Hello Brian, Thanks for the kind words. The last of the boat stresses for a while was this morning when we scarily moved into our berth! Lots of thin skinny thoughts to get in and some help with the marina crew catching our lines!
The transition is a little daunting but we know we’ll manage and it is for the best.
Yes. Getting into a marina berth is an under-rated life stress. And like many of life’s challenges, a little help makes a big difference.
Enjoy your break 🙂
Thank you, we will!
Nice to see you back. Good luck with the garage.
Huge job ahead of us!
“… Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home …” – Robert Louis Stephenson
Literary references, that’s pretty flash!
Thinking of you & Wade & Bengie
Sounds like Anui is safely tucked up whilst you sort through everything else land based. It will be terrific having the Subaru as a run around. Good luck with finding your steady place on land and early Happy Christmas & New year wishes.
Lindy & Phil xxx
Thank you guys, we are feeling our age with this double move… lots to do and the bodies are sore! Bengie is loving having a garden and lots of sunny spots to laze around in. She has adapted instantly! Best wishes to you three.