We are back on Anui for a few weeks so are reactivating the blog and taking you on a circuit to Wilson’s Promontory, the Bass Strait Islands, the Gippsland Lakes and back. This week we leave Port Phillip Bay and head out along the Bass Coast.

First, a bit of a land update

There has been a lot going on. We have completed most of the renovations on our Jan Juc home. Our mission to get it market ready while enjoyable to live in is progressing well. Now it’s time for the last big job which we have contracted out – painting – so we have vacated the house and thought we’d go for a cruise on Anui.  

But just as we were getting ready to go, to spice things up Wade had a medical moment. He was being followed by a cardiologist after he reported some mild chest pains. It turned out that he had two severe blockages in one of the coronary arteries – nothing that an angiogram and two stents could not fix immediately, but quite a warning! Imagine if he had had a heart attack offshore… As always, dealing with problems when they are still manageable is key and it’s so much easier to do this when you live on Terra Firma! Meanwhile Chris has been doing lots of exercise, yoga and getting osteo treatment on her back – it’s a lost cause but what else can you do? There is no denying it, we are two old codgers but we won’t give up easily!

And while all this was going on, Anui was feeling left out and put up her own fuss which is another reason for jumping back on board. The ancient fridge/freezer unit has given up the ghost completely – no more re-gassing – it is dead. Its replacement requires a change to the galley cabinetry and benches. So we are bringing the boat to our Gippsland Lakes shipwright Tim Heaney who will take care of this at the end of April!

Despite the unwelcome events of the past weeks, the transition to land has been positive. After living aboard for years with the constant mid-level hum of stress that comes with the lifestyle, we realised what being in a permanent state of alertness does to your body and your mind and how good it is to ‘let go’. It has also been a time for introspection on a lot of issues. Everything is up for reassessment and we continue to weigh up the pros and cons of an interstate move while keeping an eye on the property market.

Out of Port Phillip Bay

But for now, it is time for a break from the land break! We are going on a sailing escapade for about six weeks. We have the Easter school holiday to enjoy before we need to be at the Gippsland Lakes for our galley revamp. So we are on our way to the Bass Strait Islands, our old cruising grounds.

We left Jan Juc last weekend and the marina on Tuesday.  The weather has been fickle, going from nil wind to gale and back to dead calm, from hot days to chilly ones, so it made planning our exit tricky. And of course after 3^1/2 months of inaction, there were a few gremlins to attend to on Anui. We had checked everything a couple of weeks ago and thought the boat was ready, but we were deluded! The wind indicator and the data aerial did not work, requiring a winch up the mast, the props needed a cleanup, the navigation charts did not load properly, one of the clears had blown in during the last storm!  

So Monday was a big day: we got out of our tight berth when the breeze was light with help from the marina crew, and parked ourselves in an empty spot while we sorted everything out. It was rather frustrating. We could feel the stress building back up again. But by the afternoon, all was in order, or so we thought, we had done the last bit of provisioning, safely parked our car in a locked-up area and could relax, enjoying a colourful sunset.

Tuesday was D Day – Departure Day, Damn it there’s more stuff not working properly Day.  

With butterflies in the belly, we headed out. We are in diesel conservation mode since with what is happening in our disturbed world, we want to minimise our use of fuel, but with no breeze at all, we could not sail. However the next day we had a strong wind warning with a Northerly blow, typical Victorian weather!

Despite the motor, it was good to get away, feel the movement of the boat, have the delight of dolphins escorting us.

Our first hop was not very far. From Wyndham Harbour, we motored to the Bellarine Peninsula, past the various lighthouses and anchored off the beach between Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale.

We are hoping the boat does not give us grief. But even on this first leg, the auto pilot and the speed sensor were misbehaving, and the wind instruments were under reading. It is often said that the best form of boat maintenance is using your vessel. If you let it sit, everything clogs up. We can attest to that! Wade is anxious, enough for both of us and more! We want a “holiday on Anui”, not a boating drama!

We are reacquainting ourselves with our vessel and life afloat. We are back to our old habits of constantly monitoring the weather forecasts, living half a day at a time, making plan A, plan B, plan C, fretting about everything and listening to every noise. But there is one sound which is sadly gone, that of our talkative Bengie. We are sailing for the first time without our ship’s cat. Losing a pet is so painful: rivers of tears and an ache deep inside that just won’t go away. Anui acts as a huge trigger for the two of us. Still, life goes on.

April Fool’s Day came, and we were positioned for a morning departure with a 30 knot northerly breeze to get out of Port Phillip Bay into Bass Strait. All good, except for the wind instruments under reading by 10 knots and the remote for the auto pilot dead!

Once through Port Phillip Heads, we followed the Bass Coast southeast. With 25-30 knots on our port aft quarter, we were zooming along for a few hours accompanied by albatrosses. The wind eased during the day and shifted direction but we kept sailing well, just needing to manage multiple sail changes.

Although initially bound for Cleeland Bight at Phillip Island, some 45nm away, we changed our mind on the destination, opting to keep sailing while the going was good, especially since the wind was forecast to die down the next day. We passed Waratah Bay at 7.00pm, another anchorage option 40nm further, but again we were still sailing well although much slower and did not stop, with another 20nm to go to reach the Prom.

Sunset was different, with brilliants reds and a light spattering of rain over the dark ocean which made for interesting effects.

And then Chris had a thought… What if I zoom in and play with ICM? So when you look at these next photos, think ‘wave, fire and rain’.

In the end we made it all the way to Waterloo Bay, on the eastern side of Wilson’s Promontory, dropping the pick at midnight after a 16 hour sail – not bad for two rusty seafarers!

We like Waterloo. Being at the Southeastern end of the Prom, it is only accessible by boat or by foot after a multi-day hike. It is not seen by bushwalkers as a destination in itself, and sailors favour nearby Refuge Cove as their anchorage of choice. The result: no-one seems to stop at this broad bay with a remote feel we love. No crowds, no anchor watch, no close neighbouring boat dragging into you, just bliss and a gentle roll of the ocean.

And with calm conditions the next morning, Chris winched Wade up the mast again to fiddle with the wind instruments! We are hoping it was just a bad connection but will have to wait to find out. We are here for a couple of days.

We are looking forward to de-stressing, focusing on nature as well as disconnecting from the constant alarming news of global conflict driven by despicable men.

See you next week, somewhere in Bass Strait!