This blog is about life on the ocean, and although we have not had much of that lately, sometimes big and unexpected things happen, just not on Anui, and we can’t resist sneaking these stories into our posts!

Last time we posted on our blog it was to let you know we bought a house in Sandy Beach, NSW. Today, we settle on our “Sandy” home and we are moving there!  We are no strangers to big life changes yet somehow starting anew interstate is different and more committal. We are beginning something new together, somewhere different we both chose, which is super exciting! We have a list of projects on the house itself but also future travel adventures, some involving the boat, some not. It feels good, it feels like everything has come together for us.

Friends of ours were talking about what we call happenstances… coincidental events or chance situations that occur, and lead to fortunate or unexpected outcomes. For them these involved an octopus and an anchor. For us it was about a crate and a letter drop. Let us recount the stories.

The Crate

Moving house interstate involves serious culling, packing, having all our chattels loaded into two containers and a wee bit of panicking to fit everything in.

If you have ever had those unsettling dreams where you go from one room to another, one cupboard to another, for ever finding more gear you forgot to put away, that’s been us for the past month! The state of unrest worsened when the removalists told us they would not take any ‘open’ pantry items (including food stored in containers), toiletries, laundry products, medications, chemicals, gas bottles. More and more would have to be thrown away, given away, or packed in our poor little Subie and it just was not all going to fit!

We have a small boat trailer… from our days at Port Albert years ago. Back then sailing was mostly a weekend affair and we moved the dinghy back and forth between the boat mooring and shore. We stored it in the garage when we moved on board full time. When we came back we decided to keep it as we think it might come in handy at Sandy Beach if we want to go snorkeling at the Solitaries Islands… but that’s another story! The trouble with the trailer is that you can’t use it to pack anything unless you have something on it, like a dinghy; before you ask why we don’t use Anui’s dinghy, it’s because we need it on the boat for when we sail up the coast! So Wadie had a bright idea: let’s buy a beaten-up old tinnie that we can use as a storage container! It does not have to float, just hold stuff and stay in one piece for the 1500 km drive… After much searching on FB Marketplace, we found something not far from where Anui is moored, negotiated the price down, hooked up the trailer to the Subaru and off we went to pick the thing up. Only one problem: when we got to the man’s yard the boat was way too big. So it was back to the drawing board to come up with another option.  While we were close to Wyndham Vale, we drove to Anui to drop a few bits and pieces on board, passing through the market gardens, trailer in tow… Now there’s an idea, we might find something good! Wade was meandering on the road, rubber necking, hoping to spot something that might be useful. We came to a sudden stop, next to a rubbish heap full of old tyres, a battered truck and an abandoned crate – one of these that are used to collect cauliflowers and potatoes from the fields! He located the farmer, asked about the crate, yes it was rubbish and yes he could have it!

So the happenstance was the combination of failing at first with the tinnie idea, driving with the trailer in tow through the market garden region, finding the crate which was in good nick, fitted perfectly between the wheel arches of the trailer, and was the ideal price: free! And thus we solved our packing problem. The crate is now properly attached, with all the gear rejected by the removalists neatly packed in plastic tubs inside it. Unbelievable luck!

The Letter Drop

And now for another lucky smucky happenstance. A few weeks ago we found a letter in our letterbox. A young couple was looking for a place to buy in one of a few quiet streets within walking distance of the Jan Juc beach. Some timing! They were looking for their dream home, were contacting everyone in their preferred streets and described themselves as ready to buy, with their finances in order. Wade had just appointed Natural Real Estate, who will look after the sale of the house, with it due to go on the market in September once we are settled in Sandy Beach. He passed on the couple’s details to the agent, who already knew of them and was also aware we were all working to a common deadline of 1 August. They were going overseas for a couple of months, we were moving, so speed was of the essence. If you want to buy off market and avoid competition, you have to act quickly and make an acceptable offer. The agent brought them to see the house, they loved it, organised a building and pest inspection. After much soul searching and negotiation, Wade has now agreed on a price and the contract of sale is signed. No marketing or staging costs, no anxious wait in the hope there will be bidders who will fight it out to make a higher offer. We may have been able to get more if we listed, but then again, we may not. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, especially in this market! As Wade’s Dad used to say, everything works together for good.

The move!

We appointed Kent Removals and Storage as the interstate removalists and are really impressed with their service and communication. They started packing last Monday and loaded our gear on Tuesday. The containers will be taken across the country via the rail network, and will be unloaded at Sandy next week.

The Subie and ‘cauliflower trailer’ were organised and we left Jan Juc that afternoon to stay on Anui for the night. Notice the surf board on the roof… Wade is intending to catch a few waves when we get to our destination! Thank you to our friends Garry & Gloria in Jan Juc, Sue in Sydney and Lisa & Waz in Port Macquarie for letting us stay overnight at their place as we made our way north. We will be in Sandy Beach later today – settlement day – and will camp inside our new abode till the container trucks arrive on Wednesday the 12^th. Happy days!

We are giving ourselves a couple of months to get settled, then will come back to pick up Anui in early October for a slow trip north, via the Bass Strait Islands. Stay tuned for the next instalment!