Albany at Last

 

Another day of forecast light winds with no winds at all. We were up early, hoping to take advantage of some early morning breezes, but we found none at all.

We regretfully motored all the way to Albany, our next port of call. We're feeling a bit anxious about rounding Cape Leeuwin while we still have reasonable weather windows to do it. Soon, the prevailing winds will be westerly, making the passage a bit more daunting. By the way, the name of the town is pronounced Al-bany, like “Al” in Albert, rather than AWL-bany, New York. It's been hard remembering the correct pronunciation, but we've had many people only too glad to remind us.

The day was absolutely gorgeous … warm temps, the swell was down, the sun shone brilliantly and lent a sparkle to the water. Mare's tails in the early morning sky gave way to brilliant, clear blue by midday. Despite the fact we were motoring and gobbling up fuel (cha-ching $$), it was a lovely day to be out on the Southern Ocean.

We busied ourselves with passage plans and discussion of priorities on the many items on the to-do lists. We saw only one other boat in the far distance and the route was pretty much free of navigation obstacles until we reached King George Sound. We spotted Breaksea Island Lighthouse from miles away, standing sentry at the gateway to the Sound since 1858.

Entering the Sound required a bit more concentration than earlier in the day. There was ship movement, several ships at anchor and several outlying reefs, rocks and marine farms to watch for. The wind picked up to 20 knots as we made our way across the Sound.

We worked out way through the circuitous channel past Emu Point and into the protection of Oyster Harbour. The cardinal marker indicated that we should stay west, but the shallows on both sides of the channel were easy to read and left no doubt as to our route.

We had anticipated an available mooring at Johnson Cove, but alas, they were all taken. We quickly decided to proceed a bit further into the harbor and anchor off the tiny Green Island Reserve. Friends, Jack and Jude on Banyandah had e-mailed that there was an alternate, seldom-used courtesy mooring between Green Island and the Emu Point Marina. Sure enough, it was available and we tied up, tidied up and settled down for a calm, peaceful evening.

We'll be here in Albany for a week or so. Get ready for some adventures … and some chores! Bring your traveling shoes.

Dillon Bay to Cheyne Island

 

A good forecast for NE winds and we were up early, raring to go. We were poled out and doing 7 knots right out of the shoot. Man, we were flying … for nearly an hour or so. Then the wind died and we might as well have been hove-to, we moved at just over a knot, bobbing in the swell. We had breakfast and waited for the wind to return. An albatross paddled along beside us, obviously amused at our slow speed as evidenced by the smug look on its face.

Back came the wind and we were ready. The jib was poled out again and we were tooling along at 7 knots … for at least another 15 minutes and the wind died. In came the jib and we toddled along and had a cuppa. On came the engine. Evidently the wind god was off on holiday and didn't tell the weather forecasters of his plans. A shearwater landed beside us this time, very close to the boat, obviously not worried about any sudden movements on our part. He eyed us for awhile and determined we had little to offer in the way of food or entertainment and took off.

The next closest anchorage moving west was Cheyne Island which would afford us some protection from the SW swell and the light northeast winds. It was only ~35 miles away and seemed a reasonable place to spend the night. We really didn't feature motoring all the way to Albany. Perhaps the winds would be true to forecast tomorrow.

Cheyne Island provided a good sandy anchorage and, anchored on the southwest side, it provided some protection from the NE winds. Cape Ritchie protected us from the SW swell. We were good. Except the winds switched to the SE, not the NE. Where the heck did that come from? You just can't trust the weather forecasts … you can't!

Cheyne Island is noted for a population of black rabbits. The little beach didn't look very inviting. We saw no black bunnies hanging around on the shore, but we did hear the whistles of penguins just after dark. Tomorrow, maybe the the wind will return?

Bremer Bay to Dillon Bay - A Quick Hop

 

We gathered up enough energy to head out of Bremer Bay this morning. Light, variable winds were forecast and for once, everyone agreed … coincidentally, they were right. We wanted to check out the small fisherman's boat harbor near Fishery Bay, located behind a rock groyne (breakwater) on the west side of the Bremer Bay, just to see what it looked like. It was quite snug and filled with moorings and small fishing boats. It would definitely not be a place for Cups to anchor and most of the moorings didn't look hefty enough for our big girl if there was a blow.

Just south of Fishery Bay we got a giggle out of Shiit Beach. In fact, we couldn't believe it when we first saw it, but it appeared on both chart programs, so I guess the name is correct. We found no more info about it except there was dirt road access and car parking there. It looked nice enough. Obviously named by a Texan with a drawl. Sophomoric senses of humor, I know, but we're easily amused.

We motored out of the bay and back into the big southwest swells of the Southern Ocean. There would be no sailing today and the going was lumpy with the swells on the beam. Just two bays away … about 10nm … was Dillon Bay and an anchorage called Little Boat Harbour that looked to be a fine place to spend the rest of the day and the evening. From a distance, the sand-duned hilltops at the entrance to Dillon Bay looked more like snow-covered mountains.

The Little Boat Harbour turned out to be remarkably well-protected from the swells … serene and glass-smooth calm. We snugged up as close to shore as we dared and I spotted a sand patch. The anchor dug in well. The beach looked inviting, but not that inviting. We opted to write the day away. We'll be in Albany soon with lots to see and do. In the meantime, we're content aboard sipping cuppas and sundowners and watching sunsets.