While I got the boat ready, Putu drove the hire car back to
the shop and walked the two kilometres back to the boat. After a coffee and
toast we were off.
When we exited the marina, we got a nasty shock as the wind
was around twenty-seven knots and the sea was about 1.5 meters and very
confused. Right away I had to reef as the boat was over powered.
With a third reef in the main and a slither of genoa we were
powering along at seven knots. As it was a beam reach the ride was quite
comfortable considering the condition.
Around 13:00 the wind started to die off and eventually we
had to start the engine and motor sail. We were heading for Serrurier Island
and around 14:00 we got a message to say my brother’s partner was at work in
Onslow, so I changed course to head for Onslow for the night.
Phone coverage was very patchy and I sent her a message to
say we can catch up tonight, but it turns out she was home in Queensland, so we
changed course once again and headed back to our original destination Serrurier
Island where we dropped anchor in four metres of crystal-clear water.
On the way into the bay we saw many turtles and large fish.
It was a really lovely place and I wish we were staying for
a few nights so I could do some diving. Right away we dropped the tender and
headed into the beach for a walk and to cast a popper.
It was a nice beach covered in large cowries and lots of
other shells. Above the high tide mark were lots of turtle holes. There was the
obligatory sign stating all the things you can’t do (including camping and
fires) and just nearby was a pile of fire wood where local fishermen regularly
camp.
I never got a touch on the popper, so around five we headed
back to the boat and I put the dingy back on the davits ready for heading off
again tomorrow. Surprisingly here we had television reception.
We had around thirteen knots of wind overnight and the
anchorage was pleasantly smooth and we both had a good night’s sleep.
Track Sirocco’s
progress
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