Year One
Date: 11/1/2008 4.00pm
Weather: Fine,sunny and windy, SW change expected late today strong wind warning present
Location:Eden - Quarantine Bay - 37 04S 149 52E
Author: Kylie

Hello everyone, Pete and I are now in Eden. We decided not to stop at Bermagui or Tathra Head and instead sailed from Batemans Bay straight through to Eden on Wednesday. We left Batemans Bay at 9am (had to wait for high tide to allow us to get over the bar). There was no wind so we were motoring whilst Peter set up the main. We had the auto pilot on and I ducked downstairs to grab a jacket and smelt the most disgusting smell ever. Not knowing where it was coming from we immediately thought of the motor and switched it off. Peter took the stairs out, took the cover off the motor and started to look around, he then pulled the floor up and soon discovered it wasn't the motor at all (sigh of relief). It was a melted fuse holder. When we were running the motor we were also charging our batteries up but something isn't quite working right and we now have some very melted and smelly plastic so that is casualty number 2 (pole was number 1 but that has been replaced now)

We now have our gps unit giving us not only a distance to our destination but also an estimated time of arrival based on our current speed. It was looking pretty miserable to begin with, telling us that at current speed (around 3knots) it would take another 27hours to get to Eden! Thats not what you want to hear. Luckily the wind increased and we were soon up to around 8-9knots. The estimated time of arrival was quickly dropping and making me feel alot better. We had anticipated an arrival around 3am but with the great speed we managed to hold right through to Eden we made it in at 10.30pm. Unfortunately we had one more casualty just before Eden, the mainsheet block failed. Crappy ronstan product design fault! (We have taken the blocks to be welded with additional strengthening added)

Yesterday we caught up with sailing friends Pete and Jess. We did our laundry at their place and also had a proper shower...what a luxury to not have to turn the water off whilst I'm washing my hair! Jess cooked us a delicious curry dinner and cheesecake. Mum, Dad and Toni were on their way back from Melbourne and met us in Eden, spending the night on the boat. This morning we had a big pancake, bacon and egg breakfast and are just about to move to over to East Boyd Bay for some protection from the southerly change due tonight.

We plan to spend a few days here waiting for a weather period to go across the Bass Strait.

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