Cannot believe that this day has finally arrived – albeit a couple of weeks after we had intended but then nothing goes as planned when you are dealing with boats. Only 10 days ago Ian discovered a serious crack in the compression post which is the main component that holds up the mast. It was disappointing to find such a major fault but obviously it was good to find it before we set off rather than be de-masted mid-ocean I guess! The heavens opened last night which meant the glass didn’t harden off enough for the flow coat to be applied, so on the morning of departure Ian was flowcoating while friends were turning up for a champagne send off! It took a while, and our intended time of departure of 10am got pushed back to 3pm. In fact Ian was still reattaching the anchor winch and running cables right up until the last minute with a lot of help from friends. While the girls drank champagne, the guys sorted out the boat – Meanwhile the winds were building and the weather was turning cold and miserable. Our stress levels were hitting the roof! Never mind, we still wanted to leave that day to get a good start up the coast so we just kept on fixing, checking and tweaking and eventually we were able to go. Saying goodbye to our kids was really hard, and sadly they had to leave before we could sail so we ended up having our hugs and tears in the car park…
Our 5 hour delay meant that most of the hanky-waving contingent had to leave but we still had a great send off. Under reefed jib, in 20-25 knots SW we left the marina. Were we ready? No absolutely not but we were ready enough. It was sunny but cold when we pulled out of Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club – our second home for the past five years. Very sad to say goodbye to what has been a fantastic part of our lives. We have made such good friends here but we will take all our memories with us. As soon as we got past the heads, the swell died down and we were racing along at 7-8 knots in full foulies and beanies. Cannot wait to get to the heat again…..
We are heading straight up the West Australian Coast until we get to Shark Bay – about 450NM which should take us about three days non-stop. As soon as Indian Summer was settled Ian took a well deserved kip and I settled down to cray-pot watch. We were so tired that all I could muster for dinner was chicken soup and toast – not much for a weary captain and crew but it was hot and filling and did the trick.
S/V Indian Summer 1 