Yes we made it! After 7 days and 8 hours of rather robust weather, we arrived safely into Mackay yesterday evening very pleased to have arrived. The passage itself wasn't a particularly enjoyable one being very rolly, and not helped by us both developing bad head colds, but at least it was one where we were able to sail all the way. The entrance through the Great Barrier Reef was challenging, in the middle of the night and with several knots of current against us, dodging big cargo vessels in the approach to the narrowest point of the channel (aptly named the Hydrographer's Passage) and finding our electronic charts for the area actually didn't have any details on them (thank heavens for back up charts on the tablet!) but we came through unscathed.We kept a diary as we sailed with all the details and will upload it when we next have wifi.
This morning we were officially cleared into the country when five customs and immigration personnel and one dog boarded Tumi and checked through every cupboard on board. Quite what they thought we might be tying to smuggle into the country is beyond us but we're now good to go. We'd done a lot of preparation before we arrived, cleaning out cupboards and jettisoning all the forbidden foodstuffs, plus listing the remaining inventory of goods, so they seemed happy with us, but it is the most rigorous search we have experienced in all our years sailing!
Well done both and hope head colds are better.
ReplyDeleteIt does make you wonder how drugs manage to get all over the world like they do doesn't it....