Note : for previous reports, see our Report Archive. Click here to see the report for Antigua to the Galapagos Islands

RALLY DIRECTOR INTERVIEWED BY LOCAL TV

Peter Seymour, Rally Director supporting the Blue Water Round the World Rally in Phuket was interviewed by local TV station Andaman News TV11 Phuket. You can view the video clip on their web site here, or for your convenience from our server here . Reproduced by kind permission of Andaman News TV11.

RALLIERS ENJOYING PHUKET AND THE ISLANDS OF THAILAND

By 10 December all yachts, except for Biotrek and Blackbird, have been berthed safely in the Yacht Haven Marina or the Royal Phuket Marina on Phuket Island. All crews have had some wonderful cruising from Langkawi in Malaysia to Phuket and, having completed their entry formalities, are now enjoying visits ashore in Phuket. Rally Director, Peter Seymour, was delighted to hear that Biotrek (Pierre and Lisa Caouet) will arrive soon and Blackbird have reported from Singapore that all is well but that they are further delayed by the availability of spares. They will finally rejoin the fleet here after Christmas, to be warmly welcomed by their fellow Ralliers.

A number of skipper and crew members have returned to their homelands but much planning is afoot for Christmas celebrations in Phuket itself and amongst the beautiful islands which lie to the east. There is some "make and mend" going on and crews have been seen searching chandleries for various spares. Others have followed less nautical pursuits and have been finding amazing bargains in the shopping malls and souvenir shops which abound on this holiday island.

There has been a great welcome from the staff at the Yacht Haven Marina where managers, Nick and Zara, have done a wonderful job in finding comfortable pontoon berthing with all facilities. On the 11th there was a great Welcome Reception at the Haven Restaurant, hosted by the TAT (Thai Ministry of Tourism). Ralliers enjoyed a sumptuous Thai buffet and barbecue - and were later entertained to an amazing "HeShe" Cabaret!! To round off the entertainment Blue Water Rally crews listened to an impressive drum display as huge lanterns were floated from the beach upwards into the tropical night sky. Stories were exchanged and plans laid for Christmas cruising and New Year parties.

On 13th skippers will meet for a briefing for their next leg. In the evening previous BWR owners, Barry Cager and Christiane, are entertaining the 2005-7 owners to a reception at their new home on Phuket Island. (Barry will be skippering his Dixon 57, Coco de Mer, again with his new colleagues on the current Rally to the Mediterranean.) Everyone will then commence their local cruising with departures from Phuket and Thailand planned for around 2nd January.

RALLY YACHTS SAIL THE BEAUTIFUL WATERS OF PHUKET

The beautiful waters of Phuket have always been a highlight of the Blue Water Rally - crews have around 3 weeks to sail around the islands and the coast during Christmas and New Year. Many will be visited by families and friends for the festive season, although some owners will be paying a brief visit to their homes and families in Europe and elsewhere.

Most yachts in the Blue Water Rally will be based initially at the Yacht Haven Marina in the NE of Phuket Island. The marina has been a "home from home" for the Blue Water Rally now for over 10 years and managers, Nick and Zara, have promised a warm welcome, as usual. As they sail into Phuket skippers will have the choice of briefly anchoring in Ao Chalong Bay to complete their entry formalities before cruising up to the Yacht Haven, whilst others will be assisted by Rally Director, Peter Seymour, and make the trip to the "one-stop" clearance facility by road.

Once settled in crews will undoubtedly have some maintenance to do and may well be using the services of ex-Blue Water Rally participant, Peter Goldsmith, who is now based at the Yacht Haven with his engineering firm, Sea Marine Service. Peter's wife, Sue, has set up a marine clothing business, Yacht Style Asia. Truly, an example of life after the Rally!

But it won't just be "make and mend". The Yacht Haven and Thai Tourist Board will be giving a Welcome Party at the Yacht Haven on 11 December. Owners and their crews will have their first experience of Thai dancing and enjoy the delights of Thai food. Soon crews will want to start their cruising but they will first have a briefing on the next leg (to Sri Lanka) and there is a private party for owners given by another previous participant, who will be joining the Rally again to return to the Mediterranean. Plenty on the calendar therefore and, with Christmas on the horizon, the stopover promises to be very special.

ALL YACHTS `FULLY' RELAXING IN SINGAPORE - writes Tony Diment

On 14th November the final contingent of rally yachts arrived at the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC). A magnificent welcoming Reception Party was held in honour of the rally's arrival on the the 15th and with Chinese harps playing in the background plus several other cultural dances as entertainment, the rally sampled many of the exciting and tasty Singaporean dishes at a truly sumptuous buffet.

After a lengthy but constructive rally meeting on the 16th the rally settled into an excursion programme organised by the Club. There were visits to Singapore's famous night zoo, a city tour and a tour of Sentosa Island - oh, and of course many shopping trips to Orchard Road where electronic goods seemed to particularly appeal to rally participants.

Most of the yachts will start slipping away from RSYC on the 24th November for the 2-week cruise up the Malaysian coast towards Thailand and the Island of Phuket.

RALLY YACHTS ARRIVE AT NONGSA AND SINGAPORE

We have heard from Tony Diment, our co-director, who is providing support to the Rally at Nongsa Point and Singapore that he has arrived safely at Nongsa Point. He has already visited the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (hosts for the Rally in Singapore itself) and is now managing the clearances of our yachts from Indonesia at the marina resort of Nongsa. He tells us the following:

Yachts in Singapore
Annka, Bibi, Paulina and Anouk. Spirit of Affric, Freewheel, Valhalla, Fenella, Festina Lente, Kamala, Seren Wen and Bamsen transited to the RSYC on 11 November.

Arrivals at Nongsa Point
There were a number of arrivals at Nongsa on 11 November - Golden Eye, Saoirse K, Tzigane, Stella, Northern Star, Innforapenny, Onyva, Pytheas, Jenard and Alexes. Gipsy Moth is due to arrive on Monday 13th. Tony is planning for these yachts to depart on 14th in order to arrive en masse at the RSYC for special clearance arrangements into Singapore.

At the RSYC there will be a Welcome Party on 15th and the usual leg briefing (for the leg from Singapore to Phuket) on 16th. There are also plans for tours on 3 of the days in Singapore.

NEWS FROM "BLACKBIRD" (Posted 8 Nov 06)

Thanks to the marvels of satellite communications we had a call yesterday from Kai Gundersen, the co-owner of "Blackbird". "Blackbird" has been badly delayed over the last 2 months and her most recent problems have involved fitting a new starter-motor on Thursday Island at the north of Australia and a further diversion to Darwin.

The good news is that "Blackbird" has arrived safely in Kupang and is being well looked after by our agent there. Our briefing material and his cruising permit were waiting for him and he expects to leave on Friday. Nonetheless, bureaucracy can't be circumvented and he has to take the local Customs and Immigration officials out to his yacht. Kai tells us that they don't really know what to expect - his dinghy is described by him as "a very wet eggcup" and he hopes the officials will be sufficiently friendly after their trip!

The Blue Water Rally fleet have been put in touch and we expect that "Blackbird" will arrive in Singapore in time to meet up with everybody. In the meantime Kai tells us that he does not wish to miss out on a visit to the Komodo Dragons and also wants to have a stopover in Bali.

THE FLEET ON COURSE FOR SINGAPORE

Peter and Val Newns on "Valhalla" have kindly sent us the following news from the fleet as Acting Net Controllers on the Tuesday 7 November radio Net.

" About half the fleet visited,or are now visiting, the Camp Leaky Orang Utang sanctuary near Kumai while the rest are heading from Bali direct for Nongsa or Singapore.
Meanwhile, the majority of the fleet are battling up the Java Sea, in most cases against head winds or calms and adverse currents. We earlier experienced reduced visibility due to the smoke from forest fires in Kalimantan and had a night of squalls and torrential rain. Fuel is a major consideration. We were able to get some from three fishing boats in Serutu after much negotiation in sign language as none of the locals spoke English. Refuelling there is a hit and miss affair as the chances of getting any ashore are very slim (we tried and there was none available) and the fishing fleet leave port in the afternoon. Other boats refuelled in Kumai or in Bawean, where there were no problems."

On this leg we do not publish positions of individual yachts at sea, but all is well within the fleet, apart from sometimes adverse sailing conditions often experienced at this time of the change of monsoon seasons. Annka and Anouk are now in Singapore and Bamsen, Bibi, Paulina and Seren Wen have arrived at Nongsa Point Marina close to Singapore. Nongsa Point Marina will be home to the Rally for a few days and is the port for yachts and crews to "clear" out of Indonesia. There will also be plenty of opportunity to enjoy the sophistication of the Nongsa Resort and local restaurants and bars! Those yachts in Kumai or in transit are now only a few hundred Miles from Nongsa where Rally Director Tony Diment will meet them in a few days time.

MEETING OUR ANCESTORS (?) AND "R&R" IN BALI

Blue Water Ralliers have been enjoying their stopover in Bali and the nearby island of Lombok. Bali has everything for everyone - sophisticated hotels and resorts and a beautiful interior with charming people. Eduard and Marleen on "Bibi" have reported that they are in Bali at Benoa Marina with Alexis, Golden Eye, Innforapenny, Jenard, Northern Star, Onyva, Pytheas, Stella, Saoirse K, Tzigane and Valhalla. All are reported well and with no problems, apart from some minor technical issues.

At sea Annka and Anouk have pressed on ahead of the fleet and should reach Singapore soon. The remainder of the Rally are cruising slowly towards Kalimantan and Singapore where they will be met by Tony Diment around 11 November.

A major highlight of this phase of the Rally is the visit by owners and their crews to the Orangutan Sanctuary in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). A special reserve has been established by wildlife conservationists to protect these amazing creatures, particularly those which have suffered from the destruction of their habitat. There are also numbers of orphan orangutan which are being helped and eventually will be returned to the wild. We hope visitors to our site will enjoy some of the images which have captured the imagination of our participants.

FASCINATING CRUISING ALONG THE SPICE ISLANDS OF INDONESIA

We have now received 2 reports from the Rally which is cruising in small groups along the Spice Islands of Indonesia from Kupang to Bali. The area is lightly populated and local people are fishermen and farmers, scraping a living as best they can.

Smiling Faces
One of the features which is always remembered by the Rally crews is the smiling faces of the adults but, in particular, those of the children. At each anchorage crews are welcomed by children in dugout canoes circulating the yachts and chattering away in a mix of English and Malay.

Their parents will catch fish from small boats, sometimes powered by outboard motors, but often still wind-driven in a centuries-old style. Yachts will also have to give a wide berth to the fixed fishing huts and traps, which stand out of the water all along the coast. They also create a different hazard when they fall into disuse and their supports lie just under the surface of the sea to catch the unwary yachtsman!

Dragons and Volcanoes
We have put a photograph of a Komodo dragon on our Home Page. These huge, carnivorous lizards still populate the Islands of Komodo and Rinca around halfway along the route to Bali. Crews will undoubtedly be stopping at Rinca and voyaging ashore to see these amazing creatures. Another feature of the route is the line of active volcanoes, which can be seen by day and even more clearly as they light up the night sky.

From Rinca to Bali
As the Rally yachts approach Bali they will notice the gradual change from simple villages to tourist resorts. But first they will call at Lombok which, despite having been touched by tourism, is still described as "Bali before the tourists arrived". Each day there will be a fleet of brighly-coloured traditional fishing boats sailing out to sea, criss-crossing the path of the Rally yachts as they sail westwards towards Bali.

Richard Bolt repoerts on the Kupang stopover.

I am now in Darwin on my way back to UK, after saying farewell once again to the fleet in Kupang. A few hours before I was due to leave, yesterday, the penultimate yacht in the fleet, Tzigane, arrived in the anchorage. John and Jenny had had a fabulous time in Australia and squeezed every bit of action they could into the time available. This included visits to Sydney, Kakadu National Park and (at the last minute) a trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock); hence their late arrival Kupang.

Blackbird is in touch again

I also had word, via Bamsen, from Blackbird. Kai and Jorgen, the new skipper and crew, were struggling up from Fiji in a brave attempt to catch up with the fleet after a long delay. They are doing well and, last Thursday, were at 16 deg 23 min South, 150 deg 27 min East, just approaching the Great Barrier Reef. They may stop to catch their breath after a 3000 mile trip or, like Captain Bligh, might go direct to Kupang. Our main agent in Kupang, Teddy, has all their complex Indonesian paperwork ready for them if they go straight there.

A great time in Kupang

The fleet, despite expectations, ended up having a great time in Kupang. Four yachts left on Thursday 12th (Whitewings, Pytheas, Onyva and Annka) and they sadly missed a real treat. The Welcome Party, given freely by the Mayor and people of Kupang (a city not well endowed with financial riches) was beautiful, delicious, lively and generous. The party was hosted by the Mayor and his wife accompanied by a host of local dignitaries and officers. Choreographed by a lively bi-lingual MC, there were traditional dances performed by a gorgeous group of ladies and accompanied by local musical instruments, there was a whole spit-roast pig and fabulous fish dishes, there was a DJ and rock music and there were souvenirs of scarves and a decorated mug or plate for everyone. The gorgeous dance troup encourages us all to wiggle our hips with them on the dance floor and, led by Hutch, we all did! The people of Kupang really know how to party and we were all most grateful to them for treating us so very well.

New cultures and new experiences

After the party, a few yachts raised anchors and set off into the dark to ensure they reached their next anchorage in daylight. The rest, all but for Gipsy Moth, did the same the following day (Friday 13th) and set off for the fascinating string of Indonesian islands south-east of Bali, known as "The Spice Islands". This area is 85% Christian, both Catholic and Lutheran, and about 15% Muslim. This affects everyday life in the area. Whilst the dress protocol still discourages the exposure of too much skin, the shops still open on Friday and close on Sunday. However, being Ramadan at the present time, many of the people we come into contact with are fasting throughout the day. This mixture of cultures makes for a fascinating blend of attitudes, traditions, colours, skills and practices. What a contrast from Darwin, and different to anywhere else we have visited. Kupang is truly a 'gateway to Asia' and provides a strong first impression for the rally.

Our Agent really helped.....

In Kupang, Teddy looked after us in royal fashion. His support came most visibly to the fore when Keith, on Jenard, was taken ill. Teddy went out of his way to get him to doctors and medical facilities and subsequently to arrange flights and transportation to get Keith and Ann back to UK. We all wish them the very best and hope all is going well. In the meantime, Steven, from Spirit of Affric, has joined Jenard to help David get the yacht up to Singapore .... at least it will give Donald and Steven a break from looking at each other 24 hours a day! Teddy arranged for a group of young students of English to make themselves available to the fleet. These kids were fantastic! They led people around the town, made sure they got on the right "bemo", found all the right shops, museums and markets and even helped with the bargaining. Another important support feature was the "Beach Protection Team"! Again, arranged by Teddy, this stalwart band of fellows would wade chest deep into the sea to help get dinghies ashore, they would carry dinghies up and down the beach, help with carting of shopping across the sand and guard the dinghies whilst owners were away. I arranged some printed BWR T-shirts, to make them distinctive, and they and the student-guides wore them with pride. We all thanked Teddy and his team for a great service and applauded his efforts to minimise the impact of the Indonesian bureaucratic requirements.

Cruising the Islands - "Here be Dragons"...........

Yachts are expected to day-sail amongst the Spice Islands until they reach Bali around 27th October. Bali is different again. Here the religion is mainly Hindu, which has allowed the development of the extensive tourist trade. Bikinis are not short in appearance here! En route there, most yachts will put in a stop at Komodo Island to see the "Dragons" - the largest lizards in the world.

REPORT FROM KUPANG

Richard Bolt has found time to send us this report as at 11 October.

A FEW LATE DEPARTURES FROM DARWIN

On Friday 6th October, having had an active and enjoyable time visiting the bushland of the national parks of Australia's Northern Territory and making final preparations for leaving the fully civilized world, 6 rally yachts paved the way for the 500-mile journey from Darwin to Kupang in West Timor, Indonesia. These were: Golden Eye, Spirit of Affric, Stella, Saoirse K, Valhalla and Whitewings. Onyva, Innforapenny, Northern Star (a new Danish yacht in the fleet) and Gipsy Moth had all intended to leave, but last-minute hitches delayed their departures. Most of the rest of the fleet left the following day, Saturday, but Tzigane finds herself delayed whilst John and Jenny visit the wonders of Alice Springs and Uluru. The Rally still awaits the return of Blackbird, who swapped skippers in Fiji but had to wait until Kai (the incoming co-owner) had recovered from illness. They are somewhere en route from Fiji to Kupang at the moment.

FIRST ARRIVALS

First to arrive in Kupang on Monday morning was Whitewings. Although last to leave on Friday, she was the fastest boat of the leading fleet. She was shortly followed by Saoirse K, Stella, Spirit of Affric and Golden Eye. These yachts had enjoyed some winds early in the passage but, after only 150 miles or so, found that they had to motor right up until the last few miles into Kupang. Spirit of Affric claimed the honours for style in that they were the only ones to cut the donkey and do some real sailing along the coast of Timor island.

Most of the remaining yachts had arrived by midnight on Tuesday. Currently outstanding are: Anouk, Kamala, On Top and Tzigane, all of whom had late departures.

A WARM WELCOME FROM THE LOCALS

Kupang may not be the most attractive of destinations in the fascinating islands of Indonesia, but it does pulse with a 3rd world charm. The friendly smiling faces here have put up with a major loss of trade since the Dili uprisings 5 years ago. So they are overjoyed to see the Blue Water Rally arrive in town, both as a source of revenue and as a signal to the world that this town is a worthwhile place to visit. This impoverished city has pulled out the stops to make life easy and welcoming for our people. Not that this does not mean that the bureaucracy has disappeared or that things will happen when you want or expect, but they have laid on a team of lads to help dinghies land on the beach, a team of teenage students of English to act as guides around the town and a Welcome Party as guests of the Mayor and the city. This party, on Thursday, will be a sumptuous feast with a demonstration by local dancers and attendance by local dignitaries.

Teddy, a local entrepreneur, has become a great friend of the rally. He has pulled together a great team of supporters from guides to fuel suppliers and yacht agents to waitresses. His attractions include tours to the countryside, to see how the peasants eke out a living and to learn of the history and anthropology of the area. The local vegetable market is teeming with life and activity, and the modern world is starting to make inroads with the provision of a few ATMs and a shopping mall “not quite the same as shopping in Oxford Street however! Traffic is a nightmare, with no rules of the road “except one vaguely keeps to the left “and no traffic lights or signs. Still accidents are few and consideration for others is good. A great meal was enjoyed by a select group from Golden Eye and Spirit of Affric on Monday evening, in a Chinese restaurant where the food was cooked on gas burners on the floor right outside the loo and the wash-basin was in the dining room ….. but it tasted delicious and no-one had a Montezuma in the morning!

MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO

From Kupang, along the gorgeous string of Spice Islands to Bali is largely a Christian majority, where shops close on Sunday and beer is readily available. In Bali the religion is mainly Hindu, which has allowed the tremendous development in the tourist trade. Beyond Bali a mainly Muslim population predominates, so shops close on Friday and different customs need to be observed. Throughout all these islands, which includes the largest Muslim population of any state, this mixture of peoples, creeds and religions adds colour, variety and, indeed, tensions. However, to be fearful of danger and avoid visiting this country would be to miss a real treat of lovely people living in a lovely land. Taking proper precautions one can traverse these seas and islands in safety and receive great hospitality, even if some creature comforts might be a bit scarce. From now until mid-November the rally participants are in for a real treat and glimpse of a fascinatingly different world.

Some yachts are raring to go, but must work to Indonesia time to clear immigration, refuel and reprovision. They will probably leave, after the mayor’s party, on Friday morning. That is if we can fix Alexes’ engine, Gipsy Moth’s alternator, etc etc. Life on the Blue Water Rally is always active!

THE FIRST GROUP OF YACHTS DEPART DARWIN EN ROUTE FOR INDONESIA

The first group of yachts,comprising `Golden Eye',`Saiorse K',`Spirit of Affric',`Stella' and `Whitewings' sailed from Darwin on Friday morning 6th October en route to Kupang in West Timor, Indonesia. By 1800hrs (Darwin time) on Friday 6th October the yachts were 60 miles West of Darwin (in Donald Fraser's words) "enjoying a gentle NE wind making slow but steady progress." Donald continues: "On Spirit of Affric' although we liked Darwin the crew are very happy to have left the heat for this nice sea breeze".

The remainder of the Rally fleet is due to leave Darwin over the coming weekend.

BLUE WATER RALLY YACHTS GATHER IN DARWIN

Over the last few weeks Blue Water Rally yachts have been "free-cruising" from Cairns to Darwin. This section of the Rally route has always been extremely popular with short sailing legs and the wonderful coastline of Australia to follow. The route has included a further reminder of the past as participants follow in the wake of Captain Cook, whose "Endeavour" was stranded off the NE coast. In the last 2 weeks yachts have rounded Cape York, the most northerly point of Australia and crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria, passing the Aboriginal Sanctuary of Arnhem Land before arriving in Darwin.

Trips into the Outback
On our Home Page we are featuring Ralliers exploring the Outback. Within easy reach of Darwin are the 2 huge national parks of Kakadu and Litchfield and the Katherine Gorge. Participants have rented cars and campervans and either individually or in organised groups have ventured into these wilderness areas. The scenery is amazing, there is some wonderful wildlife and, of course, there are many features of aboriginal culture to see, including rock art in the wild.

Some of the very adventurous are planning to visit the Red Centre and Alice Springs, rounding off nearly 2 months in Australia visiting Uluru, one of the most famous sites on the subcontinent.

Make-and-Mend and another great contrast in prospect
The Rally visit to Australia has given most owners the opportunity to have a "halfway" refit of their yachts, which have now sailed for some 13,000 miles. For those who have not had liftouts in Fiji or Cairns, Darwin has some excellent yachting facilities and several yachts are booked in for anti-fouling and other work.

Darwin is a vibrant city with a great social life and crews are having an extremely enjoyable "run ashore". Our friends at the Darwin Sailing Club in particular will be ensuring that crews have plenty of cold beers and dine well in the Club restaurant. However, there is a certain amount of "admin" to be done obtaining visas and preparing paperwork for the Rally visit to Indonesia.

Blue Water Rally Manager, Richard Bolt, is being kept busy helping crews obtain their Indonesian visas and checking other paperwork, such as their official cruising permits applied for by the Rally organisers some weeks ago, are all in order.

RALLY YACHTS CRUISE FROM CAIRNS TO DARWIN
Peter and Val Newns of "Valhalla" have reported their progress from Cairns towards Darwin on 14 September.

"Valhalla left Cairns on the 10thSeptember along with Onyva and headed for Low Islets in a south easterly of about 10 knots and brilliant sunshine. We then spent a night anchored in the lee of Cape Bedford where we had up to 25 knots of wind on the bow but very good holding in mud. We are now anchored in the 'sheltered' Watson's Bay on Lizard Island with at times 30 + knots of wind over the deck and squally showers passing through. Our intention is to go next to the Flinders Group of Islands and then on to Morris Island and the Escape River but we would like the wind to moderate a little first and the forecast does not indicate this happening at present.

Tzigane left Marlin Marina this morning this leaves Pythias still there. Anouk left Lizard yesterday heading for Margaret Bay : she had to anchor even further out here because of her draft and was subject to even stronger winds. Spirit of Affric and Jenard are in Port Douglas. Soirse K is in the Lockhart River and ahead of them further north are Stella and Golden Eye. We think that White Wings and Gipsy Moth have passed Cape York."

Footnote from Rally Control: Although we are not receiving regular position reports from the Rally as this is a "free-cruising" leg, Peter and Val Newns have kindly sent us an update on 14 September. Rally crews are enjoying themselves, although they are not all having perfect sailing conditions. Richard Bolt, our Support Manager, will be in Darwin from 29 September to prepare the fleet for their cruise through Indonesia.

Richard Bolt sends the following photographs from the Cairns stopover :

Richard Bolt has just returned to the UK from Cairns after a very pleasant, but very busy, week with the Blue Water Rally.

Richard reports:

THE RALLY SETTLES IN TO LIFE DOWNUNDER

The whole fleet seemed a bustle of activity as they set to with mid-term refits, trips to places far away and a rash of retail therapy after the remote islands of the South Pacific. As a result, coupled with an Australian Custom’s mandate not to clear arrival procedures at Yorkeys Knob, nearly everyone opted to stay at the commercial marina in Cairns town, rather than the more refined and secluded Yorkeys Knob Boating Club. With new yachts joining for the Oz-Med Rally at YKBC, I was kept on my toes.

Most people had already arrived in Cairns by the time I got there. All keen to get on with the work. Notable exceptions were Stella, Whitewings, Jenard, Blackbird, Bio Trek, Bibi and Gipsy Moth. The Stella crew took their time relishing the last of the Pacific Islands in Fiji and Vanuatu; as a result they enjoyed some pretty good sailing conditions instead of the rough time that others ahead of them suffered. That was important for Peter and Sandy, Susan’s twin brother and a friend, who joined in Fiji and had never been sailing before (brave stuff!). Whitewings and Jenard took the opportunity to arrive in Australia further south, at Mackay, and then enjoy the sail northwards through the glorious Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef. These three yachts all arrived safely in Cairns in due course.

Blackbird, on the other hand, still seems to be stuck in Fiji. Neils and his crew left the yacht there, as agreed many months ago so that Neils’ co-owner, Kai, could take over for the second half of the world. Sadly, Kai was taken ill and we are not sure of their current plans. Bio Trek is taking time out to visit the Philippines and we expect to see them again in Singapore. Bibi’s owner, Edouard, suffered a nasty fall in Fiji – but, after receiving some excellent initial treatment by Peter (doctor) and Susan (nurse) [from Stella] and air lifting to hospital, he is now OK – so he arranged for a professional crew to sail the yacht to Darwin, where they will rejoin. Actually, Edouard and all his family pitched up in Cairns having flown to Sydney and driven up from there. It was great to see them all again. Finally, Gipsy Moth, having been fully repaired in New Zealand and shipped to Sydney, is now under way again and will re-join the later yachts to depart from Cairns and we will all meet up in Darwin.

On Tuesday 15th August Yorkeys Knob Boating Club hosted a Welcome Reception in honour of the rally. This was a most generous guesture and I strongly recommend the warm welcome and hospitality of YKBC to any passing yachtsmen. The club went on to arrange a traditional Aussie Beach Barbie for us all on Friday evening. This was after their Rear Commodore Sailing, Guy Chester, gave up his afternoon to brief on the delights and dangers of sailing up the coast to Darwin. It seems you are statistically OK to swim as far north as Lizard Island, after that one has a good chance of becoming shark or croc bait! Thank you for a great time, YKBC.

Over the next 6 weeks, yachts will have their bottoms painted and repairs accomplished at either Cairns or Darwin. Many crews will take a “holiday from the holiday” and return to Europe to see the family or visit the Sydney Opera, Uluru or many of the other brilliant attractions of Australia. They will make their own way, singly or in small groups for 2 – 3 weeks, up the coast to the very northern tip of Australia, across the Gulf of Carpentaria to Darwin. There we will gather to arrange visas and cruising permits for the beautiful and mysterious islands of Indonesia.

The rally has already welcomed 3 new yachts Penny and Peter on their lovely new Lightwave 45 “Innforapenny”, Jenny and David on their Tasman “Alexes”, and Edwina and Ray on their Halberg Rassey “Seren Wen”. Seren Wen has become reunited with Jenard of Mersey, both yachts being nearly identical, bought on the same day, and sailed back to UK from Sweden together – a trip they undertook with Tony Diment collecting “Pelagia” from the Najad yard on the same island. In addition, we will be joined in Darwin by the X562 “Northern Star” and Mogens and Anne from Denmark ( our first Danish yacht).

So all yachts are accounted for. Crews are enjoying some R&R and some mid-tour overhauls. They have time to take a break and sail leisurely up to Darwin, where I shall again join them, to prepare for the next exciting stages of their odyssey.

Richard

THE BLUE WATER RALLY AT WORK AND PLAY DOWNUNDER
By 11 August all Blue Water Rally yachts were reported to be safe and sound in Cairns - either in the city itself or making their way to the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club at the Halfmoon Bay Marina, a little to the north.

Liftouts and Make and Mend
Over the last 10 years Cairns has become a popular stopover for liftouts halfway round the world. By now most yachts require some form of maintenance and, in particular, a new coat of anti-fouling paint. Cairns offers several options - there are several shipyards, boatyards for yachts, including the excellent facilities of the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron (CCYS). Several crews will be doing their own servicing and painting, whilst others have chosen to pay for their local support. However, all are finding a very warm welcome at the very hospitable CCYS with its ice-cold Aussie beer on the patio and excellent food.

However, for those working in Cairns, there will be time off and the city beckons with its huge range of shopping facilities, restaurants, bars and nightlife.

Stopover Support
The large majority of the Rally fleet arrived before Richard Bolt, our support manager, in order to get ahead with their work schedule and then to enjoy the welcome and social programme arranged by our hosts at the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club. Richard had a slow start to his journey, arriving at Heathrow just in time for the Critical Terror Alert, but was on his way without too much delay. He will be with the Rally from 12 August until 20 August.

A Warm Welcome at Yorkeys
We first visited Yorkeys in 1996 and its members have always provided a real Aussie welcome to our Ralliers. This year promises to be no exception, with a welcome party, a traditional Aussie barbecue and outstanding bar and restaurant facilities overlooking the marina. The Club is only a short distance from a huge shopping centre and many of the regional tourist sites.

Lots to do and see!
Cairns and its surrounding region is, of course, a major tourist destination. Blue Water Rally crews will soon find their way around and top of the list will certainly be a day out on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail. The railway climbs up from Cairns to the old mining town of Kuranda through rainforest, deep gorges and rugged mountain scenery. A favourite plan is to have lunch at one of the old restaurants, do some shopping and then descend by Skyrail.

The Skyrail has always been a particular highlight for our visits to Cairns. The cablecar runs over the rainforest canopy, allowing regular stops for visitors to experience the local flora and fauna. At the foot of the Skyrail there is also the Tjapukai Aboriginal Experience, where one can learn something of the history and culture of the local aboriginal tribe.

Further afield there is much to explore - the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas and the Daintree River. Here Ralliers will meet crocodiles in the wild for the first (but probably not the last) time. Over the years crocs have been seen in the Marina itself!

Onwards to Darwin
As the Blue Water Rally is a cruising-only event, participants are given a considerable amount of choice as to how long they spend in Cairns and en route to Darwin. Certainly several yachts will stay in Cairns until the end of August or beyond, while some will make their way earlier to Darwin for planned maintenance there. All will be in "relaxed mode" as their next date in the diary is not until 29 September when the fleet will rendezvous again - this time at Darwin. Their cruise northwards will place them in the footsteps of Captain Cook and there will be many adventures as they head across the Gulf of Carpentaria around aboriginal Arnhem Land and Northern Territory to Darwin. Much yet to come .............

Rally yachts will not be maintaining a regular radio schedule or reporting to us on a regular basis. However, we shall provide news from time to time.