Category Archive

Repairs

The forestay is being repaired this morning.  

Monthly Supply Ship Arrives

The monthly supply ship arrived. With the water depth too shallow and the danger of running upon coral, the ship anchors within the channel just inside the opening. The barge is towed by the blue boat just to the right and berthed alongside, whereby the supplies are unloaded.

Repairs to be Made

Winds are up to 20 knots this morning, blowing the cloud cover and rains away. We are waiting – Bob impatiently so – for the winds to lighten so as we can motor over to the jetty to carry out repairs. He headed up the mast to make modifications in order for the twins to […]

Daily Happenings

More cruisers had arrived during the past few days. After meeting a couple and their crew on an expensive new European luxury Beneteau yacht, Bob felt better about the breakdowns. They had a myriad of failures which included stainless fittings coming off the mast head, broken winches, failed electrics and even hull delamination after a […]

Water Exploration

Bob had a try at spear fishing with no success.

Morning Rising

One arises to an anomaly each morning as the rooster crows; not quite the sound one expects to hear in a tropical paradise. It doesn’t rain in Cocos: it’s a deluge!!!! It’s been a day of intermittent downpours. The beauty of Cocos is that by being in the tropics one doesn’t freeze! Lighting storm this […]

We have arrived in Cocos

An amazing place. All one imagines a tropical Island to be. Some pics to tease. http://gratisaustralis.com/preparations/   We are working on the spiel, movies and pics. Hopefully will be ready in a week or so.

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 12

07:40 Cocos Keeling was sighted. A burst of excitement and expectation surged through us. Two hours later, having meandered through the reefs of coral, we were at last anchored only metres from shore in the most idyllic of places as five harmless two foot long Black Tipped Reef Sharks and the largest pelagic fish we […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 11

How different could two days be!!! It was an awakening to 8 knots of breeze and 77nm miles remaining: dead seabirds laying upon the sea’s surface avid reminders of yesterday’s tempest. So near, yet so far, Good old Murphy was at it again. No wind saw Gratis wallowing as she loped through the glassy oil […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 10

What a night!!! Pummelled by squalls racing in from left right and centre, bringing with them gusts of up to 36 knots. Neptune attempted to throw his best at us as his seas continued to build, and belongings crashed and rattled, whilst cracks as loud as Thor’s almighty roar reverberated throughout the yacht. Little sleep […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 9

0800, 305.5nm remaining of the journey: a Tuesday morning arrival was imminent at this stage. Seas were still 1½ – 2 metres, with minute amounts of white foam atop in places. In order to make the ride smoother, Bob altered the course to a heading of SW across the southerly swells, thereby placing the SE […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 8

A week since our departure from Carnarvon: how the time had flown. A cold front that passed by down south caused the winds to freshen and become southerly. This increase in wind speed, enabled the sails to fully fill, thereby providing us with not only a faster sail but a much smoother ride inside Gratis. […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 7

Awaking for my 3am shift, Bob informed me the bowed starboard whisker pole (the one bent on the first night out) had become a boomerang. Almost disbelieving, I turned on the floodlights and peered out. It surely was!!!!! As a result of the colossal pressure now being exerted upon it, we furled the Gennie, unhitched […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 6

The wind died by 5 knots: seemingly not a lot, but enough to cause yet another sail change! Grrrrrrr………!!! I received a bit of a shock on peering out the starboard pilot house window this particular morning. Roughly a mile from us, in between the swells was a 200 metre long oil tanker quietly sliding […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 5

Barometer 1017, temperature 25 degrees, we were officially over the 20 degree line. 778 nm covered, 450 remaining!! An uneventful day’s sail.

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 3

Farewell sun! Grey overcast skies greeted us this particular morning. Clouds drifted lazily across the heavens, seemingly only metres off the waters. This was a day of watching for squalls and waiting for the predicted wind shift, whilst the Cuvier Basin was traversed. Another day of drama, although not to do with Gratis. The first […]

Carnarvon to Cocos Keeling Islands, Day 1

05:20, we arose to tranquil waters, a 15 knot breeze and the chill air of winter brushing our rosy warm cheeks. After long months of final preparation, that long awaited day had arrived: Cocos, here we come!!!!! Last minute chores completed, many of our Carnarvon friends visited for a last minute natter: there was no […]

Indian Ocean Crossing the Hard Way versus the ‘Milk Run’

Thanks to Somalian pirates the traditional and much easier northern ‘Milk Run’ route through south East Asia, India and the Suez Canal is no longer an option, and it was armed with this foreknowledge on the possible conditions to be faced that we commenced our first Oceanic crossing. For many geographical and climatic reasons, the […]

Satellite Telephone Dock has Arrived

The dock has arrived. It looks like Saturday will be the day for our departure.

Bowsprit Strengthener Installed

What a perfect evening! Gentle breeze, dolphins hunting, fish a leaping, egrets feeding. Water ‘cold’, but refreshing for swimming in. The strengthener for the bowsprit is now installed. A good day’s work.