From Mittelland Kanal to Havel Canal through lake district to Potsdam in August, then Potsdam to Zehdenick, September. Car journeys Nancy, France to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and return Potsdam, Germany to Poland and Return  

It’s been a busy couple of days that have left us exhausted and falling into bed at night. Prior to collecting the van on Wednesday, we drove to Kedron Car Electrics (auto electrician) who wre situated in Kate Street, Kedron, in order to find out what the issue was with regards to the brake lights […]

A three and a half hour drive through lush green countryside, where large pools of water from the last of the March rains still lay, brought us to the outskirts of Brisbane. Our track led us through the exquisitely beautiful region of the Darling Downs and Great Dividing Range. A mix of endless paddocks and forest […]

800km. A long day broken up by the changing landscape, goats, cattle, sheep, emus and ‘roos. Will sleep tonight!

We are staying with friends on their property in the Onkaparinga Hills, south of Adelaide in South Australia. Afternoon walks upon rocky dirt paths in the warmth of the setting sun’s yellow orange glow bring the hiker close to our unique wildlife. Kookaburras hidden within the leafy green eucalypts laugh raucously, whilst kangaroos on high alert graze in the […]

Brrrrr!!!!!! It’s freezing here in Berlin! Gratis has been winterised and is awaiting a lift from the water. We in the meantime are awaiting at Tegel Airport for our flight to Hong Kong. The 2016 journey has come to a close.       Image: Sunset at Lehnitz

Tidied the forward cabin and purchased the first of the food. Weather checks are now a daily job. Our new logo is well under way and is going to look fantastic. Tome is now revamping the blog itself. We are so excited.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

08:40 and we were now parallel with North West Cape, Australia. As a rain squall passed across the bow some distance ahead, Bob steered a course to the west in order to avoid confrontation. The sea temperature had risen to 25.5 degrees: what a difference to the 17 degrees in Carnarvon. With the warmer air, […]

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 […]

122nm covered, morning now upon us, down came the twins and into the bag they were stowed. With only one good 6.5m pole we could no longer fly them. It was time to reorganise the sail set up. Although slightly bent, Bob decided the starboard twin’s pole would still be fine for holding the smaller […]