AUSTRALIA !!!
MACKAY
We are HERE in AUSTRALIA !!!! We arrived cold and wet on 2am on Saturday 14th August 2010.
Brian flying the Aussie flag on the deck as we crossed the Great Barrier Reef.
It had been a nailbiting ride, through treacherous shallow coral heads for 120 miles of the Hydrographers passage, through the Great Barrier Reef.
The local temperature had plummeted to a local all time low for the season and we were frozen to the bones and exhausted but delighted.
MISS TIPPY limped into Mackay triumphantly with 2 broken sails, very low battery power and not much fuel.
We had been forced to motor when both large sails sustained tears on the same day, 3 days from land, having not been able to fuel up for the previous 2 months….. about the same as losing the accelerator on your car and running out of petrol on a long journey!
The next morning we were able to assess the damage.
The UV rays from the constant tropical sun had degraded the seams holding the canvas together on both the mainsail and the yankee.
We removed the sails ready for repair as soon as we could.
Luckily we have trained the little Norton crew to help!
However, sometimes they act like kids!!!
Freddie……..supervising!
I just want to jump into that turquoise water but the boat jobs come first!
Cleaning the Tippy way!
It’s a team effort.
Within hours of our landfall, the Vrind family Robert, Tineke, Max and Robbie arrive unexpectedly and very give us a fantastic welcome to Australia with cold champagne! ( O.K. we scrub up for the photo! )
Amazingly, Robert was the project manager for the complete build of Miss Tippy in Ipswich in 2008/9 and had emigrated to the Whit Sunday Islands on the completion of our boat build in summer 2009. We had formed a really good bond with Robert who helped us all the way through the Oyster build process, he features in the building Miss Tippy movies on this site.
The Vrind boys, Max (sporting a broken arm) and Robbie sitting on the sails!
Robert had unknown to us, already arranged our sail repair and had brought along a big truck so that he could deliver the heavy canvas to a workshop a couple of hours away from the marina on our behalf.
Thank you so much Robert! It’s brilliant to see you again!
We shared a long and sunny day together on the other side of the world!
Tineke and Sheila hiding from the kids!
There’s no hiding from Robbie!
The end of a great day on the beach.
We will meet up with the Vrind family again next week when we sail Miss Tippy up to Airly beach on the east coast of Australia towards the Northern Territories.
Thank you Vrind family for a lovely welcome to Australia.
Mackay today………. Sydney tomorrow.
SYDNEY
We took an exciting 2hour flight from Mackay to Sydney.to meet my brother Michael, wife Julia and 3 girls from England, they are flying into Sydney too. We are all excited to see our family for the first time in a year.
…….and into my arms.
Hugs all around.
Kids reunited!
After finding our hotel the fun started with a night on the town in Darling harbour.
Girls aloud!
Michael, Julia, Catherine, Alice and Lucy in Darling harbour.
Twin cousins born 3 days apart.
Ice cream before bed!
Squeezed into the lift.
6 in a bed tired and emotional.
The view from our hotel window.
The next day a tour of Sydney.
I can’t believe the internet works so well and at last I can catch up on some overdue diary entries.
Bye for now, love Sheila x
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Marvelous. Hadn’t visited your site for quite a while. Funny to see how much you’ve done in that time!
I love them photos of lucy. it was gr8 to see you all in sydney. the ice cream at the restraunt was really good.