101. Alfred

I’m heading north again. Ultimately to Darwin where I plan to check out of Australia and move on to Indonesia. A long way to go but there are also a lot of cool things to see along that way. I can’t wait to get to places like the Whitsundays, the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait. And ultimately, I want to hook up with my buddies on Picasso (fka Traveller) who are waiting for me in Indonesia. So I have places to go, people to see, Vamonos!

The only problem is Alfred. A cyclone that at present is gathering strength in the Coral Sea and potentially on the move towards the Queensland coast. Alfred is moving very slowly at a speed of only 6 km/h but a few weather institutes predict that he will hit the coast as a cat 3 cyclone some time next week. Alfred is not someone I need to meet so I think I’ll wait until he has moved on before I continue north.

I’ll probably stay in Rose Bay for at least another week. Pretty much in the very same spot where I spent Christmas and New Year. With a full view of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and a front row seat for the show that’s constantly going on around me. There are water skiers, wing foilers, sailing schools and almost always some form of sail race. Often with Saoirse as a marker that you have to pass. Then there are the party boats. They turn up blasting what primarily appears to be 90’s music. And not the good stuff, more Spice Girls and Britney Spears than Oasis or Pearl Jam. They stay for a few hours with the guests dancing and jumping from the top floor before they leave again. Only to return a couple of hours later with the next set of equally cheerful guests. Same boats, same music, same dancing, same jumps, just a different crowd. And to top all this off, there are several hydroplanes that use the bay as a runway. It took me a while to get used to hearing the sound of a screaming propeller engine coming towards Saoirse like a WWII Stuka bomber only to watch the pilot plant the aircraft with surgical precision in a bay full of masts. Often only a boat length or so away from Saoirse.

I’ve come to enjoy the show. Even if it’s the same every day. It’s nice to watch people enjoy themselves even if it can get a little noisy at times. I’ve lived most of my life in big cities and find that I like the contrast with the secluded bays that I usually anchor in. That said, I’m sure It will be nice to get away from it all once Alfred has decided to move on.

Another nice thing with hanging around a city is that you can find pretty much anything you need. And as I understand it from my friends in Indonesia I will need a lot when I get there. The winds will be light so I need to be able to carry more diesel onboard and I’ve been told to bring a lot of diesel filters as the quality of the diesel is questionable. I also want to buy some spare parts, guest flags, clothes and wine. And to fit all of this I need to discard some stuff. From now on I’m strictly enforcing a 2 to 1 rule. Two things have to go before I bring any one thing onboard. I’ve already raised the waterline for the antifouling by an inch and I’m beginning to find it hard to fit all my sails and spare parts in only one of my aft cabins.

With that I’m off to IKEA to get some new sheets, towels and kitchen ware. And probably some of those Swedish meatballs on the way out. I promise not to buy anything called Alfred.