This passage was a mixed bag. We left Vanuatu in winds of 20-25knots and made excellent speed over the first part of the journey. By the last few days, we had 6-10knots and slowly crawled our way up the east coast past the Great Barrier Reef. 

In the beginning it was a white knuckle ride. With us only leaving the cockpit if necessary. The waves ranged from 3-4m and occasionally would brake ontop of the solar panels. With the excellent surf we managed a 7knot average. We even had a record breaking 24hours managing 180miles. 

Just over half way, we had a huge storm. It began with a large clash of thunder, that rattled through the boat. It was then followed by endless rain and an increase in the wind. With the winds reaching over 30knots, we had reefed the main sail and started to furled away the jib. Through the night, we sailed with just the main sail and still managed to maintain speeds of 6.5knots. Penny handled it well and eventually the wind subsided.

After the storm the weather was a total contrast. The last few days were light and fair. We have even had to use the engine as the boat speed dropped below 2knots. 

We arrived in Cairns at 9am and headed into the marina. On arrival, boarder force and customs officers were waiting for us on the dock. They even had a sniffer dog who went around and searched Penny. After the customs team left, we had bio security onboard. They removed any fresh produce that was left from the passage and also checked the boat for infestation. The whole check in process went smoothly and by 11am were free to leave the boat. 

We cannot believe we have sailed across the South Pacific Ocean. We are immensely proud of this achievement and have loved every second of it! Although it contains many long passages, the islands you arrive at are definitely worth it. It truly is one of the greatest cruising grounds. 

Vanuatu to Cairns

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