Captain’s Log: Mid West & Back

The last time we made port in Geraldton was 2019, and the Leeuwin has been through a lot since then. As our last set of voyages under fore and aft sail, we were followed by rain and squalls all the way up to Geraldton. Sailing in these conditions is demanding at the best of times, navigating sudden shifts of wind direction and step change squalls that turn 10 knots to 35 knots with little in between.

The rain and wind broke as we made Geraldton local waters, making way for glorious easterlies and warm sunshine.

It made for a calm handover day, and a lovely swim at anchor off Geraldton Marina to finish our youth voyage. That weekend was great for reconnecting with the Geraldton community and local volunteers. Despite not being able to get into the port, being anchored just outside really built the imagination for what a stay at Geraldton might look like into the future.

The Abrolhos Is.

The second voyage to the Abrolhos Islands was about as close to a picture-perfect sail as we could’ve hoped for. Sailing all the way to East Wallaby Island overnight, we coasted into Recruit Bay under a light north-easterly in the morning – goosewinging for good measure and sailed onto the anchorage.

The following three days of sunshine saw us ashore at Turtle Bay, exploring the history of West Wallaby Island and the Batavia Mutiny, sailing down Goss Passage, and snorkelling off the beautiful Morley Island. On the evening of the forth day, we motored back north for a good sailing position before rocketing back to Geraldton with a strong north-easterly land breeze.

Training Voyage

The good weather couldn’t hold forever unfortunately, and with cold fronts arriving, we started our Volunteer Training Voyage with challenging anchorage conditions in Champion Bay. Eventually easing, we motor-sailed out and were immediately met by familiar squally conditions.

The next day, with a light westerly we set all sail, taking full advantage of the Leeuwin Current to make our way south. As the day closed, we shortened sail, fully expecting a strong front to arrive once again, and it announced itself with rain and 35 knots of wind during the evening watch. Charging through the night, the ship made good speed south, but we opted to take shelter at Jurien Bay as the wind shifted southerly.

The rest of the sail was beset by challenging conditions – not enough wind, wrong direction. We motored our way to Mindarie Keys, allowing the volunteers to put their skills to the test on handover day. They sailed out through the leads with great skill and set full sail one last time, but the wind died out and forced us to motor to Cottesloe.

We closed out with harbour furls, and a SODs night to remember, returning to Fremantle the following day, gladly tying up after a hard month of voyaging. The volunteer crew did an amazing job sailing the ship down in trying conditions, and we look forward to seeing you all back onboard soon.

We now look towards the final steps of rigging the ship, with our yards almost complete.

Fair winds and following seas,
Captain James