The weekend of many "firsts"

We took the boat out for the first time at the weekend.  Matt had the weekend off (rare) but the weather forecast was NOT looking good! We had gales in the week leading up and we were a leetle bit nervous about our plans.  Putting the kids off sailing for life wasn't part of the plan, but we just thought we'd go anyway and take it easy.

And it turned out fine.  We were going to head off Saturday lunchtime but Abell Point Marina - not renowned for it's depth - ran out of water so we couldn't get out! After checking the tide tables and marina depth chart, we turned on the sounder as we sat there in our berth and had 0.2m under the keel.  Not knowing the boat yet, or exactly where the transducer is mounted, we decided not to risk it, and took the kids over to Shingley Beach for a play and to let the tide come in a bit.  We bumped into friends there and the kids collected rocks on the beach ("this one's got glittery quartz in mum, look!").  After an hour we rounded the girls up to head back to the boat, explaining that sorry, no, we couldn't take the rocks back to the boat.  However the friends kindly offered to take them home for us! Arrrgh! "That's so kind" we lied, through gritted teeth.

We explained to Tilly and Sasha that we'd need them to sit quietly in the cockpit whilst we dropped the lines and got the boat out, which they did.  There was quite a bit of wind about (25-30knts) but Matt chose a bay around the corner (it took about 90 mins to get there) that was sheltered from the cold Southerlies.  The wind was dead astern the whole way and I wasn't keen on putting the sails up for the first time with so much wind about plus the potential to accidentially gybe.  We could put up preventers or alter course to get the wind more abeam but just decided to enjoy the sunshine and motor.  It was absolute heaven being back on the water.

The motion was kind and the girls loved it.  We showed them how to leave the cockpit and move around the boat (cautiously, stooped, one hand holding on at all times! Don't grab these, they're sheets and will wobble, hold these lifelines or these shrouds ..... ) and they took to it like ducklings to water.  Tilly found her place on the pulpit (Iron Will has the best pulpit) and spent ages up there, mesmerised.  While Sasha, who is currently convinced she has "special powers" was delighted to find that - when we had the auto-pilot on - she could steer the boat using these "special powers"!

We dropped anchor in about 6m of water with not another boat in sight.  Woodwark Bay is a beautiful area, only a few miles (as the crow flies) from our home!  We launched the tender for the first time - christened Little Willy or Wee Willy! - and Matt took the girls ashore for some beachcombing whilst I prepared dinner.  When they came back we enjoyed a spectacular sunset, and felt very lucky.

We passed an uneventful night at anchor, waiting for the wind to drop and it not happening!  Matt and I woke up a lot.  I felt like it was every 10 minutes but of course it wasn't.  I was confident we weren't dragging, and Matt had fixed up a snubber for the anchor, so it wasn't snatching too much, it was the wind generator! It's right outside our aft cabin and whenever a gust came through it was hum and buzz so loudly, and so fast, it would even set off the overspeed alarm! We didn't even know there was such an alarm!  Anyway, we survived the night.  The next day was about more beachcombing, covering Matt in the girls smelly socks, and lounging around enjoying life aboard.  Tilly and Sasha have found their fave spot below decks, the partition between the saloon and the galley, which is the perfect height for perching on, and also has a handy pole for swinging around on.

I have to say, we are loving the giant beanbag on the aft deck! This is my fave spot on the boat.

Eventually it was time to head back, in order to have enough water to get back into our berth at the marine.  When we left our sheltered bay, it was back to brisk winds, but on the nose this time.  In fact, so precisely on the nose that we would have had to fall off in order to sail.  I defer to Matt as skipper in all things marine - and am very happy to do so - except where sails are concerned, when he defers to me whilst he builds up his experience.

I was, as you may have gathered, nervous about putting the sails up.  I'd prefer to have had the standing rigging checked beforehand (we have it booked in - it's an old boat and one of the starboard forward swages is cracked) and I'd also prefer light airs for the first time, whilst the kids are on board and we are figuring the boat out.  So in the absence of these two factors, we chose to motor.  I felt like I was being overcautious and mumsy.  However, afterwards we found out that one of the backpacker boats, a retired maxi, had had a passenger airlifted off the evening before - they had left Whitehaven Beach and raised their sails, when one of the jibsheets got caught around a passengers legs during an accidental gybe and pulled her through the stanchions, causing severe injury and degloving her lower leg.  Absolutely horrific.  We'd heard one side of the Pan-Pan messages on the VHF whilst we were at anchor the night before, and later heard the full story.  It really brought home the dangers of sailing and the power of nature.

So we gently motored home, enjoying the sunshine and the spray as Iron Will nosed into the waves.  It was too wet for the pulpit this time, so the girls watched the water through the portholes in the cabin, looking for dolphins, and eventually fell asleep.

We berthed successfully at the marina when we got back, although we collected a small crowd who watched with interest as Matt maneuvered a large heavy boat through narrow channel into a tight space .... the steering is heavy and Iron Will definitely needs lifting out and having a good bottom scrub!

We were very sad to get back and no-one wanted to leave the boat and return to Sunday evening jobs at home and the real world.  Good thing we won't have to for much longer!

Sweet dreams

We spent our first night on board at the weekend.  Matt suggested we "camp out", so we packed our pillows and sleeping bags, a washbag and towels, an esky with food and non-alcoholic champagne PLUS a ridiculous amount of Beanie Boos, books, torches, glow in the dark stars, a pretty necklace and a train made of a tissue box and toilet roll, of course.

Matt was working until late, so the girls and I made up our beds (or rather, I made them up while the kids opened their forehatch and practiced climbing out, running aft to the companionway, back through the saloon to their cabin and doing it again).

We'd spent the afternoon at the foreshore with friends, rollerblading and generally whizzing around on wheeled devices, and had feasted on sausages cooked on the barbie, so the kids were not hungry and full of beans.  I'd brought Uno and colouring in, but there was no interest, so we decided to make our way up to the shower block.

Abell Point Marina had been damaged in Cyclone Debbie, the same as the rest of Airlie.  One of the casualties was the floating amenities block in the southern end of the marina - the marina is large and spread out, and we're berthed at one of the furthest points.  It's being repaired and soon should be ready to use.  We were happy with the adventure and gathered towels, washbags and torches and set off to trek the half a kilometre to the shower block up by the office.

Sasha, who is 7, can be a little unco and is also quite impulsive.  This is a combination that sometimes gives me sleepless nights.  I held her hand tightly as we navigated up the pontoons from the pool of light from each lightstand to the next.  I know, I AM going to have to relax more, but I need time!

Tilly is 9, astute and nimble, and was fascinated with the fish milling around under the pontoons.  She shone her torch under the pontoons as we walked and squeaked with excitements when the fish flashed into sight.  The strange thing was she kept calling them "mallets" rather than "mullet" and when I corrected her she said she knew, but carried on calling them "mallets"! Sometimes her accent is a little odd, maybe from the combo of having one Aussie parent and one Pom.  Sasha hadn't thought to bring her torch, and begged her sister for a turn, then wouldn't return it.  They bickered their way up the pontoon and I wondered if we are mad, making them leave all their friends and lovely spacious bedrooms and expecting them live in a forepeak together.

The showers at Abell Point are extremely luxurious and we happily shared a stall together, with only minor squabbling over the soap, hanging clothes etc.

When we returned to the boat, Matt was home, and we could see him in the cockpit light.  We tried to sneak up on him, but we were spotted, the man has senses like a hawk! We were all very excited to be together, and popped open the bubbly.  There were many toasts and SOME of us got quite giddy with excitement!  Matt and I checked the bottle label at least twice to make sure it really was "alcohol removed"!

We persuaded the girls to bed eventually and very cosy they looked, tucked in in their new beds.  Matt and I curled up in the saloon and watched actual TV, a rarity for us as our TV at home has very poor reception, and since the cyclone when the arial blew off, none at all.  Iron Will is beautifully laid out down below and very comfortable.  You can see that she was designed for the higher latitudes; the builder's dream was to go to the Antarctic although ill-health prevented the voyage (after 20 years of building her! tragic).  She has a lot of space down below but we haven't quite worked out the best way to socialise topsides.  Anyway, the muted chatter the other side of their louvred door sent the girls off to sleep quickly and Matt and I retired to our own cabin.

Bright dawn light woke us early the next morning - we have to work out a way of putting curtain on old-fashioned brass portholes! (portlights?).  We'd slept pretty well, although the mattress needs replacing and it was an adjustment getting used to Matt climbing over me when he needed a pee! I am SUCH a light sleeper.  We also discussed ways of extending the bed, it's a double at the moment and I am untidy sleeper.  Matt says I sleep like someone has thrown me from a great height, like a crime scene chalk outline.  But overall we were very happy with our aft cabin.

We cooked up bacon and eggs and had our first proper meal on board.  I really like the galley and the layout of the saloon.

We had a busy morning with a procession of visitors and well-wishers.  I loved seeing the kids showing their new cabin to friends, and all the kids seem to love using the boat as one big climbing frame.  There were a few problems with the grey tank, to which we are applying our problem solving skills.  Eventually is was time to pack up and leave.  It was lunchtime and very hot now the sun was up.

We took heaps and heaps of stuff off the boat that was left behind by the previous owners.  There is SO much stuff on board, we'd like to get all of it off, clean out the lockers and work out what to stow ourselves.  The previous owners joked that we'd need a trailer to take it all off - well, we thought it was a joke but maybe not!

We had a great first night on board.  Now if feels like the work can really begin.

Iron Will arrives

This was an awesome week for us - Iron Will arrived in Airlie Beach.  The lovely previous owners sailed her up from Gladstone over the last week - and it sounds like the passage was a bit bumpy and lumpy at times!  Matt caught a bus down to Mackay on Sunday night and stayed on board, while the other family moved into a hotel for a few days.  I was very jealous of Matt and wished I had organised things so I could be there too! The two boys sailed her up to Airlie Beach on Monday.  I asked for some pics of their passage ... bittersweet!

I could NOT concentrate on work all day Monday, and as soon as the bell went at the end of school the girls and I raced down to the marina.

We picked up our cardkeys at the marina office and filled in some paperwork.   Matt had been texting me to update on where they were as they got closer and when they were due in, at about 4pm, so we knew we had time to get down to the pontoon and take their lines.  I really wanted to, it seemed symbolic.  The marina office were very helpful but a bit confused that I didn't want a dockhand to help when they arrived, and asked at least twice!

Tilly and Sasha were very excited about the whole thing, and were delighted to spot the two masts moving towards us.  They "guided" them in, showing them our berth.  It was awesome to see the boat come in and take the lines.  The kids couldn't wait to get on board and instantly started exploring their cabin, choosing bunks and practicing hopping in and out the forehatch.  Us grownups clinked glasses with some homemade lemoncello and filled in the ownership paperwork.  Iron Will was now officially our boat!

Before we left the boat for the night, Tilly hugged me and said, "I love our boat mum.  Can we go sailing right now?", which of course filled me with a balloon of happiness.

We've been down after school since and Matt has spent some time fettling on his days off.  The last family generously left SO much stuff on board - spares, tools, flares, charts, pilot books, wet weather gear, TV, laptop, even towels and bedding, that we have a lot of sorting out to do.  We've decided to spend this Saturday night on board and start making some lists.  Even though we have a lot to do, being on the boat fills me with contentment.

We bought a boat! ("You bought a boat?")

It looks like we’ve found the boat for our adventures! It’s about 50 foot long, made of steel and the current owners want to hand over straight away – so our adventure is starting sooner than expected!

Last weekend was Mayday long weekend, and there was a boat for sale in Yeppoon that we decided to go and see.  It’s a good 6 hour drive and also near where Great-Grandma Joyce and Great-Aunt Colleen live in Rockhampton, so we thought it was be a good opportunity to visit them too.

A few days before we left, a girl got in touch via one of the FB pages I’m on, and where I’d posted that we were looking for a boat.  Anni said they were selling a suitable boat and they were in Gladstone, a couple of hours further south from Rocky. So we arranged to see that boat too.

The days Matt and I both had off work were the Sunday and Monday, so we had to whizz down on the Sunday and get back on the Monday, in time for school and work on Tuesday.  To complicate matters, I was signed up for the team relay in the Hammo Hilly Half,  a marathon event on Hamilton Island on the Sunday morning.  I agreed with Matt that I would take the first ferry back to the mainland, shower and we’d head straight off (instead of lounging by the pool with my team mates, patting ourselves on the back and sipping cocktails after the run, which was also quite appealing).

I had a gruelling but thoroughly enjoyable run with amazing views.  There was a great turn out, despite it being only a month since TC Debbie went through and devastated so much of our beautiful Whitsundays.  I had a wonderful team, the atmosphere was fantastic and I was on a massive high afterwards.  Somehow we floated back to the mainland and hugged goodbyes, finishing medals clinking.  Matt and the girls were waiting with our bags packed and the car running, and off we went.

We got to Rockhampton after hours of driving, a couple of them in the dark, which makes me nervous on the Bruce Highway (where roos, pigs and livestock roam).  After lots of hugs and a quick cup of tea with Great-Grandma and Colleen we all collapsed into bed.  The alarm went off early the next morning as we were due at the first boat at 8am and had an hours driving to get there.

The family selling the boat in Yeppoon were friendly and had older kids, who had clearly been told to stay off the boat whilst we were looking around and so were fishing/netting off the pontoon.  Tilly and Sasha were intrigued, and also loved the kid’s cabin in the forepeak. The boat however, felt sad and a little neglected.  There were lots of jobs that Matt and I could see that needed doing, that would be hard for us to live with.  After our allocated hour (we were on a strict schedule in order to get home to Airlie Beach that night) we said our thank yous and hopped in the car for the two-hour trek to the steel ketch.

We were met at Gladstone by the couple and their two younger kids in the marina playground.  Tilly and Sasha immediately threw themselves at the climbing equipment having been cooped up the car for so many hours and the mum offered to stay with them all whilst the dad showed us round the boat.

Iron Will is a steel cutter-rigged ketch, about 45 foot long (although no-one seems quiet sure of the exact measurements).  She was built in 2001 for an Antarctic expedition, so is solid and sturdy.  We liked her immediately, from her robust bowsprit with good-sized anchor to her solar panel and dingy davits astern.  We liked her wide decks and stout (almost agricultural!) deck fittings.  She had all the appropriate gear on board, bags of storage, a decent galley and the requisite accommodation set up we’re after – forepeak for the girls and aft cabin for us. 

The kids came and joined us on the boat and we all sat and chatted.  There were some design curiosities – the passage from the saloon to the aft cabin is only about 5 foot high so you have to stoop and make like a Hobbit.  The cavernous top-loading fridge and freezer are also accessed in this tunnel and don’t have much space to lift the lids, so you’re hard pushed to look properly inside.  In the cockpit the engine controls are mounted near the companionway hatch, instead of by the wheel, which would make for interesting close-quarters maneuvering!  However, no boat is perfect and we could see ourselves stepping on this one and heading off. 

The owners had owned the boat for nearly 3 years and had been about to set off on a circumnavigation when they discovered they had a little stowaway! The stowaway was now an energetic toddler and had been joined by a little sister who was nearly one.  They had tried moving one board a couple of months ago and had found the kids were just too young at this stage.  They’d been offered a chance to be involved in the family business back in WA and were keen to sell the boat and start their new life – although they had a 5-year plan to get back on the water.  So they were flexible about price, and as we were cash buyers we all had lots of space to negotiate.

The timings were a little quick for us but we liked the boat and promised to get back to them, before hurrying up the pontoon and jumping in the car to start the long drive home.  We chatted about the boat all the way home, it was clear we both felt the same way (keen) and we talked through logistics -  whether we could make it work by keeping the boat on cheap pile moorings in Gladstone while we got organized over the next six months.  We decided there was no way we wanted to be doing this journey on a regular basis, so the boat had to be in Airlie Beach.

We got home late that Monday night, tired but still excited and sick of take-away food after two days of it! We spent the next few days nutting things out with the owners and by Friday we’d worked out that they would deliver it to Mackay as soon as they could and weather permitted, and Matt would join them for the last hop up to Airlie as a handover.  We all signed a contact saying we’d buy it from them and they’d sell it to us, and we transferred the deposit.

So now we’re hoping it will all work out, and the boat will get here soon.  We can only afford 3 months in a marina in Airlie Beach, which is one of the most expensive areas in Australia.  We won’t have much change from $5,000 for three months, which should keep us focused while we sell/store everything we own and rent out the house.  Hopefully it will also give us a while to transition to living aboard and give the girls a chance to get used to our new home.

Matt was hoping to help deliver it from Gladstone, and asked his employer for the time off.  They were short of skippers for the period required so it couldn’t happen, but it meant they were curious about what he was going to do with a boat.  Airlie is a small place and everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business.  So Matt took the plunge on Friday and told his employers, so I now feel I can tell mine. 

I’m very sad about leaving the school that I love and the friends that I’ve made, although I know that adventures await.  Tilly and Sasha also seem to have mixed feelings about leaving school.  Tilly is fairly sang froid about it all; her two closest friends left the area last year which made her very sad and a bit disconnected.  I suspect as long as she has books and a bunk to read them in she’ll be fine.  However Sasha is a bit fretful.  She’s excited at the thought of no more actual schoolwork but she loves her teacher, her friends and the school community.  St Caths is a very special and wonderful place and it’s good to know that when (if?) we come back in a years time the girls will be able to return.

We’ve decided that the kids and I will finish at the end of Term 2, which gives us nearly two months.  Matt will work as long as he can to keep filling the coffers.  Our three months in the marina will be up in August 2017 so we plan to head off then.  We’re thinking about first of all cruising around our own backyard, as the Whitsundays are a very special place, then we can head south at the end of the year and see friends and family down towards The Sunshine Coast and Fraser Island, away from the Cyclone belt.

Matt and I are already immersed in plans of what to keep, what to sell and what to move onboard.  We suspect we have a very busy three months ahead of us!

Running away to sea

I’ve been thinking about my incredibly strong urge to up and leave.  Ever since Matt reintroduced  “The Dream” into our lives a few weeks ago, I’ve been so excited that I feel like I have ants in my pants.  Sometimes I get so full of the compulsion to GO NOW that I want to find a skipping rope and do 100 or 200 fast skips to discharge the excess energy.  I can feel it brimming out of me.  I can’t remember the last time anything fired me up so much.

But our lives here are so content, so stable, so full of everything that we’re supposed to want, that I know we’re going to face some serious lack of comprehension when we go public with our plans.  So, in no particular order, here are my 10 top reasons for wanting to grab my family and run away to sea.

1.     Everything on board “has to work for everyone”.  I can’t think of a better family mantra.

2.     We get to hang out as family, all the time (sometimes I think that will be a good point for NOT going!)

3.     Matt and I are a good team, and we work best when aiming for a common goal (what couple doesn’t?)

4.     I love the sound of the cruising community.  I have a strong need to belong.

5.     I love the anti-consumerism ethos; the idea of “stuff” as the enemy.

6.     I’m happy being in and around Nature.

7.     I get a buzz out of the idea of living self-sufficiently and resourcefully, the need to use our creativity and ingenuity.

8.     I hope it will slow life right down.

9.     I get excited about challenges and adventures – approached with caution and courage.

10. Since my health overhaul (Feb 2016) my life has both expanded and sped up.  It has blossomed into spectacular technicolour.  I feel the need to seize every chance to fully inhabit my life, to make it matter, to make every bit of it count.

I feel almost panicky that something might happen to stop us going.  I pray that we encounter no health problems to stop us going, because anything else, surely is surmountable. 

I really, really can’t wait. 

Great pic from the cartoonist Sarah Steenland - love her work!  

Planning the leap!

It's February 2017 and we are keen to go sailing.  Pack up what we need, sell the rest, rent the house, buy a boat, pull the kids out of school and head off!


So I'm Bel and my husband Matt and we both love being on the water.  We've both worked on boats in the past.  I dabbled for a few years, he's an experienced, qualified captain who has been in the industry his whole working life.  We met working on an amazing 50m private motor yacht, as part of a crew of 12.  A few years later we decided to settle down in his native Australia and start a family.  As a Pom, who went to sea primarily to escape the British weather, this was a no-brainer for me!  

We have our two beautiful daughters, Tilly and Sasha who, right now, are 8 and 7.  Although Tilly actually turns 9 next month and planning dinner out with two good friends (and us, I hope!) followed by a visit to a Cold Rock ice cream shop and back home for a sleepover.


We live in the very beautiful Whitsundays area, in the Tropical North of Oz, a stunning area of tropical rainforests, turquoise waters, coral reefs, palm trees and many gorgeous uninhabited islands.  We bought three acres of land 10 years ago and Matt and his Dad built our house, on the side of a hill, with great valley views and lots of creepy crawlies!  We keep chooks, grow veg and have regular visits from wallabies, cockatoos and rainbow lorrikeets.

Matt works locally, driving ferries to the islands, and I'm the librarian at the same school that our kids attend.  It's a great local community, we're all comfortable and happy.

We feel very lucky, very blessed ... and we feel like we need to go sailing! It's not that anything is missing, it's that we both feel the pull of the sea.  After 10 years ashore, and working steadily, and being landlubbers, and having our kids we feel that - now it's time.  If we don't do it now, we never will. We're pretty nervous.  It feels like a huge step.  It IS a huge step.  What will we do for money? Will we rent the house or sell it?  How long for?  Will we come back here, if we do, what will we do for work? What about schooling? What about friends?  Will the kids hate us? Will we hate each other?! How on earth will all of us live in such a tiny space after having this lovely house and acres of land?  How will I manage my fear of keeping the girls safe? So many questions ... but we feel we have to do this now, or we'll regret it forever.  We are both very excited!

There's a lot to think about and a lot to plan ... and this is where I'm going to blog it out.

Pre-kids:  Exploring Roman ruins in Turkey on a day off from our job on a private yacht.