Oz97-101 s4-8 15-19/12 700nm Hobart-Sydney

Left Hobart 0030 Wednesday.   Inner forestay broke in rough weather of Tasman Island.
Sailed back to Port Arthur and repaired it
Set off again, motoring into 40knot headwinds.    Stern gland started leaking, so bailed frequently until in calm waters in the lee of Maria Island where we could fix the leak.
Set off again, sailing.   Put in at Eden to top up the diesel fuel.  

Arrived Sydney 0200 Sunday.

Oz88 c- 6/12 Hobart

Next week will be helping get Helsal3 ready for the race

Oz92 s3 10/12 Hobart

Helped crew Helsal 4 for an evening's charter sailing with14 passengers round the Derwent.

Oz91 s2 9/12 Hobart

Helped crew the winning boat in an evening race on the Derwent.

Later, helped move Helsal 3 from the workshop berth to the yacht club marina for finishing and stocking.   The plan is to set off for Sydney on Tuesday 14/12, weather permitting.

http://rolexsydneyhobart.com/yacht_details.asp?raceEntryID=12542

Oz87 c- 5/12 cycling summary

place	arrival	miles          kms
Cape York	Sep 15
Cairns	Sep 20	vehicle
Rockhampton	Oct 4	704		1132
Brisbane	Oct 17	1218		1960
most eastern cape	Oct 21	1364		2271
Sydney	Oct 29	1887		3036
South point	Nov 15	2520		4056
Melbourne	Nov 19	2658		4278
N Tasmania	Nov 22	ferry
Hobart	Nov 29	3001		4832

For northern hemisphere people:
equivalent latitudes:  
Cape York to South Point = Addis Ababa to Athens or Costa Rica to Denver
cycling distance:  
Cairns to Hobart = Paris-Moscow-Paris or Halifax Nova Scotia to San Diego

10 punctures, 5 non-serious spills, 3 broken wheels, 9 tubs (large) of Vaseline, 48 pies and probably as many bananas, a million acts of helpfullness from local people, 7 gloves, getting on for a bottle of Oz wine an evening (and 1 Rioja), 6 good glasses of beer, an average of 50miles or 80kms a day, 3 time zones/changes, 3 sets of reading glasses, 4 drivers towing caravans which almost knocked me off the road, hundreds of truckers who didn't come close, 1 motel with cold showers, 99% of bridges with expansion gaps more than 1cm, the wettest spring since records began, joyful arrivals in Sydney, Blackburn (Melbourne), and especially Hobart.