A well fed crew is a happy crew

Among the cruising truths I had to relearn was how important it is to have easy meals prepared in advance.

The stove was gimbaled, but apparently still not level...lopsided cake is a hazard of galley cooking.

People, this is cruising 101. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I glossed completely over it in our preparation. Apparently, I really thought I'd be cooking pasta, dicing tomatoes and cutting up pineapples as we worked our way up the coast.

The first leg up to Pittwater was motoring in flat water. Easy. But Pittwater to Port Stephens was such a roller coaster ride, the best I could do was throw  a bunch of veggies, lentils and some couscous in the pressure cooker with water and make curry mush. It was good enough, and it stuck to bowls (hot, liquid soups are a menace to eat in a seaway!).

At least it only took one leg for me to relearn this. Before we left Port Stephens, I cooked up a storm. We had a pumpkin cake, banana bread, brownies, cornbread, chili, baked beans, prepared salads and more. Minimal effort (and no boiling water!) required.

Sydney to Brisbane: the weather always wins

We had looked forward to getting off the dock and being underway for months. Free under sail again, listening to the whoosh of water against the hull while we worked our way north. Taking the time to discover a few pretty bays, as our route would keep us near the shore to avoid the big currents running south on the Australian East coast. We'd have almost a week to work our way from Sydney to Brisbane before commitments required us there.

The reality, however, was a little different. Uncooperative weather didn't prevent our departure, but it definitely stalled our progress. This was the first of several cruising truths I had to relearn on this passage: that you can't put anything on a calendar, because the weather will always decide for you.

On the other hand, much of this was more happily familiar. Cruising in company with another family. Being off the grid, without readily available water and power from marina hookups. Separated from known, easy access to everything from hot showers to grocery stores. That sounds a little daunting, but it's an integral aspect of what we love about cruising. We are responsible in a more material way for our use and acquisition of basic necessities, and being in tune with their use and discharge in return increases our respect for what we have.

The Yin/Yang of Transitions: Saying Goodbye

Lots of transitions in the Totem world. Good reminders like meeting the Coles in Port Stephens to help balance out the goodbyes we've had to say...because lately, it seems like we say "goodbye" a lot.

Of course, this is also a reason to gather with friends and celebrate our time together! On a sunny weekend in December, we rafted up with a group of our neighbors in a nearby bay. Peter, from Kittani, got some great shots from his dinghy.


Big raft- and this was before the boats Freddie Ray and Allagai showed up!


Greg & Leisha from s/v Fine Gold with Mike & Sammy on the bow of their boat, Quartermoon.

The marina's holiday party on Christmas Eve was like one big reminder that there are a lot of people we we don't know when we'll see again. Steve, below, is the caretaker. He loomed large in our children's lives this year, and they miss him pretty badly. Abby and her husband Ben are sailing south to Adelaide. We wish it was north but are excited about their plans and dreams for a new chapter in their lives.


Siobhan adores Steve...and had him pretty well wrapped around her little finger.

The silver lining to saying all these goodbyes is knowing most of those are just until someday. Still, the departure milestones racked up. We did a lot of things for the last time. Last time for a while, anyway. Never say never!


Neighbors sending us off from the Cammeray marina


Following s/v Liberty out of Middle Harbour for our New Years Eve anchorage

But new horizons for a change...well, they feel good. Really good. We've gotten some growth on the bottom and are excited about sailing up to the warmer waters of Queensland. Goodbyes are softened with the knowledge we'll see many of these people again- some very soon!- and hold the promise of future shared anchorages.

Goodbye Sydney

Our last look behind Totem at Sydney Harbour, before the Opera House and iconic bridge disappeared behind a point of land. January 1, 2012...changes in store for the Totem crew!

Friends in far away places

We're on our way north, destination Brisbane. The weather is mostly not in our favor since the Northeasterlies that blow in the summertime have finally kicked in. Stopping off at Port Stephens, we were connected by Jarana with a couple from Seattle who live in the harbor.

Turns out, we'd met them before: in 2003, at this big raft-up.


Puget Sound Cruising Club, Oro Bay

Barbara and Jim made an impression on us then, and not just because their boat Complexity was a shinier, bigger sistership to our Hallberg Rassy 352, Mau Ke Mana. They were a fun couple who had put a lot of careful thought into outfitting their boat, and seemed the closest of the bunch to realizing the cruising dream...at that time in our lives, with babies and busy jobs, it all seemed far away for us.

Here in Port Stephens, they've welcomed us with open arms as members of the cruising family. We were treated to a beautiful dinner, and joy of joy for the kids- a BATH. Oh, the things you miss, living on a boat! It's so nice to feel so very well understood by someone you met once, nearly a decade ago.

And meanwhile, I've loved my walk down memory lane. I've even got a picture of Barbara hanging out in the hammock with  then four year old Niall, and one year old Mairen.



Good times, in the shadow of the beautiful Mt Rainier. In the middle of a period of transition, it's a great reminder that we'll see many of our friends again. Goodbye in the cruising world is really just until that future anchorage you'll share again someday.


In the shadow of Mount Rainier

Celebrating near the leading edge of the New Year

New Year's Eve was probably our last night aboard Totem in Sydney Harbour. We're heading north to Brisbane now, but couldn't miss out on what must be one of the world's most stunning fireworks displays.

Experience told us to arrive a day early, so we staked out our prime spot in a rapidly filling anchorage on the 30th. It's adjacent to the Taronga Zoo, which gave us the advantage of some great wildlife audio. Totem got dressed up in her party clothes. By the forestay, a string of courtesy flags; countries shown in the order that we visited them. On the port spreader, a string of our Seattle Yacht Club burgees and flags. On the starboard spreader, our pretty Australian ensign: the maritime flag was a thoughtful parting gift from the crew at Amnesia.



The only thing we couldn't find (embarrassignly enough) was our American flag to fly off the stern.

We had two beautiful days of bobbing in the water...having friends visit from shore and other boats. I think the most unforgettable was the parting gift from our marina neighbor, Peter, from s/v Kittani. He claims Scottish heritage and decided we needed a proper sendoff.

With bagpipes.

Oh yes, he did!



The serenade began at Kittani and circled around Totem. The piper, John, was met with such an overwhelmingly positive response he decided a tour of the greater anchorage was in order. Many songs were played...and many, many drams of whiskey were drunk.

As sunset approached on New Years Eve, we all got a little tingly. The skies cleared completely, opening the way to a spectacular show.



There's a warmup display, "for children," at 9pm. Kind of reminds me how my favorite celebrations in our Bainbridge Island neighborhood involved families getting together in the early evening to count down and bang our pots and pans at midnight on the dot...Eastern Standard Time! We watched the preview with Frank and Karen on their beautiful catamaran, Tahina, then returned to Totem for hot chocolate with a vow to stay awake until midnight.



My photos of the grand display aren't quite up to par (something about being pinned under a sleeping child, behind the dodger- well most of us stayed awake anyway!), but the pictures in my mind's eye are beyond compare. It is a spectacular show.

Thanks, Sydney! It's a sendoff we'll never forget.

Aussieisms: Cherries are for Christmas

We plunked ourselves down around the community tables in the marina last Friday for our weekly barbecue. The informal "it's going to happen anyway" gathering is comforting in its unplanned simplicity...we love this regular reconnection with our boaty neighbors.

Plates of munchies were around. Jacqui brought out a bowl full of fresh cherries, sighed, and said "now it's really Christmas." Cherries? Christmas? Yes, if you live in Australia.



Validated the cherries=Christmas theory at Christmas dinner with Aussie friends... apparently it's true. Being just after the the midsummer solstice...of course! Why not?