After a cracking sail from Sydney we arrived in Port Phillip Bay and dropped off our two extra crew (Kai and Jaiya’s cousins) We stopped for a night in Queenscliff and were welcomed the following morning by Russel’s parents; Ralph and Yvonne (below left)
Together we visited Point Lonsdale where Alison (Russel’s sister) is buried. We spent some time reading her poetic writings and gardening grave-side, before breakfast in a local cafe. The coffee was good (and it needed to be because we were still blurry eyed from the passage)
Ralph and Yvonne have been two of the most consistently fabulous supporters of our trip. They met us along the way in New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu and we loved arriving on their home turf and hanging around the Mornington Penninsula during the Christmas period.
Above left; Tika’s galley taps were corroded. Being in close proximity to the metropolis of Melbourne/ marine and plumbing shops, we were presented with an opportunity to invest a hideous amount of cash on some swanky new, 316 stainless taps…. merry Christmas Tika!
Above left; the trove of laundry accumulated on passage. We have a small, cute washing machine aboard that is good for clothes in small quantities when we have abundant solar power and fresh water. Sheets and towels are mostly done in laundromats or marinas. We stayed for a little less than a week at the Blairegowrie Marina where we had use of the sparkling facilities including a large washing machine and dryer- joy!
I adore the boatsheds and bathing boxes that colour the Port Phillip Bay beaches from Mount Eliza to Portsea. We don’t have them in Perth. I think they add a cultural and historical significance to the Victorian beachscape and are a quaint symbol of lazy, sundrenched, Aussie summers. Mostly they are passed down through generations, remain in high demand and have become tourist attractions in their own right..
Above; Tika’s visit to Port Philip Bay. Red line shows our arrival (from Sydney) and stops and the blue line shows our departure en route to Tasmainia…
Above; Tika parked off McCrae. The McCrae Yacht Club perches right on the sand and is brimming with community, recreational and serious sailors. We picked up many visitors in the dinghy, but a surprising number of people swam out to say hello…
This yacht club is a place of great significance; Ralph and Yvonne learnt to sail there (in their 50’s- sitting in the back of the little tackers class) before heading off (with Russel) on their circumnavigation in 1995. Russel also spent most of his youth windsurfing and sailing out of this little bayside club. And here we are anchored offshore!
After 2 and a bit years on a boat, launching myself into a full day of Christmas shopping at the Frankston Shopping Center the week before the big day was a….terrible idea. I started out all fresh and enthusiastic, determined to knock it off all in one go…..picture me stumbling out into the weak afternoon sunlight about 5 hours later, overwhelmed by fluoro lights, Christmas jingles and intense, manic, consumerism. It was painful but done. I had no idea how sensitised to shopping centers I had become!
December 25th was spent as it should be, with family, presents…and a feast….
Above left; a big package from Perth was waiting for us under the tree…
Kai and his cousins; Jordan and oliver.
Above; the Marns-Morris-Lamb family sharing an amazing Christmas lunch at Ralph and Yvonne’s.
Above right; Russ catching up with old McCrae friends
Above left; A few days after Christmas we popped back out through the heads and around to Flinders to get ready for our passage across the Bass Strait. A goodbye party in the form of Justin Page (who circumnavigated with his family and was another inspiration for our trip) and a sleek motor launch waved us off as we left McCrae 
After a couple of nights at Flinders, we sailed out into an overcast new years eve and the Bass Strait- Tasmania bound!
Below; an evening meal before we haul anchor and head out to sea.
Click below for a 1 minute aerial view of the McCrae foreshore with the whole Marns-Morris-Lamb family aboard
Next post; remote, rugged, Deal island…
Below; a very apt piece of writing from ‘thoughts from Al’ a book of musings by Alison Morris.
Look at me. I am a power. As wild as the waves. And you may try to catch me, capture me but I am elusive. or you may try to block me out, but I will pound and beat at your walls endlessly, tirelessly. Or you may turn your back and cover your ears. But I will crash and roar, just the same as before, on and on like an eternal nightmare. Aahhhh. Yet if you face me, accept me, admire me, play with me, I will rock you to and fro. Sooth and pacify you, thoughts. And the powerful rhythm and grace and solitude of my tumbling and breaking will awaken in you an exciting new knowledge. I am the sea. You cannot stop me from being the sea. I am a law of nature. I am me.
Alison Amanda Morris
This entry was posted in The Sail.
