Wednesday 6th August
After a long tiring night we eventually see the lights of the coast and start to make out the leading lights for entrance to Coffs Harbour, our chosen Port of Entry to the land of OZ! The way in is clearly marked – the chart plotter appears to be accurate and with that and our cruising guide we’re soon turning into the anchorage just inside the breakwater. It’s calm and clear and we anchor in 7 metres just after 5am. The plan was to go to bed for a few hours until Customs open at 8am but we’re all too excited now so we sit and have some celebratory Bloody Marys while watching the sunrise. At 8am we speak to the harbour master – unfortunately it’s low water (too shallow for our 3m draft) so we wait until 10.30am before motoring into the marina and tying up at the customs dock. Stuart (who is Customs, Immigration and Quarantine all rolled into one) arrives and introduces himself and we begin the process of completing forms and letting him inspect the boat. He confiscates a few items that we haven’t already binned (such as mayonnaise, honey, popcorn) and sprays some of our handicrafts but is charming throughout and returns later with answers to some of our questions. Approximately one and a half hours later all formalities are complete and we’re allowed to set foot on Australian soil. By this time the boat is ship shape and Ian has contacted the sail-maker and the ray-marine man to organise the necessary repairs. We start off with a quick fish and chips at the fish market while Alex and Kevin are off booking their flights, then go to drink champagne at the local yacht club. While sitting on the balcony looking out towards the Solitary Isles, Ian spots whales leaping right out the water on the horizon – we watch them for a while and wish we were closer as they are putting on quite a display. This is a very beautiful bay; Mutton Bird Island, sweeping white sandy beaches and a safe enclosed harbour shared by yachts and fishing boats. Just north of the harbour there’s another long beach with rolling green hillsides behind – it’s a very pretty coastline and easy to see why it’s such a popular tourist spot. After more champagne we wander into town to a very characterful bar(!) - it’s a betting shop/pub full of men, many still in their work clothes, and only one other woman, apart from the almost naked girls who are serving the tables. We get chatting to a few locals and a young man from Ayrshire who can’t believe we’ve sailed all the way from Ardrossan, saying “it was bad enough flying here!” After this initiation into Aussie bar culture we wander down the street to an Indian restaurant – the food is delicious but very much on the hot side – so much so that Ian (who is seldom beaten on the hot scale) has to dangle his tongue in a glass of cold water – a very funny sight! We return to the boat now well and truly exhausted and say our farewells to Kevin (who is leaving early in the morning), and Alex, who we will be meeting up with again in Sydney. Ian and Phil sit up and drink some more rum while putting the world to rights. In the middle of the night there’s a bump and a curse – Phil’s fallen out of his bunk again!