13 boats set off from Vanuatu, heading across the Coral Sea, on the final leg of their Pacific Ocean crossing. Their destination was Mackay on the north east coast of Queensland.
Fatjax, a Shipman 63, was the first of the World ARC Rally fleet to arrive in Australia, sailing 1,104 nautical miles in just four days and 15 hours.
Commenting on the passage, skipper and owner, Iain Kirkpatrick said, “The wind angle was perfect for the boat and just the right strength, so we flew along, averaging 10kts. The swell made it a bit uncomfortable at times, but in all, it was a really good passage, and an added bonus was having the light from the full moon.”
Arriving a full day after Fatjax were Skyelark 2, Second Wind 2 (who had left from Fiji), Kaja and Asante.
As the marina filled up with World ARC boats, it was time for one or two pontoon parties, tours to see the wallabies and kangaroos, as well as prizegiving.
Birthday Celebrations
For someone who arrived into Mackay Marina overnight after a six-day passage sailing double-handed, Martin Joesbury on Bahati could be forgiven for wanting a sleep before he thought about celebrating his 60th birthday. But the crew on the seven boats on C Dock had other ideas!
As they waited for Bahati to pull into its berth, the pontoon party was already in full swing as they danced on the dock with a ‘Happy Birthday’ banner and sang along to Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday song, which was playing through the speakers on Bluemoona.
.jpg)
Once Martin, and wife Sian, had safely docked Bahati, they jumped off and enjoyed a well-earned glass of fizz. Martin, who was quite overwhelmed by the spontaneity of his friends, said “This is brilliant. It will be a birthday I’ll always remember!”
Getting Up Close and Personal with Wallabies & Kangaroos
The most picturesque time to see the wallabies and kangaroos on the beach at Cape Hillsborough National Park is at sunrise.
Leaving the marina at 0430 - while it was still pitch black - our intrepid travellers took a road trip with Mackay Adventures to catch a glimpse of these marsupials that come to the beach to feed on mangrove seed pods washed up by the tide.
While the sun was hidden behind cloud, they were rewarded by a mob of agile wallabies and a couple of eastern grey kangaroos.
Prizegiving Party
It was a night of fun, laughter, memories, applause, dancing and standing ovations as the World ARC 2024 fleet celebrated the halfway stage of the rally at a ‘glittering’ prizegiving party at the Mantra Mackay hotel.
Photos from the last seven months played in the background on a projector screen, causing cheers and smiles as everyone relived special moments captured on camera and the highlights of their adventures from St Lucia, Colombia, Panama, French Polynesia, Niue, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and Australia.
There were first prizes awarded to Fatjax, in the Division 1 Cruising Class A; Kaja for Division 1 Cruising Class B and Solaris for Division IV Multihull A. Standing ovations were given to Esperanza, who took the Olympic Gold for Kindness and also for Wimsey, who took the Glass Half Full Award. In addition, the World ARC Yellow Shirt team, who were stepping down in Mackay, were given three cheers.
60th birthday commemorative tiaras were given to Gary from Skeylark 2 and Martin from Bahati. In addition, Martin was presented the Pride of World ARC flag, a rolling honour for the boat or person who has gone the extra nautical mile to help others.
.jpg)
It was such a fun and evening; these sailors really know how to enjoy a party!
The boats are now on free cruising time until they get to Darwin at the end of August.