Eden is aptly named, with pelicans, sea eagles and dolphins swimming in and around Spirit of Mystery it was a truly magnificent place to tie up. On our arrival we were met by Jenny Drenkhahn who whisked us up to her place for a much needed shower. Jenny was our main contact in Eden, a well know member of the community with a can do attitude about everything. It is through Jenny that the town of Eden and its surrounds found out about Spirit of Mystery's
visit, so thanks for all your hard work Jenny.

Jenny is also a member of Coastal Patrol, an organisation that relies on an army of volunteers to keep an eye on the many boats that ply the Australian coast. Coastal Patrol also have their own lifeboats, so are able to assist boats that get themselves into trouble, so similar, in many ways to Coastal Watch and the R.N.L.I back home. In fact when I left Devonport I informed the Coastal Patrol and gave them an ETA for Eden. It is a good feeling when you are sea, to know that you are expected and someone is keeping an eye out for you.

We left Eden on Wednesday morning with three new crew onboard, Robin, Marty and his son Jack. It was Jack who guided Spirit of Mystery out of Twofold Bay, while his crew raised the sails. Our destination was Bermagui, with a gentle breeze from the SW and all my fingers and toes crossed in the hope that the wind would develop, but alas it was not be. The wind fizzled out to leave a glassy calm sea; the options were drift on the current back down to Base Straight or put the engine into gear and head North to Bermagui.

With the sails up to steady the motion and engine chugging away we cruised north, with the knowledge that it was Humpback and Right whales were also on their migration north. Halfway to Bermagui, my phone rudely interrupted the quiet discussion on deck, I went below, minutes later I noted a small commotion on deck. I clambered up the steps to see that the crew resembling the paparazzi, with all things digital pointing out the back of the boat. A Humpback Whale had fallen in behind Spirit of Mystery and was keeping pace; I turned the engine off to let the whale catch up. Silence, the whale seemed to of disappeared. Seconds stretched out to minutes, and then suddenly the whale blew, metres from the boat, making all onboard jump in surprise and delight. From then on it seemed that a family of whales adopted Spirit of Mystery as temporary mascot and shepherded her north to Bermagui.

As we approached Bermagui, darkness fell, but light soon returned thanks to the spotlight on the Bermagui Coastal Patrol lifeboat (James T Lee), which had come out to provide an escort for Spirit of Mystery, what a privilege.

Cheers Andy

I felt the trip to Eden should be divided into three sections, Bass Strait, The Bite which would take us to the bottom corner of Australia and then the final section north to Eden. The first two are notorious stretches of water, known for their cruel winds and wild sea, which have caused real carnage in one or two Sydney to Hobart races.

We kept an eye on the weather, a low seemed to be developing, and the wind speeds seemed to be increasing every time I checked for an update. Lee, our weather advisor suggested that Wednesday morning would be a good time to leave; this would give us a good 25knots from behind, all the way to Eden - perfect! However, if we left it too late, we could miss the wind and end up being becalmed. So we decided that ropes would be cast at 6:30am, hopefully just in time to get out of Devonport before the Tasmanian ferry arrived. No such luck, the ferry was early, so one or two mushrooms had to be performed in the river while we waited.

The further north we sailed into Bass Strait the stronger the wind became, the seas grew and I began to wonder whether the Strait was going to live up to its reputation, but Spirit of Mystery under full sail seemed to relish the challenge and set an impressive 7knots. Night was soon upon us, stars glistened and an almost full moon rose early. The clouds on the horizon suggested strong winds lay ahead of us. We slipped into a 2hours on 2hours off watch system with two people on at all times.

Deal Island loomed into sight, our last refuge before entering the Tasman Sea. It was time to jibe and increase our easting, with a healthy sea developing and the wind still increasing, a sail change would also be required. The teamed jumped to, but the wind still increased and a southerly sea started to make its presence known. I started to wonder whether our good progress was a double edged sword and we were catching the main storm, or was it just waiting for us? My mind started to go through what if scenarios. We reefed the main and dropped the mizzen to ease the load and calm things down.

Spirit of Mystery relished the conditions and she was, as ever, determined to look after her crew. However, with the confused sea, her crew developed a green tinge and Spirit of Mystery's paint work at times became an interesting colour, despite this the crew remained solid, which is a true credit to their determination.
For the second time, darkness fell, the stars were concealed and it felt as if the moon had forgotten us. The loom of distant oil rigs dotted the horizon and the odd ship passed by; it was a comfort knowing we weren't alone in this notorious stretch of water.
Rounding the corner of Australia was as if someone had flicked a switch, the sea calmed along with the wind and the rising sun revealed a stunning shoreline. Seasickness became a thing of the past and food started to be readily consumed.

With no wind and Eden only 30miles away we started to motor and pushed on to Eden. As dusk fell we rounded Red Point and entered Twofold Bay in time to get a glimpse of Eden, before it was robbed by a quickening darkness.

Cheers Andy


Picture: Passing Gabo Island

Spirit of Mystery stayed in Devonport for a couple of weeks in the end, as I needed to get another crew together and time this with a weather window to make the jump up to Eden. With the fickleness of the weather and the various commitments that potential crew have, the logistics can become a delicate balance, and is only achievable with the support of everyone around. It is with this in mind that I have to say a huge thank you to Sam Hope, the Commodore of the Mersey Yacht Club, and all the really committed individuals within the club.

I rang Sam to ask if it would be OK to drop in, he said space was tight and that he would give me a ring once he'd been down and had a look around. He was quick to ring back and as long as we didn't mind rafting up, it would be OK for a week. Five hours later Spirit of Mystery glided up the Mersey River to be met by trio of club members ready to catch our ropes, what a welcome.

My hunt for crew began. Graham, a great friend of mine and mountain bike race partner was in New Zealand and heading for Tasmania to join Spirit of Mystery on her voyage north up to Sydney. However, when I was last able to spoke to him I was heading for Hobart, which is where he flew to! His solution was simple, he rode the 180miles up to Devonport in two days, camping on the way. The two other crew came as a result of me doing a talk for the Australian Maritime College in Launceston. Ruth, one of the lecturers and experienced square rigger sailor was in the audience, mentioned that if the opportunity to crew arose she'd love to have a go, this tends to be how most of Spirit of Mystery's crew are found. Nell was a good friend of Ruth's and also had some experience with square riggers and a real sense of adventure to back it up.

Next on the agenda, was to wait for a weather window that would blow us in the general direction to Eden. In basic terms this meant waiting for a front to blow through and then jump onto its back for a 'piggy-back' on its SW winds.

Cheers Andy


Picture: Spirit of Mystery's Crew - Andy, Nell, Ruth and Graham

Handing back a bottle of their own wine signed by the Spirit of Mystery crew.