Cleone - in Darwin

Another typical stop-over; five days work on the boat, and a day of sight-seeing.

 

As usual, when we arrived in Darwin, there was a whole list of things to do to keep Cleone going.  Apart from the arrival of Alex Armitage, the most important event for Cleone was the arrival of her new suit of sails, especially tailored by that Saville Row of sailmakers, North Sails.  Crisp and yellowy white, they slipped easily from their characteristic blue bags.  The mainsail was first to be bent on, and an awkward bugger it was too.  Nevertheless, everything fitted perfectly, and it was great to see its perfect stitching, immaculate new fittings and carefully finished appearance.  Then the Genoa, again the same size and shape as its predecessor, and again fitting perfectly straight out of the bag.  But it is made of conventional dacron, a slightly different material from its predecessor (left for dead in a skip in Port Douglas), and a compromise more towards long-life than perfect shape.  Finally there was the Mizzen - another replica of its predecessor.  But maintenance did not stop there.  The mizzen boom needed attention.  The Skipper fitted it with a kicking-strap, which enables much better control over the mizzen and for it to keep its shape better when off the wind.  Needless to say, one thing led to another, and eventually the whole boom was stripped and refurbished; you'd be surprised how complicated this simple-looking task became.  The skipper also installed two new jam-cleats to take the main boom preventers and spinnaker pole down-hauls.  This will enable these much used items to be held correctly without using either winches or cleats, making it easier to manage the different ropes in the cockpit.  And finally among the main tasks, the engine received it customary reward for good service of an oil change and a renewal of all its filters.

 

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of Norfy's tours (who was also the Driver, Tour-guide and Fleet Manager) took a deep breath and hired an eight-seater minibus (or rather a large, comfortable car) for three days.  He had no trouble filling it, and thanks to his hard work and foresight, many World ARC crew members enjoyed a day or two out in one of the several National Parks not far from Darwin.  Even our Skipper was able to get away for a day, and was able to report on the remarkably beautiful scenery, the flora and fauna and the friendly people met en-route.  But the real thing that always strikes home is the sheer size of this magnificent country.

 

Evenings were spent in one or other of the two Darwin Yacht Clubs, both of whom were delighted to welcome WARC crews as honorary members.  Both had excellent feeding facilities, great bars and decent (ish - Ed) music.  And they were both full of yachtsmen delighted to talk to us and give us their advice and help.  We also visited the inevitable Irish Bar, drank Guiness, watched Rugby and Cricket and generally had a relaxing and enjoyable time.

 

It was a great if busy stop-over, and, whilst exciting, we were sorry to have to be leaving Darwin, even though it's en-route to Bali.  With our reinforced crew and brand-new sails, we are looking forward to some great sailing, even if the wind does not promise much.

 

 

James, Chris and Alex

Yacht Cleone

Tipperary Marina

Darwin