We did it! Arrived in Australia. First to Coffs Harbour then on to Sydney

December 5,2021

After being granted exemption and finally being free to go, we spent a couple of fantastic days in Coffs Harbour. It was such a joy to be in the bay, protected in a secure harbour, while looking at the weather system out in the open sea with 8 to 10-meter waves just in front of us. It was a confirmation that we had made the right decision.

We did a hike up to Muttonbird Island which is home to thousands of wedge-tailed shearwaters, also known as muttonbirds. The island is a protected Nature Reserve. The muttonbirds spend the Australian winter in Southeast Asia and travel thousands of kilometers each year to return to the same burrow on Muttonbird Island in August. It was pouring rain halfway up, but still enjoyed the walk and the view from the top.

We also explored the beautiful botanical gardens, walked by the shopping mall, and savored a few truly delightful meals. The simple act of strolling around felt absolutely amazing. COVID-19 was still moving around as a threat everywhere, and on November 28th (just 2 days after we arrived), it was announced that international travelers arriving from South Africa and other places would be subject to mandatory home quarantine. We couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky to have arrived when we did; a couple of days later would have been a disaster, not only because of the weather but also because of probably having to quarantine for 14 days. A new strain of the virus called Omicron had arrived.

After so many days at sea, it was just nice to walk, enjoy some fresh fruits, have an ice cream, and just relax. We couldn’t move anywhere else until the storm passed.

We let all the family and friends know we had arrived and started making some plans. Everyone was really happy we were back and have arrived safely on land, after all the challenges. The iridium mail is fantastic because we were able to send regular updates and at the same time when you are alone in the middle of the sea, it is so nice to get a message from land. Even if it is only text and takes a very long time to download.

From Coffs Harbour to Sydney is 286 nautical miles, compared to all the miles we had just done it looked like almost nothing! Two full days may be three. However, the weather could get really tricky when you are close to land and some ports have big currents going out from rivers, narrow entrances so we had to plan a proper route.

When we left from French Polynesia, our arrival day in Australia via Sydney was uncertain. Sydney was the only authorized port of arrival for foreign vessels. However, we didn’t know if we had to do quarantine or not. We had some friends that arrived in Queensland in August after 50 days crossing and were given 15 minutes to tie the boat to the dock and were driven straight to a hotel for 14 days quarantine. Therefore, we couldn’t prepare for an arrival party. Which I would have liked. I had imagined so many times arriving at the port and everyone to be there. But it is never too late, so we started making plans with family and friends. Ideally, we could meet in Port Stephens for a weekend, which was a reasonable drive from Sydney and an overnight sail for us. Plus, we had met some people in the marina in Coffs that offered us their mooring for the weekend in Port Stephens. Everything was getting well aligned.

But not too fast! Once again, paperwork became a challenge for us. Happy Days, flies the French flag as a port of origin and is owned by Australian citizens. This meant that upon our arrival, we had to declare the boat and pay taxes. It seemed strange that even though we are already residents paying taxes, we couldn’t wait for the next declaration. Instead, we had to file the report right away and settle the taxes before we could change ports. At first, it appeared to be a straightforward process, but things got complicated when we realized the long list of required documents. We had most of them, but we still needed an estimated value for the boat to calculate the tax amount. In the small town of Coffs Harbour, there was no one available to provide such a service. As a result, we were unable to move the boat. What now?

While we waited, we said goodbye to our mainsail and thanked it for guiding us across the oceans. Remember when we were in Panama, planning our journey to French Polynesia? We knew we would be visiting remote places like Gambier, where finding parts would be so difficult, so we decided to purchase a new mainsail. And we had had it all this way with us. Now, it was time to install it. I’m grateful and relieved that we didn’t have to do this installation while sailing or in a remote location. The sail is quite large and required many screws and bolts. Cedric spent a full day and a half working on it, and I helped too. It is not a one-man job, lots of steps to follow. At sea, if it would have come to that, we could have done it, but it would have taken us so much more effort and with a moving boat, I can’t imagine.

At the same time, I was getting the boat back in shape after the ABF (Australian Border Force) had taken everything out of place. Being in the marina is a luxury, which means I could watch all plates, pots, cutlery with fresh water. I had a tap with water like at home on land!!! Loved it! I cleaned the galley, the heads, everything with fresh water. Full vacuum. Plenty of trips to the laundromat for clothes, towels, bedding, cushions, carpets, and extreme clean-up. The last time we were in a marina was in Panama. I wanted to have a spotless boat for our visitors.

After careful investigation and extensive discussions with officials, we were able to find a solution. We arranged to hire an evaluator in Sydney and secure a permit to move the boat to Sydney, only to Pittwater where the evaluator was located. We were required to present the reservation of the marina, and the evaluator had sent a communication to confirm to the Australian Border Force that he was going to do the report. As a result, the Australian Border Force in Coffs Harbour informed the Australian Border Force in Sydney, and they were expecting us within a maximum of ten days, and we could only have two stops along the way. Any changes or potential delays had to be communicated immediately; otherwise, we were illegal. And trust me, in Australia, “fines may apply,” so it’s better to follow their advice.

Once we were “free” to move, we confirmed the date with a couple of friends and family to meet in Port Stephens.

Port Stephens

In the morning of December 3rd, which was day 85 on our journey to Sydney, we let the lines go and left the marina. It wasn’t the ideal weather conditions, but they were not too bad either. It was a small window to go south along the coast. Another friendly sailor insisted that we should leave a day earlier, but Happy Days’ captain felt that the swell would not have abated enough. We only learned later on that they tried to go the day earlier and after 6 hours, they had to turn back due to a rigging issue. The swell was still too strong to travel south, from the previous days with the storm, but we were so excited we were going south to meet everyone. As soon as we were out, we raised our brand new mainsail and our jib with its big patch. Although we had sewn it in while on passage, it was holding very well.

Later during the day the wind started to go down as the weather forecast had predicted and we had to start the motor. It was a full-night passage with very rigorous watches as we were close to the coast, and there are always a lot more boats close to land than in the middle of the big blue. We crossed a few boats on the way, all properly lit up and easy to identify, Australia for you, people follow all the rules, or fines may apply.

On December 4th, at about 7 am, we arrived in Port Stephens. We went directly to the marina, looking for an empty berth. Apparently, there are some that can be used on a temporary basis. However, as it was the weekend, they were all taken. We thought it would be easier to get everyone onboard by the dock. Hasty was still folded in the front locker, and we could save the inflation of the dinghy by putting it on the water and hoping the engine would run. Sometimes, after so many days, the little engine gets temperamental. Therefore, we went and tied to a courtesy mooring in front of the beach. As we had been sailing all night, we went for a nap. There was still time before everyone arrived.

By around 10 am, we started getting everything organized. Unpack the Hasty, which was nicely folded since Maupiti. On the other hand, as you know, there are always surprises on a boat. We checked again one of the toilets, the one with the manual pump. I had the impression something was not right, so we were using only the electric one in the front cabin. Well, my suspicions were right. The toilet was blocked and no time to fix it. So disappointed, it had to break down just when we were expecting 6 people for the night. Unbelievable, luckily we have two, so no big drama.

Anyway, everything ready for our visitors, including the French, Spanish, Australian and Colombian flags flying up high. Around 2pm, Rene and Belen arrived. With a little companion, Vishnu – a toy poodle! First time we had a dog on board. He is so cute! We were all so excited to meet again. In the original plan, they were supposed to visit us in French Polynesia and that obviously didn’t happen, so the fact that we could actually meet and they could see Happy Days was really amazing. After lots of hugs and kisses. We did a quick tour of the boat and set up for lunch. They brought an incredible seafood platter, we cheered and talked non-stop to update each other on our last 18 months and the plans ahead.

As we finished lunch, we were thrilled when four more guests arrived: my sister, my brother-in-law, and my nephews. We were so excited to finally see them. In a rush of excitement, we quickly jumped in Hasty and went to the beach to meet them. Thanks to Rene, I can share the video he captured of our reunion, filled with hugs, smiles, and happy tears. They had prepared a banner saying “Welcome back Tios” and had some balloons for us. With that warm and heartfelt welcome, I could only think it was worth it to have sailed all those thousands of miles!!

We did a couple of trips from shore to the boat to bring everyone on board and their luggage. Once we were all on board, we did the tour inside and out. It is funny to see what other people think of the boat. Oliver was very impressed; he said that we had everything. I think he said that it was like a little house. Whereas my sister thought it was a lot bigger than she had imagined.

We had such a great couple of days with them on board. The water was a bit cold but still we did a couple of jumps from the platform. Jumping with the kids from the back of the boat was just fantastic, it was always in my plans, it was supposed to happen in French Polynesia, but oh well the important part wasn’t where we were, it was finally now real.

The weather couldn’t have been better on the weekend, there was some wind, great blue skies. Really nice.

Once everyone was settled on the boat, we left the mooring and sailed to the mooring where we were going to spend the night. The sea was flat, but there was enough wind to give all the crew a little taste of sailing. Full sails were up and the boat was gliding quietly without the engine. It was quite an experience for everyone. Finding the proper mooring was a bit of a puzzle as we had the instructions, but they were not straightforward. So, we toured around, looking at all the numbers until we found it, just in time to settle down for sunset. Aperitif, dinner, a few games, and everyone fell asleep quite early, rocked by the happy days like babies in a cradle. I went to sleep with a big smile on my face. I think we all did!

The next morning started early with a trip to the beach for Vishnu, who had behaved really well on the boat. I think he gets a bit dizzy while the boat moves, so he just lies down. Because on land, he runs wild. It was chilly, so we were all rugged up on the deck. The kids and Rene are also early risers. We were just sitting in front, enjoying being on the bay in the boat.

We got some breakfast, and the Captain gave some instructions to the crew, mainly about safety, and we all got ready for a sail in the bay. There was more wind than the day before, but it was sunny and the water was calm, so we had a great sail. More wind means more speed and we had a very courageous crew taking turns at the helm, pulling on the lines as we moved the sails, moving from side to side when tacking. Everyone had a fantastic experience.

In the afternoon, we all left as we all had work on Monday. Including me. When I left for the trip, I had asked for a year off and got it approved. However, I couldn’t come back because it was impossible to fly in. Therefore, I had an extension. And as soon as I arrived, I let my work know, and they agreed I could come back straight away. Cedric stayed with Happy Days one extra night in Port Stephens and then did two days sail. One from Port Stephens to Newcastle and another from Newcastle to Pittwater.

Once in Pittwater we got a mooring assigned from one of the marinas, as it was basically the only one available. And we can’t move from there until we get the papers completed with Australian Border Force and with the tax office.
Time now to settle down in land, start looking for a place to live, find a proper mooring for Happy Days, there will be one more charter before returning to land life. Christmas and New Year are coming, hopefully by then all paperwork is sorted and we can go sailing in Sydney with Happy Days, family and friends.