Fart From the Madding Crowd

By Kevin William Barry

Towards the end of August 1993, I embarked on an epic, solo odyssey from my home near Brisbane, Australia to my new home in Cairns, Far North Queensland.

The voyage, transiting the beautiful 'Coral Sea' and the amazing 'Great Barrier Reef', was undertaken in a tiny, 24 foot sailing boat and covered nearly two thousand nautical miles. During the long, seven week cruise, I encountered mountainous seas, cyclonic winds, gigantic sea monsters, aliens, a plot by a megalomaniac to take over the world and the lost city of Atlantis..... Okay, that maybe an exaggeration, but I did have a lot of fun.

This is the story of that adventure. Read it and be amazed, but remember, very word is true, only the way I've arranged them is a bit questionable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin William Barry
• Release date: Oct 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386075400

Kevin William Barry

Kevin William Barry is the Australian author of numerous novels. He lives on the Atherton Tableands, Far North Queensland Australia with his wife Cathy

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Beginning.

Sir George Mallory , Mountaineer, explorer and adventurer, was once asked. ''Why did you climb mount Everest?'' because it was there" replied Sir George. My little jaunt, sailing a small yacht, single handed, from Brisbane to Cairns, cannot hope to compare with the magnitude of Mallory's epic adventure. Except perhaps to say that we both did what we did for the same reason, though I suspect that anyone who needed to ask the question would not understand the answer.

Most people I know who have had experience with the marque all agree that the space Sailer yachts are a particularly fine sailing boat. As one friend put it "As roomy as a Roberts and as fast as a Farr.

While I think this a gross overstatement, my yacht, Aquavit'', a space Sailer 24, despite being 17 years old, having worn sails, stretched rigging, and electrics installed by Count Dracula Prince of Darkness, is certainly a brilliant little boat and regularly outdoes many much larger boats. It is a far better boat than I am a sailor, and is certainly roomier than a comparably sized Farr and faster than a Roberts.

26/7/93 Scarborough to Mooloolaba

My journey started at 7:00 am on Monday 26th July, two days later than I had hoped. A friend of mine has a drawing on his cabin wall which depicts a weatherman standing next to a wheel of fortune. On the wheel is a series of graphics depicting various weather patterns. Every graphic shows the same thing. Rain, strong winds and large seas. It was just like that in the real world. For the previous few days the weatherman had been predicting 10-15 knot South Easterlies and Mother Nature had been predicting 20-25 knot North Easterlies. Of course MN got it right and the weatherman got it wrong. Eventually frustration won out and I chose to bet on the weatherman being right for a change and left anyway. This time they both got it wrong and as a result my first day's sail, from Scarborough to Mooloolaba took 13 hours at an average speed of 2.7 knots. Most of the day was light to bugger all winds only picking up at around 1500 and then from the North East. I started the diesel and motored the last 3 miles, trying to outrun a storm which had been building up all day in the West. The storm hit just as I was tying up the boat on the pylons in the Mooloolaba River. I was soaked to the skin, unable to retreat below until the squall had passed and I was able complete tying up.

I listened the weather forecast that night with the normal amount of attention required by sailors all over, but with a great deal less conviction than previously - The prognosis was for a south east change. Winds to 30 - 35 knots were expected. Stuff it said I "Better to be safe than sorry, I'll rest tomorrow and continue Wednesday.

And Mother Nature rubbed her hands with glee.

Little baby Tuesday 27th came into the world screaming and kicking in a blaze of brilliant, winter sunshine. Soon the air was filled with sound. The Burping of Chirds, the Darking of Bogs and the happy din of children playing Bury the car Keys on the beach opposite. The only sound missing was the sound of wind. Not a breath of air stirred the mirror flat water.

Once again the weather forecasters had spun the wheel of fortune. Once again Mother Nature had won the coconut.

I spent the day wandering about the town and checking out the other boats moored and at the marina. Towards the afternoon the winds did start to pick up, and sure enough they were from the South East but never gusting to more than fifteen knots. All looked good for the following day.

28/7/93 Mooloolaba to Inskip Point

At 0300 hrs. the following morning ''Aquavit'' and I headed out along the breakwater and hung a left at the green light. The leg between Mooloolaba, Inskip Point and the infamous Wide Bay Bar at the southern most tip of Frazer Island, is one of the longest