Departing Fraser Island we had strong southeasterly winds. We left Fraser around 8 am aiming for the Keppels. We played with the sails a little bit throughout the day, but by nighttime, we’d taken down our mainsail and just powered along with our genoa. The winds were that strong! Keppel Bay Marina We made it…
Wide Bay Bar Crossing WBB has a pretty gnarly reputation. Australians also call it the Mad Mile. This bar entrance has a lot of shifting sands and is completely open to the ocean, unlike Mooloolaba which had a headland. Timing the crossing is challenging. You need to meet these conditions: Enter in the morning or…
After three and a half years of cruising, our AGM batteries weren’t holding a charge like they used to. We did our research and decided to upgrade our house bank to Lithium-ion (LiFePO4) batteries. Our AGM Battery Set-Up Battery Setup from the Factory Here’s what our Helia 44 came with from the Fountaine Pajot factory:…
When we departed Scarborough we had hoped to go back to Tangalooma, but damn that Tangalooma roll sucks. Instead of stopping, we decided to just hightail it out of Moreton Bay and head to our next destination – Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast is the area just north of Brisbane up to…
Departing the Boat Works was only the second time EVER that one of us moved the boat without the other. I was still at the WWSA Gathering on the Bay. David invited our friends Mark and Susan to join him while launching the boat and motoring back to their dock. We identified a few problems in…
We’ve been using making sailing videos since 2014, and have surpassed 21K subscribers. We’ve had a lot of video and photo equipment come and go. Here’s what we are using currently. Out Chasing Stars is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites…
The anti-disclaimer: we didn’t get compensation in any way from The Boat Works. BUT, we did meet and talk to the owners and a lot of the key staff. We walked through the entire facility. We used a ton of amenities. Basically, we just think The Boat Works provides a great service to yachties and…
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been sailing since I was little. Although I didn’t get really into it until David did, I grew up having a family that supported me, like my mom, my stepdad, my dad, and my uncle. I was never short of opportunities to try out anything I wanted to, including sailing….