Lizard Island - we have circumnavigated Australia!

 On September 30, 2021, I departed from Lizard Island to head south to Tasmania and beginning the circumnavigation of the Australian continent.  Yesterday, September 10, 2023 we arrived in the Lizard Island anchorage at 17:45 to complete the trip.

The circumnavigation was over two calendar years however I was back in Canada for 8 months of that time and then in the Mandurah marina in West Australia for another 4 months waiting for the end of the cyclone season before continuing the trip.  The actual sailing time for the trip was about 1 year.

There were a number of crew members on True North for segments of the trip.  Christine was aboard during the 2021 trip when we visited Lizard Island and went as far south as Mooloolaba, Queensland before departing.

Christine and me enjoying the sunset at Yanks Jetty, Orpheus Island, Queensland

I sailed solo south to Pittwater, a northern suburb of Sydney where yachties and good friends John and Kay joined True North to sail to Tasmania. After a week at Pittwater exploring the region by boat and hiking several trails, the weather was favourable to head south again down to Jarvis Bay then on to Eden, NSW.  At Eden we waited until Christmas Eve for good weather to cross the Bass Straight to Tasmania.

John and Kay arrive aboard True North at Pittwater

Passages can be quite strenuous but good friends (and sometimes good wine) make them pleasurable!

Christmas Day crossing the bass Strait 

We had a great time in Tasmania and received tremendous support from Bobbie a friend of Kay who lives in Tasmania.  Bobbie helped with suggestions of anchorages, drove half way up the island to pick up our watermaker motor then drove it back to Hobart to get it repaired, provided many tourist trips for us around Tassie and generally made sure we were well looked after while in Tassie.
Bobbie and Kay on a hike in Tasmania

While in Tasmania I had True North hauled our of the water to have new antifouling applied.  Yachtie friends Chris and Annie who live in Tasmania housed me and drove me around while True North was on the hard.  Chris also helped me with several repairs on True North while Annie made sure we were well fed with lovely dinners.
Chris and Annie with True North on the hard badly needing a good hull cleaning and new antifouling.

January 2022 brought the end of Australian borders closures due to Covid.  On the day of the border opening, my nephew Andrew arrived in Tasmania.  Andrew was to sail on True North from Hobart around the south and west coasts of Tasmania, west to Kangaroo Island then continuing west to Pearson Island before crossing the Great Australian Bight to Middle Island, rounding Cape Leuwin and finally sailing north up the west coast to Mandurah.  We had many adventures along the way and Andrew was great company!
Hiking above Port Davey, Tasmania

Sarah Island penal colony ruins, Tasmania

Exploring a cave in Tasmania



A hill to high - Middle Island

Crossing the Great Australian Bight is not all excitement

Securely harnessed to the boat while offshore

Andrew flew back to Canada. After docking True North in Mandurah Ocean Marina and preparing her for a long absence I also returned home for a visit.
Enjoying a lovely summer evening with Dad and Mom!

We visited Andrew at Lake Superior park

In November I returned to Mandurah to get True North ready for the next leg of the journey.  I needed to wait until April for cyclone season up north to finish but during the intervening weeks I made several upgrades and repairs to the yacht.  My friends John and Fran agreed to join me for the next leg and we departed from Mandurah in early April.

Time to head north up the west coast

Unfortunately as we headed north, the autopilot motor failed and we were unable to repair it.  I had to order a new motor which would ship for the United States and would take at least a month to arrive.  We sailed to Carnarvon, West Australia where John and Fran headed home and I waited for the new autopilot motor to arrive.
John preparing to examine the defective autopilot motor

Once the new autopilot motor arrived and was installed, two new crew members Glen and Paul joined True North for the passage from Carnarvon to Darwin.  The passage included side trips to the Montebello islands, stops in Exmouth, Dampier, Broome and many locations in the Kimberly region.

Paul - fishing was good



Glen - fishing was good

Lots of waterfalls in the Kimberly 


Many rivers had high gorges

And many big Crocs in the Kimberly 

In Darwin Paul and Glen headed home and KS joined me for the passage from Darwin to Cairns.

Dinner in Darwin - KS front right along with other yachties Noel and Peter I met way back in Dampier

KS and me at Gove Yacht Club

Exploring the coral reef top at Boydong Island

Cooks Lookout at Lizard Island

Although the circumnavigation has completed there is much more to discover.  KS will continue on True North until we reach Cairns in a couple weeks.  Nancy who crewed with me for a week in the Whitsundays will join True North in Cairns and we will continue the passage to arrive in Brisbane mid-November.  I will leave True North at a marina in Brisbane and return home for Christmas.  When I return to her mid-January 2024 she will be hauled for new antifouling to be applied before we continue our journey once again to Tasmania before heading southeast for New Zealand.

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