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Tech talk with Pete today I was inspired to have a look at Wine-Dark Sea’s cooling system after Sunday’s CYCA Winter Series race (which we won by the way). I saw another yacht blowing steam out their exhaust. We told them and they shut their engine down straight away most likely saving their engine from […]

Today is one year since Sarah Goddard-Jones, my Little Welsh Dragon and soulmate passed away. Over the long weekend (at least in Australia) friends of Sarah all around the world have remembered her in their own way. Not surprisingly this has generally involved champagne, and lots of it. On Sunday, the Wine-Dark Sea crew got […]

Like 2019 wasn’t enough of a shit show. Welcome to 2020! It is early days but I’m not holding my breath about getting Wine-Dark Sea up north this year. In Wine-Dark Sea news, we got back racing but the season was quite disjointed given the late return of Wine-Dark Sea, the repair work she required […]

Tragedy has unfortunately followed Wine-Dark Sea further into 2019. As many of you may be aware Wine-Dark Sea was involved in a fatal sailing accident on Sunday night of the October long weekend (6/7 October). It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write that person was Hugh Lachlan Macready. Hugh was an experienced […]

24/9/2019 Today would have been Sarah’s 55th birthday. Instead I find myself burying her ashes on a remote coral cay, North West Island. As emotional as the day is, I won’t say it is hard. I find a lot of peace in the location that I have found for Sarah’s final resting place. Given the […]

15/9/19-23/9-19 Will Hardcastle arrived on the afternoon of 15th September to aid with the delivery home. We had one last dinner with Paul and Clare Ley. In the days leading up to this I had decided that some of Sarah’s ashes should be left on Magnetic Island, a place where we had planned to use […]

Tropical Race weeks have to be approached in a pragmatic fashion. Often crews arrive to find themselves apparent “handicapped out”. The reality is that until you are out on the race track you don’t really know. Having coming 2nd twice before at Magnetic Island Race week, the race committee should have had a good read […]

20/8/19-24/8/19 Blow from the south they said, and blow from the south it did. We set off from South Percy in 20+ knots and it stayed up there most of the day. We sailed on with headsail only all day. The only real decision for the day was Scawfell or Brampton as our next anchorage. […]

19/8/19 After a bit of a sleep in and a hearty breakfast we radioed the homestead to see it Cate was taking visitors. She was so we headed into the beach. Greg and Lindy had their first tour of the famous A-frame. I went in search of the Wine-Dark Sea mug that Sarah and I […]

16/8/19-18/8/19 As relaxing as it was to be snugged up in Mooloolaba, we had to keep moving. Another overnight was in store and we departed Mooloolaba with a goal to get to Lady Musgrave around midday the following day. We left Mooloolaba at 0640, after the obligatory coffees of course. Our only real drama was […]