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Final Approach to Darwin

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Anticipating Arrival on the Granocean W60

By Gary Watson, Delivery Skipper at Yacht Delivery Solutions


What a difference a day makes! Everything truly calmed down overnight, allowing both Kel and I to enjoy incredibly relaxing watches. The Granocean W60 sliced smoothly through the water, making for a much-needed period of tranquility.

However, today has been a real mixed bag of conditions. We've experienced everything from absolute no-wind doldrums to sudden gusts of 25-30 knots, from perfectly calm seas to choppy waters, and everything in between. Such variability is a constant companion for any yacht delivery skipper operating in these diverse waters, and the Granocean catamaran continues to handle it all with remarkable grace.

We're now on the home stretch, on the "downward slope" to Darwin with only 250 nautical miles remaining. Barring any unforeseen complications, we "should" be tied up in Darwin before midnight tomorrow, Sunday. That's when the next phase of the adventure begins – dealing with the authorities. If we're lucky, we'll only have two or three Australian Border Force (ABF) officials come onboard, perhaps one person from Health, and one or two from Agriculture & Fisheries. Hopefully, that will be the extent of it, and the clearance process will go smoothly.

This afternoon, just before I was about to call Darwin ABF to confirm our arrival time and preferred berthing, I spotted something unusual floating in the calm water ahead. After spending so much time out here, you develop an instinct for what looks out of place. As we drew closer, it appeared suspicious. I grabbed the Granocean W60's super-effective stabilized binoculars for a closer look. It turned out to be four 210-liter blue drums, similar to the fuel drums we carry on deck, tightly wrapped with what looked like very heavy rope, bobbing in the water.

While it could have been a FAD (Fish Attracting Device), it didn't quite look like the ones we're accustomed to seeing. So, I made sure to take a photo of the drums with their Latitude/Longitude coordinates, plus a video for good measure. After spotting these drums, I made my call to ABF. After discussing our arrival, I casually mentioned my sighting, noting it was about 260 nautical miles north of Darwin and outside their territorial waters. To my surprise, they were very keen to hear more. I'm sure they'll have plenty of questions about it once we arrive. (Apologies for the quality of the picture, but I preferred not to get too close for several reasons.)

The forecast for our final day looks pretty favorable, with only 0.9-meter seas coming from just aft of the starboard beam. This should make for a comfortable final run into port. Our only remaining concern is hoping we don't encounter the worst of the Darwin tidal currents. At least the tidal range there is typically around 6 meters, not the more extreme 8-meter ranges it can sometimes reach.

Approaching port after a long yacht delivery means navigating not just the seas, but also complex customs and biosecurity protocols. At Yacht Delivery Solutions, our experienced yacht delivery skippers handle all aspects of your vessel's journey, from unexpected encounters at sea to seamless international clearances.


Whether it's a Granocean or any other catamaran delivery, we ensure a professional and secure transit from Southeast Asia to New Zealand. Contact us to plan your next worry-free voyage.

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Comments

  1. Gavin Terrill22 December 2024 at 03:55

    Wow, that's crazy. Good call on giving it a wide berth.

    ReplyDelete

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