G’day & Selamat jalan
(Hello Australia & Goodbye Indonesia!)
Hi all - We’re playing catch-up now, after a lot of activity and a few life curveballs. Let me take you back to late July, when arriving in Mackay, Australia brought with it some pretty incredible milestones:
Crossing the world’s largest Ocean, the mighty Pacific.
The half-way point of this whole trip: 8 months down and 8 months to go.
We received the certificates to prove it all at the World ARC rendezvous, which was a great reminder to slow down and appreciate how far we’ve come. (Because we never need a reminder to start thinking about the next leg!)
Mackay also offered some comforts that we hadn’t had in a while. Namely, lots of shopping (helllllooooo TARGET!) and familiar western food options. While we had a bit of time to explore nature - wallabies and kangaroos at sunrise, platypus in the wild and a leech on my leg 😱, our time in Mackay Marina was mostly about prepping for the big trip up the coast and around the top of Australia.
We also had some crew changes Mackay. Martin and Zena bid us farewell and that marked the end of an era for sure. Also, Francesca joined us. Who is Francesca, you ask?
Francesca Evans
Francesca was brought up sailing. She has her Yachtmaster qualification and stopped counting her miles quite a while ago. She’s also a teacher back in the UK, so she’s double-hatting on Pure Joy. We feel so fortunate to have Francesca’s experience and laid back vibe aboard. And everyone (including Elliot) is doing a huge happy dance now that David and I have retired from homeschooling!
What inspired you to join this adventure?
The idea of sailing round the world has always been something I have wanted to do but in reality didn’t think I would achieve. Especially not at this stage of my life. So the opportunity to join Pure Joy was much more appealing than leaving the adventure and going back to work. (Francesca was previously aboard one of our former World ARC boats, Misfit. When they left the rally to pursue other travel plans, we very gladly scooped up Francesca!)
What’s your go-to talent for entertaining the crew on those longer, less-eventful stretches?
Extra school work and card games.
If you were stranded on an island, what’s the one (non-life sustaining) item from the boat that you’d want to have with you?
A hammock so I don’t need to sit in the sand
After Mackay it was time to explore the Whitsunday Islands. Top highlights there had to be when we surprised Elliot with a helicopter tour of the Great Barrier Reef (‘I can’t BELIEVE they let me ride shotgun!’) and the days we spent at Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet.
From the Whitsundays, it was on to Cairns. We explored Cairns a little bit - I especially enjoyed a water zumba class with some other moms of the World ARC - and we got through a number of boat jobs so that we were ready to welcome the McKenzies who were slated to visit us all the way from Detroit!
To have some of our dearest friends to laugh with was truly special after 8 months of being away from home. And having them nearby when things got really hard was a blessing too. While they were with us, I learned that my mom had fallen very ill back in Michigan. Pure Joy was just days away from setting sail for a week-long sail up to the northern coast of Australia, which we knew would be a somewhat tricky and demanding cruise. The idea of leaving the boat felt wrong, but with my gut telling me where I most needed to be, and my crew telling me that they had it under control, I hopped on a plane back to the US.
While I spent time with my mom in hospital, witnessing her brave and miraculous recovery (go Posey!!), David, Elliot and Francesca made their way from Cairns to Darwin, stopping only for a quick overnight sleep a couple of times. Elliot turned 9 while they were on that passage, and while the sea was a bit rough that day - leaving Elliot with a touch of seasickness - he managed to perk up for presents and then again for cake the next day. And when they arrived in Darwin, the entire fleet celebrated him again, along with his birthday twin, Evelyn, from one of the other kid boats in the fleet. I was so sad to miss it all, but we celebrated via FaceTime and could see from afar that Elliot was thoroughly enjoying turning 9.
With my mom firmly on the road to recovery, I started to make the epic journey from Detroit to Darwin. David, Elliot and Francesca were busy exploring the local area, taking in a ‘jumping crocodile’ tour and other fun activities and starting to prepare the boat for the next leg.
And after I landed, I was welcomed back ‘home’ to Pure Joy not only by David, Elliot and Francesca, but our new additional crew member, Angela!
Angela Murphy
We were super lucky to find Angela through our friends on Imi Ola, another World ARC boat. On boats for most of her life and qualified as a commercial skipper, Angela has more experience than most crews combined. Plus, she’s a delight to be around - we feel so lucky to have her aboard!
What inspired you to join this adventure?
The combination of sailing on different catamarans… for research purposes 😉 with meeting new like-minded people and sharing the great experiences.
What’s your go-to talent for entertaining the crew on those longer, less-eventful stretches?
I do love puns…even if they only entertain me I will still laugh. Fishing can be fun along with spotting wildlife. Sadly no hidden entertainment talent here 😉
If you were stranded on an island, what’s the one (non-life sustaining) item from the boat that you’d want to have with you?
Considering a wine fridge is life sustaining that must already be on the island. Maybe a snorkel & mask or paddle board for exploring the surrounding waters. Binoculars would be the practical option…..depending on whether I’m stranded for fun like gilligans island or need to be rescued! I might like the island and stay 🤣
Elliot’s Excellent Expedition
Check out the latest episode: Australia!
Don’t forget to leave a comment - Elliot loves to read them!
So, 1.5 days after I landed in Darwin, we were off to Indonesia!
This passage must have been the calmest we’ve had so far. So calm, in fact that we had to motor for nearly 3 days! The water was like glass for much of the passage, and while I was grateful for the lack of drama for my first days back after such a long journey, it sure did get hot on the boat with no breeze!
On the way over, I learned that Indonesia has over 6,000 inhabited islands. And we were going to visit ONE of them, Lombok, and for just 4 days. So this was really more of a pit stop than an exploration. We did manage to have a magical time at a local wildlife sanctuary, where we got to hang out with Kiki, our new orangutan friend. We spent some time catching up with friends, attending World ARC events and stealing away a few refreshing moments at a hotel pool nearby. The rest of the time - you guessed it, we were preparing for the NEXT leg. All the usual stuff - refuelling, washing, provisioning, laundry. In addition, David spent a good deal of time trying to nurse our icemaker and our dishwasher back to health. (At time of publication, we are not there yet and are somehow muddling through without these luxuries!)
I must say, even in the brief time we were there, Indonesia stole our hearts with the incredibly friendly people, beautiful scenery and wildlife and delicious food. It definitely earned a firm spot on our ‘Must Revisit’ list, right next to Fiji.
In the next edition, I’ll catch up on our 48 hours in Christmas Island - the most quirky and delightful little spot! The next few stops of our journey (Christmas Island, Cocos Keeling, Mauritius and Reunion Island) will see us inching closer and closer to Africa. It’s hard to believe we are that far into the journey. I’m very conscious of the fact that we are now moving towards home rather than away from it. Still loads to see, experience and learn before it’s over though! So we’ll just stay here in the present with the aim of soaking it all up.
Coming up: Christmas Island & Cocos Keeling