At the end of today there is a line drawn in the sand. Our departure window opens tomorrow and at that point we must have everything ready for QuickStar to sustain the crew over a roughly estimated period of time in conditions that are uncertain and capricious on a path that is ill defined. With so many variables at play it is hard to plan for such a trip and we must be prepared for anything and everything. This is not a state of being for people who are uncomfortable with uncertainty. An ocean passage is not like a flight, with a set date, time and place for departure and arrival. We could be leaving tomorrow from Marsden Cove, but the evolving front that is threatening the east Australian coast next week keeps shifting and changing, so perhaps we will be clearing out a few days later from Opua. Some forecasting models tell us we will be fine, others show swirling red patterns warning of danger. Even if all predictions align, they are still just predictions, a prophecy or divination if you like, written not in the stars but in the wind and the waves.
And so we prepare. There is so much to do at the last minute, things on our list (oh, our endless lists!) that have a special home in the day before departure. Fresh food to last the next two weeks; Gas, diesel and water to be topped up; Dinghy to be stowed and non-essential items packed away. These things and more live in that single day just before the window opens. We are lining up customs at multiple ports in two countries as we make provisions for all possible outcomes. I am getting to know the officials at Lord Howe Island, which is a possible destination for a “technical stop” along the way. The tourism manager answered some questions before referring me to the policeman (also her husband) and then onto the Border Force officer. I now have a phone filled with contacts for people in a place I have yet to visit.
Our focus on jobs is a good thing today. Yesterday we said farewell to Dolphin and Squid which left a hole in QuickStar and our hearts that no amount of business can fill. There are already crew member filling their spaces on the boat and while their help for the passage will be a wonderful blessing the swift transition now stands as an emotional intrusion we couldn’t quite anticipate. The Captain is head down in paperwork – there is so much more to do than fill in a simple departure card when sailing between countries – and I play to my strengths by keeping the crew moving through the list for the day. Tick, tick, tick.
At midday, right on schedule, we pull out of the marina, waving goodbye to our cruiser friends on the berth next to us who now have half a box of fireworks that we couldn’t bring back to Australia. It’s good to be moving forward, rather than just the circular motion to and from QuickStar that has filled our days of preparation. Motion provides us with some reward for all the work. We catch the falling tide towards Whangarei Heads to tick the last box (diesel) and a sense of calm descends. That line in the sand was drawn and now we move beyond as it fades in our wake.