Ashmore Reef-Christmas Island

passage

Early on the voyage to Christmas Island, I became very pleased with myself. I could finally take sites and work out both morning and afternoon positions. and be within cooee of mums position.

It was unusual for us to see ships at sea. Still, one passed us going south during the night, close enough to identify it as a bulk carrier. Another ship passed going north during the day. And a jet was seen high above in the clear blue sky. A "high" traffic day.

There were rain squalls off both sides of the bow. We girls watched them intently, wondering if they would sail through them. Would there be enough rain for a quick shower on deck? Sadly not that day, the rain squalls continue marching off at right angles to Franda II's course.

The wind slowly intensified, and the seas increased. The log broke around 0100 hours but was not fixed till daylight. For those 8 hours, we needed to guess Franda II's speed for the log-book entry, and for Mum to work out a DR dead reckoning(using mileage travelled). An average hourly speed is hard to gauge and almost impossible on a dark night.

There are several ways during daylight to guess Franda II's speed. First, a glance at the waters moving past gives you an idea, and after a year on board, we were reasonably accurate at guessing her speed. Secondly, the speed could be calculated by dropping something that floats off the bow and counting the seconds till it passes the stern. But this is the speed for those few seconds, not the whole hour. So it was essential to get the log working.

Franda II's log penetrated through the hull, so Mike and Stu went below and withdrew the log, slowly shutting off the valve behind it so water did not enter Franda II. The impeller that spins to indicate the speed was fouled with some weed. Easily fixed and replaced.

It was still warm enough for Kap and me to have a quick hose off under the saltwater hose. The pump ran directly off the main engine, so it was generally only used when it was already running, or it was worth starting when most of us wanted to wash or cool down. The saltwater shower was followed by a cup of freshwater from the cream can tied to the poop deck. The weather was becoming a little cooler, and the seas became rougher.

The seas continued to build. Soon becoming very uncomfortable and the roughest Franda II had seen for 6 months. Sealegs were well and truly gone. I was on lunch duty and felt quite ill. However, I made it topside before getting sick. I rinsed my mouth with fresh water, then returned below decks to the galley to finish preparing lunch. The following day I vomited after having a glass of water. It took me several years to believe that plain water did not sit well in my stomach.

The wind slowly started to drop, leaving an uncomfortable sloppy sea. Finally, on the sixth day at sea, it poured with rain, which flattened the waves, making our approach to Christmas Island a little more comfortable. We did not bother with a deck shower as we would soon be on land.

We anchored at 1630hrs at Christmas Island, officially known as the Territory of Christmas Island. An Australian external territory even though Java and Sumatra are only 350km (220 mi) to the north. The closest point on the Australian mainland was 1,550 km (960 mi) South-east, and Darwin was over 2750km (1710 mi) to the East. Christmas Island has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi).

Customs arrived in a launch and cleared us in. Then, they suggested that we head ashore for dinner at the Sarga Club, which specialises in Malaysian food. We thought this an excellent idea as it would be a significant change to Franda II's fare.

We enjoyed the free films of an evening at the boat club and used the free buses. The buses made getting around town easy, and we girls enjoyed the free swimming pool.

Mum had a school friend working and living here with his family. Don Merton had been seconded from NZ to the Australian National Parks & Wildlife Service as its first Conservator on Christmas Island. He was instrumental in creating the first national park on Christmas Island to save the Abbott's Booby (the largest and most endangered gannet.)

Don and his family showed the Franda II crew the workings of Christmas Island. We visited the phosphate mine and learnt how that was harvested, washed and crushed. Phosphate has been mined here since 1899. At Grants Well, one of the town's water supplies, we picked a lot of pawpaws. The Mertons took us to lunch at an old Chinese Josh House at South Point. Having a "local" to show us around made a huge difference in our experience of the Island.

Mum took her two girls to school. In one of the classrooms, we spoke about Franda II and what it was like to live onboard and travel to different countries. After that, Mum left us at school for the rest of the day, which was a treat. I enjoyed being the centre of attention and surrounded by other children.

The following day we sisters took the school bus to school and did our schoolwork in the library. At play times, we enjoyed socialising with all the kids. This was our first time with a group of children in eight months. Also, we were excited to borrow books from the school library and made the most of the opportunity. We also managed to swap a few books with other children so we would have new books to read once we left the Island.

Only a few children were on sailing yachts in the late '70s, and it was challenging for us sisters to find books to swap. However, it was almost a tradition and almost the first question asked when two yachts met, "Do you have books to exchange?". "Yes", we always answered. Yachties typically were low on cash and didn't buy books, so exchanging books was a big deal, but they were mostly adult books with the lack of children onboard.

Yacht "Resolve" came into port with a young lad on board, and Kap and I were able to swap the rest of our books with David.

We celebrated Malay New Year by eating, talking and visiting many houses. The food was so different to our traditional fare and so tasty. I enjoyed tasting all the different flavours and textures of the unusual "treats".

To show our appreciation for the hospitality we had received, we invited our new friends onboard for a day trip. This started with a lot of trips into shore in the dinghy. We girls ferried out at least 11 passengers, so about three trips. Some had never been in small boats, so we needed to explain how to get in and out of the dinghy. Next, Franda II motored around West Point and anchored. After lunch, I dove with a group of our visitors.

Kathryn and I both visited the dental clinic, where I got another filling. It seemed so unfair to me that Kap never got any! It seemed to me that we both spent the same amount of time cleaning our teeth.

Dreamtime arrived the day before we left the Island. She had caught us up from Darwin as she had not stopped at Ashmore Reef. So I stayed the night onboard her, with my new friend Tina.

I was sorrowful to leave Christmas Island. I had made some good friends and really loved the Merton family. As Franda II sailed out of the bay, we saw someone waving a big white "flag" from the Government House. We assumed it was Mr Merton. A final Goodbye.

It was a quiet first night on our passage to Cocos Keeling Islands 458NM to the West.