Hugh Robertson Sailing · video

What this video covers

A 35-mile passage from Mourilyan Harbour to Sudbury Cay in the Great Barrier Reef involves broad reaching in 15-to-20-knot southeast trade winds. The vessel, a sailboat named Sea Change, utilizes a windvane for steering while navigating the coastal shipping lane. At Sudbury Cay, public moorings provide anchorage, though high-tide wraparound swell can cause significant motion. A subsequent 8-mile sail leads to Fitzroy Island, where public moorings are available on the northwest side. Navigating toward Cairns, the vessel anchors in the shallow Mission Bay, where low-tide depths reach six feet, requiring the use of roll-dampening buckets to mitigate swell. The journey concludes at Yorkies Knob Yacht Club, where the owner meets the previous owners of the boat to perform mainsail repairs, including adding a fourth reef point using a Sailrite sewing machine. The owner then departs for a week-long trip to Seattle. Proper mooring technique involves pulling the mooring ball upside down onto the bow roller to prevent hull damage.

Boats in this video

More from Hugh Robertson Sailing

26 differences from most other cruisers, part 2 of 2Apr 202626 differences from most other cruisers, part 1of 2.Apr 202630 stories of sailors less fortunate than me during my ocean-sailing years on Sea ChangeJan 202630 mistakes I made and things that broke on my solo circumnavigation on Sea Change, Part 3 of 3Dec 2025

From Hugh Robertson Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.

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