Cosmos is half way across the Tasman Sea enroute to Australia. We flew the asymmetrical spinnaker today in order to keep moving in the light wind. It's a large, colorful, foresail of very light fabric that requires a lot of teamwork to handle. It did the job nicely and we may use it again tomorrow because the weather fax from the single sideband radio forecasts more light wind. Also today, we "trolled for sharks". That's what we call it when we take a large dock line full of knots and a foot loop in the end, cleat it to the stern, and drag ourselves through the water behind the boat, underway, in water infested with who knows what. We have to really hang on and make sure our bathing suits are on tight; it's very refreshing; are we nuts. Hey Tom, we had pancakes yesterday, and today Steve made bread and a big pot of the greatest pea soup; maybe you shouldn't have left.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4/27/02:

Last night the Tasman Sea, at our position, resembled a corrugated mirror, with the full moonlight ricocheting off of the ocean roller crests and leaving shadows in the troughs. It is warming up as we head towards Queensland, Australia, and it is more comfortable to stand watch out at the helm. The condition of the sea that I just attempted to describe was due to the fact that there was no wind so Cosmos was motoring. We are still motoring -- for the last 24 hours. I hope we have enough fuel to get to Australia -- 304 miles to go.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5/2/02:

Cosmos finally got some wind. The Tasman Sea started acting in a manner that I always thought was typical of it. This brought on a crisp 20 to 30 knot breeze with rough, steep, seas. Cosmos sailed fast but it was uncomfortable for us for a couple of days. We completed our crossing of the Tasman under these conditions and got permission from Australian Immigration to anchor behind Lady Musgrave Island. We stayed there for about 24 hours for some rest and recreation. The wind stayed up but we were shielded from the seas by the island. Everyone went snorkeling and diving except me; I used this time to recuperate from the seasickness that caught me by surprise the last day or so.

We left Lady Musgrave Island yesterday afternoon and have been sailing under the same conditions, but dead downwind, enroute to Mackay, up the coast a couple hundred miles. We're using only 50% of the foresail and last night attained a speed of 17.7 knots/hr; this is a new record for Cosmos. We will check in with the Australian authorities in Mackay; probably tomorrow. There is only about 70 miles to go.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5/7/02:

The Mackay Marina was nearly new and the facilities were very nice. Captain Joe treated Cosmos to a few days in a slip at the marina while we waited for some new crew and did some shopping. It was here that Ander's friend Margareta Wennersten joined us as well as Hilary Peabody. Hilary will be with Cosmos all the way to South Africa. I believe that Hilary may have set a record for traveling the farthest, with the most stuff, to crew in a small boat. The crew is now six. So far, more is better; more watch-standers, more CD's to play, more cooks, more dishwashers, more cleaners, more varied conversation, more activity, more enthusiasm, more people thrilled to be here, more fun.

We left Mackay on the 6th, yesterday, fully fueled, watered, and provisioned, and enjoyed a full day's downwind sail with Genoa only, pushed by a 20-25 knot breeze up towards the Whitsunday Islands. We spent last night at anchor at Dugan Inlet, and after a leisurely morning of pancakes and exploratory dinghy rides, we enjoyed another downwind sail today to Nara Inlet of the Hook Island National Park. Actually, all of the Great Barrier Reef area is a marine park, including the Whitsunday Group of islands.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5/11/02:

We've spent the last few days poking into various bays and inlets, picking up moorings, launching the dinghy or the super snorkel and jumping into the water for a look at the local underwater coral display and sea life. Whether snorkeling or diving there is something for everybody. We are now on our way to Magnetic Island to spend the night at anchor in Horseshoe Bay, then we will head for Hinchinbrook Island tomorrow. Just before lunch today, Steve reeled in about a two foot Tuna. Teamwork prevailed in preparing and cooking Tuna steaks on the BBQ for lunch; one hour fresh. The cuisine on Cosmos just keeps getting better and better; it is almost time for another pancake breakfast.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5/13/02:

Yesterday we took Cosmos through the Hinchinbrook Channel that separates Hinchinbrook Island from the mainland of Australia. This channel is lined with Mangrove, then thickly bushed foothills of green treed mountains. The only other signs of civilization were several fishing runabouts and a couple of anchored 40'-50' power boats. We stopped and anchored for lunch in the cockpit and enjoyed the beauty of this unblemished foliage. The weather for the last two days has been wonderful; wind for sailing and sun for tanning. We anchored at Goold Island last evening and then snorkeled at Coates Reef today. Tonight we will get underway at midnight and cover the 45 miles to Cairns in time for a late breakfast. We have a lot to do in Cairns; provisioning, laundry, Email, shopping, dining, etc.

The port engine ran hotter than usual this morning. This usually is the result of reduced cooling water flow through the heat exchanger. I switched over to the starboard engine and, after a couple of hours of cooling down, I checked out the port engine. I found the coolant system to be full, the sea water strainer clean, the pump impeller in excellent condition, and the V belt was O.K. The only thing left was the condition of the thru hull fitting. So, while fearless Steve and intrepid Anders were swimming around the boat after we anchored in shark and crocodile infested waters, I asked them to check the fittings for both engines for blockage and they found the openings to be very restricted with growth and barnacles. They were able to clean them with a screwdriver. Nope, that didn't solve the problem. I then replaced the hose from the thru-hull fitting to the strainer in a desperate attempt to improve the water flow. Bingo, problem solved. The old hose was allowing air into the cooling system in spite of my having tightened the clamps. Captain Grandpa Joe was becoming more and more frantic during this sequence of time consuming troubleshooting because we were about to enter the Cairns harbor and we might have required both engines to avoid an unpleasant situation. Nice anchorage; Cairns looks like fun.