Jon Sanders on Perie Banou II. Blog 1

This is day 7 (6 days) since leaving the coastal mid-West Australian town of Carnarvon

Blog Post 2 by Jon Sanders: 8th October 2016

Remote region. Beautiful town. Kept cooler by the strong south winds which make the trees bend and grow to the north. Carnarvon is nice.

Especially the months of September, October, November, December. The wind is strong. Often near gale with gale squalls and blue skies.

I sailed from Fremantle (superb) of Perth, the capital of the state of Western Australia. Perth population 1.3 million. Very modern. Clean and the most isolated major city on the planet.

Carnarvon is located in the northern portion of Shark Bay. A world heritage region.

We participated in the Fremantle to Shark Bay yacht race held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dutch navigator and Captain of the sailing ship “Eendracht” on Dirk Hartog Island.  Shark Bay. His name was Dirk Hartog.

He would never have know 400 years later the King and Queen of Holland would be in Perth as part of the celebration.

The latter part of the race course follows the sheer ‘Zuytdorp Cliffs’.  The strong wind is dead against the ‘Leeuwin Current’.  Together with the Cliffs can make a breaking ugly sea

We came nowhere much race wise. We kept our gear small to tiny. Long way to go.

We broke or busted zilch, zero nothing.

Other yachtsmen keener, more daring, enjoyed the thrill.  Two masts broken, rudder lost and a demolition of sails. Great for a sail maker.  (I should have been a sailmaker).

My nicest crew Robin Morritt, Gareth Owen-Conway and Vera Walby left from the Shark Bay town of Denham.  12-hour bus ride to Perth.

I am on my own.  Again. You get that.

But before leaving my friend and sometimes long range crew Chris Hopkins. Age 33. Master of sea going tug (first mate). Came!  Used his intelligence, bulk and energy to make ready this yacht. Ready to cross the Indian Ocean and the rest of the world. There were those previous, in Perth, Who had done likewise. I will always remember them well. Always and always.

The yacht club in Carnarvon looked after me.  The Shire of Carnarvon, their President, flag Officers and members of the club gave me morning tea, before departure.

I had coffee.  (So did others).

They made me Honorary Member.

It was windy when I left. What did you expect?

I put full 3 deep reefs in the mainsail. (Made smaller) and snippet off jib. (Front sail).

How is my nautical language going?

Further, much further from the coast, I found the south-east trade winds. Favourable winds. Light but good. Times the yacht gliding along quietly. Nice.

I am really impressed with the new electronics supplied by B&G, in particular, the accuracy of the AIS and the clarity of the displays. As a lone sailor, the AIS system is really important to alert me to ships nearby and means I can avoid collisions.  The AIS system provided by B&G detects other ships early and provided an audible alert with plenty of time to take necessary action to avoid collisions.  This time around I’m getting more rest knowing I can rely on the system. Does so!

Today is Tuesday 8 November 2016. Listening to Radio Australia on the Barrett HF radio. It is 8 am here.  Not in the USA. International date line got in the road. They are still in yesterday.

There is going to be a new President soon. 

If he loses. I wonder whom he will blame. I better not say anything.  He might end up being in command of the world’s biggest navy. And I am stuck out here.  (I better make a ging. Small one).

Regards to all.

__ Jon __


Jon has asked Robin, a longtime friend, confidant and regular crew member to give you some details about the geological areas that he is crossing.

Robin is a geologist by trade and has a great love of our planet and sharing his knowledge.

Jon’s 10th circumnavigation of Planet Earth is underway. He has left Australian shores to head westward across the Indian Ocean.

It is a good thing Jon didn’t set off about 70 million years ago.

Had he done so, he would have been at risk of being run down by a rampant Indian (tectonic) Plate as it ripped northwards across the Tethys Sea from its Gondwanaland “anchorage” off Antarctica and southwestern Australia. The Indian Plate had plenty of energy to wipe out Perie Banou II too…

Witness what happened 20 to 45 million years later when the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate; formation of the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibetan Plateau, the Salt Range and other associated mountain ranges. Tethys Sea sediments, including fossils of marine creatures, were thrust to the very top of those mountains. A fossilised PBII could have been perched near the very summit of Mt Everest!

As Jon sails westward across the Indian Ocean, detailed Navionics bathymetric charts displayed on his B&G digital screen will reveal tantalising seabed remnants of the path taken by the Indian Plate back in the day…

There will be time for Jon to ponder the remarkable topographic features he sails across. Time to contemplate his good fortune by not heading off across the Tethys Sea during the breakup of Gondwanaland.

There will be opportunities for us too, remote witnesses to Jon’s voyage, to explore certain elements of our Planet Earth and time itself; Jon’s time and geological time…

For Jon and Perie Banou II: “fair winds and a following sea” (anon)

__ Robin Morritt __

One thought to “This is day 7 (6 days) since leaving the coastal mid-West Australian town of Carnarvon”

  1. Good luck Jon, I hope all will go well for you. I look forward to following you as you sail.
    My uncle Jack ( Jack Mattinson ) thought well of you.
    Safe traveling
    Judy May

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