Pole Dancing! Wing-on-Wing Sailing up the Great Barrier Reef

Well, I never thought I’d be able to say we pole danced up the Great Barrier Reef, but in a roundabout way, that is exactly what we did! 🤪

Our latest video is the third chapter in a La Niña summer sailing odyssey, documenting what it was like to cruise Australia’s North, and Far North Queensland coasts, during the ‘off-season’ of a particularly challenging year.

After initially getting blown to smithereens by howling southeasters persisting long after the usual tradewind season end, we experienced fickle winds, either right behind us or from the aft quarter.

This saw us running wing-on-wing a lot of the time and doing a merry dance with the spinnaker pole to hold the genoa out.

Our video contains a bit of a ‘how-to’ guide to this sail configuration for those who might be learning it (go to 16:20 minutes in), or just for anyone who wants to see how it works on a Kelly Peterson 44.

If you’re anything like us and seem to be eternally beating to windward, you’ll completely understand how fabulous it is when you actually have to get the spinnaker pole out!! 😂

Being in a wet season compounded by the effects of Australia’s third consecutive La Niña, we got our fair share of rain, so the video also shows how we keep our cockpit dry while sailing through showers and squalls.

The leg of our voyage this segment covers is from Orpheus Island in the Palm group to Sudbury Cay off Cairns.

At Orpheus Island we had a friend in management at the luxury resort, who was kind enough to share her local knowledge on the ‘lay of the land’. With fantastic hikes, history, a James Cook Research Station and a whole underwater world to explore, Orpheus is definitely a not-to-be-missed destination on the Great Barrier Reef.

💙 @shazatsea (IG)

Music via www.storyblocks.com
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Media Music Group / Dramatic Explainer Documentary Reflections
Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad) / Explorer
The Turquoise Moon / Fruits of Labor
Jon Presstone / Peaceful Oasis
Media Music Group / Inspiring Soft Technology Innovation Explainer Pizzicato Strings
Volodymyr Piddubnyk / Vintage Jazz Big Band Swing
LiQWYD / Running Through the Night
We20fifty / House In Your Way
Media Music Group / Instrumental Minimal String Quartet Dreamy And Dramatic

Additional Resources
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Maps/Satellite Imagery - https://earth.google.com/web/
Marine Park Zoning Explained - https://hdl.handle.net/11017/602
Conservation Park (Yellow) Zone Rules - https://elibrary.gbrmpa.gov.au
Moorings and No Anchoring Areas https://www2.gbrmpa.gov.au/access/moo...
Orpheus Island Military and Historical Sites - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/things-t...

Additional Clips sourced from YouTube
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Shelob’s Lair -    • LOTR The Return of the King - The Cho...  
Just Dance -    • 🌟 Just Dance Greatest Hits: Rasputin ...  
Orpheus Island Resort -    • Orpheus Island Lodge  
Discover Orpheus Island (JCU) -    • Discover Orpheus Island  
Hinchinbrook -    • Hiking the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchi...  
Jurassic Park -    • Jurassic Park in 4K Ultra HD | All Ab...