5am departure from Mandurah in the light rain and bitter cold. Put my thermals and gloves on for the first time. Also my Alaska fur beanie. Good to have Jim onboard again and he is feeling the cold too with a similar outfit to me.

Less than 10 kts of breeze out of the South so we are motoring with a leftover swell and slop from yesterday’s 25 knot South Westerlies. Hoping the wind will fill in from the West to get us further South a bit quicker. Winds are expected to increase tomorrow and from the wrong direction as another front passes then a period of calmer conditions for us to get around the corner at Cape Leeuwin.

Passed the wood chip carrier Forestal Pacifico, headed for Japan about mid morning. She is 200m long and 40,000 tons. The forecast 15 kts westerly did not eventuate so we motored all the way to Bunbury arriving at 3pm. Had we had the breeze we may have made the extra 20 nm to Busselton. The seas did flatten though.

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Bunbury’s skyline features a building referred to as the milk carton. Won’t go ashore after two weeks in marinas. Cooking spaghetti bolognese for dinner.