Tasman 2025 -Update 28th March, Getting Close

Written for Grant and Luke by John Mitchell, Project Manager

After the weather dramas of last night Grant and Luke are now back on track for arrival later today

Back on track, 7am 28th March

I’ll leave the messages from Grant to describe last night.

From Grant 5am this morning 28th March

In hindsight our battle last night was mainly due getting onto up onto the shelf. Seas became big and scary with beam on massive swells and the occasional one breaking. Was pretty scary as we hit it going into darkness. Sea floor rose from 4000m to where we are now which is 100m and with 30 knots of wind south easterly it was not at all conducive to head SW.

Five hours ago (around midnight) we pretty much decided we would need to make a beach landing and head straight into the coast as we were being pushed in by the wind and swell. Lots of talk back and forth with Ernie and marine rescue about possible locations for beach landings and we pinpointed three options but with this wind and swell they warned us they were ‘not for the faint of heart’.

We’re hoping to make it to Coffs as we now embedded in the EAC which is countering the wind and helping pull us south    

First sight of Australia!! Well it’s pitch dark but I can see a light house! Yeeee yaaaa! 50km to Coffs and about 27km off the coast. Phone just started to get one bar of reception!! After a terrible night when we thought it was maybe not going to happen it looks like it might again! And its raining cats and dogs

As at 7am this morning they are 45km from Coffs Harbour which at their present speed means a possible arrival time of between 4 and 8pm today, weather permitting