The Western Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 414

Chesterfield Reef to Queensland
Victoria was ahead of Namani in continuing her trip west, first from Huon to Chesterfield
Reef and then on to Australia. The only uncomfortable part of the passage from Huon to
Chesterfield was an awkward morning arrival, which meant circling the reef, then squinting
into the sun while the boat bucked the contrary wind and current to reach the shelter of the
reef. Ultimately, however, Heike judged both Huon and Chesterfield to be easier to ap-
proach than many of the reefs we'd run back in Fiji. The fact that both Chesterfield and
Huon Reefs have wide approaches that can be run at virtually any time is also a bonus.
While most of Chesterfield Reef lies beneath the surface, sailors can orient themselves by a
tiny chain of islands that can be traversed on foot at low tide. The long reef provides exten-
ded anchoring possibilities, meaning any boats (all three of them, at the time of Victoria's
visit) could spread out as far as they wished. Chesterfield's vibrant colors delighted both
the eye and camera lens: white sand, green-blue shallows, fair blue skies. There were sea
turtles aplenty, if not the same bustle of activity witnessed at Huon. Snorkel expeditions re-
vealed nice, if not spectacular, coral and fish (standards by this point in a Pacific crossing
being fairly high), and though Heike and Kay longed to visit the outstanding dive sites they
read about, they couldn't quite fit SCUBA diving into their six day stay.
In Chesterfield as in Huon, the family marveled at their pristine surroundings. With good
holding in thirty feet of sandy bottom and better protection than at Huon, crews with suffi-
cient provisions can linger in this aquatic Garden of Eden for weeks. But sooner or later,
the time comes to move on. Heading west to Australia means negotiating a different pass
with a favorable tide, though nothing this experienced crew hadn't handled before. Rather
than heading directly to the shallows of metropolitan Brisbane, Victoria's crew decided to
clear in to Australia in Bundaberg, a quiet port of entry with an easy approach. Giving in-
termediate reefs a wide berth, they set a course of 225° for Bundaberg, 450 miles away.
It was to be their last ocean passage: four relaxed days and nights of pleasant sailing aboard
the floating home that had carried the family halfway around the world. Landfall was a
muted event, since the low coast was not visible until a few miles away. The approach was
easy and customs officials extremely friendly - and thorough. Even the deepest nooks and
crannies of Victoria were checked with the help of flashlights and mirrors. A good thing
this crew had nothing to hide! After a week spent decompressing in Bundaberg, Victoria
day-tripped her way 185 miles south to Scarborough (a suburb of Brisbane), where the
steel sloop would find a buyer within six weeks of arrival.