Jan 08, 2006 – 0045hrs EDT

0045hrs 08 Jan 2006 EDT 35’21”S 150’40”E Ref 692

It’s just two days short of a year since we left Hobart – I was tentative and unsure and certainly unaware of the size of what we were starting to do and now we’ve done it and I can’t really believe that – barring Jonah’s whale – it’s the last night at sea before we get back to Sydney. Act 6, scene 4 – the Epilogue. The demolition order on the old bus shelterExplanation here is two days away, the Vogon poets are lined up to serenade its passing and I’m sad. It’s a lovely night – the big orange moon has just dipped behind Ulladulla to the west, the Milky Way is a huge Dolphin slash across the sky and the stars are brilliant. We’ve gone from the solitude and massive indifference of the oceans to this relatively crowded bit of sea just south of Point Perpendicular – there are two fishing boats just over the horizon to the east, a small ship heading south, another yacht out on the horizon, someone overtaking us far astern and car headlights along the coast about 10 miles away. Point Perpendicular light, with all the memories it evokes from all the years since 1977 when I first saw it under very difficult circumstances is just off the port bow with its big flash every ten seconds and the loom of WollongongThe town which moves. There is a Berri-joke about having a beer off Wollongong on the return trip from Hobart - and how Wollongong seems to move further south each year. and Sydney beyond is silhouetting St George’s Head to the south and west of the light. And again, I’m sad. Sad that it’s almost over, yet full too of the achievement that I doubt that I will ever be able to put into perspective – it is as if it never happened, yet there’s a set of logs, a seamanship award, some pots and medals and a few more lines on Pete’s face and probably on mine to indicate that perhaps it did – maybe to someone else. I’m sad too that – for the time being – there will be no reason to write this stuff here at Berri’s cramped little nav table with my knees wedged under it and the LED’s winking at me. And sad that all y’all out there who have become real friends will probably go away with no more reason to check the website – but it’s been a huge experience and I love you all. Thanks for your interest, your support, encouragement, sometimes highly personal stories and just for being out there and giving us a reason to keep going, hour by hour, watch by watch, day by day until we finish the job.

But don’t go away just yet. It has been suggested that we should keep the website going and open it to other passsagemakers – the more difficult and exotic the better – they write, we post. you read – so that you – and we – still have real time stories to follow. I like the idea but it may take some organising – Brian and Jen, the Lazenbys, perhaps, Nick C (whose suggestion it was) and all y’all who told us about your plans and dreams, get in touch – please – if you are interested and we’ll see what we can do.

And we have a book or two to write. We will keep a progress check on that one on the website as well. Pete may write later as we get closer to Sydney and I’ll do a final installment too.

I don’t want to send this – it’s the beginning of the ending…the VogonsExtremely ugly, unpleasant and officious, the Vogons emerged from the seas of Vogsphere and became bureaucrats in the Galactic Government. They destroyed the earth to clear the way for a hyperspace bypass; see also HHGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here are rustling their crib sheets…