The crew of Culwulla Ill , 1912 . The picture was taken
to commemorate lhe Sydney to Brisbane and rerum voyage . From lef1 to right C . Campbell , Jarvis , W . M . Marks , Smith and Usher .
As we proceeded ! he wind fell lighter and lighter and later dropped altogether . For24 hours we only travelled 10 miles . At I 0 o ' clock we were motionless . That night I was on watch 2 1 / 2 hours by myself , the others all being below . The skip ยท per , on going below , left me with the instructions to keep the island on ! he port band , but after abom an hour ' s drifting , I found it impossible ! Odo so , although lhe tiller was bardup all the time . After about 30 minutes the yacht had drifted , as l thought , very close to a group of islands on the port haod , so I got out one of the oars and , after some work , headed her off and she then drifted towards Ute other island . In lhe bright moonlight the distance between the land and the yacht was very deceptive . ! imagined we werealmos1 on top of the islands , when a cargo steamer from Melboume passed between the yacht and the mainland and appeared 10 be quite a way off . After 2 1 / 2 hours I called Wal and later ! he Skipper and Neilsen came on deck and relieved us .
Skipper called us about 5.30 to witness a most wonderful sunrise ; there was a mirage on ! he horizon and the sun rising assumed the mos1 peculiar shapes-it was a sight l shall never forget .
We signalled Wilson ' s Promontory about 6.30 on 24 March and until 2 pm we drifted about in sight of 1he Promontory , then a light wind from the SE sprang up and we set the squaresall , which we had to douse again at 4 pm . The wind set in from the east and we took in the balloon jib and sel the working jib close liauJed . The wind dropped again but during the 4 to 8 watch it increased and about 8 pm the glass began to fall and the wind 10 increase . During the night the wind blew very hard from the south . Neilsen and myself were on watch , full mainsail on , and some very big waves coming over the stem . We were running before a wind a1agreatpace . Neilsen had lhe tiller all that wateh . The boom was right off without any for ' ard guy on and it was a very anxious time . When a big sea got under her counter she would shoot down the wave and fall away , making it look as if the boom wouldgybeacrossanyminute .
If that happened there would have been an awful smash , the boom and runners would surely have carried away .
When the Skipper and Wal came on waich , Wal and Neilsen went for ' ard and l helped them gel the squaresail up , wllich steadied the yacht considerably . During the Skipper and Wal ' s waich ! he boat logged 42 miles in four hours , which is very good travelling in a big sea . Neilsen and I came on watch again at 4 am . For LS hours we averaged 8.5 knots according to the log which we read each watch . We came abreast of Oabo at 6.30am . OursigoaJ ' Culwullalll report all well ' to Green Cape a1 9.30 am was answered by lhe Keeper . The yacht was still travelling very fas1 , a very nasty cross sea wllich was running all the time made the helmsman ' s work pretty hard .
Eden came in sight about 10.30 am and we shaped course for Bermagui . The glass was falling and the clouds out in 1he SE looked very threatening , so we stood into Bermagui . which port we made a1 5.30 pm . We unshipped ! he dinghy and rowed ashore to the South Bermagui Pos1 Office . Came back to the yacht afier getting some fresh milk from lhe postmaster ' s wife , which was very acceprable . Had 1ea on board and went for a walk to 1be main rowo . only a little place , bought an old Sydney paper and some picture postcafds .
We left Bermagui at 8 am . wind very light and set the balloon jib , still a nasty cross sea . We came abreast of Montagu Island at 10.40 am and signalled . I thought we . were never going to lose sight of the island .
The SS Kooyong passed us quiie close , bound for Sydney from Melboume ., and spoke 10 u ~ on the megaphone . asking if we were the yacht Culwulla , and would they report us in Sydney , to wllich we replied in the affirmative .
Wind still Light with a big cross sea running , but during the night a good breeze sprang up and we made some progress . Off Jervis Bay al6.30an1 the wind came in ' from all dir ..:: tions . First from
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