Join the crew: Southport, Middleton & Elizabeth Reefs, Lord Howe Island & Sydney

Full details: https://www.oceansailingpodcast.com/sailing-calendar This offshore passage departs from Southport in Queensland, Australia and takes us 310nm ESE to Middleton Reef, then south to Elizabeth Reef, onto Lord Howe Island for a 2 day stopover, then past Balls Pyramid and finally to the CYCA at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney. It’s a challenging and exciting 2 leg 800nm blue water ocean passage. This is an invitation for you to join our crew, for an iconic ocean passage to some of Australia’s most isolated reefs and islands, that many coastal sailors put on their bucket list and very few get to tick off. The 2-day stopover at Lord Howe Island in the middle of the passage, gives you the option of sailing both legs of the passage or joining or departing at Lord Howe Island with the option to fly in and out of the airport there. In leg 1 - we’ll depart Southport and head to the notorious Middleton Reef, one of the southernmost platform reefs in the world. This 6nm long and 3nm wide reef rises up from the 3,000 metre deep Tasman Sea floor. This reef has claimed more than 70 vessels in the past 100 years with some wrecks still visible. We’ll circumnavigate the reef and observe the wrecks before sailing 30nm south to Elizabeth Reef. Elizabeth Reef is the southernmost coral atoll in the world and one of the southernmost platform reefs in the world. It measures 4nm by 3nm. At low tide most of the reef flat is exposed. At high tide, both a cay and a sand spit known as Elizabeth Island, with a diameter of about 400 m sits just one metre above sea level. At Elizabeth Reef we’ll anchor outside the lagoon and head ashore. The depth of the lagoon enables us to take our RIB inside it and go ashore on Elizabeth Island. Its surreal to be standing on a tiny piece of sand more than 500km off Australia’s east coast. We’ll then sail 100nm south to Lord Howe Island, where we will tie up at a mooring in the lagoon on the western side, before heading ashore for a weekend of exploring, hiking the cliff top trails, swimming in water surrounded by fish and relaxing. Lord Howe Island has 300 residents and a fascinating maritime, aviation, horticulture and war history, that’s proudly on display at the local museum. Most of the island is virtually untouched forest, with many of the plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Other natural attractions include the diversity of the landscapes, the world's southernmost barrier coral reef, nesting seabirds, and the rich historical and cultural heritage In Leg 2 we will depart Lord Howe Island, and sail 13nm SE to Balls Pyramid. Balls Pyramid is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano that formed about 6.4 million years ago. It is 562 metres high, while measuring only 1,100 metres in length and 300 metres across, making it the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Full details: https://www.oceansailingpodcast.com/sailing-calendar