Trailer Sailing “Champers”

Trailer Sailing “Champers” Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Trailer Sailing “Champers”, Sport & recreation, Sorrento.

I guess this is the final bookend post for the Champers FB page.Up super early this morning and towed her down to Rockin...
14/12/2025

I guess this is the final bookend post for the Champers FB page.

Up super early this morning and towed her down to Rockingham to meet her new owners.

Hot hot day and blustery ENE winds at Point Peron. We launched and when time to start, the motor wouldn’t fire. This never happens! It was just the kill switch 😒

A lovely sail out to Garden Island North western tip, then 180 and back again. Beautiful sailing, the family loved her and it was a fitting last sail for me.

Hard watching her drive off, but am reminded of the fun she provides and now someone else gets to have great adventures.

Farewell Champers, it was amazing 🤩

Poor Champers hasn’t been on the water for months. Perth is experiencing a wild and wet winter with very few opportuniti...
24/07/2025

Poor Champers hasn’t been on the water for months. Perth is experiencing a wild and wet winter with very few opportunities to take her for a nice sail.

Next weekend I fly north to bring back the new boat. I sure can’t afford two boats so, sadly, Champers will go up for sale on my return. I’d love to keep them both as they both offer different advantages, but alas, the loan won’t pay itself. 😢

27/05/2025

Almost three years ago, I purchased Champers, my beloved Magnum 8.5. Over those years, I’ve steadily been upgrading and improving her so that she has become safe and capable. I’ve sailed her almost 3,000 Nm and have had her offshore to the Abrolhos Islands, the Mackerel Islands, as far South as Dunsborough and inland on lakes and estuaries. She has proven herself a very capable and fun boat that I have trusted with my life sailing her almost exclusively solo.

Sadly, it is now time for her to make a new owner as happy as she has made me. I’ve learned so much about this boat and about myself and I now know what my future holds. Champers will go up for sale in the coming weeks, so if you know someone looking for a no nonsense trailer sailer, capable of real adventure not just sailing in bays and rivers, then let your friends know, or call me. I’ll have the ad up in a couple of weeks.

24/05/2025

Day 12.

Mandurah to cape Peron.

This was meant to be an easy passage of just over 20Nm to Garden Island NW refuge area. However, not all went according to plan.

I started late and hoisted sails coming out of the marina. The most direct route was inside the Murray Reefs and exiting through the Safety Bay transit to then be outside the reef and islands approaching Garden Island.

The swell and multi directions of sea state was making a very rough ride downwind towards Garden Island. Due to the reflection or bounce back of the swell hitting Garden Island I thought I’d head inside Cape Peron and try going under the GI bridge. As I approached the entrance to the Cape Peron shelter I could see the swell rolling under the bridge.

I knew the clearance height (11.9m) would be close, so i started calculating my mast height and height of the mast off the water, together with the additional heightt of the wind instruments atop the mast. I guesstimated the mast was around 10m with approximately 1.4m from mast base to waterline which meant around 11.4m. Add another 30cm for the instruments and the fact that HAT (highest Astronomical Tide was the day before and it being high tide, it was just too close to chance it.

I swung up into the anchorage behind Cape Peron into very gusty and increasingly strong Southerly winds and dropped anchor until tomorrow when it may be safer to pass under the bridge.

I stayed at anchor and was entertained by a sea lion catching and playing with his fish catch. It was a good anchorage but not as picturesque as I had hoped. The wind instruments lived to play another day …

Day 11.Bunbury back to Mandurah. (Via Port Bouvard.)It was to be an early start due to light wind forecast and a long pa...
06/05/2025

Day 11.

Bunbury back to Mandurah. (Via Port Bouvard.)

It was to be an early start due to light wind forecast and a long passage north.

I left well before sun up and sailed slowly in the weak breeze. When speed dropped below 2 knots i engage motor as well to keep the pace we needed to arrive by sunset.

As it turned out, the wind did fill in but not until the late afternoon. The wind chopped up the water and with so much motoring, i figured it would be prudent to stop in and get more fuel at Port Bouvard.

The tide was running hard out of the cut against the wind creating gnarly short steep chop and hard going. After fueling, i really needed to make it to the Mandurah marina to return a key card i had absconded with the week before.

I left on sunset and ended up motoring into the marina in the dark again. I dropped into the visitors Jetty and used the showers to clean up.

A nice sleep. Ready for Day 12

06/05/2025

Day 10.

Koombana Bay rest day.

I too the day to relax after the hectic passage from Busselton and arriving after dark.
A good sleep and an early coffee and muffin from the beachside cafe was a pleasant contrast to the previous day.

From the cafe I noted a dolphin swimming awkwardly pushing along what looked like it might have been a tuna. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a grieving mother dolphin pushing around her dead dolphin pup.

Dolphin center workers said she had been pushing her pup around for days and that this is normal behaviour.

A nice shower and a hot cooked meal and I was ready for an early sleep. Tomorrow was to be the big leg back to Mandurah.

06/05/2025

Day 9
Busselton to Bunbury.
The calm before the hectic!

Day 9.Meelup Beach to Bunbury via Busselton.This day was to be a real passage challenge due to changing forecast, compou...
06/05/2025

Day 9.
Meelup Beach to Bunbury via Busselton.

This day was to be a real passage challenge due to changing forecast, compounded by some slightly risky decisions about destination.

Up at a sparrows fart, i weighed anchor from Meelup and hoisted spinnaker and main to set off to Busselton. As wind would have it, it was a short but quick trip and we arrived before lunch.

I took the early arrival to Geograph bay sailing club as a bonus and walked into town to the nearest IGA to re-provision.
Upon returning to the boat i still had the better part of half a days sailing or stay and overnight without protection from the SWerly that was forecast to increase.

A quick decision and off we went heading north past the iconic Busselton Jetty and then, due north to Bunbury, about 30 nm away. I figured it’d be close but felt confident. As it turned out, we were making good time until the change came and we slowed for about an hour before the wind increased from the SW.

I was entertsined by a low flying jet practicing dropping on a target and was then also saluted by the RAAF C130 Hercules at 500feet dipping its wings 🤩

We were making good time but with full sail and following sea the conditions were deteriorating, coupled with a heavy swell, the AP couldnt handle the helm. About 5pm and i chose to drop the main instead of reef and change headsails. Conditions were rough and the drop went well. We continued with #1 only.

By 6:30pm the sun was gone and conditions were getting worse. The dinghy surfed past me a number of times as i fought the helm to keep Champers on heading. It was dark, i still had sunnies on and found it hard reading the charts. I was relieved to turn around the headland into the protected waters of Koombana Bay, and i was grateful to drop anchor and shut down for the night.

That was more than enough sailing for one day!

06/05/2025

Day 9.
Video
This is a short video of the final section of the Busselton to Bunbury leg. I’d need helming for hours due to Autopilot not handling the swell and following sea.

A long but challenging days sailing.

Day 8. Geograph Bay Marina to Meelup Beach, Quindalup. Again, another short leg of around 20nm. The route plan was actua...
05/05/2025

Day 8.
Geograph Bay Marina to Meelup Beach, Quindalup.

Again, another short leg of around 20nm.
The route plan was actually sail South west to Dunsborough.

Again, i was up at dawn to leave early and make the most of the conditions. The leg was going well and we were sailing along nicely. Before lunch I was coming up on Dunsborough but it didn’t look like there was much of a Yachty scene anywhere near town so I elected to continue on to Quindalup.

As it turned out, there wasn’t a lot at Quindalup, so again I continued to Meelup Beach. Embarrassingly I almost hit a yellow marker whilst dropping sails. Luckily I realized in time and took the helm and brought us in close to the beach and dropped anchor.

Such a beautiful spot. I had done lunch, then rowers in to the beach for a much needed walk along the bush trails.

It was a little rolley on anchor but by the time I had a shower and dinner it seemed to calm down and I had the best night sleep.

Day 7Bunbury to Busselton Geograph Bay MarinaThis was a relatively short leg of just 26nm. I was up early to make the mo...
05/05/2025

Day 7
Bunbury to Busselton
Geograph Bay Marina

This was a relatively short leg of just 26nm.
I was up early to make the most of the forecast which was offering light and changing conditions throughout the day.

I sailed pit of the Bay with full main and spinnaker, towing the tender. I had a few dolphins see me off as i left the bay and continued South.

The frustratingly light easterlies made for slow pace until the wind died and swung to the West. I swapped the spinnaker for the #1 Genoa and we set a cracking pace through perfect conditions.

I didn’t see a soul on the water the whole way. Just a few fisherman on the beach in 4WD’s.

This leg offered champagne sailing conditions for most of the way to Busselton. I pulled in to the Geograph Bay Marina which was fairly new by the look and had fantastic amenities. I took the advantage and did a huge load of washing, had a meal in the bar and bistro and enjoyed a peaceful sleep.

I thought I might finish the short series of Days on the Quindalup trip. Day 6 Bunbury, Koombana BayAfter the long slog...
05/05/2025

I thought I might finish the short series of Days on the Quindalup trip.

Day 6
Bunbury, Koombana Bay

After the long slog from Mandurah, I decided to rest up and enjoy the sheltered bay and the foreshore.

Sunday racing at the Koombana Bay Yacht Club. I took a few snaps and sent them to the club to pass on to owners.

I took a walk around town and explored then went back to make a few small adjustments to the table I made for Champers.

Address

Sorrento, WA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Trailer Sailing “Champers” posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category