Hanse delivery Melbourne to Newcastle
Owner: Scott Knights
Vice Commodore
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
There is a specific kind of magic that happens when a boat begins its next chapter. Last week, I had the pleasure of joining Scott Knights, the Vice Commodore of the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club, and our third hand, Damien, for a milestone journey: delivering Scott’s newly acquired Hanse 385, Mell, from the calm waters of Martha’s Cove to her new life in Newcastle.
Mell is a special example of the 385 series—one of the last built in 2017 and kept in immaculate condition. With a fresh set of standing rigging and an upgraded 38HP Volvo, she was more than ready for the 600-nautical-mile trek up the coast.
We slipped out of Port Phillip Bay, leaving the heads behind as we turned the bow East. The Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea can be fickle in March, and it was. As the sun began to dip below the horizon near Gabo Island, a notorious graveyard for ships and a pivot point for any East Coast delivery, we found ourselves suddenly snagged. A stray lobster pot line had found its way around the rudder. It caused a fair bit of havoc for a moment. Fortunately, we managed to work the line free without having to go overboard in the fading light, and Mell was back on her lines, charging toward the NSW border.
If there was a theme to this delivery, it was the company we kept. We were never truly alone; large pods of dolphins escorted us almost the entire way up the coast.
The highlight for me, happened under the cover of darkness. The phosphorescence was incredible—the boat’s wake glowed like a neon trail. But the real show began when the dolphins returned at night. They looked like green, glowing rockets underwater, stirring up the bioluminescence as they jumped and played in the pressure wave of the bow. It’s one of those sights that a camera can never quite capture, but I can assure you it was spectacular.
The wildlife didn’t stop there: We encountered several whales, including one particular individual that put on a spectacular display, breaching and crashing back into the water repeatedly. While I was off-watch, Scott and Damien were treated to a rare sighting of a pod of Orcas. I’m still a bit gutted to have missed that one, but that’s the luck of the watch system!
We made one strategic stop at Bermagui. We ducked in for three hours—just enough time to refuel the tanks, grab a hot breakfast, and stretch our legs before pushing North again.
My journey with the boys came to an end in the early hours of Tuesday, as we pulled into the Royal Motor Yacht Club at Broken Bay, Pittwater. After nearly five days at sea, seeing the rugged cliffs of the Hawkesbury was a welcome sight. While I disembarked there, Scott and Damien continued the final leg to bring Mell home to her new berth at the NCYC.
Having spent nearly a week living and working on Mell, it’s easy to see why this model is so highly regarded. Between the electric winches making short-handed sail changes a breeze and the warmth of the Italian Oak interior after a cold night watch, she is the perfect blend of performance and comfort.
Fair winds to Scott and the crew at Newcastle—you’ve got a cracking boat on your hands.
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