Mobile phone and internet at sea –Telstra Next G coverage along the East coast of Australia:

Just before we left Sydney we installed a masthead mobile phone antenna and wireless router aboard Lucey Blue. We already had VHF and an MF/HF system with Pactor modem to ensure reliable communication, however, we also wanted long distance mobile reception for our trip up the East Coast of Australia.

After a little research online we settled on a high-gain masthead antenna connected via a thick, low-loss co-axial cable to an Ericsson W25 wireless router.

The Ericsson W25 (now replaced by the Ericsson W35) acts as a gateway and provides voice, IP fax and broadband internet communication via the 3G WCDMA/HSDPA mobile phone network, or when that is not available via the GSM cellular network. The system does not require 240 volt power and provides broadband data speeds of up to 7.2 mbs, clear voice and multiple methods to connect a PC – Ethernet, WiFi or USB.

To setup you simply need to connect the antenna and 12 volt power cable, insert a standard mobile sim card and follow the simple software configuration process. Our home phone handset plugs into the Ericsson W25’s RJ11 port and our laptops automatically connect to the WiFi network when we are aboard Lucey Blue.

Ericsson W25 technical specifications:

• Voice / IP Fax / Internet - 7.2mbps
• Tri-band WCDMA (850/1900/2100)
• Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900)
• HSDPA/EDGE/GPRS Data
• RJ11 Interface
• USB 2.0 Interface
• Ethernet Port
• 4 port 10/100 Mbit Router
• WiFi 802.11

The masthead mobile phone antenna and Ericsson W25 system has worked extremely well along the East Coast of Australia and as far as 30-35 nautical miles offshore. The Telstra connection got a bit patchy at Lady Musgrave Island – approximately 30 nautical miles east of Seventeen Seventy – near the end of our stay, but by then the weather conditions had deteriorated somewhat with strong southeast winds, low cloud and rain between us and the mainland. Most days phone, email, web surfing and Skype work flawlessly, but I would not want to try and download a full length HD movie!!!!

The Ericsson W25 will operate anywhere in the world with mobile coverage and is much cheaper than a satellite phone or Satcom system, faster than our HF Pactor system and very reliable for coastal cruising. We love the simplicity, but if we were going to head further offshore I would also invest in an Iridium satellite handset.

Grandma and Grandpa visit Lucey Blue

While we couldn't find the old plaque on Middle Percy Island, Grandma and Grandpa have still been a part of this voyage. After helping sail Lucey Blue up from Sydney to Brisbane they set about cleaning up Najat and getting ready to meet us out at sea.

After some hard work and careful renovation – including nearly burning out the bathroom diesel heater much to the amusement of Emily and Ryan – Najat dropped in on us at Lady Musgrave Island.

The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa around. Ryan even started to snorkel properly again after swimming with Grandma around the edge of the coral lagoon at Lady Musgrave.

Lady Musgrave is a beautiful Island and the reef is fantastic (even if most of the bigger fish seem to be missing in action when compared to my last visit in the mid 1980s), and sharing it with family makes the experience even more rewarding. As an added bonus, Najat acted as a supply ship taking food orders via email and then hand delivering fresh produce and mail on arrival. Thanks Mum.

Leaving a memento at the Percy Hilton...

One of the fun things to do at Middle Percy Island is to leave a memento of your visit in the A-frame hut on the beach, dubbed the Percy Hilton...

Nick and his parents had done the same when they passed this way back in the early 80's (although we failed to locate their plaque, which was a cow bone and may well have disintegrated). We found some plaques and memorabilia dating back as far as the 60's, so there is a fair bit of interesting history hanging about on the island. It is also a fun way to meet new people. As we were searching for the Kudjinka plaque, we met another group searching for their old plaque too...so we shared boat names to try and speed up the search process.

Nick started on our plaque back in Island Head Creek, choosing an off-cut of ply that he had stashed away on Lucey Blue. I wrote out the details for him in pencil, and he proceeded to carve out the words using a stanley knife.

He then scorched the wording using his soldering iron. We also decided to add the kids' hand-prints and ages on the back side of the plaque as an extra touch...

Nick then coated it in epoxy glue...for a long-lasting finish. We'd like to think it might still be hanging around there in another 20 - 30 years, and that maybe the kids will go back and look for it at some point.

We also hope that having these photos here might aid any future search. Knowing what you are looking for, and roughly where it was left is definitely a bonus, because there are HUNDREDS of bits and pieces in this hut!

I am already looking forward to returning to Middle Percy Island some time soon!

'morning Mackay!

It was so hard to say goodbye to Middle Percy Island at stupid o'clock this morning. I have so much to say about our five days there...fantastic people, great food, cute animals, beautiful scenery, and lots of pics too...but its going to have to wait, because while my seasickness has been minimal of late (and non-existent today), I don't want to push my luck by burying my head in the computer for a half hour.

Here is one I played with last night before bed...

Right now we are at: 21 04.697S 149 16.718E and motoring towards Mackay at 6+ kts, with almost no wind, on a beautiful sunny day (I am about to take the polar fleece off because this-here sub-snow dwelling Canberran is SWELTERING - even though the locals are busy complaining about it being a cold winter ;-).

I am on watch, Rhino is on the cockpit floor, holding on to Eric and singing to him (one of his rhyming compilations...which sometimes contain identifiable snippets of Pink and/or Katy Perry tunes). Eric is in turn shrieking....one would assume it is in agreement, or enjoyment or something like that! Emily is reading at the saloon table, and dad is catching a coupl'a Zzzzzzs in our cabin.

Better go check the charts, and make sure that I steer clear of the rather impressive line of tankers and cargo ships anchored off Mackay, and rapidly expanding on our horizon.

Have a great day,
Sam.