LANDFALL!

“If there’s one thing this project has taught me, it’s that the sea is a Lady, and She resents you telling people what she’s going to do.”

-Jay Karlson

Remember when we last told you the Sailing on a Dream unmanned miniboat was headed for landfall near the welcoming sandy beaches of Israelite Bay in Western Australia? Within the next two days? That all sounded pretty… certain, didn’t it?

Well, I’ve since learned that the sea is a Lady, and resents anyone posting what She’s going to do.

To that end, immediately following our last blog, the ‘Dream pulled a complete 180 and headed on a furious northeast tack, deliberately ignoring soft sandy beaches to crash into a rocky cove surrounded by high cliffs. But she’s not going quietly. Geoforce is still receiving location readings, but all from the same position- a sure sign of permanent landfall.

Sadly, the nearest town is well-inland Caiguna (population 8), a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway. That’s two hours and 37 minutes away, and over 37 miles/60 km of unmarked dirt road. And they’d still have to deal with those sheer cliffs, sharp rocks, and pounding surf after that.

Program founder and veteran sailor Dick Baldwin concedes the ‘Dream’s 5,000-mile journey is likely complete. However, it’s our Professional Australian (and Geoforce employee) Tim Lapham that’s the most broken up, as his paid day at the beach won’t happen unless we hear of new developments.

But who knows what the Sea will decide? The Sea reserves the right to change her mind. If the ‘Dream makes another unexpected turn (doubtful, but possible) we will be the first to know and, of course, we’ll break into your regularly scheduled programming to let you know.

Jay Karlson is a Senior Product Manager at Geoforce.