We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mitch and Clancie. They are the young, enthusiastic owners of Makroro, a 32ft West Sail, designed in the the early 1970s by Colin Archer. This couple have a great story to tell! They’re slogging their way up the east coast of Australia heading for Indonesia. They’re loaded up with surf boards, spear fishing gear, plenty of canned goods, just 300 litres of water and an extra crew member….he lives in a locker, he’s quiet, eats nothing and they call him Baz, although they’re not sure of his real name.

Mitch and Clancie bought Makroro in Coffs Harbour just before the COVID lockdowns, they lived on board in the marina, enjoying getting the boat prepared and planning their trip north. Mitch is a builder and had been doing a contract up in Port Hedland and Clancie had been working in her family’s child-care business in Coffs Harbour.

A very odd thing happened when Mitch was in the Coffs Harbour Marina car park one day. A woman and her teenage daughter drove up to him and wound down the window of her car. The woman was clearly upset and asked Mitch if he was a fisherman. He replied that he wasn’t a fisherman, but lived on his boat in the marina. The woman then handed him a bottle and said, “this is my husband, he needs to be at sea. Could you arrange to take him out into the ocean?” Mitch of course was slightly stunned by all this, and cannot clearly remember the rest of the short and very weird conversation. By his own admission, Mitch is not good at remembering names. He thought the woman said that her husband’s name was Barry, or it could’ve been David. The woman then simply drove away, leaving Mitch holding a bottle containing what he realized were human ashes, along with a few rose petals and a note (which, by the way they haven’t read, as it feels too private.) He had never seen this woman before or since, and has absolutely no idea who she is.

Returning to the boat, he plonked the bottle on the galley bench. Clancie later arrived back at the boat and was surprised to see a bottle that she didn’t recognise on the bench. She began sending texts to her friends asking if they had left their drink bottle on board. Mitch later relayed to her the story of the woman in the car.

After much discussion they both felt a sense of responsibility to do the right thing by Baz…or David or whatever his name is. Simply tipping the ashes into the marina, or even slightly out to sea didn’t seem right. So the ashes of Baz remain on Makroro. Mitch and Clancie reasoned that Baz’s bottle doesn’t take up much room, and if his wife felt srongly enough about finding someone to take him out to sea, then she wouldn’t mind that his earthly remains are now part of Mitch and Clancie’s adventure. They certainly feel his presence on Mokroro and are amused to find themselves asking Baz’s advice and talking to him from time to time.

Baz had a prime spot in the cockpit for over a year, but has since been put in a locker for safe-keeping. He’s now part of an adventure of epic proportions. Perhaps he’ll somehow let them know when he’s ready to go to his final resting place, or maybe he’s just along for the ride, and will return with them to Coffs Harbour. I’m sure Baz’s wife and daughter would approve, and Baz himself would be loving being at sea with this awesome couple who seem to have embraced the life of the 1970s cruising yachties. In the meantime, I’m sure he’s keeping an eye out for them and guiding them on their way.