7) 11th April to May 2012. Sydney to Brisbane.




Suchitra and Satish.

Well 2012 arrived and before we knew it, it was March. We had spent the last three months packing our entire life up, putting it in storage, selling our two cars, preparing the house for rental and getting reliable tenants. 








Peter and Lynn.

Yet again we had to say goodbye to family and friends. This is always the hardest thing to do and this time it was worse as we knew we would not be back for a while.











Sydney Harbour sunrise.

We had planned to leave our Woolwich moorings early March but it was mid-April by the time we got everything ready to leave. On one hand it was sad leaving Sydney our hometown, but on the other we were finally able to start our big adventure and our first season on the boat together.

Our neighbours at Woolwich. 

We had moved the boat from the marina berth to a mooring, so when we were ready it would be simple to just let the rope and float go and we would be on our way. However, getting the rest of everything on the boat and all the food we would need, a dinghy full trip at a time was not fun.








The saloon.

Finding a place to stow all the items was almost impossible and there was crap everywhere. Slowly but surely we got most things stowed or at least lashed down, and we left our mooring on the 11th April.





The galley.

As soon as we left we noticed that the motor was unable to get up to full speed, but we decided to continue north and sort the problem out when we got to the Hawkesbury or into Port Stephens. 



We motored down Sydney Harbour and out the Heads. The waves were large from the previous low off the south coast but we had to make a break for it as there was another low predicted to hit the south coast in three days time. So onward and upward as they say, climbing over the 4m waves (swell and wave height combined) in a 20 - 25 knot wind is not fun but we did it. With only 2 people on board it was a mad scramble to steer, get the autopilot going (christened Steve) and pop up the sails. We managed and without vomiting too, marvellous. The moral of the story; wait at least 24 hours for the waves and swell to subside after a storm. It was a quick trip up to the Hawkesbury River in just 4 hours. The calm anchorage at Resolut Beach was just the trick to get a pleasant night’s sleep before the next leg.

The next day we left early for the long trip to Port Stephens. We couldn’t get into Brisbane Water as the entrance is barred by sand and only shallow draft vessels can risk it. We discussed Newcastle, but being a busy port and entering in the dark was not high on Peter’s wish list. So we arrived to the safety of Port Stephens 26 hours or so after leaving the Hawkesbury River.

Port Stephens was beautiful though, being anchored just off Shoal Bay Beach we spent five lovely days luxuriating on the water. Well at least I did. Peter spent 4 of the 5 days trying to work out the engine problem. On the 4th day and after pulling apart and rebuilding the engine and finding nothing wrong, he finally dived over the side to look at the bottom of the boat. Well the special coating on the propeller that was applied in Southport to retard growth (which we were charged $400 extra for), was coated in growth. So hence the cheaper version on the bottom of the boat was fine, with no growth. Sydney barnacles obviously love the more expensive stuff. So holding his breath with mask and snorkel, he had to manually chip off the growth. Three hours in but not completely finished I had to call an end to the activity as he resembled a blue ice cube and was shivering uncontrollably. So he decided to finish the job in warmer waters. We spent 3 days enjoying evenings with Chris and Colin (who we had seen that week in Sydney) and then Sue and Mark (who we hadn't seen for 2 years or more). It was great seeing all of them and enjoying good food, wine and friends for a while.
  

With the locals predicting a future thunderstorm (as it seemed Sydney was going to get a drenching) we set off. Will we ever learn!!! Apparently not it would seem. The effects of the bad weather system that was giving Sydney it's worse and most rain in years, was following us up the coast. So instead of taking 10 days with a rest stop every night in coastal alcoves like in 2011, we just had to keep going. Two hours on and off for 23 hours saw us reach Coffs Harbour. We managed about 4 hours rest here as we were exhausted. But unfortunately the waves and swell just roll right into the harbour as it has an eastern opening, directly into the Pacific Ocean. So we decided to continue north as we were awake anyway. After 29 hours we got to Cape Bryon and again stopped to catch 4 hours of intermittent sleep. The last leg from Cape Bryon to Southport was the quickest part of the trip as the weather system was finally losing its bite, and we entered the Southport Seaway at 10 pm at night. We imagined entering the narrow seaway in the dark and with a swell would be hair raising. Luckily though the seaway was well lit with beacons and the waves had diminished somewhat, so the entry was not too bad. Finally safely anchored in Bum’s Bay behind Main Beach, we threw some food into our heads and went off to bed.

The plan was to stay about 5 to 7 days in the Gold Coast but after 3 days another low centred itself just off Main Beach, and raged for over a week. Even crossing the sheltered seaway behind Main Beach in the dinghy was hazardous. After 2 weeks it was time to leave the Gold Coast. We attempted going up the narrow channels between the mainland and South Stradbroke Island and then into Moreton Bay to get to Brisbane. Ultimately saving us a much longer trip - going around South Stradbroke, then North Stradbroke and then up along the outside of Moreton Island. But we only got a quarter of the way through the channel system when we hit sand. According to the chart and the chart plotter it was supposed to be 4m deep. So we turned around and went back to Bum’s Bay for the night. We could not risk it as there were even shallower patches down to 2m at low tide and we didn’t know where the sand was at any given point in time. The next morning we left about 4 am and finally arrived at Tangalooma Beach on the west of Moreton Island late in the evening, for a well-earned rest overnight. The next morning we then motored across the bay and into the Brisbane River.



Brisbane City with pile moorings out front.

We were nervous about going up the Brisbane River because of all the flooding that had occurred in January 2012. We were concerned that there would be many submerged items hidden under the water after seeing TV footage of boats, bridges and jetties floating downstream. But we were assured by a fellow ‘yachtie’ that the river had been cleared of all debris and that an anchorage opposite the Botanical Gardens was so central to the city, that we had to go. After 5 hours motoring upstream we went past the Storey Bridge and were positioning ourselves for anchoring when we noticed a pile mooring berth empty. We had been told to grab one if there were no ropes and floats up – meaning it was vacant. But finding one vacant was akin to winning the lottery. You can imagine our delight. So we quickly grabbed the first pole with a long rope and then managed to get a second rope around the second pole and we were in. This was no mean feat as the current is so strong in the river. You really need to get slack water (best shortly after high tide) to attempt the tie up. We stayed 3 weeks in Brisbane because of this central location and it allowed us easy access to our lawyer’s office while we tied up some important matters. Plus it was only $70/week, which entitled you to a jetty to tie your dinghy to, showers, toilets, laundry and you were on the doorstep of Brisbane city. We met some lovely people at this anchorage and spent a fair bit of time with Glen, Julie and their children on board 'Honeymoon'.