9) Brisbane to the Whitsundays. January to 13 June 2013.

Christmas celebrations with Ron and Peter.

All too soon the silly season for 2012/13 in Sydney had drawn to a close. It was fantastic catching up with all our friends and family, but it is amazing how quickly six weeks can come and go. Mind you the cash we set aside seemed to go even quicker. Too much partying I'd say. Time to return to our lives in Brisbane, back to the boat and back to work, for a while.

Sally and June on Australia Day.

On the drive back to Brisbane we took time out to visit Colin and Chris in Maitland (who we had seen the week before in Sydney), then Sue and Mark (who we had not seen for 2 years). It was so great catching up with everyone. Great friends, wine and food - what could be better.

Peter outside his Grandparent's old Urbenville shop.

We were due to stay a little longer in Nelsons Bay to catch up with Margaret, but after watching the news for two days and the prediction for major flooding in the Brisbane River and south-east Queensland, it was suddenly an urgent matter to get back to look after the boat. Visions of boats, pillions and jetties floating downstream and smashing into bridges only the year before came to mind. As the Pacific Highway was closed due to flooding in northern NSW, we headed inland.

Our boat (centre last row D8) Brisbane anchorage.

We had to zig and zag across northern NSW to avoid flooded roads and landslides. It only took us 10 hours to drive to Sydney, but it took 22 hours and an overnight stay to return to Brisbane. By the time we got back to the boat the River had receded and thanks to friends on nearby boats lengthening our lines, we had no damage. Moral of that story was to stay in Nelsons Bay and then return the next day.





 

Travelling along the Fraser Island east coast.

Way too soon it was April and time to head north for our second touring season of the Queensland coast. Our good friend, Lloyd was on holidays and had decided to accompany Peter from the Brisbane River, up along the east coast of Fraser Island, to Gladstone. As I had done this leg many times I stayed at Lloyd's place to get some work. I then drove Lloyd's car up to Gladstone to meet them four days later.

Dolphins at Great Keppel Island.

After leaving Gladstone Harbour we travelled the now familiar route along the Queensland coast, overnighting at Hummocky Island then to Long Beach, south coast Great Keppel Island. It is not often one gets to anchor off Long Beach, as the constant southerlies make this an unbearable and even frightening prospect most times. But luckily there was no wind from the south and we were able to stay here along with the local dolphin pod.

The next afternoon we moved around to the northern beach, Leeke's Beach, just as the southerlies returned. Boy did they return with a vengeance, necessitating a stay much longer than we wanted. We filled these days with a daily ride to the beach, swimming, picking up rubbish, walking and reading. 

Port Clinton - pristine wilderness.

We also had to wait until Port Clinton 'opened'. This huge, unspoilt harbour belongs to the Defence Force. When they are finished practising air, sea and land movements, complete with bombings, they reopen the Port to local sailors. So on May 1st we arrived to find the whole harbour to ourselves with no one else arriving until 24 hours later.





As soon as the weather was perfect we set sail again and quickly ticked off Middle Percy and Scawfell Islands. Since we had time we went to some of the nearby Islands of Keswick, Brampton and Carlisle, as we were trying to travel to islands that we had not visited before. We were also going to have overnight stops at Goldsmith, Thomas and Long Islands too, but as per usual a large low was making its way across Melbourne to Sydney. With predicted 35 to 40 knot winds, we couldn't risk having to wait out for up to a week until things died down again. We had to make a rendezvous in Airlie Beach to meet up with Nigel and Marina in three days time. That afternoon it was already an uncomfortable ride with winds 25 knots and swell 1.5 m, but by 8.30 pm we were safely nestled in Cid Harbour, Whitsunday Island. 

Marina and Denise - Hook Island.

Airlie Beach Marina staff allow 30 minutes to fill water and diesel tanks, get unleaded fuel, and empty garbage, recycling and poo tanks. We also picked up Marina and Nigel off their boat shuttle at the same time, then it was a great sail (getting up to 9 knots) crossing to Hook Island, and the beautiful sheltered inlet - Nara Inlet.

After two days in Hook Island it was off to Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island. Rated the best beach in Australia it didn't disappoint.

Northern end Whitehaven Beach.

Nigel fishing with a Nara mud face mask.

It was a beautiful day and we spent the day swimming, snorkeling, cleaning the bottom of the dinghy, walking along the beach and checking out the island's lake.

Checking out Reverie from the sandbar.

Whitsunday Island's inland lake.

Blue soldier crabs everywhere.

 
Whitehaven is beautiful by day but due to its east facing beach it can be prove an uncomfortable night while trying to sleep. So we reluctantly left Whitehaven Beach and stayed overnight at the lovely, quiet anchorage at Haslewood Island. We had the beach and bay to ourselves. Dinner and drinks by a beautiful sunset and a nice long stroll around the beach the following morning. In the afternoon we motored two hours north to lovely Border Island. Peter and I checked out the coral fringing the island in the dinghy while Nigel fished.

Sunset at Border Island.

The next morning we set out after a big breakfast for a snorkel around the fringing reef. Nigel and Marina managed to find a bed of giant clams. Peter and I set off in a different direction and swam with a turtle for at least 750 metres. She/he was just as interested in checking us out as we were her/him. Later we all walked along the beach picking up rubbish while Nigel snorkelled back to the boat to get the dinghy. Later still we sat out on the deck and captured this beautiful sunset.








The following day it was a long sail back to Airlie Beach as Nigel and Marina's holiday was drawing to a close. The girls were all dressed up for a night out while the boy's sailed the boat back into Airlie. Just at the last moment a huge storm blew in from the south and we could not see anything in the bay necessitating us to anchor way out to avoid colliding with other anchored boats. No one wanted a very wet and salty dinghy ride to the shore and back, so the evening's entertainment was abandoned.

The following day as our guests departed the sun came out and we left Airlie again. It was late May and we were going to our most favourite sites again before we had to leave the Whitsundays - probably for good. We went over to Nara Inlet for a couple of days and then returned to lovely Border Island to finish snorkeling the reef we didn't see the last time. We returned to Airlie for our last visit and to refuel and reprovision.

High rise on Hamilton Island.

Then it was off to Cid Harbour, south east Whitsunday Island. The next day we had a quick but terrifying sail around the south of the island, past Hamilton Island to Whitehaven. Now we know why the long way round Whitsunday Island is the preferred option.









After another beautiful day at Whitehaven we sailed up to the top of Hook Island to beautiful northern anchorage of Butterfly Bay, where we even managed to get a free mooring for the night. These mooring balls are placed in strategic and popular sites to protect the coral and seabed grasses from boat anchors. They usually have a two hour limit but if you snag one late in the day, as we did, you are allowed to stay overnight. A quick snorkel at the end of the day - it was cool but pretty.

The next morning we left and went to Stonehaven - this is a beautiful spot on the west side of Hook Island. Hook Island would have to be our most favoured place. It has numerous safe and pretty anchorages along with some great swimming/snorkelling options. If you ever venture on a Whitsunday sailing holiday, you couldn't beat Hook, Whitsunday, Haslewood and Border Island as the best of all the options. Not only would you see great sites and close together, but they are only a few hours sail away from Airlie Beach.

The sand spit between Langford and Bird Island, Hayman Island at the back.

Lastly it was time to go as it was close to mid-June and we had to be on our way. We left Stonehaven and had a quick sail north past Bird, Langford and Hayman Islands. We then opted for a beautiful mainland bay as one of the final destinations in the Whitsundays.

 


There are three bays only about 30 minutes' drive from Airlie Beach but you could be fooled into thinking you were miles away from anywhere. There are no buildings and they often total isolation for anyone looking for some peace and quiet. The next morning we set sail for Gloucester Island.

It was a really different experience at Gloucester Island this year compared to 2012. Last year we were anchored off Shag Island for the Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club Annual General Meeting. The AGM is really just an excuse for five full days of fun and socialising. It was a really strange experience as last year there was over a 100 other yachts anchored around us and now we were by ourselves. It would be great if we could have gone to the 2013 meeting but we were two months too early for the event. A quiet dinner on deck proved to be the best choice and this stunning sunset farewelled a fantastic season in the Whitsundays.

Overlooking Bowen.

8) June to October 2012. Brisbane to the Whitsundays.

2012 ended up being the antithesis of 2011. We continually had storms coming up the coast from the lows that were centred in the Tasman Sea. You would look at the map of Australia and you would see a low over Sydney/Melbourne, one over Adelaide and another over Perth. So they would deliver three to six days of really windy and ugly weather. After this it would die down for two to three days of perfect weather, and this is when we made passage to the next destination and before the next low made it to the east coast of Australia. This weather situation followed us from Sydney and we were not finally free from its grip until we passed the Tropic Of Capricorn.



Leaving Brisbane City.

Finally the day had come to leave Brisbane and the weather forecast was going to be good for at least 4 days, which was plenty of time to get up safely behind Fraser Island. We motored down the Brisbane River and anchored behind Bribie Island for the night. Just on dusk a huge storm hit, with 40 knot winds it turned Moreton Bay into a raging torrent. We were tossed about quite a lot but the anchor held. At 1am the anchor alarm went off. On investigation we weren’t dragging our anchor but it had pulled the anchor chain taut and we were now too near the shore for comfort. With visibility down to one arm’s length, pitch black, wind and rain coming in sideways we would have to move. So here I was lying flat on the bow as the boat pitched and rolled like a bucking bronco. Hanging on for dear life with one hand and pulling up the anchor via the winch, with the other hand. We then motored further away from the shore and reset the anchor. After 10 minutes we were satisfied it was going to hold and went below to get out of our wet clothes and warm up. During the night we took turns every two hours to watch the GPS position and the anchor chain (anchor watch) to be sure we didn’t move. The next morning we noticed that the neighbouring boat was on the rocks. The wind and swell had picked up the boat and its mooring ball and with no one on board had flung it on the beach. Three days later the storm abated and we finally remembered to wait another 24 hours before setting north again.

We stopped overnight at Noosa Beach and then it was a quick sail up to Wide Bay, south of Fraser Island. We had arrived at the perfect time it would seem - calm water and midday on a bright sunny day. We could not see the daytime light leads so we followed our chart plotter to the letter to find the deepest channel across the shallow bar. It wasn't until we were committed that we realised that something was deeply wrong. The waves were standing up signalling that it was very shallow water. I suggested to Peter that we turn around immediately but as he pointed out we would take numerous large waves over the side, which could potentially sink the boat. So over the bar we went.

After this photo was taken it was too rough to take any further shots.

The waves got bigger and the boat was tossed around in what felt like a washing machine. The waves flooded into the cockpit and everything here, cushions and books, was swimming around on the floor. I scrambled around trying to close the hatch as quick as possible with one hand, as letting go would mean falling.

Meanwhile, Peter was madly trying to keep the bow into the waves to prevent us from being swamped and going under. The waves smashed into him and he nearly lost his grip on the wheel several times. During this time the keel just kept smashing into the sand below, each and every trough. We were bobbing around like a cork. The feeling it gives you is nauseating. You know the keel is tough but if it breaks the boat will turn upside down and you cannot help thinking of this every time it would hit the bottom. The crossing took about 20 minutes but it felt like an hour. We were utterly exhausted and shaking uncontrollably after crossing this bar (well I was). Later we were enlightened that it had the reputation of being the worst bar on the east coast of Australia. Great, our first bar crossing and we had to pick the worst. They don't call it "the mad mile" for nothing.

More bad weather was upon us but we were safe and snug up the river at lovely Tin Can Bay. Feeding 'Mystique' the local dolphin was a highlight. We met our now good friends, Patrick and Marie from 'Gael Force', at the yacht club. As we found out our chart plotter software was last year's model and was out of date for the quickly shifting sands of Wide Bay Bar and behind Fraser Island. Luckily for us Patrick and Marie had an up to date one, so we closely followed them safely through the shallow 'Sheridan Flats'. At one stage we had only 400mm below our keel. Sharing meals and sightseeing Fraser Island with them was great fun. But after Fraser Island we went to Gladstone, while they continued to Yeppoon, to refuel, provision and to have my tooth refilled (yuk!!!).




Coming into Great Keppel Island - just on dusk.

Ever onwards and north, we had to make passage during the limited good weather windows if we were going to get to the Whitsundays in time to enjoy the dry season and also make our rendezvous with our good friends - Karen, David and Frannie. So we made quick progress from Gladstone to Great Keppel Island, Port Clinton, Marble Island, the Mackay Marina, and then finally Airlie Beach.



Arriving at beautiful and safe Port Clinton.

Arriving in Airlie Beach at 8pm and having to dodge all the unlit boats in the harbour and navigate through the 'S' shaped marina entrance, was challenging. The marina staff had told us to tie up on our starboard side - which we did. It wasn't until trying to connect the electricity and water later that we realised they should have told us the port side. We were paying $140/night here for this luxury but didn't want to go through the whole process again at 9pm at night, so we would have to do without the amenities overnight. We were just glad to finally be in the Whitsundays and breathing a sigh of relief as we had made it just in time to see off Marie and Patrick from 'Gael Force' at midday the next day and welcome our guests from Tasmania some hours later, at 4pm. 

After having dinner Peter checked the depth of the position the marina staff had allocated us. After rechecking his calculations he realised that at low tide later that night we would only have 100mm of water under our keel. Worse still, every night after that it would get shallower. This would see us take out the wharf and the catamaran beside us the next evening. So after speaking to the security guard we moved into the deeper water berths, usually reserved for the super-yachts (boy, do some people have too much money). When going to the office the next morning to pay they were annoyed that we were in this section and suggested a third move. Peter nicely pointed out all the stuff ups that had occurred and the fact that we could not contact their on-call staff the previous night to reassign another berth. So in their wisdom they decided to leave us there for the rest of the week, bless their hearts.



Peter, Denise, Frannie and KT.

Our guests arrived and we all spent the next five days stocking up on food, eating out and seeing the sights of Airlie, Bowen and the pretty coast in between. Then it was off to the Whitsunday group of islands a few hours sail away. We based ourselves around Hook Island, where we could easily see all the sights for the remaining week. It was a great sail over and we were greeted by a whale; breaching and waving its fin and tail. We anchored for two days in Nara Inlet and went ashore for a bush walk and to see the aboriginal art. We also spent our time snorkelling around the fringing reef and swimming in deep water off the back of the boat. Well the Tasmanians did this bit, as it was too cold in the water for us on these occasions. They breed them mighty hearty in Tassie.


 



KT, Frannie and David - on way back to Airlie.

Then we went around to another inlet on the west coast of the island. This had a spectacular fringing reef and even provided an opportunity to swim with turtles. On the last day we slowly motored back to Airlie, again seeing three whales together and a pod of dolphins. 9 year old Frannie was in heaven by this stage. Nothing can beat seeing whales, dolphins, turtles, stingrays and numerous birds in the wild.


 




Wendy, Richard, Denise and Peter.

We dropped our guests back at Airlie to continue their holiday and then did all the usual chores, before we could head out again. It was during shore leave that we met some lovely people, Richard and Wendy from 'Charon'. They convinced us to stay in Airlie for the annual race week and festivities that was starting the following day. After this fun week we were firm friends, so we followed them up to Gloucester Island and Monte's Resort for the annual Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club General Meeting.


 






Over 100 boats attended.

Members are affectionately known as 'shaggers' and the annual general meeting was basically a good excuse for a lot of partying. On the serious side, they did also raise $30,000 for Prostate Cancer. There was the welcome party, the Shag Island low tide party, the parrot party and a pirate party. There was even a wedding and of course the after wedding party.




  



Pirate party - Peter with other pirates.

These parties usually started at 10am and with most people going back to their boats by about 10pm. After 5 days of this regime Peter and I were absolutely 'shagged' (excuse the pun). We said goodbye to our new friends as they went north to Bowen and then onto Cairns. We chaperoned them to Bowen, only a short half day sail away and then returned to Gloucester Island for some much needed rest and recreation. This was a popular choice as some other shaggers obviously had the same idea. There was the usual knock on the hull and the invite for an impromptu lunch on the island for 20 of us, which helped fill in the lazy days. 



Beautiful Shaw Island.

We returned south with the agenda to see as many of the Whitsunday and Cumberland group of islands that we could fit in - Hook, Whitsunday, Cid, Haslewood, Long, Shaw, Lindeman, Scawfell, and South Percy Islands, before leaving to go south.






 



Peter and Richard - full after eating fresh oysters off the rocks.

At Hook Island we met another new friend, Richard from 'Sail La Vie'. Richard was sailing south to Brisbane as well, so we teamed up with him. As per usual for 2012 the lows were ever present off the south coast of Australia. As usual giving us days where we had to shelter behind islands and then pleasant days when the weather passed, and we managed to make passage south again. It was nice to have Richard with us on the rest days to spend time swimming, bushwalking, beachcombing and fishing. 

The biggest and best highlight of the whole trip was the last island. We arrived at South Percy Island late afternoon to find ourselves alone in the anchorage. Richard had decided to stay at Middle Percy Island for the night. To our delight two whales also decided the anchorage was to their liking, and they were swimming around the boat. We watched them up on the deck for ages until it was too dark to see them. Later we went to bed and listened to them through the steel hull, singing to each other.

All too soon it was the end of the season and we headed south to Brisbane to wait out the northern cyclone season. We would get work, visit family and friends and drive down to Sydney for Christmas.

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'.

6) 22nd May - 1st August 2011. Cairns to Sydney.

Nico enjoying the ride.

Finally the day had come when we could leave Cairns. Michelle had returned to Sydney for work and Nico managed a few more days so he could sail down the coast with us and his cousin, Ross. But there was no sailing to be had as the weather was really benign. There was no wind and if there was it was right on the nose so we couldn’t sail unless we tacked back and forward, which not only made for very long days and hardly any progress south but it also meant that we would not make our booking at the boat yard in Southport. So out came the iron main. Nico re-christened the boat “On The Nose” and this stuck for the rest of the year.




Leaving Cairns - Peter, Denise and Ross.

We stopped overnight every night as we didn’t need to do it too hard. Stops included High Island and then Dunk Island. We had dropped Ross off at Innisfail Beach so he could catch a bus back to Cairns. Thinking he would save us the trip up the beach he decided to jump out of the dinghy not far from the shore. He was convinced it was only waist deep but the water went up to his neck, but no problem he managed to swim to the beach. During a phone call to Cairns the next day to see if he got back for work okay, we found out that he had his mobile phone in his top pocket, so it had a swim as well. So not a great shortcut after all.






Good Food. Good Wine....
 

Next it was onto Orpheus and Magnetic      Island. We stayed one night in Horseshoe Bay (north side of Magnetic Island) and then checked into the Nelly Bay Marina at $55/night (south side), which must be the cheapest marina on the coast.




And Good Company.

 

We were only going to stay one night to fix the anchor but ended up staying three, as we were given a wine voucher at the restaurant for the 2nd night and a $50 meal voucher for the 3rd. So what can you say to that - we decided to indulge. Nico left on the ferry for Townsville on the 27th and then we slowly made our way down the coast.









Sunset at Cape Bowling Green.

First stop was Cape Bowling Green, then Upstart Bay, Gloucester, Haselwood and Keswick Islands. Then we went into the Mackay Marina for food and to top up the tanks with water and fuel. With all the motoring we were doing we were going through the fuel.






Our only neighbours at Keswick Island.

Then southwards again stopping at Prudhoe, Hexham and Great Keppel Islands, which were all great overnight stops as the weather was still benign. We decided to stay overnight in Gladstone Harbour before heading into Hervey Bay.


The next day a low was centred over Sydney/south coast and was sending gale force winds north, so we stayed in Gladstone Harbour while it raged outside. Three days later we were on our way again, stopping at two inlets in Hervey Bay for the night, prior to going into Port Bundaberg, you guessed it to reprovision and refuel. We managed to leave a great long black streak on the port bow as we reversed out of the fuel dock. This was accompanied by a lot of cursing and swearing from Peter.  

Ever onward, we stopped at Fraser Island, Double Island Point, Noosa Beach, and Moreton Island before we would reach our destination - the Southport seaway. We left Tangalooma Beach at 3am in the morning and it was at first light that we rounded the top of Moreton Island. For a couple of seconds Peter was perplexed at why there was all this mist coming up from the ocean into the air. Suddenly a huge whale surfaced right on the port side of the boat and blew water and air from its spout, and consequently all over Peter. As you can imagine this shocked and then delighted Peter. He then had to swerve in and around 15 whales that surrounded the boat. Coming up at 7am to do my shift I had missed everything and I was so disappointed. Later in the morning I was at the wheel to reset the autopilot when a large whale appeared 5 metres in front of the bow. He looked directly at me with his right eye and then quickly plunged back into the water heading to starboard while I immediately turned the wheel hard to port, to miss him. Seconds passed which seemed like minutes, but there was no thud. I was so glad I had missed him, not that I thought it would sink the boat as it is steel, but more because I didn’t want to harm him. We arrived at Southport just as the sun was setting and were ushered through by a pod of dolphins riding the waves in through the narrow entrance. We anchored in Bum's Bay just behind Main Beach.

Reverie on the hardstand.

The next day we manoeuvred the boat up through the narrow channels that lie between the Gold Coast and South Stradbroke Island, to the slipway and just in time for our booking. The boat was up on the hardstand for 18 days while the hull was repainted and then antifouled. This was only supposed to take 14 days but you know the longer they take the more money they make, all the while happily draining our wallets. Meanwhile, we stayed with our good friends Trish and John, visited family/friends in the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Caboolture.


Finally back in the water we again made passage south to Sydney, stopping at Bryon Bay, Coffs Harbour, Hat Head, Perpendicular and Sugarloaf Point. The Pacific Ocean was like duck pond during this time, we were sure we had experienced more waves in our bathtub. We were grateful however, as the NSW north coast does not offer many safe and calm anchorages unless you have a catamaran or a shallow keeled boat. We have a long keel of about 2.4 m and this restricts us from getting in close to beaches or up any sand-barred river systems.

The last few days of our trip we quickly ticked off - Port Stephens, Norah Head, the Hawkesbury River, before coming into Sydney Harbour on the 1 August 2011. We were delighted to be approached by a seal at the stern of the boat as we entered the Heads. He clapped his flippers together and looked directly at us. After a while he just left, obviously annoyed at us not knowing the routine. We surmised that he was used to fishermen gutting and cleaning fish and throwing him the scraps. It was so good to be home after 139 days since leaving Sydney for Hong Kong. We would not be leaving again until March 2012, so we had plenty of time to catch up with family and friends and get back into the land of the living and enjoy being land lubbers again.




Welcome Tulla and KT - Woolwich Marina.

Enjoying guests on board  - Sydney Harbour.

 


 



Nico and Sally - a great party.





Dale and Wendy.





David and Jenny.



Peter, Des, Denise and Gwen.

 

Chris and Michelle.





Peter, Ron and Denise.



5) 7th May 2011. Cairns.

Finally made it to Cairns.

On 7th May 2011 "Reverie" finally arrived in Cairns 38 days after leaving Hong Kong. The boat performed really well; handling the big swells, gale force winds and light weather easily. It was a good 'shakedown' trip for the crew and for "Reverie". We got a good sense of what the boat was capable of doing and more importantly of what we were capable of doing. A couple of things needed fixing, but nothing major broke and it also highlighted the improvements we could make to 'Reverie'.

Bad timing again saw us arrive on a Saturday and that meant more money to pay Customs, Immigration and Quarantine to come out from the airport to the marina. No one was allowed off the boat until their clearance. Welcome to Australia - infamous amongst fellow sailors as the most difficult and expensive country to get into. We thought it would be a simple affair for us - after all we were Australian. Boy were we wrong. We had already been checked out by the search plane as soon as we were in Australian waters. They contacted us by radio to query who we were, where we were going and what we had on-board. Then the full assessment began. Firstly, every inch of the boat was looked over - searching for drugs, guns, smuggled passengers and any other illegal contraband. Luckily we didn't have any of these. Then all non-canned goods were confiscated. Meaning all items in the fridge, freezer and cupboards were seized, bagged and thrown out. We had planned for this so not much was thrown out.

Excellent we thought, we have got off lightly. But then the Quarantine guy came aboard. He spent several hours inspecting every bit of wood in every nook and cranny on the boat for termites. Peter followed him around putting everything away, as he turned our boat inside out. He was convinced we would have termites because we are an older boat, we have a lot of wood and we had been to some countries that were notorious for termite infestations. This was going to mean more money to get it sprayed and cleared. So you can imagine our relief when he pronounced the boat clear.

The relief was short lived however after taking a call from a senior Quarantine officer the following Monday morning. The senior officer advised us that the weekend inspection officer was not qualified and another officer would be coming out later that day. They would repeat the process without further cost to us - thank God. After several hours, again our boat was cleared - yeh. Then, in a scene resembling a Monty Python sketch, the following morning the same senior officer rang again. He explained that he still was not happy and that we would need to undergo further testing. This would involve us paying for a sniffer dog to be sent by plane from Brisbane, or a local pest controller with a sensitive listening device, to detect the termites. We went for the pest controller and again our boat was cleared much to the unhappiness of the Quarantine department. We didn't get much change from $1000 from the whole Quarantine debacle.




Alann and Michelle.

We thought we would stay in Cairns roughly one week before setting sail down the coast. So we had arranged for our friends, Nico and Michelle to join us, and they were due to arrive in a week's time. But this time came and went as further issues arose. We had to calculate the amount of CFC's in our old air conditioners, fridges and freezer and then pay around $400 for their disposal at the end of their lifetime, in the unforeseeable future. We spent time catching up with good friends (Nico and Michelle), catching up with friends we hadn't seen for a while (Suzan and Greg) and meeting new friends (Ross, Jeanette, Graham and Amanda). It was so nice to get dressed up to go out and enjoy ourselves, instead of being in our sailing wardrobe.







Suzan and Greg.


 















Lastly, the importation of our vessel, the national and state registration process, and insurance costs. By this time we were bleeding and Michelle's two week holiday had come to an end. Nico arranged another few days and with his cousin, Ross, we set off south down the coast. We loved Cairns but we were so glad to see the end of it because it meant an end to the endless red tape, paperwork and the money to be spent. 
  

 

Graham and Amanda.


 



Ross and Jeanette.