We had a couple of great days in Mooloolaba catching up with friends and could easily have stayed longer. We are nearing the end of our voyage and home is calling. Both Tamara and I can sense we are close to home as it only took us 3 days and 2 nights to sail up on the way. That is a bit of a false sense of security as it is 490 nm down the NSW coast line to get back to RPAYC and that coastline can throw up some very nasty weather. We were lucky on the way up. We had some great conditions and it was an easy trip. We are hoping for the same treatment on the way back.
We said goodbye to our friends Maureen and Steve Allatt who have a Bavaria 42 berthed at the Mooloolaba Marina. We threw the lines off at 10am and headed out of the river mouth and around Point Cartright, across Moreton Bay. Our destination is Peel Island as there is forecast of NW winds in the early ours of tomorrow morning. Our original destination was to be Tangalooma but that can be hellish when any westerly blows. It was a fast trip across the bay with a 20 knot NE wind and 2 knots of current assisting us. At times we were doing 9.5 knots over the ground. We stayed out of the shipping channel but witnessed 7 ships leaving port so it was an easy passage.
It was a good days sailing and we were anchored up at Peel Island just in time for the sunset along with a bout 50 other yachts who all had the same idea of protection from the NW wind. I recognised some of the yachts we met on the way including a young couple we met at Whitehaven on a yacht called Boris.
We did not put the dinghy in the water so we had sundowners on our own and an early dinner and watched TV which we have not done much of along the way. I have enjoyed not having the idiot box on.
The news was not great with schoolies week on the Gold Coast getting lots of air play. We will be there in 2 days but i doubt it will affect us much. After the Sunday night movie we retired to sleep.
21st November Peel Island to Dux Anchorage 27nm
The NW winds came but did not reach the velocity that was predicted so it was a very peaceful night rest.
I called up Splash on the radio early, as we wanted to get an early start. We are travelling along the inside of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands in amongst all the islands of Moreton Bay and along the waterways of the broadwater to the Gold Coast. This is a more difficult navigational situation as there are a lot of determinates to consider. You have the tides, the shallow water and the different waterways you can take. Another added complication is the resulting silting up of the water ways from the QLD floods last summer. The navigational marks can be confusing at times and they can be moved since the charts were manufactured.
We headed off after the morning cup of tea and cereal for breakfast. The tide was high early which meant a run out tide, which would slow us, and also meant travelling up the shallow waterways on a falling tide until lunchtime when it would start to come back in. If you run aground on a falling tide and you lodge hard in the mud with the keel you have very little chance of getting off unless there is immediate assistance around.
We travelled to the east side of Macleay Island and it was shallow. We had to proceed at about 2 knots.
A ferry went past us when we were in very shallow water and the wash of the ferry bounced us up and down with keel scraping the mud as we went down in the trough of the waves.
The shallow alarm on the depth sounder was going off all day and we had to concentrate looking at paper charts, chart plotters and the Beacon to Beacon publication of QLD waterways along with looking for the next marks visually through the binoculars. Despite all this we ran aground at very near low tide near a starboard navigational beacon when we had the jib up and sailing. We came to a peaceful and gentle stop. I quickly started the engine and put it in reverse while furling the headsail. We came off very easily and decided we would motor for awhile until the depth increased.
Sea birds seem to like navigation marks to house their nests
We arrived at Jacobs Well at 3pm but had to wait for the hight tide at 6pm before we could navigate the next stretch of the main channel. We had an afternoon nap while we waited.
At 5.30pm we decided to give it a go.
No problems as we motored the next 4 nm to Dux anchorage. The depth was about 300mm under the keel over the shallow bits.
We arrived at Dux anchorage just on sun set. Splash went ahead as they had been there on the way up north. I saw them stop suddenly as they ran aground on a mud bank. Peter put the boat in reverse but no luck. I had to be careful manoeuvring close to him as I did not want Billabong in the same situation. I could not get close enough to him to throw a rope as our depth sounder was showing .1 of a meter.
I anchored up wind of him and took the two longest lines I had and swam them down. Still could not reach him. luckily a man came over in a dinghy and gave us a hand. After tying the ropes together I tried to pull Splash off but not luck. Splash had his engine on full steam ahead, as we did and the dinghy was pushing as well. We had to pull Splash over so I called Peter on the VHF and suggest he get the spinnaker halyard, add a good 20 meters and give that to the man in the dinghy. After 10 minutes we finally had Splash free.
It was touch and go there for a while as the tide was falling and it could have been a long and uncomfortable night for them stuck in the mud.
We found some deep water to anchor in and Splash came over for dinner of Russian pies that Tamara had prepared in the afternoon.
It was a good celebration getting them off the mud.
22nd November Dux Anchorage to Bum's Bay 11nm
We had to have an early start as high tide was at 6am and we did not want to risk hitting a sand bank or a mud bank on a falling tide. We left the anchorage at 7.30am and used the run out tide to go quickly into the Broadwater and on to the Gold Coast. On the way we saw the high rise buildings that dominate the sky line of the Gold Coast and we went past Sovereign Islands which is where homes cost a lot of money.
Motoring down the Broadwater - Our first glimpse of the Gold Coast
Millionaires road on Sovereign Island
We arrived at 10.30am and dropped the anchor in Bum's bay. So aptly named as it is a good anchorage that boaties can go and pay no money. Also I think boaties who are on the bones of their bum with no money tend to congregate here. Judging by the standard of some of the yachts the bay is rightly named. It is not exactly quiet either with helicopters flying over head most of the day. They must be sight seeing helicopters.
We will go into the Southport Yacht Club marina tomorrow so we can get some things done and walk the streets and get some exercise.
We were invited to Splash for a dinner of meatloaf and it was another great meal. We discussed our plans for our passage to Sydney. We looked at the 7 day forecast and Saturday looks the best. We could be in Port Stephens by Wednesday if the weather holds true.
23rd 24th November Southport
Yacht Club
We spent a quiet night at Bum’s Bay and had a lazy morning
with a late breakfast. More cruisers were filling the bay waiting for the good
weather to head south. We decided after looking at the weather forecast and a discussion
with Splash that Saturday would be best day to depart.
I had a couple of things to do in Southport so we waved
goodbye to Splash and headed to the Southport Yacht Club. I needed to get the
BBQ fixed as it was leaking gas and also get the guys from TMQ to look at the
forward looking sonar I put on the boat before leaving. I was not happy with
the way it performed so may as well get it fixed while under warranty.
Tamara spent the afternoon washing and going for a walk
while I waited for the guys to look at the sonar. They arrived and all they
could do was to replace the transducer which is all the stock they had. I can
only test it in the ocean so will wait and see if the transducer is the
problem.
We had a great dinner at the Southport Yacht Club and a
relaxing evening.
That night it rained and rained. Parts of the Gold Coast
received 100mm of rain. It was still raining all day until the afternoon. I
took the BBQ to the manufacturers and they replaced all the working parts so it
is like new. A much cheaper option than
buying a new BBQ!!
All the jobs were done and the rain cleared so we went for a
walk along Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise.
You can see all the effort they go to protect “Schoolies” from harm’s
way. A lot of tax payer’s money spent to protect them from mishaps and
disasters while having fun. Yet most of the harm is self inflicted!!
We saw “schoolies”,
“toolies” and “foolies” and I
think there should be another name “Goolies” for us older folk - Grumpy Oldies.
We had another nice dinner at the Southport Yacht Club
before retiring.
25th 26th 27th November Southport to Broken Bay 376nm
Another lovely sleep in and a lazy breakfast and then it was
off to the shops to get some fresh provisions for the trip down. We walked
several kilometres to Australia Fair and bought what we needed and caught the
bus back. We did not need much as we are nearing the end of the trip.
At midday we departed the yacht club and headed back to
Bum’s Bay and meet up with Splash.
The weather had improved and was not what was forecast. It
was sunny with a light 10 knot NE wind blowing. We came alongside Splash where
Peter and Christine were resting in the cockpit reading. The bay had emptied of
cruising yachts and I asked “where have they all gone?” the reply “they all
left this morning as the weather is better”
Peter added “we should be going today!!” I agreed the weather had improved and said
“do you want to?” the answer was “yes let’s go”
I said I would look at the latest weather and have lunch and
get back to him. I dropped the anchor and we ate lunch and discussed should we
go. Tamara said yes as she is eager to get home and see Oliver the grandson. I
was reluctant as I don’t like changing plans. I looked at the weather and the
live readings down the coast at Point Danger, Cape Byron, Ballina were all good
and it was all light winds and the stormy weather had dissipated. The swell and
waves also looked like it had dropped.
The wind was forecast to increase from the north during the
night which would make it a pleasant sail although the sea would still have
south swell and a confused wind wave for a while until the wind remodelled the
waves into one direction. The forecast of rain squalls was also off-putting as
these have the potential to increase winds way above the forecast for a brief
period of time.
I reluctantly agreed to go and said to Peter we need until
4pm to get ready and pre cook meals we would need on the way. He agreed so I
had a sleep while Tamara cooked. The boat was ready and as I would be doing
most of the night watch so I needed some sleep.
At 4pm we raised the anchor and at 4.30pm we crossed the
Seaway Bar headed south on a course for a safe passage outside of Point Danger.
The wind was light but the weather was good and we were able to sail and
maintain 6 knots speed over the ground with a good current assisting us south.
The sea state was relatively calm. There
was no rain either although clouds out to sea did look rain bearing.
The sun went down and the wind picked up as per the forecast
and we were able to maintain good speed right through the night. It was not long before the Gold Coast was out of sight.
In any other country you would think it is a major city. No. Its just the Gold Coast with so many units it is like a concrete jungle
We passed Cape
Byron at midnight (The most easterly point of Australia) and avoided all the trawlers
working. The weather had been very bad so they were all kept in port and were
now out doing their thing. By this time the sea state was very confused and did
not make going down stairs very comfortable.
We were glad we had prepared the cooked meals. The swell was from the
south and east while the wind waves were from the north east. The auto pilot
was having difficulty keeping the heading but managed. Peter on Splash reported
he had to hand steer as his auto pilot did not cope at all. He had done a
number of involuntary gybes with the auto pilot on. They spilt their dinner of
spaghetti and meatballs all over the cockpit.
The east coast current gave us a real good ride down the
coast. At times we were travelling at 13 knots speed over the ground while
surfing down waves. The max speed over the ground I saw was 13.7 knots while
through the water our maximum speed was 11.7 knots. We had 2 knots of current
assisting us.
At midday we were a beam of Coffs harbour. Just 20 hours to get there.
At 4.30pm we had notched up 24 hours and had covered an
incredible 190 nm. While the log only showed 156nm we had gained 34nm from the
current. We were well offshore and could not see land.
We continued on into the night and by dawn we were well off
the coast and on the edge of the continental shelf in over 1000 meters of
water. This was where the current is strongest. We noticed many ships on the
AIS system just drifting southwards in the current way out to sea. One ship we
saw on the AIS was drifting at 2.6 knots. I believe they do this to save fuel
while waiting for their turn in the queue to load coal at Newcastle. Why not
let nature assist as they can wait up to 4 weeks in the queue. They must get
off the coast up north and spend weeks drifting down.
It had rained a bit through the night and the seas were
still not good. It seemed the further south the bigger the waves. The storm was
at its strongest off Southwest rocks two days earlier so we still had to
contend with the aftermath. Peter reported the coffee pot went sprawling across
the cockpit spilling its contents everywhere.
It continued to rain for most of the day and the wind
continued to push us down the coast. The wind was northerly up to 25 knots preceding
the rain squalls we had and we sailed with a reefed main only. I put the reef
in the mainly to slow us down a bit so Splash could keep up but it was a good
idea anyway to depower the boat in case we got anything stronger. At 4.30pm we
decided to head back into the coast to try and get better use of the North West
winds that were predicted. The winds had
already clocked around to the north. We needed to gybe on to starboard but
rather than do that in 25 knots and risk doing damage I put the motor on turned
around into the wind. I also reached
across the wind to eat up some time so that Splash could catch up and be closer
going into the night. While Billabong at 44 feet might be quicker than Splash
at 39 feet, we can do things to slow the yacht down and keep together. Splash had
to motor at times to keep up with us but that was a small price to pay. There
is a lot of comfort in cruising in company when there are only two of you on
board.
At 4.30 pm we had covered 359nm over the ground from the Gold
coast Seaway and 307nm through the water. The current had provided us with 52
“free miles” That is a saving of 9 hours at 6 knots!!.
The last 2 hours of daylight saw the clouds disappear and brighten
up. The sun came out and dried the yacht from the rain. The wind eased a bit
and went around to the North West as per the forecast.
The sky cleared and the rain disappeared. That's Splash just behind us.
Conditions became pleasant and as this was to be our last
night at sea, we had happy hour. A beer each as the sun went down had us both
feeling good.
We had a nice dinner of chicken drumsticks in a vegetable stew
that Tamara had cooked the day before and we were ready for the night.
During the night the wind became lighter and the seas became
flatter which made for a fantastic night. The yacht glided along on a reach
with headsail and main fully drawing. I kept the 1st reef in even
though I did not need to but it kept us along side Splash. Just brilliant
conditions. There was no moon but the stars were as bright as bright. When you
cruise it is nights like this that make it all worthwhile. Even Tamara could
not believe how beautiful the night was. Shooting stars came thick and fast.
Her watch was from 2am to 5am and to sit and watch the best light show in the universe
was an unbelievable experience she will never forget. It was a night that she thought
could never happen at sea!!
It was cool in the early hours of morning. A lot cooler than
we expected because the wind was blowing from the west off the land. It is unusual to get westerlies at this time
of the year. Lucky we had good sea blankets which kept us very warm. The warm
clothes we had worn on the way up were packed away under the front bunk and
they would be difficult to get to. The sea temperature had fallen dramatically
from what we were used to in QLD waters being a pleasant 25 degrees to 18 degrees.
Despite the coolness it was a brilliant sunny day with not
one cloud in the sky. A lovely sunrise and dolphins came and greeted us.
Our last Sunrise of the voyage
By 10 am we were off Port Stephens and we had made the
decision to keep going through to Broken Bay. Conditions were still good and we
were sailing nicely so it was best to spend another 10 hours at sea and get it over
and done with and get the yacht back to its berth at RPAYC.
We were sailing very easily.
We had current with us which would help to
push us down the coast and the forecast of northwest winds in the morning would
get us close to Broken Bay before a light south westerly change came through.
We could handle this. So we thought!!
We passed Point Stephens light house, but we were well out
to sea and were heading across Stockton Bight when the wind blasted in from the
South West and was quite cold. Back on with the windcheater and tracky daks.
The wind got up to 25 knots so we had to put the reef back in that I pulled out
at dawn and we were able to handle the conditions better. We were not feeling
good about our decision to bypass Port Stephens. After about an hour the wind
eased somewhat and changed direction which made things more bearable, then it
slowly dissipated and we had to motor.
Before too long the wind came back and it was a very cold
wind from the South West and it got stronger before going south and then south
east before it too died. Back on with the motor in calm conditions. We were a
beam of Newcastle and again the wind came in from south west and blew hard and
went to the South and stayed there but petered out again. Back on with the
motor. The waves were all over the place. Very uncomfortable.
We could not relax. The conditions changed every half hour.
I thought I was going to get some sleep during the day to make up for the
previous night. Not to be.
To make matter worse the current changed 180 degrees and
slowed our progress.
This was a tough day at the office and we were really tired
from the previous 48 hours.
At 5.30pm NSW time we had been sailing for 48 hours and had
covered 359nm over the ground. We averaged 180 miles a day which a lot of
cruiser would be very happy with. Through the water the speed log read 307 nm.
That meant we had 52 nm of current assist. Not now, the current was against us.
We battled on and finally got into Broken Bay and passed Lion
Island at 8pm NSW time.
Our final sunset. Entering Broken Bay.
We were finally home!!! Yippee.
Splash was a fair way behind us. We moved ahead of them
during the day as our plan was to go into Refuge Bay and spend the night there
before going to the yacht club and cleaning up the yacht. I was cooking our
final meal together of fish green curry. By the time Splash rafted up we were
showered and had dinner underway.
We moored near the waterfall at Refuge Bay and toasted our home
coming and a fantastic rally with two bottles of champagne. We were all like
zombies suffering from sleep deprivation. We were all wondering why we left the
beautiful surrounds of Pittwater and put ourselves through this!!
Why would you ever leave the tranquillity of Pittwater and the picturesque surrounds to travel to QLD?
I know the answer – Adventure. It certainly makes you appreciate what we
have here in Pittwater.
The NSW coast can be tough. We had a good run for the first
40 hours but the next 12 hours were hard.
The final stats for the 52 hour voyage were:-
·
Over the ground
- 376nm covered at an average of 7.23knots
·
Through the water - 326nm travelled at an average of 6.26knots.
·
Motoring - 11
hours = 28 litres of diesel.
Catching the East Coast current is very important when travelling
south. It can save a lot of time. Perhaps we should have gone further out to
sea and not come in until we get closer to Sydney.
We have learnt a lot on our voyage to Lizard Island and
back.
It was a voyage without a major incident to us and that we
are very thankful for. We heard some horror stories of yachts sinking, being
abandoned with all crew rescued etc. A part from a yacht being struck with
lightning at Lady Musgrave when we were not there, none of the RPAYC Coral
Coast rally yachts reported any major mishaps or serious damage. One skipper
received a back injury which required surgery on his return to Sydney.
Everything on the yacht worked well. No major breakages or
break downs. The worst we had was gas leaking from the BBQ and diesel leaking
out of the top of the tank when I over filled it. The BBQ got repaired and
everything works just the same as we left Sydney.
The last 6 and half months have been a wonderful and
enjoyable experience. This has been a goal of mine for many years. Tamara accompanied
me on most of it apart from a few breaks to return to Sydney for the birth of
her grandchild and a trip to Russia. Tamara says no more, but I bet she will be
on the next voyage expected in 2013!! We were accompanied by great friends when
Tamara was not on board. Eric Knowles crewed from Bundaberg to Mackay, Peter and Donna Kent, who crewed between Mackay and
the Whitsundays. Graham Lithgow crewed between Airlie Beach and Cairns and
Peter Russell between Airlie Beach and Mackay on the return leg. Thanks to
these friends for assisting and keeping me company while Tamara was absent.
Graham Jennings and Wayne Jarman joined Billabong for 6 days at the Whitsundays
and we had fun trying to find fish and having fun relaxing despite the bad weather.
We have made many new cruising friends on the way. None more
than Peter and Chris Wilson, from “Splash”.
Peter and Christine on Splash rafting up with Billabong - Refuge Bay Pittwater
We cruised in company to Lizard Island and back and shared some great
experiences. We cooked many meals for each other, which to me were a highlight
as it meant one couple having a night off from the cooking and cleaning duties which
can be tiresome when doing 3 meals a day. Just like going to a restaurant without the bill!! It also gave each other new recipes
and meals we would not have experienced. Especially the fish recipes. We made
joint decisions on navigation and passage planning which proved valuable as two
heads are better than one. We seemed to make the best decisions and chose the
best weather windows to make our passages. It was great having friends close
by. Thanks Peter and Chris for the friendship and the memories.
Peter and Chris - Thanks for the memories and the friendship
Between Peter and I we caught over 300 kilos of fish while on the trip which
greatly supplemented our food supplies. We still have 3 pieces of steak in the
freezer that we left Sydney with!! Splash has food in the freezer too that they left Sydney with. I guess we saved a lot of money not buying meat. Never did I get sick of eating fish, but towards the end I got
sick of filleting fish.
We were away for 185 days and we covered 3500 nm to Lizard Island and back and probably had better weather than most cruisers experience going north. It was an exceptional year for the weather. I suppose we were just lucky but we did watch the weather forecasts and chose wisely when to go and when to stay in port. Often we had to motor sail to get to our destination in time because we chose better weather to make passage.
Billabong motored for 451 hours during the voyage and consumed 1137 litres of diesel at an average of 2.5 litres per hour. Thank the stars they don't charge for wind!!
Casting the lines off and heading north is one of the best decisions of my life. To experience the freedom of cruising is wonderful and provided a lot of great memories. I can understand why so many people live aboard and cruise their yachts with no time tables and sometimes no specific destination in mind. They are like a cork in the ocean blown one direction by the wind and tugged another way by the tide. Or are they just like the whales and follow the sun north in winter and south in summer. I would like to do it again many times. Perhaps we will be back cruising in 2013. It will be hard to adjust back into suburbia for awhile and sleeping in a bed that does not move!!
I recommend any one who has yearned to cruise north to QLD
to go ahead and just do it.
We did.
I am much better for the experience
