30th Oct Raby Bay Marina to Dux Anchorage via Inland waterway. 34nm

Surprisingly I woke without a hangover. Not sure why – must have been the quality of the reds. I did a little bit of shopping to top up the fruit and groceries and we headed out to the relatively calm bay. The wind had swung to the SE and was only 15 knots but as we ventured further south down the inland waterway the wind strengthened to 25 knots. It was cooler and made for a less pleasant journey than I would have liked. The tide was falling in the morning and rising in the afternoon so we had to be very careful over the mostly shallow channels that we were navigating through.

 Hope the owner is not still on board this sunken yacht!!!

It was handy to have Robert on board who is a very experienced navigator having sailed his yacht Shirena from Australia to the Mediterranean Sea. He was able to check my navigation and make sure we were on the right track. The Inland Waterway is an amazing piece of water. You can enter the Goldcoast from the ocean and travel in sheltered waters all the way to Brisbane and into Moreton Bay and onto Mooloolaba.

The shallowest part of the Inland Water Way is at Jacobs Well and must be crossed at high tide if you are deep keeled yacht. High tide in Moreton Bay was 18.14 and high tide at Runaway Bay was at 17.38. Jacobs Well is closer to Runaway Bay so we use that time as a guide.  However you have to be mindful that there is another bar which allows water to flow in and out of the inland water at Jumpin Pin. The high tide here on the ocean side was at 16.44

My decision was made that we would cross the shoals at Jacobs Well at 16.45. We arrived at Jacobs well at 15.30 and anchored in the channel until it was time to cross. We saw a 37 foot Beneteau cross at 15.30 but we were unsure if he had a shallow draft keel. I did not want to take a chance so we waited.  At 16.45 we crossed and had minimum depth of .8meter under the keel so we could have crossed at 15.30 when we arrived. We were very pleased to get through this magnificent but shallow water way with out toching the bottom.

We arrived at Dux Anchorage at 1800 and dropped anchor. A quick shower in a brisk 20 knot wind was very cooling and Robert was reluctant to shower off the back. After persuasion of rum to warm him up if he did, he quickly had a shower and presented himself for the rum. 

 The Southport yacht club annexe at Dux Anchorage.

The sun went down on another day and we toasted Grahams father with a drink of rum as sadly we received the news that he had passed away.  Graham and Leanne will stay in Perth for the funeral so Billabong and Echo Beach will make separate passage back to Sydney. It is a sad conclusion to our cruise together which has been punctuated by Tamara’s operation, the passing away of my friend Steve and now the passing of Graham’s father.

I asked Robert what he would like for dinner. Luckily he said fish because that is all the choice he had!!! I promised him something different for tomorrow night.

29th Oct Peel Island to Raby Bay Marina 6.5nm

We woke in the morning and I heard on the ABC radio that sever storm cells were expected to hit the Goldcoast/Brisbane area at around 1pm. I checked the weather forecast on the internet and winds to 40 knots were expected with damaging hail.

I rang Raby bay marina and they had a spare berth so it was time seek shelter. We raised the anchor at 9am and headed into a strong 25 knot northerly for the short trip across the bay to the marina. The tide was running out against the wind so the trip was interesting with a bit of green water over Billabong.

Once in the marina it was well sheltered and all the shops and restaurants of Raby Bay are only meters away. The train station is a 5 minute walk away so any required trips to Brisbane are made very easy. It is a very nice place and we will put this on the visit list for future if provisioning is required.

I rang my long time friends Colin and Jo Taggart to see if we can catch up and before I knew it we were invited to their place just around the corner for a BBQ. We had a great night catching up with them and swapping news. All their four children have grown up, all with University degrees and one has married so I am sure they will have lots of grandchildren to look after in years to come.

The storm did eventuate and we did get some heavy rain and strong wind but the main cell passed south of us.  

Again we drank more than needed but it did help to get a solid night’s sleep in a very calm marina.

28th Oct Tangalooma to Peel Island 25nm

 Billabong at anchor on a calm sea at the Tangalooma wrecks

We woke at 5.30am as you do here in QLD. The sun is up at 5am!! Why don’t they have daylight saving!!

Echo Beach was departing and as they raised their anchor they found it had snagged another anchor and chain. Robert and I raced over in the dinghy to lend a hand and found the chain was stainless steel. We were hoping the anchor was stainless as well but that was not to be. It had been on the bottom for a long time as marine growth covered the chain and the anchor was well and truly rusted. After a bit of salvage work we unshackled the anchor and recovered the chain. It was not very long but about 6 meters which may come in handy on another vessel one day. Robert and I took it to the beach and gave it a good clean up and got most of the growth off but it will require a lot more work to get it in usable condition. I put it in a bucket and stowed it in the locker.

We said our goodbyes to Echo Beach and gave our best wishes to Graham and hoped for the best.

Another yacht, Mustang Sally with Mark and Di on board was anchored nearby. We met them on our 2011 cruise at Dunk Island. They were going for a snorkel on the Tangalooma wrecks and invited us to come. Robert declined the offer but I went. I was not disappointed and was very surprised to see the marine life that had made the wrecks their home. Despite being allowed to fish there the fish life was abundant with large snapper, bream, sweet lip, emperors, whiting, trevaly and no doubt gropers but I did not see any of them.  The water was not quite clear enough to see any distance into the holds of the wrecks where the gropers would be hiding. A snorkeling boat brings guests from Tangalooma to the wrecks every couple of hours and no doubt they get fed well, hence the reason they don’t take bait on fishing lines. I am surprised that the wrecks are not off limits to fishermen.

We had no time for fishing and had to depart for Peel Island. The forecast wind was 20-25 knot northerlies and this would not be a good anchorage. We headed off at about 11am for Horseshoe Bay at Peel Island. This is a well protected anchorage for northerlies.

The tide was with us, the wind was behind us and we had a very good sail into Peel Island. By the time we arrived the wind was gusting to 25 knots and we were very happy to get into the lee of the island and drop anchor.

Robert came with me for a walk on the beach and we saw numerous stingrays with in a meter of the beach all sunbaking in the shallows. People who know me know that I am not keen on Stingrays any more.

We had a couple of gin and tonics as the sun went down and cooked the rest of the fresh mackerel for dinner. The wind abated for most of the night and it was a pleasant night’s sleep.

27th Oct Mooloolaba to Tangalooma 37nm

I woke up a bit worse for wear after a long day and evening of festivities but it was time to continue our passage south. With new crew Robert we said our goodbyes to Maureen and Betty and others and departed Mooloolaba at 9am. Echo Beach left the marina about an hour ahead of us with the same destination in mind.

The forecast was right for us to head out. ESE winds around 10-15 knots moving NE later in the morning. We put a full main up before departing Mooloolaba and once we cleared Point Cartwright I nearly regretted the decision as it was blowing 20 knots. We persevered until we cleared the point and once on course Billabong settled down and handled it well. We unfurled the jib and we were reaching across the wind at 7 knots on a comfortable sea.

The further we went the wind abated and veered at different angles until we were well up the Spitfire Channel when the wind headed us. We put the motor on and motor sailed for a while and had lunch on the way. As we crossed the Spitfire Banks the line went off and we caught a nice spotted mackerel.  The fish arrived at the right time as I was discussing with Robert what to have for dinner. Problem solved.

On arrival at the wrecks off Tangalooma we dropped the anchor and launched the dinghy for a walk on shore. I was last at Tangalooma when I was 19, visiting the hotel after a fishing trip to Flinders Reef off Cape Moreton. It has all changed with many holiday units now erected. This is Brisbane’s holiday Island. Very nicely protected from the SE winds that blow in winter but very exposed to the northerlies you get in summer.

After launching the dinghy we dropped over to Echo Beach to invite them for dinner as we had fresh fish. We were greeted with the news that Graham’s father had a fall and was in a critical condition in a Perth hospital and were waiting for further reports. This was not good news. After walking the beach and inspecting the holiday village of Tangalooma we adjourned to the yacht for a swim and shower in preparation of 5 o’clock drinks.

Graham and Leanne came over for dinner and the news had not improved and they made the decision to head for Manly Marina in the morning and fly to Perth in the evening.

It was a sombre night knowing that this was probably the last supper between Billabong and Echo Beach for this cruise. Not knowing the full prognosis of Graham’s father the news, never the less was not good.

 The wrecks of Tangalooma at sunset. They are an eyesore. The wrecks were placed here many years ago as an artificial reef to protect boats at anchor from the swell of passing ships and westerly winds.

18th Oct to 27th October Mooloolaba

10 days in Mooloolaba may sound like a long time to be in a marina however if you have to stay a long time in a marina, Mooloolaba is the place to be. We had a great time eating loads of fresh oysters, prawns and other seafood. We also enjoyed the walks to the restaurants, the walks on the beach, the swimming, the shopping, the weather when it stopped blowing etc. I also caught a regular feed of crabs at the marina which was quite unexpected as I was using the last of the bait in the freezer. Our friends Betty and Kyle also provided the use of their vehicle which made getting around very easy.

The sunsets were also very special in the marina.

 Sunset view from the marina

I also had the need to visit the doctor which was very simple and easy. On the way down the coast about 3 days out from Mooloolaba I developed a pain where one should not have pain. I found a lump where one should not have a lump so I booked an appointment with the doctor a day before our arrival. At the appointment he eased our concerns but sent me for an ultrasound to be on the safe side. The all clear was given and Tamara and I were both relieved.It pays these days to get checked out early!!!

Tamara flew to Sydney to be with grandson Ollie as well as having her post operation tests. They too were all clear and the Surgeon has given her a tick of approval and a clean bill of health.

Robert my crew for the passage to Sydney arrived and helped me take Billabong out to the sunken wreck of the Brisbane to be part of the flotilla for a ceremony for Steve. Before Steve passed away his wishes were to be cremated and have his ashes spread on the Mooloolaba Bay near the wreck of the Brisbane. Maureen made a request to me for Billabong to accompany Boomeroo II to the wreck site and witness the spreading of the ashes. It was a sad day and we took out some close friends of Steve to be part of the occasion. The weather was kind with SE winds to 15 knots although the swell was a bit more than we would have liked but not a bother.

 Maureen spreading Steve's ashes on Boomeroo 11 at the site of the sunken Brisbane

On arrival back at the marina we had a wake for Steve which continued all afternoon and into the evening. This also coincided with the final rendezvous of the Coral Coast Cruise where we had a BBQ on the lawn at the marina. Yachts that attended were Our Island, Echo Beach, Mixed Nuts, Super Tramp, Ngak Ngak and of course Billabong. Everyone had a great night and compared many tales and experiences of our individual cruises. The wake for Steve finished about 1am but I was long gone to bed as we are to be up early to depart Mooloolaba for our continued journey south.