I was awake at 5 am and quickly studied the weather maps and the
forecasts. I checked the wind observations at Double Island Point.
The wind had subsided right on que as the weather bureau
predicted and it looked right for a crossing.
Flat water was at 8.15am at the bar which is some 6nm from where
we were anchored.
We would need to leave at 7am at the latest to have the most
favourable conditions.
Car ferry at Inskip Point at sunrise going to work
There was a 100 ft power boat anchored with us and they weighed
anchor at 6am and headed out. I called them on the VHF radio and asked if they
would provide us with conditions of the bar report, which they agreed to do.
They motored out at 9 knots and we could track them on the AIS. After they
crossed the bar the skipper radioed us and said conditions were not good. 3
meter waves with tops breaking.
That was not good news and it saddened me because if we could
not get out today we would be stuck there for another 5 days.
I pondered and pondered and kept thinking that this big yacht is
huge at a 100 foot and it said it was not pleasant then our 44 yacht would not
enjoy it at all.
The only saving grace would be that they went 2 hours ahead of
the high tide. The other factors to consider was that the swell was from the
east and not the south east and the wind was from the east. These are all
factors in our favour. The 3m swell with breaking tops was not a factor in our
favour.
I saw other boats making preparation and we heard several log
onto Coast Guard at Tin Can Bay for a crossing.
I had a big dilemma. Things can go very wrong when trying to
stick to a schedule.
I made the decision we were going to go and informed Isabella
that we were going to go to reference point 2 and if it looked really bad we
would abort and return.
We weighed anchor at 6.45am and headed out. The mad mile (the
long trench on the way out) was like a washing machine. I have seen it worse.
We were pushing 2 knots of current so progress out was 4 knots SOG.
We were following several other boats so it was a bit of
procession. If any pulled out and returned then I would too.
We received a radio report from a catamaran in front of us
Skedaddle. The skipper said while it was hairy he managed to avoid all breaking
top waves.
Decision made to progress.
Kokomo V traveling with us
We made it across the bar unscathed and never took any white
water on top. A big relief. 3 meter breaking top waves are a bit scary and you
have to be on the ball.
Hard to see how big the waves are on a camera. watch the yacht behind us and you will get a feel for it
Big wave breaking behind us
From there on it was a motor sail all the way to Mooloolaba.
Dolphins and whales were spotted along the way and the large
rolling south east swell made it somewhat uncomfortable. However, it was great
to get out of the bar and be on our way.
Arrived at the entrance to Mooloolah River which has another bar
crossing. This one is also treacherous as the sand bar shifts regularly and
this time was no exception. The huge strong easterly swells had pushed the sand
bar out into the middle of the channel. Notice to Mariners and regular VHF
updates by Coast Guard Mooloolaba gave us lots of warnings. However some did
not read the NTM or listen to the broadcasts on VHF and paid the consequences.
One yacht that came with us over the Wide Bay Bar and was travelling about an
hour ahead of us attempted to cross the bar from the east instead of from the
western side and ran aground for 30 minutes while getting pushed across the bar
with each big swell.
That must have been frightening.
We docked at 4.30pm and tidied up the yacht and had a beer and a
big sigh of relief. The nerves were frayed and on edge and it will take a few
days to calm down.
Bruce and I went to the Surf Club for a steak and a long-awaited
walk. We had not been off the yacht since we left Bundaberg. 7 Days!!!!
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