Day 167: Home

Around 4am, it all started to go downhill. I was just passing Hat Head, south of Trial Bay, and the seas started picking up. A distinct chop on the nose started to build up. At first I thought it was a tidal run around the headland but, as I kept going south clearing the point, conditions worsened. It started to rain and the wind started to rise. Turns out I had run straight into an unforecast storm. I had noticed lightning to the south earlier but didn’t think it was anywhere near where I was going.

The early morning turned into an exercise in hanging on. The wind peaked at 30 knots with waves up to 2.5m. I slowed the boat down to reduce slamming but it was very uncomfortable. At one point I took a wave right over the cabin top. Not sure whether it was just an excessive wave or I buried the front.

After about 3 hours it started to drop. The storm passed over and, with dawn breaking, I was able to look around. It was a lot more comfortable. My next problem was going to be crossing the bar. My predicted time was now near the end of the window and I really didn’t want to miss it and have to spend another 9 hour’s waiting for the next window. I was able to put the speed up and do the final leg at 6 - 7 knots. I made the bar.

Once in, I had to prep the boat for the mooring. I drove it up the river on autopilot and set up a couple of lines as a bridle. I also ran a temporary line from the roller to the cockpit, the plan being to clip the temporary line to the mooring with the props at idle from the cockpit, and then hand haul the boat over the mooring.

Picking up the mooring worked very well and I attached the bridle lines. These will need a shackle in the next few days. It was then a matter of bagging up the stuff that was coming off the boat, packing the cats in their carrier, and dinghying over to the jetty where my love was waiting.

Off I stepped.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 166: Off Nambucca Heads

Passage planning for the final run to Port. There are steady southerlies along the coast except for a small break tonight. There is an 8 hour window where the wind dies down to no particular direction. I can slip out of Coffs just before it drops and be in Port just as it starts coming up again. I also have to hit the Port bar window which starts at 8am and closes at 11.30am tomorrow. The plan will be to leave Coffs at 9pm tonight and overnight to Port.

Similar seascape to where I learned to dive.

I went to the small chandlery in the marina and got an emergency nav light. I’ll be needing that tonight.

Emergency navigation lights.

Left Coffs at 9pm and turned south. There was a slight chop on the nose so I slowed down to 5 knots. This still puts me on the Port bar in the window so I settled in for the night with 15 min horizon checks.

Location

Off Nambucca Heads

Day 165: Coffs Harbour

Full day in Coffs. Went into town for a bit of shopping - raining so I got the bus back - and some boat housekeeping

Managed a walk on Muttonbird Island.

Overlooking the marina.

I'll be heading this way tomorrow.

Muttonbird (Shearwater) nests.

Location

Coffs Harbour

Day 164: Coffs Harbour

Still underway Gold Coast Seaway to Coffs Harbour.

Some time in the night, the mounting screws for the masthead light must have come adrift and the whole fitting is flopping around on its cable. Not much I can do about this under way. It will look weird to other boats so I'll have to keep my eyes open until dawn.

Was surprised to see a cargo ship come up on my inside. I didn't think I was anywhere near the shipping channels. The AIS had him missing me by 1/4 nm but I called him on the radio anyway. He assured me there would be no course changes until after he passed me.

Last leg to Coffs was fast with following wind and seas. Proper whale soup out here, and I had a dolphin escort into the bay.

Tied up at 5.45pm, went to dinner at the sailing club, and slept the sleep of the dead.

Safely tied up.

It's a bit cold and the cats are heading for the warm places.

Location

Coffs Harbour

Day 163: Currigee

Back at Currigee ready for tonight's exit. Passage plan says leave at midnight for a 24 hour passage to Coffs. Expecting the first few hours to be a bit bouncy until I round Point Danger, then a fast run with northerlies all the way. The plan has the seaway calming down at around midnight. Went to bed in the afternoon to try and get some sleep before leaving. I won't be sleeping much underway.

Update: I woke up around 5pm and checked the weather which suggested I could leave at 9pm. Checked with the Seaway Tower VMR and they told me the bar was calm right now. Woohoo, early exit.

Looks like an evening race going past.

2 hours out, heading for Point Danger and the port engine sputters and shuts down. I find lots of water in the CAV filter. Checked on deck and I had left the filler cap off the fuel tank and had been taking on sea water. This is a big problem. If I don't fix it quickly, I'll have to go back to the Gold Coast and I miss my weather window. Took me 1 1/2 hours to clean out the fuel filters and lines. I put two old filter elements on. Took a bit of purging but I got the engine started and it ran perfectly for the rest of the passage.

My passage companion.

Not much sleep single-handing. I got 15 minute snatches between horizon checks.

Location

Currigee

Day 162: Paradise Point

Weather improving but still not great.

Another day, another supermarket.

Poured yesterday's fuel run into the tanks. That should be enough for the next leg, so I refilled the cans for my reserve.

Had enough of being stuck on the boat all the time. A night out is in order. Went to the Runaway Bay Tavern near the shopping centre for a steak and to sit out the quiz night. Good beer, nice evening.

Things didn't improve for that mono.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 161: Paradise Point

Weather still bad - heavy rain and high wind. Anchor doing a sterling job.

Decided to have some time ashore. I will need fuel to get home and, while I could drive round to the fuel dock, I decided to walk the cans up instead. Got a lock for the trolley so I could leave it at the marina while I walked up to Runaway Bay for lunch. It rained most of the way making it a miserable walk.

Houseboat up on the beach, and a big mono dragged and aground.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 160: Paradise Point

Currigee prove far too rough. It actually wasn't that uncomfortable on the boat but with high wind combined with tides running through the anchorage, I was concerned that the anchor would significantly drag. There is some evidence that it has already moved around in a limited area, always resetting. This is outstanding ground tackle but you can't be too careful.

Decided to give Paradise Point another go. The crossing was not as choppy as yesterday and, at low tide, the anchorage looked fairly calm. I knew it would pick up as the tide came in and uncovered the protective sandbank but decide to see how it goes. Dropped the anchor in 1m LAT with a good amount of chain for the expected 40 knot winds and settled in. Spent the day on the boat.

Blowy but a good spot.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 159: Currigee

There is a lot of bad weather coming. Days of high wind, rain, and thunder storms. Dunwich would normally be OK for the wind direction but, at this intensity, it is way too rocky. Still, I'm in southern Moreton Bay and, in the channels, things should be a lot quieter. I looked at the charts and a spot between Macleay and Karragarra Islands should be good. It's a short 1 hour motor.

I set off on reduced power - I'm in no hurry - and made slow headway into the tide. This would take some time but I can enjoy the trip. Just coming up on Macleay and I noticed a dark shape following the boat about 5m behind the starboard engine - the lazy engine today. Further investigation revealed it as a crab-pot. I don't know if this was set in the channel or was pushed in by the weather but I had caught it.

Anchored off a nearby beach, splashed the dink, and jumped in with the mask / snorkel to clear it. An easy job to untangle it from the prop. Checked inside and just found a whole chicken - no crab or lobster, dammit. There was no marker on the line, it must have been cut off by the prop. I cut off the line so that it wouldn't be a hazard and sent the pot to a watery grave.

On to Macleay. When I got there, it was clearly not going to happen. Strong gusts were running down the reach throwing the moored boats around and I didn't want to be a part of that. On, then to the Gold Coast, only now it's getting late because I've been buggering around with a crab pot!

Very heavy.

I headed for Paradise Point, somewhere we stopped on the way up, and arrived just on dark. This was no good either. Of the boats anchored, they were being thrown around, and a couple of houseboats were up on the beach. It was too dark for the precise maneuvering I would need to put the anchor in safely so I bailed to Currigee campsite.

Low visibility.

I have been to Currigee a few times and it is good for the wind direction, and big so there should easily be a spot. When I got there it was very dark so I used the big torch to scope out where everyone else was. Eventually got the anchor down in 4 1/2 m of water and all the chain out, between a mono and another cat. One problem is the tide running up and down the reach, which conflicted with the wind somewhat. Rocky night with little sleep because I was afraid of the anchor dragging. The plotter track showed that the anchor had reset a couple of times through the night but never very far from where it was dropped. Another tick for the Manson Supreme!

Location

Currigee

Day 158: Dunwich

Quiet day. Caught up with sleep all morning and just hung around on the boat for the rest of the day.

Location

Dunwich

Day 157: Dunwich

Fast and furious day in Mooloolaba. As nice as this town is, I need to get moving, not least because there is a weather system on its way that could trap me here for a week. Even though I've just arrived, there is a window between now and Saturday when I could get to Morton Bay. Once in there, it's sheltered motoring to the Seaway. Trouble is, there are things to do before I can go.

Up early and over to the laundry to wash the clothes. While I was about it I checked in with the marina. Next was fuel. I emptied both reserve cans into the man tanks, filled the cans, did the same again, and then refilled the cans for my reserve. I put some fresh water in to about half capacity (we keep it on this level to reduce weight). Then into town with a trolley for shopping. I don't need much - some cat food and people food - so one trip will do. Linda kindly offered to give me a lift back to the boat.

Something that women enjoy, apparently.

I spoke to Linda about leaving either 4pm today, or 6am tomorrow and she pointed out that Morton Bay is very tidal and it would be a good idea if I could catch a tide assist. I checked the tide tables and the best time to leave was about 10.30pm. Confirmed with Bill that this wasn't an insane idea and he reckoned is was pretty good. He also suggested a fairly straight course missing out the shipping channel, which adds miles to the trip.

Went to bed at 6pm for 4 1/2 hours and was out of the heads by 11 heading for Tangalooma. It was a very fast run with the current pushing me up to 8 knots at times. By the time I got to Tangalooma, if was still dark so, rather than try to anchor in what can be a crowded, tricky spot, I pushed on to Dunwich and was anchored up by 8 am.

Car ferry at Dunwich.

Location

Dunwich

Day 156: Mooloolaba

Fraser Island ferry - out early morning wake up call.

Left Pelican Bay for a 9am bar crossing. At that time, there was a rising 1m tide which is minimum for Fisherman's Gutter in this boat. Followed WOW and I could see Martin up by the forestay checking for shallow areas as we cleared the shallowest of the sandbanks. Got though without a hitch thanks to Martin and Monica on WOW. I recorded a track and turned that into a route for next time. This really is worth it because it takes at least an hour off the trip.

Walks On Water (WOW) leads the way.

Fast run to Mooloolaba with a following sea and northerlies to 15 knots. Tied up in the marina at 5pm with Bill and Linda's help with the lines. Bruce (Red October) was also on hand. Was invited to Valiam for dinner which was a welcome break.

Track through Fisherman's Gutter.

Location

Mooloolaba

Day 155: Pelican Bay

All I have to do today is move the boat to Pelican Bay ready to cross Wide Bay Bar in the morning - just an hour's motor.

As I approached the bay, I could see at least a dozen masts coming from the north. I guess a lot of boats were riding the tide down for an exit tomorrow. Glad I got the anchor in before they arrived.

Crowds waiting for the weather and tide.

The plan for the Bar is to follow WOW through Fisherman's Gutter. I've not gone this way before and they know it well. It should take at least an hour off the journey. Went over to WOW in the afternoon for a strategy meet and coffee.

Dusty in her favorite cockpit spot.

Location

Pelican Bay

Day 154: Tin Can Bay

Starboard engine today. All went well, and quickly after documenting yesterday's work. Had the whole thing done in 2 1/2 hours. The only wrinkle was the lack of a gasket for the raw water impeller cover. Something else that needed cavemanning up. I'll have to add these to my list of spares.

Engine assistants.

Went ashore to get rid of the rubbish, grab some shopping and get lunch. Left some hatches open for air and, as soon as I handed, the heavens opened. Damn you weather gods.

Location

Tin Can Bay

Day 153: Tin Can Bay

Up bright and early for engine-servicing fun. The plan was to do a 250 hour - overdue - service on both engines in a day. This didn't really work out but I did do the port engine.

I have serviced these engines before, and they are quite straight-forward. However, I found that I had forgotten a few wrinkles from the last time so it was a good idea to fully document the process. This is now on the blog. The documenting actually took longer than the servicing!

First, gather the bits.

Had to caveman one part together. When I pulled the anode, the top part disintegrated leaving the remainder in the cap blocking the thread for the replacement zinc. On top of that, the new zinc - supposed to be the one for this engine - is the wrong size. It is too long, and the thread is too small. Using a combination of drill and dremel, I was able to force the thread if the new one into a hole in the old one, and also reduce its length. Good job zinc is a fairly soft metal.

Pub for dinner. Excellent pizza at the bistro.

Location

Tin Can Bay

Day 152: Tin Can Bay

Later start today. Had an incoming tide until about midday, then it turned. By leaving at 9, I get an assist to the tidal meeting point, and then another assist continuing south to Pelican Bay.

Fairly good run, spoiled only by the stinkboats. As usual, they barge through channel pinch-points at 15 knots throwing damaging wash all around. I managed to cross most of the wake head on.

The only tolerated stink-boat.

The last section was a bit rocky. A southerly really kicked up a chop so I tucked in under Fraser Island and raced across the channel when I ran out of island to hide behind. Pelican to Tin Can Bay was slow because if the tide but the chop had died right down.

Anchored up around 3pm and went in for dinner at the marina.

Civilisation.

Moonrise over Tin Can Bay.

Location

Tin Can Bay

Day 151: Kingfisher

Long - 11 hour - run to Kingfisher.

Just what you need on a long passage.

The wind suggested 4 hours SE and then a turn east to Platypus Bay but the second leg never really eventuated. My bearing was SE all day and, in the end, it made sense to carry on to Kingfisher for an easy run to Tin Can Bay tomorrow. Uneventful motor-sail and an easy anchorage. Didn't go ashore because I couldn't be bothered to drop the dink.

Location

Kingfisher

Day 150: Bundaberg

There's a lot of creature-activity around the boat at this anchorage so I though it best to keep the cats inside during the night. Cats are safe but they decided to play fighting on my head at 5.30am. Early start, then.

First, shopping. Walked up to the IGA in town for a few supplies.

The new trollies doing their thing.

Back on the boat and ready to go at 9, which is good because there is an outgoing tide to carry me down to the heads. Getting the anchor up was a pain. It decided, right then, that what it wanted more than anything was grease. It's tight, there is a current running, and the chain is coming up caked in mud so it needs hosing down every metre. Eventually got it up and shipped, and we're off.

Took a bit over an hour to motor to the fuel dock at the Bundaberg Port Marina. Beaten to it by a great big motor-sailer who decided that he only needed half the wharf - the middle half. The wife tried to help with the lines on the first run but got the rope knotted and I had to bail. On the second attempt, she secured a line - to the wrong cleat! Really, I should have waited till they left and done it myself. Anyway, all fueled up.

Went back to the pond past the sugar terminal for the night and, blow me, Anum Cara turned up. Nobody visited because the dinghies were both ready for the next day but it's nice to see them.

Location

1770

Day 149: Bundaberg

Up at 5.30am for a departure at 6. This is just before high tide.

Crossing the bar was uneventful. Armed with updated info from the VMR, this time I followed the markers and left the last green on 0' mag. Never saw less than 1.3m under the keel.

The sea state was lumpy. 1m swell but with a slight chop that combine to make going a bit uncomfortable. Happily, this diminished throughout the day. Even managed a bit of foresail when the wind went toward the east.

The tide was running in at Burnett Heads so I headed straight into town. It's about an hour and I found a spot opposite the jetty. Good time for a curry!

Moonrise over Bundaberg.

Location

1770

Day 148: 1770

Quiet day - prepping to leave.

Rain's gone and the temp is back up.

Tomorrow should be good to depart. High tide is at 6am, the sea state is a bit rocky but doable, and the wind is low - if on our nose. Should be a fair motor to Bundaberg.

Checked over the engines. These are overdue for an oil change so I'll be getting some stuff in Bundaberg to collect the mess.

Dinner at the pub and then brought up the dinghy. All ready for a morning departure.

Location

1770