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13-May-2006 Newcastle to Broughton Island – “It’s beautiful!”

We had a good night sleep and in the morning we left the marina. Our destination was Broughton Island. We decided to skip Port Stephens as we visited the town and the region many times in the past. We also sailed Shirena there last Christmas.

The trip to the Broughton Island was rather uneventful. We managed to sail for a few hours although the wind was not too strong. Eventually it slowed down to such a degree that we had to motor. We arrived to the North anchorage at about two in the afternoon. To our surprise there were two yachts there. They took the only mooring available. We had the first opportunity to test our new Bruce anchor. It set at the first attempt. Just in case we added anchor buddy. The anchor held well all night despite the fact that the wind changed to North Easterly in the evening thus turning the yacht 180 degrees. Of course we did not sleep too well. Every noise, every boat movement caused us to wake up and wonder what it was. I also had to adjust the length of the anchor buddy line as the yacht moved to shallower waters and the buddy was rubbing the chain. The other noise was coming from the swinging boom. The boom brake did the trick and the noise was removed.

After we anchored Tina looked around and exclaimed: “It’s beautiful!” She also tried the dinghy. She wanted to go for a walk on the beach. Instead of using the motor Tina rowed to the beach.

A man from one of the yachts paid us a visit. Both yachts travelled together. They hoped to reach Southport and then turn back. Their plan for the next day was to sail to Foster. We said we were going to Camden Haven.

14-May-2006 Sail to Foster

In the evening of the previous day we decided that 70 nautical miles journey would be too tiring for us. We made the decision to sail to Foster instead. After not too good sleep on the anchor we woke up to discover that our neighbours have already started. Although we planned to start about two hours later, their departure made us to follow as soon as possible. We were on the way in the next 30-40 minutes. The trip started with good sailing. We made a good progress. Later in the morning the East sky became dark while the West stayed sunny. We were right in the middle between the two. The wind again changed the direction and blew directly from the stern. The only way to sail was to zig-zag. We tried that but that was taking us closer to the dark skies. We switched to the engine. By the time we arrived to Foster we caught up with the two yachts that we met yesterday. In Foster the Costal Patrol was very helpful. They directed us to a pile jetty were we moored for the night. It is a sort of “third world country” jetty but it should provide us with a better sleep.

We went for dinner in the local Italian restaurant. Tina got a red rose as it was Mother’s Day. The food was average.

15-May-2006 Foster to Camden Haven

Well, the sleep in Foster was not good. Rising and falling tide made the boat to move up and down the piles. I woke up a couple of times at night and each time tried to improve the mooring. It did work but I was not getting the rest. In the morning a motor boat sped along the channel and the yacht shook violently on the waves. We did not like the feeling at all. Then we noticed that two other boats that sailed with us from the Broughton Island left the harbour. This somehow energized us and we made quick preparations to leave. About forty minutes later we were on our way. Helpful Costal Patrol watched us crossing the bar and warned when we needed to change the course.

There was little wind and we motored for about 40-50 minutes. By then we were far on the ocean and the wind picked up. Soon we had sails up and engine off. The wind was coming from South East this time and that was just perfect for our course. We enjoyed over seven knots speed and it was like this till we reached the port of Camden Haven. The only problem was a current against us. We logged 46 miles although the real distance is about 35.

When arrived at the post entrance we realized that for the first time we had to cross a sand bar. This was also the worst time to do so as we were there at the low tide. The choices were to wait for the high tide or go. Waiting would mean entering the port at night. We could also wait for another yacht – Sindbad – to try and cross the bar ahead of us. Sindbad is one of the yachts that was in Foster. It was about half an hour behind us. The swell did not look too bad however as the port entrance is protected from the SE swell by a peninsula Perpendicular. I decided we could enter. After lining the yacht with the leading signs I set the speed to over five knots and watched the waves. It looked that some broke on both sides of the yacht but not under. After a minute or so of anxiety we were within the breakwater walls and safe. We radioed the local Costal Patrol and let them know. The Patrol was manned by someone who did not really like to talked too much. He just acknowledged the fact and switched of. Then Sindbad called us. He wanted to know how was the bar. We explained the best we could noting that was our first bar crossing ever. Sindbad entered the port without any difficulties later.

If we thought we were out of trouble we were wrong. It was low tide and the depth in the port is not great. We need two metres of water under the yacht. The depth sounder went to zero a few times despite us sailing according to the channel buoys. We did not however touched the bottom. Soon we were on a mooring in the local marina. They charge $20 per night or $50 for a week. We decided to have a break here thus paid for the whole week.

In the evening we analysed our actions and decided not to repeat them ever again. We must follow the rules of crossing the bar at two hours before to one hour after the high tide. We must plan our trip to ensure we arrive within the window of good conditions to enter the harbour.

16-May-2006 Is this a rest?

We had a very quite night. No worries about the yacht, no strange noises – just perfect. We woke up rested and ready to enjoy the beautiful views of the Camden Haven port. It is really beautiful! Big mountain dominates the view. At the bottom of the mountain there is a town – Laurieton. Along the river there are numerous yachts and boats as well as jetties. All that creates a view that one can just enjoy.

We had our breakfast and then went in the dinghy to visit the town. We stopped at the jetty of United Servicemen Club. A catamaran we met in Broughton Island was moored at the jetty. We visited it. Jim was the only crew on board. He – like Sindbad (really this is the name of the yacht – the owner’s name is Jeff) – sailed alone. We talked about our experiences to get to the harbour and the plans for farther sailing. Jim and Jeff would sail the next day to the Trial Bay. They may have to be back in their port of the origin – Lake Macquarie by the end of the month.  They will sail North as far as they can then return. We wished them good winds and left to see the town.

Laurieton is a small country town. Just one main street and a few shops. We had a coffee in one of them. The prices were at Sydney level. After visiting a local fish co-op we bought two bottles of water and started climbing the North Brother mountain. There is a well built and maintained track up the mountain. The signs warn of steep climb. And it is steep! It took us over an hour to reach the viewing platform on the top. My tracking watch indicated 420 metres above the sea level. There were some people on the top but they used their cars to get there. We met only one group of three men who like us climbed the mountain on foot. The view was stunning. We could see the river with yachts, lakes around and even the high rising building in Port Macquarie which is about 15 miles North. The effort was well rewarded. Well, nearly. We wanted to take the photos of course. The camera however would not turn on – the batteries were flat! This was a disappointment!

Going down was a lot easier. In the town we had hamburgers for lunch, shopped a bit and then returned to the marina. After good hot showers we sat on the boat and again enjoyed the view while drinking cold beer. In the evening we watched the movie “Rumours have it” – rubbish, not recommended. 

 Noises

Since we started sailing we discovered quite a few things about the noises on the yacht. Firstly, they are different than the ones we are accustomed to and sometimes strange. In marinas, when the yacht is berthed, we often hear a crackling sound. Some time ago we were told that it was fibre glass “setting in”. That comment was made in regard to about 12 years old yacht. We therefore assumed that “it was normal” to hear similar noises on our boat. The strange thing about that is however that we do not hear the same crackling sounds when we are on the anchor or even a mooring. Tina compared the sounds to static electricity. I wonder if there is something in this observation. Maybe the boats in the marina do connect electrically and make those noises?

Second type of noises is associated with us being constantly on alert for them. This is especially true when we use the anchor or even a mooring. Nearly every new noise makes us wonder where it comes from and what causes it. Sometimes it is easy to discover the source, like banging on the hull by a mooring buoy when the current and the wind are against each other. It is not easy to stop it! In Port Stephens, I once used all our fenders to stop the banging. Sometimes it is very difficult to actually find out the source of a noise. It took two or three attempts to eliminate the scrubbing noise of the anchor buddy against the anchor chain. Anchor buddy was lowered too much thus rested on the bottom. The chain was therefore scrubbing the buddy.

Other noise that comes to mind is a squeaky sound when sailing. After lots of investigation I found out it was coming from a line holding the dinghy. It touched the dinghy from time to time and it made the noise. It sounded a bit like a call the little penguins in the Pittwater make thus the first reaction was to look around the ocean.

Another type of the noise we encounter is the sound of the sails that lost the wind. It is especially loud with the MPS. It sometimes is also scary although in reality nothing serious usually happens. And what about the “singing” of the wind – the noise coming from the rigging. It sounds like a gale but in reality it is usually the best wind to sail – 15-20 knots.

Generally, we try to eliminate any noises that the yacht makes. With some we just have to cope – like the crackling sound.

Cheap car rental on Gold Coast

We went to the Mirage Marina for a cup of coffee and we called some cheap car rental company. They agreed to provide a car for about $33/day and pick us up from the marina after lunch. The driver arrived on time and took us to the office in clean new Pulsar. The office turned up to be in some rather obscure industrial area. The woman there spent lots of time typing on the computer and processing the payments. Then the first surprise – the car is insured with $1250.oo excess! We did not like it but… it is only for six days. We signed the papers. The woman then called one of the “boys” to show us the car. The “boy” was actually the same as the driver that took us from the marina. He was obviously learning about the job as the other older man was instructing him what to say and do. Firstly, he showed us that there was a petrol cup for the tank (!?). Then he went around the car and marked on a piece of paper where the car was damaged. Going inside he turned the lights on and showed that the fuel was a quarter full. We were to bring the car with the same quantity of petrol.

The car was about 20 years old Mazda 121. The whole value of it would not be more than $1000.oo!

Inspection finished, we were given the keys and allowed to go. The car started well but… we soon discovered that there were rattling noises everywhere. The air conditioning made noises but the air was not cold. Tina tried to open the window and it opened but it would not close. After a few tries it did close… Driving the car was not easy. Initially I thought I could adjust to it but soon we knew it was not possible. The gears changing was rather laborious and the car hardly accelerated. We managed to drive to the Transport Department office where we were told that my NSW boat license was good enough as well as the yacht registration. That out of the way, we made a decision to return the car. We drove back to the rental office and put the keys to the car on the table. The woman tried to invoke the fact that we signed the contract but as soon as I said we would pay for the used petrol she gave up. She still charged us $22 dollars for the “pick up”. I innocently asked if the cost included taking us back. Of course not!

Relieved we left the office. It felt good to forget about that car! I was pleased Tina agreed with me to return the car.

From now on we will rent cars only from companies we know about and we will insist on seeing the car before accepting it.

Our preparations for a passage

 We spend a lot of time preparing a passage. Depending on destination we could plan up to four days ahead. The first thing is to make sure we have enough supplies. We top up the water tanks and add diesel if the tank is less than half full. Tina prepares dinners for every day we plan to sail, plus one. (We also have one week worth of dry food in case we got stranded somewhere). We make lunch sandwiches for the next day so we do not have to prepare any food while on the water.

The next thing is to make sure we have all batteries recharged, including the engine and house ones. Other devices that we have fully charged are laptop, wrist GPS, mobile phones and handheld VHF radio.

We plan our routes for all days on water. If we plan to anchor for the night then we also plot the route for the following day. Firstly, we enter the routes to the chart plotter. We write down all waypoints in the logbook when creating them. Bearings and distances are also written down. Once all routes are entered to the chart plotter, we then plot then on paper charts. It happens that we have to change some waypoints as we discover issues (such as being too close to rocks or missing a submerged reef). In such cases we go back to the chart plotter and change the routes there, too.

With routes recorded both in the plotter and on paper charts, I then enter the waypoints to a program on the laptop. The program then downloads the routes to the wrist GPS. This way we can use the GPS in a case the chart plotter fails.

Additionally, I enter routes to the navigation program on the laptop. I do not enter the same waypoints as this is really a backup of the backup and in reality the routes are close enough to those in the chart plotter.

When sailing we do not always follow the routes. Sometimes we discover that skipping a waypoint makes sense as the current or wind favour it. We do however follow the routes very closely when entering a harbour and within it.

Three days of anchorage near the Russell Island

We spent three nights at this anchorage. Shirena arrived late as we waited for high tide to enter the channel. We just had time to anchor the yacht and launch the dinghy before it was dark. The evening we spent on Spirit Chaser (Suzanne and Terry) with Phil and Elaine (Phoenix). It was good to relax after the frustration on the sand bank and long wait on the anchor.

The night was one of the nicest ever. The sky was full of stars and there was not even a sign of wind. The water was smooth and I did not have to worry about the anchor. We had a good rest.

Next day the women went for a walk to the town on Russell Island. The men stayed on the yachts as the wind picked up in the morning and we saw gusts over 20 knots. All anchors kept well. Terry and I spent some time loading software on our computer.

In the afternoon the women retuned and we spent the rest of the day fishing (I caught a few fish but all were too small to keep) and resting. The evening was again social on Spirit Chaser.

The following night wind came at about 1:30AM. It woke us up and I spent the rest of the night on anchor watch. The anchor held.

The wind stayed with us till the late afternoon the following day. This was therefore a day of fishing, catching up with some boat works and resting. In the evening we all met again on Shirena and planned trip to Peel Island and then to Mooloolaba.

The anchorage is a very pretty place and we enjoyed staying there. It would be better if we could go onshore and explore the islands a bit but we have to become more confident with anchoring first.

PS to Noises blogg above

I mentioned the noises to others and this provided lots of material for discussion. I was glad to find out others also had to adjust or cope with unusual noises.

11-June-2006 “What do we do?”

We had rather bad night on the anchor at Peel Island (Horseshoe Bay). The bay should provide a shelter from the N/NE winds that we had that night but somehow it was not comfortable. The boat rocked in confused waters and the wind was gusty. Although we have now more faith in our anchoring system I still wake up regularly and have a quick check.

I did not need the alarm to get up at 5:30AM. We prepared for the sail. Tina reminded me to check the weather forecast. It was not good. There was a strong wind warning for the region where we were to sail. We have a rule that we do not sail when there is any warning. This time however we were caught in a situation when we had to sail. We could not stay at the anchorage as the wind would come from SW and the bay could not offer protection. As mentioned we were not happy with the place anyway!

We really had three options. We could sail as planned to Mooloolaba, return to the anchorage we stayed a night before or have a shorter sail to Scarborough Marina. We chose to go to the marina. Others – Terry and Phil – decided to sail to Mooloolaba. We started together as the first part of the routes were the same. Initially the wind was about 15-20 knots and we carried the full sails. The yacht was going at over 7.5 knots. Soon however the wind increased to 25-30 knots. We reefed the sails and the yacht still was doing over 8 knots.

The strength of the wind kept changing between 15 and 25 knots. While approaching the waypoint where we would part with others we wondered what we should do. We coped with the conditions well, even though the waves were really nasty – short and steep. After some considerations we decided to stick to the rule and the decision. We changed the course towards the marina.

We had to drop the headsail as we were now beating nearly directly against the wind. With some help of the main we made a good progress (about 5-6 knots) using the engine. The waves and the wind were not going to give us an easy go. The wind again increased to 25-30 knots with even stronger gusts. The waves were coming in threes. Three big waves one after the other and at least one would spray the yacht and me at the wheel. Tina got seasickness and we could not contact the marina where we were going. Situation was rather bleak for an hour or so.

Closer to the land the waves lost its strength and the wind also eased. We now had to find the entry to the marina and follow a series of channel marks. Eventually we got to the office there and were advised to proceed to the fuel wharf. Approaching the channel to marina I watched the depth sounder. Slowly we were having less and less water under the keel. I thought our yacht is not the biggest and others have to use the same channel – it must be fine! It was – with the depth sounder showing 0.3m under the keel at the most shallow place.

Inside the marina we had no wind. We moored at the fuel wharf as asked. Soon a woman from the office came and let us fill up the diesel tank. She also gave us a berth allocation. We berthed the yacht safely and soon we had some beer.

At the time when we were beating against the wind I noticed that the hatch in the bow cabin was not closed. Tina closed it, but… the water got there and our bed was wet. In the marina we therefore started with laundry and drying. Next will be the update of the website, shower and then dinner in a local restaurant.

We plan to stay here for about a week hoping the winds will be more pleasant by then.

Terry called before 4PM to check how we did. He and Phil were in the marina n Mooloolaba. They made it safely and booked there for a week, too. We hope we will be able to catch up with them.

We also wonder if we should have kept going. Did we make the right call? It probably does not matter.

19-21 June, 2006 – in Mooloolaba

In Mooloolaba we berthed the yacht in the marina next to a 49 foot American yacht “Final Straw” and opposite a fishing boat. We also found “Spirit Chaser” and “Phoenix”. The marina office was open on Sunday and we paid for our stay. After showers we both relaxed and reflected on our passage from Morton Bay. We have a lot of time and we thought we should be able to choose when and in what conditions we sail - at least in most cases. This is however more difficult than we anticipated. It is not only the weather that has to be taken into account. We also depend on tides and – since we look for the company – on others. While tides and weather make it sometimes difficult to find the right time, the needs and capabilities of others are even more challenging. Some people have spent years sailing and conditions that we would like to avoid are fine for them. Sailing with them is therefore good and bad. Bad because we have to bend our rules in regard to weather conditions (or tides) and good because it challenges us providing an opportunity to learn more.

On Monday, we bought supplies for the next couple of weeks as we will probably stay near Fraser Island for that long. We will have to wait for the high tides to move from night hours to the day. There are pretty shallow parts in the channel and we will need at least three-four hours of the high tide to cross them. All this and visits to the island will take time. Back to water saving regime!

The fishing boat opposite our berth proved to be a nuisance. Every day they would come and start preparing for the trips at five in the morning. Well, in a way it was a good preparation for the early start to the next passage.

On the second day I started talking to the owner of the yacht next to us. He is a former executive from HP (computers). His yacht reflects his status. It has all the conveniences one would need. There is even a washing-drier machine on board! He and his wife sailed along the Western Coast of Mexico and they loved it. Pacific crossing was done with crew as Susie – Clark’s wife – would not sail on the open ocean. She joined the sailors by flying in to islands. They arrived in Australia a couple of years ago and toured the country extensively. After 18 months in berth the “Final Straw” was ready for the trip to Whitsundays. We hope to meet again somewhere in the North.

The last day we spent walking along the beaches and then making the last preparations for the passage to Great Sandy Strait. (See Yacht page about chart plotter).

22-26 June, 2006 Tin Can Bay

We anchored in the bay not far from the channel leading to a marina. It is a very pretty place. We were some of many yachts there. As usual we had a good rest first and then explored the nearby places. A town is a small holiday place with a few shops. The marina is located in a river and some local knowledge of the channel would be useful for anybody wishing to enter it. The owners of the marina are developing it farther and a number of new berths are being built. They are for sale and the prices are significantly lower than in other places we visited ($6K/metre versus 10K/metre).

On the last day we took the dinghy and motored to the other side of the bay. Our plan was to walk to the Rainbow Beach. Fortunately we met a man there who offered us a lift. It is about 4-5km from where we landed to the beach. It would be a long walk! Instead we could afford a nearly two hours walk along the beach viewing the coloured sands. After lunch in the surf club we called a cub to take us back to the dinghy. It was a very worthwhile trip.

28-29 June, 2006 – Kingfisher Bay anchorage

The anchorage protects yachts from S/SE to N/NE winds. It is very deep there. We anchored in about 14 metres of water at high tide. It meant we used all of our chain (see Yacht about anchor body). There were quite a few yachts around.

Fishing was very good. I actually managed to catch two whiting and a bream. They were a good (legal) size and we had them for dinner.

The highlight of our stay there was a day tour of the Fraser Island.  A four-wheel bus took us to most popular places, such as Eli Creek and Lake McKenzie. We walked the creek and swam in the lake. Fresh water is so much nicer to swim in! The tour included lunch which we had in a resort on the ocean. For more adventurous there was also a 20 minutes flight over the island. We did not take the offer.

It was a bit disappointing that we did not see any dingoes. Instead we did see whales. The guide was very good although some of his jokes were a bit… not funny.

We may come back to the bay one day as we did like it.

Stay in Urangan

The marina in Urangan has a very narrow entrance and it requires rather careful entry. We liked the place however and we are considering leaving the yacht there for the summer. There are a few restaurants nearby. On the first night we went to an Italian one and the food was excellent. We wanted to try a restaurant in the Boat Club but they were renovating.

Shopping requires about 25-30 minutes walk. We also walked along the beach visiting a couple of town centres on the way. In one of them we bought a new rod with a reel that I always wanted to have. The rod and the reel were sold as a set. The discount was such that it was difficult to pass on this bargain. I hope I will soon prove that it was a good investment although the first signs are not too good. I tried the rod on our way to Bundaberg and it ended up with the line mess which had to be cut and discarded. It looked, as the swivel did not work properly causing the line to turn too much. The result was such that I could not recover the line fully. Well, we still have about 200 metres of line left.

In Bundaberg

The marina there is rather far from the town. In the morning we caught a courtesy bus that took about 20-25 minutes to deliver us to the city. I wanted to change the carrier of my mobile phone, as we needed better coverage and service (see the Yacht page). We were told we had to go to a shopping centre Sugarland that is about 10 minutes drive from the city. We took a taxi there and I have successfully changed the carrier, got a new phone and bought a card for mobile Internet on our laptop. We returned to the city on  a bus. The driver was a very friendly fellow and he told us where to get off.

After shopping we shared a taxi with others to return to the marina. Here we met Jane and Greg from “Blue Bayou II”. They just arrived from the Kingfisher Bay. Although we really met them a couple of times before we greeted each other like old friends. They were to stay in Bundaberg two nights before going to Pancake Creek anchorage. We decided to sail to Pancake Creek with Terry and Phil the next day. The representative of the Bavaria Yachts told us they had no one in Bundaberg to make the warranty repairs. They said we should call them when in Mackay. We will do that.

Pancake Creek anchorage 4-8 July, 2006.

This is a very pretty place. It makes one grow grey (or lose) hair when entering it but it is worth it. In the end this is the whole purpose of sailing – to visit remote places while employing the wind. The fishing was good and we had fish for two dinners after sharing the catch with others. The new rod worked well.

There is a bit of concern in regard to the anchor holding. We had no problems although on the first day we had about 15-20 knots winds and the tidal currents there are about 1-2 knots. We saw however other boats looking for good holding places and some of them had to anchor more than once.

Except of fishing the other activity is to visit the islands and beaches. This was mostly done by ladies as the men had to look after the boats, make some repairs or… fish.

We stayed there for four nights. With exception of the first one when we had stronger winds the place gave us plenty of time to enjoy the nature. On the third day we met Greg and Jane from Blue Bayou II, and we had nice evening drinks with them.

The anchorage is very popular and there were about 10-15 boats anchored at any time. On the last day we spoke to Jim whom we met at Broughton Island back in May. He and his mate Jeff sailed together and for a few passages we were together on the ocean. Jeff has already reached Whitsunday’s. Jim had his catamaran in Bundaberg while he flew back to his wife for three weeks. Now he was on his way to the “Magical 100 Miles”.

We had to leave the anchorage earlier than two other yachts that we had travelled with for some time. In Gladstone we are meeting Erin who just arrived from London. We will spend a few days with her before she goes to Sydney. Our hope is that we will rejoin the other yachts soon.

10-12 July, 2006 Graham Creek anchorage

The anchorage is about one hour from the Gladstone marina. A man running the marina office told us about it. It is also described in the pilot books. We enjoyed the stay there, as it is a pretty place. There is a beach but it is not of the Sydney beaches quality. We walked there but there was not a chance to have a swim. The water is also rather murky.

However we took our dinghy up the river and it was a very good trip. The creek is rather long and we had to turn back before seeing even any narrowing of it. There were two yachts anchored quite far from the entry. They enjoyed quite days and nights, as the weather was also very nice – blue sky, a bit of rain in the morning and refreshing breeze to keep the bodies cool.

We had an encounter with a motorboat. Since we were trolling a fishing line I deliberately changed the course to make sure the other boat would not catch it. They were gong in the opposite direction to us. The driver of the boat however decided to get close to us. His boat had a large engine and the boat was much faster than ours. He changed his course to intercept us. When nearly passing us he pretended to direct his boat in a way that we would collide. Then… he waved friendly to us and went by! After passing our boat he again changed his course and went behind us. His propeller cut our line and we lost the lure. Somehow his propeller did not get tangled with the line.

Fishing in the creek supposed to be good. I tried using a piece of steak as bait. I caught some but none big enough to keep.

We saw dolphins and turtles in the creek. There is one little, very little, problem with this anchorage – mosquitoes! We had to install our screens and cover ourselves with the insect repellent. We also tried a new lamp that supposed to keep the insects away from us. It did not work too well.

13-17 July, 2006 – Gladstone – stuck in the marina

We stayed in Gladstone marina longer than anticipated. Firstly, we had lots of rains. Secondly, wind directions were not good for the anchorages we had planned to visit. And lastly, the army announced a closure of the waters around the Port Clinton for exercises. Till 26 July we cannot enter the waters in that region. We will have to spend the next eight days between Gladstone and Roslyn Bay. The weather forecast is for rain to go away from tomorrow (18^th). We plan to sail to Cape Capricorn for a night there, then Hummocky Island (providing the anchorage is not too bad), followed by Great Keppel Island and Roslyn Bay. The only worry could be stronger winds later in the week (20-25 knots). Hopefully, we will be in a safe anchorage by then.

Gladstone is a rather small town with a large harbour. We could find everything we needed here. Near the marina there are chandlery, Volvo service, Mercury dealer, restaurants, fish and fishing shops, as well as hardware warehouses. We managed to service our Mercury outboard motor, as there was no issue with spare parts. Chandlery provided us with some bolts and nuts, while the fishing shop replaced the lure we lost in the Graham Creek. Restaurant near the marina serves very tasty spare ribs.

From the marina to the town centre we had to walk for about 15-20 minutes. There we found shopping centre with all the shops we needed, including a butcher who packed our meat in vacuum bags for longer storage. A little Chinatown has at least two restaurants although we did not go to any of them. Twice we used taxis to come back to the marina and we did not wait longer than just a few minutes for their arrival. We had to use the taxis as we bought food and drinks for two weeks. We think it will take about that long before we will be able to shop again. On a long walk to the local beach we discovered a Sport Club that was open on Sunday. In the Chinese restaurant we had yam-cha.

We also agonized about pushbikes. Many cruising people have pushbikes on their boats and use them when in marinas. We found a shop with folding bikes for just $250.oo. The bikes looked fine and the temptation was great. In the end we decided not to buy them however. Storage would be the first issue although we could fit them somewhere. The other issue was the quality of the bikes. Would they last more than a season? The most convincing argument was that we saw a bike we really liked in Southport. A man from Victoria had it on his boat. The bike is really small thus easy to store and cheap. However, they are sold in UK! We enquired about the delivery and the numbers are as follows: bike cost – 79 pounds, delivery of two bikes – 270 pounds! We have not given up on getting them. According to our plans we will go to Europe in November. We may buy them there. The bikes in Gladstone remain in the shop therefore. 

19-21 July-2006 “Oh, what a night!”

Predicted wind of 30 knots arrived early in the evening. The gusts sounded much stronger than 30. It was rather interesting though a bit freighting experience. We could hear the gusts coming, building up somewhere on the island before hitting the yacht. The boat would stretch the anchor chain and turn in one or the other way. The wind lasted all night and we hardly could sleep.

I analysed noises and tried to eliminate them. The most unpleasant noise was when the anchor chain stretched and the bridle rubbed on the anchor roll. Interestingly enough there were no noises when I went on deck. They were however very loud inside the boat. One by one I eliminated most of the noises, albeit by temporary fixes. I even put some WD40 on the anchor rollers to reduce the scrubbing of the bridle. It worked!

All those efforts did not help us to sleep too well. As a matter of fact I managed to catch about four hours of sleep why Tina hardly slept at all.

The forecast is for strong winds till 21^st. We will have an interesting experience.

Next day, a couple of yachts left the anchorage. They went to Roslyn Marina, which is only about 10 miles away. We prefer to stay near the island than again spend time in the marina - although fishing is not good. I had not a bite as yet.

That day we had winds as last night. It was rather hard to think about leaving the yacht. However, we decided to go on a beach and have a walk. Tina had an accident while getting into the dinghy and she had to change the cloth. Landing on the beach was not easy but we had some help from our neighbours – Derek and Jill. They also wanted to go on the land after a few days on the yacht. After the walk they invited us for a cup of tea on their boat. They have been sailing for over 24 years. Recently they settled in Bundaberg where they bought a house. This year they sail just during the season to see if they still would like living on the yacht. An interesting event happened when we were talking. Derek as some point started listening and then said: “What’s that noise?”. He realised nearly immediately that it was some packaging paper in Tina’s hand. He then explained: “I always listen for any new sounds.” I understood!

Jill prepared the food for their trip and the yacht stores enough for both of them for six months. They do not like going to the marinas, as their boat is big and not easy to manoeuvre. They even have enough water for a year!

They also told us a bit about their trips as they have sailed around the world twice already. It was interesting to listen about their experiences and life on the boat. Again, we discovered that everybody has different approaches and solutions to similar problems. I guess this is one of the attractions of sailing.

In the evening we found out that the strong winds will persist till Sunday. After a short discussion we decided to stay in the anchorage instead of getting to the marina. The anchor held well for some time now thus we felt relatively well and safe. As a matter of fact we had a good sleep at night despite strong winds and some rather unpleasant swell.

On Friday we went ashore again. Landing on a beach made us a bit wet but not too bad. We searched for a track to the resort. In some ways we felt a bit like explorers. Finding the track proved not an easy task. I imagined how people who landed on an island for the first time had to feel. We eventually found a track but not to the resort. It lead us to the other side of the island. The views there were spectacular. After about two hours of walking we decided to return to the boat. This proved a bit tricky. The wind picked up and the swell entered the bay. We launched the dinghy but before we managed to get into it, it was caught by a breaking wave and we both ended up wet. The dinghy was full of water. We emptied the dinghy and moved to the other part of the beach where we thought the waves were smaller. This time we were successful but our ordeal was not over yet. The wind started making waves on the top of the swell thus getting off the dinghy was not easy. We managed that however without an incident. A while later Derek shouted to me that they would not come to us for a cup of tea as we agreed. He rightly said it was too difficult to get into the dinghy in the conditions. We may have the tea together tomorrow.

Since I am writing this story day by day, “tomorrow” in the previous paragraph is today in this one. Sleep last night was not good for me. The wind really blew till at least midnight and the yacht was rocking in the swell and waves. Again I engaged in noise elimination and by the morning I believe I had all under control.

We had a lazy morning when Derek and Jill stopped at the yacht in their dinghy. They were going to the other side of the island to buy a few things. They wanted to know if we needed anything. Since we had a plan to visit the resort too, we thanked them but did not ask for anything. Soon after that we took off to the beach where we left the dinghy and walked to the resort.

The resort and the island reminded us other places we visited in Central America. The memories were pleasant thus we enjoyed the walk and the atmosphere. In the shop – with lots of shelf space – we bought bread. Tina found a bargain in nearby gift shop and bought herself a pair of thongs. She now has three pairs of thongs on the yacht. I forgot a hat so we bought one for me. We then visited a camping site and a few other places before going to a pizza place for lunch. The food was good.

After we returned to the yacht – without any accidents this time – Derek and Jill joined us for a tea. We had a very nice conversation and even made plans to meet somewhere in the Whitsunday’s. This would be really nice.

Sunday was a lazy day. We decided to stay on the yacht and rest. In the morning I tried to watch my favourite ABC program Insiders. I could not however to get interested in the news again. All the killings and politics seem to have no meaning here on the anchor. Instead I switched to watching the yachts as some have left and others arrived. It was really interesting to see how people chose a place to anchor or how they solve storage of their dinghy on the boat. For example, Derek and Jill use their windlass to raise and drop the dinghy. This would not be too strange if not for the fact that they keep their dinghies (they have one each – like cars apparently) on the stern. There was someone who always kept his dinghy under a cover. We saw it covered on the beach and then pulled out of the water and covered on the yacht.

We received an SMS from Elaine that they and “Spirit Chaser” moved on from Duke Island to Curlew Island. This means that are now North of the army exercise area and about 4-5 days ahead of us. We may have problems to catch up with them.

At the marina we again received SMS from Elaine. This time it was a warning about the depth of the marina entrance. We read the SMS after we berthed the yacht. We knew there could be a problem with depth as someone at the anchorage mentioned that. We came at the high tide and the shallowest I saw was 4.4 metres. At low tide we would have hit the bottom!

25-27 July, 2006 Roslyn Bay – Keppel Bay Marina

Since July 17 when the army closed the waters for exercises a large number of yachts piled up in Roslyn Bay, Great Keppel Island and at the Narrows. We met in the marina many people we saw earlier. Greg and Jane of Blue Bayou II spent over a week waiting for better weather as well as for the army. Their usual companions travelled between the marina and the island. We also saw “Final Straw” – Clark and Suzie. They left the marina the day after we arrived. Their likely destination was the island anchorage. The weather has become more pleasant with winds of 10-15 knots and the swell getting lower. The anchorage is probably a good option.

To buy supplies we used a courtesy car provided by the marina. It is really a great service. We bought as much as we needed… and more.

The location of the marina is wonderful. Unfortunately, the state government decided to make money on the yachties in Keppel Bay and raised prices for the marina services. As a result the marina and many services became uncompetitive and we saw a plenty of empty berths there once the yachts bound to North left. A couple from Sydney recommended to us to leave the yacht here for the summer. They have kept their motor catamaran here for over a year and intend to continue. We may still end up leaving the yacht here but we will look for something left expensive first.

There is also a problem with the entry to the marina. We can go in or out at three hours around the high tide. It is a bit inconvenient.

27-29 July, 2006 – Port Clinton

We spent two nights here. The anchor held well and we had good nights of sleep. There was no TV signal however thus evenings were rather short. I tried to fish and I caught a big toadfish. It is a poisonous fish thus it went back to the water. Otherwise I had no luck with fish.

We had rain on the first morning although it cleared in the afternoon. About a dozen of yachts were anchored in the port. Some left in the morning – including Blue Bayou II – and some arrived later during the day. As usual we watched other yachts finding their way in the creek and anchoring. One was either very knowledgeable or rather not too clever when streaming at high speed between the shallows in low tide. At some point it stopped rather suddenly. I am not sure it actually hit the bottom but certainly it looked like. Others were much more cautious and anchored well in front of a sand bank. A French yacht with just one crew surveyed the area first and then dropped the anchor next to us. The yacht looked like knew and I am not sure it actually came across the oceans. It was however equipped fully equipped for ocean voyages. There is little to do here as landings on the shore are not allowed by the army. It is also area where crocodiles live. We have not seen any but there are warnings in the pilot books about that. Swimming is not on our list right now.

29-30 July, 2006 Perl Bay

The bay lived to its reputation in both the beauty and the rocky anchorage. It a stunning place with views like from some movies. We enjoyed a walk on the beach where small crabs left art works made of little sand balls. Regrettably we forgot the camera thus we have no photos of those amazing works.

In the evening we had the Frenchman – Jacque – for drinks. His yacht is actually 25 years old. A family with long boat building tradition in France built it. Jacque’s yacht is only one of 23 fibreglass boats ever built by them. Their methods could not compete with production boats and they went out of business. The new look of the boat was due to the fact that it was just from the maintenance services after six months on hardstand in Bundaberg. Jacque has been sailing for the last 11 years He sails for about six months then returns home (he lives on a barge near Paris) where he works. The yacht is thus stored every six months somewhere.

At night we experienced quite heavy rolling. The anchorage is not too well protected from the East and the swell entered the bay, especially around the high tide. We slept well but with some significant breaks.

30-31 July, 2006 Island Head Creek

The creek is not easy to enter. During our short stay there three other yachts went aground. The place is pretty however and I guess for many people a risk of hitting a sand bar is not bad enough to see the place. We went for a walk along the beach. At low tide it looked we could even cross from the mainland to the Island Head island. We enjoyed the walk without any problems. Later we learnt that Jeff – from Sunny Meade yacht – had an encounter with a boar. Luckily for him the boar did not see him and he managed to leave the place safely.

There are crocodiles there but we have not seen any. The thought however always stayed with me and I was rather watchful during our walk. We have seen dugongs and turtles. It is a nice place but we had to leave it next day.

We had a small medical problem and it looked we would need a doctor or an antibiotic. Staying in the port was not a good option as this would leave us at least two days of sailing before finding a medical centre. We decided we would prefer to be only 12 hours from a place where we could seek medical help. Especially that mobile phones do not work here. We could use the VHF radio in emergency but even that could not be guaranteed. We left the creek anchorage (the port) next day at the rising tide.

31-July – 01-August, Hexam Island

We decided to stop at the Hexam Island rather by accident. We are really happy we did. This is a wonderful place. It is even prettier than the Perl Bay. We tried to find a walking track on the island but there was none. Only equipped with some really good walking boots and cloth one could try to explore it. We met our anchor neighbours on the beach and we had a good exchange of experiences. Geoff sailed nine years ago then he stored his yacht and returned to Victoria where he lives. This year he restored the yacht – a ketch – and sails again with his wife and two dogs. He climbed a nearby hill to take photos and I followed. The views were great but I am sure no photo will actually show it.

The other couple were our anchor neighbours in the Island Head Creek, too. They left the creek at the low tide and hit a sand bar. Then the current pushed them against the rocks. Their yacht has a bent rudder. Fortunately, Bill – a retired dairy farmer – built the yacht himself and he knows how to fix it.

The night was not too bad considering the anchorage is rather open. We did roll a bit but we still managed to have a good rest.

For the night I left the rod with bait on the hook in the water as nothing was biting. In the morning I had no bait, no hook and no sinker. There was fish there! I tried again and within seconds I pulled a reasonably sized bream. When trying to unhook him, I lost the grip and he went back in the ocean. No matter, soon we had two more fish. This time they both were tusk fish. We checked in the book and they should be good eating. We will know after the dinner tonight.

01-02 August, 2006 South Percy Island – West-North Bay.

We stayed here one night only and we did not go on the land. It is a nice place and we probably would like to return here and explore it more. The yacht rolled a bit at night but we had a good sleep, probably mostly because of a very good weather. There was little of wind and the swell dropped significantly.

A couple of other yachts anchored near us. We also saw more yachts in the bay to the East.

At night I heard very strange noises. They sounded like crying. I can only guess that maybe there are dogs on one of the islands and it was them making the noises.

02-04 August, 2006 Middle Percy Island – West Bay

The place has a long history of visits. There is A-frame construction on the beach and people leave there the names of their yachts. Some are very inventive and artistic. There are painting, sculptures and many other forms of art. A life jacket with the name, a piece of woods with painted name or just a piece of sail are all acceptable. More sophisticated could be a plate with a painted picture or a framed photograph.

There is also a book where people leave their names and comments. We signed the book in Polish, just to make people guess what language it was.

The beach is nice and we had a swim there. Really I had just one and Tina a few. Near one end of the beach, just over a small headland there is a lagoon. It joins the ocean at the high tide but dries at the low. We entered the lagoon in the dinghy. There were two catamarans and a monohull yacht there. The catamarans were occupied. One owner was painting his yacht. At he low tide the catamarans were standing on sand.

I tried fishing and I caught one good size fish. It was not however big enough for both of us. Since I did not catch any more the fish was freed.

After two very nice days we had a taste of this place in bad weather. Last night the wind picked up and the swell came in. The yacht was rolling from side to side and it was rather difficult to sleep. We woke up early and we quickly decided to leave the place. As the guidebooks say it is only fair weather anchorage.

Yacht “Anna” and a dinghy – August, 2006

When we were at the anchor in Perl Bay a yacht “Anna” arrived with two people on board. They anchored in the eastern part of the bay but later moved to the western. The following morning when we were preparing to leave we noticed that “Anna” was circling around the place where they were anchored. It was obvious they were looking for something. We had our breakfast, prepared the yacht and set the sails while “Anna” still was circling. They must have spent at least 40 minuted looking for something. We never found out what it was as the anchor seemed to be still on the yacht’s bow. We never found out.

A few days later we heard a radio call from “Anna” to some other yacht nearby. Their dinghy, they pulled behind, turned over and they wondered if the other yacht could help them. The weather was not too bad but the wind was about 15 knots. The other yacht would like to help but… what could they really do?

About 30-40 minutes later “Anna” called the VMR Mackay. They said they lost their dinghy. They explained it turned over first and when they tried to recover it they lost it. They wanted to warn other yachts that there was a dinghy in the water and expected some help from the VMR. This was not forthcoming. VMR suggested they should sink it if as the owner said he did not care about the dinghy but he did not want to be responsible if someone hits it. Of course they could not sink it – they were already too far from it and they had no desire to look for it again. Besides if they could cut it to deflate then they could probably retrieve it too.

Eventually VMR broadcasted a warning about a floating dinghy giving its approximate position.

We listened to the radio communications and we could not stop laughing. The reason was the man on “Anne” had a rather funny way to express himself as well as his attitude to the whole incident. We also decided to stay away from “Anne” in the future. It seems they may be “accident-prone”.

Able  Point  Marina

This is a busy place. The marina is the home for many charter boats. It is also the only place where many yachties can come and re-supply their boats. All facilities are here but the prices are rather steep.

We had a good experience in the chandlery. One of our crocodile holders needed a new pin, as the old one was lost. We bought a pin that did not fit the holder. A few days later we returned the pin and asked for a smaller one. This time we had the holder with us. They could not find a pin that would fit. They therefore replaced our broken holder with a new one for the cost of the pin.

We also bought an LED light for our anchor lamp here. This is the only place between Sydney and Airlie Beach that had them. I am still to go on the top of the mast to replace the light.

Marina Stories – August 2006

(People we met, usually after a few drinks, told the stories below. Some were witnessed by the storyteller some were repeated. I marked with “W” the former and with “R” the later).

Sailing couple (W)

In a port somewhere in Victoria a yacht arrived. There were two people aboard – man and a woman. The skipper (the man) started to manoeuvre the yacht towards a jetty. The problem was that because of the current and wind he had only one try at a time. If that was unsuccessful then he would have to go around and try again. The plan was for the crew (the woman) to jump on to jetty and secure a mooring line.

The man directed the yacht towards the jetty shouting questions if he was close enough. The crew responded shouting back. Because of the wind they had to repeat the questions and answers, getting annoyed with each other.

On the first attempt the woman could jump on the jetty. The man made some gestures expressing his disappointment and turned around. Then they repeated the process with shouting and gestures. This attempt was also unsuccessful. The man was even more annoyed and this time expressed his feeling in gestures and words.

The third attempt was successful. The woman jumped on to jetty with the rope. She then threw the rope back on the yacht and walked off saying: “This is your bloody yacht and you berth it!”

Many people in the port observed the incident and they apparently applauded her.

Working on the mast (R)

A couple sailed somewhere in the Pacific when something broke on the top of the mast. They dropped the sails and the man was hoisted on the mast. As usually, he used two halyards. Once on the top he clipped himself to the mast, too. When repairing the fault he had a heart attack and died. His wife had to sail to the nearest port with the body on the mast.

Checking your anchor – two stories.

(W) In Northern Australia Austrian couple made their way along the coast. They came to a bay for the night and dropped the anchor. As usual, the man put his wetsuit on and the mask, and jumped to check the anchor. After a while he returned to the yacht satisfied that the anchor was secure.

Our storyteller witnessed this. He jumped into his dinghy and went to the couple. He told them there were salt-water crocodiles here and they should swim. The man – as our storyteller remarked, “The Austrian knows everything” – laughed off the thread. He invited however the kind sailor for a drink.

They were sitting in the cockpit drinking rum when the sailor noticed a log in the water. He pointed it to the couple. Soon they realised it was a 3 metre crocodile. The face of the Austrian became pale. His wife shouted in German giving him hell. 

(R) A couple anchored their yacht somewhere in Solomon Islands. They could not enter the port, as they had to wait for visas. The man jumped to check the anchor and… was immediately taken by a crocodile. The woman was stranded and if not for the help from the local people she would probably die there.

Green flash (W)

This is apparently a custom among cruising yachties. When the sun sets over the sea horizon it gives a green flash for just a moment. This happens shortly after the sun disappears.

At an anchorage somewhere in Caribbean, a large number of yachties were anchored. One of them used a cone shell to sound the time when they start watching the sunset and wait for the green flash. It takes about three minutes from the time the sun touches the horizon to the time it goes behind. Yachties with glasses full of rum and other quality liquors in their hand watched the sun set. This time – it does not happen always – the green flash appeared. A roar of appreciation filled up the bay.

We were invited to watch the green flash when at the Digby Island anchorage. Despite our efforts that hurt the eyes the green flash did not happen. We will have to try again when an opportunity arises.

Nara  Inlet

We stopped there just for one night on our way to the Able Point Marina. Again good fishing. The inlet is rather big and very popular. We saw many yachts there. However we stayed near the entrance thus we will have to revisit the place to know more about it.

Turtle  Bay

The bay was crowded due to the change in weather. We had a few days of NE weak winds and this provided an opportunity to visit the bay. In SE winds the bay does not offer any protection from the wind or waves.

We stayed three nights here, as we really liked it. The middle beach is great for swimming. We caught some fish here too.

Shaw  Island

There are a few places where one can anchor. We stayed at Burning Point. It is again nice and comfortable place. We enjoyed good fishing there too. In the future we would like to stop at other bays around the island. Someone told us Margaret Beach on the East side is “the best beach in Whitsunday’s”. It can only be visited in light NE winds or in no winds at all.

Laguna  Marina

Entry to the marina is at the high tide only for our yacht. We went there to check if we could leave the yacht there for the cyclone season. After inspecting the place we decided to book a berth for the boat, especially that they offered five months berth for the price of four.

The marina is rather small and not often visited. It is a bit “off the road” and many people simply prefer to carry on to Able Point. We found a little community of yachties there. Some came to the marina long time ago and never left it. They found employment in nearby golf resort or in the marina looking after the yachts of other people. Every Saturday and sometimes Sunday they organise a barbeque for people in the marina. We went to one of them and enjoyed the company. This little community was one of the reasons we liked the place.

From the facilities point of view there are only some here. A small restaurant serves food every day. There is also a fuel depot. Some time ago there was a travel lift but for the lack of jobs it was removed. Any shopping has to be done in Proserpine a nearby town. The marina can rent a car for $25.

We will leave the yacht in a berth and ask one of the yachties there to check it regularly. We will also prepare a list of tasks that have to be done to keep the yacht in good shape. When we return we will use a diver to clean the boat and then we will take it to Mackay Marina. It is less than a day of sailing. We hope this will work for the yacht and us.

While staying at the marina we can use resort facilities. We could easily walk to the restaurants and swimming pools. Tina plans to play golf there too. The resort is nice but I do not think they have too many guests. Apparently, the original investor from Japan lost about $350 millions here. The resort belongs to someone from Melbourne now.

Goldsmith  Island

We liked this anchorage. It is a pretty place.

Brampton  Island

Just great! We were not allowed to the resort but we could land and use the walks on the island. The circuit track leads around the island while visiting many bays and beaches. In the West Bay we saw two catamarans. At the low tide the catamarans were standing on the sand. Earlier we heard the owner of one them talking on the radio to someone else. He informed the caller he was on the sand. Asked if he had a problem he answered he did not. He just “liked safe anchorage”.

The circuit track ends at the resort. We could not find a way around the resort thus we walked through.

Keswick  and  Bees  Islands

There is a very small bay North of the Keswick Island where one could anchor. We found that bay exposed to the swell and wind. The other place we could anchor is in the passage between the Keswick and Bees Islands. We went there and dropped the anchor. Again we experienced rather heavy swell. We opted to leave the place. Raising the anchor became a problem, as it would not let go. We had to motor the yacht above the anchor. This put some significant strain on the yacht and the chain but the anchor dislodged and we were able to raise it.

Later we found out we could use one of the moorings we saw there. However, we still would not stay for the night, as the swell was rather uncomfortable.

Scawfell  Island

This is a very nice place and a very good anchorage. We enjoyed staying there.

Digby  Island

We spent just one night at this anchorage. We came there in about 15-20 knots winds and left with 20-25 knots. However the evening there was pleasant as the wind weakened by then. We even could sit in the cockpit and have drinks with other yachties.

The anchorage is safe but the swell does come in and the yacht may rock a bit. Finding entrance to the bay can also be tricky. We saw quite a few people passing the safe entry and some coming through the shallow waters. The confusion is a result of two small islands with one not really visible till the yacht is near it. Some people think the island is a part of the larger one and assume the second one to be the first one (confusing? – that’s the idea!). The mistake can only be seen after the yacht passed the entrance.

True  Story (as told by the sailor himself) -still August, 2006

The sailor’s wife likes to fish from the yacht when they are at anchor. One day she hooked a big fish. The fish gave a good fight. When the fish was not far from the surface it went under the yacht. The line got caught in the propeller. The fish got away. Pulling the line resulted in braking it. The sailor had to dive and remove the line.

He took his snorkelling mask and jumped into the water. On the first dive he discovered that the hook got caught on the propeller. He took a deep breath and dived again. He then grabbed the hook with his hand and tried to remove it. He succeeded but… there were two hooks. The second hook lodged in his hand. Now he was hooked with the line still not free. He was running out of the air in his lungs. The decision had to be made. He tore the hook from his palm and swam to the surface. The hand was bleeding heavily.

After his wound was taken care of he dived again. This time he had gloves and a knife.

Charter  yacht (as heard on radio by someone)

A yacht charter company received a radio call from one of their clients. He asked if he had to use the main sail when he was using the engine. A bit surprised charter company staff member answered that was not the case. The client then asked: “Why the main sail goes up each time I push the lever to go forward?” Puzzled man on the other end asked the client to standby. After a while he called the yacht and asked: “Can you please tell me if you can see the end of the main sail halyard?”

Apparently, he was just on the ball. The halyard got caught in the propeller.

Magnetic  Island – Horseshoe Bay – September, 2006

After three days of solid sailing we reached this wonderful island and the bay. The anchorage was full of yachts but we had no problem finding a place for us. We also enjoyed nights without rolling. David from “Zulu Chief” visited us to ask about the last night anchorage. He was not happy.

The island is really good to visit and we are glad we decided to come there. Landing the dinghy is easy and one is immediately in the middle of the main street. There are a few restaurants and shops. We also took a bus to see the other parts of the island. On the last day we went for a bushwalk in the national park. There we “discovered” a beautiful beach. It is marked on the map as a nudist beach and this must draw a bit of people there. The walk is not long but a creek has to be crossed and a high hill climbed.

One the beach there were no nude people (except of me when I was changing my swimmers). The beach is so nice that we could not resist it and we went for a swim. Refreshed we returned to Horseshoe Bay where we had a good lunch with wine at the Barefoot Restaurant. I was barefoot.

In the evening we met again Polish people from the yacht “Panika”- Andrzej and Krystyna. We had them for drinks on our boat a day earlier. Soon another Polish man joined us. This time it was a local businessman, the owner of the yacht “Jazza”. He has been living on the island for the last 8-10 years. His business is to entertain tourists on his yacht. His name is also Andrzej and he has a great sense of humour. As soon as he arrived he was telling jokes one after the other. I am sure this is one of the ways he entertains his clients. A couple of samples from his repertoire:

“Wife without a job is not good for marriage. She has nothing to do and soon she will get pregnant”.

“I went to vet to make sure my dog had no puppies. There I took a special: ‘$10.oo more to include the owner’”.

We were also joined by a couple of Germans. Their yacht was anchored nearby and they sailed with “Panika” before somewhere in the Pacific. They have been living on the yacht for the last eight years. After Australia they plan to visit Indonesia and Thailand.

Cape Bowling  Green – September, 2006

Horrible! We stayed there at the wrong time – there was wind. The yacht was turned beam to swell by tidal currents. We had a bad night sleep and left the place as soon as we could. Again “Zulu Chief” was there and he left even before us.

Cape Upstart – September, 2006

This is a reasonable anchorage for on overnight stop. There were a couple of other yachts, including “Zulu Chief”. We would meet the owner of the yacht later.

Eco  Resort – September, 2006

There are moorings available for visitors and we took one. The resort charged us $20.oo per night. The fee included usage of the resort facilities. We spent a lazy day in and around the swimming pool. We also visited a nearby Monty’s resort. Both places are rather rundown and there is not much to do. We managed however to buy bread and have good hot showers.

Staying on the mooring was fine but the place is not protected from NE winds. Those came on both days and the yachts were rolling till the wind went away.

Double Bay – September, 2006

We enjoyed the anchorage here. It was quite and well sheltered. We also had some success with fishing. I caught small fish and a shark. We gave shark to Denis and Jenny who knew what to do with it. Later they caught even larger shark and we enjoyed good meal the next day. We think we may return to Double Bay on our way back from the North, as we really liked it.

Townsville – September, 2006

Our stay in Townsville has been longer than we would have expected. The main reason was the weather as strong wind warnings were issued nearly daily. There were however other reasons, too. We had a company,  “Spirit Chaser” and “Phoenix” came to the marina earlier than us and stayed longer. We also wanted to be within mobile phone range and close to the airport during Andrew’s back operation.

We like Townsville. It seems to be different than other towns in Australia. There is more than just a main street with shops here. We could walk nearly every day and each time visit different sector. Park near the marina is nice and the walk along the beach leads to restaurants with good food. Our view of the town is similar to the views of other people we met. They all say the same: the best town we visited on the east coast.

Bona  Bay  Anchorage – September, 2006

We stayed two nights at this anchorage as we decided to have a day of rest here. The island provided a stunning background to the bay with high mountains, valleys, bush growth and beaches. The water has a wonderful light blue colour. During the day we went on the beach. There is a campsite there with rainwater tank. We met a group of young men pitching their tents for the weekend. Tina had a swim while I washed my shoes after the mess left by the fish we caught a day earlier.

We had a good sleep although there was a bit of swell during the night. It was not too bad as it came on the bow of the yacht. The anchorage provided a good shelter from the easterly winds during the day. Early in the morning we had some rain. We welcomed it as it washed the boat from the salt. We had over 100 miles of sailing and motoring against the wind and waves behind us. The boat was covered with salt. After the rain all that was gone.

We think this anchorage is better than staying in Eco Resort on a mooring. The bay seems to be better protected from the easterly and northeasterly winds. On the mooring we experienced stronger winds due to funnelling through the Gloucester Passage.

We did not fish there as we still had fish in the fridge.

Maureen’s  and  Butterfly  Bays – September, 2006

The first night in the Maureen’s Bay was not too good for me, as we had to anchor there. The depth was about 15 metres and we used all 50 metres of the chain. We also put in the anchor body. The weather was good and we had no problems but I was worried thus I did not sleep well.

The next day we moved to one of the vacated buoys then we went snorkelling. The reef here is very nice. This was the best place to snorkel so far and we really liked the coral. We drifted along the coast till we reached the beach. There, we had a rest and we watched a group of students that were also snorkelling and diving. We crossed the beach and went snorkelling again on the other side of the bay. The coral there was also beautiful. We saw plenty of fish, too.

The afternoon we spent resting and watching yachts coming and going. A couple of catamarans with many children came to the bay and the children went snorkelling. They most certainly enjoyed the experience as the excitement was heard all over the ocean. Later a large yacht with backpackers arrived. The night however was nice, quite and relaxing. I did not have to worry about the yacht dragging the anchor.

Next day we moved to the Butterfly Bay. This time we had a choice of buoys. Shortly after the arrival we went snorkelling. We were disappointed with the coral here. It obviously had been damaged a lot and it has not recovered as yet.

Stonehaven  and  Langford Island – September, 2006

We stayed at Stonehaven and at the Langford Island on a public mooring. That seemed to be a good idea but… Firstly, Stonehaven is known for “bullets” – strong gusts of wind coming from nowhere. The gusts turn the yacht around. Since there are also tidal currents the yacht often ends moving towards the buoy. Secondly, the buoys are plastic ones that always stay in the water. This means that from time to time the buoy bangs on the hull. It does not cause any damage but one can hardly sleep with such noise.

I tired to put fenders around the buoy but it always found a way to hit the hull between them. It also looked that the yacht went directly over the buoy sometime at night. The fenders were removed from the buy and floated next to it. That was not the worst however…

At the Langford Island we picked up a buoy for larger yachts – more than 20 metres long. The more the better? Well, the buoy has a rather long mooring line. At night – again everything was fine during the day – the mooring line somehow managed to twist itself around the keel. The yacht got caught with the buoy next to the hull. Shortly after midnight we had to release the mooring line on one side of the yacht and pick it up on the other. To make sure we had not lost the mooring we attached additional line from the yacht to the buoy. We then released the main mooring line. Picking it up on the other side was easy and soon we had the yacht free. We also could sleep again.

It seems that it maybe a better idea to anchor where possible instead of using the mooring. We noticed that some people do just that. Some places are however difficult to anchor for big depths or foul bottom. We decided to extend our anchor chain to 100 metres next season.

Abel  Point  Marina  stay – October  2006

We went to the marina for two reasons: to re-supply the yacht and obtain a quotation for a cover of the yacht. We thought we would need the cover when the yacht is left in the marina for the summer. We achieved the first goal but regarding the cover… we did not get one.

At the marina we met Canadians from “By Chance” yacht. They came in to fix their refrigerator. We spent an evening having drinks together. It was then that we discovered that Clark – the owner of “Final Straw” – tried to leave his yacht in the Laguna Marina. He went there and then found out that at low tide the yacht’s keel was in the mud. He decided to move it to Mackay.

We had a dilemma. Our plan was to put the yacht in the Laguna Marina for the summer. We called the manager there and asked about the depths for the berths. We were told our yacht’s keel would be about .75 metres in the mud at the lowest tide. In combination with the lack of other facilities there, such as a lift, we decided to store the yacht somewhere else. After Internet search and a few phone calls we found a place at the Urangan marina. We booked the place, changed the tickets to fly to Sydney and… started to plan the trip back South. We established we had 18 days to get to the marina and 9 of them have to be passages. We were in this position because we have already bought Qantas tickets to Europe. The problem with the Qantas tickets is that we cannot change them at all! We can only cancel them. Our feet are in the concrete!

Well, we will have a real test now.

Curlew Island anchorage  –  October, 2006

There are two entries to the anchorage as there is a big shallow bar parallel to the beach on the island. West entry is narrow and not well defined. We attempted that entry only to find out that the charts were wrong. The GPS directed us between a rock and the island. We had to abort the entry and go around to the other one – from the east. This one is simple and caused no problems.

There were two other yachts for the night. One more was there when we arrived but it left for overnight run to Pearl Bay. The crew – two older couple – wanted to hide from forecasted 15-20 knots winds next day in the evening (the forecast changed next day to 10-15 winds). On their way out they talked to us and we were told they had exactly the same problem as us with the west entry. Their charts were also wrong. They followed the pilot guide and got through.

The night was quite and we managed to have good sleep. The only worry were strong tidal currents of up to 2 knots. I could steer the yacht while on the anchor. We checked that the anchor held well, gave a lot of chain and everything was well.

Cape  Townshend  anchorage  –  October, 2006

This is a place we are going to avoid in the future. Waves were entering the bay and the yacht rolled a lot. Additionally, there are strong currents there. The yacht was practically sailing when we were sleeping! We did not measure the current but it looked as much as four knots.

I slept in the cockpit as the anchor made some noises that sounded as if it was dragging. It was not but I stayed half awake in the cockpit till we left the bay. There was a catamaran in the bay for the night. They left at the same time as us. Their destination was Curlew Island.

Roslyn  Bay  stay  -  October,  2006

We stayed in the marina to await better weather. The winds were strong enough for the authorities to issue gale warning for a day and then strong winds for a few days. We were glad to be in save port.

There are a few walks around the marina. We walked on the beach and around the Bluff Head. This is a nice walk and really worth the effort.

We also spent a day in Rockhampton. A bus from the marina took us to the town. We visited there a few old buildings, including Customs House with little museum. Reading about people establishing the town is always interesting. It somehow makes one feeling closer to the town. After some shopping (very good camping shop) and lunch we took the bus back to the marina.

In the marina we could - and on a few occasions we did – participate in daily barbeques where sailing people meet. We met new and some old friends. Most of them were on the way south, back to their homeports. Only one couple was going north. This was one of the waves of yachts closing the season. We had our meals and drinks while exchanging experiences. We learnt that most of the people have similar to ours problems, fears and emotions. Some want to give up sailing life after the first season; others will come back next year. We plan to return. All long time sailors agree that this year weather was the worst in their memory. Let’s hope the next year will be “normal” – meaning better, I guess.

The Roslyn Bay Marina (or rather Keppel Bay Marina as it is officially named) is a nice place. The owners were dredging the entrance and the inside the marina thus making it accessible at all times. We thought about leaving the yacht there but in the end the price of the berth and the fact we already booked one in Urangan made decision for us.

We also met Warwick and Judy from “Bamboozle”. First time we spoke was at the anchorage in Curlew Island. We then met them in the marina. Warwick and Judy live in Urangan in the marina complex. Warwick offered to look after the yacht when we are away. He was also a source of information about the marina and facilities there. We will feel much better knowing that a sailor we know will keep an eye on our yacht. He has been sailing for more than 20 years and he can give a good advice about securing and storing the yacht.

Pancake  Creek  - October,  2006

This is our second visit to the Pancake Creek anchorage. We spent there five nights waiting for the weather to change. The creek provided good shelter but…

We had really hard time to anchor. We probably dropped the anchor more than six times before we had a good holding. It was not our problem only. We saw people trying and trying like a lottery. I did not have too good sleep at nights when the wind was about 30 knots. Our anchor held but other Bavaria yacht nearly touched other boat. That’s the first issue with the place.

The second is obviously entry and exit. By now we have saved GPS track and we can confidently enter the creek. This is only at least three hours before or after high tide.

We went for walks. The plague of sandflies is just unbearable. We covered ourselves with repellent but it did not work! A day later we had many itchy spots.

I also fished there. The fish bites nearly all the time. I caught a few and one of them stung me with its spike. The pain was horrible. I was out of action for half a day. After four tablets of painkillers I still had my fingers swollen.

Pancake Creek is not good for us.

Urangan, Great Sandy Straits Marina – October, 2006

Our yacht will spend here the next seven months. We liked the marina and the region when we visited it the first time on the way to the Whitsunday’s. We still like it. The marina has all the facilities in case we need them. There is also a chandlery nearby. We enjoyed drinks and food in the Boat Club. How about a dinner for $6.50, including a $2.oo voucher for poker machine and a glass of wine! We had pizza with ravioli pasta and wine, and then we won about $20.oo in the machine just by pushing the buttons randomly as we have never played it before.

We spent most of the time preparing the yacht for the long time storage. We hope it will be in good shape when we come back.

Well, that really ends our sailing season.

2007 Season

Visit of Duyfken a full size replica of 16th century boat  -  17-June-2007   The ship was built in Perth by a group of enthusiasts of sailing and history. With donations from the public and some governments the boat was launched in 1999. The original boat was used by Dutch as an escort and a scout. It was the first recorded European boat that reached Australia in 1606. The crew did land on the shore. There is a website describing the story of the boat and the reconstruction (www.dyfken.com). We visited the boat. It seems to be tiny although it sailed with a crew of 20. The restoration was done really very well. There is nothing of modern times to be seen. The crew was very helpful with stories about the ship and its ability to sail. We noticed that the crew preferred to sleep in camping vans rather than on the boat. We really enjoyed that visit and we would recommend it to everybody.

“Lucky” Ashley – June, 2007   In Bundaberg we had some electrical works done by the local electrician. He employs a younger man Ashley. Most of non-specialised works were done by him, such as running the cables or preparing access to some well hidden device (all devices are well hidden on a yacht!). Well, Ashley has a rather rotten luck. He started with hitting his head and cutting a finger. But that was only the beginning. At some point he answered a phone call on his bosses mobile. Later the phone could not be found. We called the number – it rang in Ashley’s pocket. Then Ashley went to tidy up cables in the aft cabin. When he finished his phone was gone. We called it but we got a message it was switched off. After some significant search we discovered that the mobile fell under the diesel tank. There is a very small opening and the phone went down there. We could not recover it. It will now travel with us till we have a good wind on port site and the phone will hopefully slip out from under the tank. An hour or so later, Tina and I heard a loud bang and then Ashley calling for help. We run out onto the cockpit. Ashley was locked in our locker! He was there to seal the cables but he did not secure the hatch. It closed on him. We could not stop laughing… Next day we met Ashley in the marina. He told us he lived on a boat up the river. In the morning he found two cracked eggs and decided to simply throw them overboard. As the fate had it he hit the lower life line with the first eggs and the upper one with the second. The eggs sprayed all over the boat as he happened to throw them against the wind. I advised him to buy a lottery ticket.

21-23 July 2007  Visiting  national  parks   The weather and our order for a watermaker gave us an opportunity to go inland to visit some national parks. We rented a car and on Saturday we drove to Eungella. It is not far from the Mackay Harbour, about 80 kms. On both sides of the road we saw the fields of sugar cane. There were at least three sugar mills, too. The last part of the road is very steep. We had to use the second gear in some parts. We arrived to Eungella and quickly found the Chalet, a place we booked for the night. A very friendly but busy (it was about lunch time) lady checked us in. The room provided the first disappointment. It faced the backyard thus we had no view or rather a view at the car park. Tina tried to change the room as the establishment was rather empty. It turned out that the rooms with the views had no bathrooms. We stayed in the first one. After some rest we went for a walk in the rain forest. Although the path went not far from the road and we could hear passing cars, the walk was very nice. It leads through the forest full of old, big trees with some glimpses of view on the valley. It ended at a place called Broken Window. There we turned back and returned to the Chalet. Since it was still early we drove to Broken Creek. It is only a few kilometres from Eungella. There we found a much better looking resort with a restaurant. The resort looked fully occupied. We went to a viewing platform in hope to see platypuses. We were rewarded with one of them swimming just a few metres from us! Later we saw two more swimming and diving in the creek. With the sense of achievement we drove back to the Chalet for… the second disappointment, which was the diner. The food was bad. Tina ate only a few bites. That was on the top of the very cold room with some hard to bear music. We went to the room where the door to the toilet would not close, the shower leaked and the paint on the ceiling was peeling. Despite all that we slept rather well. In the morning we decided to give the chef another chance and went to have breakfast downstairs. Again, the food was bad. Pity, this could be a great place to stay as it is wonderfully located. There is a grand view of the valley from the restaurant and some rooms. Maybe one day?   We drove to visit Wishing Pool. This is a place in the rain forest. We reached it after about 15 minutes walk. Again it was nice. With a plenty of time left in the day we decided to visit Finch Hatton Gorge. It is a short detour from the road to Mackay. It was an excellent idea! On the way we stopped at Platypus Resort (Refuge?). It is a place where visitors can stay in huts in the rain forest. It looked very inviting. A short drive further we arrived to a car park where two walks begin. Despite information stating one of the walks took four hours we decided to do both. They lead to the same creek with waterfalls. The views are great! We really enjoyed those walks. Combined they took us about two hours only. We wondered how many people missed out on the longer (and nicer) walk due to the rather misleading information. We returned to the marina still to have time to catch up with the end of a jazz festival. There were some life bands playing jazz and plenty of drinks to buy.

Port Newry – July 2007   We liked the port very much. On the Outer Newry Island there is shelter built by a fisherman. The shelter is available to anyone wishing to camp there. Water is provided by the means of a rain tank. From the shelter there is a track that leads to the other side of the island. It is a short walk of five minutes. Newry Island used to be a resort. The resort was built in 1930-ies to 1950-ies. Some remains of the huts still exist. All have descriptions what they were used for or who stayed there. Little beach provided visitors with possibility to cool down on hot days. They would have to be careful however as crocodiles and stingers are present there. One of descriptions mentions a famous Australian woman swimmer and actress. She apparently was not afraid of the animals and swam in the waters a lot. From the beach one can start a walk around the island. The walk had a detour to the other side of the island – Sunset Beach. It is a nice walk. The port is mostly visited by fishermen. We saw some yachts but most yachties seem to head for other destinations. Well, we are glad we visited that place.

08 – August – 2007  Visited  by  a  whale   We were relaxing on the boat waiting for the tide to change to leave for the Palm Bay Resort. A whale entered the Cid Harbour and it just went about its business. We could see it in a distance. There was also a turtle swimming around the yacht. It was breathing heavily each time it surfaced. I was not surprised therefore when I heard the noise near the boat just behind me. But then… the noise was much louder! I looked and there was the whale. It came just next to the yacht. Tina and I grabbed the cameras. The whale slowly swam around the boat. Wind turned the yacht and the whale followed the movement. It was incredible! We took as many photos as possible (see photos in My Spaces – link is on the home page). The whale surfaced a few times near the boat as if inspecting us. This was the closest even we came to the animal and I doubt we could ever be any closer.

Magnetic  Island, Horseshoe Bay  - August  2007   This is a really wonderful place. We both like it very much. The Horseshoe Bay provides shelter from all winds, except NW to NE. The beach stretches nearly all of the bay. There is a plateau behind the beach. That’s where the houses are. Hills then surround the village. The main street runs along the beach. There are shops, a bar and restaurants. Regular bus service serves the island and other places can be easily visited. The island has a number of walks. The most popular – the Forts – takes one to the places where the Australian Army built fortifications and barracks during the WWII. A couple of concrete structures still can be inspected. We went there and on the way met a koala mother with a baby on a tree. The fortifications reminded us bunkers we saw in Poland. The bunkers were built for Hitler and his military staff. The thickness of walls was the main difference – 5-6 metres for Hitler and .3 for Australian soldiers. There are other walks. Some go to isolated and very pretty beaches. Many give great views of the island, Townsville and the ocean. The island is well prepared for tourists. Small cars can be rented for those who cannot or do not like walking too much. A sea plane, called Red Baron, in Horseshoe Bay offers flights over the island and it seemed to be busy nearly every day. Horse riding takes people to bush as well as to a beach. Bikes, jet skis, boats, kayaks and other attractions are also provided. A yacht named “Jazza” takes mostly backpackers for a sail around the island. At the end of the day the owner and his children play jazz for the guests. We like the Magnetic Island. It has a character and atmosphere that just is just… magnetic.  Townville,  Orpheus Island and Hinchinbrook Channel  -  August,  2007   Townsville has one major advantage – the marina is close to the town. But I do not really like the town. It has no character. The main mall is colourless, boring and… dirty. Generally streets in the town require a good cleaning. We went to a pub not far from the yacht club. This was a real experience! The pub was in a need of renovations and complete change of the furniture. The barman could offer only a couple of types of beer as “the supplier did not deliver on time”. Above his head hung a huge photo of a naked woman. Nearby, four men were having their drinks. Before we left the pub they were swearing and talking loudly. Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island is much, much better! We spent two nights at the Orpheus Island. On the land we found a marked track that led us to towards the top of a mountain. Unfortunately the signs – pink ribbons – disappeared and we did not know where to go. Orpheus is one of Palm Islands. We could have spent more time there if it was not for the weather. The winds were 20-30 knots and there seemed to be only a few anchorages offering good night sleep. Maybe some other time we stay here longer? Hinchinbrook Channel made a very good impression on us. The views are spectacular. Someone told us he spent one whole season here. I can imagine that as there are so many places to stop. We also managed to catch some fish. Staying in a creek was interesting mostly for the view. We were directly under the highest peak on the island. It reaches one thousand metres. We also liked very much Scraggy Point. It is a really nice place. A fresh water creek is near by and we met other yachties who took water from it to re- supply the boat. Anchorage there is open to SE winds but it did not bother us as the waves have no space to become a nuisance. Again, because of the weather we could not see the eastern side of the island. We were told it is very pretty too. The only drawback are bugs. We had fights with mosquitoes and some other small ones that could not be stopped by the screens. Apparently, a wedding veil fabric is perfect as a screen.

Dunk  Island  –  September,  2007   We spent two nights at Dunk Island. On the second day we went for a circuit walk around the island. The track is well marked and some interesting information is provided along the way. The view from the top of the mountain is towards Hinchinbrook Island. It is nice but we could not enjoy it too much as the visibility was rather poor. Bar on the island is not cheap and it is better to have food on the boat. There are showers with hot water and they are available without a charge. I guess those buying the lunch at the bar pay for the up keeping of the showers. According to “Lucas” the resort does not accept visitors. However, we were told we could go there and use the facilities for $40.oo per head, including lunch. This time we decided not to take up the offer. Anchorage is in a rather small bay and it could be “cosy” if more than a half a dozen of yachts stop here. At night there are lights nearly all around as the island in opposite Mission Beach, which is a tourist attraction. We enjoyed our two days here despite the noise of jet ski boats and some waves made by visiting local motor boats.

Fitzroy Island – September, 2007   The anchorage is not the best. It may be a bit uncomfortable in strong winds. We are here in winds 10-15 knots and it is fine although there is a low level swell. There are a lot of yachts anchored here. We dropped the anchor west of the jetty. It appears this may not be the best place. Most, or rather nearly all, yachts anchored east to the jetty. My guess is that the eastern site is shallower and anchoring is easier. Whatever the reason we would try the other side next time. The island is not very attractive at present. Developers are building new units and villas. There is a big building site and just one bar/coffee shop. We had lunch there and it was awful. Prices are also high despite the island mostly visited by backpackers. The walk to the summit is a difficult one as it is very steep. One part of the track is closed because of the building works. We went there anyway, ending the walk at the building site. We also had some issues with other boaties. It is weekend and people from Cairns take to the water. A couple of motor boats anchored next to us. They anchored too close and the boats were swinging on the anchor close to each other. They realised that and moved. Well, they moved again too close! It was hard to believe as we were in a part of the bay that had a plenty of room left. Eventually, the boats moved to one of the moorings when it became free. Snorkelling is good in the bay. I actually think it is much better than in Whitsundays. The water is clear and the coral lively. We saw plenty of different fish, too.

Cairns – September, 2007   Marlin Marina in Cairns is located nearly in the centre of the town. Shops and restaurants are very close. Chandlery and hardware shops are farther away and not really in walking distance. We used taxies during the first two days then we hired a car. The car we mostly used to visit tourist places in the region. The most interesting are mountains with rainforests and waterfalls. We visited a number of waterfalls and we had a swim in couple of them. This is really nice on a hot day. The weather we had was very good. Because SE winds were very weak there was no haze. Even the highest mountain in Queensland – which usually is in a cloud – was fully visible. Some country towns became rather “touristy” with streets full of souvenir shops and other related products. We visited places recommended to us by an agent where we hired the car. It was a good advice. The first places were Kuranda and Barron Falls. Kuranda is one of those “touristy” towns. It can be reached from Cairns by rail train and sky train. The rail train has old type carriages. The sky train takes people over the mountains in gondolas. In Kuranda we walked along the river then through the rainforest. To see the Barron Falls we did canopy walk which is very nice. The view from the lookout – which is next to a train station – is nice but not spectacular. I guess the waterfall would be prettier in the wet season. The gorge views are great. Next day we went to see waterfalls near Millaa Millaa. There are a number of them! The most interesting is in Millaa Millaa. We had a swim there although the water was freezing. There were many tourists at the waterfall. The place has toilets and changing rooms. We visited other waterfalls but after a few of them they seem to look the same. Again we walked in the rainforest. The town Millaa Millaa is a typical country one. We were there after lunch and everything was closed. Other places we went to were Mossman, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation. On the way to the Cape we stopped for a Daintree river cruise. The main purpose of the cruise is to show tourist the crocodiles. Our guide was very talkative and provided lots of information about the river. I am not sure however if he was always right. Some stories seemed to be too far fetched. Road to the Cape is more interesting than the place itself. We went to the beaches there but they were… just beaches. The walk to the lookout was closed. Port Douglas looked like a big resort. We went to see the marina and decided we would not stop there. The most interesting was a visit to Mossman. There is a water hole where one can have a swim. This time the water was not too cold. Nothing can compare with a swim in fresh water on a hot day! We enjoyed that a lot! There are also walks through the rainforest and we did one about 4 kms long. After a few days we exhausted places to visited around here thus we returned the car. With the deliveries of ordered equipment being delayed we now have time to see more of Cairns proper.

Lizard  Island  to  Thursday  Island – October,  2007   When we left Lizard Island we entered a sailing area that is not used by the most of sailors in Australia. Many of anchorages we had for ourselves. There were very few yachts we saw on the way both ways. It was rather strange to anchor and have nobody around. We were in similar anchorages before but usually there were some lights on the mainland. This time there were no signs of any civilisation. Initially, we had rather unusual weather for the region. The winds were light and seas calm. We had to motor much more than we anticipated. It was hot. Sailing was not too bad as even a light breeze would bring a relief from the sun. Evenings were worse but only till sunset. The biggest sufferers were the fridge and the freezer. Both worked much more often than previously and we had to recharge the batteries more often. There is little communication with the rest of world here. We listened to VHF channels 18 and 19 every day at 6:33 am and 4:33 pm as regular weather forecasts were read then. Our stereo radio could not find any stations. We have a little Sony radio with short wave frequencies and it kept us informed about the events in the world. Mobile phones did not work in most of the areas although CDMA one had some signal in Portland Roads. NextG was dead all the way to Thursday Island. This of course meant we had no internet connection, too. Mainland landscapes were usually very interesting, such as boulder mountains or white sand dunes. Most of the islands are rather flat, low and not very interesting. In any case visiting them is difficult as there are seldom good landing places. There are also crocodiles. As we had very mild weather we cannot say much about the value of anchorages. They were all good but we could probably anchor anywhere in that weather. Closer to Thursday Island the weather changed as strong winds of 20-25 knots arrived. We heard on the radio forecasts that the change was coming and we watched the sky for signs of it. Two, three days earlier there were high level clouds, like brush strokes. One day before the change the sky was clear, only few good weather clouds. We were anchored in Escape River when the change came. This is a very good anchorage and we hardly felt the strength of the wind. Some waves did make their way to us but they were not of concern. Mount Adolphus Island anchorage in Blackwood Bay is also good in strong SE winds although we had some swell waves that lasted not longer than an hour. Instead of going to Thursday Island we anchored at Horn Island. This was much better option in the weather we experienced here. We took a ferry to Thursday Island. It was rather an expensive trip for two people ($36 return). The town is small with a few shops. It was actually rather tidy. Coffee in one of the shops was horrible. Mine was served nearly cold. We also had lunch in one of the takeaway shops and it was not too good. We managed to arrange papers regarding the quarantine requirements. We have to take all food we buy to the office with the receipts from the shops. They gave us a list of shops that are approved to buy products to be taken to the mainland. Tina found a pearl shop on the main street. The owner claimed to be the largest Australian pearl merchant. He gave us a short lecture about the pearls. It was interesting. Tina eyed a necklace but so far she thinks it is too expensive. Well, we still have a few days before we leave and the idea is slowly sinking in. On the Horn Island we found a Seaswift Depot that sells diesel at the jetty. They also sell water ($20.00 minimum charge) and refill gas bottles. We arranged time to go there.

Thursday Island to Darwin – October-November, 2007   Sailing along Northern Territory was different than sailing along the East Coast. The main difference was the fact that we hardly saw any other yachts. Nearly all anchorages we had for ourselves. The land is also different. There are no hills. This was rather good as we had some breeze when anchored. It was hot a all times and the wind was a welcome relief. We had very mild weather. The winds were usually weak in the morning. In the afternoon the winds would increase but not beyond 20 knots, rather to about 10. The direction was also – I think – unusual: from North and North-West. At night we sometimes had the wind from South-West. Most of the time we had current helping us although in some places we encountered very strong – up to 3 knots –currents against us. I guess we sailed at the time when the tidal streams favoured our direction. On a few evenings we watched lighting displays far away over the land. Storms never were close to us and we had only little drizzle on some mornings.   We followed the only book about anchorages – A Guide to Cruising Northern Australia. After being spoilt by excellent Alan Lucas’ books we were rather disappointed with the guide. Most of the anchorages were for - probably prevailing - winds from SE and E. Since we encountered winds from other directions, we were sometimes exposed. Weak winds meant we had not too many problems. Most of anchorages would probably suffer from some swell if the conditions were less favourable. The guide does not provide any indication of that. The other issue with anchorages was their depth and coral around them. We often had to anchor far away from the shore. The worst place we stopped was Cape Stewart. We were practically anchored on open ocean due to the wind direction. Judging from the chart we could probably anchor on the other side of the cape but there was nothing in the guide about that place and we thought the wind would go away. It looked it was a sea breeze but on that night it did not stop. The best place was Port Essington. We enjoyed our stay there. I think it could be a wonderful port for sailing. Only winds from North would cause any problems. Winds from any other direction cannot create big waves and there are no hills to obstruct them. We sailed close haul one day and it was very comfortable. The size of the bay is also great – 18 miles. This is more than between Pittwater and Sydney Harbour. The only issue could be reefs that go rather far from the shore. Nevertheless we had no problems with them and enjoyed our sail. Port Essington also offered a rare chance to go ashore. We visited the ranger’s office at Black Point and purchased diesel there. There is also a tap with fresh water thus we filled up the tank. A walk around Victoria Settlement ruins was interesting. We walked early in the morning before it became too hot. Our mobile phones worked at places if there were some Aboriginal settlements nearby. The best coverage we had with CDMA phone. NextG phone also worked but not as often as the CDMA. Roger’s Orange phone did not work anywhere till we reached Darwin. It even did not work on Thursday Island. It was very good there were three of us on the yacht. We did not meet any other yachts thus if there were just two of us we would probably feel rather lonely. We also had our first overnight sail, really two nights. It was a good experience. We decided the nights were to rest and we will sail with minimum sails during that time. Roger’s experience from his other trip helped us to organise better, especially for the second night.

Skiing in Niseko Visiting Niseko to ski does not really allow learning much about the Japanese culture. Firstly, there are more Ausies than Japanese in the village and on the slops. Secondly, the local people adjusted to the visitors and their preferences.  We ate lunches and dinners in the local restaurants. After about a week we exhausted the number of dishes available from the menus. Event a couple of trips to the nearby town did not improve the choice.  Food seems to be rather cheap if comparing to the Australian prices. The portions are however smaller and any meat is at a premium. The best dish I had was pork schnitzel with rice. Others told me they shared my taste. Fish dishes were not as good as one would expect and that was a bit of a surprise.  Anyway, we still enjoyed going out every day and have some sake. Skiing is a real pleasure in Niseko. It snowed nearly every day. We could ski in powder whenever we wanted. There are no queues at the lift chairs. The only issue with the lifts was the fact that there is a mixture of them from the comfort and quality points of view. The best were gondolas. They are comfortable and protect skiers from the wind and cold. We had problems with Tina’s skis as the slots on the side of the gondolas are too small for carving sets. There was however help in the form of the operating staff and we never missed a ride. The second best are the chair lifts with transparent covers. They also protect skiers from the wind.  On the other end of the scale are single or double chairs without even a safety bar. They move not too far from the ground but the first ride is a bit of a challenge, especially for those afraid of heights. One also easily gets cold on them. Nevertheless skiing there is great. One of the big surprises was a number of people who operate or provide services. Japan is the second largest economy in the world and I expected as few manual workers as possible. It was not the case however. Whether boarding a bus, eating in a restaurant or getting a chair lift, we always had someone to do the work for us. And they do it with a smile. When getting a bus we were asked to leave the bags or skis where they were as the handlers would move and pack them. They would also unpack and store them carefully on arrival. At the chair lifts an operator would swipe the seat to remove any traces of the snow then slow the chair down to make it easy for us to sit on them.  At the Chitose Sapporo airport we saw a really great performer. It was a man with flags. He directed the pilots to the terminal and the exit sleeve while standing in front of it. We could see him on the screens as the planes have a camera that shows passengers the view in front and below the planes. The man was a real artist with the flags. He waved them with grace movements and visibly enjoyed it. One would not have to be a pilot to understand what to do. When the plane came to the rest the man crossed the flags above his head, then moved them down and bowed in real Japanese style. It was incredible! Many people applauded him.  JAL must also have a policy for staff to wave “goodbye” to passengers on outgoing planes. We saw it again in Chitose. It was nice to see baggage handlers and other airport staff to stand and wave to us.  I must mention organisation. It was nearly perfect. Everything was arranged to make the trip as easy as possible. Despite many connections we hardly had to carry our bags for more than a few steps. Free trolleys were always available when needed and waiting times rather short.  Well, enjoyed our two weeks in Niseko. We would probably prefer to spend more time travelling around the country but… maybe some other time. Our jobs waited for us.