The Woolwich reunion. Airlie Beach is real tourism.

When we stayed in Sydney prior to our June escape north this year, we called Woolwich marina our home. During this time our neighbours for several months were the crew of Gidgee, Cheryl and Mike. They are unable to sail for extended periods due to family commitments . This past weekend was their wedding anniversary. Imagine our surprise when we motored into Macona Inlet to find them on the yacht just infront of us, waving frantically.

Sagittae is no ordinary yacht. Her crew Rob and Syl built her over a number of years. Her design is a Radford 55 ' , and her finish is superb. From our berth at Woolwich we could see Sagittae in the final stages of completion. Sagittae has been 'nearly meeting up' with us many times in recent months

A merry evening of sailing tales : ("Whale tales" : they grow bigger with each telling).

Cheryl spots us.

Mike looks stunned, clutching a support to stay upright.

Crazy things happen. The same day as the Woolwich connections anchored near us, we sailed past Southern Cloud. This mega yacht was moored at the historic Woolwich Dock, is just around the corner from where we were. In the evenings we would walk around to see Wild Oates 11 (Sydney to Hobart fame) on the hard stand. Southern Cloud was being refurbished at the same time and we watched the progress by peering into her lighted interior.

Can you see the crew member up front?

Chatter yachts gather together at night.

 

The channel markers are a sailors friend. This starboard marker is the perfect spot for this as yet unidentified bird's nest. ( Burnie can you help?) Being high above the water it has a good view of fish below.

I love my new camera: not fancy but gives quality pictures.

I think that we have already mentioned the tidal ranges in the Queensland waters. We are not sure if this charter yacht had navigational difficulties, or just miscalculated. Much later in the day she righted herself and they crew sailed her away. It doesn't appear to have sustained any damage, so we presume the tide ran out and left them 'high and dry'.

How embarrassing. No harm done.

On to Airlie Beach, on the mainland.

Airlie beach is a back-packers paradise, and tourist heaven. There are a series of artificial lagoons beside the beaches. From November onwards no one swims in the ocean unprotected because of the toxic stingers.

Water fun: sticky weather.

Glenn tests the safety of the wadding pool.

 

The next two photos are for nostalgic reasons: I associate cookaburras with my Nana. she was a nurturer of birds. They seem to enjoy life in the parks around here. (For my sisters and cousin in England.)

"Happy Jack"

We are staying at the Abell Point Marina. It has a new owner with big plans. The staff are very friendly and relaxed. The mega yachts are on other pontoons. People are casual around here. The winter weather is non existent. It's all loose shirts and floppy shoes. And there is obvious examples of extreme wealth. Rather than bore you with multiple photos of huge expensive yachts, I thought that the glimpse of this Buizen's hull would tell the story. The mirror reflection of the hull is just a taste of the quality on board.

Mirror finish.

Jen impressed. Glenn off to polish Sea Trek III.

The club beside the marina was rocking with a pirate theme on Sunday afternoon.

"Where's me wooden leg, Jack Sparrow?"

Finally hot chips for Glenn, .....the fish has yet to be found. We had a cool afternoon at the Whitsunday Sailing club. It is a low keyed place where we found genuine international Ukulele talent. This is Manitoba Hal, a Canadian who plays complex blues on his double Uke. Check him out on YouTube. Talented with a capital T.

A rare find: someone who plays a double Uke.

We are hoping that the predicted southerly winds, most favourable for visiting Blue Pearl Bay and Butterfly Bay eventuate by next week end. Then we will follow many other yachties and head south for the summer season. .....and employment.

Off to the shops by bus to reprovision for the coming weeks: bulk buys of essentials. We hope to avoid marinas on our return trip. I guess it all depends on required repairs.

 

 

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More Jams than the Cottee's factory, Mackay..

Cruising-sailing isn't all deserted tropical beaches, swaying palms and beautiful sunsets.

Unexpected moon rise.

There are always maintenance jobs to keep the yacht "ship shape". The marine environment is harsh and salt crystals eventually abrade many surfaces. Our stay at Mackay marina was a convenient time to attend to the 100 hour engine service, and to replace a slightly worn heat exchanger end cap. We quickly realised that any extra tools, equipment or food was best carried aboard at high tide. The 5 metre tidal range made for slippery and steeply angled ramps.

A good ski slope.(more like Mt Everest)

Mackay turned out to be another great place to catch up with friends, old and new. A previous work mate from 15 years ago, Dennis "Gilligan" now lives in Cairns, and just happened to arrive in Mackay on the same day as we did. He generously took us out to dinner. We look forward to catching up with him and Fiona at Airlie Beach in a week or so. We FINALLY caught up with Bruce and Sue from "Chilli Heat". (We had hoped to sail with them in the Whitsundays by the fourth week of August). Also in port were Jenny and Denis from Ocean Child as well as Hans and Bernise from Brahminy. What this all means is a concentration of incredible musical talent. We had 5 uke's, 2 guitars, various keys of harmonicas and a Dobro Comb. Musical mayhem at various locations.

Bruce and Hans bash it out!

Denis surprises everyone, with Bruce's encouragement.

Sue teasing the locals with aromas.

We ended up having two great nights of music. The first night aboard Sea Trek III, and the next at an impromptu BBQ. The music and the wine flowed freely. I bet the residents of the high rise near the BBQ area were very impressed. It was all a bit sad in the end because everyone was heading on their separate ways. We are not sure when we will catch up again.

Goodbye all.

By the time this blog is posted we will be in the Whitsunday Islands.

 

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To Mackay, via Curlew Island and Freshwater Point.

By Glenn:

Hate to say this but I'm starting to loose track of what day it is! I have to consult the log book now. We are relaxing at Mackay Marina, but what day did we leave the Percy Islands? Ok, it was Saturday. I'm not showing off or anything but see how relaxed I've become without the alarm clock routine. Of course Jen suspects that it's the early onset of "old timers" disease.

We hauled up the anchor at beautiful Whites Bay and followed in the wake of Ocean Child on a leisurely motor sail to Curlew Island. ( I was hoping to get a encore from Denis on the "Dobro Comb"). It was another relaxing day on the water, with the obligatory whale sightings. We witnessed a baby whale learning to leap out of the water. It looked big until we saw the mother slowly surfaced. We motored into the anchorage on the northern side of Curlew by mid afternoon.

Absolutely stunning Curlew Island.

We scoped out our anchorage position. The art of anchoring plays a major part in successful cruising sailing. It means the difference between a relaxing night's sleep or loosing your yacht on the rocks or coral. Even worse would be the embarrassing look of waking up aground, high and dry! The tidal ranges here are up to 5 metres. I'm continually doing calculations. Goodness it's hard enough bloody trying to count my fingers and toes. To make sure ST3 is in the right depth I have let out enough chain. ( ratio 1:5, 1:6 or 1:7)

Our Curlew Island anchorage at dusk.

 

We set sail on Sunday for Freshwater Point, Llewellyn Bay, which is about 20nm south of Mackay. Freshwater Point isn't in any of the cruising guides, but Dennis from Ocean Child thought it would be a great anchorage. (good call mate but still no Dobro Comb encore :( ) Now if I've said this once I'll say it again....."the sail from (add-name-here) "Curlew Island to Freshwater Point"...was definitely the best sail we've had all trip". Sea Trek III is a cutter rig, and for the uninitiated this means we can put up 3 sails. With more sail we make greater speeds, at times flying along at around 8 knots on a close reach. There was a mad panic to get the all of the sails down when we arrived at Freshwater. We tucked into the totally comfortable anchorage for a great nights sleep. Jen slept with one eye open because she definitely thought this was croc country.

Ocean Child at anchor at Freshwater Point. (Real croc country?)

So although the water temperature was a balmy 25 degrees, I decided not to dip the toe in. We motor sailed to Mackay on Monday. We have settled in for a few days of catching up with long lost friends, and members of the "CRAP Uke Band" for the reunion of "Love and other Bruce's". Hopefully we will have an encore on the Dobro Comb. (see youtube). A minor engine repair requiring a courier service from Brisbane and an oil change undertaken by yours truly, before venturing to the Whitsunday Islands....FINALLY.

Mackay Marina at low low tide.

Final news flash:

Jen now has a real camera! All pics on this blog up until now have been taken on the iPhone. I think you would have to agree that the pics have been great considering her limited resources. No pressure Jen but I'm expecting big things from today onwards.........

 

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The Percy Islands

By Glenn: I didn't really want to go to West Bay, Middle Percy Island. I know it's a tradition for cruising yachts to call in and mount a plaque of their boat at the Percy Island Hilton. (the A-Frame).

Mecca for cruisers.

Everyone says "you really must do it". To me it seemed over-hyped. Call me a cynic. I've had a lifetime of wondering what all the fuss was about when told "you've gotta go and see this movie" or "listen to this band" etc. Jen says I'm revealing more about myself than the story here, but I really thought there were better places to go. Jen's enthusiasm won me over. I knew she was very excited about making an artistic plaque and mounting it at Middle Percy.

Jen's plaque: a beauty!

Detail of the punch-hole and paint technique.

So from Hexham Island I plotted a course to West Bay. As usual it was a beautiful warm sunny day. We spotted whales breaching and a handful of inquisitive dolphins greeted us just as we rounded the point. (always a good sign in my mind). I was dumbfounded when we sailed into West Bay. It was a picture perfect tropical island setting (think Gilligan's Island) with only 4 other yachts anchored in the bay. Mmmmm, it seems my reluctance for coming here had quickly dissipated! It looked great!!!

First impression.

How it all began.

I couldn't get the anchor set and into the dinghy quickly enough. This place demanded some serious exploring at once. We spent ages in the A-Frame looking at the yacht plaques. It seems that world cruisers have been putting them up since the 50 's. Some famous boats have been here.....

John Guzzwell: 1958 SVTrekker. 20'6" circumnavigation in a timber yawl.

We spotted some friends' plaques including Bruce and Sue from Chilli Heat as well as John from Dream Weaver. Jen couldn't resist mounting ours next to Chilli Heat..." Sailing and cooking our way up the East Coast of Australia".

One of the many uses for a bread board.

Pandora's box at the Percy Hilton.

 

The book swap in the old telephone shed.

Around the corner we spent a few days in Whites Bay. The wind had changed direction. Stunning. I had a few swims here.

Colours!!!

For some reason Jen took a great interest in the green rocks that cropped out of the hillside. She said that they just didn't fit in. (See photo above with bright orange earth). I guess they are vulcanic in nature. To prove the point she began collecting stones with great glee. (normally she collects shells).

Green of all kinds and 'almost Jade' and semi-precious?

The stones on the beach ranged from mauve, pink, orange, brown, cream and green. I guess Jen has a point.

"Meat and three veggies".

We explored behind the massive white sand dunes on the Middle Percy Island and eventually the creek bed wound its way into sub tropical forest.

 

A riverbed behind the large white sand dunes.

I can see clearly now....

Musicians in the cruising community seek each other out. They tend to be eccentrics of sorts who creep out from under sails as a surprise. (I'm always crawling out from under the sail). We had a great afternoon session in Whites Bay where the crews from Ocean Child and Bramniny came over for a few songs. Hans played Uke and a mean harp, Denis from Ocean Child had us bemused by his improvisations with the "dobro" comb. Much later he "just happened" to play some great sounds on the guitar.

A wandering minstrel.

I laughed so much that I forgot what song I was playing, anyway here's a sample of the master Dobro Comb player.

He rocks!

Jen loved this sketch from the A frame.

And so after a week without news, Internet or phone reception we are returning to the main land. Tomorrow Mackay, then the Whitsundays! Loving this lifestyle, but I know it's gotta end soon, for a while...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One for Jen

I put this little video together as a tribute to Jen, who has come along for the ride on my crazy sailing dream. If it wasn't for Jen's enthusiasm I would be lost at sea! This clip features a couple of nice sailing days with a little song I did on my uke and glok, all recorded on the iphone.

 

Thanks Jen.

Where we are:

http://skipr.net/where-is/boat-pages/?boatid=1122

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BRING OUT THE TWEEZERS AND MAGNIFYING GLASS.

We are really enjoying Camden Haven and surrounds. The area is very scenic and sleepy the locals are friendly and welcoming, and I reckon its one of those places where you wouldn't have to lock things up. Today friendly local and fellow sailor Phillip from SV Seaka drove us up to the top of Brother mountain lookout. Check the view out!!!!

Camden Haven view.

We had a phone call earlier this morning from Ines and Steve from Bravado, who were sailing to Camden Haven. Imagine our surprise when we spotted them in their yacht lining up the entrance of the sandbar. I rang Steve and yes it was Bravado. Phillip was able to guide them in over the phone from the top of Brother mountain! After Ines and Steve were moored we spent a pleasant couple of hours over coffee and biscuits on ST3.

The tiny white spot outside of the breaking waves is Bravado and Sea Trek III is near Phillip's elbow.

We had a great evening at Greg and Anne's last night. Greg who is a fellow member of the CCRAP Band and also lives in the area. He is the Camden Haven Port Officer for Coastal Cruising Club of Australia (CCCA). They generously picked us up from the Dunbogan Boatshed and drove us to their beautiful acreage property at Bonny Hills. Greg baked a lovely beef and mushroom pie dedicated to Jen.

Jen's Pie. Nice work Greg!

Greg and Anne also have their own bee hive and multiple citrus trees. We felt truly blessed to be able to sample this fresh homegrown produce.

Goldie's Glowing Honey.

Greg is also a crack uke player and he was able to show me a few new tricks and riffs. Its always a pleasure to jam with him.

Again! 1, 2, 3, 4!

Now the sad part of the story...................

Jen's version:

The next chapter is not at all sad.......We returned to ST3 feeling well fed. Suddenly Glenn started experiencing excruciating pain. This was a private pain that was so private that he could not even name it. He could only point, and he was pointing to the jeans/groin. Jen the RN jumped into action. "Drop your trousers now!!!" Glenn reclined on the lounge naked from the waist down. A quick inspection of his nether nether regions and I dashed to my extensive first aid collection that I have been carting around with me unused for years. I returned with local anaesthetic, very sharp and accurate surgical tweezers and our largest magnifying glass. Glenn looked pale as I dove into his pubes for a closer look. The diagnosis was a small tick, eating its way through his delicate flesh. I applied a big dollop the numbing creme. Glenn was nervous and told me that he might faint. There was no time to loose. I began to move towards my target, spotlighting the painful swollen area with a torch and precision tweezers and magnifying glass in hand. Then I began to giggle, and I mean really chuckle. This was ridiculous. What man in the world would want to admit that a woman needed so many implements to locate their most prized possessions? I came up for air and gained my composure. Then I swooped in and removed the tick and a few pubic hairs without a shriek or cry from the patient. Success was mine, and Glenn lives!

Where we are.

http://skipr.net/where-is/boat-pages/?boatid=1122

 

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