Motoring up the mighty Clarence River

Did you know that a keeled sailing yacht can motor 40kms up the mighty Clarence River to Grafton and beyond. We just had to explore the Clarence because this is probably our only chance. We are not in a rush and the weather is glorious. Everything we read said go! The depths under Sea Trek III to Maclean ranged up to 16 mtrs. The river is both wide and deep.

We were surprised to pass a reef fishing vessel called "Tom". The chart plotter and the sailor's voluminous guide by Alan Lucas "Sailing the NSW Coast", reassured us that we would not be grounded. Neither of us ever expected to be travelling on deep Australian rivers.

Introducing Tom. What's he doing here?

Going under bridges is a buzz. The Hardwood bridge required opening just for us. With a phone call the traffic on the Pacific Highway was stopped and the span raised. Full acceleration. There can be current disturbances when passing under bridges. Pylons and boats don't mix and we have previously experienced a few hairy moments on someone else's yacht. This passage was easy, but it did cause some anxiety. Glenn hates heights and will not look up when we pass under. (even the Sydney Harbour Bridge). I know that doesn't really make sense. ST3's mast is approx 18mtrs high and we had heaps of room.

The dinghy enjoying itself.

 

Maclean is "Australia's Scottish Town" according to their tourist pamphlets. While looking for a good cup of coffee and roaming the streets we noticed an abundance of murals. I have to ask why they are all so darn awful. The craft shoppe was just as bad.

Don"t flush 'me umbrella down the well Donald! Woof Woof. WTF!

The Scottish heritage of this town is on display on over 200 light poles decorated with Tartan and the names of the founding families. One of the very first I saw was on pole 58: CAMERON. I was so excited that I instantly messaged my life long friend Maureen about it! It's not her surname but is included somewhere on her birth certificate. (I do know her full name but am sworn to secrecy, lest she reveals too much about me to others). I then went on the search for Mc Slattery, McAndrew, MacGordon, MacLove and of course also hoping to find a McHuppatz. Glenn became tired and scuffly again, telling me that he had already walked a lot this week. (today is Tuesday) He also worried that I would be hit by a car because the names on the tartan cladded poles are only visible if viewed from the road.

A pole of distinction for Maureen.

 

The Scotts are known to be extremely thrifty. This sign "Tidiest Street 1982" is probably due to be retired now. It is on the main tourist road and I think that it has been recycled annually. It is a very very tidy street. The light poles are all nicely draped in Tartan. When you're on a winning streak why change!

A very proud street

 

Glenn is cooking his way through the Iluka meat raffle tray. He couldn't be happier. I wonder why a fishing town didn't have a sea food theme for the pub fund raiser? I suppose then it wouldn't be a meat raffle.

AND HERE'S NEWS...

Where to anchor or moor ST 3 safely while at Maclean? We had consulted various reliable sources (friends after sundowner drinks) and of course the bible for sailors : Alan Lucas's "Cruising the NSW Coast". (in print since 1968). We scoped the area for depth and then took the written advise of the author. We were congratulating our selves on choosing an anchorage in perfect depth etc, and Glenn proclaimed "Alan Lucas recommends this spot so it must be good". We then saw that Alan Lucas himself was right behind us and leaving his yacht Soleares to row to shore. We waved. Mr Lucas was in the other perfect position. We may approach him for an autograph.

Alan Lucas: our bed time reading.

 

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Iluka

The Iluka Pub. Not very glamorous and the extensions are built of fibro.(asbestos) We reasoned that the food had to be good. Lots of locals there. Steak and chips and perhaps a refreshing ale, was on our minds.

Has seen better days.

OMG. We won the meat raffle. How did that happen? There was fierce competition for the trays on Saturday night. The footy was blasting out on the big screen. So it was sausages for breakfast, rissoles for lunch, cutlets for dinner and Mylanta for supper. Luckily the fridge is fixed.

Jen "I'm a Vegan now"

 

The Iluka peninsula has a World Heritage listed Nature Reserve, and is the largest remnant of littoral rainforest in NSW. The strangler Figs were fascinating.

Don't hug me so tightly

Captain Wally: THIS is a composting toilet!

 

We walked about 10kms around the rainforest area. It has been a long time since either of us had walked this far. By the end Glenn was a thirsty scuffling wreck. The view from the lookout foretold of the weather change.

Time to get moving, back to ST3

 

We also scrambled along the break walls to watch the course taken by other vessels entering and leaving the mighty Clarence River. This rock is reminiscent of our recent whale encounter.

A whale of a tale

Catamaran cruising over to Yamba

We are off to explore the mighty Clarence River tomorrow, going up as far as Maclean. Do I here the bag pipes playing. Glenn hopes to find his own tartan.

 

 

 

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Thoughts on Sailing at night

By Jen

1.30 am on a totally moonless and cloudless night. We cast off the lines that had held Sea Trek III firmly to the pontoon of the brightly lit marina. We motored slowly away from the street lights and into the dense black night. Life jackets on. Our first challenge was to pass between the two unseen break-walls standing ahead of us in the dark. We could hear the crashing waves out beyond. I watched the flashing red warning light positioned on top of the concrete boulders. I was very certain that we were already off course. I fought my panic and urged my sense of reason to take hold. "Red to Port!" I shouted and instantly knew that I was wrong. We were leaving not arriving. I knew that Glenn had charted our departure correctly. I was tormented by the thought of my children living their adult lives beyond my drowning.

Just one red light

Glenn was on the helm and watching the chart plotter. He was now blind to anything outside of the cockpit due to the illumination of the electronics. I had chosen to ride " shot gun" style, seated behind our large starboard winch. On this night sail I will be the eyes for ST3 and the lookout for everything ahead. I leaned out to the side a little. There was nothing to see. Why was there was no moon in the sky? This is a major oversight and I secretly cursed the skipper for placing us both in such danger. We knew that whales were still heading north. We had no way of detecting or avoiding them. Fishing dinghies also bob around out there without lights. Lives at risk. I was seething with frustration as we turned NNE and into the open ocean. Here we go.

We made small talk about the trip ahead in the faint glow of the cockpit. I began to sing old TV themes and relaxed more with the laughter of familiar memories. Then I noticed that the night sky with its trillions of stars had created a gentle light around us. I could see in the dark! So much around us was visible. The water surface was so still that we were travelling in exceptional conditions. No wind, no ripples, no waves and no swell. The brightest star that I could see was close to the horizon. It cast a ribbon of reflection towards our little boat. I had only ever seen this on a pond or quiet river before. The phosphorescence in our bow waves flashed as it rushed past. I was mesmerised. It was beautiful out here. As I watched I pondered on the perished lives of people taken by the water. In these moments of reflection I knew that those lost lives powered the passing specks of light energy. I also understood why ancient faiths studied the shapes of their gods in the stars patterns. The souls of the departed were also visible tonight in the heavens. I felt a wisdom descend.

 

 

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Continuing North Coffs Harbour to Iluka

Coffs Harbour. We ended up spending 5 days at the The International Coffs Harbour Marina. We spent a great deal of that time waiting to have repairs done! Our fridge is small but vital for our provisioning. It had stopped working. Our consistent problems with the autopilot continued to be consistent. (yes its meant to read like that Jen!) Coursemaster Autopilots take note: I'm only halfway through my letter of complaints. (a list of them)

Sea Trek III @ Coffs Harbour Marina.

For those of you familiar with the jetty area in Coffs you will know that its a hive of activity. It has shops, yacht club and eateries. There was no shortage of things to do and places to visit. Jen really enjoyed the walk on the monumental old jetty. I enjoyed a couple of SUP surfs at Jetty Beach. I was able able to launch from the deck of ST3 and paddle out of the marina to the beach. SUPs are amazing for catching little waves that normally would be unridable. I did scare the hell out of the whale watching skipper on the commercial vessel docked next to us when I threw the SUP overboard. It made a the huge splash and had him thinking that one of his customers had fallen in.

It seemed like every sailor we met recommended "Attitude Hamburgers" to us. We were tired after our sail from Trial Bay on Monday and fancied someone else's cooking. We arrived at 6pm anticipating the culinary delights of these boutique burgers. Jen and I scanned the menu with our stomachs grumbling. Jen chose a "Tree Hugger": a vegetarian mushroom delight, while I chose their special "Attitude" Angus Beef. There were about 10 other customers enjoying drinks around the outdoor fire place. Can you imagine my surprise (I was flabbergasted ) when I came to order only to be told by the waitress "sorry, but we have run out of meat and there will be a 40 minute wait for everything else". So we ate elsewhere and it was rather ordinary.

Monumental Old Jetty at Jetty Beach Coffs Harbour.

It was great to catch up with Izzy Foreal while we were in Coffs. Izzy and I played in the "Trashed Out Cats" in the 90's. ( I think?) James and I had recently attended and played at Izzy's "When I'm 64" celebrations at Raleigh. We did that trip by road. Izzy called down to the boat for a cup of tea and a catch up on what we have both been up to since those heady 90's days. When you're in the area make sure you catch one of Izzy's shows. He's very entertaining.

Izzy Foreal on ST3

James and Glenn perform at Izzy Forreal's "When I'm 64" earlier in 2013. I'm blessed to be able to perform with my son on stage on occasions.

Whilst in Coffs we also caught up with fellow cruisers Ines and Steve from SV Bravado. We met them in Port Stephens and have now caught up with them in Camden Haven and Coffs too. They have raced ahead of us now and are in "Bums Bay" on the Gold Coast. Jen snapped a great pic of them coming in to escape the approaching storm front.

Bravado looking for safe anchorage.

The fridge is now fixed, and I know a lot more about 12volt refrigeration. The autopilot is still inconsistent and we are now safely anchored in Iluka Harbour. We left Coffs around 2am on Saturday morning and motor sailed the whole way: about 9.5 hours.(once again timing our arrival to cross the bar). We were greeted by "I'm the skipper" star: John King! John lives here on his beautiful catamaran "Dream Weaver". We have known John since we first started looking for a yacht to sail when we all lived in the Ulladulla area. We both then moored our older yachts at Batemans Bay. John also helped me bring ST3 back from Brisbane on her delivery trip.

Just who is the skipper? Convention at Iluka

We are staying at Iluka until Saturday and we are looking forward to exploring the mighty Clarence river by yacht. We will motor to Maclean this week. We thought that it was too good an opportunity to miss this famous voyage and I don't think we will be back this way for sometime to come.

Where we are:

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

 

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Dunbogan. Calm bar crossing. Whale encounter. Trial bay

By Jen

Last Thursday afternoon Camden Haven and the Dunbogan anchorage rocked to the sounds of various poorly tuned Ukuleles. The surprise guest who drove up from Sydney for the occasion was the King of the CCRAP Band: Bruce (and his charming wife Sue). Apologies to the other yachties who had moored in the area for those 5 hours. A great gathering of mildly musical sailors.

Salty old CCRAP Uke players.

Leaving Camden Haven was on our minds. All coastal sand bar entrances need to be approached with caution and research prior to the event. When we enter in through one of these we also like to know the weather forecast for the next few days. We then decide if we should enter and when we can expect to leave. (Unfavourable weather can exclude a departure for weeks: read Port Stephens blog.) We like to use the high tide for safe transiting. We also consider any specific requirements of our next anchorage. We estimate the speed needed for arrival prior to the low afternoon sun. Swell and wind and wave activity all impact upon Sea Trek III's sailing progress. The night before departure we tend to have a very restlessly sleep. Luckily the conditions on Sunday morning prior to our sunrise crossing were glorious. So beautiful, and so perfect. Thank you Camden Haven.

Surreal.

The real highlight of our travels so far has been supplied by nature. It was late afternoon on Sunday. We were watching whales blowing wet spouts closer to the western shore. Glenn suddenly shouted at me in a weird and dreadful voice......."JJennn, oh my Llorddd, #%€¥, Look up front! Jen! Up front,". I did look up front and tried to spot anything of interest there. (Note : I do tend to cooperate in situations were loud and unexpected swearing and blasphemy are involved). But on looking forward I only saw the usual head sail and the stay sail in its bag. Nothing in the ocean ahead. By chance I glanced sideways while continuing to scan for whatever had excited Glenn. Just off to my port side and slightly frontward of our centre cockpit I saw it. We were witnessing the movement of a huge solid mass. We watched as it's dark broad back and barnacle encrusted fin descended right beside us. The whale had taken a speedy short cut right under Sea Trek III, with us onboard.! The drawing is of what I remember but Glenn says it was much bigger and broader. He was really shaken up about it. The whale didn't seem to touch ST3 and I don't know how because we were sailing at 7 knots at the time. It must have been in a real hurry.

Don't tell our mothers.

Nature continues to astound me in its many colours. On arriving and anchoring in Trial Bay we witnessed an almost a 360 degree sunset. The colours of the next few photos may help explain my wonderment. Only minutes in between these shots.

Looking north as the sun sets

A few minutes later

And just a bit later.

Sea Sickness. We are celebrating at Coffs Harbour. Glenn has been using the "E.T. Sea Sickness" remedy from the BOVA compounding pharmacy, and he says that he feels great. (Previously Glenn had been so ill with escalating symptoms that he even slept through the emptying of the water tank through out his bedding. Much laughter from the delivery guys/friends on board). I am using the wrist ReliefBand Voyager, by switching it on and off for nausea control. I suspect that a combination of the two methods may end up being perfect. As we keep sailing we expect the symptoms to decrease. We are also telling other sea sick sailors the benefits of our newly discovered "wonder cures". Good luck Ines.

Surprised to see Leggo in use on the Coffs Harbour break wall.

Coffs Harbour now, here for 3 or so days a few repairs then next stop Yamba.

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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Midnight Escape from Port Stephens!

Dunbogan Boatshed sentinel

We've finally done it! We've left. After 17 days of incarceration at Port Stephens we've managed to sail out totally unobserved. It was a still and dark cloudy moonless night. Now we're in the lovely Camden Haven river after a 13 hour motor sail. I'm very familiar with Camden Haven. I have previously spent 21 days here when bringing Sea Trek III to Sydney from Brisbane approx. 18 months ago. It rained then and it's raining now. Camden Haven is the site of my greatest life time sporting achievement. I was able to swim faster than Ian Thorpe when I fell overboard on a outgoing tide. This record breaking swim was witnessed by none other than the Prince of Whales ( a well known figure in Sydney yachting circles). He commenorated the event by naming his most famous seafood dish after me: "Dumplings and Flounder". Anyway We are on a mooring at the Dunbogan Boatshed and the prices are family friendly and haven't changed in years!

"Ye good olde" fashion prices at Dunbogan Boatshed.

We really did enjoy our time at Port Stephens and we tried really hard to experience relaxation again. (The Sydney Effect) In Port Stephens we met local fellow cruisers who are also commencing their trip north, SV Bravardo with Ines and Steve. They were very generous people and drove us to the shops for our final provisioning before the trip here. We will catch up with them again in Coffs Harbour. I owe them a drink at the yacht club.

We must be somewhere exotic Jen, I'm fixing things again!

We had a last minute drama with ST3 after refuelling and heading out of Port Stephens. I heard the bilge pump working continually as we pulled away. A quick diagnostic check by Jen revealed that the engine had developed a major water leak due to a failed hose clamp on the raw water intake filter. Sea water was spraying all over the engine compartment. I found a safe anchoring spot. Luckily Jen had effectively packed many spare parts in her workshop and knew exactly where to locate the right spare. Sheer genius that girl. My panic settled and the fix was a five minute job.

One or two hose clamps

 

50 shades of grey: sailing to Camden Haven.

We were happy to face the drab wet weather because the sea was basically flat and friendly with low waves and non existent swell.

Where we are now.

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

 

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