Follow us live in real time!

Dear blog reader,

Do you sometimes wonder where Sea Trek III is sailing? Now you can see where we are instantly and in real time, whether we are sailing, at anchor or in a marina.

Just go to www.marinetraffic.com/

You will see a screen that looks like this.

In the Go to Vessel box on left hand side near top type in SEA TREK III (upper case). It will come up as Sailing Vessel AU.

Easier still if you have an iPad, smartphone etc, just get the Marine Traffic App, it's free!

Mooloolaba to and including Fraser Island blog soon.

 

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Part two Mooloolaba: Flashbacks

Mooloolaba: I lived in this area in the early 80's and it was really great to revisit this week. I spent lots of time catching up with some really great friends. It felt almost like I had never left. Special thanks to Jim and Leonie for your hospitality and for organising the great night out: Mexican. (memories of the famous Rusty's).The amazing coincidence was that John and Lee had just returned to Australia after living in Bali for 14 months on the same day that we arrived in Mooloolaba. Weirder still, I was the first person to ring them on their new phone. All in all it was great to see them again and relive how hard we use to work in the 80's!

The Bluff: (one of my old worksites in the 80's).

Old surfers never age, they just keep rusting away.

Best Mexican in 28 years!

Jen and I also received another really pleasant surprise with the unexpected arrival of Captain Wally and his lovely wife Karen, both sailors from Moruya in southern NSW. We met Capt Wally and Karen on our sailing voyage to Tasmania in Crazy Lady. For an interesting ( funny) read about this unique event:

http://sailingadventuresofcrazylady.blogspot.com.au/2010_01_01_archive.html

Wally and Karen came to visit their son who now lives in the area. We had a few very relaxed days catching up with them as well, including a long walk to some of my old haunts. They report that our old Mercedes is enjoying the rural holiday in their Moruya paddock, along with two catamarans including their Hoo Roo.

Captain Wally and his all girl crew.

The Sunshine Coast turned on the sunshine, the weather was perfect. Everyone we met made our stay so pleasant that it was hard to leave. Jen and I are convinced that we will return to Mooloolaba in November to wait out the cyclone season before we head much further north next year.

Where we are now:

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

 

 

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Part One Mooloolaba

By Jen: We have spent so much time socialising since arriving in Mooloolaba that we are a little behind in the blogging.

We are also waiting for repairs to be completed to the auto pilot (third time lucky)? This will decrease the exhaustion level of skipper and crew.

I wanted to share some of my impressions of Mooloolaba. This place is a Mecca with the well monied Grey Nomads ( retirees). I felt positively youthful from Monday to Friday walking along the promenade. ( The weekend was the usual mix of youth dudes.) The facilities for the public are top quality, and the nights reveal some interesting lighting.

Sculptural and elegant hand rails.

Dreamy by night.

SAILABILITY is strongly supported in Mooloolaba. This is an event/activity organised several times a week for disabled people to enjoy the unique sensations of being on the water. A large troop of volunteers gather with specialised equipment to assist in lowering and raising the participants into and out of the dinghies. Much laughter and hooting from happy sailors.

Colour and fun.

Lots a gleeful sounds as this dinghy passed by.

The Mooloolaba Yacht Club shares the grassy foreshores with the marina. We spent time here with friends old and new. Jessica Watson "the world's youngest circumnavigator to sail solo and unassisted" is duly acknowledged with plaques and displays, as were her sponsors.

Jessica Watson: Our hero .

Bruce Arms is also a local and was a very generous sponsor to Jessica's triumph. He also holds the record for his own quick run around the paddock in his catamaran.

So what is our connection with this Bruce Arms? He skippered our yacht Crazy Lady after she was sold and sailed her from Hobart to Western Australia, via the Great Australian Bight. I feel so proud about Crazy Lady making it with ease because Glenn and I put a great deal of sweat and tears into her transformation...(not to mention the fact that she carried us safely across Bass Strait).

 

Mauve in colour: the record breaking Big Wave Rider.

Lots of animals inhabited the vegetated foreshores of the Mooloolaba beach strip. Extensive boardwalks meaner through the seperation zone between "surf and turf".The Bush Turkeys wouldn't stay still long for a photograph, and the dense shade created further challenges for this photographer. It's also the season for mating and nesting. Lots of scratching of the undergrowth building compost leaf mounds in the forest environment.

Why am I the only person in our walking groups to see Lizards? I have identified four kinds so far just sitting beside the pathways.

I love lizards.

This next photo is a monument erected for the dogs who went to war. It is dedicated to my mum, who is computer literate and has recently had a degree of vision restored.

I had to pat the dog.

Glenn is really enjoying the enforced break that Mooloolaba has provided.

"It's such a perfect day; You just keep me hanging on..."

Sea TrekIII bathing in pink Champagne.

This will be followed by part 2 Mooloolaba. Very soon we hope to be safely tucked into the Great Sandy Straits.

 

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What's happening at home

I have to admit this is a shameless plug for my son James and his guitar tuition school. If your in Wollongong and need a guitar teacher, look no further.

On the sailing front, we will leave Mooloolaba either Sunday or Monday. Mooloolaba blog up soon.

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Manly, Moreton Island to Mooloolaba.

Glenn: I Had a phone call from a Sydney friend last week while we were tied up at the marina in Manly. He asked "Where are you?" "Manly" I replied, "What, you're back in Sydney?" . Well apparently Sydney doesn't have exclusivity to the Manly name. Yes, there is a Manly in Brisbane, and a lovely place it is. It's a village that caters to sea faring folk, with the best fish & chips found so far on this voyage. After topping up our diesel tanks on Saturday morning we set sail for Moreton Island. Our destination was the "Big Sandhills" at the southern end of the island. Looking at the chart I figured that the sandhills would be a great place to anchor in the prevailing SE winds.

Saturday morning: kids in skiffs. (obstacle course leaving Manly)

We had a great sail over to Moreton, Sea Trek III revelling in the 15 - 20 knot breeze. I really didn't know too much about Moreton Bay before this trip. To be honest I hadn't put too much thought into it. Let me say I was very impressed with the bay, it's a pristine waterway that is also a great cruising ground, with many anchorages for yachts. I don't think I would like to be out there in a big westerly, because it would be very exposed to any wind from that quarter.

We boasted to our fellow sailors.

We arrived mid afternoon to find at least 20 other yachts anchored there. I guessed then that I had made the right decision! Jen managed to see a dugong, and we both spotted several huge manta rays in the crystal clear water. Our friends Ines and Steve from SV Bravado called to say they were on the way from the Gold Coast and hoped soon to be anchored nearby. We met them on our extended stay in Port Stephens, and have shared various anchorages with them on our journey north, including Camden Haven, Coffs Harbour and Bums Bay on the Gold Coast. Over a coffee on Bravado we decided to head for Mooloolaba first thing Sunday morning.

Anchorage Big Sandhills Moreton Island.

Dinghy ashore.

We left for Mooloolaba early Sunday and had a brisk and eventful rocky "washing machine" trip,(Ill leave it at that) arriving at Mooloolaba marina about 3.30pm. I lived in the area for about 5 years in the 80's and look forward to catching up with some old friends. More next post.

Where we are:

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

 

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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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Southport to Brisbane. South Stradbroke.

Queensland: Glad to be leaving Southport, Sea World and Surfers Paradise. As sailors we enjoy the simpler beauties of the sea and the gentle motion of having the sails full. Bloody Jet Skiers! Too many, too much noise, too much speed and too much wake and rocking.

Good bye "Porpoise Spit" ( Murial's wedding).

We chose to travel up the broad-water, via the channel behind South Stradbroke Island. Multiple-million dollar houses packed onto the shores edge.

Probably the most tasteful mansion on this stretch of water.

We really had to choose our course carefully. This is a maze of channel markers and depth soundings. We consulted "Beacon to Beacon" as well as the chart plotter on the iPad. The binoculars stayed attached to my face. Despite all of the Queensland hustle and bustle we came into the national park area very quickly.

Just a sample.

Away from the glittering money of Southport we again began to see an interesting array vessels. Some were certainly a tribute to human ingenuity. Several chaotic structures were hybrids of caravans attached to pontoons and fibreglassed together by overly ambitious sea farers.

A James Hardy " HARDY PLANK" house boat.

We needed to pass under overhead high voltage electric wires. Glenn couldn't look, and let go of the helm. I watched in fascination at the seemingly large gap between life and electrocution. (That's one phobia that I have been spared).

Looking surreal in the morning sun.

We anchored at the northern end of South Stradbroke Island, it's 2.5kms wide and 21kms long, lying close to the mainland. It felt very remote, the water was clear and we saw the the Agile Wallaby, as well as the much rarer Golden Wallaby.

 

Couldn't get close enough for a good photo.

We were able to watch the sun set and also the sun rise without moving to another position.

Pink and gold sand reflecting the low winter sunset.

Sea Trek III lazing in the afternoon sun.

We continued north to pass North Stradbroke Island to the east and into Morton Bay (with Brisbane beyond). We had no idea of the enormity of this body of water. The chart says that we are surrounded by land. The winds picked up and we have a fabulous lively sail under head sail alone. We are not missing the NSW sea swell at all.

North Stradbroke or Morton Island are over there somewhere.

We are in a marina at Manly for a few days while sorting out essentials: groceries and washing, fuel and water and twice daily hot showers. (and why not, it costs no extra). This popular marina area has approx. 2,000 yachts/boats all tied up in a compact and orderly fashion.

Camera not big enough to fit in all of the yachts.

This is tourism: cute and disturbingly ugly.

Tomorrow off to Morton Island, Sunday Mooloolaba.

Where we are:

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

 

 

 

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