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Sunday 31 March 2013

28th to 31st March 2013







28th March 2013
Tangalooma 27o 11.431S 153o 21.829E  - 5 Hours on the engine.
Mark driving Merv into tangalooma for a rubbish run.
Motored through the channels and got into Moreton bay which was glassed out until the last two hours.  Finally got both sails up and enjoyed the ride. 
The wrecks at Tandalooma.  The wrecks are in the background.

The hydraulic pump is noisy and gets hot after working all day. I can get a new one from the US delivered for $400. Might get a spare one “just in case”
Sunset at Tandalooma

29th March
Mooloolabah  27o 11.431S 153o 21.829E - 5 Hours on the motor
Tried to sail the first two hours but only managed 1 to 2 knots.  We switched on the motor for a couple of hours until the wind kicked in.
Finally tried our first tack as we were coming in to Mooloolabah – what a disaster.  Never mind - that’s what I bought a yacht with a new motor for.
 Passing Container ships eating mud crabs

 Still eating crabs
Tun Beer's new Australian mascot
We had the same piece of bait trailing along behind all day.  Set up like the live baits we used to use in the Kimberley.  Except this one was dead.  He hung on until the end of the day until we started the motor.  We had become very attached to him.  Or perhaps it was the hook through his mouth and the 200lb line? We reckoned it was because he didn’t like the smell of the diesel when he finally let go as we started the motor to come through the entrance to Mooloolabar.
Capt Goodie takes us into Mooloobah
We had about 12 degrees of leeway heading up here so I’ll need to compensate for that.  We almost pulled  into Calloundra which is about 10NM short of Mooloolabar by mistake.  It really does help having a second person to talk to. It sorts out your thinking.  I will need to take the time to really plan when I take off by myself next week.
Well, tomorrow we are going into town to get diesel and water and maybe some more beer. Mark does drink a lot.  The Tun is holding up after a couple of days – Scott will understand this reference.
It’s Easter Saturday tomorrow so we will shop, do some planning and then if the weather holds true to the B.O.M. prediction we will head out for our first overnight sail to get to Wide Bay crossing at a good time. 
Fuel at Mooloolabar36 Litres( for 13 hours motoring)

30th March 2013 
Double Island Point  25o 55.352S 153o 8.891E   -   3 hours on the motor.

Left Mooloolabah at 11am after refueling.  I don’t think the pump guy would have been so keen if he knew that we didn’t know how to reverse.  Almost took out the bow sprit and anchors on the pier.  Oh well. No one died.
We also got in a mess coming out through the heads.  The seas were very confused and we managed to lose an oar and the deck brush.  Morale of the story… we don’t like washing the decks and we now have a spare oar to use as a club for the crocodiles.

We finally got out to some cleaner water and sailed through till about 11:30pm when the wind finally gave out. Started the donk and got into Double Island point at just after 1 am.  An hour ahead of schedule !!! Are we ever good or what?
Sunset at sea.

31st March  2013

Fig Tree Creek  Fraser Island  27o 39.370S 152o 57.479E - 5 hours on the motor.
As we were leaving Double Island point a prawn trawler pulled in and wanted to trade some cigarettes for prawns.  Two packs for a box. Pretty fair trade our way and there has to be some compensation for dying a death of lung cancer.  Mark was game on the bow sprit doing the exchange at sea.  I know where reverse is now so no embarrassment in our first trade.
5 kilo of prawns at Double Island Point. Trawler in the background.
This place is definitely worth another visit for fishing if I'm back this way.


The Wide Bay bar crossing was fairly straight forward.  We’d timed it just on the slack tide and two others and us lined up to go in.  Bounced around a bit but the only casualty was Merv trying to jump ship half way across.  Both clips holding him on the front broke but he was secured with a couple of extra ropes.   When we got to anchor here we took him ashore and replaced the complicated setup with new spectra.  He is now restrained.  Tried to upload a video I took going accross but it will have to wait until we get better  internet conection.  It doesn't matter because we were there and you wern't...
Merv having new restraints fitted

Sitting inside tonight.  It is raining and windy outside.  We’ve put bells on the lines so that we can hear them.  Ministrations from the Charisma special will keep us sane(semi).  We’ve made it a rule not to open a second bottle on any given night.  Rules  pfft!

By the way I’m sick of mud crabs so the prawns arrived at the right time. Guess what we had for breakfast and lunch today?

We’ve been asked where we come from…  We’ve replied Perth.  The next question was which yacht club we belong to so we have a challenge for you.  We want an acronym for something like “The Unpretentious Bogun Sailing Club of WA” TUBSWA  or, something better than that. Someone better come up with something clever or we really will sound like the duffers that we are.

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