Been out of range for a while... a bit of a long post

10^th April 2013

Pancake Creek  24^o 2.007S 151^o 44.246E

Had an exhilarating sail here this morning. It was wet and raining and by the time I’d got to the reefs which were my turning point the wind was gusting between 25 and 30 knots.  I only had the genoa out all day and by the time I had to make the turn I had hauled in all but a quarter and were still cracking along at 6kn.  Great fun steering through the reefs under sail.  The video is from earlier on in the day.

 

The anchor was down by 11:50 and had a warm shower to unfreeze.  Bacon and eggs by 12:10.  I’ll be stuck here until the wind warning goes away as there isn’t really any further North I can sneak up in a morning before the wind picks up.  Going to take Merv for an explore up the creek tomorrow. 

A word of warning if you are going to travel this way! - There are no pancakes at Pancake Creek (Sorry another dad joke … and another child dies)  I do have some packet mix on board if I was inclined to make some.

11^th April 2013

Found about 4 litres of diesel in the bilge this morning.  It looks like its leaking from the fittings in the 110 litre day tank.  The brass fittings look like they go straight into the fiberglass tank which doesn’t really look all that robust.  There is too much diesel in it at the moment for me to drain so I’ve put a couple of nappies to soak it up before it gets to the bilge. 

 Go on. Ask me why I have a packet of nappies on board?

I’ll wait until I can empty it and try some thread tape.  Does anyone know what might work sealing brass to fiberglass?

It’s actually a real pain in the butt as I’ve set up the big tank to pump into it and it would mean redirecting all the hoses and pumps to make it redundant.  Worst case scenario is to get a steel one fabricated somewhere and replace it.

The wind is still blowing and I haven’t been able to get a full weather report but it looks like the warning is in until Thursday. 

Still windy. No planes at aircraft beach...

Walked the 2.6k up to the lighthouse where I can get some reception.  Pretty cool place.  It is stilled manned and in tip top condition. 

Yes it is windy

and

some never leave...

 

Oh – and I used the oven.  I made scones!  Cleaning bilges and baking hahahahahaha…..

12^th April 2013

We (Merv and I) had a bit of a rough night.  The wind picked up to 40kn(39.9 actually according to the wind gauge)  The boat was dancing around the anchor as I was in a crossflow of current against wind.  Set the timer for every half an hour and got up to make sure that the anchor was holding.  It decided to drag at 4 am of course.  It reset but left me hanging over a sand bar with about 10cm between the keels and the bottom. I could feel them touching every now and then for the next half hour but as the tide was still coming in I decided to sit it out. 

I sat with the key in the ignition until the tide was getting close to its peak at about 9:00am and then hauled the anchor and moved the boat to mid channel a bit further upstream.  The current is a lot more predictable here and I am tucked in closer to the tree line for a bit more protection from the wind.  I’ve put 7 to 1 scope out as I’m a bit close to another boat that’s also moved in here. 

At least having to start the motor has meant a nice hot shower and it now looks like a pjamie day.  All I need now is a double breasted bed warmer.   I haven’t been able to pick up the weather report here on the VHF so I’ll have a go a working the UHF.  Time to RTFM!   Otherwise I’ll  have to walk back up to the lighthouse to get reception on the not-so-smart-phone.

I may even bake a cake…  What’s the point of packet cake mix if you still have to add eggs and milk???

My god! See how meaningless my life has become? I’m taking photos of food.  This is as bad as Facebook!

My view for today...

There is the lighthouse in the distance.

14^th April 2013

Hummocks Island  23^o 23.828S 151^o 9.313E

I snuck out with the high tide at midnight from Pancake creek and motor sailed until the wind kicked in as I was going past the shipping waiting to get into Gladstone. Threw a lure in just as the sun was coming up and broke the hex…

Crazy old coot with a fish

Sushi anyone? Is it a tuna or, a mackerel tuna?  Fresh sashimi for breakfast,  mackerel steaks for lunch and a honey mustard salad with grilled mackerel for tea.  The only things I’m running out of is chocolate and lollies!

Really funny way to catch fish.  I’ve haven’t been throwing the lure out as I’ve had to look after everything else myself so when I got the first run and whatever it was let go I thought that it was just the usual.  The second strike was seriously on and caught me quite unprepared.  As I was playing him in towards the boat I swapped hands and put on the gloves one at a time. I then backed down the companion way and grabbed the gaff still playing the fish through the hatch. Maybe he wanted to commit suicide.

By the time I filleted it and cleaned down the decks Hummocky Island was on the horizon.

I wonder why they call it Hummocky? 

Actually it came out of the dawn mist and I expected to find a giant gorilla but, it actually looks like FayeWray’s touché.   I’ll call it Fay’s island instead. It’s actually not listed as an anchorage but looked to have a crescent shape that backed into the wind so I thought it might do if I didn’t feel like sailing on.  The anchorage is only really big enough for one yacht or a couple of power boats so I have it all to myself. It means only a short hop tomorrow.  Merv and I did some exploring looking for a wreck that is supposed to be here but all we found was Fay’s secret entrance.

Sea Cave

It would be handy to have a surfboard to explore these. Merv was a bit too wide to get too far in.  The Hummocks are 210m high and I still had my land legs so I just went up the bit in the middle for the money shot…

Fay's anchorage.

Coming down was worse than going up as it was very slippery and loose.  The geology looks very similar to the Capricorn Heads so I suppose this is just a mainland island and not part of the reef yet.  It doesn’t look like it gets many visitors as there was no signs of the usual rubbish left around.  The beach and rocks were a graveyard at the high tide mark for dead coral that floats in.

Graveyard bones.

Did I tell you I caught a fish today?

15^th April 2013

Pearl Bay  22^o 22.640S 150^o 43.844E
Had a bit of a tour today. Travelled all up 79.89nm with an average speed of 4.85kn. I left early for Great Kepple Island. It was a bit of a disappointment after Fay Wray’s Butt. The resort is closed down and the island looks like it’s had a lot of visitors.  Someone cynically told me that they are spending twice as much to build a bigger resort after the last one failed.  Smart.

Great Kepple anchorage but, we know who the really great Keppel is don’t we?

It was still early and the wind was blowing that way so I headed for Rosslyn Bay boat Harbour.  The book says there are swing anchorages’ there but, it has been converted to a marina and was jam packed with yachts.  It is a very dramatic harbor with a large rock hill overlooking it. Disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to get my chocolate fix there I headed Yeppoon.  The tide was peaking so I pulled up outside the surf beach and took Merv in.  He stayed on the beach while I went up to the supermarket and loaded up with quality food.

Merv sunbaking in front of the surf life saving club.

Essential provisions...

I actually also got bread and milk,(As well as a foot long subway and a real coffee). Yeppoon looks like a nice clean place and the locals I met were all friendly.  I was only there two hours.

After my sugar rush I decided to press on and when the wind filled in at about four I thought I might as well keep going to Pearl Bay which has a nice easy anchorage to get into even at night.  Beautiful  night for sailing. Perfect wind, no swell, no moon but clear skies. Skipping along at over 6 knots with only the trawlers to keep an eye out for.

Trawlers to the right

Trawlers to the left.
The prawns were phosphorescent as they came to the surface as I passed. Even at anchor they light up as they come near the boat.  At first I thought that it was the reflection of the stars until they started to flip around.  The old eyes can’t pick out the satellites any more but you can’t miss the shooting stars.

16^th April 2013

Supply Bay  22^o 13.013S 150^o 28.015E

Had a sleep in after the sugar rush yesterday.  Pearl Bay is very pretty in a rugged sort of way.  A picture doesn’t do it justice so I took a video instead. 

Really nice to wake up to.

I headed off to Supply bay at Point Townsend around midday. Not much wind and motoring all the way with the main up to give me an extra ½ knot. I was going through the lures along the way and seeing what works and what doesn’t.  A couple of baby Macks on one of them. I’m releasing them now as I’ve enough fish on board.  Oh, and I’ve finished a second book…

That crazy coot with a fish again.

Supply Bay is a Defense force training ground so I haven’t bothered to land.  I wonder if when they are doing their exercises they get to appreciate the sunset.

Blatant promotion

The stars are out of focus in this one but the sun’s rays look just like a kindergarden kid draws them. 

I have another photo that has the stars in focus but the foreground is out.  Still, I was there to see it anyway.

 I’m sorry that I haven’t been in contact range much. I’m not even getting the VHF any more but am still monitoring Channel 16.  When I was at Yeppoon there were 10 messages on my phone and everyone was at work or didn’t answer.  It is what it is…

Tomorrow it’s off to the cruiser’s oracle at Percy Islands…

And on another note…. 

I haven’t bothered to try to take photos of the cliché sailing wildlife.  There have been heaps of turtles but they only pop up for a second, take a gasp of air and are then gone. They love doing it right next to the boat when at anchor on a still night just when you’re least expecting it.  Turtles have a sense of humour.

Dolphins often swim along with me.  Usually around dusk.  They love being up by the bow. It is that romantic imagery that sells the notion of boats and being at sea.  What no one tells you is that they breathe through the top of their head and their breath stinks. They eat nothing but fish and don’t brush their teeth. Forget morning breath, dolphin breath is the pits.

Manatees, or sea cows, are ugly as sin. I’ve only seen one and that was while I was in a berth at Bundaberg Port Marina of all places.  It came up behind the boat rolling over and waving a stunted flipper at Merv in a provocative manner. Luckily manatees don’t see themselves as butt ugly and have a kind of relaxed attitude.  I like manatees.

Butterflys?  What is it with butterflys?  I can be anywhere, anytime, and I’ll see these characters flitting around passing the boat. Whilst they get tossed with the breeze they are determined to fly in their chosen direction. You got to admire the little buggers. Butterflies are determined.

Now if you put all these together you’d have a Turd-o-manfly. Don’t know what it would look like but it would be butt ugly, and would laughingly kill it prey by breathing toxic fumes on it….  This your fault Deb for suggesting that  I read Bryson’s history of almost everything.

 17^th April 2013

South Percy Island  21^o 44.070S 150^o 18.622E

A beautiful anchorage with the first really clean water I’ve had so far.  I can see the anchor on the bottom.  These are not coral islands but are very picture perfect.  So I wont bother with showing you a photo as you can probably google something better than I can take.

After my demented ramblings on butterflies yesterday(too much sugar) I’ve found where they were heading.   Here’s a picture of my anchorage and those things that look like birds are butterflies.

In fact there were thousands of these little blue and black aerial dynamos swarming up this hill most of the afternoon.

The Blue and Black Baron butterfly.

There was even a mutant albino butterfly.

Argh...Mutant!

Where were they heading?  They were catching the updraft of the hill and then drifting down into this fresh water spring where they were having a party.



Fresh water spring. Party central...

Actually it was more of an intimate moment for the butterflies so I didn’t take any photos out of respect. I’ve named it happy hollow.  Throughout the scrub there were a lot of weeds. Lantana being the most prevalent.  The Percy Isles used to be a cattle station so I wasn’t expecting native scrub but there was even cactus.

With fresh water this would make the perfect little hideaway.  Someone has put up the ultimate hammock. 

Just up your tree Den.

By the way there was a large pod of dolphins doing dolphin stuff next to the boat this afternoon.  Luckily they were down wind.

18^th April 2013

Middle Percy Island  21^o 31.905S 150^o 14.664E

We paid homage to the cruising gods today. The anchorage is probably the best known amongst cruisers of this coast. In the bay there is an A frame “Yacht Club” where passing boats leave an offering to the gods.

Achorage with A frame

The A frame

Not that I’m superstitious but there is no point taking chances so we made an offering of the remaining oar that Bill gave me.  It had refused to fall off the deck so far.

Our offering to the cruising gods

The inscription.

Once you’ve left your offering you have to toast the cruising gods.

An equal portion has to be spilt on the ground for the gods and then you have to dance around where the rum was spilled three times...

I’m just making this up of course.  Once the gods have been appeased you then get to enjoy the view from the “clubhouse”.

And there’s lots of interesting stuff and memorabilia.

Inside the A Frame.

The actual ceremony is a secret but, it doesn’t involve goats. There’s lots of them on the island. I made the trek up to the homestead as you are supposed to get reception on the top of the hill. You just follow the coconuts.

Coconut sign posts

Of course my phone wouldn’t work but, the guys there let me use their  house phone to check in with home. Genuine hospitality.  The island is no longer used as a cattle station but leased as a park.  The A frame and surrounds are all maintained by volunteers. Pretty cool. I may have found a yacht club where I’d fit in...

19^th April 20113

Curlew  Island  21^o 35.886S 149^o 47.541E

As you can see there was no wind today so I didn’t even look at the sails.  It’s no wonder that people used to think that you would fall off the edge of the world.

I had the motor and autopilot on and was reading a book.  I usually set a timer for every hour at least or when I’m going to need to change course etc.  Today I must have forgotten to press reset at one stage and was engrossed in my book.  When I look up this was about 100m off my starboard side.

It’s called Bluff island and is part of the Guardfish cluster where I am now.  For those of you who have noticed I hardy went North at all today and have turned the corner round the lumpy bit of Queensland. This is supposed to be a great diving spot but unfortunately the water is murky so I’ve packed the diving gear away until after Mackay.