10th April 2013
Pancake Creek 24o
2.007S 151o 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.
11th 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…..
12th 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 view for today...
There is the lighthouse in the distance.
14th April 2013
Hummocks Island 23o
23.828S 151o 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?
15th April 2013
Pearl Bay 22o
22.640S 150o 43.844EHad 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.
16th April 2013 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.
Supply Bay 22o
13.013S 150o 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.
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.
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.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.
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.
South Percy Island 21o
44.070S 150o 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.
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.
18th April 2013
Middle Percy Island 21o
31.905S 150o 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...
19th April 20113
Curlew Island 21o 35.886S 149o 47.541E
