Yachts can be the strangest of places particularly at night. As I lay in my bed last night I attempted with all my will power to stop myself listening to the creaks and groans of the moving yacht but eventually I gave up and had to respond to the incessant tap tap of another previously undiscovered piece of rope or noise that seemed to emanate from the mast!
It led me to think am I really suffering from the obsessive compulsive disorder that Roger claims I have? He is after all a doctor!
I'm a pretty methodical person and have over these last 7 weeks isolated the majority of the potential night time threats to a good sleep. The swinging boom moving repeatedly with the sway and motion of the waves and change of tide was easily solved with a simple rope preventer. However this has led to a false sense of success and not all creaks and rattles are as easily resolved.
So last night as the latest potential threat loomed over head a sense of despondency fell. Ok it wasn't raining tonight but a flimsy night dress doesn't offer much in the way of protection against the wind but who was there to see? No excuse there against getting up. The knock knock was still there. Could I sleep through it? No Way! I tell Roger I'm going to fix another rattle up on deck in the hope that should a monstrous wave or massive gust take me off the boat he may notice. Most unlikely! Any how I climb up and am unable to isolate the problem! Ok I resign myself to the thought of sleeping through it.
Back in bed tap tap tap. What is it this time? No chance of sleep! I look up to the hatch blind. Success! It's the culprit as it oscillates against the roof. I need not have risked life and limb to solve this one. Ah the prospect of sleep perfect sleep.
Wait a minute what's that noise! May be Roger's diagnosis is right? I just have to investigate.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Angels and Snubbers
Well another day in paradise. Yes it has been a glorious day. 25 degrees and a very light breeze.
Last night was interrupted by a thunderstorm which caused a bit of drama as we dragged our anchor and had to find a new more secure spot. Anne was on the foredeck during all this and so got pretty wet. We had to get out the wet weather gear, not seen for a few weeks, a little too late for Anne! The rest of the night was affected by the concern for the weather and our new anchorage. Anchor alarm/GPS activated and regular wake ups to the clock to check all was well. To jump to this evening, and yes another thunderstorm happening as I write! Fingers crossed. A lot more rain than last night and no gaps to the thunder. Anne is next to me counting and I am checking our position on the chart plotter! Should I have deployed the anchor buddy? Is there something in the name of this place – Neck Bay? We won't tell the parents about this, they arrive tomorrow. Still you will probably have seen the weather in SE Queensland.
We have had a very lazy day. Slept in after last night, then a trip to the beach. Watched the dolphins feed and then the continuing education programme! More of 'yacht electrics for idiots' followed by knots and splices. I have finally conquered the eye splice [photo on Picassa]. Yes I hear you saying what an exciting time!
I wrote this a few days ago. Dad and Tina arrived on the Friday. As we entered the marina at Hamilton Island we saw their Jetstar plane land above us! That day and the next showed the Whitsundays at its best. First stop was Whitehaven beach, never seen it so perfect like all those photos. We explored all the way up to Hill Inlet, at least 3 hours on the beach. Unfortunately the weather has changed with strong winds and showers, so we have been hiding in Nara Inlet for a few days. The stories about a shark breeding area have stopped me having my swim at every anchorage.
Oh yes today is a special day – my ...b'day! No fancy restaurants here, which suits me fine. Surprised the internet connection is so good this morning. Anne is thinking of renaming our blog 'Angels and Snubbers'. She says she is always setting and weighing the anchor. Using the anchor angel and snubber to make sure we don't move and get a reasonable nights sleep! In fact Anne is developing many OCD traits!! It has been good to have some company, stopped Anne from using my new spliced rope...! Oh and another surprise, we played scrabble last night and I lead from start to finish! Doesn't say much for the competition I hear you say.
Richard would love the night sky we see most nights, absolutely amazing.
Well I have been instructed to get off the computer. BFN Oh by the way who stole my photograph from the last blog?
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Perfect Paradise in the Whitsunday's
I think both Roger and I feel we have made it at last. The sea is warm and turquoise,the sun is again shining, the beaches pristine and plentiful and for much of the time we are anchored alone in these idyllic surroundings. We have stopped heading north at a break neck pace. No more over night passages and in fact several days spent at the same location!
We spent a couple of lovely nights at Goldsmith Island before sailing the grand distance of 9 nautical miles to our present location at Thomas Island. Nobody here but us and the occasional Leatherback Turtle moseying on by. There have been many Sea Eagles soring over the waters but we have yet to see any dive for a fish. So little effort as they reach there lofty heights. The pace of the day has changed and today was spent snorkeling and taking the tender for a run about. we have run out of fuel a few times but our trusted oars have got us back to the boat without a hitch.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Arriving at Mackay
We had a great sail down from Curlew Island to Mackay with the persistant south easterlies pushing us along. It had looked like rain but fortunatly the wet weather gear wasn't called for although I did wear my waterproof pants for most of the trip. They prevent the legs and knees from getting so battered and bruised whilst working around the fore deck, hoisting sails etc. As it seems the warm weather has deserted us for a while it wasn't too hot. So much for not needing any of this gear once rounding the south east corner of Australia from Bass Straight! We passed Cape Capricorn a few days earlier and so at that point we were officially in the Tropics. I have been reading the biography of Captain Cook and it has been interesting to see why many of the places we have been passed were named by him all though years ago! This included this particular Cape. He had been hopeful that better sailing times were ahead of him at that point. Little did he realise the nature of The Great Barrier Reef. At least all our charts etc should make our journey some what easier as we travel through the reef and islands.
On our sail to Mackay we passed very close to Hay Point a massive coal loading facility just south of our destination. I was busy down below reviewing the chart plotter and our approach to the marina, Roger was at the helm. The next thing I hear coming over the VHF radio (we always monitor Ch 16 the emergancy frequency) is the voice of the Captain of a large inbound cargo ship moving towards Hay Point! "Unidentified sailing yacht I need you to make a course alteration to facilitate my entry to Hay Point" Shocked I ask Roger if he can see anything? Yes he says "a large ship heading for us!" Changing frquencies I have a discusion with the Captain in which I agree to his request! How can one argue with a 112 ft ship bearing down on us? This leads to us gybing around the back of the ship! Roger felt he could have argued about the rights of sail over motor but the prospect of ending up as match sticks( if we were a wooden yacht) was enough to make us alter our course! The photographs on Picasa show how close the ship came!!
The remainder of the sail was very straight forward arriving in the new marina. It's amazing with piles the like of which I have never seen before. They are so tall. The tide here is enormous and with the possibility of a storm surge in cyclone season the floating pontoons have to remain on these piles. Hard to imagine that the water could rise this high. I will take some photographs once it stops raining on us! Have a look at the weather picture and you get an idea of why it's so wet here at the moment.
Well best actually stop now and go to bed. As Roger said I managed to fall asleep earlier still I like to think I'm just catching up on earlier lost sleep from all those rolly anchorages out in the islands. Nothing at all to do with Roger's company!
On our sail to Mackay we passed very close to Hay Point a massive coal loading facility just south of our destination. I was busy down below reviewing the chart plotter and our approach to the marina, Roger was at the helm. The next thing I hear coming over the VHF radio (we always monitor Ch 16 the emergancy frequency) is the voice of the Captain of a large inbound cargo ship moving towards Hay Point! "Unidentified sailing yacht I need you to make a course alteration to facilitate my entry to Hay Point" Shocked I ask Roger if he can see anything? Yes he says "a large ship heading for us!" Changing frquencies I have a discusion with the Captain in which I agree to his request! How can one argue with a 112 ft ship bearing down on us? This leads to us gybing around the back of the ship! Roger felt he could have argued about the rights of sail over motor but the prospect of ending up as match sticks( if we were a wooden yacht) was enough to make us alter our course! The photographs on Picasa show how close the ship came!!
The remainder of the sail was very straight forward arriving in the new marina. It's amazing with piles the like of which I have never seen before. They are so tall. The tide here is enormous and with the possibility of a storm surge in cyclone season the floating pontoons have to remain on these piles. Hard to imagine that the water could rise this high. I will take some photographs once it stops raining on us! Have a look at the weather picture and you get an idea of why it's so wet here at the moment.
Well best actually stop now and go to bed. As Roger said I managed to fall asleep earlier still I like to think I'm just catching up on earlier lost sleep from all those rolly anchorages out in the islands. Nothing at all to do with Roger's company!
Island hopping along the Curtis Coast
Well you might ask why no entry since Pancake Creek? Something to do with the passage taking us out of Internet coverage.
We are presently in Mackay marina and as things have it we are watching a documentary on fishing trawlermen. Whilst the AIS identifies all the large ships well, unfortunately not the same can be said for numerous fishing boats. So one has to keep a keen eye on their lights and movement.
Pancake Creek marked the start of day sailing, no overnight passages for a while; I hear a thankful sigh from Anne! Onward to Great Keppel Island. A good days sail with the SE wind behind us, making 8+ knots most of the time. Just as we came to anchor having come around the eastern side of the Island we noticed a catamaran coming towards us tripping off the AIS! Must be our friends in their Perry 43 who have the enhanced AIS with transponder! We had actually seen them in Pancake Creek but only talked on VHF. We spent a great couple of days sharing a few drinks in the evening with Martin, Sue, and Sue’s brother in-law. Explored the beach. And to Anne's OCD pleasures were able to inspect the anchor! The water was great. You laugh but we were woken the other night with a large catamaran dragging it's anchor and getting very close! Even had a swim. A brief digression – Anne is asleep again and it's only 9 pm. She falls asleep most evenings, must be my company!! Keppel had a well known resort but this closed about 18 months ago. The resort was around the corner and the way it is tucked behind the beach you hardly notice it from the sea. Still a very pretty island, but despite the shelter from the wind, the swell at anchor....
After 2 nights at Keppel it was off again at first light. Another days sail to Pearl Bay on the mainland, just south of Shoalhaven a military training area. Yet another good sail with this persisting southeasterly and its accompanying swell. Going down wind we maintain a good speed of 8-10 knots. We reached a maximum of 12 knots surfing down a wave! A beautiful bay which appeared very calm! However with the change in tide later it became very rolly! Anne took some great sunset photographs. We didn't go to the beach as much to our surprise this area has crocodiles and tiger sharks!
The next day saw the routine of waking at 530am and raising the anchor at 0615am. We set off for Middle Percy Island some 40 nautical miles away. The persisting SE winds of 15-25 knots meant good progress and we arrived early afternoon. The ritual of inflating the tender and launching followed. Percy Island has an interesting history that more recently involved the courts and the legitimacy of the lease. An inscrutable Englishmen had obtained the lease from a mentally ill elderly man. You will see a fair number of photos in our picasa album [see link]. The islands main beach has an A frame with lots of memorabilia from previous visitors. One is encouraged to leave your mark!
The next day was a day sail to Curlew Island, and then onward to Mackay.. I will leave the story about our arrival in Mackay to Anne!
We are presently in Mackay marina and as things have it we are watching a documentary on fishing trawlermen. Whilst the AIS identifies all the large ships well, unfortunately not the same can be said for numerous fishing boats. So one has to keep a keen eye on their lights and movement.
Pancake Creek marked the start of day sailing, no overnight passages for a while; I hear a thankful sigh from Anne! Onward to Great Keppel Island. A good days sail with the SE wind behind us, making 8+ knots most of the time. Just as we came to anchor having come around the eastern side of the Island we noticed a catamaran coming towards us tripping off the AIS! Must be our friends in their Perry 43 who have the enhanced AIS with transponder! We had actually seen them in Pancake Creek but only talked on VHF. We spent a great couple of days sharing a few drinks in the evening with Martin, Sue, and Sue’s brother in-law. Explored the beach. And to Anne's OCD pleasures were able to inspect the anchor! The water was great. You laugh but we were woken the other night with a large catamaran dragging it's anchor and getting very close! Even had a swim. A brief digression – Anne is asleep again and it's only 9 pm. She falls asleep most evenings, must be my company!! Keppel had a well known resort but this closed about 18 months ago. The resort was around the corner and the way it is tucked behind the beach you hardly notice it from the sea. Still a very pretty island, but despite the shelter from the wind, the swell at anchor....
After 2 nights at Keppel it was off again at first light. Another days sail to Pearl Bay on the mainland, just south of Shoalhaven a military training area. Yet another good sail with this persisting southeasterly and its accompanying swell. Going down wind we maintain a good speed of 8-10 knots. We reached a maximum of 12 knots surfing down a wave! A beautiful bay which appeared very calm! However with the change in tide later it became very rolly! Anne took some great sunset photographs. We didn't go to the beach as much to our surprise this area has crocodiles and tiger sharks!
The next day saw the routine of waking at 530am and raising the anchor at 0615am. We set off for Middle Percy Island some 40 nautical miles away. The persisting SE winds of 15-25 knots meant good progress and we arrived early afternoon. The ritual of inflating the tender and launching followed. Percy Island has an interesting history that more recently involved the courts and the legitimacy of the lease. An inscrutable Englishmen had obtained the lease from a mentally ill elderly man. You will see a fair number of photos in our picasa album [see link]. The islands main beach has an A frame with lots of memorabilia from previous visitors. One is encouraged to leave your mark!
The next day was a day sail to Curlew Island, and then onward to Mackay.. I will leave the story about our arrival in Mackay to Anne!
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
News from Roger!
Well, I am being hassled for a contribution! A little anxious about my readers review of the spelling and grammar might have something to do with it!
We are safely anchored in Pancake Creek just north of 1770 on the Curtis Coast. Had a lazy day catching up on sleep and generally relaxing. It is a very pleasant spot and considering the strong winds outside very calm, even with the wind whistling through the rigging.
The overnight passage up from Mooloolaba started in 10 knots, but we have found those early morning winds no indication of what is to follow! To be fair we have great information at our fingertips with the Internet weather websites, and failing that the radio broadcasts. Even Anne is becoming an avid reader of the BOM websites!! Back to the overnight passage. We had planned to go to the Great Barrier Reef island of Lady Musgrave, that would involve a long hike up the coast leaving Fraser Island to port. With fresh winds averaging 20 knots we made good progress, but once past Breaksea Spit, an impressive extension of Fraser, the rain and squalls made progress less enjoyable. The yacht manged well, with 2 reefs in the main and partially furled jib we romped along with the wind from behind at 8-10 knots. As we passed Lady Elliot Island the weather didn't look appealing for a reef lagoon of LMI! Not to mention the full cloud cover, reduced visibility, and strong wind that made even I see sense and admit to a change in plans and sail past LM. The impressive waterspout and dark clouds caused concern but fortunately it passed by with no drama. The yacht has certainly been washed well with fresh and salt water since leaving the drought ridden Victoria!
We arrived here just before dusk only to find the buoys ahead of us not on the charts or in the bible of cruising - Alan Curtis! A letter to the author, and Navionics I think! We avoided grounding somehow.
I still can't get Anne to sleep on the overnight passages, she obviously doesn't trust me or the yacht! But there often isn't much room in our bunk with her friends!! Pillows, cushions and more pillows!! Domestic drama today with the fridge not working. Joel came to our rescue with the correct diagnosis of doggy connection! A little of wiggling and we have refrigeration again!
Tomorrow the forecast is for 20-25 again from behind, great! Anne was hoping for those light green areas on the wind charts! Still she is bearing up well scrambling around the foredeck in all weather with yes me given helpful instructions! We have certainly had varied sailing from 5 metre swells and waves on top to flat calm seas and the sound of the engine! Yes sometimes it has been perfect, we sailors are difficult to please!
Another technical failure, I was going to insert some photos but can't. Go to the picassa link if you are interested. That seems a good place to finish my ramblings. Tomorrow a days sail to Keppel Islands.
We are safely anchored in Pancake Creek just north of 1770 on the Curtis Coast. Had a lazy day catching up on sleep and generally relaxing. It is a very pleasant spot and considering the strong winds outside very calm, even with the wind whistling through the rigging.
The overnight passage up from Mooloolaba started in 10 knots, but we have found those early morning winds no indication of what is to follow! To be fair we have great information at our fingertips with the Internet weather websites, and failing that the radio broadcasts. Even Anne is becoming an avid reader of the BOM websites!! Back to the overnight passage. We had planned to go to the Great Barrier Reef island of Lady Musgrave, that would involve a long hike up the coast leaving Fraser Island to port. With fresh winds averaging 20 knots we made good progress, but once past Breaksea Spit, an impressive extension of Fraser, the rain and squalls made progress less enjoyable. The yacht manged well, with 2 reefs in the main and partially furled jib we romped along with the wind from behind at 8-10 knots. As we passed Lady Elliot Island the weather didn't look appealing for a reef lagoon of LMI! Not to mention the full cloud cover, reduced visibility, and strong wind that made even I see sense and admit to a change in plans and sail past LM. The impressive waterspout and dark clouds caused concern but fortunately it passed by with no drama. The yacht has certainly been washed well with fresh and salt water since leaving the drought ridden Victoria!
We arrived here just before dusk only to find the buoys ahead of us not on the charts or in the bible of cruising - Alan Curtis! A letter to the author, and Navionics I think! We avoided grounding somehow.
I still can't get Anne to sleep on the overnight passages, she obviously doesn't trust me or the yacht! But there often isn't much room in our bunk with her friends!! Pillows, cushions and more pillows!! Domestic drama today with the fridge not working. Joel came to our rescue with the correct diagnosis of doggy connection! A little of wiggling and we have refrigeration again!
Tomorrow the forecast is for 20-25 again from behind, great! Anne was hoping for those light green areas on the wind charts! Still she is bearing up well scrambling around the foredeck in all weather with yes me given helpful instructions! We have certainly had varied sailing from 5 metre swells and waves on top to flat calm seas and the sound of the engine! Yes sometimes it has been perfect, we sailors are difficult to please!
Another technical failure, I was going to insert some photos but can't. Go to the picassa link if you are interested. That seems a good place to finish my ramblings. Tomorrow a days sail to Keppel Islands.
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