Back to East Coast Marina after our trip to the States.

I have to go back a little bit as I have not posted pictures since the States' pictures. Any way we got back to

East Coat Marina on April  17th and started to get the boat ready to head out  on our next leg of our journey, heading towards Indonesia. But first our friends Bruce and Marcelle took us on a little trip by ferry boat to a place called Scrabrook. It was a lovely outing. We did more work and and a gathering with friends before leaving on May 20th.

After this beautiful sunset we headed back to Eat Coast Marina and back to work.

The day before we left East Coast Marina we were invited to some friends yacht for a farewell gathering. 

Bruce fixing our wind generator.

AIRLIE BEACH TO CAIRNS, AU

June 19-28, 2014

The sailing distance from Airlie Beach to Cairns is about 315 nm.  Usually, we try to do this with day hops of 40 nm and avoid over night sailing.  If the winds are so light that we aren't able to accomplish this, I have no problem with over night sails in this part of the Great Barrier Ree system.  It's still wide enough to safely avoid the many islands and reefs.  Electronic charts and good GPS make it relatively easy.

We departed Airlie Beach on 19 June 2014 at 0830 hrs enroute to Cairns.  Our first stop was at Bowen (20-01.0' S x 148-15' E)  which is 35 nm north of Airlie.  We were able to get a pile mooring for two days and went out exploring the small town of 10,600 people.  Not a whole lot there but is most famous a the movie set for "Australia" which starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.  We haven't seen the movie but have it on our list.  Bowen was a cattle town and has very wide streets where the herds were driven into pens and auctioned.  I think this is shown in the movie.  Additionally, it supports seafood, mining and  horticulture.  There was a great restaurant serving meat pies and pastries.  The other unique feature of the town is the 26 hand painted murals on various walls depicting the diverse history of Bowen from the town's early settlement to present day.  There was a good historical museum with lots of artifacts and memorabilia from the area.  Other than that, nothing outstanding.

Bowen was hosting an international  power boat show on Saturday June 21st: these are the "cigar boats that go 200 km per hr and make an ungodly sound that is deafening.  We got out of there at 0630 hrs before the event started and set sail for Cape Upstart (19-42.6' N x 147-45.1' E) which is 40 nm further North.  This turned out to be a very pretty anchorage with mountains and a few houses (mostly rustic type campsites for fishermen).  It was a peaceful setting.  Many of these anchorages with mountains generate "bullets" of wind which are unsettling;  not so at Cape Upstart.

On June 22nd, we weighed anchor at 0715 hrs and got underway for Magnetic Island: 30 nm North.  the wind was light and fickle from the SE at less than 10 kts and eventually died out.  By 1300 hrs there was no wind but a SE'ly swell so I started the engine and and motored along until 1524 hrs when the wind came back up and we set sail once again.  Our progress had been so slow that we decided to over-night it with what wind we had and passed Magnetic Is by for Great Palm Is about 35 nm further NW.  During this time of light SE'ly winds we used mostly the head sail since the winds were just off either the Port or STbd. Qtr.  Unless we ran out the mainsail on on side and the jib on the other (Wing and Wing) the mainsail would blanket the jib and rob it of the little wind there was.  Additionally, with very light winds and a good swell running, the swell rolls the wind out of the mainsail and causes it to slat back and forth.  This is hard on the sail and my nerves!  Decent wind came up after we cleared the wind shadow of Magnetic Is and we sailed along and dropped anchor in Casement Bay, Great Palm Is (18-44.2' S x 146-33.8' E) at 0930 hrs on June 23rd.  This island is an aboriginal settlement.  We are starting to see several of these remote areas that were "given" to the aborigines to get them out of the way.  Basically, the same thing we have done to the Native Americans.  They have the same alcohol, drug and crime problems that are encountered in our own Native Americans: a way of life, religion and raison d'etre have been destroyed.

We haven't had time to launch the dinghy and explore these islands and villages so we anchor, hope for wind and continue on.  On June 24th, we weighed anchor at 0800 hrs and set sail Lucinda and Hinchinbrook Is.: 30 nm to the NW.   The port of Lucinda has one of the world's longest jetties jutting out over 3 miles with a sugar loading facility on its end.  This is sugar country as  ismuch of the Queensland coast.  It's shallow with many shoals.  The jetty solves this problem for ships but for a yacht entering the southern end, one has to wait for a tide complementary to the LWS (Low Water Springs) of 4'ft.  In our case, we draw 6' so we need a tide of at least 2' plus any swell running.  I chose to wait on another 4' before entering so we lay ahull for several hours off the sugar jetty and waited.

We started into Port Lucinda at 1615 hrs and entered Hinchinbrook Channel 1700 hrs.  We had 8 nm to go to our chosen anchorage at Reis-Haycock Is (18-28.1' S x 146-13.2' E).  With a rising tide and very strong current we zipped along at 8 kts and anchored at 1800 hrs.  The Hinchinbrook Channel is spectacularly beautiful.  It has the mountain range of the mainland to the West and its own mountain range on the East.  Hinchinbrook is a National Park and World Heritage Site.  There are few places to land a dinghy but many creeks to anchor in and enjoy the absolute silence and beauty of pristine wilderness.  There are mosquitoes so burning coils and 12V Zappers are helpful.  We believe that Gary's Anchorage in the Great Sandy Straits and Hinchinbrook Is. are the two most memorable and beautiful places we have see so far in Australia.  Most of the Great Barrier Reef consists of scrub land and mountains with a smattering of beaches: not my idea of South Pacific Tropical Paradise.  We've seen the best and the GBR is second rate in landscape but pristine in reefs.

The next stop after Hinchinbrook Is was Dunk Is. (17-56' S x 146-08.0' E) about 35 nm NW.  Once again we were given light winds and then becalmed.  We had to motor several hours to make the anchorage before nightfall.  We dropped anchor at 1500 hrs on June 25th.  Dunk Is was once a gathering point for many artisans and a rendezvous point for yachts travelling North.  There was a small resort and walking trails.  In 2011, a cyclone hit the island dead-on and destroyed the resort and artists gallery.  Today, there is only the jetty remaining but the future will bring renewed development.  It's a pretty island and we went over to the beach for "sundowners" with a few cruising friends from "Gypsy Rover".

The following morning we weighed anchor at 0730 and proceeded to sail to Mourilyan Harbor (17-36.2' S x 146-07.4' E) which was only 20 nm away.  We had a beautiful wind out of the SW at 15 kts and smooth seas.  It was a very pleasant sail but too short!  Ah!! the inherent ingratitude of mankind!!

On June 26th at 0730 hrs we weighed anchor for Fitzroy Is. (16-55.7' S x 145-59.3' E) about 45 nm distant.  Another good day of sailing with SE'ly winds 15-20 kts.   We were able to sail along under headsail at 5.5 kts for most of the way.  We dropped anchor at 1615 hrs on the Northern side of Fitzroy Is.  It's an anchorage that is swell prone and rolly.  In a developed Trade Wind it would be marginal at best.

Fitzroy Is is only 15 nm from Cairns.  Our original plan was to anchor in Mission Bay, which is another aboriginal settlement, for the night and make Cairns the following day.  When we got to Mission Bay, there was no wind and the place looked uninviting so we decided to continue on to Marlin Marina in Cairns.  This will be the rendezvous point for the Sail2Indonesia Rally.  Our first meeting will be on Tuesday July 1st.  We will be here until July 8th and then depart for Thursday Is:  400 nm further North for the check out to Saumlaki, Indonesia:  600 nm from Thursday Is.

First impressions of Cairns are that is it a beautiful place with a significant SE Asian population.  It has everything a cruiser or tourist could imagine or want.  Beautiful broad maritime walkways and parks.  Fresh fruit and vegetable farmer's markets along with every imaginable ethnic restaurant.  It is a bustling center for helicopter flights to the GBR and resort islands, cruise boats, para-sailing and every other kind of water sport.  The only thing it lacks are beaches:  mud flats out to 1/2 mile at low tide, however, to the North or South one finds beautiful beaches.

This will be the last great place for "grubbing-up" for the trip to Indonesia.  I believe we will have "duty free" at Thursday Is.

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND TO AIRLIE BEACH

June 1-17, 2014

The northern anchorage at Leeks Beach on Great Keppel Is (23-09.9' S x 150-56.7' E) turned out to be quite rolly so after  a few days we decided to weigh anchor and move over to Rosslyn Bay marina which is about 10nm from the anchorage.  It turned out to be a good choice and we were able to do some shopping in the small town of Yeppoon which is a bus or taxi ride a few miles north of the marina.  Rosslyn Bay has become the epicenter of tourist activity for the Keppel Bay islands.  We stayed only one day but grubbed up for the trip north.

June 2, 2014
Departed the marina for Middle Percy Is (21-39.2' S x 150-14.6' E) which is 110 nm to the north.  As with a good part of the trip from Brisbane, we had light wind and no wind.  We took  in all sails and sat becalmed for many hours waiting for a puff here or there: set sail - drop sail - set sail again.  It wasn't until late in the evening of  June 3rd after rounding High Peak Is Lt. Ho (21.53.3' S x 150-34.4' E) that we, finally, got some wind from the SE.  This carried us to Middle Percy Is and we dropped anchor in West Bay of Middle Percy at 0700 hrs on June 4th.  With all the light winds, West Bay had no developed swell so it was enjoyable being at anchor there.  In  developed Trade Winds, the rolling can be abominable, however, such is the beauty and fame of West Bay that it is seen as an obligatory stop for most cruisers heading north.  Ashore, there is a large 'A' frame shelter where cruisers can can congregate and exchange stories of their travels.  In this 'A' frame, cruisers have been hanging their their names and mementos for over sixty years.  We left an old Pentax 1000 camera on a strap hanging there.  Phyllis will have some pictures when she can post again.  Middle Percy wa grazed by sheep for many decades.  One  can see that some of the families lived there in isolation for over forty years.  Today, there are no longer any sheep being grazed but the present lessees have twenty-five colonies of bees and sell honey and lime juice out of the "A' frame on an honor system with an "honesty box" in the building.  The honey is delicious! The lime juice strong!

On June 6th at 0712 hrs, we weighed anchor and set sail for Scawfell Island (20-51.6' S x 149-36.0' E) which is about 60 nm to the NW of Middle Percy Is.  We had a good SE'ly wind at 15-20 kts and managed to make the 60 nm in twelve hours under jib only. Dropped anchor in Refuge Bay, Scawfell Is at 1900 hrs.  As the Trade Winds were becoming more developed, there are "bullets" of wind that descend down the mountainous terrain.  I believe these are katabatic winds that develop as the SE Trade Wind hits the windward side of the mountains and then rushes over the top and spills down the gullies or valleys.  They pack quite a whollop and you can here them coming like a freight train.

On June 7th at 0830 hrs we weighed anchor from Scawfell Is to Airlie Beach (20-16.0' S x 148-42.6' E) via Shaw Island (20-30.1' S x 149-03.1' E).  The total distance is about 60 nm but we decided to anchor at Shaw Is for the evening and wait out a "strong wind" warning from the Aussie Met Service. High Pressure systems that develop in the "bight" of the southern part of Australia form a ridge of high pressure over the Queensland coast over which the Trade Winds develop and blow.  The stronger the High Pressure system, the stronger the Trade Winds: 25-30 kts is not unusual.  If, perchance, a Low Pressure system develops in the western Coral Sea (around Papua, New Guinea), the Trade Winds will become "enhanced" and blow 35+ kts with stronger gusts.  This is a good time to seek a safe anchorage or marina.  That is exactly what happened while we were at SE tip of the Shaw Is anchorage.  From June 7th to June 12th we sat out the strongest winds we have experienced to date.  Gusts to 50 kts hit the boat in waves and during one squall I had to go out and tether the wind generator and solar panels lest they become unshipped and blown away!  I had 190' of chain out in 30' of water depth with a 30' nylon snubber to take the shock loading on the chain and I was amazed that we held fast during those four days.  It was an anxious time and unnerving to sit through that howling wind.  Squall after rain squall hit the boat for four days.  Finally, on June 12th, we weighed anchor at 0918 hrs and set sail for Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach (20-16.0' S x 148-42.6' E) about 30 nm from Shaw Is.  Still had a good SE'ly at 20-25 kts and 7' seas but we were running downwind with a favorable current so the sailing was pleasant.  We were all fast at  Airlie Beach at 1430 hrs.

Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach was one of the designated muster points for the SAil2Indonesia Rally.  Due to bad weather in Opua, NZ which lasted for three weeks, the Airlie Beach muster point was changed to Cairns which is another 315 nm north.  We will be setting sail from Airlie Beach to Cairns on Thursday June 19th.  We have to muster at Cairns by July 1st to take care of all the bureaucratic formalities associated with the Indonesian government.

Sailing up the Queensland Coast is made safe with Wx reports from dedicated Coast Guard stations and Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR's) organizations which are stationed all along the coast.  A cruiser can log in with them and they transfer you from one organization to another as you move out of VHF radio coverage from one area to another.  These VMR's are dedicated people that will help in anyway possible.  It is a far more efficient system that anything we have experienced so far.

Abell Point Marina has exceeded all expectations in terms of friendliness, cut-rate prices and berthing.  They were planning on the whole fleet of Sail2Indonesa being here but only 8 boats showed up - all the rest going to Cairns.  They have given us super yacht berths and hosted a night of free drinks at the Barcelona Tapas Bar.  It doesn't get any better than that!

As we move north, the Trade Winds will become more established and stronger.  Thursday Is, at the northern end of our Australian trip up through the Great Barrier Reef, has some of the strongest Trade Winds in the world!  That will be our check out point for Saumlaki, Indonesia: 640 nm from Thursday Is.  This should happen on July 23rd.

PANCAKE CREEK TO GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND

May 26-31,2014

We have had very light winds on our trip North.  We anchored in Pancake Creek (24-00.6' S x 151-44.2' E) at 1230 hrs.  We had just enough wind at the right angle to sail into the anchorage.  It is a beautiful place and quite isolated with only a few make-shift fishermans' tents on the beach.  We were able to watch them set out nets and bring them in as has been done for thousands of years.  Just small schools of fish but they must have a market value.  I like to see traditional fishing where no big environmental impact is done.

We stayed in Pancake Creek for two days while the Trade Winds settled down and then took off on Wednesday May 28th at 1200 hrs for Great Keppel Island which is 70 nm to the Northwest.  The winds were light from the E-SE and eventually veered into the SW during the late evening.  By 1800 hrs we were becalmed just North of Gladstone's big ship anchorages so we took in the jib and lay hove-to waiting on wind.

May 29th - still waiting on wind which, finally, came along at 0300 hrs in the morning out of the SE at 5 kts; not much but enough to make way at about 2.5 kts.  The tidal currents in this area set South on the Flood and North on the Ebb at about 1.0 kt.  Winds continued light and seas at lest than 2' so sailing was pleasant.  The wind was forecast to increase later in the evening so we continued on to Great Keppel Island and made a nightfall landing at Leeke's Beach on the Northern part of the island.  The anchorage is quite rolly and not comfortable but the Trades are blowing 20-25 and sending a swell around the headland which has us bouncing around.  On Sunday, the forecast is for them to diminish and we'll sail over to Rosslyn Bay Marina and see if we can buy a few groceries.  The only thing we could use will be green vegetables and fruit.  The big problem in Australia is that the marinas have a requirement that yachts carry a 10 million dollar third party insurance policy.  If you don't have it, they may not let you stay there.  I tried to get this in Manly, AU but was told that only Australian  registered boats were accepted.  Fortunately, East Coast Marina never asked me for it.  We''' see what happens at Great Keppel Marina in Rosslyn Bay which is only about 8 nm from where we are anchored.  Our first muster point is at Abel Point Marina in Airlie Beach and they have agreed to wave the 10 mil insurance and cover it themselves.

So much for now.

GOING NORTH - UP THE QUEENSLAND EAST COAST

May 20-28, 2014

We left our berth at East Coast Marina in Manly, AU at 1000 hrs on Tuesday May 20th for Abell Point Marina located at Airlie Beach - 650 nm North.  The wind was light from the SE at less that 10 kts but we were able to sail slowly out of Moreton Bay.  By 1330 hrs the wind has petered out so we had to start motoring.  The Ship channel leading into Brisbane is over 30 nm and winds its way around many shoals.  The flood and ebb tides run quite strongly - 3-4 kts in places.  It's important to use them to advantage.  The flood sets south and the ebb goes north.  Since we're going North, we used the ebb to advantage.

Our first destination was The Great Sandy Strait with an entrance at Wide Bay Bar.  It's about 80 nm up the Coral Coast and offers a calm-water passage of Fraser Island rather than the sea passage outside.  Wide Bay Bar (28-48.5' S x 153-07.7' E) is called the "Mad Mile" because it has sand shoals on both sides of the entrance channel that has waves constantly breaking over them.  There is a direction light and leads but a flood tide should be used to cut down on  the turbulence.  It's quite disconcerting to be navigating through the entrance with big waves crashing all around.  The way we navigate these restricted channels is that Phyllis is at the helm and I am using a navigational charting program, charts and eyeball to confirm that we are in the channel.  I give the helm orders to Phyllis:  She is becoming a very good helmswoman.  We have added a new navigational program on our Ipad so that she can see everything unfolding at the helm and I have the main laptop with another navigational program running below.  This seems to work out fine as we have wiggled through many narrow places.

Once inside the Great Sandy Strait, there are many places to anchor in perfectly calm and protected conditions.  We chose "Gray's Anchorage"  (25-37.9' S x 152-58.3' E) as out first night's stop.  In order to exit the Great Sandy Strait into Hervey Bay in the North, a flood tide has to be used that is a little more than the draft of the boat.  Our draft is 6' so we look for at least 7' of underwater clearance.  The flood tide for the day was at 1630 hrs with 8.5 ft over Boonlye Pt - the shallowest part of the strait.  We departed Gary's Anchorage at 1345 and slowly motored the 8 miles to Boonlye point.  In Australia, many of the river bars have to be negotiated using tides as there just issn't enough water to get over them.  Once over the bar there is enough water to accommodate the draft. There are some river bars that dry out at Spring Tides so timing the Tides is crucial to getting over them.

Anyway, after crossing over Boonlye Pt and Sheridan Flats, we found a snug anchorage at White Sand Cliffs (25-31.7' S x 152-57.9' E).  Most of these anchorages are quite scenic and offer the possibility to explore creeks and places ashore.  Fraser's Island is the largest sandy island in the world but is heavily forested.  It is a World Heritage Site and very beautiful along the western shore.  One could spend weeks exploring all that is offered by the National Park Service.  Our goal was to continue north so we weighed anchor the following morning and headed for Bundaberg (24-45.4' S x 152-29.0' E) which is about 30 nm north of the Fairway Buoy at the northern entrance of the Great Sandy Strait.  We had motored quite a bit so I wanted to top up on fuel and water.  Bundaberg is a major port on the Coral Coast and is famous for its rum.  It is an area where sugar cane is king so vessels from other parts of the South Pacific call to load sugar and rum.  Disgracefully, in the not too distant past, it used "blackbirding" and slavery to work the cane fields.  South Pacific Islanders were enticed and kidnapped from their villages and taken to the Queesland Coast to perform those tasks which enriched their white masters.  The Queenslanders were a ruthless lot and looked upon the aborigines and darker skinned peoples as less than human.  The "white only" Australian policy persisted right up into the 1970's.  Looking at the racial makeup of Australia today, it hard to believe how quickly that was reversed once the doors were opened to SE Asian and Pacific Island immigration.

Bundaberg was a quick stop.  We fueled and took on water and left within an hour.  Our next destination was Pancake Creek (24-00.6' S x 151-44.2' E) about 60 nm North of Bundaberg.  We arrived on Monday May 26th and dropped anchor at 1230 hrs in a very lovely creek that is sheltered from the prevailing E-SE winds.  I am composing this as we sit here on anchor.  We will sail today for either Hummocky Is (23-24.0' S x 151-09.4' E) or Great Keppel Island (23-09.8' S x 150-57.1' E).  The islands are part of the Capricorn Group and we are now beginning to enter the Great Barrier Reef System which continues another 800 nm up the coast to Thursday Is.  Hummocky is about 48 nm from us and Great Keppel Reef some 67 nm.  We will make another overnight sail and choose one or the other.  After this, most of the sailing will be done during the day and anchoring at night.  Our goal is to be at Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach (20-15.8' S x 148-42.7' E) by June 10th.  We have plenty of time to visit many of the islands in the Great Barrier Reef before getting there.  Will update as time and internet availability allow.

Back to the States

Here are pictures of our children and family.

Christmas day we drove to Asheville NC to visit our other daughters Misty and Tiffany. Unfortunately Tiffany was working so she is not in this picture. We have the two sisters, Misty , Samantha and Parker, waiting to be seated at the restaurant.

Father and daughter.

This is the Ouellette family in visiting our brother Val.

Every year in March they get together and treat Val to Chicken stew and ployes a french pancake which Maureen makes ahead. It  is the biggest treat for Val. So here Maureen is serving up the stew. then we all get to visit and reminisce.

Then of to Nashville, TN for our oldest daughter Samantha's graduation for her Masters. What a proud moment for all her  hard work , working full time and full time mom. 

Proud parents.

Mom with her two children, Parker  4 and Payton 9.

Payton.

Parker

Aunt Misty and Payton

Aunt Tiffany and Payton

Memere Phyllis, grand daughter Payton, and  daughter Misty.

Tiffany and Misty.

It was great being all together with the girls and grand kids for  Sam's graduation.

BACK IN AUSTRAILIA

May 15, 2014

"Nanaste" to our family, friends and sailing acquaintances, some of which have, indeed, become very good friends.  In a book co-authored by Peter Mathiessen titled "Lo Mothang". he gives a beautiful translation of the Hindu word "Nanaste" as follows:  "I honor the place in you that is light-filled and universal, where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us."

We left Manly, AU  for the USA on December 7th and returned on April 17th.  We would have liked to visit more family and friends, however, on our annual pilgrimage to Ocean Springs, MS for medical, dental and and eye check ups, it was discovered that Phyllis had developed a "macular hole" in her left eye.  The retinal specialist recommended a surgical procedure that gave us no choice to continue traveling  until that was successfully completed.  During the operation, the cataract that was on the eye worsened which required another surgical procedure.  All this limited our time and mobility to visit those of you that we had so wanted to see.  In the end, Phyllis is doing fine and is able to see as well as can be expected.  There was a time during all this when I thought I was going to have to return to Australia alone and take "Solstice" single-handed to northern Queensland.

On April 20th, we motored out to "Little Sands" in Moreton Bay.  There was no wind and the bay was very calm.  We anchored overnight off a beautiful beach and did some exploring the following day with our friends Bruce and Marcelle from "Adventure Bound".  Later in the afternoon on the folloing day, we returned to our berth at East Coast Marina in Manly, AU.  It was a good shake-down trip and everything was working perfectly.

This will be a an intensive cruising season.  We will leave East Coast Marina on May 20th and sail north to Airlie Beach on the north Queensland Coast to meet up with the Sail2Indonesia Rally that will arrive there on June 14th.  We have not sailed with a group before but this one  offers so many perks in the Indonesian theater that it was difficult not to do it.  The plan is to sail to Thursday Is off the York peninsula and check out there for Saumlaki, Indonesia on July 23rd.  A lot depends on weather and unexpected delays.  We will be sailing up the Indonesian archipelago for almost four months.  Check out date for Singapore is November 27.  Once in Singapore, we will continue on to Western Malaysia and Thailand.  We should arrive in Phuket, Thailand at the beginning of next year.  Once in Thailand,we'll have a lot of work to do to get the boat ready for the most challenging part of this circumnavigation - South Africa.

I will make a good effort to update the blog as we move along but much depends on the internet connections that are available.  For the immediate future, once we depart Manly, AU we'll sail north to Wide Bay and the Great Sandy Strait - 110 nm.  From there we'll continue on to Bundburg, AU and the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef.  All navigation will be on the inside of the reef.  The further north one goes, the narrower it gets and more reefs appear.  They are well marked but most sailing is done during the day with anchoring at night.  I have made a thorough study of the area and am looking forward to seeing all that I have read about.

The SE Trade Winds are  becoming well established.  The further north we go the stronger they become but the Great Barrier Reef cuts down the swell and seas.