Category Archives: Port posts
Sue’s Birthday in Mackay
The chartplotter as we approached Mackay
We sailed overnight from South Percy Island to Mackay arriving on Wednesday 1st May. Our friends Jackie and Gary on Inspiration Lady did the same. We arrived off of Mackay in the early morning to find lots of ships anchored in the approach. This is what the chartplotter looked like. Each of the grey arrows represents a ship and Camomile is the black arrow in the top right hand side of the photo.
Some of the ships at anchor
Mackay is a big coal mining area and we assumed these ships were waiting to be loaded. Our main reason for coming to Mackay was to meet up with our cruising friends Norman and Sara on Norsa. They have been in the UK working for 7 months but they were now back in Australia and we plan to cruise together up the Australian coast. It was great to arrive in the marina and see them standing there waiting for us.
Mini birthday cakes
The next day was my birthday and I started the day with coffee in the hotel alongside the marina. I’ve been really good recently about eating cakes and other fattening things but as it was my birthday Bill bought me 2 little cakes with my morning coffee as a treat – mmmmm.
Sue, Sara, Norman, Gary and Jackie on Camomile
That evening Norman and Sara and Gary and Jackie joined us on Camomile for a celebration drink, then we all went to the Thai restaurant on the marina boardwalk for a delicious meal – another lovely treat.
Sue, Jackie, Bill, Gary, Norman and Sara
April Update in the Southern Barrier Reef
Just a quick blog to post some photos of how we finished April.
Day tripper boat moored next to pontoon
Finally got away from Fraser island 19th April and headed for Lady Musgrave island, our first island in the Barrier reef. It’s an atoll with a little island in the middle surrounded by beautiful turquoise water and coral heads. Unfortunately it’s been commercialised with a permanently moored pontoon in the middle of the lagoon next to a large coral reef. Every morning at about 10.00 a catamaran carrying 100 +/- people arrived to moor up to the pontoon giving it the appearance of something out of the film Waterworld. The surrounding water filled with swimmers very quickly, some of them standing on the coral; an absolute no-no.
Too many footprints
Beautiful sunset over ‘Waterworld’
We landed on the island and walked across the beach but it had far too many foot prints for our liking. Fortunately the day trippers left at 3pm leaving the lagoon in peace and enabling us to go snorkelling. There were some nice fish and a fair bit of coral but nothing to compare with Fiji yet.
Anchored among the sandbars
Monday 22nd found us in Pancake Creek, a lovely little spot tucked up inside the creek. At low tide we were surrounded by sandbars, which was good because we sat out a blow there.
Amazing views
On the 23rd we landed on the beach with Jack and Zdenka off of ‘Kite’ for a walk to the lighthouse. We had a wonderful walk to the top and down the other side to the beach for our picnic. The views from the top were outstanding.
Looking south
We are anchored in the creek in the background
Misplaced buoy on the beach on the other side
Walking back up the hill
The lighthouse
The lighthouse had been lovingly restored and we enjoyed chatting to the old caretaker who still lives next to the lighthouse, although it’s now fully manned. It seems there used to be quite a community up there in the 1800s.
The little cemetery still contained some old graves which are now protected by pretty picket fencing.
One of the beautifully kept graves
Bill and Sue on the beach
Back on the beach – but it’s windy again!
The sandflies aren’t going to get me
We left Pancake Creek late on the 24th for a night sail to Great Keppel Island. During the night we passed Cape Capricorn, which is situated just above the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn. Which means we are back in the tropics where we’ll stay, apart from our trip back to the UK by plane at the end of the year, for the next 2½ years. The next day we landed on the beach for another walk. Great Keppel is known for it’s sandflies, not wanting to be bitten again I arrived prepared.
Each spear head had as many as a dozen butterflies on each one
We had a lovely walk. The island has lots of butterflies attracted by the long spear-like plants. It was magical walking among them, I haven’t seen so many butterflies in one place before.
Eating our picnic looking out to sea
We continued up through the bush onto the ridge of the island and continued right along to the lighthouse, where we sat and ate our picnic on the edge of the helipad.
Look for the little newborn goat in the foreground
On the other side of the helipad were some goats and if you look closely at this photo you can see a little white one in the foreground which had been born that morning. It was wobbly but seemed well.
This stone said ‘Rest your legs, dream a while’
Wonderful views
On the way back to the boat we found this little resting place overlooking one of the bays. The chairs had been painted to blend in with the surroundings and cemented in place so that some joker couldn’t through them over the cliff. It was a beautiful spot.
Inspiration Lady
Sunday 28th saw us sailing to Island Head creek alongside our Canadian friends Jackie and Gary on Inspiration Lady. Jackie and Gary had stayed with us on Camomile in Sydney for Christmas while Inspiration Lady had stayed in Brisbane. They were now joining the great exodus heading north for the Indonesian rally in July. It was nice to have some company.
Bill on the helm
After an overnight in Island Head creek we sailed to the Percy islands the next day. Jackie and Gary went to Blunt bay and we anchored off of South Percy. It was very remote, even though it’s only about 40 miles from the mainland, and very very dark in the evening.
Camomile waiting in the bay
The next day we went for yet another walk (the islands are quite small and each one has different features). South Percy was totally uninhabited so there weren’t any tracks to follow. The grass was only ankle deep but spiders and snakes kept running through my thoughts. We reached the top of the hill to be rewarded with a wonderful view across the bay and Camomile sitting in the middle waiting for us.
View down the other side
Looking down the other side there were some delightful little bays but they were exposed to the strong winds.
Red soil of the landslip
The soil had some great shapes in it
Through the middle of the island there had been some sort of land slide exposing the rich red soil underneath.
Sand art created by the crabs
We walked back down the hill onto the beach, completely untouched except for the ‘crab art’. The little crabs collect balls of sand as they burrow into it and push it out onto the beach creating amazing pictures which get washed away at high tide. The hole beach was covered in their artistic patterns.
Watching the crabs
Camomile in the bay
We walked right along the beach enjoying the solitude before getting back on board for a night sail to Mackay for my birthday.
Heading north through Mooloolaba and Fraser Island
The entrance to Mooloolaba harbour
The first week in April brought strong winds that delayed our departure from Moreton bay until Saturday 6th April when we were able to sail to Mooloolaba, I love that name. We spent the weekend anchored in the harbour. Monday morning we contacted the marina and got a berth for 2 nights. It was great to use the showers, washing machines, etc. The marina was also close to a huge shopping mall so we were able to restock the boat. Lawries boat services was next door to the marina and after talking to Kieran the manager, we arranged for Camomile to be lifted at 3pm and held in the slings overnight on the Tuesday. While Bill jet washed the hull I scrapped the little barnacles off. Bill scraped and greased the prop and also managed to get a coat of antifoul on the keel. The hull still has the Cuprotec coating, which seems to be holding up although Bill has had to repair it in places. We don’t have any photos because we had to work quickly before it got dark plus it rained most of the time we were out. Kieran arrived at 7.30 in the morning to put us back in the water for our second night in the marina. More rain.
Bill found another tool box
Thursday 11th we went back to anchor out in the harbour to find our friends Dave and Jacqui on Jackster had arrived. It was great to catch up. They were interested in hearing about the storm as Jacqui had been a tower of strength texting me throughout our ‘ordeal’. With more rain falling we took the bus to Maroochydore, another lovely name, for a mooch around the shops and Bill found another big toolbox, this one had a beer fridge!!
Looking down on the beautiful beach from Point cartwright
There were strong winds blowing all week but on Sunday evening it was forecast to drop so, after a fantastic walk along the beach in the afternoon, we motored out of the harbour at 9pm with Raven I and Far Star for an overnight sail to Fraser Island. It was an uneventful passage, we managed a couple of hours sailing before the wind died completely. It’s been such a problem travelling up this coast, there’s too much wind for 6 or 7 days then it drops completely for a day or two before building up again. We have to watch the forecast constantly and as soon as there’s a weather window drop everything and go.
The entrance to the Sandy straights leading to Fraser island has a notorious bar across it called the wide bay bar. To avoid it would mean a 24hr passage at least around Fraser island so we called the VMR to check the condition at 9am. They were reporting rough conditions but no breaking waves so, after taking the entry waypoints from them, decided to cross it. The bar itself was fine, although we had 3 metre waves around us; the worse bit was travelling along the inside of it. As it’s name suggests it’s a wide bar and it’s very important not to cut the corner off and we followed the waypoints the VMR had given us but there were hugh waves breaking across the shallow part of the bar making the passage feel like we were in a washing machine. It took half an hour to reach the calmer water inside when I was able to radio back to Far Star and Raven to let them know what it was like. As they are both single handers they were brave to come over but we all survived and proceeded to motor up the Sandy Straits to Garys Anchorage. There wasn’t a breath of wind there but unfortunately it enabled the dreaded sand flies to fly out to the boat and Bill and I were badly bitten overnight.
The pool at Kingfisher resort
The next day, Tuesday 16th, we motored up the Sandy Straights to Kingfisher resort, a favourite of ours with its yachtie friendly facilities of a pool, shower and nice café that sells delicious lunches. We stayed there for 3 days waiting for the start of the wind to take us north to our first island in the Barrier reef.
Easter among the Tangalooma Wrecks
A bit late but this is the story of our Easter Adventures.
Equinox anchored off of Moreton Island
Good Friday we motored out of the Brisbane river and sailed across Moreton bay, which is about the size of Poole harbour, to Sandy Hills on Moreton Island. Already anchored there were Chris and Cate with their teenage daughters Grace and Sarah in their yacht Equinox. Chris has been our guru on every thing to do with the Australian coast so it was great to be able to follow them around for the weekend and have him show us some nice spots in the bay. We invited them over to Camomile for sundowners.
Steeper than it looks
On the Saturday we dinghyed over to the beach and took a walk over the sand dunes. Moreton Island is largely undeveloped and most of the island is national park with walking trails. It’s hard work walking over the dunes. Drinks on Equinox in the evening.
Easter Sunday, after Lindt bunnies for breakfast, we spent all day sailing south further into Moreton bay where Chris led us into a nice little anchorage off of North Stradbroke Island. In true bank holiday style it started raining, which turned into an evening of thunder and lightening.
Funny garden supply shop
The next morning the rain had stopped and we took the dinghy into the little village of Dunwich on the island. Between the waterfront and the shops was a cemetery of great historical interest, for Dunwich was one of the first settlements in Queensland (then still New South Wales), receiving pine logs that had been floated down the Brisbane river for shipment to Sydney.
How about these gnomes in your garden?
We wandered around the shops and stopped for coffee before heading back to the boat. On the way back we came across this ‘Garden Ornament’ shop displaying this amazing assortment of gnomes, statues and figures for the garden!
Tangalooma Wrecks
We spent the afternoon sailing north back up to Moreton Island but this time we anchored further up by the Tangalooma wrecks.
Camomile anchored next to the wrecks
Sunset over the wrecks
The anchorage was formed by the scuttling of workboats on a sand bank. There are 15 vessels ranging from dredgers to barges. Having been there 50 years they are now just rusty hulks but some coral has formed on them and there was abundant fish life. We spent a couple of day’s there swimming and snorkelling.
Kookaburras sitting on a tree next to the resort (nothing in the resort worth photographing)
A resort has grown up near them, we walked around it but it was the closest thing we have seen to Pontins since leaving the UK. While we were sitting drinking our over priced coffees most people disappeared into the dining room for their full board lunch, which they queued for like school dinners!
Equinox anchored by the wrecks
Chris, Sarah, Grace and Cate wave Goodbye
Tuesday evening we had a combined BBQ on Equinox and said goodbye for the last time. Cate, Chris, Grace and Sarah headed back to the main land the next day. With another goodbye and not knowing whether we’ll ever see them again we said our farewells but we’ve learnt to say ‘never say never’ when you’re sailing. It was great to know you guys.
Hanging around in Brissie
The moorings in front of the Botanical gardens
We got back to Camomile on the 21st March after our little mini break. Several people had advised us it wasn’t a good idea to go north until the end of March because of the threat of cyclones. Having been lashed by the tail of one we had no intention of encountering another so we decided to hang around Brissie for a while. We like Brisbane; Sydney was charming but very expensive and vast whereas Brisbane is an affable place. As the capital of the state of Queensland it has such a get-up-and-go feel about it. Enveloped by the Brisbane river the tall skyscrapers of the CBD sit neatly around some beautiful colonial buildings. Camomile was tied to the pile moorings by the Botanical gardens, which were very convenient and, apart from the wash of the occasional ferry, were very protected. The shopping precincts of the town were only a 10-minute walk away.
The CBD at twilight
The Story bridge lit up
Bill, Sue, Judith and David
While in Brisbane we had special guests to supper. Judith Symonds commodore of the Westerly Owners Association and her husband David were visiting family in Brisbane and we had invited them to join us on Camomile. It was great to catch up. They in turn invited us to dinner at their daughter’s house. We took the ferry there giving us a chance to see the CBD lit up in all its finery.
The sewing machine came out again. When we tied our lovely new dinghy to the dinghy dock on the river it looked very new and shiny and almost had a sign on it saying ‘steal me’. We still had the tonneau cover from the old dinghy, it was very tatty but I set about making a cover out of it to make Rocco look ‘grotty’. We used an old fender sock to cover the outboard, especially the 15hp label, which apparently makes it very desirable.
The old outboard finally goes
We enjoyed time with our friends Gary and Jackie off of the Canadian boat Inspiration Lady who had spent Christmas with us on Camomile in Sydney. Gary is a bigger collector of ‘rubbish’ commonly referred to as ‘spares’ than Bill is. He spotted our old broken outboard still sitting on the outboard bracket on the stern. Bill hadn’t decided what to do with it. As it’s the same model as his he asked if he could have it for spares. It was useless to us and completely un-repairable so we gave it to him. Jackie will never forgive me!
Bye bye to the old outboard
Bill, Sue, Cate and Chris
Our lovely Aussie friends Chris and Cate who live in Brisbane came to fetch us one morning and took us back to their house for a delicious lunch. Cate let me use her washing machine and we took the jerries along to fill with diesel on the way back home too. They had kindly taken in a parcel for us that my sister Amanda had sent with our new dinghy wheels and outboard bracket in. Once back at the boat Bill fitted the wheels to Rocco so the dinghy is as good as it was before but even faster being lighter and having a more powerful outboard.
Friday 29th March after provisioning the boat, washed everything on the boat that could be washed, and topped up with water, we released our mooring lines and motored back down the Brisbane river to start the next part of our adventure beginning with the Easter weekend in Moreton bay.
Family Reunions in Queensland
We made our way up the Brisbane river late on Wednesday 13th March ready for the arrival of the family the next day. The following evening we excitedly waited outside Kate’s hotel for her arrival. Bill’s sister was flying into Australia from NZ with her husband Barry and the teenagers, Will and Daisy. We hadn’t seen them for over a year and were really excited. It was late by the time they arrived dragging huge bags with them for their 10 day stay. We just had a drink with them then left them to settle in.
Will, Barry, Kate and Daisy in the gardens of the Southbank
The next morning I went for my little run-walk ending up at the hotel where we all enjoyed the hotel swimming pool, which fortunately we had to ourselves. We all walked into the city for lunch and around the gardens on the Southbank. They enjoyed their second night in the hotel in Brisbane then checked out and joined us on Camomile for a cup of tea before exploring more of Brisbane. After spending their second day in the city they were picked up by cousin John and taken out to Boonah, a couple of hours outside Brisbane, for three days.
Catching the train
On the Sunday we got up early and caught the train to Ipswich where John picked us up to spend the day altogether. John would have been Bill’s father’s cousin so he’s Bill’s cousin once removed … we think!!
John and Helen’s home
They have a lovely home high up in hills behind the city surrounded by about 20 acres of land, complete with their own lake.
Daisy and Kate in the canoes
Helen’s lovely garden
Kate and Daisy decided to have a paddle around in the canoes. Helen has a beautiful garden which she spends long hours in.
All ready for our guided tour
Beautiful countryside
Koala sitting high up in the trees trying his best to ignore us
After lunch John took us for a walk around his land where we were fortunate enough to see a koala sitting high up in the trees trying hard to ignore us. Our first wild koala in his own natural surroundings, we were really lucky.
Kangaroos
On the way back to the station John drove through an area where he knew there would be lots of kangaroos, so I enjoyed watching them too.
Bill and Barry with champagne to celebrate
On the Tuesday the tribe decamped to their apartment on the Gold Coast where they were to spend the second half of their holiday. We packed a bag and joined them for two days. Also to arrive was Susan, John’s sister, who had brought along a selection of photos of the family, young and old, from her collection. We were able to show some of our collection too and we spent an evening puzzling out family connections.
The family gathering
So for the benefit of the family at home we have from left to right cousin John (also Nan’s nephew), Bill, John’s wife Helen, Kate, Barry, John’s sister Susan and Sue. Barry cooked us a wonderful meal.
Wednesday 20th Bill and I were dragged kicking and screaming to Wet’n’Wild!! Only joking we all choose the water park out of the 5 available. Cousin Susan decided to join us, brave lady. Fortunately it wasn’t very busy because the school holidays haven’t started yet but that also meant that some of the rides were closed. I enjoyed the ones that you sit on something to slide to the bottom but tried one of the flume rides that you slide down on your own back and managed to wrench my shoulder so decided against any more of those. Bill very bravely joined the kids on some of the ‘sudden drop’ rides – very brave.
John and Helen
We all left on Thursday to allow Kate and Barry to enjoy the rest of their holiday with Will and Daisy. John had come down from Boonah on his BMW bike while Helen had driven down with the others in the car. So she was able to give us a lift back to the station to catch our train back to the city and Camomile. Thank you John and Helen and Susan for having us, we had a wonderful time meeting you.
Will and Daisy are both taller than me now
We took these pictures before we left, not sure when we’ll see them all next. Bye guys, good to see you. x
The Redgrove’s and the Tomkinson’s
Camomile’s new friend, Rocco
Camomile ready to go
We were weather watching once again and, this time, I wanted something like perfect sailing conditions to restore our confidence on this first passage since our force 10 trashing. I was confident in Camomile as she is a tough old bird and all her hardware, with the exception of the dinghy and outboard had been brought back up to scratch. It was the human-ware which needed to get back in the saddle to repair the psychological dents and scratches.
Looking over the harbour wall to see what the conditions were like – no, not going yet!
Monday the 4th March brought the kind of windy conditions we would have normally contemplated at a push but it was not right for this occasion. Tuesday was less windy but the swell was still large and so it was Wednesday before we finally bade the nice folks at Coffs g’day, thanked them for all their support, especially Graham for the loan of his car, and headed north on the 166 mile passage to Southport. Sue was so so brave and pretended not to be apprehensive but after a few hours of rolling around and being pressed back by the adverse current her butterflies got the better of her when both breakfast and lunch made reappearance on the lee deck. (sick with fear more like. S)
The high rises of Surfers Paradise
Motoring at first with the single reefed main up for stability the southerly wind eventually struck up and after one false start we were able to twizzle the two genoas, finally starting to make some headway against the current which must have been running at more than two knots plus. We passed Byron Bay, the most easterly cape in Australia, and pressed on back into Queensland.
I was apprehensive on the approach to the Goldcoast Seaway as it is not far from a place called Surfers Paradise and, like most entrances hereabouts, is shallow. This might make it a paradise for surfers but it can also make it Yottie Hell in onshore conditions.
All was well though and we dropped our hook in the quiet, shallow Broadwater protected from the sea by its massive sand bank.
Camomile dinghy-less
The following morning it was back to business and we headed up the Coomera River to the City Marina where several of the local dinghy suppliers were based. I was particularly interested in a Sirocco ex display model which was heavily discounted as it had some marks on it. Perfect! Arriving at the showroom though I was devastated to be told it had just been sold. We spent the rest of the morning looking around other suppliers but it was really starting to seem that the new tender was going to cost well above the insurance cover.
Beautiful riverside house
Returning down the river to the anchorage at Broadwater we admired the multimillion houses lining one side of the river which came in all possible styles and sizes with swimming pools, moorings at the bottom of the garden and, a little strangely we thought, meshing around the balconies which we assumed was to keep the sun from the fair skin of the Aussie elite who occupied these palaces.
Some of them were unreal
Most with pontoons at the bottom of the garden
Sitting back at the anchorage on Saturday afternoon and back on the internet I was surprised to see the dinghy I liked had been re-listed and thinking this was a mistake phoned up to ask “is it sold or not?”. I was elated to hear that the sale of earlier that day had fallen through so arranged to meet at the shop the following morning. We hauled up the anchor straight away and hotfooted it back up the river arriving at the marina just before dark.
As I was securing to a mooring buoy though I suddenly noticed that I was surrounded by a fine buzzing noise. I looked straight up in case I was under a power line (not good when you have a mast) but there was no sign. I peered out into the gathering gloom and saw that I was surrounded by the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen. Suddenly the mesh around all the houses balconies made sense and we went into MosCon 5 locking down the boat and setting out on an extermination spree down below where some intruders had already penetrated. They were the size of sparrows, fair dinkum!
Shaun and Bill unloading the dinghy
The following morning we put Camomile alongside and went off to find her new tender.
Launching the dinghy
Mission accomplished
Shaun was quick and efficient so within an hour we were back with a shiny new inflatable which was duly introduced to Camomile and they were both told to “play nicely” Guess who?
Bill with the new dinghy that’s going to be called Rocco and is a boy.
Sue had the first sit in Rocco
And guess who had to have the first go in him too!
Rocco on Camomile’s stern
So with the dinghy davited, again we motored back down the river to the anchorage. We could now get ashore and it was great to be mobile again as we rowed to the beach that evening. We walked across the sandy spit by the Broadwater to walk along the beach where the surf pounded the shallow approaches.
Mike delivering the new 15hp Yamaha
Rowing is all right but it is overrated when you need to travel a proper distance so it was anchor up the next day and into Runaway Bay marina where we could unload the bikes and cycle to the outboard suppliers. After cycling more miles around Labrador than our bottoms are used to and some thorough interrogation of the local suppliers we became the proud owners of another outboard motor which was duly delivered to Runaway Bay Marina the following morning.
Wahoo!
My turn to play wahoo! The boys are really going to enjoy having a go with this one too.
Camomile was finally complete again so we were all set to make our way up to Brisbane where we were planning a family reunion with my sister Kate and family and our Aussie cousins.
Mission accomplished.
Camomile in storm force 10
Camomile on the wharf at Port Stephens
We left Nelson bay on the southern coast of Port Stephens 06.00 Thursday 21st for a day sail to Camden 81 miles north. The early morning forecast was for a southeasterly 10 – 15kts with a 1-metre swell. There was increased wind forecast to arrive much further north the following evening and heavy airs the day after that giving us between 36 and 48 hours to do a 12-hour passage. We had been in Port Stephens for 10 days and it was time to move north towards our rendezvous with my sister Kate and her family who were to fly to Brisbane on 14th March.
We hoisted full sails motoring for an hour to the entrance and after rounding the headland we turned off the engine and sailed gently on at 3 – 4kts gradually picking up more wind from the south east. At 10.00 we rounded Sugarloaf Point, the wind perked up to about 18kts and we were zipping along nicely, we would easily reach Camden by 5 or 6pm.
After all that time sitting gently at anchor, the short chop made Sue a little queasy so she retreated below for a short snooze. All was well.
At 14.00 we were off of Cape Hawke and the wind had picked up to 22kts so we put the first reef in the main and rolled away some of genoa.
Passing Crowdy head at 17.00 we were greeted by a wonderful display of dolphins. They were swimming from right to left and seemed to be pointing to Crowdy head harbour; did they know something we didn’t? The wind was still south easterly and blowing 20 – 25kts, well within our comfort zone but up on the forecast.
Camden came into view at 18.30 but the last hour had seen a rapidly rising swell from a metre to well over 2 metres which gave me a concern for entry over the bar. We furled the genoa away and fired up the engine ready for our final approach. To quote from ‘Cruising the New South Wales Coast’ pilot book “Camden Haven is a breakwater harbour between Forster and Port Macquarie. Its bar enjoys good protection from southeast swells under the lee of Point Perpendicular.”
As we approached shallow water the swell kicked higher but, looking ahead at the entrance I was appalled to see a wall of white water breaking heavily right across the bar. I took her as far as the 4metre contour but realised that the conditions were dangerous so aborted our approach and turned back into deep water.
Now what? The strengthening southerly ruled out a return to Port Stevens so we called the VMR (voluntary marine rescue – a cross between the coastguard and the RNLI) on the vhf. They confirmed my feeling about the entrance and suggested we try Port Macquarie or, failing that, the deeper Coffs Harbour. An hour later we called the VMR at Port Macquarie and they confirmed their entrance was also treacherous leaving us no option but to continue overnight to either Trial bay, which faces north and would give us some protection from the southerlies, or Coffs harbour, 80 miles distant. We were now getting 25kt winds from the south east with 30kt gusts and a rising easterly swell making things very uncomfortable. Needless to say the forecast had changed beyond all recognition now but, as we put a second reef in before dark, alarmingly the VMR were now forecasting strong wind warnings coming much earlier than predicted all the way up the coast. The weather system was accelerating well beyond expectations. Our passage window had all but closed so now we had to make best speed and find what shelter we could.
We were in for a busy night but Sue found a chilli in the freezer and managed to heat it up for dinner despite the rapidly deteriorating conditions. Unfortunately she took one mouthful and promptly brought it back along with her lunch. She then decided she felt better, ate the rest of it and kept it down!
It was a difficult overnight passage because the swell had now gone round to the east and was slapping us sideways making sleep almost impossible as the sails and the steering needed constant attention. The Hydrovane wasn’t coping with these conditions well on its own so I engaged the electric autopilot as well and between them they kept our course more steady. By 22.00 the winds were 30kts with 35kt gusts. After good early progress we had also found the south flowing East Australia current which, having given us several knots of speed on the way down, was now pushing hard against us as we clawed our way north through occasional but intense squalls and lashing rain.
After an arduous night with very little sleep we had progressed slowly up the coast. At 06.00 we had travelled 130 miles in 24 hours and tried calling the VMR at Trial bay. They reported that there was some shelter in the southern corner of the bay but the bar across the river was impassable as expected. We considered anchoring for a few hours to get some sleep but the weather was clearly deteriorating and they were forecasting that the wind was going back to north which would put the Trial Bay anchorage on a dangerous lee shore.
It was a harsh knock to hear the storm warning called. By 09.00 we were getting full gale force wind of 35 to 40kt with 45kts gusts in heavy squalls. We were also now able to hear Coffs harbour VMR on the radio, called in our position and said we were battling towards them. The officer on watch gave us the grave news that Coffs Harbour like all ports within 100 miles were closed due to the conditions and approaching storm. We were later told it’s only been closed 3 times in the last 20 years.
The trap was sprung. We were alone in foul conditions, on a lee shore with no where to go. We put the third reef in the main and hove to under a scrap of genoa trying to get some rest before we were hit by the full force of the weather.
I lay down on the saloon sole and Sue wedged herself on the leeward saloon berth but it was impossible; like sleeping in a washing machine. By now the swells were 4 metres and we were being buffeted by rogue waves.
We couldn’t go back against the wind, the weather was coming from the north so we didn’t want to go further, the swell was coming from the east and to the west was a lee shore.
The boat was coping ok at that point but then I noticed that the top car on the main sail had broken away from the sail. We had to motor head to wind to get the sail down so I could try to repair it. We raised the sail again but half an hour later it had broken again and was flapping wildly promising to break free altogether. After turning into the wind again a big gust whipped it badly and it started tearing. We fought it down and lashed it firmly to the boom so it couldn’t do any more damage to the stack pack which had been ripped by the flailing main.
We were sitting ducks without the mainsail so oriented the boat northeast to close with Coffs and get some more sea-room with just a scrap of genoa and trailing a drogue to keep us from broaching on the waves. Unfortunately the waves were now coming at all angles so we were still getting green water over the decks and one rogue wave came over the starboard quarter knocking us down, at the same time water poured over the side and down the hatch flooding onto the navigation table. Sue quickly grabbed towels and started mopping but there was water every where. All our charts for the next part of our trip to SE Asia were in the chart table and Sue lifted them out quickly laying them on the fore peak bunk to dry out. Water had got into the electrics and the wifi dongle was swimming so that was unlikely to work again.
Later, Sue was sitting up in the cockpit keeping watch when another breaking wave hit the side of the boat and poured into the cockpit again. This one ripped the spray hood and the weight of the water bent the davit leaving the dinghy hanging perilously half in and half out of the water. We were to have a further 2 knockdowns during the next 24 hours with spreaders in the water and solid green water sluicing over our cockpit combing.
I rushed to the aft deck to try and do something to save the dinghy but it was too late. I considered towing it on a long line but realised that the last thing I needed now was a rope around the prop so I got my knife and cut it loose. I think that was the worse moment for me as we watched our dear little dinghy with Sue’s homemade cover and clever beaching wheels float forlornly away into the chaos. I was sure I would never see her again.
The waves were now up to 10 meters high, the wind had stopped howling and become a hellish screech driving blinding spume across the surface of the mountainous sea under a black sky rent by cracks of lightning and thunder which could barely make itself heard above the melee.We decided to take the rest of the sail in and run with bare poles although our biggest problem was that we were always too close to the land. We took the drogue up and made our way out into deeper water then placing it again and lashing the helm so we hove to at around 45 degrees to the waves which our slick disrupted enough to stop most of the beam breakers coming down on us
Some breaking waves continued to hit us though doing more damage but thankfully mostly superficial. Good old Westerly “tough as old boots”!
Sue was doing fantastically well despite being obviously really frightened because we just didn’t know how long this horror was going to last. The VMR, clearly concerned, were keeping a two hour schedule with us, updating us as soon as a new forecast came out and were keeping police and rescue authorities appraised of our predicament. Sue was also in contact with our dear friends Dave and Jacqui on the yacht Jackster by text looking for any glimmer of hope that the wind was abating. It’s good to talk, at any rate it keeps your morale up and we were both in need of that.
We stayed out for a second night being blasted by 60kt gusts and huge waves. Sue was so scared; it was a lot worse than the Columbian coast but we hugged and got on with it, what a lady!
After 24 hours sitting outside Coffs harbour lying-a-hull with a drogue (which I had to relay 4 times) and a failed autohelm we assumed we could go in the next morning but the VMR informed us they still had white water right across the entrance. We motored back out to sea for a couple of hours to relay the drogue and went down below, put the hatches in and pretended it wasn’t happening; in fact we both went to sleep, we were exhausted. We woke up at 10am and looked out to see that the wind and swell had both dropped slightly. I called the VMR and asked them to describe the conditions at the entrance. They informed us that the wind had dropped a bit, there were periods of slight swell but they still had 3-4 metre breakers. However they considered, with the tide relatively high, there was a minimum of 4 meters depth. The forecast was for worsening weather and, although we had no serious structural damage I was concerned about the cumulative effect of the problems we did have. I had only just managed to bring the instruments and autopilot back on line with a jury rigged by pass in the electrics and had some concern that they had been affected by the electrical disturbances during the night.
We sorely needed to get in so I decided to go in and “loiter” near the entrance waiting for a smoother patch before making a dash.
The torn sprayhood
Finally I saw a door in the swells open and piled the power on hell for leather towards the entrance. Just when I though I had got it right a wave reared up behind us, followed by another and then a final huge breaker. I really thought we were going to broach or pitch-pole but surging forward in it’s powerful churning foam we surfed for a full 20 seconds, the longest 20 of my life but we made it with the VMR guy guiding us on the radio and the boat equivalent of a handbrake turn into the calm of the inner harbour. Once in the marina it all calmed down and we motored to our berth. Sue just burst into tears of relief, we had made it and were greeted by a group of VMR’s, yotties, and marina staff who had been following or supporting us in our drama. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who have helped and befriended us, it means more to us than I can describe. Thank you.
The torn sail
The bent solar panels
Our poor dinghy washed up on the beach
along with the outboard still attached to the dinghy by it’s security wire
We didn’t take any photos during the event but these are some of the damage.
February Update
I haven’t written any thing for the website for ages because we’ve been so busy but I wanted to fill in some gaps before we continue on our travels.
Pelicans waiting to be fed
After Australia Day the weather took a turn for the worse and we couldn’t leave Sydney until 30th January. It was sad leaving Sydney for the last time, we had enjoyed our time in the city but it was time to start heading north again.
We sailed to Pittwater where we spent 4 days with rain on and off so we didn’t do a lot. Monday 4th February we arrived at Lake Macquarie. A saltwater lake that covers an area 4 times the size of Sydney harbour. We spent a week in the lake trying various anchorages as the wind changed direction; they had some nice pelicans there.
On the 7th February we took the bus to Newcastle, which occupies a bizarre parallel universe to its namesake in northern England. Both were once grimy industrial mill towns based on coal mining that in recent years have been transformed into pleasant places to visit. Both have a fanatical devotion to their local sports teams, although for the Australian Newcastle its rugby rather than football, but that’s where the similarity ends. The Australian Newcastle is sunny most of the time and a surf beach around every bend.
Fort Scratchley
We took a walk to fort Scratchley, which was one of the few gun installations in Australia to fire a gun in anger in WWII. On 8th June 1942 a Japanese sub suddenly surfaced raining shells on the city, Fort Scratchley returned fire negating the threat after just four rounds.
A walk around the casements
It’s now open to the public with a fascinating walk through the old casements and a view over Nobby’s beach and out to the harbour entrance.
A walk through the gardens
The obelisk stands on the site of the old windmill
We continued our walk along the sea front, through the gardens and up to the obelisk, which stands on the site of one of the earliest windmills in Australia.
Tomaree Head at the entrance to Port Stephens
The 11th February brought brisk winds, which gave us a good sail to Port Stephens. We spent a couple of days doing ‘jobs’ (the jobs list never seems to get smaller) tied to a buoy in Nelson bay. Valentines day was gloriously sunny so we decided to unwrap the bikes and go on a bike ride. We headed east to the Tomaree National park where ‘you’re bound to spot a koala or wallaby’, how many did we see? None!!
The view across One Mile beach to Fingal bay
One mile beach on the left and Shoal bay on the right
But we left the bikes and climbed the Tomaree Head Summit walk and enjoyed the spectacular views back down across the peninsular with Shoal bay on one side and across One Mile beach stretching across to Fingal Bay on the other.
Fingal beach
We climbed back down and cycled to Fingal Bay for our picnic lunch. We treated ourselves to an Indian meal in the evening for Valentines Day.
Another lovely beach
Nelson Bay was hosting a fishing competition over the weekend which would have made the anchorage uncomfortable with all the wash from the gin palaces so we motored across the bay and crept up to Hawks nest on the flood tide touching the bottom a couple of times. There was an anchorage at the top with enough water for us to stay for a few days. Hawks Nest and its neighbour Tea Gardens were sleepy little towns where not very much happens! We went ashore for a walk and found a lovely beach on the other side of the peninsular.
This was the winning Marlin
Sunday we crept back down the river to Nelson just in time to see the winning team land their huge Marlin weighing in at a massive 180kgs. It was a beautiful creature and I really felt it should be swimming free but at least it was donated to the local Meals on Wheels and not wasted.
Resting at Harbour bay
Monday 18th we went on a longer bike ride. We stopped for a rest at Harbour bay (the Aussies aren’t very imaginative with their names although there wasn’t a harbour in this bay).
The beach at Anna bay
Then continued on to Anna bay at the western end of the Tomaree National park (not a single koala or wallaby spotted again) backed by the amazing Worimi Conservation lands home to the Worimi people who have lived here for thousands of years.
The ascent up the dunes was steeper than it looks
Walking on top of the dunes
The Worimi Conservation Lands are the longest moving sand dunes in the southern hemisphere stretching over 35km. Think Lawrence of Arabia to get an idea of the sight surrounding us; shimmering sand as far as the eye could see.
Camomile alongside at the Nelson jetty
On our return we took Camomile into the harbour for our 3 free days on the pontoon inside. It was nice to be alongside for a change and spent the next few days doing shopping and washing.
This is Bracken who belonged to the boat next door but decided we were a good bet for a peaceful sleep while his owner wasn’t looking. Isn’t he beautiful? I wish we could keep him but he had to go back.
Bracken adopted us for the afternoon
After being in Port Stephens for 10 days Thursday 21st brought a weather window allowing us to leave Port Stephens for Camden Haven. We had dolphins swimming in our bow as we left and a good weather window ahead of us……
Coffs Harbour entrance on a calmer day
After the storm (see next blog) we managed to get into Coffs harbour on Saturday 23rd. We were befriended by lots of people all anxious to hear our story and how we managed to survive the storm, including Graham from the VMR who we had spoken to every 2 hours throughout the night. He had been plotting our position and keeping the Maritime services informed of our position who, he said, would have come out to rescue us if any thing drastic had happened. That would have meant abandoning ship and having let the dinghy go Bill was determined Camomile wasn’t going the same way.
The dead outboard (not our boat in the background)
Graham informed us our dinghy was on the beach about 5 miles away and took Bill out to see it. Sadly it lay on the beach looking very sad full of sand with the outboard laying next to it with just it’s security wire holding them together. The outboard was put in Graham’s Ute and brought back to the boat but there wasn’t anything Bill could do to revive it. I spent the rest of the day trying to get everything back to where it belonged. I had to wash the floor 3 times to remove all traces of the salt water.
The bent Hydrovane shaft
Sunday was spent in the laundry washing all the towels that had been used to mop up the numerous dousings and we were kindly invited to Grahams house for a welcome meal, he also generously lent us his vehicle to borrow while we were in the harbour.
The bent frame holding the solar panels
and the bent davit
It meant that for the next few days we were able to take the torn sail and the sailbag to the sail maker to be repaired and the bent metalwork to Gary the metalworker. It was strange travelling in a car again.
Sue busy sewing
The sprayhood had been torn both sides with the weight of seawater on it. We stripped it off the frame and I set about repairing it.
The torn sprayhood
All beautiful again
Fortunately it had torn along the seam, which was quite easy to re-sew, but the area around the handle was badly shredded so I had to sew a patch over it.
The tear on the other side
All patched up
The tear along the other side needed a patch too.
Thursday 28th the sail and metalwork was ready to pick up so off we went in Graham’s car to pick everything up. We also did a big shop. Life is so much easier with a car.
The footpath running past the marina up on to Mutton bird island
It was great being in a marina for a change, each morning I went for my run up over Mutton bird island to look at the sea. Gradually during our stay it had calmed down but it took several days, good job we came in when we did. Bill worked hard getting the boat back into working order so we could leave, he takes up the next part of the story.
Camomile safely tucked up in the marina
Happy Birthday Australia
The Soren Larsen
Saturday 26th January was Australia day. It was created to celebrate the arrival of the ‘first fleet’ arriving in Botany bay in 1788. The Aussies commemorate the occasion with a day of events.
The first event in Sydney was at 11.00 with a Ferrython. This is a race of four old ferries starting at the Opera house, encircling the harbour and ending with a finishing line under the harbour bridge. We decided the best vantage point would be from the bridge. On our way across we spotted Camomile’s old friend the English ship Soren Larsen, berthed next to a local tall ship called Southern Star. They were both taking part in the Tall ships race later in the afternoon.
Walking on Sydney Harbour bridge
We were pleased to walk on the bridge because it now means we’ve driven in a car, been driven in a bus, sailed under and walked over the top of Sydney harbour bridge as well as walking across it.
RAN helicopter
While we were waiting for the ferries to return a RAN helicopter flew over flying an Australian navy ensign much to the delight of the crowd who cheered as it passed by.
and the winner was Zip
Eventually the ferries arrived and the red one called Zip, who also happens to be the main sponsor for the Sydney festival, won the race. The ANZ blue one came a close second.
They had a lot of followers
The ferries were followed by an assortment of watercraft that wanted to join the spectacle. We had considered taking Camomile out but it would have complicated things for later. We had a good view from the bridge.
We had some lunch then took up station in front of the Opera house with our friends Dave and Jacqui from Jackster to watch the Tall ships race scheduled for a 2pm start. At 1.30 while we were chatting three RAAF F/A-18 hornets flew past. They were so fast it was difficult to photograph them. This is the best photo I have of them coming back round over the Harbour bridge, a group on a walk over the top of the bridge had a brilliant view of them. I held my hands over my ears as they roared passed. The Aussies were all cheering.
The Soren Larsen won the Tall Ships race
The Tall ships race started at the other end of the harbour and again ended under the bridge.
The James Craig came second
To our delight and cheers the Soren Larsen won followed by the wonderful James Craig that we had visited in the Maritime museum.
The beautiful Endeavour replica
Third to finish was a replica of the Endeavour that is also normally on display at the Maritime museum.
“It’s a fair cop Gov”!
On our way back into the city we came across this group of policemen with very little to do so Jacqui and I had our photo taken next to them. It looks like Jacqui has a guilty conscience as she’s offering her wrists for the handcuffs.
Can you see us in the middle?
On the way back home we passed the Museum of Contemporary Art that had this exhibit outside. At first sight it looks like a satellite dish but it’s not its art. It acts like a big mirror; we stood on the inside and took this photo. I’m in the centre with Bill standing behind me taking the photo. It’s very clever.
It’s art mate!
We made our way home and packed up our picnic ready for the free concert in the Domain in the evening. It’s like ‘Party in the Park’ meets ‘Last night of the Proms’, although on a much smaller scale, being part of the Sydney festival taking place over 3 weeks in January. This would be our third and final free concert we’ve seen. The first was soul music, (when we were lucky enough to have VIP tickets), the second was jazz and blues and the third was going to be classical.
Ready for the concert
With an 8pm start the four of us got there just after 6pm to be sure of a good spot. The concert included performances of iconic classical music from Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpieces featured in A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut as well as a few favourites from the English Proms concerts. It finished with a Sydney tradition of the 1812 Overture complete with ‘firing canons’, cathedral bells and fireworks; it was an amazing finale. I’ll attempt to post a short video of the end but no promises. The rain held off but the next morning the heavens opened just in time for the bank holiday weekend – just like home really.
Camomile 