Friday, 1st June 2012
Geoff washed off the boat. Di popped over to have a look at my new ebook reader. She had only just left when Owen popped in with our mail. Geoff went off to Dan Murphy’s to buy some white wine and came back with four reds as he said he couldn’t remember what he had gone there for even though he is the one who said we need the drier whites … hmmmm … bit of a worry! From the 4 reds we chose a good McQuigans red for Fiona and Andrew and wandered up to the trawler wharf to give it to them. A little extra thank you for making such a good job on our clears. We chatted for a little while until the sandflies drove us away!
Sue and Arno should be well and truly on their way now.
Saturday, 2nd June 2012
Up at 8am to a rainy day. Sue, Arno and Jacoba turned up at 10.30 and we had a cuppa on the back deck. Luckily the rain behaved itself and stopped whilst they were here. Arno wanted sushi rolls for lunch so we wandered along the River Walk to ‘Yummy Noodles’ only to find there were no sushi rolls so it was back to the ‘Sushi Train’ and we had lunch there although it was much more expensive. Geoff had soup as he is not so keen on sushi. We then walked back to the boat and they left about 30 minutes later and were off for a long walk at the Mon Repos beach. A little while later the skies opened and down came the rain and it then bucketed down all afternoon. They said later that they had just finished their walk and were back at their apartment at Bargara when the rain arrived … lucky them. They are off to the Rum Factory tomorrow with the two free tickets I was given for my birthday and then they will pick us up.
Sunday, 3rd June 2012
Wow, did it rain overnight? Dan rang Geoff this morning asking advice on getting a power point installed. Their Bigpond internet is still not working so Geoff told them to bring it round, which they did. Geoff worked on it for quite a while and Dan and I walked up to the ‘Busy Bee’ and bought fish and chips for lunch - Dan’s shout. They finished about 2 pm and, before they left the marina, we asked Lindsay and Di if they could show them around Fiddler. They were dutifully impressed, Dan especially with the engine room and Marg with the spacious house like interior. By the time they left it was 3 pm so Geoff rushed up to the shower and I cleaned up and put on some decent clothes. Sue, Arno and Jacoba arrived at 4pm and we went off to their unit in Bargara. It had a balcony overlooking the sea and the swells were quite large and you could hear the waves crashing onto the beach. After dinner, and too much to drink, we played Mexican Train Dominoes during which Arno made two Bundy Chocolate liqueur concoctions that must have been laden with calories. Home by 10 pm with the drive being fog bound. Unusual for Bundy.
Monday, 4th June 2012
I did the washing and fiddled around on the boat. Sue, Arno and Jacoba arrived at 11.30 and off we went to ‘Yummy Noodles’ again (yes, Arno is a Sushi Nut). Alas, still no sushi rolls as the chef is away. Onto the 1928 Café for some lunch which is located in the Botanical Gardens. After lunch we wandered around the lake to feed the ducks, geese, water birds and eels. The guys love walking so they dragged us around the upper lake, something we avoided the last few times, and I’m glad they did as we found more of the Japanese Garden that we didn’t know existed and it was quite lovely. From there we went to our little ‘Servo’ to pick up some cheap pineapples, tomatoes, avocados, onions etc. We also went in search of the Strawberry Farm, something that Geoff and I didn’t know about. It is on the Gin Gin road and is quite large and has been operating for about five years. We bought two large trays of seconds for $4 a tray. Nothing wrong with them just misshapen etc. The guys dropped us back at the boat and headed off back to Bargara. Funny thing but when we got back to the boat we found Di from ‘Fiddler’ had found the strawberry place for the first time today too!
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| Arno, Sue and Geoff on 2Abreast |
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| At the Japanes Garden |
Tuesday, 5th June 2012
A nothing sort of morning today just doing the normal boat type of things. The guys arrived around 4pm again and we went off in search of Mexican Train Dominoes for them to buy as they were quite taken with the game. Alas, none in Bundy that we can find.
Back to the boat and then on to the Metro Hotel for their Tuesday ‘2 for 1’ specials meal. So two meals for $16. Onto Macca’s to introduce Sue and Arno to the 30¢ ice cream dessert tradition.
Wednesday, 6th June 2012
Up at 7.30 and get the boat ready for the day trip down river. The guys turned up just after 10am as they had been to ‘Yummy Noodles’ on the great daily sushi hunt. Alas, it didn’t open till 11am and we couldn’t wait as we wanted to take advantage of the tide. The trip to Burnett Heads took 90 minutes and we had a cuppa and salad rolls for lunch before going ashore and walking to the Port Marina complex. We settled in at Baltimore’s for a drink and Geoff wandered into the chandlery where they told him that there was a red ensign there for us and he couldn’t understand how they knew he wanted one. Of course, I had ordered it for his birthday so the cat was out of the bag so I went in and paid for it. I then gave it to him, told him the story and he was tickled pink with it. I looked at the time and said we would have to get back to the boat to catch the tide back up river again.
We got back at 3.30 pm, up anchored and were off. As the sun started to disappear it began to get chilly again. Arno took the helm and skippered us all the way upriver until Geoff took over to get us into our berth. We got in just before it became completely dark, 15 minutes to spare - phew. We now have a new berth on the end inside opposite Fiddler. A quick tie up, power on, side canvas down, grab the prawns and other ingredients and all head off to Bargara to the ‘Point Resort’ where the guys were staying. I cooked up a large pan of Pansit Bihon whilst the others made a fruit salad. Once we had eaten we played yet another game of Mexican Train Dominoes which Geoff won. Back to the boat at 11 pm and bed.
We got back at 3.30 pm, up anchored and were off. As the sun started to disappear it began to get chilly again. Arno took the helm and skippered us all the way upriver until Geoff took over to get us into our berth. We got in just before it became completely dark, 15 minutes to spare - phew. We now have a new berth on the end inside opposite Fiddler. A quick tie up, power on, side canvas down, grab the prawns and other ingredients and all head off to Bargara to the ‘Point Resort’ where the guys were staying. I cooked up a large pan of Pansit Bihon whilst the others made a fruit salad. Once we had eaten we played yet another game of Mexican Train Dominoes which Geoff won. Back to the boat at 11 pm and bed.
Thursday, 7th June 2012
Up late, after 8.30. Time to get the boat back in berth mode such as putting the sun/rain cover back up, filling up on water and chatting to various dock dwellers or should I say cruisers. Brekky.
We then measured up for new 2Abreast vinyl stickers and went onto the web and ordered them. The guy rang us back to confirm our payment and said they would probably be ready Monday. How quick is that? Then we went up to town to pick up some photos of family and friends I had ripped off Facebook to update my photo montage. I thought it would be nice to get some more up to date photos before we put the glass back in and hung it back up. I found some nice ones of Kay, Dave, Brea, Glynn and Laura but Timmy, well Timmy only seems to have photos of drunken orgies as far as I can see. I will have to ask Glynn to obtain a decent one for me. On the way back to the boat we stopped off at the RSL Club to partake of the free coffees that come with our membership - cheapskates. Well, why not!
Sue, Arno and Jacoba arrived at 3pm so another cuppa and a tour of Fiddler (they will start charging soon) before heading of to Schmeider’s Cooperage, somewhere we had never been before. Alas, the glass blowing operation had moved to the Sunshine Coast but it was still interesting watching the coopers making the small barrels which are more popular these days. Onwards to the Hinkler Shopping Centre for a bit of retail therapy for Sue and Jacoba. By the time we had wandered through the centre it was nearly 5.30 and we were due at the Thai Tulips at 6pm so we decided to get there early. They open at 5.30 and we got there at 5.32. Yummy food again but my Massamun Curry was the best. After a double entrée, main with rice plus wine we were suitably stuffed so it was on to Hungry Jacks next door for the traditional ice cream cone. Back to the boat and hugs and kisses all round and plans to meet up in NZ in 2014. Gosh, we are going to have a lot of visitors when/if we ever make it over there.
Friday, 8th June 2012
Up at 8 am with no plans for the day so we decided to wander up town to IGA to get a few bits and got some good bargains in the discount trolley. I lost Geoff in Target for a while as he went browsing for a new heater for under the saloon table. Back to the boat where Geoff finished off my photo frame and I was able to re hang it in my cabin. I headed back up town to try to get a hair cut - yep - $15 so I’m right for another 6 weeks. Bought some navy pants (cheap) for work on the way back. Arnie Barnie and Carnie found our new berth so Nibbles all round including Bosun. Sailor also came up for a visit to show us off her new little blue jacket.
Saturday, 9th June 2012
Bacon and eggs today as we are going out early tomorrow. Owen, the mail man, dropped by early with some mail. It was a cold, miserable and rainy day so we spent the day on our respective laptops. So a nothing sort of day.
Sunday, 10th June 2012
Up at 7.30 to another cold day and leave at 8.30 to walk to Connie’s place for an early morning tea, a 25 minute walk away. We stayed until after 12 noon and Geoff did a little house keeping on her notebook. Connie would have like us to stay all day, I think. Hernando was working. He works very hard when he is not at TAFE as he needs to save money for the course. On the way back to the boat we popped into Office Works for a browse. We later popped into Crazy Clarks and saw a small convection heater for $39.95 that had three heat settings and was thermostatically controlled with the lowest at 750 watt which our genny could handle. Being it is a small space we need to heat we would hardly ever have it on the higher settings. Geoff fitted it and it fits under the table well. We never leave it on when we leave the boat, of course. Since trying it out it gets quite warm inside on the lowest thermostatically controlled setting, so good.
It was raining most of the afternoon so we decided it was movie time until it was time for me to cook a Massamun Curry. A first for me and it certainly didn’t turn out as good as the Thai Tulips meal. Never mind.
Monday, 11th June 2012
A cold morning and the heater is working well. Clayton came round this morning to get Geoff to transfer some files from his old laptop to an external hard drive. I nipped up to get some milk and walked with Deb. Clayton came back in the afternoon to show Geoff his new I pad.
Geoff then cleaned the starboard hull off with acid whilst I chatted with Di and Lindsay who were looking on. They had visitors, Jan and Dave from ’Moonglade’ who we had first met in 2005 at Lizard Island.
Tuesday, 12th June 2012
Work for me and dentist for Geoff to finalise the mould for his new plate. I was extremely busy at work and got to know Rosie, Karyn’s replacement, better. She is nice. Met Geoff for lunch at the library. Back to the boat by 3.30. Nothing else to report.
Wednesday,13th June 2012
We both went of to work today and we were both kept very busy. A chilly but nice day. Connie was supposed to come at 4pm but she didn’t turn up and her phone went to message bank.
As is often the case when marina bound, nothing to write home about.
Friday, 15th June 2012
No work but had to get up at a reasonable time as Gerry was bringing his laptop round for Geoff to try to get some files from it. Maryanne rang and said they were coming to give us a ‘woofie hit’ and would come at 10.30. So it was up to the shower for me but I had to wait ages for the shower (some people take absolutely ages in the shower). I was walking back down to the marina, 40 minutes later, when Maryanne, Owen, Mia and Megsy arrived. Maryanne showed us her mini IPod which she wanted Geoff’s help with. Owen and I took the woofs for a walk and they were still fiddling with it when we came back. They left at 1.30 pm and I made some lunch. They are on a sugar free, low carb, high protein diet so I had nothing to offer them. Maryanne left four of the diet DVD’s with me to look at. It is the Bodytrim system which I have heard good reports about but couldn’t afford to sign up with a cost of over $150. I shall have a look at the DVD’s tomorrow. Late afternoon I went up and did two loads of washing. I had to wait until then to get some washing line free. There was just enough space to hang out the washing and I will leave it there overnight and hope it doesn’t rain.
Connie was supposed to come today at 4pm but no show again. I knew she had to go to the police station to see about a problem she has with her un-road worthy car and an accident they had in Brisbane. Owen picked us up at 5.30 and we went back to their place for a roast chicken dinner. Geoff and Maryanne went on the web to buy her a docking stereo station and a watchband for her mini IPod.
Saturday, 16th June 2012
Hmmm … looks like rain, yep, so I shot up to get my washing off the line and folded. Luckily it was dry. I had to wait ages for the shower again!!!!! Up to IGA and buy a blouse from Target on the way back which was a clearance item. Geoff was working on removing the old 2Abreast sticker from the port hull and was, carefully, using his heat gun to aid him. He then cut and polished the area where the new stickers were going to go. Rod had lent him a buffer machine so it wasn’t as hard as it could have been. He wasn’t going to put the new stickers on in the marina but was going to wait until we beached her but changed his mind as the river was as flat as a tack with no wind. He has moved the name to the front hull and put the smaller rego sticker at the rear of the hull. I walked along the marina foreshore to get a better view and they look great.
Sunday, 17th June 2012
Geoff didn’t get out of his PJ’s till gone 11 am. He was uploading our Japan photos onto Facebook so Kanae could look at them. Luckily, he eventually got dressed as Connie turned up as she wanted us to look at a letter she had written to the Police Superintendent about her unroadworthy car infringement notice they had received. She had made a good job of it but her wording and grammar needed a fixing up in some places. She seemed very happy with the results and went off smiling. Let’s just hope it does the job.
I had a surplus of lemons that were getting past their prime so I squeezed them all. I froze some in an ice cube block and used some to make two small Lemon Meringue Pies. One
I gave to Lindsay and Di and the other was for Geoff. He ate half for dessert and left half for tomorrow. I have started the Bodytrim regime and the first three days are protein only so it is a bit boring - but it is only for three days and is a Carb detox diet. Here we go again, says Geoff!
I gave to Lindsay and Di and the other was for Geoff. He ate half for dessert and left half for tomorrow. I have started the Bodytrim regime and the first three days are protein only so it is a bit boring - but it is only for three days and is a Carb detox diet. Here we go again, says Geoff!
Monday, 18th June 2012
Off to work and worked steadily although not flat out. When I got back to the boat Geoff had cut and polished between the two stickers on the port hull and then waxed it. He had also done the section on the starboard hull ready to put that sticker on tomorrow. You can really see where he has stopped as it is really shiny and looks fantastic. When we have finished she will never have looked so good. Rod told Geoff that the polisher was only $54 from Supercheap Auto so we will think about getting one. Geoff has said probably not.
Still on the protein only part of the regime so pretty boring. Thank goodness you can still have coffee!
Tuesday, 19th June 2012
Off to work. Maryanne and Owen came in for an interview and Maryanne has already started work at WBV as the Event Co-ordinator’s Assistant. Owen tried the Hinkler Hall of Aviation as an Aviation Museum guide but they only needed someone on the weekends. He then went to the Info Centre but found them very offish and they said they didn’t need anyone so he came back to see me. He ended up working for St Vincent’s as a driver and general helper and starts tomorrow and St Vinnie’s is very pleased to have him, apparently. Maryanne was with me all day learning the Referral ropes, so to speak, as a back up and whilst they get her desk and work space organised. She’s tickled pink as she has 2 meetings with event organisations and is going to the local radio station to see Kurt conduct an radio interview. The day went really fast. Owen picked her up and gave me a lift to IGA. On the way back I bumped into the girl who works in Captain’s Chandlery and we got talking and I found out that her partner, Col, is a shipwright and may be able to do our survey. Geoff was out when I got back (but I saw he had stuck on the starboard boat sticker) as he was attending an IT Seminar and got back about 4.30. A rack of Lamb for tea (it was on special but still an expensive cut of meat), a favourite and it was yum! Then Geoff went off again to the evening session of the IT seminar and he didn’t get back to well after 9.30. Apparently, Geoff, Emerson and Ricky never even went into the IT session as they got chatting to an optic fibre representative who said the NBN (National Broadband Network) were crying out for optic fibre technicians. The three guys got really enthused and spent the whole time chatting to him and were thinking that some of their IT lads could be interested in it.
Wednesday, 20th June 2012
Work, no Rosie, so I kept myself busy even though Kurt was away. Geoff said that Emerson called a meeting and explained all about the optic fibre technicians courses they had learnt about the night before. He sent Geoff off to make contact with a major player in the NBN in the Bundy area. Geoff said he got a good response and felt the door was well and truly open for further negotiations.
I finished at 3pm and Connie was waiting for me to finish so I rang both the DERM phone contacts she had but both the phones rang out so I said I would try again for her tomorrow. I took her up to the IT dept to see if Geoff wanted to come for coffee and introduced her to Emerson (he’s from Brazil) and they seemed to take to one another and chatted for a while. Geoff, Connie and I then went for a coffee and then we wandered back to the marina. Geoff saw Jan at the marina and she says she wants us to start on the stock take on the 29th which suits us.
Thursday, 21st June 2012
Work again. Maryanne did her 2nd day and was busy all day and I think she finds it very interesting. I kept busy but not at all rushed. Geoff spent the day cleaning up the back starboard hull ready for the new sticker and experimenting with polishing and waxing. Rod had lent him a lighter polisher which he thought was really good and quite cheap so he went out and bought one.
He also found out from Col, our fibreglass man from down at Port, that our usual boat surveyor, Lib Bonel, was temporarily back in town so Geoff has arranged to get 2Ab lifted out on the 9th of
He also found out from Col, our fibreglass man from down at Port, that our usual boat surveyor, Lib Bonel, was temporarily back in town so Geoff has arranged to get 2Ab lifted out on the 9th of
July so that Lib can do the survey before he heads off out of town again. $15 a foot so not cheap but we have to have her done for insurance purposes. We’re sure that Lib will do it for a cheaper prices as he usually does. Hope so!
Poor Geoff now has a broken front tooth so he needs to ring the dentist … bumma. He has two others to be fixed up so, hopefully, they can do them all at the same time. I also got a call from a lady called Emma who was form the National Parks and Wildlife Service in Brissy who was ringing about volunteer positions for Connie. I rang Connie and she is coming to meet me Tuesday lunch time to see if we can progress it further.
Friday, 22nd June 2012
Up at 8am and cooked scrambled eggs on toast for brekky then up for a shower and onto IGA. Geoff went to the hospital to see about getting a chest x-ray done and also went to the dentist to make an appointment to fix his tooth. He came back and met me at IGA and picked up the heavy cool bag for me which was a great help. Back at the boat where I packaged the bacon, the bulk economy scotch fillet steak into meal sized bags and the ham into snack sized bags. . I had to sort out the fridge and freezer to get everything to fit in better as Geoff had just shoved everything in where he could find a space. That’s what men do! Whilst Geoff was up town he bought us a new ‘Beacon to Beacon’ sailing map book as ours was last printed in 2002. It has a lot more in it and now goes from Tweed Heads to Yeppoon.
Saturday, 23rd June 2012
Cold with rain and miserable all day. Geoff has a cold which I am keeping a wary eye on after his last escapade. We stayed in and worked/played on the laptops all day. And That Was That!
Sunday, 24th June 2012
Cold, wet and miserable again. Weighed myself and have lost around 2 kgs. I say ‘around’ as our electronic scales don’t like boats as they are not stable enough to get the actual weight to set so you only get a rough idea. We only ventured out up to the shower today as it is not nice enough to do anything else. Maryanne rang to say that Owen had lost another 2 kgs and she had lost another .9 kg. Great. It is my free day today so I had a toasted sandwich for lunch and Japanese Curry and rice for tea. I even had a little ice cream but then tomorrow it is a protein only day so will be a bit boring. It was very sad as I had to give a bag of avocados away this morning as I can only eat them on my free day and I had too many of them and wouldn’t have been able to consume them all before they went past their prime. Had another visit from the local marina Night Heron who likes to relax on our dinghy from time to time.
Monday, 25th June 2012
Brrrrr … very cold, wet and windy today. Well cold for here! If I have to wear a jumper then it is cold. Off to work. Geoff also came in for the morning and Maryanne was in again. Kurt got me to show her how finalise the event data info. Not a very busy day at all. Geoff went to the Mater Hospital in the afternoon to have a bone density scan which he will take to his next appointment with the specialist in Brisbane. Because he is now on steroids to help his breathing a side effect can be loss of bone density which he also takes calcium and Vitamin D supplements for.
Tuesday, 26th June 2012
Still cold and wet. Work as usual and the day was spent showing Maryanne this and that. Geoff stayed on 2AB and didn’t venture out as he didn’t feel so good with his cold. Don’t blame him.
Wednesday, 27th June 2012
Both Geoff and I worked today as did Maryanne. Still cold (18ºc) and wet but I suppose it is winter. Maryanne came in as she wanted to learn as much as she could whilst I was still working. Of, course, because I was showing her things all day I didn’t achieve much myself so it will be head down and bum up tomorrow to get everything done that needs doing.
Connie and Hernando came in lunchtime and I rang Mon Repos Turtle Hatchery and, alas, the Ranger in Charge was not there but they are going to send Connie an application form to fill out. I was hoping to get her into a volunteering job before the hatching season. I could but try. Maryanne is going to keep an eye on them both when we are away.
Thursday, 28th June 2012
It was my last day at Wide Bay Volunteers today for a few moths and I managed to get everything done, I think. Kurt had a big clean up on junk that that had accumulated on the shelves over my desk and on Graham’s desk over the years. Nobody knew what it was so was loathe to chuck it out. I managed to finalise Maryanne’s notes so she should be happy.
When I got home Geoff said he thought we should go to the Moncrieff Theatre (which is run by the council) to see ‘Men in Black 3’. It was Cheap Thursday so was only $6.50 each, nice and cheap and only a short walk from the marina. It was a good film which we thoroughly enjoyed and it was a real treat to go out for a change.
Friday, 29th June 2012
Up at 7am and up at the chandlery at 8am to spend the day doing the stock-take. The sun has decided to shine today … hooray … but the wind is bitingly bitter. I got a couple of loads of washing in and hung out before I started work. I wanted to get ahead of the pack as I thought there would be heaps of people trying to get their washing washed on the first dry day for a week. I worked with Deb and Geoff worked with a lady called Barbara (Ray’s niece maybe?). My feet and back were aching by the time 5pm came round. Geoff finished at 4.15 pm as he had to go to the dentist. I grabbed some prawns for tea before I left. I took ages to get back to the boat as I kept stopping to chat to people which the sun had drawn out from their boats. Geoff came back at 5.50 pm and was broke as he had just forked out $900 ish for his three fillings and as his new plate had arrived and also been fitted. He thought he would lose the broken one but they were able to fill it so he now has a full set of gnashers. I cooked a Thai prawn soup for dinner from the Bodytrim book and added noodles to Geoff’s and we really liked it.
Saturday, 30th June 2012
A nice day again, thank goodness. It was ‘knuckle down’ and get the boat cleaned today and I really didn’t stop until I sat down to eat my dinner. My biggest job was fighting the mould in my cabin which had thrived during the last week of wet weather. Not only was it wet outside but we slept with our hatches shut as it was cold which caused a lot of condensation as well. A lovely environment for mould. I then sorted through my cupboards to see what I could store or chuck out. Then it was clean the galley, fridge, oven, saloon etc. Geoff went to the shops for me twice and also cleaned the head and shower area … thanks. So now the boat is liveable again. I also sorted out the supplies under my bed to see what we already had and made an inventory. I also got the spirits and glasses into sailing mode, did some ironing and put the washing away. Cooked dinner and sat down at 7pm. Oh … noticed during the day that my new ebook reader screen had cracked but I don’t know it happened... I’m a bit pissed off.
Sunday, 1st July 2012 - Midtown Marina, Bundaberg
I weighed in today and can’t see any loss but I did get the electronic scales to set on a weight this time by taking up the carpet on the back deck to give them a stable surface. Now I just shock the marina guests as I stand out there and weigh in my PJ’s. We decided to see what stock we had in the freezer and did a defrost at the same time. Whilst Geoff was defrosting it I went up to IGA which was a bit of an ordeal as my hips were aching, probably from the cold days. Eating wise it was an enjoyable day as it was my ‘free day’ so I had cheese on toast for lunch and fish and chips for tea. Very enjoyable and yumeeeeeee!
Monday, 2nd July 2012
Back up to the chandlery by 8am to continue on with the stock-take again. A fine and sunny day but with that cold wind still with us. Brrrrr! Poor Sandy is freezing her butt off up in the chandlery as her desk is right in front of the main doors which remain open. She is really rugged up and later Paul, one of the marina guys, rigged her up a panel in front of her desk so she was a lot more comfortable. We worked hard all day and Deb and I finally finished off the main area, well almost. It took a long time as there were a lot of shackles and similar to count which all takes an enormous amount of time. There is probably only a day and half’s worth of stock take to do now. A protein only day for me so, once again, boring!
Tuesday, 3rd July 2012
What can I say? Another day doing the stock-take and I did remember to get a crockpot meal going at lunchtime. We finished at 5pm and Ray offered us a beer and/or wine before we left which we thought was very thoughtful of him. Not that I am supposed to be drinking alcohol but I didn’t want to seem churlish (churlish … now that’s an old word, isn’t it?).
It was another beautiful sunny day but with that bitterly cold wind. Feet ache, of course, but my new pink sailing shoes are really comfortable. Unfortunately, being the type of boat shoes they are, they have small holes in the soles to let the water out when you step in the water, but it works both ways so when it rains my feet get soaking wet as they actually suck up the water. Deb has decided to leave the last bit of the stocktaking to Geoff and I tomorrow as she thinks three of us will get in each others way. There is only the wall with all the screws, washers, bolts to finalise so, hopefully, it shouldn’t take too much time.
Wednesday, 4th July 2012
We finished at 3pm today so the stocktaking is all done. The last wall took much longer than we thought as we had to count out and then weigh all of the screws, washers, bolts, nuts etc. So, with a bit of luck we should have covered the last two months berth fees. We have no idea what rate we are being paid at but anything is better than nothing! Once again, it was very cold up in the chandlery with that bitter wind coming straight in the front doors of the chandlery.
Back to the boat and relax and then cook tea. After tea there was a hell of a noise coming from the Rum Distillery and what looked like a load of steam. It went on for over half an hour but we didn’t see any sign of the fire brigade etc so they must have just been letting of excess steam. We thought we would have noticed it before if it is a regular occurrence.
Thursday, 5th July 2012
We didn’t get up till just before 10 am - whoops. Then Geoff had to rush as he had his final dental appointment at 10.30 (no fee). As we had so much to do I decided to ring and cancel the Trivia night on the Friday and arranged to meet up with Jan and Merl on the Saturday for lunch. Geoff spent the day rushing here and there, getting the gas filled, going to Woollies, Aldi and Zac’s Meats for supplies. I have still got some more to do tomorrow at IGA. On one of my trips outside the boat I noticed it was a really low tide and there wasn’t much water between 2Abreast and the bank so I took a photo. We are still floating, just … I think, although the port side does look a little higher than the starboard side. We are probably sitting in the mud. I went up to see Sandy at the chandlery and by doing the stock-take we have paid for two months berth fees bar 2 days which is great.
Friday, 6th July 2012
Up at a reasonable time and strip the beds and head up for a shower and to put two loads of linen and towels in to wash. I decided to hang them on the line under the verandah as the weather looked iffy. Well, it must have been a man who put the line up as I could hardly reach it! Hop, jump and grab and I managed it. Back to the boat and then up town with Geoff to try to get a hair cut. My hairdresser had too many people waiting so I left Geoff and headed up to IGA to finish off buying the cruising supplies. I was just on my way back towing a very full and heavy wheelie shopper when Clayton and Marg from ‘Shining Light’ stopped and offered me a lift. Luvverly! When I got back to the boat I actually managed to find places for everything. I then got the microwave, crockpot, toaster etc onto the back deck ready for storage at Owen’s. I then restored the galley into cruising mode. Owen arrived at 4 pm complete with our stretch bikes as Geoff wanted to take them with us this time. Oh joy … I fell off mine a lot five years ago and I doubt I have got any better. We loaded up the car with the items we wanted Owen to store and headed to their place for a nice dinner. Finally cuddle with Mia and Megsy and home by 8.30 with Owen and Maryanne saying they will come down to Port on Monday with a bottle of cheap rum for Geoff.
Saturday, 7th July 2012
Up at 8 am, brekky and back up to the laundry to do all of the clothes washing this time. Whilst I was hanging it out I could hear Geoff start up our engines to warm them up to do a service. It sounded like he was having trouble starting the port one again, which is the norm these days, but it eventually started. I continued on to town to try to get a haircut this time and tried out a new one near the marina which was run by some Korean ladies. They had only been open three weeks and had an opening special of $15 for a cut. She also took my photo as she has all her first few weeks customers photos up on the wall. So if you are ever up in Bundy and go to ‘Pink Wings’ in Targo Street, then look for my photo. Mine’s the one with very short hair.
When I got back to the boat Geoff had serviced both engines but still has to replace the engine anodes. He also said it looks like the fan for the freezer compressor has died. He was rigging up a temporary one when Jan and Merl arrived so I made them a cuppa whilst we waited for him to finish and shoot up for a shower. We then wandered up into town to get some lunch. Our first choice, Bundylicious, was just closing, our 2nd choice, Thai Rice, had already closed so we ended up at Petros for the $4.90 roast meal. Their décor leaves a lot to be desired and the peas, beans and carrots were frozen but the pumpkin and spuds were fresh plus it came with a good serve of meat. Not bad for the measly sum of $4.90 I suppose. We also went to Dick Smith to buy a new fan for the freezer compressor … $30 … ouch, especially as Geoff could have picked up heaps of 2nd hand ones from Wide Bay Volunteers. After lunch we went back to Jan’s new unit in Sugarland Gardens and said hi to Ena and had a look around. Not bad! Then back to the boat and say goodbye to Jan and Merl. Geoff fitted the new fan to the compressor unit. Deb and the woofs came by to get their last treats and say goodbye and then Linda and Sailor turned up and I just had enough treats left for Sailor. Linda said, hopefully, that they were just about to get a berth they had been waiting for at the Burnett Heads Marina. So they also should be gone when we return.
Sunday, 8th July 2012 - to Burnett Heads
Up at 8am, bacon and eggs. Got the final boat preparation done. Geoff cleaned the boat off with our little power washer and we took down the sun/rain cover, the back and side clears and canvas awning. We checked that everything inside was in ‘sailing’ mode i.e. Spirits were secure, wine glasses were in socks and both were in their baskets, that the crockery was tied up etc. I decided to shoot up to the ATM to get a little bit more cash out. Dan and his wife from ‘Domlaglas’ came by to say goodbye, which was nice. We wandered up to say goodbye to Warren and Linda, Steve, Deb and Gary and Sam and Shirley. They all came along to say goodbye and to give us a hand with the ropes. It was easy to get out, even though it was blowing quite hard and we were off by 10.30 am. A nice day so far. Ah … I just remembered to put the wind generator on. We were soon passed by the ‘Bundy Bell’ and it took two hours to get down river as, although we had the tide with us, we had a strong wind against us. We checked out the new anchorage just before the ‘Duck Pond’ for depth and later use. The depths were fine but the anchorage was a little exposed so we went into the ‘Duck Pond’ for the night. A cuppa and some lunch and then Geoff decided to put a line in but nothing was around. Maryanne rang and said they were on their way with the bottle of rum Geoff had asked for so he went over and picked it up. They didn’t want to stop but “I could her Mia and Megsy from the boat.
Monday, 9th July 2012
Up at 7.45 am. I could here funny noises outside, I will have to get used to being at anchor again! Geoff rang the yard just as I was putting poached eggs on the table for brekky. Col said to get started so brekky was a real rush. It took about 20 minutes to get to the marina and we had no problems manoeuvring the boat onto the cradle. Funny thing is that I wasn’t at all apprehensive this time around. Whilst they were power washing her off we walked round to Baltimore’s for a coffee and when we got back they moved her to the yard. After looking at the hulls we noticed that where a few barnacles had been washed off there was antifoul missing so we had decided to antifoul her whilst she was out of the water. Shortly after, Lib Bonel - our surveyor, turned up to survey her for insurance purposes. He wasn’t with us long as he knew the boat and had surveyed her twice before. His wife had quoted $15 a foot which came to $480 dollars but he said he would only charge us $200, so nice. The day started out sunny but deteriorated as the day wore on. Geoff decided that the blue and purple lines down the hull needed re-painting so we did the blue one first. When it was reasonably dry we very carefully masked up over the blue line and re-did the purple one. Luckily, none of the blue came off when we removed the tape. Geoff then did the underside of one hull with antifoul whilst I did some of the fiddly bits. He ended up doing some of it under lights as it got dark. Then the rain came down so we rushed around getting everything under cover. We were wet, cold and dirty when we were finished and the back deck looks a mess with dirt and mud everywhere but, luckily, Geoff had the foresight to take up the carpet. We were soon changed and dry and it was time for a quick meal of snags.
Tuesday, 10th July 2012
Didn’t sleep very well and woke up in the very early hours as I was having a nightmare for some reason. We got up early as the yard starts at 6.30 am and they are certainly not quiet. Yawn! After brekky I checked the emails and Lib had sent our survey report through. We checked it and it had a few little errors which we corrected and sent back to him and by the afternoon he had replied and said they were corrected so I sent the report off to Oceanic Insurance, so that is that done. We then set to masking up the hulls for the rest of the antifouling. The weather looked decidedly iffy so we were worried it would rain and stop us. But, the weather was kind to us and stayed overcast and cold all day but no rain until late afternoon. By this time we had finished the antifouling and Geoff had even had time to cut and polish the starboard hull and it is the shiniest it has ever been. He also touched up a few nicks but will finish them off another day when the paint has well and truly hardened.
During the afternoon Maryanne and Owen turned up with some mail. I told them not to come onboard as they had good clothes on so we went over to Baltimore’s for a coffee. The mail was battery cases and fudge from Jo Jo. The fudge tin had arrived a few days ago. Thanks Jo! After we had coffee and said a final goodbye to Maryanne and Owen, we went into the marina office to pay the yard bill. $665 … ouch! So now we are completely broke. Never mind. Geoff has always said his main purpose in life at present is to financially support the marine industry of Qld. It was then back to the boat to put some chops in the oven for tea.
We then got a call from Tony on ‘Incantation’ with some shocking news. One of the boats we went to The Louisiades with in 2010 had hit a sandbank south of Townsville at 2am this morning and was a total ‘write off’. It was Marlene and Mike on ‘Vision’ who were on their way to meet up with Carolyn and Stephen on ‘Phencara’ to, once again, head off to PNG. We were shocked, what a shame, what a lovely boat now gone! Poor Mike and Marlene, they must be so traumatized. He was following a previous GPS track and not realising the sandbank had either shifted or built up. Plus, at night you would have no warning. I would expect they were going at around 7 knots so would have hit hard. Apparently, a large wave came in a knocked them over and broke all the coach house windows letting all the water in. Geoff rang Carolyn and Steve who said they had just arrived back at Townsville from Magnetic Island and were going to find them. Carolyn said that Mike had sold his car yard down in Melbourne and they were going to live on the boat and cruise for a few years. Marlene has had some bad health issues and now this happens. The boat is insured but they have lost a lot of personal stuff that wasn’t. Our hearts go out to them.
Whilst Geoff was talking to Carolyn he realised he had over filled the starboard hull water tank so he was pumping it out. Then a cloth fell into the sink blocking it so he had water overflowing from the sink and going into the bilge. Because of contamination he decided to pump them out, clean up and start again. Very annoying but nothing after hearing about ‘Vision’ and what Mike and Marlene are now going through!
Wednesday, 11th July 2012 - The Yard to the ‘Duck Pond’
I didn't sleep well and neither did Geoff. When I got up I realised that I had been having a nightmare yesterday around the time that ‘Vision’ ran aground. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Maybe there is something to ESP. We both can’t stop thinking of Mike and Marlene. I got up just before 7am and Geoff wasn’t far behind me. Another overcast day.
The guys came at 8am to put us back in the water. Geoff asked them if he could antifoul the bits he hadn’t got to once we were in the cradle. Well, they did it for him so that was good. In the water by 8.45 am without any hassles. The port engine was slow to start as usual, but it is a cold morning.
Deb rang and we had a chat. Geoff then washed all the yard muck off the top deck and cockpit with soap and salt water and I put my, now dirty pink, boat shoes in for a soak in prewash. Geoff put all the paint away and then it was time for me to hoist him up the mast to take down our expensive Saturn TV antenna and put in a new anchor light. We had to wait for a passing shower and it was all done by 11.15. When he was up there he noticed the navigation light housing was on its last legs. It had already been glued when we got the boat and Geoff had done it since but now it looks like we need a new one so that will be one of our new jobs when we next get near a chandlery. He also said the mast needs painting. All in good time! Then I noticed a leak coming from the window in the head area which had never leaked before. The usual hassles of living on a boat.
Very showery today although the sky looks a little lighter in some places. Yes, we did see some diluted sunshine during the afternoon. We played Carcassonne later. You’re right - I didn’t win! Got a text from Carolyn saying they had been to see Mike and Marlene and she said “ They are shocked, stunned. Nothing seems real to them yet. They don’t know what they are going to do. They’re wearing borrowed clothes. They are not hurt apart from some bruises”. She gave them our good wishes and sympathy. We have both been very down today thinking about them.
Thursday, 12th July 2012 - to Burrum Heads
Up at 6.15 and up anchored by 6.40. The winds are forecast E-NE 15-20 with 1 metre seas and scatted showers. Geoff said he was apprehensive leaving this morning. It would be because he is thinking of ‘Vision, I would think. By 7.45 we had both engines off and were sailing along nicely at about 6 knots. Pity it was raining. But that speed didn’t last long and the wind was soon down to 5 knots and we were motor sailing again. It is also a bit squally today so the wind would go from 5 knots to 20 knots almost in an instant so you had to keep an eagle eye on things. At least, touch wood, the seas are very comfortable although my tummy is still feeling a little off after being in a marina for 6 months. After the last squall we managed to get 2 hours of reasonable sailing in until the fickle wind dropped again. Meanwhile I had sent a text to Brenda from 'Low Profile’ to see if they had gone sailing again. No, they were going out this coming Monday and would be at River Heads on Monday afternoon and then heading down to Tin Can Bay area. That’s the way we are going so there’s a very good chance we will catch up with them. I hope so. We got some more sailing in and just as we were coming into Burrum Heads Dion rang so we had a good natter. They are back living in their house in Tewantin and have ‘Unicorn’ berthed at the Noosa Marina. He said he had three people looking at buying his boat and we had a good natter before I had to go to help Geoff anchor. Time for a cuppa and some lunch and then notify Centrelink to cancel our rent allowance. Then Neato rang so I told them I had just worked four weeks straight so am right for another couple of weeks. I am due back to WBV on the 30th July but, of course, I won’t be back till at least December.
Friday, 13th July 2012 - Burrum Heads to River Heads
Wow - it’s Friday the thirteenth today - should we really be sailing?
Up at 5.40 to get the weather forecast and get ready to go when it was light enough which was 6.10 so off over the bar. On a falling tide I might add which is a bit of a ‘no no’ but it was only 2 hours past high tide and the wind was non existent with the seas mild. Plus this bar is not one of the ‘nasty’ ones. We went over the most shallow bit with 1.9 metres under us. I took half a sturgeron this morning to stop me feeling off as it will take a few days to get my sea legs back. Geoff took half too as he was starting to fell a bit iffy but he had been down in the galley cooking up some green lentils. That’s enough to make anyone feel sick.
It is another overcast, drizzly, hazy and cold day. Not a nice day to be out sailing but we need to take advantage of the northerly winds whilst we have them and the seas are almost flat. This must be the wettest ‘dry’ season yet! We motored for most of the day and decided to head for River Heads and not Moon Point as the weather was supposed to change to S-SW and the forecast was for thunderstorms and River Heads is an all weather anchorage. We have both been feeling uneasy since leaving Burnett Heads and don’t feel like taking any risks (because of Vision, as I have said before). We heard another yacht asking the VMR at Bundy what the anchorage was like in the Burrum River and they were not much help only gave them the notice to mariners stuff. Geoff got on the radio and told them about the leads and what the anchorage was like.
We anchored in the Susan River just after 2pm. Geoff decided to throw the green lentils away as he didn’t like the look of them as he usually cooks red lentils. He asked whether we had some red ones and I went and had a look and came up with a packet with a ‘best by date’ of 2006 so into the bin they went. I can’t believe I have been carrying out of date mouldy lentils for the last 6 years!
After a cuppa we decided we would go off for a snooze for a couple of hours and then I got up and put a roast in for tea. Early to bed as I was tired after all the early mornings that were catching up on me.
Saturday, 14th July 2012 - Susan River, River Heads
A wet and miserable day which is supposed to set in for the weekend. Geoff checked my
June journal for me which I then sent out and got the July one up to date. Geoff is having trouble with his Garmin Nuvi GPS as he can’t transfer a route from the laptop to the GPS. He thinks the
USB component on the GPS is stuffed. Well out of warranty as it is over 5 years old now, I should think. He can load little short routes of about 5 nm so can still do it that way but what a pain. We still have navigation software on the laptops with a Garmin GPS puk so we always have a backup and sometime, often, we use both. I also got a text from Brenda and they will be here Monday afternoon so that is good.
June journal for me which I then sent out and got the July one up to date. Geoff is having trouble with his Garmin Nuvi GPS as he can’t transfer a route from the laptop to the GPS. He thinks the
USB component on the GPS is stuffed. Well out of warranty as it is over 5 years old now, I should think. He can load little short routes of about 5 nm so can still do it that way but what a pain. We still have navigation software on the laptops with a Garmin GPS puk so we always have a backup and sometime, often, we use both. I also got a text from Brenda and they will be here Monday afternoon so that is good.
After lunch Geoff decided we go out in the dinghy, yes - it had stopped raining, to see if we could find ‘Slinky Malinky’ as we thought the boat was anchored further up the river. Well, no go, and we went up quite a way to the last of the boats we could see. But on the way back we did stop to chat to a couple, Peter and Lesley, on an Easy cat named ‘Mallana’ and who were from Caboolture and were slowly taking two years to make their way to The Kimberley. Good luck to them. Their next stop was Burrum Heads so they asked us about the anchorage there. By the time we had finished chatting we were getting a bit cold so headed back to the boat. Geoff reckoned we had travelled about 3 nm up the Susan River. Quite a way in a little dinghy. AND, we got back just before it rained again but, luckily, the thunderstorms that were forecast didn’t eventuate.
Sunday, 15th July 2012 - Susan River
It was my ‘weigh in’ day and I had lost another .8 kg so that’s now a total of 4 kgs lost. Geoff has also lost 3 kgs just by being on the boat and cutting down on biscuits although, I must dob him in and say he has eaten all of the fudge Jo and Mikey sent over! AND he still loses weight!!! AND he’s on steroids! Not fair.
Anyway, it is also my ‘Free Day’ today so I had bacon and eggs with baked beans for a change.
Checked the weather forecast and it saying the rain will clear this afternoon but be back again tomorrow afternoon and the same strong winds are still forecast. Looked outside and saw that the cat ‘Mallana’ has left and should have a quick run up to Burrum Heads. Brenda rang and she is getting me a few bits from the supermarket like fresh milk, bread, eggs and onions so that’s good. They will be here tomorrow about lunch time.
Geoff spent the morning trying to fix his imate phone. When he picked it up this morning he saw that it was sitting in a pool of water which had come from condensation dripping down off the wine bottle last night which he hadn’t noticed. Normally our phones stay up in their cradles. He is trying to dry it out to see if it will come good. He also spent some time fixing up the towel rail in the head area as a piece of plastic had broken away and then did stuff on his laptop. We also had the genny on so we could have the heater on down in our cabins to dry them out a bit. I also fiddled around a bit cleaning etc then went on my laptop. Checked out bank accounts and both our tax returns are back so I paid some of the money off our credit card which we had used when we were in the yard and also paid the mobile and internet bills. It turned out to be a sunny but cold day finished off with a lovely sunset.
Monday, 16th July 2012 - Susan River to Yankee Jack’s Anchorage
Quite bouncy overnight with a bit of chain grind over the rocky bottom.
We decided to move up the Susan River a bit where it was more sheltered. The b’dy port engine just didn’t want to start. Geoff kept trying and, eventually, it warmed up the cylinder enough for it to cough into life. It is a very cold morning so it is to be expected but it is starting to become a bit of a headache. Thank goodness I have a little super tucked away.
Kay from ‘The Coastal Passage’ rang this morning about Mike and Marlene and Vision. She said they had just published a large article about them going to The Louisiades and asking for donations to take with them. Both Geoff and I are still thinking about Mike and Marlene a lot and feel so helpless as there is nothing we can do to help.
A nice sunny day again, for a change but so cold with these southerly winds bringing the cold up from NSW and Victoria. Hey guys, you can keep the cold down there thanks.
It is much calmer here where we are anchored but we will have to keep an eye on our depth although it is a muddy bottom so not too much of a problem. I did a little bit of hand washing that should dry well in this wind. Geoff looked at his phone again and took out the camera module and replaced it with a part from my old phone and has got it working again. Yippee! He was then going to have a look at the stiff toilet valve but couldn’t find the silicon grease which he had last used down in my cabin when he was cleaning off the boat log. We searched and searched but couldn’t find it anywhere.
Around noon Brenda and Rick on ‘Low Profile, arrived and we waited for them to set their anchor before heading over but Rick called and said it would be a better anchorage at South White Cliffs or Yankee Jack’s and we had time to get there.
So, we up-anchored at 12.30 and followed in his wake. The trip was slow as, although we had the tide with us, we had the strong wind against us and were only doing just over 2 knots at times. But we got there, of course. Once securely anchored Rick came over to pick us up and we went over for coffee and cuddles with Vicky, the Pomeranian, who maybe remembered us. We stayed until dark. Brenda handed over our shopping and we were off back to 2Abreast.
So, we up-anchored at 12.30 and followed in his wake. The trip was slow as, although we had the tide with us, we had the strong wind against us and were only doing just over 2 knots at times. But we got there, of course. Once securely anchored Rick came over to pick us up and we went over for coffee and cuddles with Vicky, the Pomeranian, who maybe remembered us. We stayed until dark. Brenda handed over our shopping and we were off back to 2Abreast.
Tuesday, 17th July 2012—Yankee Jack’s Anchorage, Great Sandy Straits
When we woke up the sun was pouring through the front windows. A nice surprise and very nice. I wonder how long it will last? Time to open the curtains and let the sun dry out the cabins. Up after 8 am as it was nice and warm in bed.
Geoff spent the morning servicing the main toilet valve as he had got some rubber grease from Rick that would probably do the job. I fiddled around but mostly read. Geoff then modified the press studs on the new cockpit bench seat cushions so it was easier to press them in. After lunch we went over to ‘Low Profile’ to teach them how to play Mexican Train dominoes and Brenda won. Beginners luck she said! We got back at 5.30 pm and I cooked a quick meal of sweet and sour chicken. The seas were very flat, like glass, when we returned. As the batteries were low the genny went on to give them a charge and allow us to watch a bit of TV.
Wednesday, 18th July 2012 - Yankee Jacks
Well, goodbye sun and hello rain! What’s new? Surely we must get a spurt of good weather at some time. We are staying here today as Rick wants to untwist his anchor chain, between rain showers I might add, which has been giving him trouble by jumping off the capstan. I looked up how to start our engines using the ‘cold start’ method and when Geoff started them up the port started much quicker and the starboard one started up straight away. Better! Geoff then went to check the oil and found undercoat had leaked down into the engine bay and found that a tin had been knocked over that hadn’t been sealed properly. It has hardened so Geoff said he may be able to chip it off eventually.
About 2.30 we headed over to ‘Low Profile’ again and saw they were heading over to an exposed sand spit to give Vicky some time off the boat. We went with them and watched Vicky frolic in the water. Brenda says she really loves the water. We all stretched our legs and then made our way back to their boat where Geoff and Rick partook of Rick’s home brew. Rick was also trying to fix his water maker and needed a fitting. They went over to 2Abreast and Geoff was able to find a fitting they could modify. Rick also had another job to do with a wire onto the throttle plus he still had the chain to sort out. So it just goes to prove it is not only us that are always working on our boat. ‘Low Profile’ is a Grainger and is 8 years old. Rick had just finished building her when we first met them at Lizard Island in 2005. Our boat is now 22 years old but still in good nick.
Back just after 5 pm to cook tea.
Thursday, 19th July 2012 - Garry Anchorage
Up at 8 am and leave the anchorage at 8.45. Geoff wanted to leave before Rick as we are much slower than him as we only have small engines. It wasn’t far but still took just under 2 hours as the wind was still against us but the current with us. We went into the top anchorage as Rick was told it was less congested . It was very shallow with not much room for more than one boat so we temporarily anchored until Rick turned up 30 minutes later. He agreed with us that there wasn’t much room so we headed down to the southern anchorage area. We anchored twice as we weren’t happy with our position on our first try as we thought we could swing and get stuck on the sand at low tide. A day with a bit of sun, wind and cool. I did a crossword until after lunch when we took the dinghy ashore to stretch our legs. There was not much to see ashore, just a very basic campsite (never did find a bush loo), some signage and a sign saying look out for estuarine crocodiles. Yep, will do that!
We stopped off at ‘Low Profile’ on the way back for a cuppa. Geoff went off to grab his computer and showed them some PNG photos etc. Dusk snuck up on us very quickly so we headed back to our boat to put the anchor light on as we were reasonably close to the channel. Geoff wanted steak and kidney pie so ate a whole one by himself and I had bacon and eggs and fried onion.
We then noticed the new, (factory refurbished), smart battery charger was playing up and making funny noises like it is arcing inside. Maybe it wasn’t such a good deal after all! Geoff took the casing off and had a look at it and couldn’t find any obvious faults and the noise we could hear was the relays clicking in and out and not arcing. He reset it to the manual and tested it without the connections to the batteries and it seemed ok. He re-soldered a dodgy wire on the earth lug and turned a trim pot (electronic micro adjuster) a little and hoped for the best. It seemed to work ok. By the time he had fitted it back up it was 10 pm and time for bed. It was a bit side swelly by then as it was high tide and the sandbank was covered. Luckily, it only lasted for about an hour and we were able to get to sleep.
Friday, 20th July 2012 - Garry’s Anchorage
A very cold night and it was hard to get out of our cosy beds this morning. We eventually got up just after 8 am and Geoff re-connected all the wires to the battery charger. After a few relay clicks it settled down so now we are going to keep out fingers crossed. A pain as it an essential piece of equipment.
About noon I just happened to look up and glance out of the side window. I was just in time to see a dinghy capsize and a guy go into the water. The word out of my mouth were “ Oh s**t!” and Geoff jumped up as he could tell from my expression that something was wrong. The guy managed to climb back in his dinghy ok. When we went outside we saw that his Hunter yacht was stuck on the sandbank (the same one we had moved away from on the first day) and he was trying to put an anchor out so he could kedge the boat off. Without much luck as he only had oars in his dinghy and no outboard. Geoff went over to help and was trying to pull the boat over on its side a bit to allow the keel to free up from the sand bank. The dinghy was really getting pulled out of the water and I couldn’t look as I found it quite scary. Rick turned up and the two of them pulled but the yacht was well and truly stuck and it was still scary and I couldn’t look. Of course, I couldn’t stop looking either. But it was no good and the yacht is now stuck there till high tide and won’t get off till after 8 pm tonight. I hope they don’t sustain any damage.
Rick, Brenda and Vicky came over just after 2pm for a game of Mexican Train Dominoes.(MTD) Vicky didn’t play, of course. I won for a change and they left just before 5 pm.
Around 7.30 George, from the stricken yacht, came over to ask for a hand as he couldn’t get his engine going. Geoff went off to get Rick and another guy from a cat nearby and they went over to the yacht. Boaties will always help other boaties no matter what boat they have. By this time it was pitch black and when they got there they found he had got the engine going so all they had to do was keep an eye on him as he slowly motored off the sandbank. He anchored quite close to us so we will have to keep an eye out when we swing as cats and yachts have different swinging circles. We didn’t want to ask him to move as we thought he’d had enough trauma for one day.
Saturday, 21st July 2012 - Garry’s Anchorage
Another very cold night and up at 8 am to a sunny but cold day. Rick came over to see if we wanted to move down towards Tin Can Bay before the forecast strong winds arrived. George, from the Hunter yacht, came over and gave us and Rick a bottle of Sparkling Eaglehawk wine. Very nice, thank you.
After that, we got ready to leave and were just about to up-anchor when the winds arrive so we had left it too late. We would have had to turn back, I think, because the SW winds were very strong. We know it is secure here even if it is a bit swelly at high tide. We did notice that now the wind was blowing and we were pulling on more of our chain we were very close to the Hunter yacht. We told them we would move in a bit so we up-anchored and found us a spot further in that gave us a lot more swinging space. And then it blew and it blew so it was a wise decision to stay and we can always find things to do.
Geoff worked on the glitch on his Garmin Nuvi GPS on his laptop and restored it to the factory default setting but it didn’t fix it. I sewed up the sail cover where the stitching had started to rot around the zip. I used heavy twine and a large needle and by the time I was finished my fingers were a bit tender. Then I caught up on my journal. I am also just about out of fresh veggies etc to go with my high protein diet. I’ve got the protein but I am right out of lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes etc which makes it a bit uninteresting when it comes to putting a meal together for myself. It was a ‘stay on the boat’ sort of day as the wind just blew and blew and blew until tea time when it died down, as it often does. Bouncy at high tide again!
Sunday, 22nd July 2012 - Garry’s Anchorage
It was windy again by 9am. It was my ‘weigh in’ day and I lost at least .8, I think, as I couldn’t get my electronic scales to set in the bouncy conditions. Maryanne rang to check up on me and she had lost .1 and Owen had lost .8 of a kg. Once again we had a nasty side swell at high tide until the tide turned. Unfortunately it is high tide just as we go to bed tonight so I can see some reading ahead of me until it settles down.
After lunch we went over to ‘Low Profile’ and stopping on the way to chat to a couple on a yacht close by. We wanted to know what TV reception they had with their Saturn TV antenna which was quite low on their boat. Well, reception was poor so that took that idea out of Geoff’s head as he was thinking of rigging up ours down low as well. When we got to ‘Low Profile’ the boys went on to Rick’s laptop as Geoff was installing some programs for him. Brenda and I chatted away while the boys did this. I had a look at the photos of Rick building ‘Low Profile’ and launching her and they were very interesting indeed. After Geoff had finished on the computer Geoff took Rick and Vicky ashore for Vicky to have a run around. We left at 5pm as I wanted to put some chops in the oven. Geoff emailed Mike and Marlene whilst they were cooking.
Monday, 23rd July 2012 - Gerry’s Anchorage
And still we wait and still it blows! What a sailing season this has been so far. If it is not rain then it is strong winds. It was bouncy at midnight but for a very short duration which was nice. At least it is a nice sunny day today. Geoff looked at the weather forecast and the Ugrib files to see when we have a weather window to cross the Wide Bay Bar and hightail it down to Mooloolaba. It’s all in the timing of being able to cross the bar and still have time to get down to Mooloolaba.
Deb from ‘Femme de la Mer’ rang to say George, who had a boat at Midtown Marina, had just died. He was found dead sitting in his car. Everyone called him “Cranky George” as he never had a nice word to say to anyone and had been known to run over people’s shopping as they got it out of their cars. Apparently he didn’t like women much but I did once get a smile out of him and some nice words when I complimented him on the work he was doing on his boat. Good way to go, though!
Geoff checked the emails and there was a reply from Mike and Marlene (Vision) and Mike said they had been keeping very busy. He said that Vision had been salvaged and taken back to Townsville to the hard stand where they had cut four large holes in her hull and let 8 tonnes of sand out. Mike didn’t say whether it was going to be fixed or scrapped but was worried about the price the insurance company was going to offer as the boat market is very depressed at the moment. He said they were not going to insure her this year and had changed their minds and paid the premium just three weeks before they left Gladstone to head north. He also said the horror only hits then when they first wake up in the mornings. They are very busy at the moment as they had a lot of pallets of goods for the Louisiades trucked up to Townsville from Melbourne and they were now trying to find yachts going over that could take all the stuff. We wish them luck and hope everything turns out as well as can be for them.
Another day spent on the boat due to the weather. We played a game of Carcassonne which takes quite a time as it is a very intense thinking game “Hey” I actually won for a change. This is a very strategic game and I am usually thoroughly beaten.
Tuesday, 24th July 2012 - Pelican Bay
Up at 7.15 to up anchor and leave the anchorage by 7.45 with Rick and Brenda following later as they are so much faster than us. We left early to beat the winds that arrive mid morning but this meant, alas, that the tide was against us so it was very slow going. We heard on the radio that there are 3 meter standing waves across the bar so nobody is coming in or going out at the moment. Correction - a yacht called Viking has just come over and said it was ok but with 2.5 meter rolling waves over the bar and also a little frightening. Not our cup of tea!
Rick overtook us just before Pelican Bay and had left an hour after us. Such is life!
We anchored in front of him and it seemed nice and calm and without that side swell at high tide. Rick took Vicky over for a run on the sandbank and then popped over to see us on the way back and we all decided we would move on to Tin Can Bay tomorrow to get some supplies. Later Rick called and said their friends on ‘Head Office’ had invited us all for a lunch time BBQ tomorrow so that will make a change. Their first ‘Head Office’ was also a Simpson Cloud 9 and we either met them or the new owners in Urangan in 2005.
Wednesday, 25th July 2012 - Tin Can Bay
A quiet night with very little wind. I have just started a new journal book but it is half the size of my normal ones as I couldn’t find any of my normal ones before I left. This one is 6” x 4” and a bit small for a journal but at least it is a notebook.
We were on our way by 8.30 and I did some cleaning on the way. Of course, we were overtaken by ‘Low Profile, once again but what’s new? We anchored at 10.20. Rick was anchored in 10 meters of water but we managed to anchor in 3 meters and is seems a calm anchorage. Did a bit more cleaning and the boat is looking reasonable again.
At 11.15 Rick, Brenda And Vicky picked us up and we headed ashore. We took our rubbish with us to get rid of. We were just able to cross the shallows in a straight line saving a bit of a journey to the public pontoon where their friend, Peter, was waiting to pick us up. They dropped Geoff and I off at IGA and continued on. It wasn’t a Super IGA so things were quite expensive and we spent $150 on supplies that would have cost around $120 in Bundy. Still at least we have replenished our fresh and frozen supplies. Peter and Rick came back to pick us up and then it was on to his house to meet his wife Doris and to have a lovely BBQ lunch and to chat away. He dropped us all back at the pontoon around 4pm where we loaded the dinghy with all of our supplies and Rick dropped us back to the boat where I managed to put all of it away.
Thursday, 26th July 2012 - to Double Island Point and onwards
Up at 7.30 and get a weather forecast. Strong SW winds are coming in tomorrow in the late afternoon but today the forecast is for light variable winds turning N—NE in the afternoon. It is a very short weather window so we sat down and had a think about it and decided we are going to have a look at the bar conditions and, hopefully, cross it this afternoon. Quite a few motor boats have already gone over today but they plane and are not displacement boats so we shall see. If we are able to cross the bar the plan is to anchor at Double Island Point and then sail overnight getting to Mooloolaba at dawn and, hopefully, well ahead of that strong southerly change. So we were off and anchored at Inskip Point at 10.20 and listening to all of the radio traffic from the boats crossing the bar and what the conditions were like. We decided to wait another two hours so we would be crossing about two hours before high tide, the best time to cross a bar. We left the anchorage at 12.15 and headed out. By 1.40 we were over the worst of it, thank goodness! It is called the ‘Wide Bay Bar’ but I have renamed it the ‘Wild Bay Bar’. The first bit is called ‘The Mad Mile’ (although it is really 2 nm). Well, today it lived up to its name but the VMR had already warned everyone that it was, indeed, living up to its name. The whole 2 nm was like being in a washing machine with some very big swells coming though. Even though I thought I had secured everything some things still went flying and now you can’t see my bed for all of the stuff I have now stored there. I kept my eyes shut for a lot of the time - Wuss! The trouble with this bar is the length of it. From waypoint One to waypoint two is 4 nm so you have to grin and bear it for at least an hour with at least, in these conditions, 30 minutes of it being Not Nice at All! Horrid. I tried to take some photos when we were in the worst of it but I couldn’t stand up at all so the only photos I took were when we were on our way to waypoint three and only had to contend with long swells. Plus, the photos never ever show it how it was. Geoff said it wasn’t too bad but agreed it was the length of it that gets to you. Just as we almost got into clear water a whale surfaced just next to us but by the time Geoff got the camera out it was nearly out of sight. I missed it entirely.
It seemed to take ages to get to Double Island Point as we were only averaging 3.5 knots because the NE winds hadn’t yet eventuated. We anchored around 4.30 and had a relaxing cuppa. After dinner we up-anchored at 7.30 and motor sailed with one engine on overnight to Mooloolaba.
Friday, 27th July 2012 - Mooloolaba
An uneventful trip overnight. We passed 3 yachts going north just after 4am and just at the end of my watch. I was annoyed as I had looked out about 7 minutes before and didn’t see any sign of them, probably against the lights of Mooloolaba in the background. They gave me quite a shock but there wasn’t any issues, thank goodness. Then, about 6.10 am, we passed WOW (Walk on Water) also heading north. This was the first catamaran that Rick had built many years ago and Rick and Brenda are hoping to catch up with the current owners when they cross the bar. It was just before 6.30 am and just getting light when we approached the Mooloolaba entrance and got a bit of a shock as there were breaking waves rolling in right across the entrance. Geoff backed off as he watched a catamaran come out, with difficulty, and then timed it to perfection and we were in between breakers. Well done! They are dredging at the present and we saw on the news later that they were doing it as the entrance was so bad. Mooloolaba has always prized itself on a good entrance and are, at least, doing something about it. I expect the floods had a lot to do with it silting up. We motored up river and anchored in the designated anchoring area, made sure we weren’t going anywhere, and then put our heads down for a bit more sleep and got up just after 10 am. About 12.30 pm we decided to go down river by dinghy to the public pontoon. We had just got there when it started to rain (almost hail) so we sheltered for a bit and it soon passed. Onto the chandlery (small in comparison to Midtown) but we did get some hatch pins and silicon grease from the shop next door. We then wandered up to the café precinct for some lunch of Mahi Mahi, salad and chips. I wasn’t going to eat the chips but they came out just as I liked them, crisp and brown so I decided that today would be my free day. I couldn’t eat them all - boo hoo - as my stomach must have shrunk and I suppose that’s a good thing. On the way back to the boat we explored where we could take the dinghy out that was closer to the shops. We also saw ‘Endless Summer’ moored in one of the canals but there was no one on board so they must live around here somewhere. We last saw them in the Whitsunday’s last year. Back by 4.30 and a light tea. There are a lot of river cruises here and the boats are lit up at night and make quite a pretty sight.
Saturday, 28th July 2012 - Mooloolaba
A cold morning … brrrrr … and we didn’t want to get out of bed. That southerly has arrived. The Olympics have started so I expect that is all we will hear for the next couple of weeks. I do enjoy watching it but the TV stations just go on and on.
There is a strong wind warning today and the wind has picked up considerably but it is very comfortable here.
Geoff got the bikes out and gave them a check over and a bit of a service. Geoff is very maintenance conscious with bike maintenance after breaking his arm badly after he put my new bike together in 1989 and didn’t adjust the brakes properly. Anyway, he found that one of his tubes was split but, luckily, he had a spare on board. We haven’t used the bikes since we’ve been in Bundy as we live right in town although I think we may use them more when we return. While
I was writing this Geoff was reminiscing that this life of ours has given us a great opportunity to explore the coastal towns by bikes and walking in a way we would never had done had we just driven there for a short holiday. Now that we are back in Mooloolaba after 4 years he feels, that although a lot of things are the same, there’s always something new to see and a café somewhere to soak up the ambience with a coffee. By 10.30 it was really blowing so we decided to stay onboard for the day. Looking around the anchorage we commented on how some people must be obscenely rich. Most had huge mansions with really expensive boats out front of their houses on their own private pontoons. Where did we go wrong? Or, more to the fact, have we gone wrong? We are looking at the same views with no debts but, of course, limited income. At least we don’t have to worry about it all.
I was writing this Geoff was reminiscing that this life of ours has given us a great opportunity to explore the coastal towns by bikes and walking in a way we would never had done had we just driven there for a short holiday. Now that we are back in Mooloolaba after 4 years he feels, that although a lot of things are the same, there’s always something new to see and a café somewhere to soak up the ambience with a coffee. By 10.30 it was really blowing so we decided to stay onboard for the day. Looking around the anchorage we commented on how some people must be obscenely rich. Most had huge mansions with really expensive boats out front of their houses on their own private pontoons. Where did we go wrong? Or, more to the fact, have we gone wrong? We are looking at the same views with no debts but, of course, limited income. At least we don’t have to worry about it all.
In the afternoon Geoff rang Marlene in Tewantin to see if we could catch up sometime. We have been trying to get on to Dion as well but he must be working away as his phone just goes to message bank. Time to look on the web to see if the bus goes to Noosa. Yes, in fact a lot of buses so we will definitely head up to see Marlene next week.
Sunday, 29th July 2012 - Mooloolaba
Another cold night of 5ºC but the day dawned sunny but still a little windy. After a brekky of bacon and eggs Geoff went to the beach close by and filled up some water containers. When I got up the first thing I did was to weigh myself with disappointing results. I have either put on .4 kg or stayed the same. I couldn’t get the scales to set last week so they fluctuated by at least .8 kg as the boat moved back and forth so I took a guess. This time I did get the scales to set so I’m hoping that I can also get them to set next Sunday. Geoff was absolutely ages and I guessed he had got chatting. Yep, he had been chatting to a couple , Steve and Jacky, on a 25’ Catalina yacht named ‘Geena’ that was anchored close by. They were on route to Hamilton Island as Steve has a job to go to in September. Geoff invited them over for a cuppa later this afternoon. We then both went ashore and wandered up to The Esplanade looking at the scenery and checking out the tourist shops. It was quite busy but it was also Sunday. The breeze was quite cool but there were still people going in for a swim (must be Poms) and there were also shirtless young men showing off their abs and tattoos. In one of the tourist shops I treated myself to a soft raffia visor which I am going to add a bandana to as this is my ‘trademark’ cap. On the way back we popped into Coles and Geoff got a six pack of beer and I bought some protein bars. Back to the dinghy and fill up the water containers and launch the dinghy. Geoff pulled on the starter cord and it snapped so the poor thing had to row us back. We hadn’t been back long when Maryanne rang for a progress report and they had both lost .7 kg each and we then had a really long natter and we caught up on all the Bundy news. It was then time for me to tidy up a bit and Steve and Jacky turned up just after 4.30 pm. We sat on the back deck with sundowners and nibbles and chatted for over an hour. Jacky is very new to sailing and she was listening intently to everything that was said.
Note: something I've just remembered that you all ought to know... Anyone who has used a loo on a boat knows they are quite different from house loos and temperamental little things. They may be an improvement on the ‘bucket and Chuck it’ method but they spit the dummy at the most inopportune times. The rules for us and visitors are quite simple when using the loo on 2AB. The only things that go down the loo, apart from the loo paper, is what has gone through you first. So, the rule is ‘if you block, you fix it’! However, we have heard from other cruisers that mangoes can cause blockages due to their fibrous and stringy nature. Well, add to that list mandarins! For some strange reason, after seven years, mandarins have now started to do the same thing. As I don’t eat mandarins the finger gets pointed elsewhere - hee hee!
Monday, 30th July 2012 - Mooloolaba
Brrrrr! My nose was very cold when I woke up but sunny again so it will soon warm up. Geoff is still working on the loo so he says he is only going to eat the fleshy bits of the mandarin from now on. He also had to fix the starter cord on the outboard. While he was doing that I got three weeks worth of washing together and we went ashore to meet up with Jacky and we wandered up to the laundrette together. I managed to fill two large machines at $5 a pop and we wandered up to have a coffee whilst it was washing. Another $5 to dry it and then back to the boat for lunch. After lunch we took the dinghy up one of the canals and then walked towards Kawana Waters Shopping Centre. The first shop we found on the highway was Whitworth’s where we bought a new navigation light for up the mast and some starter cord for the outboard. We also had a wander around Toyworld and Harvey Norman before continuing on to the shopping centre. Both are hips, legs and feet were complaining by the time we got there. We wandered around and I bought a new ebook reader from BigW which came with a protective case so, maybe, I won’t break this one.
We decided to catch the bus back to the dinghy and the driver didn’t charge us which was nice of him. Hobble, hobble back to the dinghy and then a 5 minute putter back to the boat getting back just before dark. Geoff sorted out my new ebook reader for me. It is exactly the same as the last one I broke but has different and easier software on it. Geoff also rang ‘Multihull World’ to ask if they were going to publish our article on chartering. She rang back and said it was going in the November edition. This reminded us that Chris has three articles being published in the magazine too. The first article was supposed to be in the current issue so we gave her and Wade a call and had a long natter. Her article is being published in the Sept edition now so we will have to look out for it. Oh … this has just reminded me that we bought the ‘Cruising Helmsman’ the other day as there was a short article in it by Carolyn and Steve. ( One of the couples we went to PNG with)
Tuesday, 31st July 2012 - Mooloolaba
We were up reasonably early to head ashore to catch the bus to Noosa. But our first priority was to buy a bus ‘Go card’. Not as easy as you would think. We tried two newsagents first and eventually bought them at a 7/11 store. The cards cost $5 each and then we put $25 on each so now we don’t have to rummage in purses and wallets for small change all of the time. Plus, you are charged a cheaper rate and we have the Seniors version, cheaper still. We caught the bus at 9.10 (we were hoping to catch the 8.30 bus so you can see how much time we wasted) and swiped our cards. Hey, it works well. We changed buses at Maroochydore and arrived at Noosa Junction at 10.10 and all for $2.44 each on a trip that is over 30 kms. How cheap is that? Marlene was there to meet us and she’s looking good apart from old age creeping up on her, and us … of course. She took us to the Noosa Golf Club for a coffee on the way back to her place. A place she goes often. On to the village where she showed us around the complex and finishing up at her place which is a 1 bedroom unit in a mature living village. The name of the village is Riverside Village and is in Tewantin. She is lucky enough to be on the end of a row which gives her more privacy and more garden space. Pot plants abounded and she has her own little veggie patch and herb garden. She seems very happy there and lives life to the full with her choir, ukulele classes and now she has started up a little small theatrical group. So a very busy lady indeed! She had cooked a lovely Moroccan Tagine meal for lunch. One bedroom units were selling for around $172,000 so very affordable. On the way back to the bus junction we popped into Aldi to get some bits then it was a quick hug, as the bus was ready to go, and back to the boat by 4.30 pm. We decided to have a light tea.
Wednesday, 1st August 2012 - Mooloolaba
Up after 8 am to a nice sunny day. Geoff took my bike ashore as his had a puncture to buy two inner tubes. On the way back he stopped off at “Geena’ and Steve and Jacky invited us over for a cuppa as they are heading north tomorrow. We probably won’t meet up with them again, but who knows. When we went onboard we were very surprised at how roomy it was considering it was only a 25 ft yacht. We said our goodbyes and headed back to our boat for some lunch and then Geoff managed to convince me to take the other bike ashore and go for a ride. But first things first and he had to put the new inner tube into his bike and then we loaded it into the dinghy and headed ashore. We cycled past The Wharf Marina and onto the breakwater opposite Point Cartwright. It was low tide and we watched the breakers sweep across the entrance and watched the boats (all power) negotiate the entrance. We also watched the surfers take advantage of the breakers. The boats would hover and then, in between sets of breakers, they would gun it. We, of course, will take advantage of a rising tide so, hopefully, it won’t be too bad. We sat for a while chatting to a couple who had a boat at Mordialloc and then to another three people from Mornington Peninsular. All Victorians fleeing the cold Victorian winter. Back on the bikes and continue on to The Esplanade and Gloria Jeans for a coffee and also a cake for Geoff. Coles was our next stop as I wanted to top up on protein bars. Then it was an easy run down to the beach and the dinghy where we manage to load up with the shopping, both bikes and ourselves and back to 2AB. A total of 5.2 kms on the bike according to the GPS which Geoff had on a bracket on his bike.
Thursday, 2nd August 2012 - Mooloolaba
Windy again today and still no northerlies in sight. A leisurely start to the day sitting in PJ’s until 10 am - tch tch! But, after brekky we got ourselves galvanised and headed ashore to catch the bus to the Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore. We had last been here when we were relief managers for the retirement village in Maroochydore. We took a photo on our mobile phone last time we were here but it wasn’t very good so we have taken a couple more this time around.
It is a reasonably large shopping centre and is built over a man made canal but it wasn’t as big as I remembered it. Our first stop was a puzzle and games shop called Amazen. The owner was very helpful and had a lot of games out on display for people to try out. We spent ages in there as games are not cheap and we have bought some before and they have been a waste of money. We ended up buying a game called Citadel because it reminded us of Carcassonne, a game we really like. It still cost $39.99 and you really don’t get much for your money. I suppose you are paying for the idea of the game as well. Another coffee at Gloria Jeans where we get our tenth cup free. We then crossed over the highway to the ‘Big Top’ shopping centre. It was a little more vibrant than when we were last there but it still looked it was struggling with paint peeling off everywhere. I thought they were going to do it up when we were last here but nothing much has changed. Even Woollies looked very old and tired. We bought a few more goodies and wandered back to the bus terminal and caught the bus back. Back onboard we had a late lunch of red lentil and bacon soup which Geoff had made. We then went onto the web to see if there were any Utube videos on how to play the new game so we could get our heads around it. We found quite a few and they were quite helpful so we will have a go at it over the next few days.
It is a reasonably large shopping centre and is built over a man made canal but it wasn’t as big as I remembered it. Our first stop was a puzzle and games shop called Amazen. The owner was very helpful and had a lot of games out on display for people to try out. We spent ages in there as games are not cheap and we have bought some before and they have been a waste of money. We ended up buying a game called Citadel because it reminded us of Carcassonne, a game we really like. It still cost $39.99 and you really don’t get much for your money. I suppose you are paying for the idea of the game as well. Another coffee at Gloria Jeans where we get our tenth cup free. We then crossed over the highway to the ‘Big Top’ shopping centre. It was a little more vibrant than when we were last there but it still looked it was struggling with paint peeling off everywhere. I thought they were going to do it up when we were last here but nothing much has changed. Even Woollies looked very old and tired. We bought a few more goodies and wandered back to the bus terminal and caught the bus back. Back onboard we had a late lunch of red lentil and bacon soup which Geoff had made. We then went onto the web to see if there were any Utube videos on how to play the new game so we could get our heads around it. We found quite a few and they were quite helpful so we will have a go at it over the next few days.
Friday, 3rd August 2012 - Mooloolaba
Brrrr - chilly still but a nice day nonetheless. Once again we were still in our PJ’s at 10am. Me, because I like the sun to warm up the bathroom and head area before I strip off down there!
I heard Geoff call out to a guy on a yacht that had anchored next to us after dark last night. I then heard Geoff ask him his name and where he had come from and he replied he was from Melbourne and his name was Jiri. I then heard Geoff call out and say “I think I know you from paragliding, I’m Geoff, come on over”. Which he did, of course, and I made some perked coffee. He was Jiri Stipek who sometimes stayed at our hostel when he came flying up at Bright. He still flies and sells Gradient paragliders and he actually remembered my name. How’s that? He is up here to go flying with friends. He said that Geoff was his inspiration to take up sailing. He said “If Geoff can do it then so can I“. He has a 30 year old 12 mtr Hartley Sloop and I believe he lives on it and spends the summers down in Vic and the winters in southern Qld. He keeps the boat on a mooring in Geelong at the Geelong Sailing Club. What a small world! He has an electric motor on his dinghy which is powered by a solar panel. It is very quiet and he could easily sneak up on you. A great idea but you can only do about 1 nm before the battery needs topping up from the solar panel.
Jiri headed ashore to dump some rubbish and Geoff wasn’t far behind to fill up some fuel containers. Fuel is very cheap here with ULP being only $1.29 a litre. He was soon back for some lunch and then he decided to go up the mast to install the new navigation light. Once I had winched him up there he took the old one down and lowered it to me. I took it out of the bag and laid it down where it rolled straight off the deck and into the water and disappeared. Geoff said not to worry as it was the old unit and not a drama. That was until he looked at the new one and found the holes were not in the same place. He had to come down to drill new holes and it would have been handy to have the old one at hand as a pattern. Now he is drilling the holes by guesswork so I expect I am in the doghouse! Back up the mast, not an easy task for either of us. The new holes he had drilled didn’t match up exactly so I had to send up his dremmel tool to enlarge the holes. Geoff had to crimp the wires as he was getting too tired and it was too difficult to solder them whilst he was up there. The lights didn’t work correctly the first time so he had to swap some wires over and they were working fine. Time for him to come down and collapse on the saloon seat with a cup of tea as it was a long and tiring job and the climbing harness cuts into his legs after a while. Plus there’s nowhere to rest when you are up there.
Jiri headed ashore to dump some rubbish and Geoff wasn’t far behind to fill up some fuel containers. Fuel is very cheap here with ULP being only $1.29 a litre. He was soon back for some lunch and then he decided to go up the mast to install the new navigation light. Once I had winched him up there he took the old one down and lowered it to me. I took it out of the bag and laid it down where it rolled straight off the deck and into the water and disappeared. Geoff said not to worry as it was the old unit and not a drama. That was until he looked at the new one and found the holes were not in the same place. He had to come down to drill new holes and it would have been handy to have the old one at hand as a pattern. Now he is drilling the holes by guesswork so I expect I am in the doghouse! Back up the mast, not an easy task for either of us. The new holes he had drilled didn’t match up exactly so I had to send up his dremmel tool to enlarge the holes. Geoff had to crimp the wires as he was getting too tired and it was too difficult to solder them whilst he was up there. The lights didn’t work correctly the first time so he had to swap some wires over and they were working fine. Time for him to come down and collapse on the saloon seat with a cup of tea as it was a long and tiring job and the climbing harness cuts into his legs after a while. Plus there’s nowhere to rest when you are up there.
After dinner we attempted to play the new game of Citadel but were not very successful but we will, eventually, get our heads around it and think it will be enjoyable once we have mastered it.
Saturday, 4th August 2012 - Mooloolaba
Not so cold this morning. Geoff went off to get some more water and then took his bike ashore and went off to the fish market to buy some seafood for dinner tonight. It is expensive here - double the price of Bundy, probably because it is an upper class area and they don’t usually cater for riff raff like us! Jiri is coming to dinner tonight, if he doesn’t get caught up, as he has gone paragliding with friends. I spent the morning making a Lemon Meringue Pie (with pastry this time Di!) and it is now cooling off before I add the topping. If Jiri doesn’t turn up then Geoff will be eating a lot of pie over the next few days. I don’t expect Geoff back too soon as I think he is also going for a bike ride without me holding him back. Because Jiri is coming for dinner I decided to make this my diet free day so I could enjoy it as well. This meant that I weighed myself first thing this morning but, due to a slight rocking, I couldn’t get the scales to set again so I had to guesstimate again and decided on a .4 kg loss but it could be .8 or nothing as the scale alternates between 1 kg difference. Geoff came back around 1 pm and had decided on green prawns as most of the fish was $31 a kilo. He had bought headless prawns (which he said were the same price as the whole prawns) so, at least, we are not paying for the useless and weighty heads. I made Geoff a cuppa and then shelled the prawns and finished off the pie. Geoff then went up the front deck and installed a pulley near the anchor winch in the hope that we would be able to use the electric anchor winch to get him up the mast instead of my muscle power alone. Unfortunately, after a few trial runs and a few adaptations, we came to the conclusion that the winch motor was not man enough to do the job. The last thing we wanted to do was burn out the winch motor. Geoff then looked in the marine catalogues to see if he could buy a winch with a longer handle but it seems that the 10” handle is all that is on offer. Another good idea down the drain.
After a bit of work on my laptop I went down to the galley and did a lot of prep on the veggies and pulled out all of the ingredients that Geoff would need to cook his Thai Chilli Prawns. It is easier for me to do this than rushing around after him finding the stuff for him as he seems to have no idea where everything is kept. I think this is a man thing! I am supposed to be getting a rest from cooking when he cooks but I sometimes don’t think so. Jiri arrived at 6.30 pm and Geoff cooked really yummy Thai Chilli Prawns with rice and a spinach, goat’s cheese and macadamia salad. Jiri absolutely smothered it in salt and we were both amazed and wondered what state his arteries were in. This was followed by the Lemon Meringue Pie. I don’t think Jiri (he’s originally from Czech Republic and arrived over 30 odd years ago) had ever eaten Lemon Meringue Pie and he must have liked it as he had two serves with cream. There is half a pie left so Geoff will be finishing it off over the next few days. We said our goodbyes at 9pm as we were hoping to head south again in the morning. It is quite possible we will catch up with him again as he bases himself in the Gold Coast whilst he is in Qld.
Sunday, 5th August 2012 - Mooloolaba to Caloundra (Pumicestone Passage)
Up at 7am and Geoff went ashore to dump the rubbish and to fill up some more water containers. He then decided it would be easier if we tied up to the public jetty down river to fill up on the water. Up anchor and with it came mud galore. All over the bridle, spinnaker pole and the front deck. I went up front to clean it all off whilst Geoff took us down river. I hadn’t finished it when we got to the public jetty to tie up. This jetty can take boats up to 25 metres and you are allowed to stay one hour, plenty of time for us. We got chatting to a local who said he was building his own 21 ft wooden yacht. He said he had to sail alone as his wife got terribly seasick and would also often faint from it due to low blood pressure. We told him about Stugeron and I gave him the label off one of our packets. You never know, it might fix her problem. After filling up on water and doing a final mud wash down we were off. No breakers across the entrance this time and no wind. Easy Peasy! The dredge was busy working in the channel but we were soon past. No wind still and a sea like glass so motoring, of course.
Maryanne rang and we had a very long chat and I caught up on all of the Bundy and WBV news. Cheryl has resigned and Connie has started. Maryanne had lost another .5 and
Owen had lost .2 kg. She’s now lost 8 kgs and Owen has lost 15.5 kgs. I’ve lost about 4.8 kgs but started way after them. Good on them.
Owen had lost .2 kg. She’s now lost 8 kgs and Owen has lost 15.5 kgs. I’ve lost about 4.8 kgs but started way after them. Good on them.
By 11 am we were at the tip of Bribie Island at Caloundra and the weather was very benign and the bar looked flat and Geoff decided we would stop over at Caloundra for a change. We checked in with the VMR first and they said we would have no trouble coming in so in we went. It is annoying that you can’t get all the way down the inside of Bribie island and exit at the bottom but the ‘powers that be’ have put a traffic bridge across that only has a 5 metre clearance. This stops it being a safe inland passage but, as Geoff said, maybe it is just too shallow through there, who knows. Geoff has always wanted to come in to anchor at Caloundra but me, being me, would love to leave all barred entrances alone. That’s another reason for not sailing south as bars abound. We found a spot to anchor behind a Crowther Spindrift cat called ‘Hitchhiker’. Once we had settled the owner, John (wife Robyn) came over to say hi. They are on a mooring and live here. He told us it was fine to anchor where we were but the rules were that we were not allowed to leave the boat unattended. He had ignored the rules initially and received a $200 fine. Now he has a legal mooring he can leave his boat. If we want to leave the boat we have to go further down the Pumicestone Passage which means you are quite a way out of Caloundra. We will have to have a think about it. There is a place close by that is called the Blue Hole but you still can’t leave the boat. By mid ebb tide the current was quite strong with the wind coming from the opposite direction which caused us to wander all over the place and the anchor was rubbing and tugging for a good hour. I am hoping it won’t be so bad when the wind and tide are in the same direction and the wind will probably die out overnight.
I then got Geoff to check my journal and sent it off and then we had two games of Citadel and I won both. Beginners luck!
Monday, 6th August 2012 - To Bribie Island, south entrance
A reasonable night and calm although a little water noise as it rushed past the bridle at mid tide when the flow was the strongest. We had a look at the weather forecast and decided to leave today as the weather is light and probably, hopefully, not on the nose. I couldn’t really recommend the Caloundra end of the Pumicestone Passage as a stop over as there are just too many restrictions for you to be able to enjoy it. We didn’t want to go further down as it gets shallow and we didn’t have any charts that showed the depths.
When we went to start the port engine it really made one hell of a racket. To me it sounded like it
was disintegrating but Geoff said it sounded more like the starter motor engaging and disengaging. We kept trying and it didn’t look good until Geoff wiggled some wires, as you do, and she coughed into life. Geoff said he would rather be at Scarborough when he has a look at it just in case she needs to be fixed. We up-anchored and were over the bar by 10.45 and it was calm and benign again. By law we had to wear our life jackets but there really was no need for them this time. Once out we were then in the shipping lanes so had to watch out for large ships and, more importantly, their wakes. By 11 am we had the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains on the land side and two large ships on the seaward side. One was a container ship and the other was a weird looking red one. Geoff got me to go on line and type in its name, Ocean Shield, and found it was the Royal Australian Navy;’s newest ship which cost over $130,000,000 to build and was launched in June this year. Although it is a navy ship it is crewed by, mostly, civilians and is classed as an Australian Defence Vessel. For more info follow this link... http://www.defence.gov.au/defencenews/stories/2012/jul/0702.htm Bounce and bounce as both ships wakes caught up with us but not bad at all.
The wind stayed light and variable all morning with the seas like glass so we had to burn more diesel. We also washed our hair on route as it was so calm. We anchored off Bongaree on the southern tip of Bribie island. It is not supposed to be so good in NW –SW winds, which is the forecast, but they should be very light if not non existent overnight so we should be fine here… fingers crossed. By the time it was bed time it was still very calm and that’s how it stayed.
The wind stayed light and variable all morning with the seas like glass so we had to burn more diesel. We also washed our hair on route as it was so calm. We anchored off Bongaree on the southern tip of Bribie island. It is not supposed to be so good in NW –SW winds, which is the forecast, but they should be very light if not non existent overnight so we should be fine here… fingers crossed. By the time it was bed time it was still very calm and that’s how it stayed.
Tuesday, 7th August 2012 - Bongaree, Bribie Island
A really good night although it did get a tad bouncy as tide turned but it was all over in a wink of an eye. I got up just after 8 am to another sunny day and a pod of dolphins cruising past plus there are at least nine Pelicans sitting on the beach nearby. After brekky we loaded the bikes into the dinghy and headed over to the public wharf. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people either riding their bikes, walking or fishing off the jetty. We chatted to one lady who was riding a very nice folding bike that she had bought from Aldi for just over $200. It also has 20”wheels and six gears like ours but for ⅔ rds the price we paid for ours in 2005. Mind you, when we bought ours there weren’t any Aldi stores around. We continued on our ride to the little park opposite the VMR and sat at the undercover picnic tables. We got chatting to a lady, Julie, with two apricot poodles (cuddle, cuddle) who had a sorry story to tell us when she found out we were off a boat. Julie and her hubby moved down to Bongaree from MacKay in March and paid $5000 to have their 25 ft Roberts yacht transported down by road. They had acquired a mooring here and had a diver check it out so did all the right things. Her hubby works in the mines and was working away when two weeks after the boat went onto the moorings it broke away and got washed up on the beach. It would have been ok and salvageable from here but the VMR, in their wisdom, decided to tow it sideways over the rocks to tow it up river to the marina. Because of their actions they breached the hull and she sank mid channel. This was in March and they are still waiting for a pay out from their insurance company, Club Marine. This is not the first time I have heard bad reports about this insurance company and I, personally, would not touch them with a barge pole … but that’s just me! We chatted for ages and it was back on the bikes to find the shopping centre where Geoff bought a new battery for the saloon clock which had stopped. I managed to rush in and buy him a birthday card without him seeing, I think. Back towards the jetty and back to 2Abreast for some lunch and to rest my ‘private bits’. I must buy a gel seat!!!!!! The rods then went in to see if any fish wanted to commit suicide, but no. Maryanne rang to chat about Bundy and WBV news …. Seems like the ‘new broom is definitely sweeping clean’. It may be a very different office on my return. Then Moo Moo rang to say that Jiri had posted on the paragliding forum about meeting up with us and posted some photos which she forwarded on. Nice, tickled pink!
Poor Geoff is gargling at the moment with some expensive Hyrodgen Peroxide as he is having trouble with one of his teeth. It was Hydrogen Peroxide that I bought for my toothache when I was in Italy. Over there it is a 10th of the price as here. It certainly fixed my problem so I am hoping it will help. We also heard some dogs barking along the beach and it was Julie with her two dogs again so we both waved. Late afternoon we played two games of Citadel and I won again.
Tuesday, 8th August 2012 - Bongaree
Another reasonable night and another glorious day. The forecast is for stronger winds today but from the N—NE which will be fine for this anchorage. Just before 11am we headed ashore to the jetty and caught the bus over to Woorim on the open sea side of the island. We wandered to the beach and then wandered around the small shopping area. Properties were more expensive over this side as they had a nicer beach but we didn’t find it as appealing as Bongaree. We were there for about an hour then caught the bus back and stopping off at Woolies to get some spuds, corn and sugar and to have a coffee. Another bus trip back to the jetty where we went into the bike shop to look at gel pads. We didn’t know what size we wanted and thought they would probably be cheaper in Kmart so left it for the time being. Back to the dinghy and back to the boat hitting lots of large jellyfish on the way. There were hundreds of them and you couldn’t avoid them and you could definitely feel when you hit one as it went THUD. We went onto the web to try to identify them and it seems they may be called Jelly Blubber. Yeh … that would describe them.
Poor Geoff still has toothache and there’s nothing I can do for him. When we get to Brisbane he will have to find a dentist. We think he may need a root canal job or a crown. $$$$$$$.
As we think about the couple of days we have spent here our thoughts are that it is very nice here and a good place to retire and not too pricey. It is probably not a good anchorage to keep a boat unless you come down the inside of Pumicestone Passage from Caloundra and moor the boat the other side of the bridge or in the marinas there. We have put it down on our list as one of our top locations and we will try to stop here on the way back up if the weather conditions allow.
Thursday, 9th August 2012 - Bongaree to Scarborough
Up at 7.30 and wake to another beautiful day although that should change tomorrow as a cold front pushes through. It is Geoff’s birthday today and he’s 66 years old and happy to have a years Aged Pension under his belt. I gave him a bronze tiki fish hook (a talisman for travellers) plus he had already received his red ensign flag last month when the girl in Captain’s Chandlery let the cat out of the bag. A low key birthday but he’s happy with it that way. He took the rubbish ashore and did two water runs to fill up the tanks and we were ready for the off at 10 am. We SAILED, yes … sailed…, for about an hour on calm seas then the wind died so on went the iron spinnaker. As the engine was on I took the opportunity to reply to some emails. As we sailed south towards Scarborough you could see the pollution hanging over the city of Brisbane. Yuk, we are going to be breathing that in a few days! We anchored just after midday with quite a few other boats and the area reminded me, just a little bit, of the anchorage at Cannonvale in The Whitsunday’s. As the wind was still from the NE the anchorage was exposed so it was a little bouncy. Time to get onto Centrelink and I decided to enrol in the phone voice recognition service. Of course, it fouled up right at the end so I was then put into the normal queue on hold. 15 minutes later it was answered and I managed to change my Bundy appointment on the 15th to Brisbane on the 17th. I then left a message with Neato notifying them I had left Bundy so , I expect, the fun will begin. We will see!
We opened the bottle of bubbly that Geoff had received for trying to help the yacht that ran aground at Gerry’s Anchorage in the Great Sandy Straits that seems so long ago now. It is Geoff’s birthday so is a good excuse to open it, don’t you think?
Friday, 10th August 2012 - Scarborough
Horrid, horrid night! That SW change which was forecast at 15—20 knots came through late evening more as a westerly at 30 knots. Because it was more from the west there was a lot of fetch and the seas really built up and it was extremely rough (like the crossing to PNG). It was because we were anchored and the boat was not dissipating its energy and the slapping was quite vigorous. I think I only got about an hours sleep and spent most of the night reading and feeling ‘off’. I knew the boat would handle it, but could I? Daybreak and it was still howling and very uncomfortable so Geoff was tempted to sail down to the Brisbane River although he said it was a shame as my appointment is not until the 17th and his the 23 rd and the week after. I really fancied a marina berth for a couple of nights so I rang Scarborough Marina who quoted $60 a night. I then rang the Newport Marina who quoted $41 a night as they would give us monohull rates as we are not very wide (some mono’s can be nearly as wide as us). I thought that was nice of them so we took them up on the offer and up-anchored and headed in. The guy was there to catch our lines as it was very windy and we were getting blown off. It means I can do the washing and have a long and hot shower for a change. Luvverly! I tried to have a snooze to catch up on my sleep but Geoff was just too noisy. We eventually got our long hot showers. On the way back from the shower Geoff noticed a large tank (3 x 44 gallon drums welded together) floating underneath the GBE cat in the next pen. We hauled it out as it was scratching the hulls and tied it down on the dock. When the guy, Karl, (liveaboard) came back Geoff told him what had happened and they both looked under the hulls but it was getting towards dusk so was hard to see. The wind died down about now and we thought we could have probably stayed on anchor, but it blew up again and I am glad we didn’t.
Saturday, 11th August 2012 - Newport Marina
Well, after all that, we would probably have been ok on anchor but, I must admit, It’s nice to be in a marina occasionally. There are kids on the cat next door and it is one of those cats that reverberate with sound when the kids run. You would think they were running around on our front deck. The first time Geoff heard them he said “What is that?”.
It was ‘weigh in’ day today as I have now changed it to a Saturday as I prefer this as my free day. Hooray … I got the electronic scales to set for the first time in a few weeks so actually know my weight. I have lost another .6 kg from my guesstimate of last week so that is 5.4 kgs gone so far so it is slowly going. Karl, from the cat next door, come on for a coffee and we had a nice and interesting chat. He said that there were scratches under his hulls and they had gone through to the gelcoat so he is going to have a talk with his insurance company. By the time he had left half the day had gone so we had cheese on toast for lunch (yummy) and then got the bikes out and we headed off to Scarborough Marina area which was about 3.2 km away as per the GPS. We went in the chandlery there to buy some more tinned butter but they don’t stock it any more as the company wanted them to buy too much. Bumma … so we only bought a few cheap bits. On along to the new Redcliffe Marina which was half empty (or half full, depending on your philosophy) and along the esplanade for a while. We could have kept going along the bike track to Redcliffe if we hadn’t turned back. One thing about down in southern Qld, bike tracks abound which is great as I HATE riding on roads. We stopped for a coffee on the way back (a Mazzie requirement if I have to get on a bike) and then made our wayback, stopping at the general store for milk etc. We got back at 4 pm and then I got the washing together and headed up to the laundry. The laundry was quite cheap at $3 a wash. The dryers were even cheaper at 20¢ for 7 mins but they were non commercial dryers so took ages. In the end I divided the loads between two dryers to hurry the process up. As it was, I didn’t get back to the boat until just before 6.30. Geoff had started cooking dinner, which was nice.
After dinner we played Citadel again and I won both games so he now has the ‘pouts’.
(Note: Geoff says that since he has been gargling with the Hydrogen Peroxide his tooth has stopped playing up … touch wood).
Sunday, 12th August 2012 - Cabbage Tree Creek, Shorncliffe
Up early and we were hoping to get away just after 8 am but we found the office didn’t open until 8.30. Time for our last long and hot shower for a while then pay our dues and get ready to head out. Karl helped us with our lines and we gave him our contact details as we got on really well with him. The forecast was for SW winds but they were more from the south so Geoff looked at our options. We decided we would sail out into the bay and then tack back and see what track it put us on. Once we had tacked Geoff saw that we were on track for the Shorncliffe area and Cabbage Tree Creek. There was no anchorage shown in ‘Beacon to Beacon’ and ‘Cruising the Coral Coast’ said there was no room to anchor so Geoff called up VMR Sandgate to ask for advice. The VMR said there was space for a small cat and to give them a call once we were in for directions. Once in we went where we were directed which was just past the port marker opposite the VMR building and just before the moored boats. A very limited space indeed which we are right in the middle of. We had to wait to see how close we were to either posts when we swung. Ok, probably.
After a while Geoff decided we would take the dinghy up Cabbage Tree Creek to explore. It was quite a surprise and it was full of fishing trawlers, some working and some stripped bare. Up stream there were also quite a few moored boats. By the time we had come back we had done 3.5 kms and Geoff went on the web to look at the area on Google Earth. He found the Cabbage Tree Marina but said it didn’t look like much.
We hadn’t been back long when the wind picked up and was coming in quite strong from the east. FROM THE EAST? Where did that come from? We felt quite exposed so we checked with the VMR about going up and anchoring at the entrance to Nundah Creek which he said would probably be ok for us but it was shallow. So we moved and anchored in 1.5 metres of water with it falling another 1 metre so we should be fine plus it is very sheltered here. But, now the depth sounder is playing up … bloody boats! It is not displaying the digital readout, (ie: 1.5) but we can still estimate what we are in, in regard to the bottom, by the side display so not all is lost.
Monday, 13th August 2012 - Cabbage Tree Creek
A reasonable night with only a little anchor grind as the tide came in. Brekky, wash and then load the bikes up and go ashore. We pulled the dinghy up the ramp and padlocked it to a post and put the bikes together and headed off. I followed Geoff, trustingly, and then, right in front of me, was a hill. Geoff said it was an itsy bitsy hill but I noticed he got off at the last bit too. Mind you I had got off half way up. It was a short hill but quite steep although all the other bike riders who passed us never had to dismount. I said it was because they had normal sized wheels and more gears and I am probably right! Nice views across the bay towards the docks and over to North Stradbroke. (Talking of Nth Straddy reminded me of Sue and Arno’s visit and the ‘Great Sushi Hunt” and I now remember to tell Arno that south of Bundy Sushi Shops abound). From here it was downhill all the way with Geoff recording a top speed of 28 kph according to his GPS. I would have been a lot slower as I like my brakes a lot more than he does! No adrenalin junkie here!
We cycled along the shoreline of the extensive Moreton Bay Cycleway. A lovely morning with lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air (why aren’t they at work… maybe it is a long weekend). Many people were having picnics and, on our previous bike trip, we even came across a wedding in progress. There were a lot of families with the dads teaching their kids how to ride their first bike. Geoff thinks it would be a good idea to put some training wheels on my bike … cheek!
We followed the GPS route to the CBD of Sandgate where, coincidently, was the shop we bought our bikes over seven years ago. Interestingly enough, they still had one for sale which was deluxe version that was selling for $420. Ours cost $600 and we were a little annoyed that we always seem to be early adopters of new technology and pay the premium. We looked at ladies gel seats for me but, at $75, we couldn’t justify the cost as I don’t use the bike enough. We will look in Kmart etc to see if they have one for a more reasonable cost.
Coffee time at The Coffee Club as we didn’t know where Gloria Jeans was. As we were sipping our coffee I saw Gloria Jeans across the road and hidden by trees. Back to Woollies to get some fresh stuff and back to the boat by 1 pm via the less picturesque but shorter and flat route.
After lunch Geoff went into the dinghy to sand and polish the little touch up nicks he had repaired and painted when we were in the yard. He has only done the starboard hull at this point and is pleased with the results. Whilst he was doing this I updated our ‘Cruising the Coral Coast’ from updates from Alan Lucas that Geoff had downloaded and printed off from the web. A less strenuous job than Geoff’s.
After dinner we played Citadel again as Geoff was keen to beat me so I let him win! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Later we played Sequence and I won this time.
Tuesday, 14th August 2012 - Brisbane
Sad news this morning as we got an email from Deb on ‘Femme de la Mer’ saying that Carnie had died. Her little heart gave out whilst she was being cuddled in Deb’s arms (Deb knew things were wrong). A nice way to go but I expect Deb and Gary will be devastated.
We started the engines at 9am but the port was very slow to start, even using the cod start method. But start, she did. Also the camera had a lens error showing and we couldn’t use it. I was horrified when Geoff bumped it down on the table but it seems to have done the job. Maybe there was a small piece of dirt in it that is now dislodged. Will keep our fingers crossed.
We motored down to the Brisbane River as there was no wind to talk of and I downloaded the emails and there was a lovely long one from Alan and Lesley who have now moved to Vancouver as Alan’s work permit has come through. They have an old campervan which they bought for a song so they are now set for the foreseeable future.
By 11 am we were slowly motoring up river past the dock area. Geoff has downloaded the AIS (Automatic Ship Identification) system onto his laptop which shows you all the big ships that are in your area, where they have come from and where they are going, which is just up his alley. If you can receive an internet signal it is better than radar.
We arrived adjacent to the Botanical Gardens pile moorings just a tad past low tide . As it was slack water Geoff decided to have a go at tying up to the piles. Unfortunately all the very inside moorings were taken as they were prime spots but there were plenty of spaces on the middle piles. Geoff didn’t really want to be on the outside piles because of the wake from the City Cat ferries. The middle piles had their ‘tie off’ rings much further up the poles and there was no way I was going to be able to reach them. So, Geoff nosed the boat in and managed to get the rope through and tied off. I slowly reversed back but we didn’t have enough line to let us all the way back to the aft pole so Geoff had to go in the dinghy and tie off around the base of the pole until high tide when he would be able to reach the ring. It sounds easy, doesn’t it, but it wasn’t that easy and, by this time, my adrenalin had kicked in. Once secure we were able to attach the bridles back and front. Time for a relax and a cuppa. Geoff to get his breath back and me to calm down from my ‘fight or flight’ mode! Late lunch. The guy on the boat in front of us came back and Geoff asked him the system here and a council guy comes on a Wednesday between 12.30 and 1.30 pm. It is $20 for the key card (non refundable) and then $70 a week. For that you get the use of the pile moorings, toilets, shower and a laundry. If you want to pay and get the key card outside of Wednesdays you have to ring the council and pop in to pick it up. The council offices are not too far away in George Street. Not a bad price for the middle of a city!
Checked the emails and heard that an old friend who runs one of the microlight schools in Bright is very ill. Geoff rang his wife, Lisa, and had a chat and will ring Steve in the next couple of days. A day for bad news, it seems!
Around high tide Geoff put another line on the aft pole. We have been quite surprised at how strong the current is at mid tide. All the boats get jerked around a bit at this time plus the high speed ‘City Cats’ don’t help but I expect we will get used to it. Once it became dark it was quite pretty when all the building lights came on. But noisy with traffic and constant party boats going up and down the river. Quite a change from the serene and quiet anchorages we are so used to. At 8pm we heard the fireworks emanating from the Ekka Showgrounds. We went outside but couldn’t see any of the displays. Had a game of Citadel and I beat him again.
Wednesday, 15th August 2012 - Botanical Gardens, Brisbane
Once the river cats went to bed (after midnight) I had a good night. Until then I listened to my water tank slosh from side to side every time a cat went by but, I must admit, it wasn’t too bad. Geoff thinks the cats may have dropped their speed a bit since our last visit. Maybe because of all the damage they have caused to Dockside Marina. Maybe they go a bit slower past the marinas and the pile moorings now - who knows? Geoff says.. Maybe going slower saves fuel
We were up late to a nice day but you could see the haze of the smog shimmering in front of the buildings. Went to watch the morning news and the TV antenna plug has died so Geoff had to ferret around for a spare which is 240 volt so we will have to get a new one soon. Whilst we were having brekky we watched a Shrike ??? trying to get the old and hard bait off one of the fishing lines. Geoff put out some old cooked turkey we had been keeping for bait to see if he finds it. No!
Just after 10 am we headed over in the dinghy to the pontoon but not before removing anything from the dinghy that could go ‘walkabout’. Things do get stolen from this area on a regular basis, so we have been told. Firstly, we walked around the Botanical Gardens which we found very pleasant.
Then we headed to the CBD. On route we heard the last post being played so made a detour. It was the Royal Dutch Corps holding a service to commemorate the capitulation of Japan during WW2 at the Dutch/Australian memorial. We watched for quite a while and then Geoff got chatting to a few of them and found out that quite a few were survivors of the Burma Railway. It is interesting what you can come across during the course of a day. On to the CBD and wander around the shops and malls. We had a coffee and lunch out. Once again Geoff’s GPS did not want to work due to all the high buildings so we resorted to the old fashioned method of a paper map to find our way back. By the time we got back on board our feet were complaining which made us wonder how we were going to walk all the way around the Ekka showgrounds tomorrow!!!
Then we headed to the CBD. On route we heard the last post being played so made a detour. It was the Royal Dutch Corps holding a service to commemorate the capitulation of Japan during WW2 at the Dutch/Australian memorial. We watched for quite a while and then Geoff got chatting to a few of them and found out that quite a few were survivors of the Burma Railway. It is interesting what you can come across during the course of a day. On to the CBD and wander around the shops and malls. We had a coffee and lunch out. Once again Geoff’s GPS did not want to work due to all the high buildings so we resorted to the old fashioned method of a paper map to find our way back. By the time we got back on board our feet were complaining which made us wonder how we were going to walk all the way around the Ekka showgrounds tomorrow!!!
Thursday, 16th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Botanical Gardens, Brisbane
Geoff put another rope on the front of the boat as a back up yesterday and it made a lot of creaking noises at mid tide. You know how I hate noise during the night!
Checked the daily emails and had received a really long and newsy one from Lesley answering all of my questions. She said she was sorry to hear that Carnie had died and for me to pass on her condolences to Deb.
It looks like another beautiful day. We took the dinghy to the pontoon and just as we were tying up another couple arrived. They introduced themselves and were Ross and Pauline of the cat ‘Kaikoro’. We got chatting and found they were off to the Ekka as well. We accompanied them on the free ‘City Loop’ bus to Central Station where we all caught the train to the Ekka. $1.30 one way for both Geoff and I using our ‘go card’ and $6 each for both of them buying a seniors paper ticket. On the short train trip we found that they had met Alan and Lesley when they were docked at Midtown Marian up in Bundy. They wondered if Alan and Lesley on ‘Gypseastwo’ remembered them. (Well do you???). We arrived at the Ekka at 10.20 where we parted company and spent the next five hours there. We watched the wood chopping, show jumping, dancing, live music. We wandered around ALL of the exhibition halls. Checked out the beef cattle, animal nursery, horses, dogs, cats, birds, fish. Watched demonstrations for those really useful little gadgets that you can never work when you get them home. Ate lots of free stuff from various tastings and got as much free stuff as we could find (which wasn’t too much, I can tell you) and we walked many kms. We managed not to spend too much but, of course, we did spend a total of $57 which we didn’t think was too bad. $10 on beef jerky, $8 on Dukkah, $19 on food and drinks and $20 for a knife sharpener and zest grater. No rides!!!! We caught the train back and then the free bus.
When we got back to the wharf area we noticed the laundry was open with a guy sitting inside waiting for his washing to finish. When we got chatting to him we found out his name was Jay from the cat ‘Arete’ who we had first met in 2005. His Japanese wife, Hiroko, soon arrived back as we were chatting. We had looked at ‘Arete’ when we were looking at buying a boat. The boating community can sometimes be a very small community. As they say “It’s a small world“.
When we got back to the wharf area we noticed the laundry was open with a guy sitting inside waiting for his washing to finish. When we got chatting to him we found out his name was Jay from the cat ‘Arete’ who we had first met in 2005. His Japanese wife, Hiroko, soon arrived back as we were chatting. We had looked at ‘Arete’ when we were looking at buying a boat. The boating community can sometimes be a very small community. As they say “It’s a small world“.
Friday, 17th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Ow … my calf muscles hurt! Up reasonably early and head off at 8.30 to catch the Free ‘City Loop’ bus to Central Station and then on to Fortitude Valley, one stop away. We came out of the station and there was Julia Street right in front of us and a few steps up to the main road to enter Centrelink. It wasn’t long before I was called and it was very painless. Because I am over 63 years old the lady wasn’t at all worried about me as I told her I do a lot of voluntary work when I can. Great, now I don’t have to go back until 6 November.
We wandered up the mall of Fortitude Valley and the area was quite seedy with no pride shown in the district. Shop windows were greasy and marked. Even Gloria Jeans, where we stopped for a coffee, had windows streaked with marks and the soft chairs were vey worn. We found the Chinese owned shops very interesting with lots of stuff you don’t find in the normal stores but we didn’t dally here for long and soon caught the train back to the city. We were back on the boat by noon and decided to have an easy day for the rest of the day. After lunch I rang the council offices to see if we could pick up a key for the amenities. She gave me their address and level number and Geoff said it wasn’t far away so loaded his bike into the dinghy and off he went. I soon got a call from him asking what the number of pile mooring we were on , C6. It wasn’t long before I got another call from him saying he was at the council offices and on the level I had written down and nobody there knew about what he was asking. I rang the council again and found they had given me the wrong level so that was soon sorted. He eventually came back after 4pm and had got the key and already partaken of a shower. We then went up to visit ‘Kaitoro’ but they were not back yet. They came back later and we arranged to pop by in the morning before they left at high tide. They are heading north as far as Great Keppel Island. After dinner we played Citadel and we tied this time.
Saturday, 18th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Oh the pain! What with all the bike riding and walking we have been doing my calf muscles have been continually aching. They started to ache after the hill climb at Shorncliffe and they have progressively stiffened up a bit more each day. Before we headed ashore we popped in for a cuppa with Ross and Pauline on ‘Kaitora’ and left at 10 am as they were leaving on the high tide at 11 am They were going to head north but slowly exploring various anchorages on route and, like us, in no hurry.
Today Geoff decided that we would take the bikes ashore (he has no compassion!) and cycle down to the Southbank Cultural Precinct so off we went. The first hill was crossing the pedestrian bridge from the end of the Botanic Gardens over to the Maritime Museum area. Not too much of a hill when your legs are in good nick, which mine weren’t, but I made it without dismounting. From there it was flat along the river bike track weaving in and out of the many walkers who were also out and enjoying the day. It was especially busy at Southbank where it was almost impossible to ride without hitting someone. The last hill was a doozy, although Geoff managed it of course. It was a wooden off ramp that spiralled up to the actual Cultural Precinct. I got off and pushed! First stop was the State Library which had a small exhibition titled ‘Flood Lines’. It was mainly an interactive Ipad view of Brisbane River’s inundation into the suburbs and not about the state as a whole. You could put in your postcode and bring up any photos that had been submitted which totalled one for the whole of Bundaberg which didn’t show much anyway. But all is not lost as you can go on the website and upload your own photos which we will probably do. Next stop was the Art Gallery as we fancied having a look at the Spanish masterpieces on loan from the Prado. Alas, even concession prices were $18 each which tempered our desire so we looked around the freebies. Geoff did manage to walk in through the exit without being stopped and had a look at a few. I didn’t manage it and Geoff came back out not even realising that he had sneaked in the back exit. Then it was on to the museum which, once again, really only had paid exhibitions and this one being The Mummies from the British Museum that we really weren’t interested in so gave that a miss too! We did see that the Brisbane Boat Show was starting on the 23rd so we may go to that although these boat shows are mainly power boats and not really for us. We did buy coffees but that was it. Back on the bikes and go back the way we came and this time I did get off and push the bike over the bridge as my calf muscles had said “enough is enough”. It was another nice sunny day although a little more wind around. Back to the boat by 2pm for a late lunch and relax for the next few hours.
One thing that Brisbane has that is, maybe, unique is that it has racks of hire bikes everywhere you go. You have to join up online, which is a bit of a downside, and then the first 30 minutes are free and then it is $2 an hour, thereabouts.
Sunday, 19th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Up to another sunny day so we had brekky (bacon and eggs of course) el fresco on the back deck. Geoff’s idea and a good idea too as it was nice to sit out in the warmth to eat. We are having an ‘onboard-ish’ day today as I want to get some cleaning done. So, I thoroughly cleaned the galley, fridge, cook top, coffee store area etc and then went down and did the shower and head area. This took ages as it was a thorough clean and not just a surface job. Whilst I was doing this Geoff was on the computer fiddling with some stitched photos for my journal. Just after noon I decided I had enough of cleaning for a while so we went ashore for a shower and to fill up some water containers. It was my first decent, hot, long shower since Newport … Nice. The facilities here are good for the price. On the way back to the boat it clouded over and I felt a few drops of rain on my face . But that was it and it was soon sunny again.
We decided to have a game of Carcassonne and I lost (what’s new). Still, I have to let him win on something. By 4pm it was starting to get cool as the high rises block out the last of the afternoon sun. I rang Maryanne and she had lost another .3 and Owen another .1 kg and we had a nice long chat. Then I rang my dad in the UK and my sister Kay answered so we had a really long chat and then I spoke to dad afterwards. Kay and Dave are hoping to move into their renovated bungalow (house) next week so I will keep my fingers crossed for them. At last, I can hear Kay say! Once they have settled in Dad will give his notice on his council unit and move in with them.
Monday, 20th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Up after 8.30 as it is nice and warm in bed. The days have been very warm but the nights have been colder. Geoff rang Steve Ruffles down in Bright to touch base. Steve is very ill and was Geoff’s microlight instructor those many years ago. He started up the first hang gliding school in Victoria. After he had hung up with Steve he then rang the hospital here to confirm his appointment for Thursday.
We then went ashore and we walked and walked. We walked along the river for quite a while before doubling back to the city. We ate a cheap lunch in one of the shopping malls. Teriyaki Chicken & rice plus miso soup for Geoff and a herb and cheese omelette plus a water for me. $6 each. At least I was able to find something I could eat this time.
We found a shop called ‘Mind Games’ which specialised in board games but there wasn’t anything there that jumped out at us. By this time we had window shopped most of the shops and malls and my calves and, funnily enough, my shoulder were screaming for a rest as were Geoff’s feet. Before we could head back we had to find Woollies to get bread, milk cheese etc. Back to the boat by 3pm to put our feet up and partake of a drink. By 4.20 it was really chilly again so I changed into jeans, jumper, socks and sheepskin slippers … ah, much better.
Geoff then spent some time taking his Imate phone to bits as the screen has stopped showing and he’s got bits all over the table. But, this time, it looks like it has had it so he now has my spare phone. Bumma … this is the one he fixed after getting it wet a few months ago.
Tuesday, 21st August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Up to another nice day but it is forecast to break up soon, maybe Thursday with a storm, but not for long. As I was sitting in the saloon, slowly coming more awake, I watched a tiny Kingfisher diving into the river looking for his breakfast. The Kingfisher is a much prettier bird than its bigger cousin, the Kookaburra which is also a lovely and cute bird. Just before lunch we watched the Channel 7 helicopter hovering for quite a while nearby and then he was replaced by the Channel 9 helicopter so Geoff was busy looking at them through the binoculars. We will have to watch the Watch the local news tonight to see what it was all about. Then another helicopter turned up but was too far away to see its signage and was hovering more inland beyond the botanic gardens. A nothing sort of day as we decided to have a rest day on the boat. I did cook a cake then read and Geoff was, mostly, on the computer. He checked out Part One of the August journal and I was able to get it sent off. Later we watched the Brisbane news on TV and found the story the helicopters were covering was all about a large floating duck in the river which was promoting the St Vincent’s Hospital Duck Race. Nothing special!
Wednesday, 22nd August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
We got up, at what I call, a reasonable time, just before 8am. And I made a ‘wake up’ coffee. We decided to put the Channel Seven ‘Sunrise’ program on to watch the news. There was a report from Brisbane about the striking fire fighters, ambos and teachers who were complaining about wages. The female reporter was standing above the cliffs on the opposite side of the river with the city and the moored boats as a backdrop, they often do reports from here, and Geoff saw 2Abreast moored in the background. Geoff went out on deck with the binoculars and spotted them standing there. How’s that … we’re famous!
At 11am we went ashore and caught the bus to Mt Cootha, which was about a 30 minute bus ride away. It was a little hazy from the top but it was still a very good view across the city and beyond. Whilst we were enjoying the views a young Asian girl (22 years old) asked us to take a photo of her in front of the view. Geoff did as I am well known for shaking the camera! We got talking and found out she was from South Korea and had been in Oz for 8 months and had worked in housekeeping at the Uluru Resort for 4 of them. Her name was Juhee (Julie) Kim and this was her last day here and she was flying back tomorrow and then had to start looking for a job and settle down. It was nice chatting to her and she also took our photo. Time for a coffee and a decedent white chocolate mousse cake for Geoff. We then caught the bus back all for the Senior’s cost of $1.44 one way each. A cheap day out.
Once in the city we wandered around the farmers market, sampling this and that, and Geoff bought a mini Cos lettuce seedling tub for $2.00 and then it was on to the Reject Shop to buy some more potting mix. By the time we got back to the jetty it was 2.40 and Geoff went up to the laundry to fill up the two water containers. 15 minutes later and I was still in the dinghy waiting and being bounced around by the city cats. In the end I yelled for him and he emerged and, yep, he had been chatting … what’s new? Back on board for a very late lunch indeed.
Thursday, 23rd August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Up earlyish and head ashore at 8.45 to catch the bus to the Royal Brisbane Hospital. We got there with plenty of time to spare so had a coffee. When we got to the thorax department we didn’t have long to wait and Geoff was soon in doing his breathing tests. We were supposed to see the specialist the following week but they managed to fit us in. He said Geoff’s x-rays to check his bone density were good (steroids can thin your bones, apparently) and he was happy with the breathing tests (still 85%) but ok for his condition and his age. He has reduced the amount of steroids he now has to take and they will be reduced more in the next couple of months. He also wants Geoff to do cardiovascular exercise a couple of days a week to help with his weight and fight any infection. So Geoff is going to ride his bike a couple of days a week without me (suits me!).
Back in the city and pop into Woolies as we buy a little each time we are there so we don’t have to carry too much heavy stuff back. Back on the boat by 1pm and get some lunch. Now we don’t have to go back to the specialist until mid November we will be watching the weather with the aim of moving on soon. Maybe Monday or Tuesday.
Friday, 24th August 2012 Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Up late and a leisurely start to the day. After brekky I got all the washing together and Geoff took me ashore to the laundry. When we arrived at the pontoon a guy came up to Geoff and asked if he would take him and a lady across the river to his moored trailer-sailer as he was hoping to sell it. Geoff said okay and earned $20 for his troubles. Whilst I was doing the laundry and having my shower Geoff went back and got his bike and went off in search of a post office to mail a small and light parcel off to Jo and Mikey. Wow … it cost $21 for airmail so that was the $20 he had just got, gone! After a while I had finished washing, drying and folding the washing and no Geoff so I sat on the seat under the shelter and read my ebook. The Olympians are parading through the CBD today and there is a helicopter that has been hovering close by for ages. We decided not to go as we thought it would be too crowded and we probably wouldn’t be able to see a lot anyway. Geoff arrived back and said the post office took ages, probably because the CBD was so busy. Back to the boat where I had to hang out some of the washing that was still a little damp. We had some lunch and then Geoff went back ashore to go on his bike ride without me so he can get some speed up. I spent the afternoon quietly reading and enjoying doing nothing. He came back at 4 pm and said he had crisscrossed the river on the ferries and made his way up to the lookout above the cliffs at Kangaroo Point. He then went onto Dockside Marina before catching the free ‘city hopper’ ferry back to Eagle Pier and then back via Woolies. Time for a cuppa and cake for him. He said he got quite a sweat up a couple of times and that he covers twice as much ground when I am not with him. Nothing to report for the rest of the day.
Saturday, 25th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Brisbane River
Another nice day with a top around 25º. After brekky we went ashore and caught the city cat ($1.09) to Newfarm as we wanted to have a look at the Farmers Market that was held twice a month. On route we saw the big inflatable duck I mentioned on a previous page that was promoting the St Vincent’s Hospital Duck Race. I was surprised that it wasn’t closer to the hospital. When we arrived at the market we found it quite big, busy and vibrant. If we had money to spare we could have spent heaps on exotic cooked foods, gourmet herbs, spices, chutneys, sauces etc.
We sampled some cooked lamb and rosemary sausages (you couldn’t call these snags, as they had way surpassed this title). They were so nice I was tempted to buy some but at $11 for five I gave it a miss. The stalls were from far and wide and there was even a mandarin stall from Gayndah, an inland town near Bundy. I did buy tomatoes (under ripe so I have time to eat them as they ripen) at $4 a kilo instead of the $8 you pay in the supermarkets down here, at present. I bought some Lebanese cucumbers and a lettuce that was ready to eat but still growing in a pot and that was only $2. We also bought some Scottish kippers for Geoff (bleh), some green prawns at $15 a kilo ($26 a kilo down here … boy are we spoilt up in Bundy … and some Wagyu beef which was on special at half price ($11 a kilo instead of $22). So now we will see what is so special about this Wagyu beef that the TV keeps raving on about. It had better be good! We then had to head back as we hadn’t brought the freezer bag with us and arrived back just before noon. Cuppa time then we just fiddled around for the rest of the afternoon. Geoff went to back up with one of his external hard drives and the laptop won’t recognise it so he’s now p’d off and fiddling with it. Played Citadel after dinner and he won so I will have to rethink my strategy!
Sunday, 26th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Botanical Gardens, Brizzy
Another beautiful day. I wonder if it will break up once we head off again? I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, though! Loud music till midnight, I was cold in bed and then Geoff’s phone alarm went off and I had to get up to turn it off and then my electric toothbrush started up all by itself (gremlins) and this time Geoff got up to turn it off. I tried to weigh myself today but the scales wouldn’t set in the slight rocking of the river so I am thinking of buying a cheap manual set as the electronic ones fluctuate between 3 to 4 kgs which is no help at all. Annoying but surely I must be still slowly losing weight? I was still in my PJ’s after 10 am - tch tch.
Geoff spent the day trying to get his back up drive to work, which he eventually did, and then to do the backup from scratch which took ages. Whilst it was doing it we went ashore for some exercise and a shower. Geoff decided to run up and down the steps in the Botanical Gardens to do his cardiovascular exercises. There were about (I forgot to count them) 20 steps in total and he did them, up and down, five times before he was really puffed. The specialist said if he could only say one word at the end of the exercise he was exerting himself too much but if he could string a whole sentence together, then he wasn’t doing enough. I did my token of walking up and down them a couple of times. With my weight that’s hard enough!
Back on the boat and I fiddled around for a little while until my eyes were really drooping so I went for a snooze which is something I seldom do. I got up at 5.15 pm and Geoff’s back up was only at 4% … wow… it takes a long time from scratch.
Monday, 27th August 2012 - Gardens Point Boat Harbour, Botanical Gardens, Brizzy
The forecast was for showers today but, although it was a little overcast, nothing eventuated. At 10 am we went ashore complete with backpack, freezer bag and granny shopper and wandered up to Woolies to do a bigger shop. Whilst I was perusing the aisles a lady stopped me and asked if I was off 2Abreast. My mind was going two a dozen as I tried to place her in my mind but she put me out of my misery and introduced herself as Bernie off the cat ‘Single Malt’ that was moored near us in the inside pilings. We had waved in passing a few times and we had chatted to her hubby , Doug, one day at the pontoon. She had seen us go ashore with the granny shopper and then recognised the shopper and me so thought she would say hi. Geoff arrived and I introduced him and Geoff, having more “front than Myers”, invited us over to there boat for a cuppa in the afternoon. We loaded the full backpack, freezer bag and granny shopper into the dinghy and carefully made our way back to the boat. We had taken turns pulling the granny shopper and loaded freezer bag back to the pontoon with Geoff doing most of the work as it was quite heavy. Whilst I put the supplies away Geoff did a run to fill up the water containers and then we had some lunch. Geoff then got his small power washer out and gave the boat a good wash down and then it was time to head on over to ‘Single Malt’ for a cuppa and a chat. They have the same head lining as we do and also have trouble with the mould. They have been on the pile moorings since April and are doing a lot of work to the boat so are not getting bored. Back at 5.30 pm to cook dinner and the gas bottle ran out just as I had finished it so Geoff will change it over in the morning.
Tuesday, 28th August 2012 - To St Helena Island, Moreton Bay
Up just after 6 am as I was a little anxious of letting go of the pile moorings. I looked out of my cabin window and saw that the lower ropes were still out of the water so Geoff could untie them without having to plunge his arms into the cold water. He got up soon after me and got both sets of bottom ropes off easily and I pulled them in. Both of our hands still needed warming up (around a hot coffee mug) when we had finished because the ropes got wet, of course. Geoff went ashore to get some last minute water and whilst he was away I got the boat ready to leave, as much as I was able. When he came back we had brekky and by this time it was 45 minutes past high tide and the tide was starting to ebb so it was time to let go of the main ropes. Geoff went in the dinghy to release the back ropes and bridle and I hauled them in. The ebb tide held us in place while we hauled the dinghy in and then I went up the front and released the front ropes and bridle and pulled those in and Geoff gently motored out from between the piles. What a piece of cake … why was I so anxious … that’s the way I am, I guess!
We motored off down river and past the inflatable hospital duck that looked like it was losing air as its head had a distinct sag to it. We had the training ship ‘The Young Endeavour’ in front of us but they soon left us for dead. As we had the engines on I took time to answer some emails. By 11 am we were out in the bay and actually SAILING but having to tack. The tack took us almost back to where we started and, being lazy sailors, we put the iron spinnakers on and took a more direct route. We arrived at St Helena Island at low tide around midday after passing a yacht that looked to be aground on the sandbank but not dangerously so. St Helena Island used to be a penal settlement for locals (not UK convicts) such as bush rangers and cattle rustlers etc. It was named after an aboriginal inmate named Napolean. We could go ashore but could not go to the ruins without being on a guided tour as the ruins are quite fragile. The ranger operated guided tours were $5 on a Saturday and Sunday so we missed out on those. The private tour companies wanted anything from $50 to $90 so that was also out. We went ashore anyway and were able to walk to the well preserved lime kiln, the warden’s children cemetery and the inmates cemetery. The kids died of the normal things that kids died of in those days and the graves of the inmates were only identified as numbers so unless you knew what number an inmate had, then there was no way to identify who was buried where. Seemed a bit callous to me!
It was very well kept and an enjoyable walk in lovely weather. In fact we have had over a month of sunshine and no rain. What’s going wrong? I have probably mozzed the weather now and now it might rain for a month!
Wednesday, 29th August 2012 - Steiglitz (Southern Moreton Bay islands)
A bit of a side swell at times last night. Awake to another warm and sunny day.
We up-anchored at 9 am and then I had to wash the anchor, chain and deck off as we had brought up a load of thick mud. The worst Geoff had seen, he said, and worse than at Mooloolaba. As we were motoring I took the time to catch up on my journal. The seas were calm and glassy and there was virtually no wind. It was a slow trip with speeds around 3.8 knots and when the wind did pick up it was right up our bum and we had the tide against us, of course. It was very shallow in parts as we wended our way south.
We up-anchored at 9 am and then I had to wash the anchor, chain and deck off as we had brought up a load of thick mud. The worst Geoff had seen, he said, and worse than at Mooloolaba. As we were motoring I took the time to catch up on my journal. The seas were calm and glassy and there was virtually no wind. It was a slow trip with speeds around 3.8 knots and when the wind did pick up it was right up our bum and we had the tide against us, of course. It was very shallow in parts as we wended our way south.
After seven hours we anchored just past the entrance of Horizon Shores Marina in 1.2 metres of water, just past high tide. There’s not much depth anywhere around here. It has been over 6 years since we have been in this ‘neck of the woods’. We have some strong NE winds of 25 knots forecast for tonight and reaching 30 knots tomorrow so we will probably stay here for a couple of days as it is an ‘all weather’ anchorage.
We received an email from Owen with a photo of Mia and Megsy and with Megsy having been shorn so Geoff played around with it and sent it back to them!
We had the Wagyu beef steaks for tea and they were definitely more tender but I’m still not enamoured with steak, give me lamb any time!
Thursday, 30th August 2012 - Steiglitz
A lovely calm and warm night. It was the first time in ages that I’ve had to have my hatch open overnight. A very lazy start to the day. I went to log in to the ANZ bank this morning and a message came up saying “a malicious threat had been blocked”. We thought it might have come in with something else so we deleted it from ‘my favourites’ and typed the address in manually, with the same result. It seemed that every time you typed in ANZ it re-directed you to a malicious website. None of my other favourites did it so Geoff booted up his laptop and tried on his, with the same result so we now knew it was an ANZ problem and not us. Geoff rang ANZ and they said they knew about it and were in the process of trying to fix it. It was past 10.30 am before we had changed out of our PJ‘s and had a shower/wash.
Later we loaded up the empty gas cylinder, 2 x 20 ltr Diesel containers, 3 x 10 ltr ULP containers, 2 x 10 ltr water containers and us into our little dinghy. We bypassed Horizon Shores Marina and headed for the old and tatty Rudy Maas Marina close by. Geoff was glad he did as he found the guy there really friendly and his fuel and gas was cheap (as in the normal petrol station price and not a marina price). He said the Horizon Shores (next door) charged an extra 10¢ a ltr for fuel. The gas was $26, the cheapest we have paid in a very long time. $137 all up. It was quite windy and we got a little wet going but it was fine coming back. The guy at the marina reckoned it would be blowing 35+ knots out in the bay but it is very comfy here with plenty of power coming in from the wind generator. I did a bit of fishing and got plenty of bites but what good are bites without the fish! I thought we were a bit close to a small cabin cruiser close by and thought we might have dragged a bit so, to be on the safe side, we anchored a little further away and really dug the anchor in. By the time we were thinking of bed the wind was howling but by the time we actually got into bed it stopped suddenly, just like that!
Friday, 31st August 2012 - Steiglitz to Dux Anchorage, Tippler’s Passage
A warmish night and some rain and a thunderstorm in the distance. The Gremlins were also afoot with Geoff’s phone alarm going off and my electric toothbrush turning itself on again. AND, Geoff slept through all of this! I checked Geoff’s phone in the morning and he had it on pm when it should have been on am so no wonder the alarm was coming on in the middle of the night.
The port starter motor is still playing up, as if it is a bad connection, so Geoff had to fiddle around in the engine bay. I tried my electronic scales again and got them to set in the calm conditions and have only lost .6 kg in the 2½ weeks since I last managed to weigh in. I suppose I should be happy as it is still slowly going on a downward route.
We up-anchored at 9.30 and headed down the waterway towards Tippler’s Passage where there were a few anchorages we hadn’t been to before. A fine but overcast day so far but with showers and possible thunderstorm forecast. Whoops, we just nudged the bottom, you can’t cut corners down this way Geoff! Then two fighter jets flew by really low and then they flipped sideways and were up and gone. Imagine the G force! A couple of hours later we were anchored in minimal depth at Dux Anchorage and near the Southport Yacht Club (nowhere near Southport).
It stayed overcast all day with hints of sunshine trying to feebly break through and a few very quick drops of rain (you couldn’t really call them showers). We played Carcassonne and guess who won, and it wasn’t me. There are seaplanes taking off and landing close by so that gives us something to watch now and again. Geoff then wanted to play Citadels, I think winning Carcassonne has gone to his head and he must think he is on a winning streak. But, I won.
!
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