26 June onwards
In the last blog we were at Tin Can Bay Marina sheltering from the wind and rain but still enjoying ourselves. On one morning, our stroll took us to the boat ramp near Barnacles Café, where the dolphins sometimes come in to feed, but no dolphins appeared, however we had breakfast and planned to come earlier the following day. After a wet and windy day and night the rain appeared to be easing, so off we set. We stood in the cold and wind with increasing rain for an hour, still no dolphins. Susie and Max left and I stayed on for a bit enjoying a bacon and egg burger. In hindsight, it was unlikely that the dolphins would appear at their usual time of 7ish, as it was dead low tide.
Following a pleasant stay at Tin Can Bay, we headed northwards for the 21 mile trip to Garry’s Anchorage on Fraser Island. Good sailing for a change but care was needed as it was low tide. Previous visits to Garry’s have been good including the 8 days we spent sheltering from cyclone Hamish in 2009. But this short stay will memorable for us as Max has overcome an major obstacle, he is now weeing on the artificial turf on the stern scoop. Hurray!
We have been carrying around this piece of artificial turf for months, which he steadfastly refused to use except for this day. This takes a lot of pressure off us especially in National Parks and Maritime Parks where dogs are not supposed to be in the dinghy let alone ashore. No more late night beach visits to squeeze the dog before bed. Over the next few days he has improved his skills even further using the turf at least twice daily but not to the extent of number twos. Our thanks to “L’ Evasion” and Tiger’s 4 days’ worth of wees on the mat in Scarborough, which made it pretty smelly enough for him to get the message and the fact that we did not go ashore at Garry’s.
Garry’s was pleasant enough but due to the times of the tides we decided to press on the following day heading north. However, because of the tides and concern for going aground we did not leave until after 2 in the afternoon, and also did not even gamble on escaping via the northern route. Instead we took the longer, safer route back the way we had come in from the south. Susie recorded our track on her new Ipad using the Navionics app. Great new toy which we are both still learning to use.
We anchored south of South White Cliffs, at Yankee Jacks just on dusk, having come through Sheridan Flats without touching bottom! Next morning we motored the few miles to North White Cliffs. We tried to sail but the breeze waned to nothing and the water became glassy. Once again we caught up with Chris and David and the beautiful Tiger on “L’ Evasion” for a lovely brunch in gorgeous weather. They were thrilled to hear of Max’s accomplishment.
When we were in Sandy Straits in 2009, we had planned to go up the Mary River to Maryborough but cyclone Hamish disrupted our plan. This time we took the opportunity to tag along in company with “L’ Evasion” on the trip up river (approx 21nm). We anchored just beyond River Heads in fierce tidal streams and in hindsight we should have anchored in the Susan River. Early next morning on the flooding tide we set off using the rise to get over the shallows and had a good trip up stream being careful to dodge the debris. We anchored downstream of the town using the public jetty, not such a good idea as it is not a floating jetty and it is really muddy.
The following day, my birthday, we arranged to leave the dinghy at the marina for a fee, great idea! We started the day with a guided walking tour of Maryborough, lasting an hour and half with a lady from the local historical society. It was very good and thoroughly enjoyed. After a stop at a café where they make fudge (yummy) we eventually settled for lunch at the Post Office Hotel sitting outside. Together with Chris and David we toasted Nick’s health and sat in the sun enjoying the warmth. The overnight temperatures had been down to 7 degrees, 11 degrees in the cabin – ouch! We enjoyed our lunches, Susie and Chris had lamb shanks which were enormous and beautifully done. Later in the evening, Barry and Jenny, “Second Wind” invited us aboard, where we once again toasted Nick’s health and to finish the day, Barry played “Happy Birthday” and “Amazing Grace” on his flute!
We farewelled “L’ Evasion” as they headed off to Urangan, while we rented a mooring from the marina which allowed us the use of their facilities and a place to leave our dinghy safely.
Somehow I managed to cause Susie’s laptop to malfunction and fortunately was able to have it repaired in downtown Maryborough. In the meantime, I managed to contact Bob (VK4WRB) who I have been talking to on the ham radio on and off for 20 years. He picked us up the next day and took to us to see another mutual friend, Ted de Villa “Ho Hoc”, who we first met in Mahon, Menorca in 1984 and were amongst our group crossing the Atlantic that year. Unfortunately all these people are all getting on in years and are not as active as when we first met them.
Rain, rain and more rain, windy and cold – yuk! I spent a couple of days trying re-install software onto Susie’s laptop, even with the help of Barry from “Second Wind”, but no luck. Eventually I gave up and took it back to the shop. I think some of the required disks may be safely packed at home.
Ted and Barbara picked us for lunch at their house, which was lovely. Barbara is a great cook and Susie has been making her recipe for Zucchini slice for years. Ted and Barbara provided us with an armful of wonderful citrus from the neighbour’s property, including a fabulous pineapple, a newish type called Queensland Gold.
Driving back into town and into mobile phone reception, Susie’s phone started receiving messages. To our dismay they started with “your boat is taking on water”, then another: “your boat is adrift heading for the Granville Bridge”, followed by: “your boat is secure but you have lifted the mooring”. During the night we had shortened up on the mooring because of a metallic knocking on the hull. As the tide had come in, we had lifted the mooring. Little wonder the boat was bow down with 2 tonnes of mooring hanging off the bow cleat! At the top of the tide we motored slowly downstream and returned the mooring block to its original position – roughly. A big sigh of relief as the bow lifted and the boat sat level again.
Wednesday evening was a special event. Bob and Faye invited us to “Flicker Fest” at the Brolga Theatre to see a dozen short Aussie movies. The local arts society had wanted a good turnout but they had not expected to have drawn a crowd of perhaps 600 people or more, the 900 seat theatre appeared very full, even on this cold midweek night with the mist/fog all round. It was great fun, some were very funny and some were thought provoking.
As Thursday is market day, we stocked up with fresh fruit and veggies and also had a ride on the steam engine before the rain once again set in. We did a lot of socialising and enjoyed our time in Maryborough, meeting some interesting people such as; Barry and Pam of the cat they built “Minx”; David & Sue off “Mischief” built in 1957. Neville and son who looked after us at the Marina.
When the tides were favourable, we headed back down the Mary River, anchoring once again at Yankee Jacks, catching up with “L’ Evasion”. Our last night with them, as they head south and we head northwards.
We had a good sail to Urangan. At one stage doing 9 knots on flat water with just a bit of tide using only the genoa. Fish and chips for lunch – yummy!
Much of the following day we spent washing and cleaning, trying to remove the effects of being in the muddy Mary River for two weeks – the red/brown staining is very adherent. We caught up with another Catalina called “Wizard of the Wind”, we had bought a transformer from them in Sanctuary Cove a year before, and they bought the boom brake from us in Urangan. Small world!
It was a long sail to Bundaberg in light winds at first, fading to nothing and then returning from the same direction at 25 knots, the sail was pleasant in flat seas. Max had 5mgs of Valium, which appeared not to help, so we gave him another 5mgs, 3hrs later. But he just hates the sailing and it is very trying for us.
We booked in the Port of Bundaberg Marina which is near the mouth of the Burnett River. Going towards our designated berth we went aground. There is still a lot of silt from the floods of January 2011. It was very soft and did not hold us for long, but it was a bit disconcerting at the time, as manoeuvring in the tight confines of a marina with a bit of a breeze blowing and the tide running out puts the pressure on one.
Having given the boat a good clean in Urangan you would think we would not need to clean again for a while, but that Mary River mud is very difficult to get rid of and top that with the amount of rain, the interior of the boat was starting to sprout mould. After a day of washing, cleaning with vinegar and oil of cloves and airing the boat in readiness for guests to arrive, imagine our distraught to see black snow fall al around (soot from cane burn off).
It was great to see Bob and Joan (“Cats Away”) and to hear all the news from SYC. They had driven from the Gold Coast and brought a generous amount of essential supplies, including a delicious homemade curry including bringing the poppadoms and a homemade veggie soup. We are fortunate to have such good friends, as they also offered to take our anchor chain to the galvanisers in Bundaberg just before they closed on Friday afternoon.
Saturday we went on the tour of the rum distillery, very interesting. Their top shelf product is exceptionally good but too dear for our budget! ($90). We had hoped to go to the cooperage as Bob had his cask (made at this cooperage) in the car for a replacement cork, but it was closed. The Mid Town Marina looks in poor shape following the floods in January 2011, and they only have for’ and aft moorings available (this is the marina we were nearly thrown out of, for making too much noise while playing Pictionary with friends in 1987).
Bob and Joan took us visit Agnes Water and the Town of 1770, what a difference 25 years makes to roads and house prices. The last time we had been in Bundaberg in 1987 we did the same trip in a hire car with Col & BJ from “Shiraz” on dirt roads. After a pleasant lunch overlooking the boats anchored in the inlet at 1770, including seeing “Mischief” at anchor but we were unable to gain their attention.
Joan and I very nearly said no to Bob’s suggestion of a different route back, but we were pleased to have continued as we headed back via Deepwater Conservation Park. Great scenery, through a designated 4 wheel drive track. Just as well we were in Bob’s Land Rover, sand tracks, river crossings, gravel roads, amazing fun!
At one or two of our stops I noticed the distinctive perfume of diesel eventually we crawled under the car to find a small leak which was dripping fuel. Next day Bob took the car to a repairer in Bundaberg who found the return fuel line broken above the tank. Apparently this was nothing to do with our little 4WD adventure, just wear and tear.
It was sad to see Bob and Joan loaded up the car to return home. Just before they left, they met Arnold and Lori in the marina car park as our next set of guests arrived. Hot bunking its called.
Lori and Arnold arrived en route to Bowen to visit friends. They stayed two nights, as the long drive was more taxing than they expected. The bonus for us was drive to Bargara and Elliot Heads followed by a trip to the galvanisers to collect our anchor chain.
The chain looks good, now the time will tell when we see how well it performs in salt water! When Arnold and Lori left we painted and marked the chain before stowing it away and once again, life on “Water Music” returned to normal.
Susie wanted a bit of a break from daily travelling and we think the break may be good for Max, so we have decided to stay put for a while, anyway the wind and rain have returned again and it’s been very cold too. There is a good walk to a new IGA at Burnett Heads for provisions and a courtesy bus available for the return to the marina if needed. All in all, it is very pleasant here.
When the wind eased, we moved to the fuel dock and filled up with diesel ($1.40/l) following which we moved to a different and quieter berth. It was interesting being next to the spanner crab boats for a few days as they were not crabbing during the strong winds but as the wind eased they noisily started work at 4 am followed by the roar of crushed ice being tipped out at the ice plant at about 5 am .
We caught the marina courtesy bus into town to do some shopping and also left Susie’s Iphone at the phone doctor (3km walk out of town) for repair. The button that turns off the ringer stopped working and was permanently in silent mode. One shop in town told us a story about having to heat up the phone to melt the glue and remove the face and that it was not worth the effort. Then a chance conversation via Skype with David Caruana put us on to a website where I discovered that the model of phone which Susie had been given (thanks Tony) has screws which permits opening and repair. The process is too complex for me to attempt.
On the first morning of the Olympics we awoke early, as it was cold and clear outside I suggested watching TV in bed with the AC on heating mode. Strange rattling sounds emerged and while Susie watched the games I disconnected the salt water intake to discover a small puffer fish blocking the intake. The rattling noise was caused by a loose magnet inside the pump. I have never taken one of these induction driven pumps apart before. They utilise two rotating magnets to transfer the torque from and electric motor to the pump vane and one of the magnets had worked loose, it probably nothing to do with the puffer fish, just luck!
We had lunch with Julie and Greg Dietrich (Julie was at Watpac and Prolog in a previous life). It was great to see them again and hear about their fishing trips and adventures around the Sandy Straits and places further north.
In the meantime, the bikes have resurfaced from the depths of the hold, even Max has been in a box on the bike! I’m also getting a couple of cockpit side shade curtains made and an awning to cover the bow hatch for times of rain. Just when things were coming together, the vacuum cleaner packed it in and had to be sent away, hence the ungainly parcel tied to Susie’s bike and the black snow continues to fall and we continue to clean! Susie is flying to Canberra on 13 August out of Hervey Bay airport, so we shall be staying around this area for a little longer after which we head north again.