Another fairly miserable day weather wise - wet, windy and cold - so a fair bit of moping around on the boat. In between showers, Phil did some minor repair work on the dinghy, and we went for a walk. Our spirits were not helped with the latest forecast which now includes Sunday - the day we were hoping we would get a chance to move on. But not the case. So we have a new challenge in keeping ourselves entertained and maintaining a sense of humour in the face of somewhat adverse conditions while we wait some more for a break in the weather.
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We woke to another day of rain and so busied ourselves in the morning testing various things to try to get to the bottom of the battery problem. It turns out that it was not the solar cell and unless there is something else draining our power, the house battery is on its last legs. We just hope that it keeps on holding its charge for at least 12 hours at a time until we get to Strahan. We also had to do a boat shuffle as there was a charter fishing boat that wanted to get some water. We managed to fit two yachts on one side of the jetty, so he could get on the other side. This was all done in the rain, so full wet wether gear was required. The guys on the charter boat vindicated our decision to up anchor and tie up, telling us that they knew of yachts that had recently dragged anchor in strong winds in Clayton's Corner. After that it was baking bread, making hummus, and playing scrabble (Gayle, there is a new champion!). We discovered that our neighbours had gone up to the house here and got the fire started so we joined them for pre dinner drinks. It was very cosy and a pleasant few hours was enjoyed by all. The winds are going to be 20-30 knots for the next four days so it doesn't look like we will be leaving here until at least next Monday by which time we will have been here for 12 days. Apparently the record for being stuck here is about 40 days! We have done a stock take and we have plenty of food to last us well into next week, but if we don't get a break in the weather by then, we will have to look into getting some food flown in which is done regularly for bush walkers on long treks. Meleleuca is a bit of a base camp for them apparently. Hopefully it won't come to that. We are very glad that we got here on the day we did, otherwise we would still be around the other side of tassie waiting. If we had to get stuck anywhere on the trip, this is really the best place as it is somewhat protected, is very scenic and there are quite a few different anchorages to see, and lots of bush walks to do.
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As strong winds were forecast for later today, we decided to make the most of the good conditions to climb Mt Beattie. It was one of the nicest walks we have done here. It started through rain forest in which there is the greatest variety of moss that we have ever seen. Lovely tall straight tea trees and gum trees. Then out into open grassland. A spectacular view back over Claytons's Corner, our boat, Meleleuca Inlet and to the southern ocean beyond. At the top, we were rewarded with more fabulous views of Bathurst Channel and Harbour. After lunch - a reconnoitre in the dinghy to chat to another boat which had just come in and to explore round the edges of the bay. Like most of this place, there was very little foreshore, except for a narrow strip covered in tight knit short green grass like plant which looked almost like it was manicured. We couldn't resist tieing up the dinghy and walking on it just to see what it was like- very soft and spongy. By now the wind was getting up and the latest forecast indicated gale force winds for tomorrow (40knts). So we took easy option and motored over to Clayton's jetty to secure ourselves for what was to come. The other yacht followed and we spent a few enjoyable hours after dinner looking at their photos of Davey River and the gorge which we are unlikely to get to see.
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After a stunning still and misty morning at Meleleuca Inlet, we motored back down to Claytons's Corner to fill up with fresh tank water, then over to the mouth of the Old River, where we anchored. Then off in the dingy for the challenge of rowing 2 miles up the river to see if we could find a stand of old Huon pine trees. It was a very pretty trip and we were surprised at how quickly we got to the intended spot. We were following some instructions in one of the cruising guides, and we nearly didn't find the right spot at which to go ashore. What a surprise that was in store for us. It was like walking through a fairy land. There was moss everywhere, ferns, toadstools, and finally the stand of Huon pines from very small ones to quite large trees. Phil thought it was certainly worth the row, and so did Lesley. Back down the river, which is scattered with logs, quite shallow in parts, and the water is very dark with tannin so difficult to see obstacles even if just under the surface. We managed to slam into a large rock which stopped the dingy suddenly and startled the occupants! All was well. Back over to Claytons's corner which is a pretty spot to settle down for the night and the forecast windy day tomorrow. A perfect evening finished off with enjoying the twilight up on deck and a brief sojourn to shore to look for nocturnal animals, who were not going to show themselves tonight at least.
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With the battery problem apparently under control, we decided to stick to our plan for the year which was to go up the Meleleuca Inlet to the Meleleuca settlement. After reading the cruising guide we were a little apprehensive about this as our boat would have just enough water under it to make it through some sections of the inlet. However, it turned out to be no problem, although we did get down to 0.4 metres under the keel at the shallowest section. It was a gorgeous day and lovely to see some sunshine again after the last few days. We motored up as far as advisable for yachts and secured the boat by rafting up to another which was tied up to the "jetty", then took the dinghy the rest of the way. The settlement consists of walkers huts, toilets, national park station, information sheds, a bird watching hide, and an airstrip. The airstrip was quite busy today with three planes in and out. We saw more people today in a very remote part of tassie than we have seen since Port Cygnet. The settlement is also near the tin mines and family homes of the King and Wilson families. Deni King was a legend in the area, mining tin and raising a family in this very remote area. We think we saw a orange bellied parrot which are endangered, and come here in the summer months to breed. We also saw a white sea eagle near our anchorage this morning. We are spending the night up here and then go back to Bathurst Harbour tomorrow.
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There has been a bit of a gap to the blog updating as we went up the Gordon River for a few days, and again had no Internet access. Back in Strahan now so continuing with the updates. Photos will go up in the next couple of days.
Today we invented a new weather gauge - the length of Lesley's knitting - with the measure for today being 12 cm. Following a somewhat windy night, we have had more rain today which has confined us to the boat, with the exception of a brief sojourn in the dinghy to explore this little bay. It is quite scenic - more than we thought when we got here yesterday. The entrance is narrow, with bushes on each side and it forms a frame for the channel and mountains beyond. We had a quiet day engaged in the usual wet weather activities until mid afternoon when Phil discovered the the house battery had gone completely flat, despite us running the engine daily. This resulted in a flurry of activity while we tried to figure out the problem. The battery charged up ok after we ran the motor for 1.5 hours but was discharging at a faster rate that it should have been. By a process of elimination, Phil deduced that the only remaining possibility was the the diode in the solar cell had stopped working which means that the current was draining out through the solar cell when there was insufficient sunlight to generate electricity. As we have had several,very cloudy days, this seemed plausible. So Phil disconnected the solar cell, and hey presto the battery held its charge.
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