SV SEAKA: CRUISING AUSTRALIA IN 2019.

New photos added 15/09/2015

After a day in the Newry Group the weather looked like I could head south again so I took the opportunity to get down to MacKay. The trip down was by sail for the first 5 nautical miles and then, as the very light wind was dead on the nose, we motored the other 22 nautical miles. On arrival I went straight to the fuel wharf and topped off the fuel tank and the extra containers. I went up and paid for the fuel and one night at the marina office and got some milk and bread from the takeaway shop. After mooring up I hit the showers for the first time, I would have another before crashing for the night. Tea that night was fish and chips and I got a bag of ice at the same time. I also got rid of the rubbish and topped off the water tank.

I planned for an early start at 0400. This was because we had 44 nautical miles to go and the port was to be closed for a while around dawn to allow a ship to leave port. We managed to clear the marina walls by 0445 and with a SW wind blowing off the land we set sail for Curlew Island. The sea state was very good and we experienced good conditions for the entire trip. Just after passing the Hay Point Coal Loaders, I had come up into the cockpit and looking forward when the sea suddenly erupted with a huge slash from a whales tail slap 25 meters in front of Seaka! The whale went to port and I swung 90⁰ to starboard, I could see where he had dived to the sea bed some 25 meters below but I never did see the whale again. Must have been asleep.

This was starting to be a good sail to Curlew Island when one of the fishing lines went off and I got a Spotted Mackerel into the boat, just the right size, legal and not too big. So do I put the lures back in? What the hell I thought and back in they went. About an hour later I looked at one of the lines and thought why is that going straight down into the sea? Oh, another fish and it was a big one too. After a bit of a struggle, using the gaff for the first time, I got the 1.5 meter Cobia, or Black Kingfish on board. Once onboard it gave up, which is good as my autohelm power connection is low in the cockpit and vulnerable to damage from struggling fish. One of the home jobs will be to move it to a better location. But wait the other line is going off too! That one came in easily with another Cobia but this one was only about 50cm long, so it went back. Well from nothing to three fish in one morning I decided enough was enough and the lures were brought in.

When we arrived at Curlew Island there were three other boats and I quickly let everyone know that there was fish for the offering. The crew of one mono said they would take me ashore to clean the Cobia but after waiting for an hour I gave up and started to divide the Cobia up. I was all but finished when they finally arrived so I got them to distribute the fish around the other boats. In future, when giving fish away, it will be whole uncleaned fish, less what I want. Interesting to note is that one of the yachts, All The Colours, was owned by Jenny who is technically blind and whom I had met at MacKay Marina back in 2011. I later went on board for drinks and met her 'sighted' crew. This is the only yacht this trip that I met previously on my 2011 trip.

The next morning [Monday 7th September] after a rolly night we set off east to round Curlew Island for the Duke Group some 38 nautical miles to the south. Things didn't go well at first as it was very rough, which in hindsight was only between the islands, and I had actually turned north again for MacKay when I realized that having moved east a couple of miles to clear some rocks that I COULD now sail for the Dukes. Once clear of the islands the sea conditions calmed down and we set off on a broad reach for Hunter Island in the Duke Group.

With nothing around I was taking time below when I heard an aircraft approaching; no make that a Border Patrol aircraft call sign 211 at mast height over flying us. Within five minutes they had read Seaka's name off their digital images and were calling me on channel 16 on the radio. They were very friendly asking only for my last and next major port of call and our home port. The patrol went onto contact all the yachts in the area but had no success with about fifty percent of them as they must have been listening on channels 80 and 21, the local repeater frequencies. The only foreign yacht contacted was not asked for their home port as they must have had it in their data base.

Closer to Hunter Island the wind shifted a bit to allow me to come in on the east side and enter the anchorage via the Lola Mantes Passage. This was brought to a sudden stop when we were hit by a squall [first of the trip] in which I decided it would be better to drop all sail. That was soon done but now the seas were very rough, bit of tide against wind in there as well, and we had over 3 nautical miles to go to the Lola Mantes Passage. So the helm was put over to starboard and with the seas now going our way the action was much easier. I was later to hear from All The Colours, who was in sight at the time, that the squall had been well over 20 knots. Approaching the anchorage from the west side now I noticed two yachts anchored down on Marble Island and thinking that would save time in the morning went down with the intention of anchoring near them. Once there I could only find deep water, they must have been anchored on an underwater ridge, and both were rolling around, a definite no-go anchorage for a Top Hat. So I went back to the normal Hunter Island anchorage and settled in for the night. Soon after the two yachts turned up and speaking to them I discovered a connection in that they knew Bill of Misty Blue. As they had a freezer, I sent them on their way with the rest of the Cobia, hope you enjoyed some Bill.

The next morning [Tuesday] we set off at daylight for Island Head Creek. The forecast was for easterlies but these tended to be more like EES which wasn't quite on the nose. Eventually I only had the main sail up to stabilize us in the easterly roll. We saw a few whale pods early on with a small course change required to avoid only one pod. Outside Island Head Creek we saw a rare pigmy whale.

We entered Island Head Creek and, even though it was low water, found plenty of depth to get up to the anchorage. The next day we started in on the jobs I had to do. The major one was to fix the toilet where water was coming back into the bowl when all sea cocks were off. I first replaced a flapper valve at the toilet but still found the water was coming in. I decide that I would have to install an extra ball valve [I'd brought one if I had to do this] in the outlet line. Once that was done I found the toilet wouldn't pump out. A bit confused over this I decided to sleep on it and have another go in the morning. I started to strip it all down and finally found that I had a blockage just before the outlet seacock. Once that was sorted it worked without leaking back into the bowl, which is a relief in more ways than one!

Later that day as low tide approached, I raised the anchor and proceeded up the creek with the intention of anchoring at the western most anchorage. About two nautical miles up, as we approached a couple of yachts, one of them came on the radio to warn me about a rock reef ahead. I anchored up and at Terry's invitation went over and he showed me where I should be, which was on the other side of the creek. After the tide had risen a meter [tidal range is 3.5 meters at the moment here] we had sufficient depth to cross over the central sand bar and proceed up to the anchorage.

It's very calm up here, compared with down at the creek entrance. The next day Terry turned up and then three other yachts as well. On the second day here I moved out from the shore a bit as I was too close at low tide. I have the two crab traps out, but as yet have not got any. Mind you Terry has only got two, one of which I had the small half and that was really too much crab for one meal. It was 36 cm across! Probably worth heaps in a restaurant, just because of the size! The second one was not that much smaller either. Terry has a catamaran called SAN-E-T and during my stay here he has given me two lots of fish from his freezer and the smaller half of that large mud crab. Much has been discussed over his home brew each day from 1500 hours. Many thanks Terry.

Today I lifted the mud crab pots and brought the dinghy onboard. To post this and do the emails I have moved back down the creek to where we stopped on the way up. We have a better signal here. Later I will move down to the entrance for a 0500 departure on Tuesday 15th September to Great Keppel Island some 55 nautical miles away.

From Great Keppel Island I will sail 28 nautical miles for The Narrows and go through on Thursday. I will only stop at the Gladstone Marina for fuel and water before going on to overnight at Catcombe Head on Facing Island. The next day we will sail 30 nautical miles for Pancake Creek where I will rest for a day before sailing 60 nautical miles to the Port of Bundaberg. There I will have to reprovision before going on through the Great Sandy Strait.