Adventures of Tropicali

Vessel Name: Tropicali
Vessel Make/Model: DEW 33
Hailing Port: Tin Can Bay
Crew: Stuart Pryor and Dianne Pryor
About: From Poona, Queensland they go to sea. There is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats
12 October 2017
09 October 2017
08 October 2017
04 October 2017
22 September 2017
20 September 2017
08 September 2017
06 September 2017 | Butterfly / Stonehaven
02 September 2017 | Hill Inlet
29 August 2017
21 August 2017
17 August 2017
16 August 2017
12 August 2017
Recent Blog Posts
15 October 2017

The last post...☹️☹️☹️

They say all good things come to an end, and after 105 days of our first venture north on Tropicali, we are now back in Tin Can Bay wondering where the last few months have gone and how the trip has affected us.

12 October 2017

Home waters again !

Over the last two days, we have milked the continuing run of northerlies from Bundaberg to our home port of Tin Can Bay. We have been incredibly lucky to have ridden this northerly flow from the Whitsundays all the way home over a two week run.

09 October 2017

1770 to Bundaberg

Just love 1770, it's on the must do again list. Yes, it's shallow, but it is a pretty place to sit in Round Hill Creek, especially at night. No wonder Captain Cook took the Endeavour in there. It must have been a LOT deeper in 1770!

08 October 2017

Day 100 - Town of 1770

Hard to believe, but it is 100 days since we left Poona, and sadly, we are rapidly heading back home, with a stop in Bundaberg likely for the next two days.

06 October 2017

Back through the Narrows again

It seems like only 2 weeks ago we were travelling north through the Narrows, but as we are now at day 98 of the trip, I guess it was quite some time ago.

04 October 2017

Back to sea again

After having Tropicali at Rosslyn Bay Harbour for 9 days, 4 of which were while we travelled to Sydney to farewell son Chris off to the UK, and 2 more waiting for the soggy weather to clear, we made a break today for Great Keppel.

Marble Is to Yeppoon

22 September 2017
Time to continue south. The Mackay to Yeppoon stretch can be long and difficult if you don't get the weather window right. This stretch only has a small selection of anchorages protected from northerly winds, but northerlies are gold for making for a fast and comfortable ride south.

Again we have been put on notice that the military has activated the marine component of the Shoalwater Bay training area, and is conducting "live firing"

We decide to go via Island Head Creek, which is a great anchorage suitable for all weather conditions. The winds are starting to blow stronger from the north, giving great assistance, but we first have to cross Broad Sound, the point where the northerly flood tide meets the southerly flood tide. Being near the new moon, this means we will have to cut across a 6 metres tide running at about 2.5 knots. At one point off Cape Townsend, we could see the tidal collision, and felt like we were sailing in a washing machine for about 30 minutes.

Great conditions, once we got around Townsend Island and into Island Head Creek. Another comfortable night, but still a long way from Yeppoon.

Up early again (part of life while passage making) and off to Corio Bay, about 13 miles north of Yeppoon. This is where the military exercises caused us to head out a fair way offshore to get around the closed area. Wind northerly at 15 knots to start with, but by the time we rounded Cape Manifold where the restricted area finished, the winds were getting uncomfortable at 20 knots plus, with a following swell nearing 2 metres. Steering was becoming a matter of intense concentration as the autopilot could not cope with the boat wanting to broach surfing down the waves. Hand steering now until we could see North Keppel Island and our destination for the day, Corio.

A shallow entry across the sandbars, but no problems encountered as we could see the channel in the bright sunlight. Another comfortable night, and now, just a 3 hour sail in the light early morning wind to Rosslyn Bay Harbour at Yeppoon.

This short sail was an amazing sight, where we saw our first Orca, although it seemed to be making life hard for a mother and calf humpback. We saw dolphins, tuna and turtles along the way.

Our only regret on the pleasant sail to Rosslyn Bay was that the air was incredibly smoky from all the onshore bushfires. So far, 87 days into the voyage and there has not been even one small rain shower. Sailed past the old Iwasaki Resort, past the booming town of Yeppoon, and into the harbour at Rosslyn Bay. Securely tied up, we basically bolted for the showers, two grotty yachties!

We will rest here a while, then hopefully get some good weather to play outbound in the Keppel Islands for a while before making the run south to Gladstone and beyond.

Pic is of sunrise from the marina.....nice eh?
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Tropicali's Photos - Main
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Created 29 July 2017
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