Passion for Cruising
| Vessel Name: | Truest Passion |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Seawind 1160 Catamaran |
| Hailing Port: | Southport |
| Crew: | Stuart Simpson & Nanette Black |
18 May 2012 | Mooloolaba
Good News-Bad News
Hello to all our yachtie friends, it is so long again since I have posted a blog, but the moment has at last arrived that I can talk to you all.
02 November 2011 | Mooloolaba Marina
Home!!
The last lap, so we left Garry’s Anchorage at 5.50am to catch the incoming tide to cross the bar. No wind at all. We started down the “mad mile” towards the bar crossing – not for the faint hearted today, it was like a washing machine, however the largest wave we saw was about 3 metres. Finally [...]
30 October 2011 | Sandy Straits
Yankee Jack Creek
Off yet again at 5.45 am, I was almost sleepwalking as the skipper did his usual, go, go, now.........
29 October 2011 | Bundaberg
Nearly Home
We had a lovely quiet day in the creek, we even played cards and Scrabble, beaten again!!!
27 October 2011 | Pancake Creek
Dawn Start
Up at 4.30am [we must be mad]! To get to Pancake Creek before tomorrow, when a S Easter is forecast, means a very long haul today. We will pass Cape Capricorn at about 10am before sailing down the outside of Curtis Island and Gladstone etc.
26 October 2011 | Great Keppel Island
Another Ripper!!
Another day, this time up at 5am and underway at 5.40am. The water is like oil, not a breath of wind. The clouds are quite heavy at present, but it is very early yet.
Off the beach
We got off the beach at 8 am high tide, but of course had virtually no steerage with one motor and rudder. Stuart pushed with the dinghy; I tried to steer where he wanted, and Richard was on the bow ready to drop anchor. Well, with much turning in circles, we manouevred out of our tight space among all the work boats, and eventually dropped anchor 100 mtrs off the beach just near what looks like a nice? reef. The huge ferries come in and out frequently but we are clear of them. The clean up continues, the boat is a mess - still - but most lockers are now washed and hopefully dry. See photos!
Stuart has worked like a dog to repair electric pumps, solenoids, the gas cooker etc. The washing machine will not work, no freezer motor - no breadmaker. Every live 12 volt corroded out its connection completely after being immersed for about 4 hrs.
After all this, poor Irene and Richard are having a GREAT holiday!! I just feel that I want to creep back to Phuket and get into Boat Lagoon to do a proper fit, build a new rudder, try to get the Yanmar diesel going again etc etc. But we are all alive and had dry beds to collapse into.
But finally to add to all the above, a few minutes after we had set anchor, and Stuart was just coming back to our stern, Richard spotted a local barge under tow which was coming straight at us. Richard started screaming - "he will hit us" - and Stuart at the last second gunned the dinghy to come between the barge and our port stern quarter. Stuart was tipped out with the impact, and the dinghy was twisted under the barge. Stuart is OK, so is TP - a close encounter. The barge was not being steered. The dinghy also is unscathed. We now think that the Andamans may not be for us!!
