SV SEAKA: CRUISING AUSTRALIA IN 2019.

On the work dock at the boat yard in Mooloolaba.

Ninth Edition:

So I was in Brisbane for three days [5th to 7th Oct.] and back for the Tuesday [8th Oct.] when nothing happened that day. But on Wednesday [9th Oct.] they started on installing the new engine mounts. I must note here that when I get home I will have to reconstruct, in some manner, the bearers for the engine as the engine mount coach bolt holes into the timber are starting to break down and two had to be epoxied in.

By Wednesday afternoon [10th Oct.] they had the job complete, but wait, they then found that the Poly-flex connector between the gear box and the propeller shaft had work harden and there within lay the source of all our problems!

A new one was ordered immediately, but it did not arrive until just before noon on the Friday [11th Oct.] and guess what, they close at noon on Fridays! So we had a discussion about when it would or who would install it when I think the mechanic decided that after all the work that they should complete the work. So there I was, left to endue another weekend of doing nothing. Come Monday, that will be 19 days and counting in this boat yard!

As an aside to me being here, friends who left the Wide Bay Bar with me are still only as far south as the Goldcoast and Yamba because of the fickle weather.

This was a quiet weekend but on Saturday [12th Oct.] we had our first real rain for the trip and I cooked a cake on Sunday [13th Oct.]. Come late Monday [14th Oct.] morning the job was finally complete and a test run done. That afternoon I paid up my bills and prepared to finally leave Lewis's Boatyard. As I had been charged for the day I stayed where I was for an early departure on Tuesday.

I awoke the next morning at 0300 hours to thunder, lightning and heavy rain so stayed in bed. Finally by 0545 I was at the Mooloolaba Bar and lead out 11 other vessels that soon passed me on the way south. I had a good run down to the south end of Bribie Island, seeing two whales on the way, when the tide changed on us slowing us down considerably. We had a fair run across to Scarborough but by then we had some reach for the North East wind and it became rough as we headed down to Woody Point. By the time I approached Woody Point it was very rough and I decided to round Otter Rock to the south before heading up into Woody Point Beach and anchoring in 1.5 metres of water. It was a bit bouncy for a start but as night fell the NE wind died and it flattened out by 2100 hours.

On Wednesday [16th Oct.] our plan was to visit Keith, the previous owner of Seaka, and then anchor at Peel Island for a couple of days. So at first light we motored south in dead calm flat sea. Seeing the rocks off Woody Point I was glad that I had gone around Otter Rock last night. After rounding Mud Island, just south of the main channel into Brisbane Port, we found that the flooding tide would make us too early for our meeting with Keith so we had to slow down a bit.

By 0930 I was in Raby Bay meeting Keith for a coffee and a bit of that cake I had baked a couple of days ago. Keith said that he also had had trouble with the alignment before he sold Seaka, but he did not replace the polyflex connector when he replaced the shaft and engine mounts. So Seaka has had three shafts and numerous engine mounts over the last 20 years, all for the lack of replacing a $300 polyflex connector! So take notice all those who are having trouble with their engine alignments, if you replace engine mounts you have to replace the polyflex connector as well.

We took on 10 litres of diesel and exited Raby Bay two hours after we entered. Outside we found a stiff NE wind and a bit of a chop, a big change from the flat seas when we entered. Heading south we were soon able to see into Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island and seeing no boats there, which had to mean something with this weather, decided to press onto Jacobs Well. As dusk approached we anchored at Stieglitz for the night.

Thursday [17th Oct.] saw us motoring south at 0700 for Bums Bay [Marine Stadium]. While navigating the shoal area north of Woogoompah Island we almost came to grief while being overtaken by an Australian Border Patrol vessel which threw up a 2 metre wake almost alongside us. Surviving that we arrived at Bums Bay around 1100 hours and found a spot inside the bay. Once settled I sorted the charts for NSW and put away the last of the QLD charts and guides. I then refueled and put two reefs in the main in preparation for tomorrow. I then had to prepare for a major storm front that was approaching from the south with reports of hail and lightning. With the wind from the NE the storm hit from the SWW around 1500 hours with very heavy rain and the odd hail stone. All the boats swung around and one squatter, in a 40' plus modern production yacht, swung towards me and the occupier popped up and demanded I keep clear of him! There was no effort on his part during the storm to keep clear of me or anybody else. By the look of his anchor chain he had been there for some time. After the storm we had light winds from the west which gave us a great night's sleep.

On Friday [18th Oct.] the weather reports were all over the place but I decided to go at 1045 NSW time [I had put all my clocks onto NSW time]. Once we had cleared the Seaway we found a very lumpy sea and light SE winds. We tacked 4nm off shore and tacked back towards the Goldcoast then put in another tack out to sea before dropping all sails and motoring directly into the wind to clear the reefs off Danger Point. Once off Danger Point and clear of the reefs we were able to point more south, which enabled us to sail at 5-7 knots which we kept up until Bryon Bay, when as predicted the wind started to die. By midnight we were off Ballina, arriving at the Clarence Bar at 0900. By 0950 [19th Oct.] we were anchored in Iluka after an easy passage from the Goldcoast Seaway.

So without sleep last night I went to bed till 1300 and on getting up refuel, tided up and booked the Harwood Bridge for a noon opening tomorrow. Well that didn't happen as we woke on Sunday [20th Oct.] to a very strong 25 knot cold southerly wind which blew hard all day. Rebooked the Harwood Bridge for 1100 hours on Monday.

So Monday [21st Oct.] saw us motoring out of Iluka only to go aground off the western entrance! I increased reve's on the motor and we slid with a bit of bumping off the shoal into deep water. Well that makes three out of three for going aground on a trip to Queensland!

We made the Harwood Bridge by the opening time with one other going up and the Dufkin caravel replica going out. Going up to McClean I tied up to the public wharf with Greg on Lewie. Went ashore and got provisions for the next few days.

On Tuesday [22nd Oct.] morning we refueled with the help of a friend who drove us to the local petrol station, saving us a lot of effort, thanks Neil. On return to our vessels Greg and I reviewed the weather and quickly decided that we had to go today to Coffs Harbour. Booking a noon opening of the Harwood Bridge we prepared for sea as we will only pause at Iluka to check the weather. We checked the weather on the way downstream and at Iluka called Marine Rescue Iluka for the weather who repeated the internet weather. On asking for the weather from their instruments they only repeated the internet weather again which was indicating SE winds while we, looking at our mast head wind vanes we could clearly see that it was a nice easterly wind which was just perfect.

At 1530 we exited the Clarence River into a calm sea but with a low swell. Once we had hauled far enough offshore to get a clear run south we turned and had a good sail getting up to 7 knots as we neared Coffs Harbour. Warned by Greg that there was a dredge in the harbour, I called up Marine Rescue to get some idea of what was going on to have them say they're not able to tell me anything. When I asked exactly where was the dredge they still refused to give any information. Bloody useless!

By 0300 [22nd Oct.] we were anchored off the Coffs Harbour Jetty getting 1½ hours sleep before departing for Port Macquarie at 0445 hours. After sunrise we found a flat sea and no wind as we motored towards Smoky Cape. We were visited by a five large pods of Dolphins which was a great change from Queensland where only on rare occasions would we saw a lone Dolphin. Once past Smoky Cape the wind slowly increased so that as we sailed towards Port Macquarie we recorded many spurts of speed up to 9.5 knots with an average in the last 5 nautical miles of 7 knots. We were only 3.5 nm behind Greg in Lewie when he entered the Hastings River. By 1800 we were moored to one of the river public moorings. These moorings are dangerous as they are out in the tidal stream with the river mouth only a few 100 metres away. We ended up on the public mooring as the Duck Pond had been closed due to construction work on adjacent land.

On the last day of this voyage [Thursday 24th Oct.] we exited the Hastings River at 0530 hours and had a bouncy sail until we cleared Tacking Point, it's always rough along the front of Port Macquarie. Once past Tacking Point the seas smoothed out and the NW wind blew gently so we had a fast 6 knot sail down to the Camden Haven Inlet arriving at 0800 to be greeted by my wife Nancy, and friends, from the Training Wall. We motored up to the Laurieton United Services Club wharf and moored at our start point at 0900.

Over the next few days I removed the dinghy and outboard motor as well as all the gear I HAD'NT used during the voyage, visibly raising the waterline.
During this voyage we anchored over 80 times, did 2,250 nautical miles [4,200km] during 5 months and 2 days.

During most of the voyage I sailed in company with Greg on Lewie, a New Zealand built H28, whose company was much appreciated, thanks Greg.

At times I found this voyage to be hard and I really think I was away for far too long this time. So any future voyages will be limited to between Moreton Bay and Port Hacking.

My thanks go to my wife Nancy for letting me do the voyage and maintaining daily phone contact which really made this voyage possible.

Photos to follow at a later date.