Back in Oz
03 November 2013
For those of you who haven't seen facebook or heard from us personally, we're back in Australia, safe and sound, although as I write this at anchor, the wind is howling in the rigging, madly flapping any loose piece of canvas and flinging us this way and that. We are anchored in 3 metres with at least 30 metres of chain out - possibly closer to 40 metres, so we shouldn't move, but stranger things have happened...
The Louisiades did not seem to want us to leave. The first problem we struck, on Tuesday morning, 22 October, was getting the anchor up in Dumaga Bay. We'd managed to get it wrapped around a bommie, but the water was murky and it took a while to work out what was going on. After 'working it' with much manoeuvring at the wheel and much fiddling about at the pointy end, we managed to get the anchor unwound and finally up. This was the one and only time we had a major problem getting the anchor up, and of course it had to happen in crocodile infested waters - who wants to dive on the anchor?? In the distance, as we turned the boat towards the reef and began motoring out, we could see trade canoes frantically paddling out, perhaps to say goodbye or perhaps hoping for one last trade. Andy, with greater speed and manoeuvrability, turned back and drove by the trade boats. One of them turned out to be Raymond (the elder) from the village, coming out with his twin boys to say goodbye.
It was intermittently overcast and rainy, which made visibility poor and unpredictable. I stood on deck keeping an eye out for reef as we made our way slowly out Johnston Passage. The seas outside were confused and rough - the roughest seas we've seen in this boat, compounded by squalls every twenty minutes for at least the first day and a half. Both Graeme and I felt unwell that first day. Was it anxiety? Something we ate? Was it the rainwater? Or was it actually seasickness? Kind of hard to tell, but for the first time EVER, my Stugeron tablets didn't work. The squalls finally abated but the seas stayed busy and bouncy.
The sea started calming down in the afternoon of the second day. The morning sched brought the news that a low pressure system was building near Fiji, with 40 knot winds, and it was heading our way, so we decided this was a good time to change course and head for Cairns instead of Townsville. We dropped out some reefs and got some more canvas up, and were pleased to reach a more comfortable motion and speed of 8 knots. The seas were still big. The next morning we found out the low pressure system had dissipated and was no longer being monitored as a cyclone threat, so we reset our heading for Townsville.
By this time the seas had abated and we found ourselves with 'champagne' sailing conditions: beautiful flat sapphire seas and clear skies. We were able to sit at the cockpit table for meals and potter about doing whatever we fancied. A highlight was sitting on the back transom, legs dangling in the water, pouring buckets of sea water over ourselves to cool off. Graeme reckons he could have sailed indefinitely in those conditions, but I just wanted to make landfall.
We crossed the Great Barrier Reef via Palm Passage (but have since heard Magnetic Passage is more direct) with no incident. Navigation was easy because the charts are all accurate! No visual navigation required, so for the added challenge we did it at night. Once through the smooth pass, the seas chopped up and we found ourselves with a beam-on swell as we approached Magnetic Island. This lovely little swell made getting the main down and jib furled an interesting exercise, but we managed, and finally dropped anchor in Horseshoe Bay at 4am, Saturday 26 October. We had travelled 602 miles.
The authorities had agreed to let us wait until Monday morning before our Customs and Quarantine clearance - thus avoiding the Quarantine weekend (out-of-ours) rate, which we believe is double the office hours rate of $330. This waiting had its positives and negatives. It gave us a chance to get the boat all cleaned up, rest after passage, and use as much of our fresh fruit, veg and meat before Quarantine could take it all away. I made an orange cake (great recipe off the internet) using the last of the Louisiade eggs and oranges, and we tried making some ginger beer with our over-abundance of ginger root. We had steak and roast vegetables on our last night and were only left with a few meat products and a bag of rather sad looking fruit and vegetables to hand over to Quarantine. On the other hand, it meant we couldn't get off the boat and go to shore, and we couldn't even swim off the boat as the water was murky and the area known for tiger sharks. So we waited... and waited.
During our 'confinement', another boat - a Catalina 44 called Water Music, also returning from the Louisiades - came into Horseshoe Bay with their yellow flag flying, so we were able to suffer in company. In hindsight, it might have been better to just pay the extra $330 and be done with it, get into Townsville, get stocked up and get south! Hindsight is a lovely thing.
Monday morning finally came, so we followed Water Music out of the bay and around to Breakwater Marina. (Customs and AQIS checks were supposed to happen at the Yacht Club, but we made arrangements to do it at Breakwater. Turns out this wasn't totally acceptable but we got away with it this time.) The Quarantine guys (now part of the newly reorganised Department of Agriculture) were friendly but very thorough. They went through the boat with a torch and a fine-tooth comb. They were mainly checking for bugs, like termites, so checked all internal wood and peered into flour and rice containers. All our carvings and pandanus baskets were scrutinised (all passed, even though they contained something called book lice, which are tiny very common bugs that eat mould). One of the guys was in training so I think the lead guy had to stick to the rules, and wouldn't even let us keep some cryovac meat and some cheeses and pickled ginger because the origin was unclear. So keep this in mind: If you want to bring back meat or dairy or packaged stuff (frozen or otherwise), it must have an Australian Made or Australian imported or manufactured address on it. All our dry packaged foods, UHT milk and brand name or labelled items were fine. Talking later, Susie and Nic from Water Music had frozen curries and pasta sauces taken off them too. Our biggest problem (potentially) was that they were concerned our boat had been built in the States, which is high risk for termites. Come on! It was built 16 years ago, and no doubt checked on entry into Aus. Any termites on this boat would be Australian born and bred. They came *this* close to putting us in the high risk category, which would have meant a more comprehensive check and possible fumigation, all at our cost, of course.
Formalities finally complete, we BURST off the boat for the first time in 6 days. First stop, the laundry!!! Well, Jamie had been very patient too... Next stop, a walk along The Strand and a play in the water park, where Jamie enjoyed standing under the giant bucket, waiting for the moment it would overturn and spill out a thunderous white gush. We had our ice cream and chippies fix at McDonalds (I know, we're TERRIBLE) and picked up some supplies from the Bi-Lo. That evening, after luxuriously long showers, we had dinner at the local Steakhouse and Jamie enjoyed playing a Shrek pinball game.
Tuesday 29 October was washing day. Washing and more washing. We had all the machines going at once! How could three people generate so much washing??? I think there was only one person absolutely THRILLED about spending the day in the laundry, and it wasn't ME.
Graeme walked across the bridge to a chandlery to pick up a new bow roller, and both the boys had their hair cut by Annie at the Marina. We caught up with Robbie from Eclipse then had Happy Hour on our boat with Robbie and Nic and Susie off Water Music. They had met each other in Robinson Anchorage in the Louisiades. We found out Desire had made it to the Yacht Club, and Bad Habits was over there as well. Nic and Susie headed off to dinner over there, while Robbie walked down The Strand with us to Bountiful Thai for a very nice meal.
Wednesday 30 October - Up around 0530, then casting off the lines just after 0600. Graeme thinks they use a special glue in marinas, to stop you being able to leave easily. We had a very pleasant day and night sail from Townsville down past the three Capes (Cleveland, Bowling Green and Upstart), then outside Gloucester Island and into the Whitsunday's as the sun rose. With the wind blowing from the north, we decided to make for Turtle Bay, one of the anchorages on the southern side of Whitsunday Island that we haven't visited much. Not far from the anchorage we ran into Haven III coming the other way. (Haven III, I have mentioned earlier, had to leave the Rally unexpectedly and Peter sailed the boat back from the Louisiades single-handedly.) As we passed each other, Peter called out that they were catching up with Windy in Cid Harbour that afternoon. Sounded like a good idea, so we did a U-ee and followed them.
Cid Harbour was a little on the murky side, but we swam off the boat anyway, and enjoyed zooming around in the dinghy to the various beaches and watching turtles. Lots of turtles around here! Always, they remind us of naked sunbathers suddenly being discovered. As soon as they see us watching them they duck away into the depths as if they're embarrassed.
It was nice to catch up with Peter from Haven III and Brett from Windy. Brett is currently on the boat by himself, but his twin, Daron, is flying in to Hamilton Island on Sunday. He was happy to join us for a 'drunken lamb' roast with the trimmings. Halloween was a bit of a non-event, except for the adults from one of the charter boats dressing up as pirates and dinghying around trick-or-treating. I'm not sure they know the rules: they were handing out lollies instead of collecting them!
Friday we decided we should do something: either head over to Airlie for a poke around if the weather was from the south, or if the wind was more favourable, we'd try heading south ourselves. (It was kind of hard to tell what the wind was doing from protected Cid Harbour.) Well, the wind wasn't conducive to heading south, so we anchored in Muddy Bay (a long way out) and went ashore, leaving the dinghy at the Whitsunday Yacht Club floating pontoon, where they seem to have relaxed the membership rules a little, letting us leave the dinghy there without demanding we become temporary members. Airlie hasn't changed much since our last visit: back-packers, fast food joints, souvenir shops, pubs and night clubs predominate. There's a new marina across a patch of reclaimed land near the Yacht Club (although not many boats) and there used to be a service station at the northern end of the strip, but that's gone so I'm not sure you can get fuel anywhere local unless you're prepared to pay top dollar at the marinas. Did a little more provisioning at the local supermarket, which had a reasonable range if a little pricey. We've decided we're going to try and by-pass Mackay, so need supplies for maybe two weeks, and we didn't buy much in Townsville. Early dinner in town, then back to the boat with our goodies. I made some Rocky Road and we passed the evening listening to the wind howling in the rigging and sending the boat skirling sideways. (Refer first paragraph.) Graeme got up umpteen times in the night to adjust the anchor, as the anchor chain and snubber rope had entwined themselves and were grinding together, but we didn't budge, even though Muddy Bay is notorious for poor holding. And the snubber rope has survived.
This morning, Saturday 2 November, we battled the wind and waves to dinghy ashore to visit the beachside markets. It was nice to wander amongst the stalls, listening to live music and sip on a freshly brewed coffee. We picked up strawberries, honey, apples and apple-ginger juice. The boys had tubs of sorbet and I stole Graeme's wallet long enough to buy a couple of beach dresses.
Back to the boat, and I made ready while Graeme went back for water. The plan was to 'head south' with our goal Shaw Island, about 22 miles away. The anchor brought up half Muddy Bay in a big muddy, shelly ball (hope it wasn't the plug!) and it took Graeme ages to wash/knock it all off. Add to that the wind wasn't behaving, and we had two knots of current against us, and we were never going to make it by dark even to our Plan B of Lindeman Island, so we've ended up back in Cid Harbour, and we'll head off at first light. There's a small weather window of LIGHT southerlies for the next couple of days, before the wind shifts up a gear and becomes 25+ knots from the south. I'm hoping we'll be tucked in somewhere nice and protected by the time THAT happens.