Report Number 20

Trip Report #20
Things went more or less as planned, weather was ordinary on Tuesday, so we
had a rest day and set off again at 5 am on Wednesday. Seas were a bit high
for the first few hours, but then calmed down a lot, so the speed went up
along with the comfort level. We passed about 30 freighters standing off the
coast around Newcastle and couldn't help wondering why, and who was paying.
Seas became choppy again as we were passing Terrigal, but then we cruised
into Broken Bay and picked up a mooring at Little Patonga at a bit after
5pm. And so our journey of 137 days and 11 hours finished where it began -
on the same mooring in Little Patonga. Thursday dawned absolutely picture
perfect and just this once, Karen didn't wake up Grumpy but let him sleep
for a while. Then we made our way slowly back to home - Berowra Waters at
1.30, where we were not allowed to sneak in quietly, but were welcomed back
with horn fanfare by four Club members who happened to be on their boats
preparing for another long weekend, and one who rang from work.
Epilogue
Looking back over a fabulous four and a half months, we really must
acknowledge the contributions of a number of people:
Firstly, Jess, who behaved beautifully all the way. She was helped
enormously in this by David Robinson(get well soon!)of Bayview Slipway who
repaired the front quarter of the hull, and provided a long lasting
anti-foul. Also associated with performance was John Harden of Hardtec who
worked feverishly on the electrics, and all those who have heard the stories
about the electrics since we bought Jess will understand how vital John's
contribution was. Graham Rowell did a wonderful job installing the new stove
and Karen gave it a thorough workout. Our communications were via a laptop
which came from Sam at Lifetime Computers along with major support. Then
there was Greg Dalkeith of Absolute Boat Covers who fitted the new bimini
which only fell down twice! And finally, Ben and Sam (Karen's son and
family) who provided transport on land whenever we needed it, which was at
various times from home to and from Berowra Waters, Mascot airport, and
anywhere else we wanted, as well as collecting all our mail (which they
claim was excessive in this electronic age!).
On the emotional support side, we must mention Jo and David first because it
was they who gave us the idea and then phoned frequently with sound advice
and suggestions, then Leonie and Denis who, along with Rob, kept us in touch
with our roots with a stream of short (thanks!) emails, and finally all the
other folk who sent us messages of support and friendship along the way.
When you are a long way away, and everything is new, it is really comforting
to open the emails and find some familiar names.
Along the way we met many people whose names we would have liked to list
here, but there just isn't room, but they have all been mentioned in reports
as we went along.
There will, of course, be a book, which will be followed by a set of CD's
with the photos. After that will come the spoken travelogue on a CD set, and
finally the movie on DVD!
Thank you all very much and we look forward to meeting up with you soon.
Love, Karen and Warwick

Report Number 19

rip Report #19

After we sent #18 we checked the forecast and it looked good for the next morning, but going bad in the afternoon. Up at 5 am on Friday ready to go but checked forecast first - NOT GOOD! Spent Friday and the next three days just wandering around waiting, although we did make contact with an American yachting couple, Smokey (don't you love it?!) and Sonia ("Charisma") who have been travelling since 1995! They fly back occasionally to visit family, etc. but otherwise they live on their yacht in marinas all over the world. Our attitude towards the trip has changed since we decided to head for home. We now just want to get there - no delays if they can be avoided. So we found the enforced idleness quite upsetting. It could be a double whammy, too - we want to get home quickly, but when we get home the holiday adventure is over, so we don't want to face that! We did try to do the tourist thing and go out on the whale watch boat - wouldn't you guess - the day we chose it wasn't going because it was too rough!! Then on Tuesday, just a week after we arrived, we upped at 6 am and took off out of there, heading on a 7 hour trip to Trial Bay. It was pretty uncomfortable with a 2-2.5 metre swell from SSE (which crashed into the front corner of Jess) and light N/NE wind. The person not driving really had no option but to lie down because it was simply too much hard work to sit or stand. We must get seat belts fitted for next time !!. Bit of a rough night in the bay, but forecast was 6 green, so we just hung on till next morning, when we got up at 5 checked the forecast - 6 green, Beauty! Set off at 5.30 then things got nasty. Seas were 1-1.5 metres on a 2 metre swell, too much for us, so we turned around and went back to Trial Bay, but the swell was barreling in there so we headed for the Macleay River entrance so we could hide from the weather yet again. Unfortunately, the timing was not perfect for crossing the river entrance and we broached a couple of times, that got the adrenalin pumping! (Broaching is where the boat comes down a wave then flounders and turns side on to the waves, often resulting in being turned over.) However, we survived and found the Macleay to be a very pretty river which we will definitely have a good look at next time. Forecast for Thursday was OK, but looked a whole lot better for Friday and Saturday, so we chose the right tide and moved ourselves out into the bay again ready for an early morning start on Friday. Our policy now is to grab the good weather and run with it as far as possible in a day. So on Friday we set off for Camden Haven, one of our favourite spots. Didn't work out, though, because as we approached Port Macquarie, the weater turned quite nasty, so we shot into Port and found a swing mooring at the marina where we stayed for the next two days. Did manage to catch up with Paul and Helen Gibbs, colleagues of Karen at TAFE and had dinner with them, Very pleasant night which helped soften the disappointment of having to take Camden Haven off our visit list and with it the chance to see Charles and Lynda. Oh, well - next time for sure. Saturday the wind howled and the Swans lost and a very large catamaran ("Sungate") on the next mooring swung around and came within 50 cm of Jess. Very frightening and we called the VMR who came and gave us some good advice, but by then the situation had recovered and all was well (except that the Swans were still losers!). Sunday the forecasts were a bit mixed but didn't look too bad, so we left Port about midday with the tide and ran down to Crowdy Head. Saw a couple of whales not too far way, but could not get photos. Crowdy is a pretty little spot and we would like to have a better look in future, but this time it was just a very short overnight stop, and we were on our way again by 5 next morning (Monday). And then we had the most magnificent trip - flat seas, light wind and we pushed the motor up an extra few RPM, so we travelled at over 7 knots, very quick for Jess. Went past Tuncurry and Forster and hurtled down to Port Stephens. This trip would noemally be about 12 hours, but we were on a mooring in Nelson Bay by 3.30 and not too tired. Pleased to be there, though, because they are promising some pretty bad weather starting later today. Forecast is not promising for next couple of days, but we will wait and see. However, we are planning to possibly go straight to Broken Bay next, which will mean not seeing our many friends and relloes in Lake Macquarie. We will miss seeing them and we hope they will understand our feelings about just wanting to get home, especially because Karen starts work again on 16th, and wants a few days to prepare for that.

So, there we are - rushing home as quickly as the weather permits, and the next trip report could well be after we get home. Until then,

Love from Karen and Warwick

Report Number 18

Trip Report #18

We left you last time with howling winds and a collapsed bimini. Friday was much calmer, so we took the bimini mountings off and found a machine shop who drilled and tapped them to about twice their prevous size, then we refitted them. That was the easy bit, then we had to lift the bimini up to attach the bolts - too much for us! Called the local Volunteer Marine Rescue and they sent two guys to help - one oldish fellow and one giant built like a tank. Tank-man had a look at the situation and asked "What is it catching on when you try to lift it?", "Nothing, its just the weight" "Oh", he said, and lifted it up with one hand! So we popped the bolts in and said our thanks, with, of course, a donation. The parts and machining cost $30, travel, donation, etc cost $100!!

Saturday was again calm in the bay, but pretty unpleasant outside, so we went for a long walk around the foreshores and then relaxed to regain our strength after yesterday's efforts.

Sunday was "Tourist Day" - we caught busses to Runaway Bay and tried, but failed, to reach Sanctuary Cove. Then back home - all of which cost a total of $7.80 - for the two of us! Can recommend the bus system in Southport, so long as you get two timetables - one for each of the services. At night the wind came up again and it was a bit rough, which, combined with ominous banging noises from the bimini region meant disturbed sleep.

Monday, tightened the tension wires on the bimini and stopped the noises. Then, as it was cold and windy and raining, we rested and read. And did the same for the next three days which had started a bit better with a magnificent rainbow on Tuesday, but settled back to rain, wind and cold. On the Wednesday we met Geoff and Brenda from Manly near Brisbane ("Sanuk" - Thai for "fun") who had come over to look at the mounting of our solar panels, otherwise it was just odd jobs and relaxation.

Friday the forecast looked good for travel, so off we set, although it was cold with a light breeze and rain showers. However, we had a good run to Byron Bay with a bit of pitching, but little rolling (which is the unpleasant action). Took us a while to get our sea-legs again after the long wait. Uncomfortable night with the waves coming in against the hull and making Jess rock and roll.

Saturday up early and on way before 6 (am, that is!). Water was relatively calm, but turned a bit choppy by 7. Fine and sunny, but we were followed by a large rain cloud which gradually overtook us with rain showers and then moved on, so the rest of the trip was sunny. Around 11 we saw a whale about 5 miles away, but that was as close as we got, so no photos. Reached Iluka at 3pm and anchored in our favourite spot in one of our favourite places.

Sunday we changed the engine oil (did this at Iluka, because there is a facitity which provides empty drums for the waste oil and a place to tip it and to leave old filters, etc., before leaving the drum for the next person). Again, odd jobs and relaxation.

Monday we caught the ferry to Yamba and had a bit of a look around - bigger than Iluka, but lacks the quiet friendly village atmosphere. Back home to buy fuel and fill with water ready for the big trip to Coffs Harbour tomorrow - about a 10 hour trip.

Tuesday another early start at 5.30. Sunny with no cloud and mild seas, but cold breeze. Drove from up top later as the day warmed up, and had a good run for six hours, again seeing one whale in the distance. Then the seas gradually became choppier and the wind stronger, but both from behind us, so we made good time, surfing into Coffs about 30 minutes ahead of schedule but with by now 25 to 30 knot (50 KPH) winds. Headed straight for the marina, as there is litle anchoring space and the holding is not good in the harbour. Gave the locals some entertainment, because Warwick was determined to back into the pen. Messed around and hit a few posts as the wind pushed Jess around and then decided to drive in forwards to moor. Learned a bit from all that! Relaxed on board and then saw a yacht come in and have similar mooring problems, so went out and gave them a hand and met John and Lisa (Wirraway) who hail from Ourimbah but had aslo come down from Iluka today. Wednesday, they called in for coffee and chat about the boat travelling lifestyle. Met the very lovely neice Carolyne, her son Steven and his close friend Kim for dinner at night. Forecast is for high winds and rough seas for the next few days, so looks as though we will be at Coffs for a while.

Thursday the owner of the boat next to us (big yacht with no name or registration on it) came to confirm that we had hit his anchor while struggling with the wind on Tuesday. Inspected the damage which was very slight, just a couple of slightly bent stainless steel plates on his anchor guides. I think they could have been straightened very simply, but he insisted on having them fixed by a tradesman, so contacted a local who confirmed that it was a very simple job which he would do soon. Meanwhile, the marina maqnager had told us that he needed to move us from our current mooring to make room for a couple of large vessels he was expecting, but the move was put off until tomorrow. Weather turned nasty in afternoon and we started thinking of making a morning run soon to Trial Bay (or South West Rocks) and staying there for a while, while waiting for the tide times at Port Macquarie to suit us better than they do now.

So that's what is happening - just resting while waiting for weather, tide times and damage repairs.

More later, Love Karen and Warwick

Report Number 17

Trip Report #17

Well! What a lot of water has rushed past since #15! Back there we were getting quotes for work on Jess. We were dissapointed to find that Doug could repair the damaged paintwork but wasn't able to repaint her fully as this would require a shed and his shed was occupied. We helped remove some of the old paint, then went into town (Caboolture) and ordered some "boat cards". These are busines card size and have a picture of Jess on one side and Karen and Warwick on the reverse with names and email address. In the past when other boaties have given us their cards we have torn off a scrap of paper and written the details on it. The cards will be more convenient because sometimes we have trouble finding a piece of paper! By now,it is Sunday, 20th August, and we wandered in to the Caboolture Markets, held every Sunday. We sort of expected a few stands with second hand goods and a tent with Devonshire Teas. NO! Huge area on the local showground with everything you could imagine, but mainly plants and fresh veges, etc. Bought 6 nice size avocados for $2, olives of several varieties and a lead-light to use in the rented cabin where the fluoros are barely enough to avoid bumping into doors, let alone read! The guy wanted $5 for the light but we beat him down to $2 because we only needed it for three more nights. After the markets we went for a long tourist drive to the very spectacular Glass House Mountains, through Beerburrum, Beerwah (your sort of territory, Ian and happy birthday for the 9th!), Landsborough, Maleny where we had lunch at a wonderful winery shop which is inside a large half-barrel shaped building. Then on our way again to Montville, a fascinating little village with an olde English theme to all the buildings, pubs, etc., and a visit to the cheese factory at Kenilworth.

Monday was sunny and clear with no wind, so we went to Australia Zoo. We enjoyed ouselves but it is a bit poignant now with the sudden death of the bigger-than-life Steve.

Tuesday was yet another perfect day, so we leapt up early and were on our way into town by 10. Did some shopping and picked up the boat cards which we think look really good.

Wednesday and you know about this from #16, because Karen got the dreaded phone call and rushed back to Sydney. Warwick stayed and on Thursday shifted all our stuff back to Jess and returned the car. Caught the bus back to the shipyard at Toorbul - interesting trip because the bus only runs there on a Thursday. It is a special shopping excursion bus which takes the same people in to town and then back again after their shopping every week, They are mostly elderly, all know each other and chat together in very loud voices all the way home. As with Tin Can Bay, the bus drops them at their houses, in one case two people lived three doors apart, so he made two stops!

Friday Warwick helped Doug on the boat while Karen sat with her mother in Springwood. Saturday was much the same, though at night Warwick was able to get TV reception and watch the Swans win.

Sunday brought the sad news from Karen that her mother had died early in the morning. Karen and her sister Angela set about making all the necessary arrangements, and again we must thank all those who sent messages and flowers, they were very much appreciated. Warwick continued working with Doug.

Monday the painting was finished, leaving the smaller jobs to complete. We got a phone call from the Tin Can Bay Hotel to say we had won their competition and were now the proud owners of a gas powered patio heater! "Please when were we planning to come and collect it?". With the best will in the world, we could see no value to us in owning one of these - the tickets had been given away with sales at the bottle shop - so Warwick sold it to Doug, and he arranged collection and delivery. Shame, it is the very first time we have ever won anything worthwhile! Karen had arranged the funeral for Wednesday, so Warwick booked a flight to Sydney for Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Heather gave Warwick a lift to the airport and Ben picked him up at Sydeny and drove him home. We have met so much kindness and helpfulness on this trip, it has been amazing.

Wednesday was cloudy, cool nad a bit wet. The funeral service at Leura was very well done and the chapel had windows looking outside on to massed camellias in full bloom. We all went to the Bon Ton cafe for a wake and then went our own ways afterwards.

Thursday we sorted our mail and prepared for our return trip. Booked trip to Brisbane for Friday and accommodation for the

night so we could take in the boat show on the way to Jess.

Friday and again Ben to the fore, taking us to the airport for a morning flight. Arrived safely in Brisbane, made a mess of finding the hotel, even though we had the address. Kept asking every person we saw (there weren't many) but still had to ring the hotel and ask our way. Booked in and went to the boat show, which would have been better named as a Fishing Show. The boats were all under 20 feet (slight exaggeration!) and the gear for sale mainly fishing stuff. However, we found references to some nearby chandlery type shops, so it was worthwhile. We really did enjoy the show, even though it wasn't what we expected in a city with a river running through it!

Saturday we went early to Glascraft Marine - a large chandlery in Fortitude Valley and bought stuff for the boat, including a new compass as recommended by Doug, who thought the existing one was not suitable for the new control console. Train back to Caboolture and a cab to the the slipway. Doug fitted the compass, sorted some minor wiring problems and we were on our way on the 4pm high tide. Suddenly, we were on our holiday again! Doug helped us out to the junction with Pumicestone Passage so we avoided going aground and anchored on the upstream side of the low bridge at Bribie Island. This wasn't easy, as the anchor was apparently offended by our parking for two weeks without its help, so thye chain would not run out without a lot of help from us. Settled down to unwind a bit after a somewhat hectic few days. Started the generator in the evening - POOF! FLASH! SMELL! and we decided we could get by without TV tonight, and needed an early night, anyway.

Sunday dawned clear and sunny (we suppose, we didn't actually see it!) and we did odd jobs until low tide at noon. We planned to have Karen take photos and to monitor Jess' passage under the bridge from the dinghy, keeping in touch via mobiles. Upped the anchor, Karen set off in the dinghy and Warwick moved Jess towards the bridge. Then things took a turn for the not-so-good. Warwick overestimated the dinghy capability, and even though Karen had it on full throttle, it was way slower than Jess, so Warwick decided that Karen has changed her mind and will take photos from behind. Then a couple of fast boats came hurtlig past us, causing some severe waves. Anyway, Jess went under the low bridge very happily, Karen lost her mobile phone overboard (please don't dial 0425 350 500 until further notice!!) and got no photos. Meanwhile, Warwick had stopped Jess at the designated spot where we planned to anchor overnight and set about dropping the anchor. To overcome the problem with with chain not running out, he pulled some chain out from before the winch and then launched the anchor. The chain ran out rapidly, so he grabbed it to slow it down and guide it into the winch slots with a thumb and index finger. And he did!-all went into the slots, but the chain didn't scream like Warwick did! And, of course, it has halved his typing speed! Took the rest of Sunday fairly easily though Karen did a load of washing and generally got Jess back into livable form after the influx of paint dust, etc. on the slips.

Monday, up at 7 for 6-hour trip to Peel Island. No wind, but some light rain, water very calm. Had good trip, though it would have been nice to drive from the bridge because it was all straight sailing, with no hazards, however the rain prevented this. Picked a protected spot at Peel Island and anchored there at around 1.15. Well, then the wind and the waves gradually increased, unfortunately from different directions. The result was a pretty uncomfortable night, with Jess tossing and turning all night.

Tuesday we started out before 8 down the inland passage and had a slow trip against both wind and tide, though the journey was smooth and pleasant. At about half way we came upon five or six fit young men in a hire houseboat who had turned the dinghy over then filled it with water while the oars floated away on the current. To the rescue!! We picked up their oars (thanks to some brilliant driving!) and left them to sort the rest out. Continued on and "earned our stripes" by running aground at a spot marked by very confusing navigation markers. This was no excuse, because we had negotiated it successfully on the way up and made a mental note to watch it on the return trip. So much for mental notes! Completed trip to Southport and anchored in Bum's Bay at the back of Seaworld. Warwick had an afternoon nap and then we ordered a new generator to be delivered to the fuel wharf at Mariners Cove tomorrow (Carol, the parts will come in handy later for the new one!). 11 hours sleep.

Wednesday light wind and rain. 9.30 at fuel wharf where we bought fuel, filled with water and took delivery of the new generator. Back to Bum's Bay and then took dinghy ashore and walked/bussed to chandlery and sail maker to get bits for dinghy lifting. Wind freshened overnight building up to 20 - 25 Knots (about 50 Km/hr), but waves and wind from same direction, so not much discomfort - just concern.

Thursday and wind was getting fiercer - up to 30 - 35 knots, while waves were whipped up to white caps across the bay. Many other boats moved to more protected areas, and a couple dragged their anchors and ended up on the beach. We decided to stay on board and not risk getting blown away by the wind in the dinghy. However, our quiet day was rudely interrupted by a loud bang, which turned out to be the bimini collapsing - again! Remember way back there we had a problem? Well this was the same one, but the mounting on the other side of the boat. We are now VERY not pleased with "the best covers maker in the world"!! Tried to limit damage by letting the other side down gradually, but not easy in 30 knot wind, so ended up losing the bolt and fitting before getting things under control and tying it all down with ropes. The front was now tied down, while the back was at the normal level - it looked like a giant slippery slide on top of the boat.

We are looking forward to the rest of our trip back - it promises to be more exciting than the trip up!

Love, Karen and Warwick

Report Number 16

Trip Report #16
Not much travelling since #15 because Jess is still on the slips having work done. The major news is about Karen's mother Joan. Joan has not been well and Karen received a phone call on Wednesday morning from the nursing home and flew home that afternoon. Things were not good and got progressively worse until early Sunday morning when Joan passed away quietly. Obviously travel plans are very much on hold now, but we are hoping that some time we can pick up our trip again and continue back home together But more on that later when we know more ourselves.
Love
Karen and Warwick

Report Number 15

Trip Report #15
At the end of #14 we were sitting in Snapper Creek in Tin Can Bay waiting for the weather to settle down a bit outside. On Sunday we went walking around the township of Tin Can Bay and found a concrete walking track which went around the foreshore with lots of native birds and flowers. Enjoyed it a lot, although the strong and gusty Southerly wind didn't make enjoyment all that easy! In the evening we went to the Tin Can Bay Yacht Club for dinner. You may remember that we found the Mooloolaba YC a bit disappointing with the restaurant and bar closed. This one was different - the bar and restaurant are in the same large room and very much open, and there is a verandah area also. We signed in and were followed by another tourist who signed in and then came over to us and asked if that was our real address that we had used, because he lives at Mount Wilson (a little township also in the Blue Mountains), so we invited him to join us. Chatted away with Brian for a while and he mentioned that he had left Sydney some years ago and bought 600 acres in the Hartley Valley. Also said that he had done a whole range of things in his life, at one time he had even been an Estate Agent. CLICK! Brian, Estate Agent, property at Hartley - "Did you have an office in Blackheath?" "Yes" "Do you remember selling me a house in Leichhardt Street with so much furniture in it that we had to arrange an auction in the Blackheath Hall to clear it?". And so we re-lived some great old times when Warwick was renovating houses in the upper mountains, bought this one in Blackheath (Brian even remembered the house number!), and while the auction of the contents was being held four weeks later, Brian came in and said "Do you want to sell your house?" "Yes, why, what's the story?" "Well, I've had two lots of people come in today looking for a three bedroom house and there aren't any except yours". Two weeks later the house was sold, the only renovation was to sweep it, and even that wasn't done very thoroughly! We parted after dinner, with Brian leaving next morning to drive down to see his brother near Brisbane.
Monday sunny but gusty winds again. Forecast shows six reds, so probably at least Wednesday before any chance of moving.
Spent the next few days sheltering inland from the seriously bad weather offshore and enjoying very good weather and calm river seas - sunny days 17 to 30 degrees, with winds, but beautiful when out of the wind. Forecasts didn't improve, so we went on a bus trip to Rainbow Beach on the commuter/school bus with an interesting driver, Fay, who not only knew every child's name but also where they lived, because the bus dropped them off at their homes! Also went on the ferry to Carlo, a little township with a caravan park, launching ramp and a Thai restaurant, and that's all! John, the driver, was a very experienced boatie with some great stories about boats he had owned. In the mornings we went to the public jetty just a stone's throw away, where a couple of dolphins come in each day to be fed. It is a very well organised volunteer operated accredited tourist attraction now, with a commentary from Di who has been doing it for 15 years since the original dolphin, Scarry, got tangled with a trawler propellor and badly damaged. The local professional fishermen took it on themselves to nurse her back to health, after which she disappeared for a little while, reappearing with son "Mystique" in tow. He has been coming ever since, even after his mother's death and has now started to bring his lady friend "Patch" home to meet his family. She is still quite feral, and shy of humans, but the hope is that she will calve and her offspring will continue on when Mystique leaves.
Friday we again fed the dolphins at 8am and Warwick decided to try to find out why one of the cafe staff looked familiar, so he asked her if she had ever worked in Sydney. She said rather abruptly that she had never been there. Several hours later Warwick suddenly realised that the tall lady with curly red hair and narrow eyes who worked in the fish and chip shop in Queensland was Pauline Hanson (Doh!). At night we had a special dinner because our friends at the Berowra Waters Motor Yacht Club were having their major fundraiser dance and we were a bit sad at not being there for it.
Forecast was looking better and we will move closer to the ocean tomorrow to be ready to make a long trip on Sunday.
Saturday we did chores and then at about 11.30 filled the water tanks and set off up to Pelican Bay, just inside Wide Bay Harbour where we anchored near the vehicular ferry loading point. The ferries are fairly big, each carrying about 30 4WD's and they load and unload by just dropping their ramp down on to the sand! We went for a dinghy ride to the sandy shore and walked around for a while just enjoying the long wide beach. There were 7 other boats anchored around us, probably all getting ready to leave in the morning, because the forecast this time was 6 green!!
Sunday up at 7 and ready to go at 9 to catch the tide across the bar, because this is the longest bar and takes an hour and a half to cross. Had a wonderful day's travel, there were almost no waves on a low swell. Drove from upstairs for a few hours until the water became a bit choppy with a few whitecaps. Did see one dolphin, which prompted the thought that a pod of one dolphin could be called an "I-pod" :-). Tied up at Mooloolaba at 7.30 after a fairly exhausting 10 and a half hour trip. Early to bed.
Monday we paid the marina for our one night and were ready to leave with the tide at 10am. Beautiful day with a following breeze and sea which meant that we travelled at over 7 Knots - much quicker than normal - through very calm seas and anchored at Bribie Island at 3pm.
Very excited at the thought of Jess meeting her maker in the next couple of days. Not concerned about this as we believe in re-incarnation for boats! Took the dinghy to inspect the low bridge which we had to get under to get to Toorbul and decided to drop the mast to reduce the height.
Tuesday we moved up to the bridge, Karen went ashore in the dinghy with the binoculars and her mobile phone and Warwick took Jess very slowly under the bridge. All went well and we anchored on the upstrem side and rang Doug and arranged to take Jess up to the slipway on Wednesday afternoon. Goofed off rest of the day as we were both pretty excited.
Wednesday was sunny and clear and we read all morning, filling in time until the tide was right at 2.30. Set off and all went very smoothly until we reached the entrance to the creek where the slipway is located. We were following the channel markers very carefully, but didn't know about a sand spur which is across the channel at the creek entrance, so, of course, we ran aground. (Now, fair crack of the whip - it's been a long time!) But this was different - we had the sand across the middle of the boat and were straddling it, so could not move forward or back. Peak tide was due within half an hour, so there wasn't much more water to come in to help us. Just then a local came along who knew the problem and also lived three doors down from the slipway. So he helped us get free and then led us to it. Thank Goodness he did!! The route is tortuous and although well marked, some markers you need to go close to and others need a wide berth. Most of the time we had less than a metre of water under the keel, which is not comfortable. If our pilot hadn't been there we may well have broken our own record for running aground. Arrived at the slipway at 4.30, having taken just twice as long as we should have under normal water conditions, and met Doug and Heather. Put Jess up on the slip straight away, as the tide had now peaked. Absolutely amazed at the good condition of the hull, because there was not a barnacle to be seen anywhere, and the propellor and shaft were GLEAMING! (Thanks, David at Bayview Slipway where the last anti-foul was done about six or seven months ago.) Discussed proposed work briefly with Doug and Heather, but mainly just had a drink and socialised with them.
Thursday fine, but with quite a lot of cloud building up. Doug had a really good look at the hull from outside and inside with the aid of a sharp screwdriver and could find no weaknnesses. He is an expert on Kliese boats (that's Jess' brand) and knows their strengths and, more importantly, their weaknesses, so we are confident of his findings, specially since he could have made money by finding problems. His opinion is that the part that did fail earlier was due to a localised leak of fresh water in that part of the hull over a period of time. We gave him a list of work we would like done if we could afford it, and he prepared quotes on most of them. We agreed to have a longer, wider marlin board fitted and a transom gate (for the non-boaties, that's a bigger area to get off the dinghy, and a door to get on, rather than climbimg over a low wall), dinghy winches to be mounted properly (we had just stuck thhem up to get us out of trouble) and some other bits and pieces. Karen had gone to the nearby town of Caboolture with Heather and had hired a car and found a holiday cabin in the caravan park. When she returned we packed up, went to Caboolture and bought take-away Chinese, then back to our new home to watch ABC TV for the first time in ages. Then to bed - not on board Jess for the first time since 19th May! Found it very noisy, with traffic on the adjacent highway, and movement of the other residents - we're not used to this! Tomorrow we should get the quotes for the remainder of the work, but until then we wil be tourists with our own car.
Love
Karen and Warwick

Report Number 14

Trip Report #14
Well, the reason there has been quite a gap in reports is that the weather continued to be pretty ordinary, so we just continued to enjoy Mooloolaba - went for walks and did touristy things when it was warm/dry enough. Did meet up with John and Leigh (trimaran "Buccaneer" - the boat that dragged its anchor past us at Southport). The poor weather went on for three or four days during which we finished installing the new lights in the main saloon and also fitted winches to the dinghy ropes so that we could lift the dinghy without making our hernias any worse (!). Saturday 29th was a beautiful sunny day so we went for a long walk. Thought we would give the Yacht Club some business by having lunch there, but found that it appears to be battling a bit and the bar and restaurant are closed. Now it is just a club which organises races for members, provides marina facilities and that's about all. Wandered back to Jess via the shops, watched the Wallabies lose, and then checked the forecasts again. 6 greens!! (The buoyweather site rates conditions green, yellow, red for mornings and afternoons for next three days). Ran out of fresh water on the boat, but this didn't cause any problems because we were planning to get fuel in the morning and always get water at the same time. However, it did give us a chance to work out that the 500 litres of water that we carry lasts exactly 3 weeks - must try to get the home consumption down to this level when we get back!!
Sunday - fine sunny and we were on our way on a 9 hour trip to Wide Bay at 8.35 having fuelled and filled the water. Beautiful conditions with no waves and just a gentle swell of around 1.5 metres every 10 seconds from the Southeast, which flowed under Jess and caused a gentle rocking motion as we went along. Went up and drove from the flybridge in bright sunshine with very little noise. Then at 11.30 we saw a whale about 150 metres away! It was just lazing along and didn't do anything spectacular, but it was still very exciting. As the day went on the swell strengthened to 2.5 metres and swung around to the Northeast which was nowhere near as pleasant, but we reached Wide Bay and anchored at 4.35. Buccaneer was already there and John came over to say that there was plenty of depth of water closer to the beach than we had anchored, and it could be a bit calmer there, so we moved inshore a bit. Wide Bay appears on a map to offer good protection, but we had a very uncomfortable night with waves crashing and banging into the side of Jess all night, making her roll through 30 degrees. Got up in the morning expecting to see waves 4 feet high, only to find they were about 6 inches!
Monday set off at 8 to cross the Wide Bay Harbour bar with the incoming tide. Had a magic trip across the bar and heard on the radio that Peter and Ruth ("Coral Sea" from Iluka) were in front of us somewhere. We had Buccaneer directly in front and another yacht in front of them (it's starting to sound as though we are travelling with Buccaneer, but it is really because the stopping places and bar crossing times mean we have similar sailing plans). Continued on through the Great Sandy Strait to Garry's Anchorage - a well used picnic spot in a lovely quiet part of Fraser Island. Fished for a little while - 1 flathead about 30cm, so returned it to its own environment. Walked on the island and just missing getting drenched in the 4pm tropical shower. Early to bed to make up for the previous night and the stress of crossing the bar which is a very long one and took us over half an hour to cross. Another reason for early bed was that we had no phone coverage - first time for the whole trip. Bit of a worry though, as we wanted to forewarn friends in Hervey Bay that we were approaching, and also needed to change our booking for Jess at Bribie Island.
Tuesday dawned sunny and still and we were woken up quite early by very loud and strange noises. The blue/green water was very still - we could see reflections of the clouds in the water and everything looked so clean and bright. Met Jack and Leslie from "Zoa Brunk" a yacht moored next to us. They live permanently on a marina in Mooloolaba and were the boat two in front of us crossing the bar, and told us that Peter and Ruth were in front of them. They also told us that the noises we heard in the early morning were in fact dingoes on the beach. Moved on at 11 with the tide to Urangan which is where the Great Sandy Strait enters Hervey Bay. Had regained phone coverage, so rang ahead and booked a berth in the marina as well as contacting friends and arranging dinner with them. Also changed our booking at Bribie Island to Monday 14th August.
At 20 past four we reached a critical point in our voyage - the most northerly point we were going to achieve this trip. It is turnaround time and we must start our return trip now. We were sad that we hadn't got further North, but felt we had made the most of our time, and certainly prepared ourselves for the next trip up this way. The turnaround point was 25 degrees 15.457 min South and 152 deg 54.648 min East which is 509 nautical miles NNE of Berowra Waters (we have gone about twice as far as this with sidewards trips up rivers etc.) It had taken us 73 days and 6 hours (Ben, we know you could have done it in about 2 hours by plane, but think what you would have missed!!!) and used 1123 litres of fuel for a total cost of about $27.33 per day for both of us for accommodation and fares. Engine hours since leaving were 149, giving an average usage rate of 7.54 litres/hour. (Note that there will be a test on this when we return!)
After arriving at Urangan and getting cleaned up a bit we met up with our friends, an ex-colleague from Warwick's work, Karen J, and her husband Graham and their children Curtis and Adele who have done the sea change thing. Adele made us feel very welcome at the meeting by vomiting immediately!! (Out of the mouths of babes?) Seriously, Adele recovered very quickly and we all were very pleased to catch up with each others' lives. We had a chance to see their lovely big new home that they only moved into a couple of weeks previously. We had a great pizza dinner at Viva Italia, where food and staff were really good. (Steph, Karen J sends her best wishes and says "we must keep in touch"). Karen J works at the Hervey Bay Boat Club, which is an extremely well run place with good food and surroundings.
Wednesday was again cool in the morning - around 17 degrees C, so we did chores as well as spending a couple of hours working out the tides/times for getting Jess to Bribie Island by 14th.
Then, Oh, dear! At 9.44 on Thursday 3rd August we started the engine after fuelling and filling the water (again!) and started out with mixed feelings on our return trip to Berowra Waters via Bribie Island. Around midday we anchored off Kingfisher Resort on the Eastern side of Fraser Island, again in those pristine pale green waters. Went ashore and had a huge lunch at a cafe in the resort, walked around and were quite impressed with the accommodation and surroundings at this eco resort. Lots of timber buildings with plenty of space, light and air and the surroundings all very well laid out and maitained. Don't know what the prices are, but feel we could recommend it as a destination for a quiet vacation. Good TV reception from 7, 9 and 10 on Jess at night, so we watched stuff we usually wouldn't just because we could! Weather forecast is for pretty wild weather for next few days, so it looks as though we are forced to spend a few days in the Great Sandy Strait, with its clear waters and national park surrounds. What a bugger!! Tides here are a bit tricky, with a 2 metre variation, so anchoring will require a bit of thought.
Friday 4th, still at Fraser Island, and Jess actually sat on the sandy bottom this morning as the tide ran right out. The shore is what's called "steep to" meaning the bottom shelves very quickly, so when we anchored we came in to a reasonable depth where we had sufficient chain, but as the tide ran out and Jess swung towards the shore in the current it just got very shallow. However, every low must be followed by a high (tide, that is!) and it wasn't long before she floated free. Meanwhile this report got itself started and we then moved down to Garry's Anchorage where we knew it would be well protected from any winds or waves. Got there about 3.30. On the way, we passed a large yacht named "Holy Cow" travelling North and when we waved to them they sounded their horn - which, of course, sounded like a cow mooing! Had a really quiet night as we had last time. Watched some M*A*S*H (thanks, Polly).
Saturday 5th and weather still filthy outside, so we did some maintenance on the dinghy support and then wandered down the Strait to near the entrance and then down Tin Can Inlet (don't you love it?) to Snapper Creek (thanks, Jo, for the advice) which we will explore thoroughly while sheltering from the offshore weather for the next few days.
Love to all
Karen and Warwick