Sunny at last

Wednesday, 18 July 2012 - Haycock Is to Dungeness
We headed off early to make sure we entered the creek at high tide and moored alongside the pontoon at Dungeness. We had arranged dinner with Marie and Rob for the evening after going to see their new home under construction. Good timing saw us there to help "wet the roof" with the builders. Marie had earlier shown us the sights of Ingham.

The house has a fantastic view across Halifax Bay to Palm Island. It has a metal frame to ensure it will survive any cyclones and Warren was impressed by the stainless steel used for any exposed surfaces.

Marie, Warren and me on the front deck

Thursday, 19 July, 2012 - Dungeness to Orpheus Island

We had a lazy sail over to Little Pioneer Bay in 5-10 knots of wind. The sun had finally come out by the time we picked up a mooring. Yesterday (Friday) we kayaked around to the JCU Research Station however they were busy with visiting "big  wigs" so we will take a tour next trip. Call on Channel 81 to arrange a visit.

View from the Research Station beach

Today we planned to go around to Yanks Jetty in the dinghy, however turned around as the wind and swell was more than we expected. We went back to the small beach in our bay and walked up to the old cottage which is slowly being reclaimed by the surrounding bush. 

We will continue heading south again tomorrow, hoping that the current fine weather continues.

Phase2 on the southern mooring in Little Pioneer Bay

Rain, Rain Go Away.............

Wednesday, 11 July 2012 - Townsville to Magnetic Island
With 25 knots forecast again (it has been raining and blowing for the last 2 days), we leave the marina and decide to head back to Horseshoe Bay which we know is good in a blow. We spend 2 days here with only half a dozen other cruisers - we are not sure if there are less people cruising or it is too early in the season for them to be this far north.

I spent Thursday afternoon playing with a new App (Splice) for creating videos. It seems easy to use although does crash occassionally - it is free though! Here is a short video I put together of a spinnaker run I had filmed last year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcr7ick2J_0&feature=plcp   (and yes Josh I know now I should have filmed it in landscape not portrait!)

Friday, 13 July 2012 - Magnetic to Havannah Island
The wind has eased off completely and we motor the 27 nm to Havannah Island. The anchorage to the north of a small sand spit is calm and we see whales for the first time since Double Island Point. Warren caught a Spangled Emperor for dinner which was great as the trolling has been a disappointment so far. We are alone after the few tinnies fishing off the nearby Fly Island leave.

Fly Island in the background

Saturday we wake to a thick fog which hangs around all day and evening. Much of the day we could not see Fly Island at all.

Warren saw something in the water that we thought was a whale, then a dolphin, then a shark before we eventually work out it is a large manta ray about 2m across. We could only see the tips of its wings breaking the surface. It later came back and circled the boat so I could get a picture.

Manta Ray had us confused 

Sunday, 15 July 2012 - Havannah Island to Hinchinbrook Passage
A strong southerly blew the fog away about 4am and brought a nasty chop into our anchorage. We head for Little Pioneer Bay on Orpheus Island. When we get there we see a catamaran on a mooring, bucking in the swell coming into the anchorage so we continue on to Haycock Island in the Hinchinbrook Channel. It is very protected and we spend a lovely quiet night here. The weather is still overcast today so we will wait for things to settle. We hope to catch up with friends Marie and Rob from Ingham and see the new house they are building at Forrest Beach.

V8 Supercars - Loud and colourful

Friday, 6 July to Sunday, 8 July 2012
Warren has always loved watching the V8s on TV so when we just missed them in Townsville 2 years ago, he said we should try to coordinate our next stay in Townsville with the event. So for this trip we planned a week in Townsville to coincide. As I'm not a big fan, I thought I would volunteer over the weekend to keep myself busy and involved.

Carrerra Cup Porches ready to go on track

It is a street circuit just out of town and about a 45 minute walk from the marina. Warren had a great time and I also enjoyed it although I must admit it is only the true believers that love the noise and smell.

Grid girls seemed popular with the male patrons

I worked as a Corporate Facility Usher, resplendent in my lime green polo and V8 cap (more goods for the Louisiades) keeping the riff raff out of the corporate boxes.

Formula Fords up close

My Mum had had a visit from my cousin Ian recently and as he was also going to the event we arranged to meet. It turned out he was in one of the boxes in my area which was quite a coincidence. I was also surprised to see Murray from my TAFE ISAS project who now works for the V8s in Sydney. Small world!

Craig Lowndes and Dick Johnson were regular visitors to my area and I spotted a number of other celebrities including Can Do Campbell. The locals are hoping his Can Do attitude extends to funding this event in the future.

Craig Lowndes is very popular with the fans

It has rained almost continually since Monday morning so the organizers were very lucky with the weather. We leave the marina tomorrow, Wednesday, to spend a few weeks exploring the nearby islands.

Townsville

Sunday, 1 July 2012 - Bona Bay to Cape Upstart
We left at 0700 and after 45 nm of sailing and motorsailing in light winds, we dropped anchor in Upstart Bay about 1500. We were forced to hand steer all day as the autopilot compass has decided to play up. Our heading was oscillating around the compass and we were glad this fault happened now rather than half way across the Coral Sea to the Louisiades.

Monday, 2 July 2012 - Cape Upstart to Magnetic Island
66 nm today in a 15-20 knot SE that eased slowly throughout the day. This was the opposite to what was predicted - the weather men have been having a hard time of it lately. No electronic compass again so more hand steering. This was better today as we had the spinnaker up for most of the day. We eventually started the motors about 6nm from Horseshoe Bay and dropped anchor at 1800.

We spent Tuesday at Horseshoe Bay in beautiful weather (again, despite the forecast). Warren tried crabbing and fishing with no luck.

Moonrise over Horseshoe Bay

Warren has been in contact with Raymarine and their dealer in Townsville will look at the compass and hopefully have our AIS back from Sydney to reinstall.

Wednesday, 4 July 2012 - Breakwater Marina
A short sail and motor to the marina where we refilled the fuel tanks for the first time this trip. 115 litres in total used so far on our trip at an average consumption of  1.7L per engine per hour. We are very happy with this as we usually motor with one engine, only using 2 engines when going into and out of anchorages and marinas. Our 320 litres therefore gives us a theoretical 188 hours motoring (or 940 nm).

Barry from Navcomm has put a new circuit board in the SPX10 autopilot and reconnected the AIS which Raymarine could find no fault with. Worked fine when Barry tested of course.

Thursday we had to recalibrate the electronic compass which went well but surprise, surprise the AIS is still not perfect. We'll have to see how it goes over the next few weeks.

Airlie Beach Sojourn

Sunday, 24 June - Saturday, 30 June 2012
I couldn't help but wonder if the Seawind Rally would have been the success it was if it had been held a week later. Our trip back to Airlie on Sunday was with a 30 knot SE wind that gusted up to 38 knots. Seas were nasty in the Passage although we had a quick trip with 2 reefs in the mainsail. We averaged 8.6 knots and a maximum speed of 15.4 knots.

Seawind had arranged a night in the marina to attend to a couple of warranty items but this stretched to 2 nights when they discovered the steering also needed attention and the appropriate parts were not available in Airlie. We anchored off the VMR for a further 3 nights waiting for the parts which were installed yesterday (Friday) morning.

While there, we enjoyed the company of Karen and Maurice from Folie a Deux again, restocked the larder and sent our AIS back to Raymarine for repair as it has not been transmitting our position.

Yesterday we motorsailed to Double Bay East where we enjoyed a beautiful night alone in the southern corner.

Grassy Island on a perfect day

This morning there was no wind so we motored to Bona Bay on Gloucester Island . This is another beautiful anchorage spoiled by the 2 jetskis and power boat with skiers that are using our boat as a turning mark.  Tomorrow we continue heading north towards Townsville.

Seawind Whitsunday Rally - Days 3 to 8

Monday, 18 June to Saturday, 23 June 2012
Graham and Morgan are to be congratulated for organising another great rally in the Whitsundays with 12 other Seawinds. The weather was very kind over the week and we had a range of sailing conditions.

The toughest day was Monday, from Long Island to Whitehaven Beach. We had a slog up the Whitsunday Passage in large wind against tide seas and 20 knots of wind. We had our third (and we hope last) mishap of the trip when a hatch was not completely closed and water found its way below. All dried eventually but we looked a bit like a Chinese laundry at Whitehaven after the race.

Tuesday we headed north in calmer seas and Seawindow (Alan, Cat, Derrick, Jenny and Alan) won by a few seconds to be the only boat to beat Manyama during the week.

Shawn had a snorkel at Maureen's Cove. He was impressed with the coral and fish so we will try to get back here later when the water is a bit warmer.





Wednesday saw us on the wind back to South Molle Island. Another close finish where we were pipped for second by the 1250 Reflection. Manyama again too good.

The resort has only a few backpackers but they welcomed us and the view from the top of Spion Kop was worth the walk.

Thursday we circumnavigated South Molle before crossing the passage to anchor in the always calm Cid Harbour. Our best result to date with a second behind Manyama who is giving us all a sailing lesson.



Sand modelling ashore to try to earn some more points for the rally. Phase2 continued the Elvis theme and were happy to tie for 3rd behind Seawindow and Lady L II who both built mermaids.




















Friday was our last race, upwind again, but in more moderate conditions. Another second place at the finish at Hamilton Island. The rain and wind slowly increased during the day and we were glad to be securely tied up. Dinner and the presentation of lots of trophies at the Manta Ray Cafe was enjoyed by all. Reflection was the overall rally winner taking into account sailing and social competitions.

With the weather fairly dismal we decided to spend another night in the marina as Jan and Shawn were flying home on Sunday. We certainly enjoyed their company and Jan survived her first week of Seawind "social" racing. There were a few close calls but I think we all made new friends and picked up some new tricks. As Warren said to one owner "You learn more about getting the best from your Seawind in a couple of races against similar boats than you do in months of cruising."

Seawind Whitsunday Rally - Days 1 and 2

Saturday, 16 June 2012 - Welcome BBQ

We sailed around to Shute Harbour and picked up a mooring courtesy of Whitsunday Rent a Yacht who are one of the sponsors of the rally. 13 Seawinds have come from as far away as Jervis Bay.




Sunday, 17 June 2012 - Race 1 and Karaoke
Light winds and an ebb tide made hard going of the course around Long Island. The race was shortened when it became clear that some boats may not finish in time. We gambled and lost on a course outside Pine Island.

Hawaiian outfits, dinner at the resort and the highlight of the evening, karaoke was enjoyed by all. Shawn had the crowd up dancing with several Elvis songs. A great night!

Sunny Whitsunday's

Wednesday, 13 June, 2012 - Curlew to Brampton Island

A southerly around 20 knots gave us another good sail to anchor off the jetty at Brampton Island about 1500. We went ashore near the resort which is currently closed for renovation. Not much sign of activity and we suspect this is another victim of the GFC.

Thursday, 14 June 2012 - Brampton to Airlie Beach
We parted company with Folie a Deux at Brampton Island and made slow progress north in a light southerly. Disaster struck off Blacksmith Island when I ran over the fishing line while going in reverse to engage overdrive on the Gori propellors. We motored on the port engine and anchored in 6m off Blacksmith Island. While there was next to no wind there was a reasonable tide running through the passage. Warren donned his wetsuit and eventually cut the line free. Luckily we use VB cord which had not gone anywhere near the seals. Our second save for the trip!

Smoke from fires on the hill behind Shute Harbour was evident as we passed through the Molle Channel.









Friday, 15 June 2012 - Airlie Beach
We motored into the Abel Point marina at midday and were soon joined by Jan and Shawn who had flown up from Brisbane to sail with us in the Seawind Rally. The sun has come out and we are all looking forward to the coming week of activities. We also caught up with Alan and Cat, Derrick and Jenny and Alan who had flown up and were hiring Seawindow, a Seawind 1250.

South Westers at last

Great Keppel Island
We spent 3 nights at GKI with many other boats including Nimrod and Folie a Deux, waiting for the low off the coast to sort itself out. The anchorage was a bit rolly and we were starting to get concerned about reaching the Whitsundays by Thursday as planned.


Monday, 11 June 2012 - GKI to Pearl Bay

The good thing about the low south of us was that it was generating SW winds to help us up the coast. With winds of 15-20 knots we made it to Pearl Bay just after lunch after watching Folie a Deux disappear over the horizon on the nice reach.Beautiful in the bay with about 10 other yachts.







Tuesday, 12 June 2012 - Pearl Bay to Curlew Island 
71nm with a Southerly that got up to 28 knots at times. We had a great reach past Island Head Creek where we reached over 14 knots before deciding to put a double reef in. The reefs went in and out several times as the breeze went from 15 to 25 knots. "Good practice" said Warren. Juggling a struggle in the big swells. We averaged 7.4 knots to get the anchor down in time for a walk on the beach before dark. One of my favourite islands!

It's getting cold - must be time to head North

Saturday, 2 June 2012 - Raby Bay to Mooloolaba

Our planned departure was put back a day due to a big swell and a few unfinished jobs. We left at 0930 in a light Southerly with my Mum and Josh there to wave us off again.  

The spinnaker went up early and all was looking rosy. We dropped the kite when the breeze went East and rain squalls came through.

The excitement really began in the Spitfire Channel however when Warren called me over and calmly asked me to get the spinnaker halyard as the leeward side stay had come undone.

For those readers who are not sailors, this is a fairly serious occurrence and often results in the mast falling down. Not something you want to happen on Day 1 of a 6 month cruise (or any day for that matter). Warren was holding all the bits (the turnbuckle had been saved by the HF radio aerial which was zip tied to it) and managed to get it back together in the 2m seas. Just to make it interesting a ship was also coming out the channel behind us.

We left the spinnaker halyard in place while we tried to work out what had happened. It seems the lock nuts were not tight and the flogging of the sidestay in the sloppy seas had caused it to undo.

We anchored on Mooloolaba for the night after 61 nm and reflected on what might have been. My first thought was if we were going to be the first Seawind to lose a mast!

Forecast was not good for Sunday so we decided to stay in Mooloolaba - recheck the rig and fix a few other small problems.

Monday, 4 June 2012 - Wide Bay Bar

A moderate SW breeze gave us a good run up and across the Bar in good conditions. We sighted our first whale just south of Double Island Point.









We anchored in Garry's with 20 other yachts and watched the partial eclipse of the moon.










Tuesday, 5 June 2012 - Fraser Island to Burnett River
We thought the SW - W forecast would be good for the leg to Bundaberg. We were wrong. The W wind and ebb tide created steep seas that killed any momentum we developed. We put in 2 reefs off Big Woody Island as the breeze got up over 20 knots however quickly went back to one to try to punch through the seas. We eventually tacked in towards Burrum Heads to get out of the seas. Late in the day the breeze went SW and we finally anchored in the Burnett River about 2030 after 81nm mostly to windward. That meets our Louisiades rally requirement of 50nm to windward!

Wednesday, 6 June 2012 - Burnett River to Pancake Creek
Up before dawn again for a very pleasant sail - close reaching most of the way with a spinnaker run from Round Hill to Clews Point. The weather has been very unpredictable with strong winds predicted due to a low off the coast. Great, we finally get to sleep in tomorrow.

Thursday, 7 June 2012 - Pancake Creek to Cape Capricorn

We awoke to an updated forecast of 15 - 20 knot SE winds so decided to keep going North while the going was good. A spinnaker run all the way to Cape Capricorn where we anchored next to the Seawind 1160 Nimrod. Sundowners with Georgia and David where we were entertained with video clips David has put together of their travels. http://vimeo.com/23120681 

My footage is still waiting for me to acquire the necessary editing skills. I'll add that to learning Joomla (for making web pages) and juggling (for entertaining the kids of the Louisiades and filling in time on long passages). So far, I have discovered it is hard to juggle while the boat is moving around. I figure if I can juggle on the boat then it should be a cinch on stable ground. Watch out for the video!


Friday, 8 June 2012 - Cape Capricorn to Great Keppel Island

An easy 24 nm to Second Beach on Great Keppel Island. Sundowners with Nimrod and Maurice and Karen from Folie a Deux (the Chamberlain 14 at right). Forecast is for strong winds so we may be exploring GKI for the next few days.

Creek to Coast

For those who missed us on Creek to Coast last weekend, here is a link to our 4 minutes of fame! http://www.creektocoast.com.au/episodes/video.asp?segment=122

Phase2 will also be at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in 2 weeks time.

Our current plan is to leave here on 1 June - weather and all the jobs still to be completed permitting.

Cruising 2012

Things are progressing well for our next cruise. We plan to leave at the end of May in time to attend the Seawind Rally in the Whitsundays in June. After that it is the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club Rendezvous in August and then onto Cairns to join the Louisiades Rally. More about this rally soon. In the meantime we are getting out on the Bay as often as possible. We certainly are lucky to have such a beautiful area right on our doorstep. We caught these crabs last weekend and a couple more yesterday.

Boat improvements for 2012

Our trip last year was great and we are keen to go further afield so the list below are things we are planning to add before the next big trip.

1) Watermaker (Spectra Ventura 200TMPC has been ordered). 31 l/hr for a current draw of 10 amps. Automatic back flush every 5 days if not used.
2) Wind Generator (Eclectic Energy D400 has been ordered). Quietest and best power output at low wind speeds (4 amps at 10knots). To supplement solar panels on cloudy days and when sailing at night.
3) HF radio
4) Satellite phone
5) Comprehensive spare parts for pumps, autopilot etc.

That should burn up our budget for this year (and next).

2011 Lizard Island Trip Summary

Best place to visit: Lizard Island
Best beach: Watson's Bay, Lizard
Best snorkelling: Ribbon Reef #5 just pips out Lizard Island
Clearest water: Ribbon Reef #5
Best brush with nature: Ribbon Reef #5, Dolphins north of Thomas Island
Safest anchorage: Still Cid Harbour (Good in all weather and a great walk to the peak)
Best marina: Keppel Bay Marina just ahead of Bluewater Marina in Cairns (Courtesy car at both is great)
Best sail: Spinnaker run from Dunk Is to Fitzroy Island
Worst sail: St Crispins Reef to Yorkey's Knob (25 knots on the nose into a big swell)
Scariest sail: None
Longest sail: 23 hours and 140nm to Fraser Island on day 1, 17 hours and 104nm from Magnetic Island to Bowen
Biggest disappointment: Not getting to more islands in the Bunker Group
Best walk: Cooks Look on Lizard Island
Best fishing: Trolling for mackeral north of Cairns
Friendliest people: Lots but the cruisers at Lizard Island get the nod
Cheapest marina: Dungeness (near Lucinda) $35
Dearest marina: Abel Point Marina $110

Better Late than Never - Lizard Is Trip Stats

Some figures to ponder.........

Total days away - 110 days (nearly 16 weeks)
Total miles travelled - 2380 nm
Days on the move - 57 days
Time on the move - 396 hrs
Sailing time - 60% (more like 75% if you take out the time to get into and out of anchorages)
Motor hours - 111hrs (port), 113hrs (starboard)
Fuel consumption - 1.8 litres per engine per hour
Average speed - 6.0 kn (this includes time dropping and raising the anchor)
Best sailing average - 8.4 kn from Cape Bedford to Lizard for 4 hours with a triple reef
Max Speed - 16.3 kn on the log
Max wind we sailed in - 30 kn (25 of the 57 days we sailed had maximum wind over 20 knots)
Nights in marinas - 16 nights including 5 at Mooloolaba.
Gas refills - 4 (25 days per 3.5 kg bottle for cooking)

Compared to our trip in 2010 in Next Phase we had less time in marinas due to the increased water tanks, fuel consumption and average speeds about the same although a lot more time sailing. We went further north but travelled less miles overall. Less days on the move as we had a few long days to cover the miles.

Home at Last

Friday, 11 November 2011 - Fraser Island to Mooloolaba

We were up early and joined the queue to cross the bar on the last of the incoming tide. Swell was small and there was little wind so the crossing was our most benign outward one yet. It is always good when that is over and you head down the coast to Mooloolaba.

After rounding Double Island Point we set the spinnaker in a light easterly. We carried it to Noosa before the breeze went more to the SE.

Warren landed our first Cobia which we released before we realised what it was. They are rated 4 star eating in our fish guide!

We entered the Mooloolah River about 1600 and anchored in the pond. We had booked into the Yacht Club Marina for the following 4 nights so Warren could celebrate his birthday here. We went to the movies, had several swims and had lunch with Nanette and Stuart from Truest Passion who live at Mooloolaba.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011 - Mooloolaba to Raby Bay

We left about 0630 for the final day of our 2011 cruise. We motor sailed until south of Caloundra when the breeze went to the east and we could set our trusty spinnaker. We carried it all the way home except for a short section down the Spitfire Channel. The breeze freshened after lunch to 15 - 20 knots to give us a final memorable spinnaker run.

We entered Raby Bay at 1430 to fog horn blasts from Warren and my Mum waving on the bank. It was a great way to finish our 3 and a half month trip.

We have been very busy since getting home but we will post the trip stats and highlights soon.

Fraser Island

Wednesday, 9 November 2011 - Lady Musgrave to Fraser Is

With a NE predicted, we decided to bypass Bundaberg and head straight for Fraser Island. It meant a long day but the weather is looking good for crossing the infamous Wide Bay Bar on Friday. We set a course for Moon Point as it gave us a better angle than Rooney Point. This worked well as we were able to set our spinnaker and keep our speed up even though the breeze was in the 8 - 10 knot range. 1640 the breeze dropped out and we motorsailed the final 20 miles. Engines off behind a very calm Moon Point at 2000 after a total of 87nm.

Thursday, 10 November 2011 - Moon Pt to Pelican Bay

We set off early to catch the tide down to Sheridan Flats which is the crossover point for tides in the Straits. If you time your trip well, you will have 2 knots of tide with you the whole journey. This was another reason we chose to stay an Moon Point last night as high tide is 0900.

Next to no wind so we motored most of the time except for half an hour with spinnaker only (first time we have tried this). We are now anchored at Pelican Bay and we have had a 15 - 20 knot NE for the last few hours (hope this doesn't increase the swell for tomorrow). About 10 boats anchored waiting to cross tomorrow morning.

Lady Musgrave Island

The predicted southerly change was a bit of a fizzer but we had a couple of nice days in Pancake Creek. Warren finally found the spot where he could catch some whiting which we enjoyed and I finished my jigsaw that I started at Lizard Island.

It is a mosaic puzzle composed of many small photos. It is amazing how they are constructed but they are quite hard. If you like jigsaws and a challenge then give one a go.






Sunday, 6 November 2011 - Pancake Ck to Lady Musgrave Is

A 0530 start as the wind is in the east which is of course where we want to go. We sailed for a couple of hours but with a moderate swell we decided to start an engine so we could point higher and get to the anchorage with the sun still overhead to see the bommies. We entered the lagoon just after 1400 and found a good spot to anchor over sand. We were immediately greeted by some turtles including 2 amorous ones.

We spent 3 nights here - snorkelling, walking around the island and sundowners with Neil and Debbie from the Seawind 1000XL Zolibato one evening. The water is an amazing colour and visibility was good given that the wind was 10 - 15 knots every day.

The island is an important nesting site for a range of birds who took little notice of us as we walked the tracks. The light through the trees was beautiful even if the smell was not in places.

We will definitely be back to visit here again.

Milestones

On the trip out to Great Keppel Island on Wednesday we passed 2000 nm for this trip so far.

On checking our logs for Next Phase, we also discovered we are just 34 nm short of having sailed a total of 10000 nm in the last 4 and a half years. It's a start but still a long way short of the 23,000 nm covered by Jessica Watson!

Northerly at last

Thursday, 3 November 2011 - GKI to Pancake Creek

After 2 nights at Keppel Bay Marina while the strong southerly change went through, we sailed out on Wednesday morning but the lack of wind sent us to Great Keppel for another night.

Thursday was moving day as we continued our journey south in company with 7 other cruisers. The 0600 start saw little wind and it was 1100 before the NW reached 10 knots and we could finally silence the motor. We raised the spinnaker and set off in close company with a Fusion 40 New Tricks who we had first met at Port Clinton.

We covered 40 nm in the next 5 hours as the breeze increased to the predicted 15 - 20 knots. Great conditions as can be seen with Aquavista at right. We were anchored by 1620 having covered 69 miles for the day. The entrance to Pancake Creek had large swells but we moved well into the creek and found a good spot, even at high water when the banks were covered.

Our plan was to head to Lady Musgrave Island today, Friday, however another southerly change is expected tomorrow so we have decided to let it pass before hopefully heading out on Sunday for a few nights. This is the last spot we are keen to visit on this trip as we have never had the right conditions on previous occasions through this area.