Rainy Monday

We had a REALLY GOOD time yesterday. I started my spaghetti sauce early in the morning, and enjoyed the aromas all day! Sam & Brendan came over to play with us and eat some dinner. We got in the dingy and went around to dog beach to have a swim. We swam and watched all the boats coming and going as the dog beach is near the river mouth. Once back to the boat we had a visitor Sam who is looking to buy a Lagoon or something similar. He is going to come back with his wife today to have a look around a chat. Just as we were serving up dinner Les and Jillian came around, and we invited them for some tea. I always make a pretty big pot of sauce. We all had a nice chat, and enjoyed each others company.

Now we are sitting on the boat planning our day watching the torrential rains falling. I'm so glad it is today and not yesterday. At the moment we don't have our boat covers as they are back at the trimmers being tidied up, but thank goodness we had them over the weekend. Each day is a contrast to the day before. I am truly enjoying our stay here. Looks like we will head out on Friday now to give the seas a day to settle. More later.

Where has the week gone?

I can't believe we've been here almost a week already. We have been full on non stop working on the boat since we arrived so much so we have worn ourselves out! We are trying to achieve what is on our list so when we have the next weather window we will be ready. We had to take the dodger down to be repaired and have been without it all week. We really have missed it, its like losing our living room. We have had the rigging checked and adjusted, the batteries tested, (we have 4 bad start batteries), emptied out both the front bow lockers (something we haven't done since we left 2 years ago), and cleaned them, if we haven't used it in the last year it either went to the bin or back in storage. Each day has been filled with a long list of what we have accomplished. It really felt good to be rid of the excess in the front lockers, and too have them mould free.

We have also found time to do a little socializing as well. We went to a bbq on Tuesday night as it was Suzanne's birthday, and caught up with a lot of the old gang here. Talked with Jessica briefly, and spent time with Samantha & Brendan. We were invited up to Les for dinner. What a good night that was talking, eating, watching a slide show or two with Les, Jillian, and Susie.

Utopia is here at the marina, and Bruce has had a catch up with Andrew.

I spent the day with Samantha which was really nice. We went to the Eumundi markets where I met up with some folks I haven't seen in years, Leslie, & Steve, whom were part of our wedding celebration, and Elizabeth whom I went to TAFE with back in 2003 /2004. I bought some pillows for us and Samantha bought a really pretty ring.

This is really a beautiful part of the Queensland coast! It is too bad there isn't more to do with the boat around here.

After dropping Sam home I went to Coles to do a bit of a restock, and get ingredients to make my spaghetti sauce tomorrow. Brendan and Sam will be having dinner here. At this stage we maybe leaving on Thursday.

Time well spent

We arrived in Mooloolaba at 12 on Monday morning. We had a beautiful sail after we crossed the dreaded Wide bay Bar!! I'll back track a little here. We left Big Woody to travel through the straits and cross the flats while tide was rising. We made some pretty good time, and while travelling we were deciding what is the best way to go. We now have a second option at Mooloolaba the marina or the wharf. Do we cross the bar when we get there? Wait for the tide to turn? We stopped to try to clear the barnacles off the props but the current was rather strong, so we motored over to Pelican Bay. Bruce got out the hooka rig and gave the props a once over. They were pretty bad! I made lunch and cook some pasta up to use later on in case it is too rough to cook. By the time we were ready to go it was 1/2 tide, a 1 metre swell, and not much water exchanging between the high and the low. We decided we would go for it, and if we had a look and didn't like it come back in. Breaking all the rules 1/2 tide flowing out,wind against tide, & the strongest part of the tide. Bruce asked if I was okay, and I said if your confident about it I'm ok with it.

We were doing 10 knots out of the channel. Coped green waves over the whole cabin top! Several times!! Once we were out and away from the river current we had a nice sail!

Now we are back in the Mooloolaba Marina tackling our list. We are full on, and I'm very sleepy at the moment. Going to bed.

Made our break!

We finally got a weather window to start South again! We left on Feb. 4th at the high tide out of Round Hill. The seas were quite rough, and I came the closest I've been in nearly 20 years to being seasick so much so I had to lie down in the cockpit. As the day progressed and the tides changed things started to settle just a little bit. We finally had a good sail after nearly 5 weeks! We sailed down to Bundaburg, the Burnett River. I don't mind if we never go there again. There is just something I don't like about it. Last night we were lucky to get 3 hours sleep! When we first anchored it was fine as we had wind and tide together, but around 10 o'clock the tide turned a spring tide at that and it was so rough! I really didn't sleep until the tide turned again in the wee hours of the morning neither did Bruce.

Today was a contrast we had beautiful wind sailed all day only had engines on for the channel, but we had squally weather most of the which brought strong gusty wind and rain. The rain was good as the boat was so salty after yesterday as we took a lot of water across the bow. Most of the day we had 15/22 kts of wind about 60 to 90 degrees on the port bow. We were skipping along at 7/8 kts. We stopped at Big Woody Island as we couldn't make it any further across the Sheridan Flats the tides weren't right, and Big Woody is the best NE anchorage.

The best news of all is we were able to find a berth for us for a week or so in Mooloolaba! We have a weather window through to Monday, so tomorrow we will sail down through the Sandy Straits. Monday we will cross the Wide Bay bar and sail to Mooloolaba! YAY I get to see one of our daughters in a couple of days. I haven't seen Sammy for about 5 months. Well thats all for now. I will update again soon.

We lucked out this time

Well we were lucky with Cyclone Anthony as he stayed on his track and came in at Bowen as a cat 2 barely. Now we have cyclone Yasi, and she is a big one! Moving fairly quickly she is in the nE Coral sea, and moving in a WSW direction, and predictions have her coming in to where Anthony just made landfall. With today being Monday she is due to make landfall on Wed. not much time to get ready. We went up the creek again today, but this time on low tide to check out what the bottom is like to sit Tropical Soul in the creek and mangroves. It was a muddy expedition. Hopefully we will not have to go up there, but just in case we know now where we will go. We are keeping our eye on the forecasts and each weather update. Still looking like a window to leave on Saturday if the NE swells are settled down by then as the entrance here is a bar entrance exposed to the Northly conditions, and makes for breaking water. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed on this one. I just had a look at the wind maps and we will have a good 3 days of ENE winds to make our way down at least to the Sandy Straits and possibly Mooloolaba.

Mooloolaba would be very exciting for me as I am looking forward to seeing Samantha there, and doing a bit of a restock in my most favorite Health food shop on the East Coast.

Most difficult anchorage

We have really had a time at this anchorage! We have dragged anchor twice, and have moved 5 times. We moved again this afternoon as it was getting dangerous where we were anchored. We had wind against incoming tide, and we were moving around our anchor like we were sailing. The wind is blowing 30 knots due to cyclone Anthony making landfall sometime today just North of us in Bowen. Spring tides are starting to happen with a new moon on Tuesday. There is not a lot to choose from here as it is shallow, and there are quite a few moored boats. We moved up to the river bank up river just past the last moored boat in 8 to 7 feet of water. It is much calmer here wind wise. Just a bit unnerving having moved around 5:30 on the full tide as we haven't really had a chance to watch her on anchor during the tide change. Fingers crossed we have a chance to move on at the end of the week. After another cyclone moves ashore once again around Bowen giving us E to NE winds. This next one has developed fast, and will move fast to the coast, but so far it is the strongest one we have seen this season.

Australia Day 2011

Both of us girls dressed for Aussie Day

Our walk to the top of Round Hill
Sunset

I was all excited to be going ashore to take part in an Australia Day Celebration at the local park here at 1770. I dressed in Aussie flag colours and was ready to have a sausage, and browse the market stalls. We went and stayed all of 5 minutes. The sausage stall was closed up, and there was 1 market stall. We ended up coming back to the boat and chilling. Went for a swim later in the day. Saw some dolphins, there are two of them and they were around yesterday as well. Here are a few photos from our walk the other day to the top of Round Hill, and me in my Aussie colours.