Easing Up the East Coast
02/26/2024 - 04/04/2024
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To be back on the ocean after months within Sydney harbor was liberating. As a bonus, it did not take long to hook up with some small bonito on the trolling lines. We barely made it near Broken Bay, just 20 miles up the coast when the wind faltered and rainy patches filled in. No matter, we pressed on throughout the day, eventually able to sail again until Knobby Head came in view. Making our way up the channel into Newcastle felt somewhat like a homecoming, bringing back the nostalgia of our Australian landfall and all the excitement of a new country to explore. This time, we just pulled up to the fuel dock for water, then headed upriver to wait out the coming days of strong winds. Attached to our Hydrovane rudder line, we found a bluebottle jellyfish hitchhiking, which explained all the small floating bits we saw throughout the trip, using their inflated “sail” to go wherever the wind carries them.
With the beginning of March, we left the harbor in light winds for a day of motoring up to new territory at Broughton Island. This was indeed the type of isolated island paradise we had been missing since leaving the tropics. We stayed only one night, wanting to fully utilize the small gaps of fair weather afforded this time of year. The following day and night were spent motoring North, past dunes, cliffs, and sweeping hills. When we did finally get the chance to sail, it was short lived as we experienced our strongest squall at sea. It was afternoon and we saw the clouds building behind us, but we misjudged how far the wind proceeded them. As David began to furl the headsail and Kendra was busy reeling in the fishing lines, a line of wind tore up the water’s surface astern. While the blast descended on us, a fish hit the lure, and the jib sheets slipped the turning block, creating a flailing mess. Before we could think, we were surrounded by blinding rain as the boat heeled sharply to the 40kt gusts. David went forward on deck to haul the sheets aboard and secur the sail while Kendra steered with one hand and still held the fishing rod in the other. When David regained the cockpit, Kendra hauled the fish aboard, and suddenly we had a 3 foot Mahi Mahi thrashing in the cockpit while we turned to motor the bow into wind. All we could do was step on the fish to subdue it while the wind roared to 50 knots and Blue Moon heeled sharply over in the whiteout conditions. This all would have doubtless appeared comical to a casual observer, but the intensity of the moment did not evoke laughter until some time later when the wind and adrenaline subsided. How we managed to avoid tangling either of the lines in the prop and creating a real problem was incredibly lucky.
Australia's East coast contains few natural harbors, most that do exist are within rivers which require a risky bar crossing to enter. Coff's Harbour offered an easy, man-made refuge, as well as diesel which we needed to take on after so many windless hours. When the wind did come, it was a buster, creating seas and wind we were not willing to tackle just to save fuel. Two days later when conditions subsided, we began again on the arduous trek North. Another night at sea, and we reached Gold Coast and a snug intercoastal waterway the next afternoon. Here we found our all time favorite grocery stop, an entire shopping mall with a dedicated dinghy dock. The convenience factor almost got the better of us when our shopping cart rolled halfway off the dock and partially dumped into the dinghy! On the other side of the anchorage, we splurged a whole three dollars on a hot shower at the campground - much preferred to a dip in the opaque brown river water. While the wind churned up the ocean on the outside of the barrier islands, we enjoyed two days of great sailing along the winding course of the calm inner waterways. Finally reaching into Moreton Bay, we sought refuge behind Stradbroke Island while another southerly buster howled through for the next three days. At last the winds dropped to 20kts and we made a sporty downwind run across the bay to enter the Brisbane river.
Passing the industrial shipping port, then the cruise terminal, we made our way upriver to the marina dock for fuel, then a bit further to the anchorage. It proved a difficult spot to anchor, with little space between the permanent river residents, combined with a strong reversing current that created chaos with an opposing wind - sending boats swinging in every direction. After moving twice in as many days, we found our niche on the outskirts of the big city bustle. We were fortunate to have return guests visiting us here; Ryan and Brooke, last seen in Tahiti, made the long 24 hour flight over from the States. We spent two days touring inland with them, visiting wineries, restaurants, bars, and the Australian Zoo. When beautiful weather arrived on Monday, we departed the busy brown river for the inviting blue waters across the bay at Moreton Island. Endless beach, swimming, and sand boarding on the dunes, occupied the next few days as we reminded ourselves what the cruising life is all about. As another of the weekly southerly busters moved in, we sailed briskly ahead of it back to the mainland, and found shelter in tiny Nudgee Creek, with just barely enough water below us at low tide. It was a quaint and interesting spot with a colorful cast of friendly local pirates living on faded old boats; even complete with one parrot. Gusts of 30+ knots arrived just after we dropped anchor, but didn't deter us from enjoying the day onboard with games and margaritas. We elected to grab another rental car and check out the local trails, botanical garden, and splendid beach up the coast over the remaining two days we had together. When the time came to bid farewell to our faithful crew, we also felt it time to continue our journey northward.
After departing the creek near Brisbane, we motored through dreary weather until reaching an open Bay just after dark. On the way in we kept a close watch for the shark fishing net listed on our charts, but nearly had a major problem when we snagged the edge on our rudder, pulling the unlighted marker float underwater. Luckily, it came free without issue, as there's nothing less appealing than the thought of diving in at night to cut a shark catching net free from our boat. After a quick 5 hours of very rolly sleep, we set out again to time the infamous Wide Bay bar crossing. With calm conditions, the bar was a nonissue, but the current definitely ripped at a respectable pace. We now found ourselves in the great sandy straits behind Frasier Island. Making our way along the narrow channels, we spent two nights anchored as intermittent rain continued to dampen our enthusiasm for this otherwise scenic stretch of coastline. Finally waking to sunshine and a fair breeze, we had a glorious morning of sailing to the end of the straits. Heading ashore in Torquay, we enjoyed some culinary indulgence and even a haircut for David. Then it was northwest again on a beautiful broad reach to the river entrance into Bundaberg. We spent a few nights at anchor on the calm river, even venturing an hour further inland to reach the main town. Motoring past fields of sugarcane and open country was a pleasant change of scenery, and reminded us a bit of the sprawling corn fields back home.
Now the start of April, our sights were set offshore, and loaded with provisions we departed the river at dawn on a due North heading to reach Lady Musgrave island, and the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef. It was a long day of motoring with beam on swells, but we reached the narrow entrance to the atoll with just enough daylight remaining. Inside, the waters were calm, and we found an open public mooring amongst a dozen other boats. With only the small island in one corner of the lagoon, it's the circular reef which provides some shelter from the open ocean waves in light winds, but overstaying when conditions increase can be a dangerous situation as waves build and it becomes risky even to leave. The weather was very fine the next day, and it was a special occasion, as David hit the 30 year milestone. To maintain youthful vigor, we went snorkeling in the clear water, finding many small fish on the coral heads, and even a few large ones that the speargun helped us harvest. How good it felt to be back in the ocean for some real diving after so many months of poor brackish water! With 1,500 miles of the world's largest reef system sprawling out to the north of us, we could only imagine that the very best of Australia was yet to come.
Posted by BlueMoonSailing 21:45 Archived in Australia
May your continued travels remain safe. Hugs, Grandma Pat
by Pat Krueger