An Exciting Conclusion to Our 2015 Sailing Season

Last week Peter and I were sitting on Rene, drinks and nibblies in hand, when he asked me when I was going to finish off the blog. I was finding it difficult to find motivation as I'd written extensively about Magnetic Island on our previous visits. Well he must have taken my musings to heart as the next day he provided me with an exciting conclusion (a bit too exciting actually!!!) to our 2015 sailing season. In the process he learnt a very compelling lesson.

Snake Bite!!

We decided to take our last walk over to Picnic Bay then to a little bay beyond known as Cockle Bay.
A coffee on the waterfront back in Picnic Bay would complete a lovely walk. A bush track takes you through the bush near the houses on the way out of Picnic Bay. We had just reached the last of the houses when Peter jumped and I noticed what I thought was a stick flung up in the air. No. It wasn't a stick. That was a snake, about 70cm long, skinny and light brown. Originally when he felt a jab on his foot he thought it was just a stick too, but no, when he inspected the wound site there were two little fang marks oozing two little blood dots. The snake was still hanging about, not too concerned, so we managed to get a good description for the medical staff at the Medical Centre.




This snake was on Dunk Island but we thought it was the same as the one that bit Peter



Luckily a man was renovating his house over the road so we hurried (trying not to hurry, keep the patient calm and still etc) over and asked him if he could take us to the Medical Centre. I think he was more alarmed than we were. His wife bound Peter's leg in a tablecloth she had nearby and he got in the ute and off they went. I stayed behind as the ute only had two seats. Later the man met me walking along the road and took me to the Medical Centre. Thank you Cynthia and husband, who helped us out in a tricky situation.

We spent the next two hours there, Peter's leg bound securely with bandages from toes to thigh. He briefly felt a bit of a sting in his foot, much like a bee sting, but then back to normal. There was talk of two days in a Townsville hospital for observation, which meant an ambulance coming over on the ferry to pick him up. The snake was definitely not an Adder, Magnetic Islands only really deadly snake, but probably a Tree Snake or a Whip Snake. These are described as mildly venomous, so Peter decided to discharge himself out of the Medical Centre (after signing a form exonerating the staff of any wrong doing) and retire to Rene for a quiet day resting. We had informed them that we would be back in a flash if he started frothing at the mouth or going numb or any other weird symptoms occurred. They didn't. The only other thing that happened was that his foot was a bit swollen and itchy for a few days.

Snake bite and a kicked toe! I think he has learnt his lesson!

The moral of this story is: Wear shoes in the bush - not thongs!!!!

This is my last day in Townsville. Today I fly to Sydney for five days with Greg, Leisha and Jessica, then on to Perth for a few days with Karin, Paul and Isabelle before taking the bus to Albany. Peter is going to stay in Townsville for three weeks to do some maintenance on Rene and put her in her holiday berth in the Breakwater Marina for summer. It will give him the chance to spend a bit more time with his family as well. My only problem now is how to squash two bags worth of gear into one for the flight home.

Goodbye 2015 sailing season. Looking forward to more sailing and heading south again in the second half of next year.



Goodbye Rene. See you next year

Friends & A 'Meanie' Nomination 14th Sept

Waterfront, Horseshoe Bay

 

Arkaydes anchored in Horseshoe Bay today. It was great to catch up with both Ric and Val and of course Tige. Our sailing paths had not crossed since we spent the Easter holiday sharing a mooring with Arkaydes in Refuge Bay on Greg and Leisha's yacht, Ocean Street. We gossiped over coffee in the sunshine at the corner coffee shop and as lunch approached we agreed to meet at 4.30pm for a BBQ on the beach. Then we all adjourned to the boats for some R&R. Peter usually takes himself off for a walk in the afternoon, but I prefer to relax on board out of the heat with some sewing or a good book.

At the appointed time we met under the shady trees along the waterfront, found ourselves a table and BBQ, set out the food and settled in for a friendly chat. Then.... Ric spotted my shopping cool bag. Earlier in the afternoon I had mended it as the seam along the bottom had split. He could not get over the fact that I had fixed a $2.50 shopping bag and decided I needed a nomination for an esteemed position in the 'Meanies Club'. Ron (Roseanne) and his tight fisted mate had dreamed up this idea last year to celebrate those amongst us who excel at being a 'tight arse'!!! Thanks Ric. I love you too!

This is Ric admiring my neat handiwork!!

At this point I feel I need to defend myself. This afternoon I cleaned the boat. It shone like an new pin. No Horseshoe Bay grit on Rene's polished floors. I checked all the cupboards for any excess stuff that could take a trip to the Op Shop and washed everything I could find. After that I sat back and wondered what to do next. A quick look ashore informed me that Peter was the tiny black dot at the far end of the beach, at least half an hour away - that's if he did not 'have a chat' to one of the half dozen people between him and Lily. And there was Lily, residing peacefully on the beach with all the other dinghies waiting obediently for their master's return. Swimming ashore did not appeal, so I went back down stairs to see what I could do next. My sewing project (a cross stitch tablecloth) was complete, all the books and magazines had been read, cleaning done.... and then I spotted the broken cool bag.
"Well of course I thought. I'll mend you." So I did. Having confessed my 'Meanie' type behaviour I think I might be able to claim I was bored - although there might be a tiny bit of meanness there too.

BBQ time in Horseshoe Bay

It was wonderful to catch up with you guys again. Keep safe and enjoy the rest of your trip.

My project for this year - an old cross stitch tablecloth that I resurrected.
It had been partially worked in dull colours by an unknown person, so I unpicked the lot and started again.

Back to Magnetic Island 3rd - 13th September

The weather was still favourable for our journey south, so we decided to haul ourselves out of bed early (3am) for the next long leg of the trip south to Mourilyan Harbour. In calm conditions we motor/sailed nearly the whole 60nm. For the last two hours we scored a NE breeze of about 10kns, which although late, helped us arrive by 2pm and saw us anchored outside the swing basin opposite the sugar terminal. We were the only boat in there, aside from a trawler, which surprised us. We thought we'd see more boats heading north by now.

Poor little cyclone ravaged Purtaboi Is near Dunk Is
 It used to covered in thick rain forest

These early starts were becoming a bit of a habit so as the body clocks had us up at 3.30am we thought we may as well carry on to the next anchorage at Dunk Island. In the early morning light we could see a large, grey ship anchored behind the North Barnard Islands. It happened to be the navy ship "Canberra" and we were close enough to see the sailors participating in daily exercise routines on the deck. We were looking forward to lunch at the kiosk on the beach, but it was shut for the weekend as there was a huge wedding celebration in progress and the staff had all been requisitioned for wedding duties. Very disappointing! On Sunday we decided we needed a decent walk as we hadn't done much exercise lately. The island circuit looked like a good idea. It is a 12km walk incorporating a climb up to the top of Mt Kootaloo and the scenic lookout over Dunk Is and Mission Beach. By the time we reached the top, towards the end of the walk, I needed a good drink and the nibblies we had brought with us to boost the energy levels.

The view from Mt Kootaloo

The wedding party must have been pleased with the weather as it was still calm, clear and beautiful. It also meant the we decided to motor south to Goold Island for the night. This is an anchorage where calm weather is necessary if you want a comfortable night. When the trade winds are stronger lumpy seas enter the bay. The island is densely wooded and the beach lovely. Watch out for sandflies though!!!

Eastern side Hinchinbrook Island

With the quiet conditions still in place we thought we'd try motor/sailing down the eastern side of Hinchinbrook Island to see if we could anchor in Zoe Bay for lunch and then continue on to Orpheus Island in the Palm Island Group for the night. By the time we reached Zoe Bay the wind was SE at about 10-15kts and the seas bouncing off the rocky eastern coast made the seas lumpy and uncomfortable. Zoe was out of the question. We kept on, just making the rhumb line, for Hazard Bay on Orpheus Island. Hazard is a delightful bay, full of coral reef and bombies, so anchoring quite a way out is necessary. There is a resort in this bay which is only accessible to the guests. Around the corner is a pontoon and jetty which is used by people for snorkelling on the coral. It is such a pretty bay with clear water and golden sand.

Feeding the Rainbow Lorekeets, Horseshoe Bay

The weather forecast indicated a windy patch coming our way in a few days time so we decided to make for Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island where we could sit comfortably during the blow and where there is plenty of activities to keep us occupied. We have been here for six days now and have socialised with the boaties in the bay, done all the usual walks and sampled morning coffee at the cafes. We have also discovered that there is a public laundry at the Arcadia Hotel which has relieved me of the nasty job of sloshing clothes about in the bucket and prevented us from becoming socially unacceptable. On Wednesday we took the ferry across to Townsville to have dinner with the Scott family at The Jewel of India restaurant - very enjoyable. Our friends Ric, Val and Tiger (Arkaydes) were tied up in the Breakwater Marina so we called in to catch up during the afternoon. Ric was away for the week, but we spent the late afternoon with Val and Tige. We still had an hour to kill before the dinner date so decided to walk around the centre of town to fill in the time. As we were walking past the Irish pub a voice called out to us - Alan from Camelot. The hour passed quickly as we exchanged stories. We're beginning to feel like locals around here.

Tige's in Townsville

I have booked my flights back to WA via Sydney (Greg, Leisha and Jessica for a few days) on 30th September and Perth on 6th October. Peter will stay on here for a couple of weeks to spend some time with his dad and family. He will also do maintenance jobs on Rene and Lily and put them away in a berth somewhere for the summer. We have a couple of options, but some negotiation is still necessary re dates on our preferred spot. We will be spending our last two and a bit weeks here together between Townsville and Horseshoe Bay.

Sundowners Horseshoe Bay

Time to Head South - Cooktown to Yorkeys Knob 30th August - 1st September

During our week in Cooktown we had been watching the weather forecasts carefully keeping our eye out for a weather window that would allow us to travel south without too much difficulty.  It came in the form of a calm period of a few days. We were up early to ready Rene for a 7.30am departure as the tide dictated. The Hope Islands are 20nm south and that was our destination.

The Hope Isles

Poking around at the Hope Isles

On the way north we had arrived here too late to see the coral bommies properly, but not this time. Midday saw us entering the reef area surrounding the islands with good visibility into the water and no scary moments occurred on this second occasion. We hooked on to one of the courtesy moorings and after lunch took Lily ashore on the tiny island. The spring tide exposed the reef and sandbanks around the island and we were able to have a close up view of hard and soft corals, clams and other shells and all manner of strange sea creatures residing in the reef. Five boats spent a calm and peaceful night with us at the Hope Isles.

Exploring the reef at low tide on the Hope Isles

The Low Isles

With just enough light to see the reef we motored slowly away from the Hope Isles on our way to the Low Isles off Port Douglas. Light winds had us again motor/sailing our way south. At 40nm we had a longer day on the water, but the scenery on this part of the coast is stunning as the Dividing Range meets the sea.

We arrived at the Low Isles in the late afternoon and most of the tourist boats had left or were in the process of leaving. We again managed to score one of the courtesy moorings. Not long after our arrival two young German men, crewing on another yacht, motored over in the dinghy to see the fish we were attracting. I was feeding them bread and they wanted to see the sharks. There was some discussion about whether Black Tipped Reef Sharks ate people. Then they decided they wanted to swim with the sharks. In they went. After a minute or two a shark swam past and the guy who saw it gave an excited yell, spluttering into his snorkel, and that was the end of the sharks. Anyway they had their thrills!! After that we all settled down for another quiet, calm night with a beautiful bright moon.

Feeding the fish at the Low Isles

 

 

Yorkeys Knob

We left the Low Isles at 6.30am, motoring around the eastern side of the islands far enough off to avoid the fringing reef. Again we motor/sailed the whole way, some 28nm south, in almost windless conditions. Peter rang ahead and booked a berth at the marina for two nights as we needed to take on fuel, water and stores. Being Tuesday we thought we'd take advantage of the 'two for one' evening meals at the yacht club. Very pleasant!

Cooktown 23rd - 29th August

The main street

A weather window opened for us to make the journey south from Lizard Island to Cooktown, 56nm distance and with SE winds 10-15kn . Cape Flattery and Cape Bedford gave us a chance to cut the trip short if the winds became less favourable on the way. We left Lizard Island at 6am and sailed hard on the wind for the first third of the way. Cape Flattery disappeared into the distance and Cape Bedford loomed ahead. We decided that if we could make it around this cape in reasonable time we would arrive in Cooktown in daylight. I didn't think we would ever get past Cape Bedford.
Adverse currents and wind now up to 20kns, had us tacking back and forth and wondering if we'd have to turn back and find shelter there for the night before continuing on to Cooktown the next day. South Cape Bedford finally slid behind us and as we turned south across the bay to Cooktown the wind did as well and with more tacking we arrived at the entrance to the Endeavour River just on dusk.

Hand steering to get around Cape Bedford

It is necessary to enter the Endeavour River anchorage in the top half of a rising tide as shallow sand banks abound and entry to the lagoon area requires crossing a bar. We found a quiet spot between two other yachts near the northern sand bank. We spent three nights there and then the spring tides had us moving to a deeper area as we realised we'd soon be touching the bottom. Numerous boats already occupied space reasonably close to the town, but we managed to find a place in 4.5m in the middle of the channel about 1nm up the river. Goodbye quiet, calm little place near the sandbanks! The currents out here were strong and particularly when the wind was against the tide, things got a little hectic. It always happens at 2am!! Rene managed to ride over the anchor warp and wrap it around the keel. We woke up to crunching, cracking sounds (we've heard that before!!) and a very strange motion of the boat. Up on deck it became obvious that things were going pear shaped. Poor Lily was going nuts tearing out to the end of her painter and charging back and head butting Rene and then taking off in the other direction. Water was literally rattling past the hull. The only plus in this situation was that the moon was full and we could at least see what was going on. Meanwhile Rene had dragged the anchor so it was necessary for us to reset it further upstream. Once all the drama was over Peter tied the tiller to one side and that eased the situation and allowed us to settle down for the rest of the night. Cooktown's anchorage is not without it's problems.




Cooktown Anchorage from Grassy Hill
(We are the little yacht near the sandbank in the centre of the picture next to the dark hulled yacht)

Cooktown is however a very interesting little town with a diverse history. In 1770 James Cook beached the Endeavour here to repair her after an argument with a reef further south. It was also the main outlet port for the Palmer River goldfields 100 years later, when the population reached 30,000. Of course there is a much older Aboriginal history here as well. The National Trust James Cook Museum is housed in an impressive building that was originally a convent school built in 1889. At least two hours is necessary to do justice to the displays. The panoramic view from the top floor of the building, over the Endeavour River is worth a look.

James Cook Museum

There are large monuments dedicated to the history of Cooktown throughout the town precinct and many plaques explaining historical events that happened at particular places. Mosaic and tile murals further highlight events, cultures and stories. The Milbi Wall tells the story of the first Aboriginal contact with the Europeans, from the Aboriginal perspective, in hand painted tiles. It's a very impressive art work that can be found in the park along the river front.

The Milbi Wall

Wednesday saw us taking the steep walk up Grassy Hill to see the lighthouse and take in the wonderful views across the wetland surrounding Cooktown and the Dividing Range in the distance. On the way up we noticed a walk branching off towards several bays to the south of Cooktown and also to the Botanic Garden. A rough, rocky walk down the hill brought us to the back of the Botanic Garden and although the walk was picturesque and bushy I was a bit concerned about slipping and doing myself an injury. The garden is in a superb valley setting. Huge paperbarks and gum trees grow thickly in places and provide lovely cool shade. Typical of a tropical garden, leaf shape and colour dominated rather than flowers. Attached to the information centre is the Charles Tanner Wildlife of Cape York exhibition which features snakes, crocodiles and other biting/stinging creatures and the Vera Scarth-Johnson botanic art gallery which are both worth a visit.



Taking a break on the way to the Botanic Garden



 

After all this sight seeing we thought we'd better stock up ready for our trip south again. The IGA in Cooktown is too far from the wharf area to transport our stores on foot so we organised with the store to deliver our purchases to us at the boat ramp. We have found that the IGA stores are generally very helpful and try to accommodate us boaties.

Niel and Doreen, who we met at Cape Flattery and spent the week at Lizard Island with, sailed into Cooktown the day after us. We decided to have dinner together at the RSL club and later in the week lunch at the café on the wharf. They base themselves at Cairns, but hopefully we will meet up on the water again one day.

R&R at one of the waterfront cafes