People and Their Pets 20th May

We have two interesting characters living on our pontoon at Mooloolaba Marina. Ralphy is a pert little fellow, only a year old with all the exuberance and bounciness of youth. Ralphy belongs to Carl and they both live on a catamaran berthed at the end of the pontoon. He loves people and of course people cannot help but fall in love with him. The reaction he gets as he playfully bounces up to a newcomer being, 'Oh look! It's Hairy Maclary from Donaldsons Dairy!' Now if you  have had anything to do with kids in the last 15 or 20 years you will know the delightful series of children's books written by Lynley Dodd. Ralphy is the image of Hairy Maclary and with all the lively cheekiness of Hairy no one could possibly be immune to his charm. He has good manners and Carl is teaching him some cute tricks.

Ralphy asks for the ball

 



It became obvious to Carl that he would have to teach Ralphy to swim when he fell in on several occasions and had to be rescued. Carl dutifully took him over to the beach on the other side of The Spit for his first lesson and began by wading out just over Ralphy's depth. The reluctant Ralphy wasn't too sure about this, but began following until the water became too deep. Then he stood up on his back legs. Problem solved! Round one to Ralphy! Carl has eventually taught him how to swim.

Chuckles reluctantly allows me to hold her

 



The other four legged resident on the pontoon is Chuckles, also known as Cat by Grant, her owner. (Or is it the other way around - Cat owns Grant?) She is a fluffy tabby with four white paws and a white bib. Chuckles can be found relaxing on any of the boats around here depending on which one takes her fancy. Being a cat, she prefers swanning about on the yacht next door to her own. Chuckles finds people useful. After a sojourn ashore she sits staring at the gate and eventually someone will come along and open it for her. She has that wonderful arrogant cat attitude that she can do what she likes around here. However one place is out of bounds. Apparently she has been banned from The Yacht Club. There must be a story there, but I don't know it.

Chuckles holds a grudge. A favourite pastime is walking around the gunnels of the dinghy when it's in the water. Grant was watching her one day when another boat went past creating a considerable bow wave. The dinghy bounced and bucked and the unsuspecting Chuckles lost her balance and plummeted into the water at which Grant did the unforgivable and laughed. She wouldn't talk to him for two days. As I'm sitting here writing this she has come on board Rene and thoroughly checked her out. What a sticky beak!

Chuckles checks out Rene

 



Rick and Val from Arkaydes arrived here yesterday and tied up at the public pontoon for a while. We knew it was them because we spotted Tiger first as Val took him for a run along the shore after their trip up from Moreton Bay. Last time we saw Tiger, Rick had given him a hair cut with the shears. He looked slightly moth eaten. (Sorry Rick. It really was quite a good haircut!) But as Rick said, 'It is only 10 days between a bad and a good haircut.' Tigers coat has regained it's shiny golden lustre and he looks like the mature, handsome man about town that he is.

 

Tiger

Rick and Val are now tied up to a friend's jetty in a canal not far from here. It belongs to the friends holiday house and we have been invited for sundowners and a swim in the pool later today. Unfortunately Rick and Val will be here for 10 days or so as they wait for a part for their chart plotter. We are leaving tomorrow at 1am to catch the tide out of here and sail 55nm north to the Wide Bay Bar at the entrance to The Great Sandy Strait. The research has been done and hopefully we have judged it right to make an uneventful crossing at about 1pm tomorrow. Our stay at the Mooloolaba Marina has been very enjoyable. We have been told that in the recent past this marina has not had a good reputation for welcoming visitors. Apparently there have been some staff changes and we have found it to be a friendly and accommodating place to stay and would recommend it to anyone as a place to spend some time before travelling north or south.

Catching up on the balcony with Rick, Val and Tiger

Noosa Internationl Food & Wine Festival - YUM! YUM! 17th May

 

Huon Tasmania display

 

 

We have spent several days now exploring Mooloolaba, Maroochydore and Cotton Tree. It is a very pretty place with golden beaches and all the trappings of holiday culture. Nice to be part of for a while. The most interesting thing we have done in the last few days was take the bus to Noosa to visit the Wine and Food Festival. It took just over an hour to travel north along the coast enjoying the great views that you can only get from the height of a bus. Noosa National Park looked inviting as we drove past and we had already decided to explore this later.

 

Having decided to pay the $40 entry fee each Peter and I set about enjoying ourselves. We were there early and many stalls were not yet open. Fortunately for us we discovered a large marquee set up with many small traders advertising their wares and supplying free samples. Being early we were able to partake without the crush of the general public. It must have taken us an hour to taste and talk to stall holders and by the time we had finished the marquee was becoming very crowded. I had my first  ever taste of caviar - I now know why I haven't partaken before. It wasn't impressive, but the smoked salmon dip was divine. During our hour we tasted all manner of cheese, meat products, fruit and vegetable dishes, condiments, herb infused olive oils and numerous other tasty treats, from as far away as Tasmania, Yarra Valley and the Barossa. Having filled up on all these tasty delights we finished off with a cup of coffee. Later on in the day I paid for my indulgence by having to endure a period of queasy tummy.

 

 

 

We moved on to a smaller marquee set up as a forum for guest speakers and panels to discuss various issues relating to food and food production. When we arrived the panel was discussing food in the future including directions in genetically modified food, world food security etc. Near the door was a couple of young people offering 'future food' samples for tasting - meal worms and crickets. Normally I would not have entertained the idea of eating either of these, but maybe the caviar had me thinking things could only improve from there. Meal worms are OK, crispy and crunchy. The crickets were interesting, not unlike munching on a very small bundle of sticks. Both could make a good substitute for potato crisps. 

 

 

The wine part of the festival

 



 

By this time we had had enough. The place was becoming very crowded and due to copious quantities of rain recently, the grounds were turning into a quagmire. Time to walk off all the rich food we had sampled by taking a hike through the Noosa National Park. The surf was up, the sun shining and being a Saturday people were everywhere. We walked around the coast to Hells Gates at Noosa Head. It is easy to see why people flock to this part of the coast. It is very beautiful.

 

 

 

 



Chilling In Mooloolaba 15th May

After some discussion last night we decided that we needed a holiday from the holiday. (Life is soooo tough!) Peter went and arranged with the office that we would spend 7 nights here which included a discount for staying the week. Even better, we were presented with the winter special, which was two $50 vouchers for meals at The Yacht Club. Guess where we'll be eating out this week.

Boardwalk Mooloolaba

 



The weather was much improved today, mostly sunny, but still very windy. Our morning walk took us along the bay from the breakwater entrance to the Mooloolaba River and around the beach to the shopping area and café strip. The walking track is well designed, partly paved and partly shady boardwalk. On the way back we stopped for the inevitable coffee. We chose 'Olivers', a good choice, as the coffee was excellent and the slice of carrot cake enormous.

 

My Pretty Coffee

A work colleague of Peter's from the Planfarm days lives up on the range behind the coast here and Peter had arranged for us to meet Phil and his wife Kirsty for lunch. Lining the street next to The Yacht Club are several seafood restaurants so we chose one of those. After lunch they offered to take us for a drive north along the beach suburbs towards Noosa. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and to finish off we stopped in at the Ginger Factory at Buderim. I didn't know so many ginger products existed. Peter bought ginger cordial and we ate delicious ginger and macadamia nut ice-cream. The whole complex is surrounded by landscaped tropical gardens, which of course contain varieties of ginger plants. Thank you Kirsty and Phil for treating us to a lovely afternoon. We really enjoyed catching up. 

 

The Ginger Factory, Buderim

Boisterous Sailing 13th & 14th May

The weather looked superb for sailing north across Moreton Bay so we packed up early and left Manly Marina in the warm sunshine. Studying the charts carefully is a must here as the bay is scattered with low islands, sand and mud banks and the shipping channel into the Brisbane Harbour is busy. We had to avoid a couple of extraordinarily ugly car carriers on their way in. The wind gradually built to 20kn from the south and we raced along on one of the best sails we have had for the whole trip. Scarborough Marina seemed like a good place to spend the night and to decide our route out of Moreton Bay. The northern part of the bay is riddled with sand bars and shoals.

Shipping in Moreton Bay keeps us on our toes

 

The forecast for today was for 15-20kn winds from the south and a good chance of 5-10ml of rain. The 35nm to Mooloolaba took us 6 hours. We kept a close eye on the chart plotter as we negotiated the sand banks around the southern end of Bribie Island. In the end it was a boisterous sail with winds up to 25kn towards Point Cartwright and clouds building and threatening rain. The entry into Mooloolaba was easy and the sea flattened out as we came around the point. We are now in the Mooloolaba Marina ($50 per night) and the rain is pouring down. We may spend a few days here as there appears to be plenty to do and see.

 

The clouds are sneaking up on you Peter

Macleay Island to Manly 10th - 12th May

Oops! Someone hasn't checked their boat recently!

 



Macleay Island proved to be a pretty anchorage and we dropped the anchor between it and Lamb Island. The holding was very good and Peter had trouble pulling it up in the morning. There was only one problem here and that was the constant passage of the fast ferries causing bow waves that had us bouncing about every 20 minutes or so until they stopped later in the night. Then peace reigned.

Macleay Island car ferry

 

On Sunday morning we woke early - those ferries again! A decision was made to take advantage of the high tide and make our way out into Moreton Bay and one of the Manly marinas to do some laundry, have showers and fill up the empty water bags. Peter rang ahead and booked two nights in the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club for $44 per night.

What's In A Name?

I know I have talked about names before, but this one's a beauty. 'Coochiemudlo'! Who came up with that? Coochiemudlo Island is in the southern end of Moreton Bay. It reminded me of some of the other weird names we have come across. We used to own a unit in Innaloo, a suburb of Perth. I used to cringe every time I had to recite our address and got used to the jokes. I was complaining to my friend Christine one day and she said, 'Well its better than living Upper Swan!' She had a point. While we were sailing up the NSW coast we came across Budgewoi (Budg-ee-woi) and Koolewong (Kool- ee-wong). Someone must have had fun coming up with those.

Brisbane 12th May

Today we caught the train at Manly Station and went into Brisbane city for the day. We walked along the river and through the beautiful Botanic Gardens. We had lunch there and then wandered around the shops before catching the train back to Manly.

Botanic Garden Brisbane

 

 



skipr.net

We have registered with skipr.net and log our position at each destination. This can be seen on a google map if anyone is interested in seeing exactly where we are.

 

Where's our boat?

 

Tipplers and the Joys Of Camping 9th - 10th May

We were able to find space to anchor at Tipplers just west of the swimming enclosure and made sure our bum did not hang out into the channel as advised by locals. Space here is limited and we could see that arriving Friday, before the weekend rush, enabled us to stake a claim on our bit of real estate. On Saturday boats began arriving early and soon the area was crowded. After a long walk to the north of the resort we decided to call in to the café on the way back for our morning coffee. I think I should just let you Albany girls morning tea group know that South Stradbroke Island has some of the best scones, jam and cream I have ever tasted - light and fluffy with scrumptious homemade strawberry jam and whipped cream. YUM!

It began to rain steadily and we managed to make a quick trip back to Rene between the showers. Just as we got aboard the rain really started to pour. Peter and I sat under the canopy and watched several families who had just arrived, laden with mountains of camping gear, begin to set up in the rain. While we were walking we noticed that the dirty grey sand was just wet enough to stick to shoes leaving the dry stuff underneath. Rain, sand, wet camping gear, kids. That looked like real good fun!!! Peter and I chuckled as we watched, but only softly because I'm sure Mother Nature has something in store for us is we get too carried away.

We decided to leave after lunch for Macleay Island. The rain had stopped, the tide was beginning to rise and we just had enough time to make it before nightfall. I'm not supposed to say this but Rene did a little ploughing at the southern end of Russel Island, just cut the corner a little too fine. Luckily after a couple of bumps we were back into the deep water.

 

Tipplers anchorage

A Quick Trip to the Gold Coast 5th - 8th May

Check out the flood levels!

 



On Monday morning we wandered around Ulmarra looking in the shop windows and wondering when they would open. It is such a pretty little town full of old buildings and collectable and antique shops. Nothing was happening fast and as the wind began to build again we decided to get off the jetty and begin our trip back down the river before we got stuck there for the rest of the day. On the way Peter contacted the bridge operator to arrange a bridge opening for us. It usually requires 24 hours notice, but he said if we could get there he would open it at 2pm. We had looked at the weather forecast for the week and it appeared that a good weather window for the trip to the Gold Coast was beginning. We made the decision then that we'd go all the way back to Iluka for the night, do a quick shop, have showers at the caravan park and prepare for an overnight trip. Meanwhile we had an enjoyable motor down the river as the wind died out and the beautiful river scenery slid past. We didn't quite get to Grafton as everyone we spoke to said it wasn't worth the effort and the Gold Coast was beckoning.

Numerous trawlers were working on the Clarence River

In the evening Ron from Roseanne came over for drinks and a session of trip planning. There is a lot to think about especially where bar crossings are concerned. The Clarence has a tricky bar and the tides and current crucial to a smooth entry or exit. Then there is the arrival at the Gold Coast Seaway another entry that requires care although generally easier to negotiate. Wind, swell, timing (we don't like arriving at night) tides, East Coast Current and forecast all need consideration. Well we looked up tide charts, weather forecasts, by at least four different sites and after a complete brain drain from information overload we decided that between 9 and 10am on Tuesday would be good. It was. Light winds to start and overnight we had a steady 5 - 10kn from the south kept us cruising along nicely. My watch from midnight to 3am wasn't difficult as the lights of suburbia from Tweed Heads on kept me interested along with dodging the odd fishing trawler.

 

Gold Coast at dawn

We arrived at the Gold Coast Seaway at 8.30am, followed Roseanne in and turned south into Marine Stadium, (commonly known as 'Bums Bay') a very secure little bay near Sea World, that was full of anchored boats. It took a while to find enough space to drop the anchor without bumping into anyone else. Camelot, Arkaydes and Sans Souci were already there. At present we have all gone off in different directions, but it will be good to catch up along the way as we are all heading north.

Sand Bypass Jetty Gold Coast Seaway

 

 



Marine Stadium 8th - 9th May

Our snug anchorage in Bums Bay proved to be just that as the strong southerly winds whipped through the anchorage for most of the day. Peter and I decided to take Lily down to Australia Fair shopping centre using the exposed sandbanks for protection from the choppy water. That worked well and we spent most of the day there. It is a convenient place to restock the larder as there is a public jetty nearby where the dinghy could be secured safely around the back. Coming home was easy going with the wind. Sundowners were on Sans Souci along with the crews from Arkaydes and Camelot. Hugh and Julie are practically locals so we picked their brains about routes, marinas and anchorages on this part of the coast. We had had the charts out and the waterways between the Gold Coast and Moreton Bay are a maze of interconnected channels as four rivers converge inside South and North Stradbroke Islands. Local knowledge is invaluable.

 

How cute is that?

This morning we took the dinghy down to Southport Yacht Club to get some fuel and to get an up to date copy of 'Beacon to Beacon - Yeppoon To Tweed Heads'. This publication had been strongly recommended. Also the guy at the chandlery advised us to walk around to Queensland Fisheries and pick up marine park guides and other relevant information. Now Rene has disappeared under a mountain of paper - charts, cruising guides, pamphlets, maps etc outlining what we are allowed to do or not do. I have enough reading material there to keep me going for the whole trip!!!

Homework

 



The tide was right at midday for our short journey to Tipplers on South Stradbroke Island, about 10nm. Armed with all our publications and the chart plotter we kept a close eye on our progress. It would be easy to get lost here amongst the countless sandbanks, mangrove covered islands and channels. Counting channel markers is a must. We are now at Tipplers. The wind as dropped and the anchorage calm. We have had a hot shower for $3 each at the camping area. Sheer luxury!!

Tomorrow we will continue on north up this amazing waterway.

The Spit walk track Gold Coast

A Bouncy Ride to Ulmarra 4th May

 

Peter bails the dinghy after the torrential rain

 

 

Much improved weather at the anchorage today

 



We spent two nights on anchor at Maclean. It is such a pretty little town to explore with its steep range of hills, the river and some lovely old historic buildings lining the streets. Yesterday we climbed up to the top of the range to the lookout. That had us puffing, but the view from the top was worth the effort. The sea was so far away. I don't think Rene has ever been that far away from it before. She is beginning to acquire a dirty bow from the brown river water. The power poles along the streets of Maclean are painted in Scottish family tartans. The inhabitants of this town are proud of their Scottish ancestry. I couldn't find a Scott tartan so had to make do with the Cameron one - especially for you Christine P.

 

Rene at anchor at Maclean

This morning we pulled the anchor at 9.00am, as according to relevant research, the tide would assist us up the river. That was fine, but not long after we left the wind began to build and on some stretches we had a very strong headwind. We have followed Lucas very carefully and so far have not touched the bottom. (Just touched our Huon Pine table so that should do the trick.) Long green grass lines the banks, cows grazing nearby, sugar cane fields and some extraordinarily large houses provide an ever changing vista as we progressed upstream. Two vehicular ferries crossed our path today and some care is needed to cross their path. The cables have 3m clearance over them at LWS, but you have to wait until they are stationary at the side and the light on top stops flashing before you can cross over.

 

Vehicular ferry - Lawrence

 



By now the wind was strong so we decided to stop at Brushgrove on the way back. We did notice there was a very new public jetty there a short distance up the South Arm just before the bridge. It looked a bit bouncy so we decided to motor on to Ulmarra hoping that the wind would begin to die down as per forecast. It didn't and as we motored against the public jetty we realised that Brushgrove would have been more sheltered. However by now we were on the Ulmarra jetty and there was no getting off as the wind howled and pushed us hard on to it. Out came all the fenders and Peter made Rene secure. After an uncomfortable few hours the wind has now died and if the forecast is right will completely die out tonight. I hope so as this town, small as it is, has several antique and collectable shops to explore. While Peter trundles back and forth to the garage tomorrow with the jerry can full of diesel I will hit the shops. We intend to spend the morning here and then take the short trip to Grafton for the night. Here we will have to turn around as the bridge clearance stops further progress for us.

 

 

Rene gets plastered to the Ulmarra jetty

Clarence River 30th April - 2nd May

 

Lily and friends at the Iluka dinghy dock

 

 

On Wednesday evening we joined the crews of Camelot, Wind Wanderer and Roseanne on board Arkaydes for pre-dinner drinks. Ten sailors, countless sailing stories and a few drinks later we made our way back to Rene. It would have to be said that a wonderful evening was had by all participants.
Last night it was Rene's turn. Luckily only Val, Rick and Tiger (Arkaydes) and Ron (Roseanne) were left and we could accommodate them.

 

Tiger enjoys sundowners on Rene

 

Yesterday Peter and I took the dingy over the river to Yamba for the morning. We watched Wind Wanderer motor out of the river. There were no breaking waves on the entrance bar this time, but they still rolled and pitched around. After this we decided a coffee in town would be a good idea. This seems to be the touristy side of the river, but we like Iluka and are glad we anchored there.
Money has been invested at Iluka with a convenient dinghy dock, foreshore paths and outdoor gym area near the town centre. A pleasant walk of about 1km along the harbour edge took us past an ordinary green bush full of tiny berries. The most colourful parrots we have ever seen were having a feast. They might have been Eastern Rosellas. Someone may be able to enlighten us.

This morning we left Iluka at 7.30am to enable us to be on time for a 10.00am opening of the bridge at Harwood. It was fine when we left and only began to rain as we rounded the corner to Maclean. Sitting on the deck watching sugar cane fields and paddocks full of Angus cattle was a novelty. We arrived at the bridge 40mins early so we circled around nearby while we waited. Two yachts motoring down the river had right of way and therefore were first through the bridge. Then it was our turn. It's impressive watching the centre of the bridge slide up providing us room to go through. Looking at the map, we discover that we are only about one third of the way up the river to Grafton. This is a big river.

Here we are sitting in the Clarence River, opposite the town of Maclean, with the rain pouring down and intermittent thunder rumbling around the leaden, grey skies. So far we have collected 2 buckets of lovely fresh rain water from a small rope dangling from the canopy roof - number 3 is on the way! It doesn't look like we will be able to go ashore today. The anchorage is calm, the anchor gripped well and there are three other yachts in here. Camelot is anchored next to us, but they must be ashore as there is no dinghy in sight. Hope they get a break in the weather to get back. The forecast for tomorrow is for fine weather so we will spend the day here as Maclean has a reputation for having plenty to see and do.

 

The weather closes in at the Maclean anchorage

 

 



Coffs Harbour to the Clarence River 28th - 30th April

We walked into Coffs town centre on Monday morning. It was a pleasant walk along the river and around the shops. I spied a Kathmandu shop and some really nice red Teva sandals for walking - my birthday present. It rained on the way back to the harbour, but our trusty umbrellas sheltered us from the worst of it.

Once back Peter, Alan (Camelot) and the man from Wind Wanderer spent the rest of the afternoon contemplating weather, tides and swell conditions and whether we should make the move north to Yamba. In the end we all left just after 6am on Tuesday morning and motor sailed in very light NE winds all the way to the Clarence River and the towns of Yamba and Iluka. At 54nm it took most of the day and we entered a rolly river bar at 5pm just in time to anchor at Iluka before nightfall. We took Alan Lucas's ('Cruising the NSW Coast') advice and disregarded the leads over the bar in favour of a passage close to the southern breakwater. This proved good advice as we watched the waves break over the bar beside us. The swell was forecast to be 1.5m and we entered at 3 hours after low tide as recommended. Iluka is a comfortable harbour within the Clarence River where a long rock wall separates the main river from this quiet haven, there being only two small entrances in.

Rene and friends, Arkaydes and Roseanne at Iluka

This morning we walked around Iluka to sus things out. The caravan park will let us have showers at $5 each and also use the washing machines and dryers at the going rate. We finally found the small town centre and had a luscious salad sandwich at the bakery. There is also a butcher, PO, chemist, service stations, small hardware store, some clothes shops and a brand new IGA supermarket. You can get most things here without going over to the other side to Yamba. We will however take Lily over at some stage. We have been advised to go with one of the others in their dinghy as it is quite a long way and for our safety (strong tides etc) we have organised to go with Joan and Alan from Camelot. I can see we will be at least a week here - so much to see and do.

 

Liz goes shopping Iluka

 

 

 

Peter berthing the dinghy



Camden Haven 22nd - 24th April

 

The leads line up beautifully on entry to Camden Haven River

After a short 13nm motor sail we arrived at Camden Haven River in time for an uneventful entry across the bar and into the river. Rene has enough power to plough through the fast flowing tide and Peter attributes this to her three bladed fixed prop along with 18hp Volvo motor. It was about 2nm to the Laurieton anchorage and care following the marker buoys is essential as the channel changes and it was a little different to our chart plotter version. What a delightful anchorage! The current is not as strong as at Forster and there is much more room. We decided to anchor rather that use the free visitor jetty, just a preference we have. Boats can tie up free of charge for five days and anchored or on the jetty, a visit to the United Services Club nearby to sign in as temporary members, entitles you to a key to the toilet and shower. A short walk up the street and the town centre has supermarkets, hardware store, banks etc. We found this a very quiet, convenient place to stop for a couple of days. It is also very picturesque with North Brother mountain looming behind the town.

 



 

Walking to North Haven

Walk tracks abound. Peter and I walked out along the northern breakwater to have a closer look at the channel and bar entry. Just a few days ago a man lost his life trying to cross this bar in an open tinny when the coast was experiencing the 4m swells which caused us some bother in Port Stephens. Apparently he got cold feet at the last moment, tried to turn back and the boat was caught side on and swamped by a wave. He then tried to swim to the breakwater wall and was drowned in front of the many people fishing and walking who were unable to help. Makes you wonder what he was thinking.

On the visitor jetty were two other yachts. One a catamaran with Rick and Val on board from Pittwater and on a beautiful Adams 46 Cruiser was Ron from Tasmania. We enjoyed their company and had sundowners on board both nights.

Sunrise over Laurieton anchorage

 



The Story Of The Pretty Pink Thongs
(OS readers, I'm talking flip flops, although the other version of thongs would make a much better story.)

After pre-dinner drinks aboard Roseanne, which lasted until well after dark, Rick, Val, Peter and I said our goodbyes collected our footwear and made our way back to our respective craft. Peter stopped for a chat with Ron and then he discovered his $4 thongs were missing. Someone must have nicked them. Firstly he blamed me. 'Liz have you got my thongs?' he shouts. 'No,' I reply. 'You must have he yells!' 'No I haven't. Even in this light I can see these are red!' This went on for a couple more exchanges. Meanwhile I am being eaten alive by every mosquito in Camden Haven who are banqueting on my soft southern skin. 'For goodness sake I say, (with rather a short tone and probably harsher words than this) forget them. We'll go to Coles tomorrow and get another pair.' I was beyond caring. On the way back to Rene in the dinghy we have this conversation about what could have happened to them. Maybe Tiger, Rick and Val's golden cocker spaniel, had a fit of pique at not being allowed on board for drinks with us and chewed them up and spat them in the river. I DON'T CARE!!

Next morning off goes Peter to see if he can track down the missing footwear. Surprise! Surprise! There on the jetty is a lovely pair of pink Crocs just waiting for their owner to claim them. Val!! Rick and Val were by now half way to Coffs Harbour, having left at four o'clock that morning.
So now Peter has pretty pink thongs to wear to the shower and he is quite proud of them. Says they are most comfortable.

The next day, as we were leaving Camden Haven, Peter received a phone call from Val. 'Have you seen my pink Crocs? Favourites! The most comfortable thongs I have ever had.' Arrangements were made to catch up with them at Yamba where they will be staying for a while and ceremoniously take possession of the correct footwear and apologise to the innocent Tiger.


Camden Haven to Coffs Harbour 25th - 26th April

We had to get up early to catch the best tide for our exit north. The bar was glassy and the tide just beginning to ebb as we crossed the bar. Looking south we could see huge build ups of thunder clouds, but the weather forecast was still for light southerlies and sounded good for our sail to Trial Bay. It was a good sail with more breeze than anticipated. This was probably a good thing as the East Australian Current often flows strongly south on this part of the coast and although the wind against current tossed up some sharp seas, we still made fairly good time. We reached Trial Bay just on dark, anchored, cooked dinner and contemplated the wisdom of stopping the night as opposed to sailing on to Coffs. The forecast for Saturday was for light northerlies. With wind and current against us we decided to sleep until midnight, then set off to Coffs before the predicted northerly set in. We arrived in Coffs at 7.30am, having motored the whole way in glassy conditions.

It is now lunch time and I am starving so it's time to finish this for now. We are docked in the marina, on the end of B finger with a huge catamaran that is owned by some people from Perth. Our starting battery died during this trip and Peter has already purchased a new one and fitted it, so all is well with us. Now for two days or so of exploring Coffs Harbour. Our next destination will be the Clarence River, Yamba and Illuka. I've looked forward to spending a week or two in there for a long time.



 

Rene and Camelot in Coffs Marina

Coffs Harbour 27th April

Last evening we had pre-dinner drinks with Joan and Alan, from Perth, on their catamaran 'Camelot.' They are also exploring Coffs for the time being until weather conditions improve for the trip to Yamba. Alan has purchased a folding bicycle for $175 which he is 'maranising'. That means he is taking off all the steel parts, mud guards etc in the hope that it will last longer. It has an aluminium frame and he is pleased with his purchase. I'd like a bike like that, but lack of space consigns Peter and I to legs or bus.

We all visited the Sunday market set up not far from the marina. Peter and I bought some avocados. We only have a whole tree of them back home! The usual trinkets and beads stalls dominated, but there were also some interesting home produce and fresh fruit and vege stalls. A walk along the beach filled the morning and now Blog and reading will complete a lovely, relaxing day. Pre-dinner drinks will be on Rene this evening.
 

20th - 21st April Forster/Tuncurry to Crowdy Harbour

Yesterday we spent the morning exploring Forster. This seems to be the most popular side of the estuary and certainly is very scenic. It took a while to locate a suitable spot to leave Lily (dinghy) where there were no sharp oyster encrusted rocks, people fishing or boating and with a place to padlock her to. We have heard a few tales of stolen gear, usual thing. Finally we found a tiny rocky beach with a purpose built padlock tree where we left her to go for a walk. What a superb day. Being Easter Sunday and such gorgeous weather people were out on the water by the thousands participating in every water activity imaginable. It was lovely just walking along the waterfront watching the people.

On the way back to Rene we took the scenic route and eventually wound our way back to the anchorage via the northern bank and Tuncurry. The current was really racing by this stage and we had lunch watching a man ferry his entire family (about 6) across to a sandbank out in the waterway in a kayak. Didn't appear to have lifejackets either. We walked around Tuncurry in the afternoon before retiring to Rene for sundowners. 

This morning we were up early and ready to negotiate the bumpy channel again. It looked, shall we say interesting, as the water lumped up when the outgoing tide met the ocean which by then was beginning to turn to come back in. Maybe we left it a little late. However it wasn't scary or dangerous, just a little uncomfortable as Rene shipped a wave or two over the bow. Light winds accompanied us on our sail to Crowdy Heads Boat Harbour some 24nm north. As we neared our destination Peter spoke to Crowdy/Harrington Marine Rescue on VHF and gleaned some useful local knowledge about depths in the harbour and where to tie up.

Crowdy is an all weather harbour built as a refuge for the fishermen when foul weather prevented entry across the bars at the other ports in the area. It is tiny and has three jetties. The visitors jetty is no longer able to be accessed as it is closed to boating and fast becoming derelict. The fishermen's jetty only had four small trawlers moored alongside and many empty pens. In recent years industry regulation has meant that the small boats and licences have been brought out by larger vessels operating from Coffs Harbour and Forster. This little harbour with its abandoned fishermen's co-op appears to be getting little use nowadays. We tied up to the unloading jetty and spoke to some locals nearby and were told it was fine to tie up there. No-one would be using it. Peter filled the water tanks as we found a convenient tap nearby.

Locals, Jack and Kate, drove us the 6kms to Harrington for lunch at the pub. We were starving! After a huge lunch we walked back along the beach to Crowdy Harbour. At least I felt like I'd earned lunch. Now the mozzie coils are out as for the first time since Esperance, the mozzies have found us. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will have a go at crossing the bar into Camden Haven River and Laurieton 13 nm north of Crowdy.

2014 A NEW SAILING SEASON

17th & 18th April Lake Macquarie to Port Stevens

Our new sailing season begins! Peter has been working hard on autumn cleaning Rene, antifouling her hull, checking all systems and sailing south for two weeks to Broken Bay with his mate Bob. They apparently had a good time. Marmong Point Marina boat yard turned out to be very good place to haul Rene out and work on the yearly maintenance.

Peter met me in Sydney, at Circular Quay, and we spent two days with Greg and Leisha and our beautiful little five month old granddaughter. She is delightful. Thanks for having us Greg and Leisha.

Jessica Abigail Scott

The two and a half hour train ride to Lake Macquarie set me up for our new sailing season. It is a lovely ride with the scenic beauty of the northern area of Sydney sliding past. No electronic gizmos for me with so much to see. We went straight to Coles for our reprovisioning, dumped everything on the boat and then set off for dinner at Roger and Carols. The evening was spent catching up on news and Roger cooked a delicious roast. Thanks Roger and Carol for everything you have done for us. Our sojourn on the lake has been wonderful and something we will always remember with pleasure.

At 7.30am we pulled the anchor and made our way over to the Swansea Channel to await the 9am opening of the bridge. We arrived 40 mins early and were luckily first there so hooked onto one of the two moorings until opening time. By the time the bridge opened there were about a dozen other craft waiting to steam through, mostly big 'stink' boats. They quickly left us behind with two other sailing yachts putting out of the channel. Once out we set sail for Port Stevens. The day was gorgeous. A perfect day for my first sail of the season. Even so I felt a little queasy now and again and could not go below much, so Peter was on sandwich duty. I could not help marvelling at the superb day that nature turned on for us - a steel blue sea sparkling with silver sequins under a cloudless autumn sky. Unfortunately little wind accompanied us and we motor sailed the whole way then we entered Port Stevens at 4.30pm, just in time to settle down for our first sundowner.

19th April Port Stevens to Tuncurry/Forster

Over night a big swell built up along the east coast and began affecting Shoal Bay, where we were anchored. Swells rolling around Tomaree Head began to invade our anchorage and Rene held by the current, started to roll 'like a pig in shit', quote Peter. We looked out into the dark and noticed breaking waves just behind us and roaring surf across the Entrance Shoal. What an uncomfortable night. Most of the other dozen or so visitors pulled anchor, and left at first light, probably with little sleep, like us. Shoal Bay is not pleasant in a 2.7m SE swell. I'd advise sailors to make way further in to Salamander Bay or Fame Cove in these conditions for a better nights sleep.

By morning the surf seemed to be even higher so we decided to leave for an overnight sail to Coffs Harbour or a shorter sail to one of the navigable harbours along the way. A 10kn SW breeze was forecast so there was no excuse to stay. We decided to exit Port Stevens via the southern part of the channel near Tomaree Head. Breaking surf crashing on the entrance shoal came surprisingly close as we motored out and even the little shallow patches produced breakers occasionally. Finally past all the white water we set a course south of the Broughton Islands then headed north east for a destination not yet decided.

The swell gradually fell during the day and as late afternoon approached we thought that calling in to Cape Hawke Harbour might be a good idea. Peter contacted the Forster Marine Rescue and they told us that the bar was behaving well, but to slow down and wait for the ebb tide to change. The bar is deep and we had no trouble motoring over, but the current is certainly swift here. We motored between the rock walls lined with sightseers  and fishermen, in a swirling, heaving mass of water escaping to the freedom of the ocean. Our motor was up to the task and a short time later we were anchored just inland from the Fishermen's Co-op in flat, fast running water. The anchor is stuck tight and this morning we are set to explore the towns of Tuncurry/Forster.

 

Anchorage, upstream from Fishermen's Co-op

 

 



A perfect day in Foster

Sailing adventure to continue

On the 25th March 2014, Peter will head back to the boat at the Royal Motor Yacht Club, Toronto, in Lake Macquarie.  On the 28th March the boat will be lifted from the water for a fresh coat of antifoul paint and a tidy up.  The next couple of weeks will be spent sailing in local waters until I arrive in Toronto and we continue the sail up the coast to Townsville. 

We are about to give up our land yachts in Albany (photo below) and head back to the sea on RENE. The next 6 months will be cruising the east coast up into the tropics and the Blog will again be cranked up to document the journey.