Captain G does it solo! An 'electric' trip up the Broadwater.

Captain G, my very smart sailor Scottish husband, has completed a solo sail from Southport Qld to his present anchorage of Horseshoe Bay off Peel Island.   Well Done Captain G!  I have to say I was worried.  Mainly because that's just what I do - worry - and also because I'm not there to give him what limited support I can.  He made it through....arrived at his anchorage just before 11am this morning after what was described to me as a "hair raising" trip through the creeks and mangroves.

Unfortunately I took the new on board computer with me when I returned to Sydney with the broken foot so he doesn't have anything with which to send pictures. So I'll see if I can lift some off other sites to show you what the area looks like.....apologies to anyone whose copyright I may infringe! I'm going to attempt to only lift what is sharable!


Sunrise along the waterway. (Taken from Flicker)



Anchorage at the Jacobs Well area.  (From Flickr)

Captain G left the Gold Coast area of Southport on the tide yesterday.  He needed to keep to high tide as much as possible so the plan was to travel to the half way point at Jacobs Well and stay the night.  Along the way he had to follow the channel markers to find his way through the rather featureless mangroves and multiple deserted beaches.  Correction - the beaches are deserted of people but Captain G said there were a lot of kangaroos enjoying the sun all along the way!  He also saw a lot of dolphins and bird life.  Some history and information about Jacobs Well are can be found HERE.

After an early gourmet dinner of baked beans on toast....Captain G turned in knowing he needed to be underway at sun up to take full advantage of the high tide all the way to Peel Island and out into Moreton Bay.  I stayed in bed all morning with my phone in hand waiting for his call telling me he had made it through!  He finally called to say he was anchored but it had been a bit on the "hair raising" side.  (I'm the one that usually uses that terminology so I was surprised that he used those exact words!  Something scary must have happened.)

He relayed the trip to me in detail.  First the morning sun was bright in his eyes which made it very difficult to see the channel markers or make out the colours.  He ran aground once but managed to back out of it and follow a motor boat up another channel .. which turned out to be the right one.  Also he had to go under high tension electricity wires which were close to the height of the mast!  The wires - according to the chart - are at a height of 20 meters above the water line.  Our mast is 17 meters above the water line.  Captain G said as he was approaching them it just looked way too close!  He even put on shoes and gloves as a 'just in case'....not sure if they would help but made him feel a bit better!  He's usually - outwardly - brave...never flinching.  But he said as he went under them he couldn't help but close his eyes!  SHIT! I'm glad I wasn't there I'd have passed out!!!

He's now at the Lovely Peel Island a beautiful national park island in Morton Bay.  Famous for once being a leper hospital and now a marine reserve complete with dugongs, dolphins and bird life.  More on Peel Island and the National Park HERE.




Horseshoe Bay and Peel Island.  From Flickr.

Peel Island.  From Flickr

I'm so proud of him and Southern Belle .. and I wish I was there.  Now more than ever!  But I'll get back to them soon.  I just know it.  Stay tuned for more Captain G adventures.