As I type this there is a COVID outbreak happening in Melbourne. Another example of the virus "escaping" from hotel quarantine. Unlike so much of the world these events are small in number and severity here but with every breakout there is the threat of state border - or even community - lock downs. Once we rented the house and moved everything out there was a nagging fear we wouldn't make it to Queensland before another lock down happened. When we finally crossed the Queensland Gold Coast Seaway early on Saturday, May 15 we felt a great relief. After delaying our cruising adventure last year it's very rewarding to know we can spend winter this year sailing the tropics.
The previous blog ended with us in Coffs Harbour waiting out the weather and in hopes the new v-berth mattress we bought for the boat back at the beginning of December would arrive. Our much needed new bed had been delayed for months due to COVID in Europe. Then once on a container ship it was delayed due to another ship stuck crosswise in the Suez Canal. So, with an uncertain promise of the mattress arriving, we welcomed Judy and Martin taking us away to their lovely property at Girralong way up in the mountains of northern NSW.
Every stay with J & M is relaxing and usually offers new experiences. Like the first time I saw a red belly black snake!! And the various reptiles. And the tiny antechinus mouse-like marsupial that has absolutely NO fear of humans. This time we were invited to a birthday party (May 8) a few valleys away. Everyone attending was asked to either wear something purple or leopard skin print. Sounded like my kind of party! The drive there was delightful ... bouncing down ever smaller dirt roads, around sharp mountain switch backs, over flowing creek beds and, as we got closer, paddock fences decorated more and more elaborately.
We eventually crossed what was more like a small river than a creek and rounded a slippery hill to look down on a field full of trucks, 4-wheel drive vehicles, a smoking BBQ and lots of people. It was a great party. At first I thought people would be standoffish or suspicious of strangers but everyone was more than friendly. We met an eclectic mix of characters ranging from artists, to organic farmers, tree changers and those who long ago chose to leave main stream society behind. George and I were warmly welcomed. I had a terrific time but too soon we had to leave before night came. When darkness comes up in those parts it comes with a complete unforgiving blackout. Even the stars are blacked out by the towering tree canopy.
After a wonderful few days with J & M we drove my car back to the boat expecting our mattress to turn up and needing a vehicle to take the old mattress to the tip. While waiting we took a drive up the coast to the seaside town of Woolgoolga. It's a pleasant little coastal town with surfing, white sand beaches, camping, bushwalking, a mix of alternate and run of the mill stores and eateries .. But what it's most known for is it's large Sikh population. The town has two large Sikh temples and sadly the one we wanted to visit wasn't open. Woolgoolga is a big testament to successful multiculturalism with the blending of Sikh and Australian culture in this little town.
Back at the boat, the weather window for going north was closing and it looked like our missing mattress was not going to arrive. Judy had to come into a meeting near Coffs so she and Martin came down to join us for a last lunch and take the car back up to the farm. That night we prepared the boat for a dawn departure ... 24 hours to Queensland's Gold Coast and our first overnight sail in years.
The sail north was uneventful. No wind and a soft rolling sea meant we had to motorsail the whole 24 hours to the Gold Coast. I admit I was apprehensive as the darkness came, but that soon past as I got into the groove of sailing through the night. The moon was just a sliver adding very little light but when the stars came out it was like seeing deep into the milky way. The sheer awesomeness of being so small and insignificant is disarming and at the same time reassuring. Life is good. All will be OK.
We motored through the Gold Coast Seaway channel into Queensland Saturday morning holiday crowd bedlam. One of the other cruisers we met here described it, "like entering a Mad Max movie". There were speed boats of every size, surfers paddling across the channel unconcerned about our approaching boat, fishing boats, jetskis .. you name it. And everyone and everything going full speed. We anchored behind Wave Break Island just inside the channel, had an egg sandwich and hit the bed for a much needed sleep.
Later that afternoon we spoke to our friends, John and Di from Launceston, who were staying in one of the high rise apartment buildings on the other side of The Broadwater. We met during the Louisiades Rally in 2013. Turns out there were lots of people around from that wonderful time. So Di and a few others puled together a lightning fast reunion for the next night. It was great to see so many people together after all this time. Many have kept in touch and continued to sail together or get together whenever an opportunity happened. I counted people there from 10 boats out of the 20 (21?) boats total. Great night with terrific people. The Louisiades Rally was our first trip across oceans and, to this day, one of the best things I have ever done. Even if it did terrify me on several occasions!
The next morning we upped anchor and headed up the main channel of The Broadwater to Tipplers Passage where we anchored for a couple of nights. Tipplers is a lovely holiday area on the inside of South Stradbroke Island. It's only accessable by water via your own personal boat or a ferry from Southport. There are several club areas and a camping/resort section with a good restaurant. Our first morning there was unfortunately spent on the boat because our main toilet decided to block. Solid. So poor George spent hours pulling all the smelly bits apart and cleaning out the crystal build up in the hoses. We did have a welcome break in the morning to catch up for coffee with good cruising friends last seen in Tasmania.
The plan was to get up the next morning. Head over for a good cooked breakfast. Wait for the rising tide and make a bit more progress toward Morton Bay. There are a lot of channels through The Broadwater and most are shallow. It's important to head off on a rising tide and pay close attention to the many and sometimes confusing channel markers. We waited the right amount of time and then headed down the Tipplers Channel to merge again with the main channel. I won't go into the whole mess here but we had a bit of trouble. Long story short - the boat stopped right in the middle of the channel and refused to start again, George spent 3 hours trying to start it, we called electricians we knew, we were at the point of spending the night in the channel and getting a tow the next day .. when George managed to short start the starter motor again. So, right at the top of the tide we raced out towards the only marina in that section of The Broadwater. Spent the night tied up to a too shallow work berth and after starting the fussy starter early the next day we headed - at the fastest speed possible - to our berth in the East Coast Marina in Manly Qld. That's where we are now. Lots more to update but I'll end this marathon here. More later.
Good to hear you've made it into QLD and had some fun along the way.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Check out my yacht collections. I'm dealing in UA and GCC countries to selling my evo yachts and other luxury yacht charters. Buy evo v8 for sale/a> in cheap price having stylish Italian and modern cruiser.
ReplyDelete