Last blog while sailing

Currently 900 am on Sunday 7th ish of november, abeam ofport stephens on our way home after a fantastic 3 odd months. We left Coffs at 1100am yesterday and had a hair raising sail to here over night, gusting over 30 from the north, seas were large and the current was fast, plenty of rolling so much that the second tea pot of the trip went flying and smashed glass all over the floor. This part of the world always has rough seas, very steep and curling wave tops, I even got a few drops of salt water on my legs in the cockpit last nite!
Ship ships ships, what would you do without AIS, many are not under command, two all round red lights, and as such you could sail quite close to them, something impossible without knowing that they are just drifting.

Not even a moment passed after discussing dinner when the familiar sound of 'fish' came from the rod, this time we furled the headsail and went abeam to the wind, dinner was a nice tuna! Yum. Sashimi for entree then the rest was green curried Marions style.

ETA into Davis marina is now 900 pm tonight, we lost a bit of time as we travelled extra distance by only one gybing it, or should I say one granny, if you don't know what that means then use it to strike up a conversation with a sailor.
Pics of tuna and the speedo over 10

Check out this kite

You can spend $3000 on a new spinnaker or even more on a fancy parasailor (a sexy type of spinnaker), or or you can do what the guys I met at Coffs have done and that is to buy a surplus parachute from the military for $60, check out the results. I'm getting one. Also as they are made of silk you can re stitch them into French knickers!

http://saltygardener.com/2011/08/02/parachute-trials-in-platypus-bay/

Last leg

Tomorrow we hard off for the final 220 miles to Sydney, sounds a long way but after the trips we have done it is only 30 hours, Scott is coming back up and David Elliott will provide commentary and constant chatter. Talking about constant chatter, the local bellingin radio station I mentioned previously is online, listen to it and you will be hooked, locals are the presenters and hey all have their quirks which makes great listening, also their music choice is Fantastic
Www.2bbb.net.au
Jobs today were oil and filter change, easy peasy, more varnishing and I finally fixed the water tank gauge. You know when you start one job and then you see another, you start that, then go to get a tool and you end you finishing what you started yesterday, usually there are three jobs on the go at once.
The water gauge has two guides and a twisted centre rod that moves the dial as it floats up and down, the whole lot was encrusted in scale like a pommy tap. Two hours later wire brushing and sanding it works perfectly. Pic below along with the oil change, note the little pump that sucks the oil out, then it pumps the new oil back in, way cool!
Also cool is the car I saw in the car park, check out pic

Coffs Harbour day 3

After waiting out the southerly and three meter swell, I am now waiting for crew to arrive on Saturday, thus am back on the job list again. Lots of varnishing to do, toe rails, hand rails, eyebrows, locker jambs, the list is endless. I'm using marine cetol, not quite the traditional varnish as it gives a stained finish. The advantages are that it is much longer lasting and no sanding is required between coats, at $75 a tin it would want to be good. Oil change is on the agenda as have over 200 engine hours since the last one in Gladstone. The engine takes 20 liters, new oil is easy the trick though is to get a container large enough to get rid of the old oil, I received strange looks as I rummaged in the bins behind the restaurant strip in Coffs trying to find a empty cooking oil drum. While I mentioned it, the Coffs restaurants are fantastic, Indian, Thai, and plenty of other spicy delights, check out the menu of where I'm eating tonite, goat curry!

I'm moored right by the fuel dock, check out the pic of the new Riveria it is on it's way to Canada! How did anyone sell an Aussie boat to Canada? The guy must be a supersalesman, surely any motor boat in the US has to be cheaper with the currency and the general crappy state of the US market. Not only that, Riv's are built for the Aussie climate, I think it snows in Canada.
Coffs has a great radio station BBB, I had to down tools and listen to a lecture that they were reloading from Helen caldicot, more nuclear scaremongering, I would believe her above any politican on matters nuclear, I recommend you listen to what she had to say, in summary, cancel your skiing trip to Japan.
http://www.helencaldicott.com/

Stuck in Coffs Harbour

Have arrived in Coffs Harbour after making some quick miles down the coast from moolooaba. Crew have now departed and am waiting for the southerly to die down before the final run to Sydney.
We sailed through Great sandy straights behind Fraser island is a magic part of the world, you could easily spend a month here, next year maybe. Pics below.
Rob left in moolooaba after two weeks, I was lucky to have him Onboard, anyone ex navy is always welcome, they love to polish and scrub!
With the southerly predicted, scot and I decided to do a 30 hour sail straight to moolooaba and miss southport all together, we chugged along averaging 7 knots with 1000 rpm and a 10 to 15 knt ENE breeze. There are lots other yachts here all awaiting the weather, the marina is actually full! Pic below

Now I also promised a rundown of our wharf neighbors in bundaberg, linda and warren onboard 'leisure lee' I have put everything down in the ships log, so this is just a quick summary.
The bundaberg mid town marina was washed away in the recent floods and remaining or new wharf space is a premium, liveaboards have priority. we were lucky as one yacht had gone on the slip the day we were in town. Our lines were eagerly taken and friendly gestures were as good as anywhere, Linda even presented us with a homemade muffin, pic on previous blog.
Returning from the Bundy distillery I invited them on board for a quick drink, the next 4 hours we kept the marina awake with laughing that neither rob or I have done for ages, these guys are a undiscovered by the entertainment world but surely have to be soon.
Bundy locals and empty nesters, they sold up house and bought a boat to live aboard and learn boats, neither had any experience, zero! For two years they have been out 6 times and had to be rescued and towed back 5, what made the stories funny was that firstly they should not have been there, any small nautical knowledge would have seen them through, they didn't have a nautical term between them thus making their boating mishaps stories sound unreal.
I wont go into depth with all the stories as usual a lot is in the telling, like the time Linda thought if she put a lead weight on the dock line, then she would be able to look better when she threw it to waiting hands on the dock, yep hit em in the head and knocked them out.

The swingers club in burdett heads boat harbour, failed whale watching, marina gossip to make north shore mums look tame, aground on sand bars and numerous failed trips to lady musgrave island, (I was disappointed the we didn't get ES there this trip, these guys are only 30 miles away and have been trying for 2 years) to get these stories in full, tie up at the marina and ask them over for a drink, you will have a great night.
Theirs is a story that need to be in a book, very similar to teenagers sailing round the world, neither know what they are up for, just a touch difference in age.
Anyone like to sail from Coffs to Sydney, am hoping to leave Friday morning, let me know

A day in Bundy

Everywhere you look it is Bundy something, and memories of silly things done previously on Bundy come rushing back, well those that I can remember anyway.
Rob and I walked the 4 odd ks to the Bundy distillery, and managed a good grasp of the place, untouched, rural, and very country townish. Lots of very nice old Queenslander pads, see pics, and kids playing on the middle of the road. Plenty of closed shop fronts as a result of the floods, I don't think the previous pics gave an impression on what it was really like. The marina was washed away, we are on an arm that has just been rebuilt, no insurance for the owner as it was an act of god!
The Bundy factory tour was well worth doing, here are a few things I remembered. 96% of all Bundy is consumed in Australia, 4% in NZ, 1% rest of world. They only make 57% max alc now due to rsa rules, 66% of a Bundy bottle cost is govt taxes, they have over $2 bil of Bundy in vats maturing, they only make Bundy to order due to the taxes, the bear was introduced in 1961 to make Bundy a drink to drink in cool climates too.
You only get 2 drinks in the Bundy bar after the tour, I think they know what is does to you!
A few pics below, two great houses right beside the entrance, imagine that molasses smell every day.
Also one of my shoes, why you ask, it is because that it was the first time in 3 months I have worn shoes.
Front page of the daily rag today, mining affects even the non mining towns.
Tomorrow I will mention a few of the people we have meet in Bundy, worthy of an entire blog if not a book.

In Bundy heaven

Finally got out of yeepppoon, a nice place but not for 5 days. My weather calling was a bit early as we bashed into a 25 to 30 knt se for 5 hours.
Watched the Aussies beat the yarpies at the ccyc, one of the great yacht clubs up here, pic below.
New crew arrived, lauren who sailed a few races at Hammo with us, so the three of us set off early for the trip to pancake ck. We decided halfway to pull into facing island, just south of Curtis island as it was just too rough. I couldn't get on deck to put the main halyard on! The anchorage was so nice we stayed the next day too. The channel marker beside us had a sea eagle nest with chicks, don't think mum liked us being so close. See pic.
Plenty of ferries barges and tugs all buzzing past, turtles and fish everywhere, fishing is banned in Gladstone as the LNG dredging has stirred up all the heavy metals from years of heavy industry dumping into the Harbour. The result is blind barra, deformed crabs, dead dolphins and red spots. We left the line in !

Yesterday we did the 100 miles to Bundaberg, finally we got some fantastic sailing conditions. Wind was a close reach 15 to 20, ES was the perfect yacht for the conditions, dry, comfortable and 6.5 knts avg speed.
A quick motor up to Bundy town this morning past the distillery, Bundy fumes for breakfast will just be the start of the Bundy day! A few pics attached of ES with the distillery behind; also check out these pipes going into he river. I will find out what they are for -  I hope it doesn't go into the rum!
Evidence of the Qld floods is everywhere, angle of the trees shows what happened here. The liveaboard on the Marina presented us with blueberry muffins as we tied up, yum.

And check out the pic of someone's dream yacht now home to the cows!

Here for a night then off to Sandy Straights, then on the home stretch. Anyone like to come along for crew? Let me know.

Yeeeppppooonn day 4 or 5, have lost count

Winds are down a bit but it would still be an uphill slog into 2 meter seas in 20 knts, so no interest from me or crew. One boat did leave today due to comitments in Sydney, am sure they regretted the second bottle of port at 1:00am, I walked over to the beach to watch their progress and it was not pretty, pic below.
Most of the boats here are all now suffering the same issues of being stuck, the bar at the Capricorn cruising yacht club is now full at opening hours 4 till 7, it is a great place to waste 3 hours daily.
We have met a solo German/Canadian who has some great stories, here is a like to one that was published

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:-hDh5sAkJp0J:www.multihull.com.au/site/www/pdf/pdfs/parachute.pdf+rescue+in+Tasman+zero+gravity&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjYNunxetEEoF3fpzsQz1pUT8tooza93c8g-k4hIZlKxSrpnC1NYm5HAXsNq_v9y66-B1hBOhB3KGtRXp9q_DtIw_DgXr8iuuI1XrMbHsoeTB36Q8jQ2t_oqV8_chn3Jw7XdQbA&sig=AHIEtbTlWZQUwxCFWLvh_Gd_4FGQvNm4nQ

Long link but great story; he told another about hitting a reef at hook island after being distracted by some backpackers he had onboard! He has said that the next crew he will dress in sacks so as not to be distracted again.
He is now number 32 in the 'wombat club' whose members are those that have used a parachute anchor in storm conditions

More jobs completed all small now and crew is keen to help; the last pipe in the fwd head has been changed, breather hose, yet to do so we had to remove all the floorboards, a simple job took over 4 hours.

The water in he bay is muddy brown and fairly polluted, yet there is a local turtle who munches on the wharf coral under ES, pic below.
The last pic is a cool tree on the knobby hill that is an old volcano core.

Our current plan it to head out on Saturday through the narrows, past Curtis island, then onto pancake creek and Bundy

Stuck in Yeppoon day 2

Wind is now gusting to 37 knts so we are staying put, I climbed one of the hills to get a view of the ocean, huge sea running, crappy brown water and howling wind, see pics.
Tackled the profurl mizzen boom vang today as I finally received the new gas strut while in Mackay, only 2 months to get it from France. The job is not as easy as it looks, firstly we had to remove the old strut, pictures below explain it better, essentially we had to cut open the old strut, right beside where it says 'do not open' so that we could unscrew it from the housing. Next step was to drill a hole through the strut and the threaded rod, volia it unscrewed. The rigger in Hammo said to put the new strut in you had to use a Spanish windless to get the rivets in, no way mate that would not work! All we did was put it back on the boom and wind on the sheet, perfect. ES Now has a fully functioning mizzen yet still a jury rigged main.

Yeppoon

Is is blowing 30 knts and we are glad to be in the marina. Marinas are funny places, full of an eclectic mix of people and boats. Beside us is Amble another RPAYC boat on their way somewhere as they can't make their mind up to go home or to Europe. Other side is a bloke called Scott Rose from Lake Macquarie, turned out he was racing in the same division as us in Hobart last year. He wants a girl to be a nomadic sailor with him. Down the marina is a huge motor boat that was once a few mil worth, today the repair jobs are such that they just paint over the barnacles.
Another I met was a professional varnishing a beautiful timber NZ yacht (should have congratulated her on the all blic win, luckily we had to listen on the radio and not see the game as well). Sorry back to the story, she mentioned the motor boat was on sea trials out of Mackay after a refit. As they came back into the Harbour there was no reverse or power! The owner tried to turn around but ended up on the breakwater.

Based on the seabreeze forcast, Yeppon could be our home for a week. My new crew is ex navy and keen to work, the job list is huge as it always is.

Random Mackay pictures

I managed to complete the re plumb of the fwd head, a total of 9 meters of sanitation hose, unfortunately ES has two heads so I am only half was through the job. A few pics below, I had to use the iPhone to see how to get the hose through the bulkhead.

A nice pic from the pub at sunset, and another of the rats that roam under your feet!

The navy filling up with gas beside us, always ask them where they are going, what they are doing and what is in the boat, the answer is always the same "can't say"

The kid on the bike was the first kid that Alastair played with in 3 months! His mum was the hairdresser and cafe owner at the marina.

We also made some marina friends, Jim and sue of Kate Kelly which is the old kintama, a famous racing yacht of the 70s

Bye bye Mackay

After five days I finally got out of Mackay just ahead of the southerly predicted. A quick sail in 25 knts downwind to Curlew Island, then a 5.00am rise to do the 75 miles to Port Clinton. Most of the area around Shoalwater Bay is closed for military training so we had to stay outside certain coordinates. My  new crew Rob Walker who is ex navy says this is in case of over shots from live ammo! I obeyed the rules on this occasion! As we neared Port Clinton it was obvious that it was going to be a night time entry due to a 2knt adverse tide, is it ever with you? The decision was made to plug on another 40 miles to Yeppon, arriving at midnight and a full 6 hours before the change. The decision was wise in hindsight as we are now at the marina with over 30 knts, not nice conditions to be at anchor in an isolated bay.
Below are a few pics as we sailed past Port Clinton.