Cape Upstart

After a fairly ordinary trip from Cape Bowling Green in 25-30knt headwinds and 2-3 mtr short steep breaking seas, we decided to wait out at Cape Upstart for a weather window to continue south.
Pic is sunset at Cape Bowling Green, what is that saying re a red sky?

This is a national park, yet has hundreds of holiday shacks along the entire shoreline which is approx 5 miles long. The anchorage is in a place called 'shark bay' so there was no swimming, we met some locals on a beach walk the first day we were there; ended up the usual way, too much to drink, tall stories, a trip out to a prawn trawler, then a dragging anchor when the wind got up to 35 knts!

We moved closer to a rock called the Bun, which was local knowledge and not the anchorage that the book suggested, it was a lot better.

The huts are mainly occupied by retirees from the local area, these were great people who have owed the huts for generations, fishing and drinking are the main pastimes.
Our trip to the prawn trawler was a highlight, we were invited out as the fisherman was a mate of one of the guys that we had been drinking with on the beach, to have prawns and evening drinks; sounds good eh?
Well it was but good in a way that we are not used to.
It is obvious that prawn trawlers are doing it tough, the boats are crewed by just 2, husband and wife! They had just ripped up their nets on logs out of the burdett river, a place they call 'Sherwood forest'. Prices they get for their prawns are less than 10 years ago due to asian imports, they were keen to sell off their boat for $10/kilo for fresh bananna prawns, we would have bought some yet we stuffed ourselves on the boat already.

 I offered my services the next day to help with their nets, which they took up, so at 9:00am I turned up with Alastair, my job was pulling dead fish out of the nets for the next 2 hours!

 Ali got to hang around and talk to the wifes, while the trawlermen were already drinking beer and smoking rollies!

Oysters straight of the rock were small but very satisfying, Ali put one in his mouth but spat it out!

Weather window finally opened up on Friday morning, so we escaped, Ali not too happy as he was going crabbing with a local, Kirsty and I were keen to leavt after 3 days though. The Cape is a must stop for anyone sailing past, and remember to anchor just arround the first point and not further down the bay.