Cairns, Queensland

Sonia

A high-pressure system near Tasmania was responsible for creating the 25-to-30 knots of southeast wind we were experiencing so we gave up trying to find a comfortable anchorage behind some puny island and instead took refuge at the Marlin Marina in Cairns (pronounced 'cănz').  It also gave us the opportunity to rendezvous with our good friend, Mark, on the Fraser 41, Merkava.  I had met Mark in San Diego almost three years ago as he had just sailed down from Vancouver, B.C. and we had nearly identical itineraries for crossing the Pacific and indeed we spent a lot of time together in the last couple of years.  While we had gone south to Sydney, he stayed in Brisbane and we hadn't seen him in six months.  Our dock lines weren't completely secure as Mark pulled up in his dinghy with his crew, Sonia.  It was a great reunion and we were happy to meet Sonia.

Sonia is from Poland and just recently signed on as crew for Mark.  Even though she's only 25, she has her MBA and is also a certified Dive Master.  Her English is flawless as is her Spanish and her passport is completely chocked full of stamps.  I would call her a small woman but her seemingly boundless energy fills Rutea's cabin whenever she's aboard.

Last Saturday night, all of us (Mark, Sonia, Ruthie, Corie and I) had been invited to have dinner aboard Dick and Tricia's Malo 45, Geramar.  Sonia had plans that were going to make her late but she promised to join us as soon as she was free.  Somewhere along the line, Sonia got confused and thought that the dinner was supposed to be aboard Rutea.  She rushed from her meeting, ran down the dock, spied the American flag flying and climbed into Rutea's cockpit, announcing loudly enough for everyone aboard to hear, "Here's your Gypsy girl!"

Except that Sonia hadn't boarded Rutea.  She had climbed aboard the Island Packet 420, Galatea.  Not looking at the boats closely - after all, it was dark - she hadn't thought that there could have been two boats from the US on the same dock.  No doubt there was an awkward moment that developed as Sonia was waiting for our welcoming greetings.  Needless to say, the owner of Galatea, Dan, was a little surprised, perhaps thinking briefly that this was his lucky day.

Cairns is turning out to be a charming city of 180,000 people, perched on the edge of the enormous uninhabited expanse that makes up most of Queensland and northern Australia, for that matter.  From here to Darwin - almost 1,500 miles away - there's virtually no one so we're taking this opportunity to stock up on supplies, take care of some deferred maintenance and enjoy the last bit of civilization we're going to find for a while.

Whitsunday Islands

Just off Pinnacle Point on Hook Island - Photo by Corie

Originally, we had planned on hopping up the Queensland coast, spending our evenings tucked away in some pleasant anchorage, of which there are many.  However, Mary's time aboard was growing short (that damned calendar!) so we decided to do an overnight passage to the Whitsundays.  Besides, this gave Mary the experience of sleep deprivation, which is part and parcel of cruising on a sailboat when doing overnight passages.  Mary didn't actually stand a watch but she did stay up through  most of mine. The winds were non-existent so we were under power the entire way and we arrived under cloudy skies at Whitehaven Bay, famous for it's long beaches of fine white sand, in the early afternoon.

The Whitsundays are a very popular destination not just for people cruising on sailboats but it attracts visitors from all over the world.  The waters are filled with the wakes of passing ferries and tour boats and even though things calm down at night, the heavy traffic deprives the area of remote-destination feel.  We only spent one night at Whitehaven Bay and left early the next morning.

Pinnacle Point

Hook Island is just north of Whitsunday Island and the most northerly part is Pinnacle Point.  As we rounded the point we could see one boat hanging on a park-provided mooring.  Ruthie looked closely with the binoculars and discovered a second mooring with no one on it.  What a score!  We felt it was like getting an up front parking spot in a crowded mall.  The Marine Parks Department of Queensland establishes Reef Protection Zones and boats are prohibited from anchoring inside those well-marked areas.  However, the Parks Department also installs a few moorings that are free to anyone although certain size limits apply but we raced to snag the one that was empty.  Written on the mooring are rules for it's use, which include a 2-hour limit and we started looking around for the meter maid who would either kick us off or write us a ticket.  When the other boat in the little bay left, we relaxed and wound up spending the night.

The bay was beautiful, calm, remote and for most of the time we were there, we had it all to ourselves.  Regardless, we felt a little guilty for spending 24 hours on a mooring with a 2-hour limit so the next day we went to cast off for other destinations.  We started our trusty diesel, just like so many times in the past and it ran fine - for about 30 seconds before sputtering and dieing.  It took Ruthie and me over an hour to find the problem (a manual transfer pump on the final fuel filter froze) but by then we had taken almost the entire fuel delivery system apart and put it back together.  We're now running the engine without a final fuel filter which would scare the hell out of most diesel mechanics.  Once the engine was running again, we motored around to the west side of Hook Island to Stonehaven Bay where we found a whole field of empty mooring buoys inside the Reef Protection Zone.  Emboldened by getting away with our lengthy stay a Pinnacle Point, we grabbed a mooring that was close to the beach and settled in for a two-day stay.

Alas, we couldn't prevent the day from arriving when we would have to take Mary to the airport and after 21 very fun days, we motored over to Hamilton Island where the airport was right on the edge of the bay.  It was kind of scary to see what appeared to be huge 737s coming in for a landing just above the tops of the masts.  No sooner had Mary left, we had the dinghy secured in it's davits and we departed for Townsville, about 150 miles to the north.  The winds were forecast to be very light and I had set my expectations for motoring the entire way but a 15-knot southeasterly breeze filled in.  With the genoa poled out to starboard, the main prevented off to port, we sailed all night into a beautiful setting moon.  It was so magical that even the heavy freighter traffic didn't disturb my revery.  The entrance to the Breakwater Marina in Townsville is very shallow and for the most part we only had 1 foot of water under the keel.  Townsville is a bustling little beach-side community with lots of attractions for visitors.  Unfortunately, it's beautiful beaches are currently closed to swimming as there are deadly box jellyfish in the water.  After a few repairs, we'll be underway again although we'll time our departure to be at high tide!

Southern Queensland

Red Emperor Fish

Returning to Bundaberg was a milestone of sorts:  It was where we had first made landfall in Australia and after the last 600 miles, it represented the start of exploring new places up the Queensland coast.  The stay at the Bundaberg Port Marina allowed us to re-provision easily and pick up our friend, Mary, who is joining us for a few weeks.  Shortly after Mary was on board, we sailed to Pancake Creek, a secure anchorage even if the holding was questionable.  There had been a forecast for 30+ knots of southeast wind so we enjoyed the calm waters and were in the company of several boats that we know.

Pancake Creek - Photo by Corie

 The winds were light as we started out for Lady Musgrave Island, he furthest south island in the Great Barrier Reef.  Eventually the wind filled in and we had a nice sail for part of the 36-mile passage.  Once inside the lagoon, we were completely delighted as it was everything that we had hoped for.  Even at high tide, when the ocean waves break over the protecting reef, it was calm enough for us.

Lady Musgrave Island - Photo by Corie

Photo by Corie

Some cruisers go wherever they want, whenever they want.  On board Rutea, we tend to travel only when we can find weather that is conducive to our level of comfort.  I take no shame in admitting that we're fair-weather sailors.  When a massive high pressure ridge formed over the Tasman Sea, it meant that we were in for some strong southeasterly winds.  At first, we just hunkered down in the lagoon at Lady Musgrave Island but when it appeared that there wasn't going to be any let up, we hoisted the anchor early one morning and sailed in very squally conditions back to the Australia mainland, making landfall at Cape Capricorn, which just so happens to be right at the Tropic of Capricorn..  Our arrival there was late in the afternoon and in calmer conditions, it might have been a pleasant anchorage.  However, since the wind had been blowing at 25-30 knots for almost a week solid, we rolled badly at anchor and no one got any sleep.  Early the next morning, we pulled into the marina at Rosslyn Bay, just 40 miles north.  I felt a little ashamed but almost the entire fleet that we had been traveling with had done the same thing.  The wind continues to howl.

Rainbow Reach, Queensland

With Ian and Elaine

We had a delightful sail northbound from Mooloolaba up to Wide Bay with flat, sparkling seas and clear, blue skies.  The first night inside the Great Sandy Strait we spent at Pelican Bay but the next day we traveled south down the Tin Can Inlet and dropped the hook just off the small town of Tin Can Bay.  Since we had been motoring more than we wanted, we were low on fuel and since we're so cheap, we choose to fill our jerry jugs at a regular service station rather than pay the premium at a fuel dock.  This means, though, that we have to lug four 5-gallon jugs around town then schlepp them back to the boat, siphon the fuel into our tanks and then repeat the process until the tanks are full.  While walking (more like waddling when you're carrying jerry jugs) through the small town, a man driving a pickup the opposite direction pulled over and asked if he could help.  He made a u-turn, we loaded our jugs into the back of his truck, he drove us to the service station, waited while we filled them, then took us to the grocery store and then back to our dinghy.

Double Island Point

The next day, a man came by Rutea in an inflatable (he had stopped by the day before as well) and said that if we hadn't seen Rainbow Reach, we couldn't leave the area without seeing it.  He offered to come back in an hour and take us and his wife there in their car.  His offer was quickly accepted by us and soon we were driving south at 100 kpm, the fastest we had gone in months.  Ian and Elaine turn out to be British and very charming; now living aboard their 52-foot Irwin ketch that they bought a couple of years ago - their first boat.  Even though Ian smokes heavily and is probably ten years older than me, he was able to scamper up the steep sand dunes, leaving me struggling in his tracks.  Rainbow Reach was breathtakingly beautiful and well worth the half-hour drive to get there.  Once back in Tin Can Bay, we enjoyed a meal of excellent fish and chips at a trendy little cafe.  We were back aboard Rutea and as the sun was setting, Ian returned again, this time with a gift of a bottle of rum he had made in his on-board still.

Tin Can Inlet in the Background

From here, we're going to sail up the Great Sandy Strait, up Hervey Bay, back to Bundaberg, our first stop in Australia after crossing the Pacific.  From there, we'll be seeing new-to-us territory and waters.  The legendary Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef await us, with their sea-life-filled tropical ocean.  We have officially joined the Sail Indonesia Rally, so we need to be in Darwin by July - a little over 2,000 miles away. Then another 2,000 miles to Thailand where we plan to spend a little time.

Brisbane, Queensland

Unfair Picture of Brisbane!

Our trip north-bound up the east coast of Australia has been graced with brisk southerly and southeasterly breezes, allowing us to sail almost the entire way.  It was especially fun to sail the passage from the Broadwater to Moreton Bay as this was a narrow, inside passage with mill-pond-like conditions, yet we were doing 6 and 7 knots with just our genoa unfurled.  Because its very shallow in places, we had to watch our depth constantly but we only bumped the bottom once - and that was in a place where the chart indicated we had plenty of water!

It was late Saturday afternoon when we steamed up the Brisbane (pronounced bríz´bŭn) River, past the enormous freighter terminals, refineries and concrete plants.  Twelve miles later, the river snakes through the center of Brisbane's CBD (Central Business District), with riverfront walking paths, stores and outdoor cafes.  Our options on where to anchor were somewhat limited and we're still not entirely comfortable with where we dropped our hook.  With lots of ferry traffic going up and down the narrow river and the tide changing directions four times a day, we're either too close to shore or blocking the high-speed traffic.  No one has hit us yet but I think they like to come close to us just to make us feel unwelcome.

Brisbane's City Hall and Museum

This weekend was the grand opening of Brisbane's completely renovated City Hall that now also houses the Brisbane Museum.  It appears that no costs were spared as the building and it's interior are stunning - the new auditorium sports a massive 4000-pipe organ.  The museum was equally well done but the content is lackluster.  There were long lines of Brisbaners waiting to see their new venue.

Inside the New Auditorium in Brisbane's City Hall

Even though it appears to us that Brisbane lacks some of Sydney's cosmopolitan flair, its still no slouch when it comes to being able to offer the finest.  The Queen Street Mall boast stores like Tiffany's, Hermes, Louis Vitton and Gucci.  Of course, we'll never set foot inside any of them nor will we likely patronize any of the fine restaurants.  We did, though, splurge and had an order of spring rolls from a basement Chinese take-away restaurant.  Who says we can't live it up?

Rutea is a Dangerous Target

As I write this, we're sailing north from Port Stephens, New South Wales, towards the Gold Coast in Queensland. There's about 20 knots of wind blowing over our port quarter and despite a strong southerly current, Rutea is making a steady 7 knots. The seas are relatively flat and other than fairly heavy freighter traffic, we have the ocean to ourselves. After all, how many people do you know that begin a 300-mile passage on Easter Sunday?

After finally breaking Sydney's grip on our itinerary, we sailed north to Broken Bay and then worked our way up to Port Stephens. Two nights there and an expensive provisioning trip to the grocery store (plus a memorable meal at an Indian restaurant), we left there this morning while it was still dark. The forecast for southerly winds was too strong of a temptation to linger on Easter Sunday.

We have a fat ham in the oven and a massive dish of scalloped potatoes ready to be heated. My guess is that Easter has some originations in pagan cultures, long before Christianity was a religion, as a celebration of spring. The newness of the first buds and the return of green must have offered so much hope to those who had no knowledge of science. It must have seemed like such a miracle! It is a miracle! Of course, here in the southern hemisphere, its the onset of fall. In fact, we have the full cockpit enclosure all zipped up and we're wearing fleece and warm slippers.

All is great on board and all of Rutea's systems are working well. We are having a minor malfunction with our chartplotter, though. Periodically, the collision alarm goes off and all of us spring to attention. On the screen of the chartplotter a warning dialog box appears and reads: Dangerous Target Approaching. The name of the dangerous target? Rutea! Of course, we already knew that and its not really necessary to remind us every twenty minutes or so. Besides, its other boats that should be warned!

We wish all our family and friends in the northern hemisphere a very happy spring. To our friends in the southern hemisphere, watch out! A Dangerous Target is Approaching!
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At 3/29/2013 9:01 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 32°42.90'S 152°10.28'E

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Manly to The Spit

I had been exchanging emails with our friend, Behan, on the Stevens 47 Totem (if you want to read about real cruisers or read a real blog, visit www.sv-totem.blogspot.com - the rest of us are just imposters) and she was asking if we had hiked the Manly Scenic Walkway.  I replied that we had walked that way many times but it was a dodgy answer to her question as we hadn't walked the entire way, just parts of it.  Not wanting to lie to a good friend, Ruthie and I set out this morning to complete the 20-kilometer round trip walk.

The walk starts in the charming town of Manly, a bedroom community of Sydney, which lies in the northeastern corner of Sydney Harbour and the trail winds around the edge of the Middle Harbour before heading inland and then back towards the bay.  The track is well marked and well groomed - there's no chance of getting lost but it does gain and lose a fair amount of elevation.  I didn't count how many steps we went up and down but it was probably in the hundreds if not thousands.  Being a Tuesday, we met a few other trekkers but I bet it's quite crowded on weekends.

The Spit Bridge

It took us about two-and-a-half hours to make it to The Spit Bridge, where we picnicked and rested for a few minutes.  The Spit Bridge opens several times a day to allow tall boat traffic passage but, alas, our timing didn't allow us to see that action.

Even though the hike back to Manly was just as long as the walk to The Spit, it seemed quicker.  The entire Manly Scenic Walkway is within the city limits of Sydney but much of it felt as though we were a long way from civilization.

What Kookaburras Sound Like

I hope we do the same walk again as it was beautiful.  Next time, though, I'm wearing real shoes instead of flip-flops!