Gladstone-Mooloolaba

Enough meat on this one...?

Harlequin sat lonely in Gladstone marina for a little over 3 weeks in November, gathering a fine but comprehensive layer of coal-dust. Sad, but true...

When David & Chris flew in from Sydney on 29 Nov, they had a few jobs to do - but first a jolly good hose down! Then into provisioning and make & mend, with The Bosun doing what he does best: fixin' stuff.

Left-overs

Jim flew in a couple of days later from Hong Kong to inspect, compliment where due, chastise else, then cast off for a 150 nm overnight to the Great Sandy Strait, the famous inshore passage by Fraser Island. A full moon, calm seas and (finally) a gentle NE'ly made for champagne sailing.The option of breaking the journey at Bundaberg Port Marina came and went without a backward glance.

Galley swabs

Not long after dawn, the celebrated pink squid lure worked its usual magic and produced 5 kg of Tuna for the fridge. To join the 2 kg of minced beef, 2 kg of lamb chops, 1 kg of bacon and 2 dozen eggs. Between 3 blokes over 6 days, we were going to have to endure some serious scoffing! So anchoring off Moon Point, in the lee of Fraser Island, everyone leaped into the water to clean hull & prop, and work up an appetite. And a thirst. It worked!

Goujons of Tuna

Next day was a slow start, as tides would not quite allow a straight-through of the Great Sandy Strait. So we had a chance to mess around with the new charge-splitter to find out why it had been acting up. After a couple of hours experimentation & cogitation we were still none the wiser, but at least had discovered how to manage the problem.

Moon Point supper

By midday we had positioned at Bookar Island, just north of the shallows. The plan had been to finish the hull scrape, but with a vicious current, running, and equally vicious looking jellyfish in the water we unanimously decided to chill and have a long lunch instead.

Which somehow turned into an early Christmas dinner, with multiple exotic courses, each accompanied by a different wine:  tuna/rice patties & salad (Sav Blanc), followed by lamb chops, rosemary potatoes & peas (Shiraz/Cabernet), chased with oranges in Bundy rum, cheese, very dark chocolate & strong, strong coffee.

Gettin' fuzzy again...

Tue, 4 Dec saw us rocketing through the Strait on a 2 kt flood and a 25 kt tailwind, surrounded by a half dozen like-minded yachts all taking the standing advice to begin the run about 3 hrs before high tide. The consequences of touching the sandy bottom on the flood were not dire, but seeing 1.5 ft under the keel on a couple of occasions certainly focused ones attention, and the 3 hr transit seemed to fly by.

Fraser Island sunset

Given the wind strength (now gusting over 30 kts), Pelican Bay looked too exposed for the overnight so a quick tidal calc dangled the alternative of anchoring in Snapper Creek by Tin Can Bay. Not much spare draft to play with, but if we hurried...

Tin Can Bay

By 1300 we were anchored opposite the Yacht Club, with the wind still howling, only to find one of the valves on the dinghy was u/s. Given the need to run ashore for a re-supply of stogies, Coke & tonic (bit of a giveaway that...), it didn't take long before we had switched to Plan C! A quick call on ch 73 confirmed that a berth was available for the night at Tin Can Bay Marina, and we just had enough of the falling tide to nip in there. Or so we thought!

Tin Can Bay Marina approach

Motoring in, just 100 m short of the entrance, we were suddenly aground. The Skipper had strayed too far right in the narrow side-channel (known locally as a 'gutter') approaching the marina entrance, and we were now at risk of a stranding with close to another metre of ebb to look forward to!

Straying from the gutter

No time for the faint-hearted, we popped the Genoa, spun the helm with full throttle, pirouetted on the spot, and shot out the way we had come. Genoa in, fenders down, take a bit more care with the track into the marina, and 5 minutes later we were alongside and battening down the hatches (read: tucking into the Bundy Coke...) as the gale blew itself out. Phew! Dinner: home-made beef patties & new potatoes topped with avocado & cheese (Shiraz).

Nuff said...

Tin Can Bay marina proved a delightful spot once the din of the gale had subsided: reasonably priced, very friendly, excellent facilities and with an extremely well-stocked chandlery. Must be very popular - and busy - in the holidays.

Next day we departed for a carefully-timed crossing of the Wide Bay Bar (the southern exit of the Gt Sandy Strait) which can often be daunting but today was flat calm, in a light E'ly. We didn't complain, just popped the assymetric for the first time in weeks (months?) and sat back to enjoy our run down the coast to Noosa. The forecast was for a swing all the way round the compass to S'ly, so we felt an anchorage off Noosa main beach would be secure.

Tin Can supper

Coastguard Noosa confirmed that the charted shark nets were in place off the beach (actually there are now at least 3) so it required a bit of care anchoring inside them at dusk. Safely achieved by us, but we spent dinner (spag-bol & a cheeky little Chianti) watching another yacht hanging up in the dark. They were still there as we retired for the night, but had managed to free themselves by dawn. Without a serviceable dinghy, there was nothing for us to do, except watch and tut-tut, with much sad shaking of heads.

Noosa supper

The presence of (open-ended) shark nets never really allows much comfort, as you slip into the water for a hull scrape. The Commodore felt someone should be on shark-watch duty and quickly volunteered. Job done (in double quick time, it has to be said), we weighed for Mooloolaba, reefed 1 & 2 for the strong S'ly in the face. Ah, that old chestnut...

Noosa shark nets

Thankfully, it soon backed SE'ly, allowing us an almost direct run down the coast to our final stop, berthed alongside at a friend's domestic pier at the foot of his garden in Minyama.

Thanks, Eric!

Minyama Xmas berth

This is it, where Harlequin will rest for a month or so over Christmas, before our lift and departure prep for the next leg of the voyage: Brisbane-Lord Howe Island-Opua, New Zealand.

Roll on 2013...!