As sailors over the past few years we have come to have something of a love/hate relationship with the wind.
We head off, after carefully attending to the weather forecasts – certain that we have excellent conditions for your journey – but the wind doesn’t come – or it comes from quite a different direction to what the forecast said, or it’s suddenly much stronger. Rarely does the weather we get match what we expected! So there we are, out on the waves, and what we want and need is very different to what we experience! Well most of the time anyway! Sometimes, yes sometimes it is a perfect match and we are thrilled! When we left Lady Musgrave Island we were hoping for the forecast S/E wind – the ‘Trade Wind’ Argos was designed for …..we didn’t even hold our breath – we knew that it was forecast – we were heading N/W and it was what we needed, but we just watched and waited…..and joy of joys it came! We sailed at around 5 knots, with the square sail up all the way up to our intended stop – Hummocky Island near Keppel Bay off Yeppoon. We had anticipated about a 20 hour sail but we were much quicker than that and arrived in the dark instead of after dawn. We anchored and went below to try and get some much needed sleep. It was rough though, with a lot of swell and even more wind whooshing off the steep slopes of the Island. It was only 6 am when we decided this anchorage would not give us much scope for rest so we upped anchor and set off across the bay to Great Keppel Island, our next intended stop 21 NM away. Great Keppel Island was once the go-to place – the great tourist destination. Today it lies quite dormant – quiet – no resorts or towns, just a calm peaceful island. We anchored in a very calm spot just off Svensens Beach in 7 metres of water, allowing for a 4 meter tide, alongside a bunch of other yachts and finally felt we could get some rest. The children were keen to explore so the dinghy was dropped in and off they went – returning a while later with awesome photos across the bay from their climb to the lookout. Mid-afternoon though it all changed. The swell increased with the tide and we suddenly found ourselves rocking and rolling all over the place with a beam-swell that was most uncomfortable. We took a look at the other yachts anchored – they all seemed the same so we decided that there would be no respite, so we just made the best of it. It was Father’s Day and Erina had make a wonderful dinner treat for Peter – his favourite meal of slow cooked Beef Cheeks – but it was so roll-ey that poor old Erina couldn’t face eating it and had to lie down while we held our bowls and tried to eat in between the rolls! It settled somewhat over-night but not completely so when we woke up Peter and I decided to leave, not wanting the entire time here to be marred by sea-sickness! Before completely setting off though Peter decided to move further along the beach and see how the swell moved. What a masterful idea! Even though the other boats had all appeared to be rolling as much as us we found further along, a spot where the swell was almost non-existent. Joy! We were visited in the afternoon by a couple we had met at Lady Musgrave Island, John and Lyn from Mishka, who had shared a great deal of their knowledge and experience of sailing these waters with us. They told us how fickle the swell was in this bay and how moving was such a good call – they told us of a little ‘basin’ further along the beach where they had anchored that was affected even less by swell. Once again we felt very blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from others who have been there before us. We discussed our plans for our journey to the Whitsundays and they offered suggestions and ideas. How awesome! By early afternoon the swell began to increase in what seemed to be a dinner-time treat for us and when we looked to where John and Lyn had sat in the ‘basin’ further in they had gone - so – you guessed it – we decided to head over there. Not only were we rewarded with a much more comfortable evening but in this spot we found we could get internet and phone signal! Who would have thought that a little move could make such a difference. We will now always make for the headland on the western end of Svensons Beach when we come in here! We decided to stay another day then – a N/E change was forecast for the next couple of days and we had intended to head into Rosslyn Bay and restock the boat, refill our water tanks etc, but we decided to wait one more day and then have only the one day at Keppel Bay Marina since we had this wonderful internet access and could catch up with family and FB friends, get on my page and support the people I do. The children went ashore again in their kayaks and discovered coconut palms at the eastern end of Svensens Beach – and returned with sore hands and fresh coconuts which we have been enjoying ever since! Rosslyn Bay was a welcome rest spot, though not a cheap one! The marina is very friendly and welcoming but also a little on the expensive side with hidden ‘live-aboard fee.s for visiting yachts on top of the casual rate! As if you would be a visiting yacht and not living aboard! Still in spite of that they do offer a courtesy car which we booked when we booked the berth and it was a wonderful thing to be able to head into the town of Yeppoon and do a big grocery shop. We had the choice of Woolies or Coles, a Big W where we could supply the children with their major needs – a book for Liam and a top for Erina! We set off from Rosslyn Bay harbour in the early afternoon on a day which might have been Thursday – how easily we lose track of time out here! We sailed overnight with the intention of stopping in at Island Head Creek, a lovely anchorage recommended by the couple on the boat next to us at the marina – but again the S/E trade wind blew and we were way faster than our expected time so that we would have been anchoring once more in the dark. We can do that but decided that as long as we had the wind we might go to the next place we intended to stop – Middle Percy Island. Another wonderful sailing day saw us arrive around 2pm and head for the first choice on our list of options for finding a comfortable anchorage. With a high tidal range of 5 meters here we knew that swell and current was stronger than we have known in other places and after our experience at GKI (Great Keppel Island as it is known locally) we knew that a small difference in position could make a big impact on our comfort. West Bay is the cruisers favourite place, it has no reef and a beautiful white beach but it is also known to be a bit swelly. We had other options – Blunt Bay on North East Percy Island – amongst others – but happily West Bay proved fine. We anchored quite a way out, in 7 meters of water – ensuring we had enough water below when the 5 meter tide dropped! We went ashore in the afternoon and explored the amazing A-Frame hut there where yachties have left their mark – in the form of all sorts of different objects, driftwood signs and mind-boggling creations - sort of picturesque calling cards! There is even fresh organic honey and free-range eggs available to buy from the family who own the island, alongside the traditional yachties book exchange, inside the hut. While we were exploring and Liam was collecting coconuts again - we can barely move on deck for all the coconuts that have been gathered! - we saw other yachties begin to come ashore and we wandered over to join them. It was ‘Sundowners’ time apparently! There were seven or eight yachts anchored by then – a family from Canberra would you believe! - with two small children and a couple from Pittwater amongst others. The Canberra family had been living in Albany when we were there and knew Argos! What a small world cruising is! We shared stories of our journeys, our frustrations at the wind – or lack of it - life on the waves and our particular boats. Today we have been making our own ‘calling card’ to leave – a pirate hat we have added our names, ‘Argos’ and the date we visited Middle Percy Island on – do look out for it if you ever come this way! Our next stop takes us right to The Whitsunday Islands depending of course upon that fickle wind – and we will have arrived at our destination! We intend to spend some time cruising around, doing what we always imagined ourselves doing when we first bought the boat – staying as long as we like in a place and going somewhere lovely just because we can!
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9/8/2014 2 Comments Lady Musgrave Island Lady Musgrave Island rises inauspiciously from its deep blue surrounds as if it is a well-kept secret, as surprised as we are that it is here.
We sailed across from Burnett Heads over night. The forecast south east winds did not materialise even though it had been blowing steadily from the south all day while we were refuelling and preparing to leave, so the first few hours saw us tacking back and forth making our way slowly along. By 10 pm though the wind had begun to shift and oh so gradually we began to make some significant progress. Daybreak saw us in a vast ocean with no land visible, but by 7 am I could just make out the pancake-flat shape I was looking out for, Lady Musgrave’s low green profile. Lady Musgrave is our first encounter with a coral island. And yes, we were a tiny bit trepidations! The Island and its lagoon is the largest true coral cay on the outer Southern Great Barrier Reef situated just north of Bundaberg and 32 NM from the town of 1770. The island itself is set on 3000 acres of living reef with a 1000 acre calm coral lagoon that is unique to the entire Great Barrier Reef. We had heard about it, read about it, seen magnificent photos of it and now…..here we were! I had wanted to come to the Great Barrier Reef 30 years ago when I was first married. I had chosen this area as my preferred place to honeymoon, picturing languid walks along pristine beaches, magnificent sunsets, swimming in crystal clear waters ……instead I had been taken to his preferred location and gone bushwalking in Tasmania! But here I am now, I have finally made it – it more ways than one! We approached the island cautiously, following both our navigational charts and the guide in Alan Lucas’ Cruising The Coral Coast, watching for the markers that indicate the entrance into the lagoon. It was close to low tide and we watched as two boats came out, and then turned in ourselves. We had Erina stationed a little way up the mast and Liam out on the bow sprit ready to call out when they could see coral…..trouble was we hadn’t seen coral before it was tricky to be clear what we wanted them to look out for! It wasn’t long though before none of us could have any doubt – we entered the lagoon through the clearly marked channel with coral on either side of us, clearly visible in the amazingly clear water and quickly worked out that the dark patches are fine – they are deep – it’s the light tan coloured patches that are to be avoided – these are the closer-to-the-surface areas of coral. Finding a spot to drop our anchor was pretty easy. The holding here is very good with sand over coral and it’s pretty easy to bed down well. We put down about 40 metres but part of the chain ran over coral and we made the decision to pull it up and put it down again so that the anchor and chain ran through sand only. Second time around we were happy. Erina and Liam were off light lights ready to explore and made a trek over to the island and then went exploring the reef with snorkels on their kayaks. Peter and I followed in the dinghy. At low tide you can see the rim of the coral and the lagoon appears like a tranquil lake surrounded by…..well surrounded by ocean and not land! It’s a sight to behold. But as the tide rose the surreal sense we had of being anchored right out in the middle of the ocean increased as the rim became less and less visible! We stayed over-night on our well-set anchor, caught up on some sleep and awoke to a heavenly blue sky morning with a light southerly breeze. From here we will head to Hummocky Island 60 or so NM north of here, taking in several other coral reefs and islands along the way as we continue on north to the Whitsundays. |
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September 2017
Our life aboard Argos has been seriously challenged this year with the surprise departure of our skipper. As a writer, diesel mechanics and the complexities of many aspects of Argos’ on-going maintenance are way beyond me! We would like to see Argos continue to sail and eventually hope to use her to offer support, encouragement and a break to people who are struggling in their lives. Any on-going help towards maintaining Argos would be greatly appreciated and enable us to achieve this goal.
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