Continuing my reports on a staged passage from Sydney to the Whitsundays....
My last post reported arrival at Mooloolabah, where Aquabelle was berthed adjacent to Benn's Tidahapah..or would have been, if he hadn't just moved her down to the Gold Coast for the work he's reporting on in a separate thread!
The next stage took us to Urangan, via Wide Bay bar and Fraser Island...fabulous trip with superb weather. Hired a 4WD for a day on Fraser. Left the boat at Boat Club Marina (Benn's recommendation) and found the airport just 10minutes cab ride away and direct flights to Sydney available...so all very easy.
I returned to the boat a few days' ago and single-handed her the 4 hour run up to Bundaberg. Admiral & Ship's Girl flew into Bundy, provisioned in town and then came out to Bundy Port Marina, which is just inside the entrance to the Burnett River. The plan was to head out from Bundy to Lady Musgrave Is and then follow the chain of reefs and islands north to Heron, then on to Great Keppel and ending up at Rosslyn Bay marina....but weather in the form of strong winds (25kts gusting 35kts, 2.2m swells) has put paid to that.
So our change of plan has been: a passage north along the coast from Bundy to Pancake Creek moderately rough but not too bad thanks to the stabilizers; calm anchorage o'nite in the creek itself along with about 50 other vessels hiding from the wind & swell); then a short run into Gladstone lwhere we spent a day looking around (amazing harbour, giant scale industial development; and the friendliest & most helpful marina of the trip so far); then via The Narrows to Keppel Bay. The Narrows is a flat-water channel between the mainland and Curtis Island that gives an inland route north out of Gladstone Harbour to Keppel Bay. The tide has to be just right to make this trip, as there is a 6nm centre section of the channel that dries at low tide. But tides, if not the wind, were on our side so it was an easy and interesting run: a 10am departure from Gladstone Port Marina got us thru to Keppel Bay by 2pm. We've now come across to Great Keppel Island -- a moderately rough 2hr trip as the wind has if anything strengthened. We're anchored up in the anchorage claimed to give the best protection from SE blows....but swell is creeping around the point and we're rolling heavily, along with some 80 other vessels (looked like a marina, not an anchorage, when we approached!). Its 3am as I type this and the scurvy crew is all sound asleep. The rocking and rolling nearly threw me out of bed so I got up, checked the anchor and decided to TrawlerForum !
Plan is a day ashore tomorrow (I mean today) with a swim; another night here (but I'll explore for an alternate anchorage !); then across to Rosslyn Bay marina (only 7nm away), where Aquabelle will again be left as we fly back to Sydney from Rockhampton, the nearest airport, a 50minute shuttle-bus ride away.
Lady Musgrave and Heron will have to wait for our return leg.
My last post reported arrival at Mooloolabah, where Aquabelle was berthed adjacent to Benn's Tidahapah..or would have been, if he hadn't just moved her down to the Gold Coast for the work he's reporting on in a separate thread!
The next stage took us to Urangan, via Wide Bay bar and Fraser Island...fabulous trip with superb weather. Hired a 4WD for a day on Fraser. Left the boat at Boat Club Marina (Benn's recommendation) and found the airport just 10minutes cab ride away and direct flights to Sydney available...so all very easy.
I returned to the boat a few days' ago and single-handed her the 4 hour run up to Bundaberg. Admiral & Ship's Girl flew into Bundy, provisioned in town and then came out to Bundy Port Marina, which is just inside the entrance to the Burnett River. The plan was to head out from Bundy to Lady Musgrave Is and then follow the chain of reefs and islands north to Heron, then on to Great Keppel and ending up at Rosslyn Bay marina....but weather in the form of strong winds (25kts gusting 35kts, 2.2m swells) has put paid to that.
So our change of plan has been: a passage north along the coast from Bundy to Pancake Creek moderately rough but not too bad thanks to the stabilizers; calm anchorage o'nite in the creek itself along with about 50 other vessels hiding from the wind & swell); then a short run into Gladstone lwhere we spent a day looking around (amazing harbour, giant scale industial development; and the friendliest & most helpful marina of the trip so far); then via The Narrows to Keppel Bay. The Narrows is a flat-water channel between the mainland and Curtis Island that gives an inland route north out of Gladstone Harbour to Keppel Bay. The tide has to be just right to make this trip, as there is a 6nm centre section of the channel that dries at low tide. But tides, if not the wind, were on our side so it was an easy and interesting run: a 10am departure from Gladstone Port Marina got us thru to Keppel Bay by 2pm. We've now come across to Great Keppel Island -- a moderately rough 2hr trip as the wind has if anything strengthened. We're anchored up in the anchorage claimed to give the best protection from SE blows....but swell is creeping around the point and we're rolling heavily, along with some 80 other vessels (looked like a marina, not an anchorage, when we approached!). Its 3am as I type this and the scurvy crew is all sound asleep. The rocking and rolling nearly threw me out of bed so I got up, checked the anchor and decided to TrawlerForum !
Plan is a day ashore tomorrow (I mean today) with a swim; another night here (but I'll explore for an alternate anchorage !); then across to Rosslyn Bay marina (only 7nm away), where Aquabelle will again be left as we fly back to Sydney from Rockhampton, the nearest airport, a 50minute shuttle-bus ride away.
Lady Musgrave and Heron will have to wait for our return leg.
