We have our son Tim on board for a week!
Selfie photos, Go Pros, iPad tweeks and dinghy bursts!
One of the things we have really enjoyed about this trip are the passages. Creeping our way up the coast has been very different to the sailing we have done in the past. While we have sailed some of these parts in the past, we haven’t sailed the east coast as a passage making journey. Each day can present a different destination, different constraints and planning and an adventure!
We were looking forward to sharing some of these passages with our son.
We left Hervey Bay and Fraser Island after we collected Tim. Our first passage was to Bundaberg. How apt. Two Bundy drinkers on board. After a very brisk sail in strong winds that were not forecast we were quite happy to pull in to the Bundaberg marina. Handy having extra crew on board! A visit to the local hotel followed by a generous courtesy bus ride back to our boat, we then left early for our next destination, Pancake Creek (great name!).
Pancake Creek was lovely. A little snug inlet between Bundaberg and Gladstone. Good markers leading us through the shallow waters. Several boats shared the anchorage. Turtles, sandbars and rocky outcrops made this anchorage very picturesque. We will be back!
Gladstone is such a huge port with a very long channel. We had a very unexpected quick sail through the channel, sails up with 12 knots of wind, dodging tankers and ferries, and dolphins! We anchored in a mangrove creek late in the day, all ready for our journey with the tides up The Narrows the next day.
The Narrows presented us with the need to plan carefully. Three viewpoints instead of two! Come 5ish, it’s time to check the forecast, recheck the tides and triple check the distances. The Narrows required us to motor the first section with a rising tide and to be at the halfway point when the tide changed. The second half we would be sucked along with the falling tide. The halfway point actually dries out at low tide. It is the local cattle crossing! Tricky, yes …. a 7.30 am departure finally agreed upon!
We are now in Rosslyn Bay and we did successfully navigate The Narrows. Another challenge, a different type of passage and one than the guys particularly enjoyed!