We reluctantly departed our favourite Lady Musgrave for Bundaberg, once again at daybreak . We are getting very used to waking at first light but these Queenslanders don’t know what they’re missing with no daylight saving. The weather does dictate our passages …BUT we also had a 60th birthday to attend!
Last year on our return trip we sat out five or so days of bad weather at Bundaberg so we enjoyed some local sight-seeing … like the Bundy distillery (of course) and the turtle discovery centre at Mon Repos. This time, it was one night only, then south to Hervey Bay. We did buy some fresh king prawns from the seafood outlet right next door to the marina and also we also managed to squeeze in a visit to the very well stocked chandlery. While we were in the Bundy marina the New Caledonia Rally yachts were arriving, including the Spirited 48 catamaran Roam. Coincidentally Tim and I have been following their adventures via their blog. Unfortunately we missed seeing Roam and we will miss their blog updates as their Pacific cruising has come to an end. Roam … a young adventurous crew using technology and surfboards in tandem, so if you are interested … have a look at www.sailsurfroam.com
Annie turned 60 in Hervey Bay! We have sailed with Chances quite a bit this year particularly enjoying their friendship … and their snorkelling and fishing knowledge! Gary did a great job organising a 60th meal at the boat club with twelve of us celebrating Annie’s birthday. Jim and Jan from Pas de Chat joined us for the celebrations as well. A great night was had by all!
We then sailed out to Rooney Point on Fraser Island, another ‘must do’ destination for this year’s trip. Rooney Point is on the northern tip of Fraser Island and is known for its clear water, white sandy shores and whales. The whale season is over now but the sail along the western shore of Fraser Island can also be one of the best, as you can sail close to shore and maybe even spot a dingo.
And … Gary and Annie’s second passion in life is game fishing. Gary jumped ship to Ron’s Rush Slowly and along with crew Grant and Luke, competed in the Hervey Bay Game Fishing comp’ which was based at Rooney Point for the weekend. So sailing out to Rooney Point with Chances also gave us the chance not only to see this part of Fraser Island but to see what their game fishing passion was all about.
The number of boats that turned up to Rooney Point certainly showed that game fishing is popular and listening to the guys tell their stories, particularly about Gary, gave us an insight. We tuned in to their VHF station the next day. All their activity is broadcast … with lots of enthusiasm and lingo …“hooked up”, “tagged”, “go an’ get another one” … times, line weight and named anglers … lots of rules! Several blue marlin were “hooked up” and “tagged”. Rush Slowly did catch a blue marlin and a very big Wahoo (1.7 m long!) which scored them some prizes at the presentation. I’ve included some of Grant’s photos … check out the Wahoo!
We left Chances at Rooney Point to enjoy their comp’, sailing down to Pelican Bay in the Sandy Straits via Gary’s Anchorage. It was at Gary’s last year where we tried crabbing. This year we’ve had our own crab pots on board so we dropped both pots in overnight using the mac’ tuna I’d caught for bait. We caught one crab which we enjoyed that night. I think Neville has honed his skills in catching, killing, cleaning and cooking the crabs now! Mud crabs are very tasty and sell for approx. $40 a kilo.
We are now enjoying Mooloolaba for a few days. We are here waiting for the weather to soften while catching up on some Whitworth’s shopping, a film (it has been six months), eating out, coffee and walks along the beachfront. There will be a few friends around too.
A few pics from our trip to Mooloolaba …
Next is Boatworks where we will leave Bossa Nova till next year