Tangalooma brought to you by the Able Sea Monkey

This post is written by the Able Sea Monkey.

Merry Christmas from the Arjunauts!

Christmas lights in Brisbane after a slap-up feast in town to celebrate the end of school year.

Merry Christmas!

Whitsundays to Yeppoon

We celebrated the Second Mate's birthday at Whitehaven Beach. Happy birthday Second Mate, we can't believe you are ready to start high school.

 

Second Mate in action - a fine sailor and indispensable crew member

 

Vast Distances Are Covered

What the ?

The Rock left us in Cairns. Older, wiser, more suntanned and anxious to join the Hakluyt Society for original travel journal enthusiasts. The Second Mate also left us in Cairns with urgent business to attend to down south. We turned back out of Cairns in a few days after replenishing our stores and finally refilling our water casks. We left with memories and, in return we left behind our stamp on the marina: a spatula here, a pair of glasses there - claimed by the bottomless mud lurking at the bottom of the estuary.

The way ahead was South. Many, many miles of South. And some East. But mainly South. Our plans at this stage were mildly indistinct. There were friends to pick up further down the coast at specific dates vast distances away and beyond that a vague plan was forming to reach Brisbane by December. In either case, we needed to make like the black marlin and get moving in case we were caught in Cairns.

Paying our Respects

  'If a man does not keep pace with his companions

perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Let him step to the music which he hears'.

The Beachcombers' grave - Dunk Island

Boobies at Michaelmas Cay



WARNING: TWITCHER CONTENT

We picked up one of two public moorings at Michaelmas Cay, dodging around a few shallow coral bommies on the approach. Some practical Marine Parks' person has thoughtfully placed the moorings just outside the range where the booby guano really starts to really get on the nose.

Michaelmas Cay - a booby.

Finding Nemo - Photos from Escape Reef, Tongue Reef, Michaelmas Cay

A week of fine weather to explore the reefs east of Port Douglas and Cairns - October 6th-13th. Here are a few favourite photos. No doubt the Captain will follow up with a couple of words.

Second Mate (often reserved in his praise) thinks Tongue Reef is "alright"

In which we visit Endeavour Reef

Endeavour Reef - Cape Tribulation to the south west.

After picking up "The Rock" in Cooktown, a week of calm weather was predicted - a perfect opportunity to visit the reefs, of which there are no shortage between Cooktown and Cairns. We headed out to Cairns Reef via Osterland Reef to anchor overnight. This was a very comfortable anchorage in the 15-20 knot southeasterly, a natural harbour protected on 3 sides by reef. With the wind still up though, the visibility wasn't great for snorkelling. A really big dolphin came and swam upside down in our bow wave for about 500m. He had a few chunks out of his dorsal fin, possibly from close encounters with boats, but didn't seem at all deterred.

Cooktown

One might be lured into thinking that Cooktown is a haven from the tribulations of the turbulent northern seas. This is true to a point. If for instance, you have been sitting on top of a reef in one of the King's fine wooden barks (or converted coal ship to be precise), taking on water some nine months from home with no hope of assistance - then finding the Endeavour River would be fine indeed. Reading the small print, you would find that Cook grounded at the mouth and had to warp the Endeavour over the bar at the entrance to the Endeavour River - which effectively means that they had to drag the boat into the harbour using ropes. King had to do the same 50 years later when European folk next entered the estuary. Once the Endeavour had been careened and repaired, Cook had to wait some weeks for the right tide conditions and then warped back out again.

The setting sun smiles down on the deep and comfortable waters of the Endeavour River

Punching South: A highly dramatised account of our journey to Cooktown

Hello again, faithful reader, spam bots and sailing aficionados. The First Mate has requested the Captain fill in some details from her hasty fact and photo filled recent blog posts and so we join the long, continuing adjective encrusted tale of Arjuna:

Almost two weeks were spent in the waters of the Flinders Group. Boats were rare here - tapering off from the handful of yachts heading further north from Lizard when we first arrived to just three between all the islands for the remainder. The highly advanced electronic communication systems on Arjuna were rendered completely useless here. We couldn't even get AM or FM radio. Later investigations proved that we don't have an AM radio, explaining at least one of these issues. We obtained information on the weather periodically from the odd boat equipped with HF radio or super yacht with its own satellite and meteorological office. Every few weeks, a supply barge anchors in the area but we saw no sign. The Third Mate was assigned the duty of recording three hourly wind speed and direction observations. We felt that if we established the pattern of wind then we would be able to work out when to make our escape to the east around Melville and then back to the south east without the need of a bureau forecast. 

We sight a small yacht on our tail. Stokes Bay

A dugong at West Pethebridge Islet

 

The Captain will at some point be updating you with the action packed account of our journey around Cape Melville and onward, but in the meantime here is one of those beautiful things that occur just when things seem to be getting unpleasant.

 

The Kindness of Strangers

Stokes Bay - our turnaround point.

We spent 10 days in Flinders Group exploring and fishing. 

 

Over a couple of days at Owen Channel we had bid farewell to Ceilidyh  and Endurance of the South http://www.enduranceofthesouth.com  as they headed on towards Darwin. We made the short hop across to Blackwood Island.

Yithuwarra Rock Art - Flinders Group

Until 80 years ago, Flinders Island Group was a thriving community. It was home to the Yithuwarra people for thousands of years. More recently in the late 19th and 20th centuries there was a trader station on the Aapia Spit which was the base for the pearling, fishing and beche de mer fleets. Now it is empty and deserted, visited by a handful of yachts heading to Darwin and the occasional fishing trawler for the secure anchorage afforded in the Owen Channel.



Yindayin rock art

Cape Melville

Tuesday 16th September saw us raise anchor at dawn and set off northwest from Watson's Bay towards Cape Melville. We had initially planned to overnight at Howick or Ingram Island but a brisk 20 knot wind steadily built behind us and we passed Howick shortly before lunch. So we decided to push on for Cape Melville.



 

Cape Melville - a lizard on every termite mound.

Here is Arjuna

In April 2014, while Arjuna sat down at Sheridan Flats in the Great Sandy Straits thinking we were having strong winds, Cyclone Ita sat over Lizard Island for around eleven hours and ripped the place to shreds. However, not having seen the place before, the clear surrounding waters were obvious even from a distance although the island itself looked barren. When the southeaster blows, which it does often, 400-450 days a year on average in fact, Watson's Bay on the northern side is the place to drop your plow. There were about ten boats in the bay when we arrived which we understand is on the empty side. Being a marine park A area we saw the obligatory batfish wander up at our arrival. A few reef sharks also swam over to check the newcomer out. The water was the clearest we had seen since Lady Musgrave Island so the bottom was clearly visible through the depths. In fact, it was the first time on the trip we could swim along the anchor chain and see our trusty hunk of iron embedded in the sand.

This be a  fine island

Where is Arjuna?

Well we are back in Cairns after 6 weeks of adventures in the north.  We got as far as Stokes Bay, Stanley Island in the Flinders Group before turning the bow southwards again.

Now everyone is busily catching up on schoolwork, boat work, paid work and paper work while the blog remains sadly neglected.

There are many crazy tales waiting to be told:

of monster fish caught . . .

The Journey to Lizard

It's the island on everyone's lips in these parts: Lizard. The nominal turning point for the multiple vice commodores of the Shaggers, the grey navy and the general cruisers as well as long term home for some yachties. We left the channel markers out of Cairns and turned our bows towards the north to make our push to these fabled, fantastical bays of Lizard Island. However, Lizard is not just down the road - its a triple digit nautical mile trip from Cairns requiring some degree of planning and the odd course correction that wrinkled the brow of even one of history's greatest navigators. This area of the coast bristles with the ghosts of Cook, Flinders, King and others. The water coursed with the descendents of the Endeavour's barnacles - and in fact several great grandchildren had taken up residence in our speed sensor rendering it completely inoperable.

An interesting camera angle makes the Low Isles lighthouse seem taller than it is. Eagle perched on railing

Marina Fever, Cairns Style

Things get busy at the big end of town

Far away and for many long nights and days, a team of dwarvish craftspeople, toiling under an ancient mountain, had woven and stitched, forged and hammered, putting every fibre of their being into delivering us between 43 and 44 square metres of the finest cross cut US made dacron sail that the internet can buy. And lo! as sun dawned on the morning of the 2nd it was delivered unto us by Ralph, of Ports North, in his mighty golf cart buggy, the
marina office at Cairns being too far away to carry such a hefty package on foot.

Platypi and a Pub

We've been in Cairns for about three weeks now and plan to head off tomorrow further north.



View from the Esplanade

Our beautiful new main sail arrived yesterday from Hong Kong and it was a bit like Christmas as the crew gathered round to unwrap the enormous box. The anticipation had been killing us.

A Grounding at Mourilyan Harbour

Finally the wind and swell settled enough to set off from Dunk Island to Cairns.


Able Sea Monkey found this plate sized starfish on our last day at Dunk.

This is a 70 nautical mile stretch so rather than attempt in it a single day we headed for Mourilyan Harbour south of Innisfail.

Being Resourceful in The Family Islands

We are tucked snugly into Brammo Bay at Dunk Island (Coonanglebah) for our sixth consecutive day of a Bureau issued Strong Wind Warning. There are far worse places we could be sitting it out in.

Third Mate whittles in a beach shelter built by one of the kids who lives full time on the island.

In which we Venture into Fish'n n Crab'n Heaven or How the Captain Visits the First Circle of Hell

The magnificent, almost untouched wilderness of Hinchinbrook Island beckoned to Arjuna from across the channel to our mooring at Orpheus Island. Its 1200 metre peaks hidden in the cloud-wrack beckoning the crew to make a summit attempt. Its endless waterways teeming with fish said to be desperate to jump into passing boats. The serenity of the Hinchinbrook Channel, legend.

Mighty Hinchinbrook, girt by cloud and mangroves

Clam I Am

We spent another week in Townsville after returning from Nelly Bay. There were, as usual, some details to be attended to including another problem with our solar charging system and the need to get an order in for a new mainsail after shredding it on final departure from the Whitsundays. We had our bow roller straightened and reinforced after being bent sidewise sitting on our anchor in too many strong winds. Eventually, we cast off the mooring ropes for a final time and bid our farewells to Breakwater Marina, hailing a hearty goodbye to the staff over the VHF before knuckling down for another arduous passage to Magnetical Island.

Magnetic Island. Viewed from the general vicinity of the gelato shop at Townsville

Magnificient Maggie



Arjuna amongst the Granite and Hoop Pines at Florence Bay

Magnetic Island ("Maggie") is only 4 nautical miles from Townsville, so on Sunday July 6th, we set off with 5 adults and 6 children in fine weather for a picnic at Florence Bay.

Brolgas and Jabirus on the Town Common



Townsville Wetlands

Jane L. took us for a July afternoon stroll through the lush wetlands at the Town Common Conservation Area.

Living it up in Townsville

We arrived in Townsville halfway through the first week of the winter school holidays, minus two key crew members who were still in NSW enjoying shore leave.

Townsville icon Castle Rock from the tropical lushness of Queen's Gardens.

Capering round the Capes - Gloucester to Cleveland Bay

East cardinal mark, Gloucester Passage, with nestling chick.

Buoyed by our fantastic dinner ashore the previous night at Monte's Resort, we set off early from Gloucester passage across Edgecumbe Bay towards Bowen. We bid farewell to the wild and windy Whitsundays, although they had really had the final word: another wild sou'easter had blown up on our last day and shredded our mainsail as we headed across the top of Whitsunday Passage.

Third mate reports from the Whitsundays

Hello. It's the third mate here to tell you about Hammo, Montes, and Mays Bay. I have been living aboard for six months and I'm ten years old. I'm loving life on the seven swelly seas (a.k.a. Coral Sea). So down to business.

Mum, can I have a pie for breakfast? Mum, can I have a pie for dinner?

The Uncrowded Splendour of the Whitsunday Islands Continue

The weather had now most definitely become far more tropical sun and less tropical cyclone and we were burning up good days and good dollars in port. We thoroughly checked the underfloor smuggler hatches and dry stores for stowaway rats, wookies and backpackers and then made our departure from Airlie under perfect sailing conditions. A couple of charter catamarans lay off our bows heading for the islands. We ruffled our luff in a threatening fashion, they spilled their margaritas and thus we soon put them behind us. It was a late departure from the coast so we aimed for Stonehaven again and moored there for the night.

Manta Ray Bay, First Light. Suspiciously tranquil

Again with the Whitsundays

At Blue Pearl Bay we spied the sun and courted the voracious batfish with their favoured meal of delicately flavoured arborio rice. At last, the Whitsundays were beginning to show us their true colours and some snorkelling was likely in the upcoming days with the water clearing after the turbulence of the recent winds. All was well. Which is when a gentle wind change, much like that early in Pirates of the Carribean, wafted across the bay and heralded trouble brewing in the air. Months on the sea had tuned the senses of the Captain to these subtle shifts in the atmosphere and sure enough, on the falling of dusk, a no good pirate ship drifted into Blue Pearl Bay and secured itself to another mooring buoy. There was something unusual about this boat indeed: it came with the lines of a clipper but with a fully enclosed transparent marquee erected on the deck. The immediate blaring of some sort of Ibiza house music mix heralded its intentions and these intentions were unmistakable: a backpacker's dance party until the wee hours of the morning.

`The sun departs for the Winter Solstice at Stonehaven

Windy Week of Whitsuntide

The entire week after Whit Sunday (seventh Sunday after Easter) is known as Whitsuntide or Whit week. At this point if I was the Captain, I would be able to insert some hilariously self referential "Whit" play on words - but it's beyond a First Mate. 

Submarine vision (Second Mate)

Pleasure sailing on WhitSaturday

We left you with the drama of the outboard motor being submerged by a bullet at the uncivilised hour of 4am at Shaw Island, but our stoic Captain immediately rinsed it with fresh water, and the outboard so far seems none the worse.

From Shaw Island, it was a short hop past yet another abandoned resort (Lindeman Island) and up the Dent Passage to Hamilton Island. Yachtspeople up and down the coast grumble about the cost of Hamilton Island marina, however none can deny its absolute fabulousness.

Hamilton Island glam

Brampton Island

On June 2nd, after a week spent with the captain muttering and cursing in the bowels of the boat in Mackay, we raised the sails and headed back out to wage battle with the shoals and bulk carriers. After a punishing schedule of boat repairs, the captain was really looking like he needed a holiday on a nice tropical island.

Insert tropical island picture here

Middle Percy to Mackay

What with the endless tasks on a working sailing vessel it is difficult to find time to put pen to paper and update this journal. The First Mate sagely advised that the Captain should spend less time with the pen and paper and more time with a computer keyboard. It is this sort of insubordination that has seen many a mutiny and grounding of vessels.

We have learned previously of the catch of many fish at South Percy and our arrival at Middle Percy. The First Mate failed to mention that one of the crew reacted poorly after eating the BBQ fish. In fact, quite a serious allergic type reaction appeared that had us reviewing our distance from medical support. Arjuna carries a medical kit to rival that of many a hospital but in this case we lacked the sort of syringe full of potion that that one might stab into an ailing crew member's chest. The Captain prepared a traditional homeopathic remedy by dipping the bones of the offending fish into water and then diluting the solution 10000 times. By the time this was available however, the Second Mate had made some progress towards recovery. All in all, the episode simply provided further evidence that the Captain tends to catch either a) no fish, b) small fish or c) poisonous or dangerous fish.

West Bay, Middle Percy. The Gathering of the Fleet

Fish Ho at South Percy Island

The Captain hard at work somewhere in the Northumberland Islands

Up til now you will have read many a blog post about the Captain's ability to short order cook under duress, his prowess with plumbing, rigging, navigating, diesel mechanics, boat electrics etc.

But one thing had been missing - where were all the fish?

Hexham Island



As the sun rises over Pearl Bay, the crew emerge.

Much Happens

The mighty rocks of Rosslyn Bay

Rosslyn Bay at Yeppoon was initially a planned three night stop to re-encupboardise, refill water and attend to a headsail tear which we had sustained in the less than tranquil conditions out of Fitzroy Reef. Trying to get work done at short notice and in a short turn around period in the marine industry is not easy. The Captain used his skills at begging to book the sail in for surgery and also managed to track down a separate upholsterer to put a new zip on our boom bag. As expected, neither of these jobs fitted into our booked time and we extended at the marina for several more days.

Capricornian Cave Men

If the Pisonia Forest on Lady Musgrave Island was Mirkwood, then these caves were definitely the Mines of Moria. For those who don't mind mixing it up with a bit of bat guano in their stalactites on a quiet Saturday afternoon, then the Capricorn Caves are where it's at.

Great Keppel Island - Unexpected poetry and Hermit Crabs

Riding the sand dunes of Butterfish Bay - Great Keppel Island

Great Keppel Island exceeded expectations and we ended up staying for 6 days exploring and swimming in the beautiful clear sandy bays.

A pre-dawn start to cover  the 40 nautical miles from Northwest Island brought us back towards the coast. The afternoon snorkel around the coral on the drop off at Northwest Island promised much, but after four days not setting foot on land, the crew were becoming restless, we didn't want to risk another wind shift leaving us stranded.

Girt by Sea

We reluctantly departed the fair waters of Lady Musgrave  after four days. The sea, which now coursed through our salty veins, was calling us on. Our start was very reluctant indeed and we didn't end up exiting the reef until after 1000 hours putting paid to our extravagant plans to cross vast miles of ocean.

"Isolated"danger mark. We interpret
these more freely as a "generally dangerous mark"

Instead we made a pleasant course North towards another reef called Fitzroy. 

Edge of the coral, departing Musgrave

On the charts, Fitzroy Reef looks very similar to Lady Musgrave except it lacks an island / cay and has more crunchy coral bommies within the reef and a narrower entrance. Also the entrance is shallow - a point worth mentioning since on entering the lagoon, the depth jumped from minor-tingling-in-the-toes level to all-hands-to-the-bilge-pumps level without warning. Inevitably, we heard the sickening scrape as our beloved colony of barnacles was knocked free from the bottom of the keel. Barny, Hercules, Herb...we'll miss you guys.

We reach the reef - Lady Musgrave Island

We left Bundaberg at dawn and headed due north about 40 nautical miles to Lady Musgrave Island,  our first encounter on this voyage with the Great Barrier Reef. Lady Musgrave is a cay completely encircled in a natural lagoon by coral reef. It lies along with Lady Elliot Island and Heron Island in the Capricornia Cays National Park.

It was not that far north from here that Matthew Flinders' luck changed very much for the worse on Wreck Reef, after the Porpoise ran aground as he returned to England with his completed charts following his circumnavigation of Australia. In an amazing feat of navigation and endurance, he managed to return Sydney in an open boat to organise the rescue of his men stranded on a sandbar on the reef.

Five Go Landlubbing in Bundy

Time has passed in the absence of internet coverage so we must flash back to over a week ago...

Manicured, well watered lawns...perfect for grazing cane toads

With our water beginning to run down and more importantly, our coffee, it was time to return to port. We set a course for the Port of Bundaberg - an uninterrupted westerly track across Hervey Bay from our hidey hole on Fraser Island. For a change there was nary a shoal or hazard to be negotiated. The bottom gently dropped away from Fraser and much later on met the dredged channel into the Burnett River. Trolling lines were deployed immediately. The Captain scented possible mutiny when the First and Third Mates insisted on raising sail cloth despite the complete lack of wind. The request was denied and mutineers were put to work sunbaking and playing computer games.

Easter at Platypus Bay - a natural wonder

Platypus Bay was spectacular.

Sunset Platypus Bay Thursday April 17th, 2014 after anchoring north of Coongul Creek.

A visit from the Water Police and a swim in the pool at Kingfisher Bay

 

We spent Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th April anchored slightly north of Kingfisher Bay Resort. The resort occupies a peaceful position east of Maryborough and was lovely and sheltered.
The crew enjoyed a swim in the resort pool which is open to day visitors. There were also some basic showers at the Sand Bar pool which had hot running water.

The Great Sandy Straits

Arjuna at twilight. Photographed from Twilight. (c) SV Twilight

As the First Mate points out, it may be a bad sailing omen to start a voyage on a Friday but probably no worse than quoting Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem on dying in a previous blog post. As we and the internet can attest, the Wide Bay Bar was survived (if the truth be known, the swell was worse on the journey up than that on the bar itself) and we lived happily overnight at Pelican Bay - or at least as close in to it as we felt comfortable with.

Gale force winds at Fraser Island and a lunar eclipse.

Arjuna in finer weather - note keel positioning.

The low pressure system from Cyclone Ita met with a high pressure system from the Tasman sea somewhere over the southern Coral Sea to bring us gale force south easterly winds.

We found a good anchorage at Sheridan Flats on the west coast of Fraser Island on Sunday morning, set our anchor well, crossed our fingers and toes and bunkered down for a storm that lasted through Monday and Monday night.

Crossing the Bar

The crossing of the infamous Wide Bay Bar at the southern end of Fraser Island is the stuff of many a hairy tale amongst salty dogs in marinas along the east coast. The Bar is crossed via a zigzag series of 3 navigational waypoints and has a section known as the "Mad Mile" (between waypoints 2 and 3) due to a narrow passage with breaking surf on both sides.

Sailing lore suggests that it is bad luck to embark on a voyage on Friday  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailors'_superstitions.

Bimini by Murray, bunting by Sophie.

Moreton Island to Mooloolaba

Thursday 3rd April, the second last day of school for Term One, saw us pulling up anchor from beautiful Moreton Island and following the west coast of Moreton Island northwards towards Mooloolaba. The Second Mate, Third Mate and Ship's Monkey all had online assessments to complete with their teachers to wrap up the school term. These were completed as we dodged amongst the shipping traffic of the Northwest Channel. This was the Third Mate and Ship's Monkey's first open water voyage.

End of term assessments in the Northwest Channel

Engine troubles at Slaughter's Gutter



Farewell East Coast Marina.

Finally all the odds and ends had been tidied up and Arjuna was set to depart from Brisbane. The final elusive bearing for the autopilot and been tracked down and the car had been repaired.