A Lovely Day in Mooloolaba

Sunday 31st May 2015

It now really feels like we are in QLD. Sunny weather, a light NW breeze, and people out on the water and beach in droves. Once again our marina berths are nearby each other on a new arm that has been added since our last visit. The improvements that have been made at the marina are very impressive, both in expansion and quality of the facilities and the friendly service.

We are the 2 light grey hulls with a blue boat (nose in) between us

Carole got the laundry on early and we checked in with the marina office (they had gone home when we arrived yesterday). We strolled down the the Coastguard to see if we could get the latest Way points for entry to Wide Bay Bar (our next destination). Apparently there has been a change of protocol, and you now need to radio in to the Coastguard at Tin Can Bay, as you pass Double Island Point, and they will SMS the waypoints to you. It also seems there are now only 2 waypoints, not 3 as was the case the last time we went through.

It was only just after 10 am, and the laundry was done, so we went for a walk along the beach towards the breakwater to see the boats coming in and out.

View up the beach towards the river entrance

Like yesterday, the was a lot of activity in the river, with all manner of boats crossing the bar in both directions, under almost ideal conditions.

We caught up with Mark and Janet on the breakwater and headed back past the fish markets to check out options for dinner tonight, and have a cup of coffee. The seafood selection is still amazing (and fresh). 

The walk continued into town to have a light lunch (at a great little cafe called Envy), that Janet recalled from their last trip through 5 years ago, do some provisioning, and lug it all back to the boat.  Along the way we saw some innovative QLD thinking, an ice vending machine, that also sold chilled filtered water.

The afternoon was put aside for rest, although Carole went across the beach and had a swim in the surf. As the afternoon progresses it looks like a change is on it's way. We are hoping for a Southerly on Tuesday to allow us to sail (rather than motor) to Wide Bay Bar.

View South towards town at 4 pm (Coastguard Station in the foreground)

We wandered down to the fish market for dinner, ordered from the take away section and sat up on the deck with a few bottles of BYO wine, enjoying oysters, snapper , mahi mahi and a few sea scallops. No a bad way to finish the day.

Early Start and a Day at Sea

Saturday 30th May 2105

Up at 1.30am, we left Southport on schedule at 2.00 am. It was a clear , starry night as we motored down the waterway towards the Seaway, and crossed a very tame entrance bar. Sadly, the moon which was providing much of the light was already setting as we headed up the coast and was all but gone by 3 am.

A little later we ran into a heavy sea fog which significantly reduced visibility and we lost sight of Koonya who had been following us, for a period of about 40 ins, before they reappeared when the fog cleared.

Sunrise was just before 6.30 am, and like all sunrises at sea, was very impressive, with some clouds so close to the horizon, they looked like islands.

The seas were very flat and there was little wind, so it was motoring all of the way. It gave us an opportunity to see the coastline along North Stradbroke and Morton Island which we had not seen previously, as it was always an overnight sail.

Once again the dolphins kept us entertained in crystal clear water, as they rushed over to greet out boat, and rub against the bow (something we now see them doing a lot, and today we could see marks  on there backs from doing so)

Rounding Cape Morton, another pretty spot, we headed directly to Mooloolaba, across the Port of Brisbane assembly area.

Cape Morton

Entering the bar at Mooloolaba was chaotic, with more boats coming in and out than we had ever seen before, including a very large fishing boat that took up a good deal of the river, width leaving as we were arriving. The Coastguard said it was one of the busiest days he head experienced. In any case we were safely tied up at our marina berth by 4pm.

We had dinner on board Mica with Mark and Janet and all were ready for an early night.

Last day in Southport

Friday 29th May 2015

It is another lovely sunny day in Southport and the four of us head off for a walk after breakfast, walking North toward the Seaway along the beachside track. It is mix of walking through bushland beach views, with a wide paved track suitable for bicycles.

We walked well past Sea World, before heading back, as Mark has a shipwright coming to do a bit of minor warranty work on Koonya. On the way back we walked past the trawlers at the Seafood Co-op , but there was not much action, as most had sold out.

We plan to leave for Mooloolaba in the early hours of Saturday morning, to ensure we get there before dark and towards the end of the rising tide. The afternoon was filled with a bit of extra provisioning from Australia Fair, about a 20 minute walk from the marina, and a visit to a fishing tackle shop to purchase a couple of lures guaranteed to catch QLD fish. 

A stunning sunset sets off the day. For us it is an early dinner, get a few hours sleep and be up at around 1.30 am, getting ready to go 

Time out at Southport

Thursday 28th May 2015

It is a bright sunny day at Southport, with no breeze at all. It is time to refuel, fill the water tank and give the boat a good wash down before our next leg to Mooloolaba.

Mark giving Koonya a wash down with Mica in the background 2 boats down

We were fortunate to get berths on the same marina arm, only two boats apart.

I did the early run to the diesel pump with my trusty jerry cans and bought 80 litres of diesel to top up our supplies. The way the wind forecast looks for the next week, we will need it. It is hard to believe how calm it has been for such an extended period. Rather than wait around forever to the wind to appear, we have moved on to get ourselves further North, at least until we are North of Fraser Island.

The morning went pretty quickly and we decided to go to the Southport Surf Club for lunch, as we have dined there before and were impressed with the food, and of course the view.

Lunch at SLSC

Back at the marina for a relaxing afternoon, before David's (Guest crew member on Koonya) partner Caroline arrived, to pick him up and enjoy dinner with us before heading back home tonight. We had a nice Indian meal at Goa, on Tedder Ave, said our farewells to David and Caroline, and walked back to the marina for a good nights sleep.

Finally in QLD

Wednesday 27th May 2015

Byron Bay wasn't the most comfortable anchorage that we have encountered, but we were tired enough to sleep well, despite the rolling motion of the boat. It was a pretty late night, we went to bed just before midnight.

We awoke to an overcast day, and a relatively calm sea.

A couple of shots from our anchorage, Byron Bay town and Cape Byron

We were up and 7 am, with a plan to leave at around 8am. There had been a steady SW breeze overnight, and just before we left it was blowing at around 10 knots. Not really enough to move us along at a decent pace but better than nothing. As soon as our anchor was up, we had all of our sail up and were moving along at around 5 knots, increased to 6.5 knots with a touch of motor propulsion. Unfortunately the breeze was fluky, losing intensity and changing direction. We stuck with it for 2 hours, but when the wind dropped below 5 knots, down came the sails and we were motoring again.

Koonya even went to the trouble to raise the Code Zero

The East Coast Current effect is lessening as we get further North, but is still providing resistance. We were very pleased to finally come to the NSW /QLD border and see the last of the NSW Coast (always the toughest part of this trip).

Coolangatta / Tweed Heads

It seemed to take forever to get from Point Danger to the Gold Coast but as it got closer it was a welcome sight. We were unaware we were arriving on the night of a State of Origin match, but everyone at the Southport Yacht Club seems very aware. 

The Gold Coast from about 4 miles out

We had a nice dinner at the Yacht Club. It was pretty quiet as we left because NSW was leading the score in the State of Origin.

Sunshine at Last, and Departure for Cape Byron

Tuesday 26th May 2015

It was a bit dull when we awoke after a good nights sleep in a very still Iluka Harbour. We had success in catching our stowaway mouse overnight and it was buried at sea this morning.

                                                     Koonya at Anchor at around 7am

The cloud disappeared as the sun rose higher and we ended up with a bright sunny day.

View towards the Fish co-op.

I took the dinghy back to town, so we could get a few items from the IGA and Mark could fill Koonya's gas bottle. I have decided to leave it on the deck inflated for the next couple of legs, as the curse of no wind stays with us. On the positive side, it has encouraged us to try a few anchorages we would otherwise have bypassed (Trial bay and Byron Bay). 

While we were getting ready to go, the local harbour cruise passed through Iluka Harbour

High tide today is at just after 3pm, so we will wait around till 1 pm to pull up anchor, to allow sufficient depths to get out of Iluka harbour, and for the river bar to flatten out a bit. We gingerly left our anchorage, with a little less water under us than when we arrived. Koonya was happy to follow us out. Transit across the bar was uneventful after passing through the heads at 1.30 pm.

The trip up the coast was slower than hoped with the east coast current still plaguing us. It was dark by 5.30pm, but quite a pleasant night, although cloud obscured the moon.

We didn't get to Byron Bay until 10.30 pm, set the anchor and had a stiff drink. We had dinner along the way and watched a bit of TV news, before we lost our signal at around Ballina.

The anchorage at Byron is a bit bouncy, but will hopefully settle down. We will be too tired to notice anyway. There seems to be plenty of action at the Byron Bay pub with the music easily heard from our anchorage.

Finally leaving Coffs for Iluka

Monday 25th May 2015

We left the Coffs marina , as planned at 5.30 am, and headed out for our next stop, Iluka. The seas have abated a lot, and there is little helpful breeze, but at least the influence of the East Coast Current is less concerning. It is now down to 0-0.5 knots, against us. The seas are sloppy and the skies overcast, but we make good progress motoring and motor sailing.

Crossing the bar at high tide into the Clarence still showed breaking water on the Northern side of the bar, although sneaking in around the Southern wall was relatively uneventful, but still affected by the big seas, with a bit of surfing on the way in.

Arrival at the anchorage in Iluka was at around 3pm. It is always tricky to get into the shallow harbour at Iluka, and this time Koonya had the misfortune of running aground. We have done it ourselves before, but not as solidly as Koonya. Some futile efforts by me in our dinghy made no impression on resolving the problem.

Koonya  aground

Marine Rescue was called to get them off the shallow area before the tide started to fall, and despite a fair delay in getting someone there to help, they did a great job in getting Koonya into deeper water and relieving a few stressed people.

The Rescue Team Arrive

The crew appear to be relieved

Carole and I went ashore to get a gas bottle refilled at the caravan park, and to buy some mouse traps, to try to get rid of a stowaway that joined us in Coffs Harbour. Lets hope we have some success in catching the little mouse tonight.

After all of the stress of the rescue, we decided we would all go to Sedgers Reef Hotel for dinner. The food is still good and was enjoyed by all.

Still in Coffs, with a Plan to Leave Tomorrow

Sunday 24th May 2015

The wind abated overnight, today down to 10 -15 knots and the seas are coming back down, but there is still a reasonable swell. Too much to risk it will be OK at the Yamba bar. So the plan is to leave first thing in the morning to catch the 2pm high tide at the entrance.

Today we just explored the local surroundings, at least it is not rainy, but still pretty cold. First up was a walk up to the top of Mutton Bird Island to get a good view of the surroundings.

Looking Back towards the Marina

Looking South towards Korff's Islet

On the way back to the marina, we took a stroll along the South Eastern seawall and captured the shot below of our 2 yachts at the marina.

We filled out the morning with a visit to the Sunday Markets located in the park near the Jetty, a short walk from the marina.

After another pleasant dinner at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club, we decided an early night was in order so we could depart from Coffs at 5.30 am tomorrow.

A Windy Day in Coffs

Saturday 23rd May 2015

The wind peaked at around 40 knots last night and it has continued blowing hard from SSW all day. The seas have really been stirred up and there are breaking waves at the entrance to the harbour, even at high tide.

There is also a reasonable surf at the beach inside the harbour

Our morning exercise consisted of a walk at to the jetty to get a good idea of the sea state, and it didn't take long for us to come to the conclusion we are likely to be here for a another couple of days, until things settle down. 

Walking back along the Northern break wall we saw a lot of surfers enjoying the conditions on the beach that is on the lee of the wind.

o

Making lunch on board, Carole fired up our old toasted sandwich maker, which blew all of the 240 v circuit breakers, and with the help of a nearby guy working on the boat next door, took about an hour to sort out. An amendment has been made to the wiring diagram allow for second circuit breaker that took a while to discover.

Mark and Janet have been joined by a friend, David, from Bangalow to sail the next few legs with us.

The wind has has picked up again at around 4 pm and is now due South, bringing some rain with it. Lets hope it drops overnight.

A call to Marine Rescue Iluka/ Yamba to check out current and expected conditions for the entrance bar tomorrow resulted in an unambiguous recommendation to stay put in Coffs Harbour.

Resting in Coffs Harbour

Friday 22nd May 2015

We were very fortunate with our berth allocation at Coffs Harbour Marina, both ending up on the T arm of D leg which is just inside the harbour. Able to tie up stern to stern makes getting onto each others boats very easy, and conversation is a no problem.

Mark didn't take long to settle in

This morning has been filled with trips to the diesel pump to fill Jerry cans to get us back to our full complement of fuel, filling the water tank , laundry etc. By lunch time we were ready for a walk to stretch our legs, so headed over to the shopping centre near the marina to get fresh bread and a few other necessities.

On the way back to the boat, we stopped at the Fish Co-op and bought fresh prawns for lunch, and some green prawns for later. It is pretty hard to beat fresh bread and prawns, washed down with a cold beer for lunch.

So far today the weather is sunny, with a gusty westerly breeze, and generally very pleasant. 

A Southerly change is expected later on in the day, peaking at midnight. By mid afternoon signs of the change are apparent.

Dinner is planned for an Indian restaurant, The Tandoori Oven, in the shopping precinct near the marina. About 30 mins before we are due to walk down there, the heavens opened up, with heavy rain. Fortunately it only lasted for about 30 mins.

Dinner was very good, quality Indian food at a reasonable price.

The Southerly change came in as promised and we spent most of the night leaning at 45 degrees to the marina.

A Wet Trip to Coffs Harbour

Thursday 21st May 2015

It was our first try at anchoring at Trial Bay, which breaks up the long trip to Coffs Harbour, almost always against a strong current. Whilst it was a bit bumpy at just after we anchored, the swell settled down and we had a comfortable nights sleep.

Unfortunately it started raining overnight, and this persisted through the day

Anchored at Trial Bay with Koonya in the background

We pulled up our anchor at 9 am and headed the the 36 nm to Coffs in light rain. It was a pretty uneventful trip, with no wind, the usual visits from dolphins, and we only sighted one other boat on the trip. A fishing boat just South of Coffs Harbour. We arrived at the harbour entrance at 2.30 pm, and were all tied up on our berth by 3 pm.

We plan to be in Coffs for 3 days to allow the rain and a Southerly change to pass through before heading for Yamba on Sunday.

Dinner tonight was at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club, where we had an enjoyable meal.

Off to Trial Bay

Wednesday 20th May 2015

As we have been struggling to get a berth at Coffs Harbour, we decided to do the trip in 2 stages. First to Trial Bay, and then a shorter trip to Coffs on Thursday when we do have a booking.

High tide at Laurieton today was at 10 am, and it was not a real high tide (unlike the one we came in on), so we crossed the bar at 9am, when it was pretty tame. As we were motoring out of the river, we were escorted by a dolphin, who stayed with us for about a third of the trip to the bar.

We ran into at Norwester blowing at around 10 knots, so up went the sails and we had a bit over half an hour of very nice sailing, before it all dropped out.

Under way, off Camden Haven

One again we were back to motor sailing, with just the main up for the first few hours, and when a light NE breeze came in we could motor sail with everything up, but the breeze never got over 10 knots and most of the time was below 5. Of course the East Coast Current was in play as well. As soon as we passed Tacking Point we ran into 2 knots of adverse current.

Port Macquarie

Our final trip stats for the day showed that we did 69 nm over the water, to cover 53 nm. So despite our best laid plans we arrived at Trial Bay at 7pm, and once again anchored in the dark.

The highlight of the day, including the magic weather, was a very large pod of dolphins that stayed with us for a few hours after Tacking Point, playfully diving all around the both and performing acrobatics alongside, off the bow, and the stern. Capturing it all in still photos was impossible, but I did get a few short video clips.

Mark and Janet were trying out their new Code Zero sail, which unfortunately required sailing in the direction of New Zealand, rather than South West Rocks, but they did give in a short run and sorted out how to set it.

We had a brief (about 30 minute) sail a little further on, before it was again necessary to turn the motor back on. We pulled sails in just before Hat Head, and motored the rest of the way.

                              Koonya having a final sail, before dropping sails off Hat Head


There is a 12 knot NE breeze blowing as we are at anchor and an incoming tide is making it not too bumpy.  Lets see what it is like when the tide changes. It later became uncomfortable for an hour or so before settling down and allowing us a good nights sleep.

A Rest Day in Laurieton

Tuesday 19th May 2015

After a good nights sleep at a quiet anchorage, we were ready to go ashore and stretch our legs. It is still overcast, but otherwise the temperature is quite mild. Heavy rain overnight appears to have gone.

The first thing you always notice when in Laurieton, is the huge pelican population.

The fishing here still seems to be very good, and the pelicans just hang around waiting for the fishermen to come in and clean their catch.

There are not a lot of boats in the river at the moment, so there are no issues about being anchored too close.

Koonya anchored just near the RSL Club

We inflated our dinghy and provided transport ashore for everyone  so we could have a walk around town, and across the bridge to Dunbogan. It was good to have a walk and we ended up having fish and chips for lunch at the fisherman's market. It is still one of the best on the coast.

The afternoon task was to get some more diesel, so we dropped the girls back on our boats, and Mark and I headed off the the local service station with 4 Jerry cans and my trolley. We both got 40 litres of additional fuel to top up our reserves. 

The sun goes down quickly here as it disappears behind "North Brother", one of the 3 coastal peaks along this part of the coast. 

The team headed off to the RSL (just inland from the wharf in the photo above) for dinner at just after 5 pm. We had a good RSL meal, and headed home in the dark with a planned departure for Trial bay tomorrow morning. Conditions are still pretty benign, but we hope for a chance to do a bit of sailing over the 50 nm trip, and then sail on to Coffs Harbour the following day. The marina at Coffs has had no vacancies for the last few days, and we have managed to book in for Thursday night.