twilight sail 2 and Bimini test (Trip #8, Day1)

Around 2pm the Teria was launched at the old Barnicle street boat ramp ("national Park" ramp - it is the second ramp described in Fishing Townsville's post,  newer ramp has a steeper gradient.  The old gentler gradient ramp is the first ramp as you drive in,) It went well, thanks to the new sliding plastic on timber aft bilge crutches (aka "bunks"). A few shoves on the bow dislodged the hull from it's grip and she slid away smoothly after that, with a big long haul/hang on the painter line to stop 1 ton of boat and gear which generated a fair bit of inertia. Pulled Teria back in to hop aboard and start the engine ok, but the throttle was stuck at idle speed!! This was enough to reach the pontoon to tie up so the trailer could be parked. Then idled away along the estuary towards the river mouth. Once clear of things like moored boats, took the outboard cowl off to try and free the throttle,,quickest best i could do was to push the throttle linkage and gain a few revs which allowed a respectable 3 knots hull speed. Tho this was tiring and had to rest and idle away frequently. The thought of cancelling the entire trip crossed my mind, but Teria is primarily a sailboat and there was wind so kept going.

Once rigged up, motor-sailing was used to clear Ross river. Tacking in a confined channel about 50-60m wide as the wind was coming almost straight down the channel. The bimini top was also raised and quickly proved itself in the confined waters, no hindrance to working the boat while providing excellent shade. Once clear a 10 knot Easterly was enough to starboard tack to windward and clear the sugar loading terminals wharf which just out to seaward of the main breakwalls of the port.

Dropped the bimini then main-sail in the ship swing basin and made it to the  pontoon to pick up the family  on time. Rex, our terrier, needed a bit of a carry to get past the expanded mesh walkway and aboard, 9 kg's is a good size for a sea dog, easy to get them on or off a boat. For the next upwind motor the boat hook was employed to push the throttle linkage which was far easier to maintain, it probably didn't look too good to the casual observer but minutes later we were away,  minutes later we were reaching clear of the entrance under full sail.

The western break-wall was rounded ,  a few tacks on the smooth "Duckpond" (haven't seen any ducks yet!) were made before anchoring in the SE corner. Dusk was falling and a cool breeze swept the cockpit area, so half raised the bimini so it acted as a windshield (or dodger), so the cockpit became a fair bit more comfy for dinner with almost no windchill factor.

Townsville western break-wall harbor

Twilight western break-wall harbor

Sunday ended all too soon and time to get ashore. Instead of the pontoon landing we tried our first night-time beach landing as it wasn't far from where we were plus the outboard throttle problem remained. The nearest beach is "tiny beach" in the SE and windward corner of the duckpond.

A bright torch - spot light was very handy, also the tide had risen and covered tiny beach up so only rocks remained. With lookout on the bow and we navigated to the right spot, i swung under the bow rail and stood on the sand of tiny beach which was about 1 foot below the seas surface and held the bow. The wind was from the E-SE which blew the hull downwind away from the rocks. Everyone got ashore ok.

Port lights