2020, the Covid 19 epidemic shut down most of our outdoor activities in Queensland from about Feburary to May (first wave). International and State border restrictions plus other measures such as, closing shops, stopping large crowd gatherings, quarantining, isolating, heavy testing and contact tracing have bought the active cases down to a handful (in isolation) for a population of 5 million people. The far North's geographical isolation, low population density and outdoor lifestyle helped us further.
The boat ramps and National Parks reopened. So a few weeks later it was safe to venture out again.
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| Final preparations - Testing the river motoring mast raise crutch, outboard run and recharging 12v battery. |
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| Checking weather forecast and tides |
So on Sunday 5th July Teria was back in the sea for a 4 day cruise to Magnetic Island.
This time launched at the recently built $25m Townsville recreational boat park for the first time. The rebuilt modified trailer operated very smoothly. It went in far deeper than before so the boat almost floated off, the keel rollers turned easily and the winch had to be used in reverse, to lower the boat down gradually.! (a far cry from the energetic pushing and shoving when it was stuck fast on the old trailer every trip)
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| Ross River Recreational Boating Park (RRRBP) |
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| Launching Teria - she almost floats off now |
The ramps have center-line floating pontoon docks and ramp gradient was perhaps a bit steeper than the old ramp. There was a choice of 4 pontoon/ramps (each with 4 lanes! so 16 ramp lanes..only a few boat there) so chose one that was sheltered with room to maneuver away)
Soon Teria was doing test runs of the new motor, up and down the Ross River with my daughter and her friends aboard. It cruised at 5 knots with about half throttle of the 6 HP available. After they were driven home by my wife, i head off for another solo trip.
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| Dropped the crew off at Pontoon B, there are 4 floating pontoons for 16 ramp lanes. Plus another floating dock behind Pontoon B for crew and gear transfer. |
The anchorage seemed to be unusually full, so decided to anchor the night around at the Duckpond a couple of miles away. Teria was rigged up outside the Port Bridge and motor-sailed out into abating 15 knot head winds with an outgoing tide standing the waves up sharply.
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| Route from RRRBP (ramp) , under port bridge, mast rigging area. Note red line shows new rockwall under construction |
Passed a marine construction site for the Port of Townsville. Large excavators and trucks were adding tonnes of rock to a new break wall extension at the mouth of Ross river. They were about 100 plus meters out from the SE corner of the ports last reclaimed land. The rockwall level was still quite low, just surfacing at low tide, so at higher tide a bottom holing temporary artificial reef would be there. The channel is well marked so basically don't try to cut that corner for a few months (and update charts etc)! Its the beginning of a huge port land expansion project to seaward of the existing wall.
The wind kept dropping under 5 knots but a very uncomfortable lumpy confused sea caused by rebound off the ports breakwall made the sails slat around badly. So furled and motored on easily, the sailboat propeller at the end of the deep ultra-long shaft works brilliantly in bad conditions like this.
"The Duckpond" is a great overnight anchorage, it is used by live-aboard cruising yachts and motor-launches etc with cheaper mooring rates than the 2 marinas nearby. The sea surface in there is usually dead flat (hence the nickname), and there's almost no powerboat wake, so a trailer sailer won't have any rolling to disturb cooking dinner or a nights sleep. (No ducks, but plenty of seagulls screeching on the breakwall)
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| Moonset over "Duck Pond" Townsville |
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