A cool mid winters morning of...11 deg C caused this acclimated tropics dweller to rug up with a beanie, jacket etc. Sleeping on expanding foam filled flotation tanks 6"- 15" thick is also like a very thick thermal mat,
Around 8 am a 5-10 knot SSE sea breeze came in, so sailed off the anchor and could lay course for Cape Cleveland. Crossed the shipping channel doing 2-3knots as a huge bulk concentrate carrier with 2 tugboats was inbound. They first appear to be going very slowly, with almost no bow wave, but this is an illusion and half way across the channel with 5 knots of breeze (doing 2-3 knots) realized the floating monolith was closing fast (at 5-10 knots?) got an extra wind gust to get clear (was thinking about the iron tops'l a bit!) (So lesson learnt, next time better to sail the other way for 10 minutes and wait for them to pass safely)
Set the drifter which pulled Teria along at 5.5 knots, hull speed. Was overtaken by a 40 ft ish cruiser-racer doing about 6-7 knots heading for Cape Cleveland and maybe south onto Bowen?. She look brilliant under sail.
Held the drifter for 15 minutes before the wind increased to 15 knots, The wind then slowly backed to the SE then E as is usual, but unusually it abated to 5-10 knots offshore (forecast 15-20 kts) . The 2 ft waves had a 1 foot cross set, producing a bumpy confused sea with allot of sail slap, spilling all the wind, mainly from the jib. But had already gained plenty of easting sea room (thanks to early SSE land breeze) and could bear off and set the whisker pole for a broad reach for NE point, Magnetic Island.
The whisker pole stabilized the jib, allowing it to draw nicely. It worked perfectly. It also helped stabilize the main sail. (Previously the pole had a broken end fitting so never used it. These fittings cost about $80, so never repaired it. But before this trip tried a shoestring repair/hack..a plug of free wood and a 6" galvanized nail to go into the clew cringle. (Figured the wood might isolate the nail from aluminium pole? experiment on)
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Whisker pole and kayak deck storage at sea, heading for NE point (Orchid rocks), Magnetic island
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The iron tops'l was used from off Florance bay onwards, to round NE point as the wind abated running before it. The waves kept us rolling about though.
Dropped anchor in Radical bay for a lunch break. A 40ft yacht was tucked in close to the headland and beach. so i anchored a bit further along. Did some rig maintenance, sprayed the sticking sail luff slides with RP47 spray, which fixed it and was easy to haul the main up. Teria rolled around uncomfortably in the swell, so motored off after only about 20 mins there. It's probably not a good bay for a TS overnight stay as a bit exposed to the Easterly swells.
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Lunch stop at Radical bay
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| The headland for Balding Bay |
Motor-sailed around to Horseshoe Bay to anchor. . It's nearly always a calm place to TS camp aboard for a night. The cruising fraternity definitely agree. Was next to Maxim 380 cat "RePoRava" and Ketch "Saleisi". Many fine vessels were peacefully sitting on their anchor, about 30 or so. Some were reef cruising cats , others were salty world cruisers. I've never seen this anchorage so full before.
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| Anchored near the beach with the shoal draft catamarans |
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Moonrise
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Anchor lights
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Avian neighbors night roost
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| World cruisers |
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Landing area
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Beach and Bay
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| Waterfront |
Paddled ashore in the kayak, not far from the bus stop and waterfront shops. Washed a bit of salt off at the public amenities and stretched the sea legs out on the beach a bit. It was quiet on the beach. Watched the sun getting low, and checked in with home base before dusk.
Next day, Tues 7th July, saw strong 25 knot SE winds blowing, so it wasn't hard to stay an extra day. Took the kayak on a longer paddle around the bay, and there were more tourists, some also out on hire kayaks. Had to hug the shoreline to stay out of the stiff breeze getting through between the hills.
The fresh breeze never interrupted "Big Mama's" schedule, She's a family run large charter ketch that does day sailing trips out of horseshoe bay. All the other yachts remained anchored.
Ashore there was a few more people out. Evidence of Qld's SARS-cov2 health regulations everywhere. The pub's sidewalk seating was occupied (but no standing up allowed) Businesses had social distancing (1.2 m) stickers on the ground etc, al-fresco footpath outdoor (no indoor) dinning permitted. Opted for burger and chips and went to a beach side table at the lifesavers and swimming stinger net area. Even though the official virus count was zero in Townsville area, travel was back to "go anywhere in the state" and there was a few dozen or so of known (and isolated) active cases mainly around Brisbane - Gold coast area. Wearing of face masks was deemed not necessary by health authorities (except in confined public spaces, like public transport, at your own discretion) I don't go anywhere public without the pocket sized hand sanitizer handy and use it after any shop transaction.
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World cruisers and a sunbeam
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Kayaking - The anchorage is in the eastern corner of bay
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Big Mama sets sail
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| Low tide - Teria anchored (small yacht on right side) |
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