Motored off from the Duckpond anchor at 8am, cleared the yachts, then set sail northbound for West Point, Magnetic Island about 7 nm away. A 10-15 knot easterly drove Teria along at 5 knots on a broad-reach. The tiller-pilot steered most of the way, as the waves were small in the lee side of Magnetic Island, so the bimini was up too.
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| Magnetic Island to windward |
Passed to leeward of middle reef. "Sailfree GPS" app on my Samsung A5 mobile phone was good for boatspeed readout and a simple nav map. (My Garmin GPS had a better more detailed nautical chart, but a smaller screen). Then had to make sure we stayed away from the Islands extensive reef flats. (The sounder also helped with this, it was 22 - 30 feet deep, a rising tide)
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| West point ahead |
Passed West Point, several hundred meters off.
Not many boats out. Spotted two aluminium fishing dinghys ("Tinnie's") were pulled up at the beach and crossed paths with a 40 ft cruising Catamaran motor/sailing towards Townsville from up north.
Around the headland ahead, it was all whitecaps, a sign of things to come. Suddenly, Teria was half-knocked down by a bullet of wind (heeled over to 45 degrees). Luffed up and spilled wind from the sails, sailed on into it a bit more but it was a bit too rough, so tacked and got back into the calm area near West Point to change the trip plan. (Was Horseshoe Bay)
(At west point in ENE - Easters' seems like the Island bends winds around it on both sides, so its ahead either way you go. The seaward north coast had 2-3 ft waves but the mainlandward coast is more sheltered with under 1 foot waves to bash into.)
The calm area was a safe place to reef the mainsail down and change the jib down to #2 then furled it. (tillerpilot helped). Also dropped and furled the bimini. Headed southwards, under motor and reefed main. This allowed Teria to point high at 4 knots and stay in the channel between the fringing reef-edge and to windward of middle reef. Spray was soon flying over the windward gunwales and cabintop.
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| Sailing route near West Point |
Once clear of the reefs, we sailed close-hauled on port tack at 3-4 knots, with spray was still flying but not as much once out in the open water. Down below the windward window was leaking like a sieve, a seawater was pouring onto my bunk. So folded the bunk swab away, and setup a bucket ontop of soaked teatowels to catch the flow.
We were well to windward of the Duckpond and Port entrance, so kept going south past the port and decided to head back home as it was easy to reach Ross River. The ebb flow vs wind/seas was happening in the Ross River entrance, so dropped the main while hove-to offshore. (Didn't want a reapeat of the stern to sea rig-up) Furled the jib and motored back in. The breaking waves were ok, did about 2-3 knots over the ground (1-2 knot outflow), stuck close to the seawall (12-15ft deep) where the breaking waves were weaker (bit like a "rip" at a surf beach).
Anchored off secret beach, in a small bay which was protected by the end of the seawall. (The old protective sand bar was gone, coastal erosion sometime during the past year. It may have been caused by a combination of a cyclone and the new seawall extension, altering the sea/rivers' currents and sand deposition ?). Anchored in 6 ft depth on a falling half tide, enough time to de-rig quickly and head in.
It good to get back into the deeper channel, under the bridge, into estuarine waters and the boat ramp.
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| Ross River channel entry |
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| Teria's track on day 2 |
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