Mackay

Sunset Salute - Hexham Island

It's been several days since we've logged in. We've been a bit lazy about using our single side band radio for blog transmissions as we sometimes have data service here in these close-to-shore islands, and if we have it, we use it. At the moment, we have no data service, but on the outside chance somewhere along the way that we pick up a signal, this email is sitting in the outbox ready to send to the blog.  I'll fix it up and add some pictures when we get into port.

Here are the missing days: 

Saturday, May 19, 2012 - Fresh Water Bay 

S   22 38.764 
E 150 47.311 

We left Great Keppel Island around 0800 with three possible destinations depending on wind, sea, and personal stamina. Russ is still pulling up the anchor by hand as the windlass still refuses to work. We have decided to go the shortest destination to give us some time in what we hope will be a calm anchorage so that Russ can try to repair the windless. It's difficult to hang in the anchor locker if we are rolling around. Fresh Water Bay is off the mainland in a military zone, currently not under training fire. We listen to daily mariner reports for weather and active military training areas. We are clear to enter the bay even though the bay has a big danger bill board on the beach. It is low tide as we enter the bay around 1500, so we try to get in as close to the beach and around the corner from the sea swell as possible. Seems pretty good.

There is a hooked peninsula and large rock with a land bridge at low tide. We position ourselves so that we are more behind the rock than the bridge so that when the tide comes back over the bridge we will still be in the lee of the rock island....good idea...nope! When the tide came up, the rolling swell which was 2 meters high rounded the rock from both directions, and we found ourselves in the agitation cycle of a washing machine.

We looked around at other boats in the bay and all of them were rocking. The flopper stopper was buried under the bed and since we were getting swell from both directions, it wouldn't have worked well anyway, so we resolved ourselves to a miserable night. I wind up sleeping in the upper saloon bracing my self perpendicular to the beam so that I am being rocked from head to toe instead of side to side. Russ positions himself diagonally across the bed. WW creaks, moans, and rolls all night. By 5:00 am, we are both up and groggy.

The sunrise is beautiful. We still haven't got the windless fixed, so once again, it's a manual pull. We are on our way by 8:00. The wind is 20+ knots off our stern quarter, and the combined sea state of swell and wind waves is 2-3 meters from beam to stern. After a boisterous sail, we arrive at Pearl Bay and hope this will be a calm enough place to work on the windless.

Sunday, May 20, 2012 - To Pearl Bay 

S   22 26.700 
E 150 44.031 

1100
To get in to Pearl Bay we must go through a fairly narrow notch between the peninsula and a large rock island with a fringing reef. The wind and surf are pushing us through the notch at 8 knots, but the tide is going out so there is some backwash. I am at the helm and my heart is pounding, and then whoosh we're in and the world slows down. We are about 1 hour into a dropping tide as we set anchor in the crook of the peninsula in 14 feet of calm water. A sea turtle surfaces, looks us over and drops back into the sea.

The tide is expected to drop about three meters, and we think we will still have a foot or two of water under the keel. About mid-low tide I get panicky as our depth sounder is showing 8 feet of water. We draft 6.3 feet, so according to our fish finder we may be sitting on the bottom by the time the tide reaches its low in three more hours. We recalculate to make sure we don't have any errors, and Russ pulls out his Nantucket Sounder (weighted line with knots every six feet) and drops it in the water.

There is a two foot difference in the electronic depth sounder which records at the top of the keel on the bottom of the hull and the sounder from the water line to the bottom. We relax a little knowing we have more water under us than indicated by the depth sounder. By low tide and several intermediate check points, our depth sounder is reading six feet and the traditional sounder, 8 feet. We have a little over a foot of water under the keel. Phew!

As the sun goes down, we notice that our main depth sounder which has had a dark screen for the last week, now has a lit screen. Magic at work again. The water is calm enough for Russ to get the windlass working. Yeah! I do some laundry and hang it out to dry. The gusting wind dries almost everything in an hour. Three other boats join us in the anchorage. We spend a peaceful evening listening to an audio book and relaxing with a beef terriaki stir fry, glass of red wine, and the gentle rock of the hull on the water.

 Monday, May 21, 2012 - To Hexham Bay

After a peaceful night and a morning rain shower with a lovely rainbow, we are on our way to Hexham Island. We have a north current, that is pushing us a long a little faster than we anticipated. The windless fired up just fine, and we pulled up the anchor with no problems. Our main depth sounder is also mysteriously working again, after the factory reps claimed it as a goner and Russ ordered a new one, that we will pick up in Mackay. Guess we'll have a spare now, which will bring us to four....the one on the top deck, the main on in the pilot house, Russ's Nantucket Sounder (which appears to be the most accurate, at least while we are not moving, and the one we have ordered. Redundancy is a good thing.)

Update on Monday: Arrived at Hexham Bay at 1300 hours and anchored in 20 feet of water. Both depth sounders are in close agreement. We are the only boat here which is okay with us as this is a small. anchorage. It seems pretty calm right now with little swell and light winds. The rocky islands are a haven for birds.

S   22 00.770 
E 150 21.803 

We have a beautiful sunset to the west. Coming in from the south east there is a band of dark clouds laden with moisture.

Big Ugly Enters the Scene

Most of it goes behind us. By 9:00 pm, the winds start to pick up, gusting to 26 knots and rain starts to fall. We must be catching the tail end of this storm. Our anchor holds well and we retire for the night, but neither of us sleeps real well. I wake around one in the morning. It is still windy, but the stars are now twinkling above us, and we haven't strayed out of our anchor proximity. All is well.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - To Middle Percy Island

We are dressed, fed, and pulling anchor at 0730. The pilothouse depth sounder that magically started working yesterday, has magically stopped again this morning. That's the problem with magic, it can't be trusted. So it's a good thing we have a new depth sounder waiting for us in Mackay, about three more days away. We have some salad fixings left, one apple, and some zuchinni, so am looking forward to some fresh fresh produce. I pull out some pork chops, chicken kabobs, and bacon from the freezer. We have lots of protein. From Hexham Island we can see our next destination 20 miles away, Middle Percy Island. Maybe we'll have some access to Internet there. Middle Percy disappears under a dark band of rain. I take down the sunscreens so our windows will get a good wash down and we move to the pilothouse where we still dry. We get a little rain, but nothing but a sprinkle. Guess we won't be filling up our water tank.

The wind is light and once again we find ourselves happily motoring with a nice current pushing us to Middle Percy Island. We drop anchor at 1115 in 20 feet of water. It is high tide, so when the tide goes down the expected 11 feet we should still have 9 feet under us. So far we are the only boat in the bay, but a 28 foot boat with two adults and two children under 4 years of age pull in under sail shortly after we do. We later meet this family from Cairns, who just bought this boat in Gladstone three days ago and are sailing it back to Cairns. Good on ya! Katie and Cary. You're braver than we are!

Our anchor position is:

S   21 39.138 

E 150 14.167 

There is a large tin roof hut on the beach, and we are prepared for our visit to the hut where sailors around the world leave a momento. We have a well worn, tropically sweat-stained ball cap that has Worrall Wind embroidered on the front. We use a permanent marker to write the date and our names. We dinghied onto the beach, and as the tide was ebbing, we left the dinghy on the beach just above the water, placing the dinghy anchor just above the high water mark. This is only a an extra measure should we become lost on the island and not able to return until after the next high tide.

We enjoyed the momento hut (Percy Hilton) and left the hat hanging on a piece of drift wood that another yacht had left. 

After leaving our contribution and signing the guest book, Russ and I explored the island walking several miles, visiting the boat harbor in a mangrove lagoon, and climbing the hill overlooking the southern coast line.

We saw a couple of small wallaby like creatures, perhaps pademelon and a large wallaby/kangaroo with a yellow snout and light grey fur. There were black crows bouncing from limb to limb above our heads on the gum and pandana trees watching our every move and broadcasting our movements with loud caws. I had visions of them swooping down and attacking us, but they just followed and kept a respectful distance.

We would have continued toward the "homestead"' but it was sprinkling and there was a long line of dark clouds blowing our way. It seemed to be a good time to turn around and we did.

Returning to Boat Before the Storm

We returned to Worrall Wind after meeting our anchor neighbors on the beach.  Cary and Katie have 2 children Mackenzie 4 and Ari 2 aboard with them.  They bought a used 28 foot sailboat. (ViJa) in Gladstone three days ago and are sailing it home up to Cairns. As we stand talking on the beach, the midges (no see-ums) come out and start to eat us!  Back to the boat.

We bar-b-qued chicken kabobs for a salad dinner tomorrow night, and pork chops for tonight. The wind at the moment is quiet as are the swells. I hope we sleep well tonight. We are off to Digby Island tomorrow (Wednesday), and Mackay on Thursday. We are looking forward to a town, Internet, fresh provisions, refilling the water and fuel tanks, disposing of our garbage, picking up our new depth sounder, and a couple of peaceful nights sleep in a marina.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 - To Digby Island

We woke up this morning and got on our sail path by 8:15. It's an overcast day, with showers and a southeast wind about 15 knots. We lop along with reefed main and poled jib at about five knots. The young family we met yesterday left before we did with a destination farther north, but about 10:00 am, we heard them make a distress call and request for assistance. Their propeller shaft isn't working, a sheared pin, or so they think.

We called them to see if we could be of assistance. They are not taking on water. Instead of making an overnight run to Mackay, they change course to Digby Island where Russ can give them a hand if the shaft is fixable. We arrived at Digby about 1:00 and by 3:00, the other boat sailed in, dropped sail and threw in the anchor. The bay is protected from a southeast wind, but not so from the east or north east. Passing squalls squirrel the wind around and we've found ourselves facing all directions but west. So the anchorage is a lttle rolly, but so far not nearly as bad as Great Keppel or Freshwater Bay.

Current position at anchor:


S   21 29.585 
E 149 54.707 

Once Cary more thoroughly examined the problem on ViJa, he decided he could not repair the shaft and would need to sail ViJa to Mackay and have it repaired after all. They contacted the Coast Guard and reported their plan and requested tow assistance when they were within a mile of Mackay. With that decision made, the family came to visit on Worrall Wind while the wind and weather continued to deteriorate despite the gribs that indicated the winds would die to less than 10 knots. It was gusting thirty knots and raining. At least not sailing tonight was probably a good decision.

We enjoyed a glass of wine and some appetizers. The children loved playing with Fluffy, my Purrfect boat kitty. All to soon, it was time for them to return to their boat in the blustery night.

Mackenzie, Ari, and Purrrfect Fluffy

Ari and Purrrrrfect Fluffy

We will all be getting up early in the morning for a long sail to Mackay about 46 miles. Could be a slow sail if the winds die down as expected or a fast one, if they continue as they are tonight.

Thursday, May 24, 2012 - To Mackay

It was a windy night and it looks like today is going to be nasty weather. It's 100 percent overcast with very dark clouds engulfing the horizon in which we are traveling. The wind is blowing 25 knots and gusting to 30. Swell is about 1 meter and wind waves are another meter or so on top. Not at all what our weather forecast was showing last night. We pulled anchor just about 0645.  We had our own little drama pulling the anchor that resulted in a twisted anchor shaft.  Nevertheless, we got it up and stood at ready in case ViJa had any problems pulling up their anchor and getting underway. No problems for them and everyone is currently underway.

We have 46 miles to sail today, and it's a rough start, but we are sailing at 6-7 knots with a small jib and triple reefed main. Seems that Cary and Katie are novice to their boat, but have enough sailing and mechanical wherewithal to to do what they need to do to get the boat safely to Mackay. 9:00 a.m. (12 miles toward destination, about 32 miles to go)

S   21 20.153 
E 149 47.984 

The wind has calmed down to about 20 knots and the sun is peeking through the shroud of grey. We just passed by a rock island on our port side too close for comfort with a side current pushing us faster toward the island than the wind speed and sails were pushing us past. We fired up the engine to counter the current and skinnied by. ViJa is about a mile or two to our starboard, so hopefully she will pass without problem as she has no motor assist. We're making good time. By the time we get outside of Mackay the wind is only a couple of knots.

We arrive in Mackay by 4:00 and are in our slip, W27 by 4:15, and have checked into the Marina Office and gotten our key by the time they close at 4:30.  We walk over to marine rescue.  They have just sent out a boat to tow in ViJa who was an hour or so behind us.  We have yet to hear from them, but am assuming they have or will be arriving here soon.  We catch up with some of our new cruising friends from Scarborough Marina.  One recommends a place for dinner, and the other we will share a rental car with us to do some shopping.

So now it's time for a cold beer, a shower, and a night out.

All is Well With the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.

Leaving Great Keppel Island Tomorrow

Friday, May 18, 2012


After spending a few days on the boat rolling around in the bay, fixing projects, reading books (read Girl on Fire and Mockingjay the two sequels to Hunger Games..great reads!), and enjoying the scenery, we decided to venture to shore today for a hike.  Today is the first day the wind has calmed down enough where we felt like going outside.

Even so, by the time we got to shore I was soaking wet from dinghy and wind wave spray....oh the joy of sitting in front.  We met up with Ingi and Burt on Boree, and another couple Peter and Jaclyne on Ahu.  The folks on Ahu had been here last year and knew their way around the Island.  The six of us walked up the beach and over a small saddle to the other side of the island where we had lunch at a restaurant at a small backpacker type resort.  The food was good and the cold beer outstanding.

Still Party Pretty

After lunch we explored this commercial side of the island.  It's quite lovely, but much of the resort area is currently closed down.  Too bad.  It's a beautiful spot with fabulous white beaches.

We understand that there is a proposed development for more units, golf course, and marina on this side of the island, but there is some wrangling go on between the developers and the environmentalists.

Part of the Island is National Park and the other part of the Island is private/commercial.  Hope some compromise can be worked out.

We've enjoyed our stay, but tomorrow at 0730, we're continuing our journey north.  We are headed toward Pearl Bay, but may stop before that at a couple of other bays of interest.  Follow our progress on SPOT.  We'll turn him on when we leave.

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind

Arrived and Anchored at Great Keppel Island

Great Keppel Island - Hook Is Down -Time for a Nap!

Latitude: 23 09.360 S                          
Longitude: 150 57.101 E

Day 4, Tuesday, May 15, 2012:  

8:30 a.m. Dropped the hook in 18 feet of sandy bottom with good holding at mid-ebb tide. Expect to lose another 4 feet under us before the low. The bay is quite large, water is clear enough to see lots of fish swimming under the boat. Currently there are seven other boats in the bay with us. The wind is blowing about 12 knots from the south in the bay. It was blowing 18-20 before we got in the lee of the island. The wind generator is providing us with good power today.

You can go to Google earth and key in the latitude and longitude above and get a fix on our location. For the most part, it's been a good sail. Had a great wind last night that blew us right up the course line.

Great Kepple will be a good place to rest up for a few days after three nights at sea. The hills are green with trees, no palms yet, and a wide arching beach. From here up to the Whitsundays it should be mostly day hops from dawn to dusk. I'll post a few photos maybe later today after a nap.

All is well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind.

Day 3 - Gave Lady Musgrave a Pass Today

Day 3 - Sunset as we head to Great Keppel Island

Monday, May 14, 2012

End of Day 2:

We continued motoring as the wind just wasn't strong enough to move us along. Our main was double reefed into the night in the event the wind picked up. As the evening progressed, the winds and waves did start to pick up. Our peaceful night on Day 1 was followed by a wild ride on night 2. There were no clouds, but up to 28 knots of wind across the bow, some swell coming from the east and six feet wind waves from the west rocking us to and fro.

We decide to spill some of the wind from the sail to heel less and continue to motor slowly to stay on our course and to help keep the boat more stable. I moved from the stateroom in the back to the sea berth mid ship, sleeping in bits and pieces. The wind was howling, the boat was creaking and groaning, so I put in my ear plugs.

Day 3 Begins:

Seas are a bit rough - Can Barely See Island in Lady Musgrave Reef

About 5:30 Russ woke me up telling me our engine alarm was going off and the engine was overheating. I staggered up to the pilothouse to see how I could help. First we obviously needed to turn off the engine, but that entailed me, stoppimg the engine (pushing a button and turning the key - the easy job), while Russ belly crawled across the engine as quickly as possible, to close the exhaust and engine thru hulls so we wouldn't syphon any water into the engine. After three previous engine de-waterings, we've been there, done that, and didn't want to do that again.

We got our gear on and went outside to adjust the sails. We were slammed with a couple of swells that drenched us as we made our way to the fan tail. After pulling out some jib, and setting up Hydie ,we came back in so that Russ could do some trouble shooting. The good news, there is no water or leaking coolant in the engine room. The problem is most likely the new impellor Russ installed. It doesn't seem to be able to reprime itself after a deep heel and the thru hull sucks in air, creating an airlock and preventing the cool water to circulate and come out. So in these extreme rolls, the engine is going to need Russ to help reprime. We need the engine to get into Lady Musgrave's narrow channel and to navigate around the coral heads.

Passing By - So Much Salt on Windows We Can Hardly See

We heave to on the leeside of Lady Muskgrave Reef, where we wait for the low slack tide around 10:00 a.m. In the meantime, we make a radio call to the boats inside the reef to ask the conditions. One boat has just left, and another boat answers back and says they too are leaving. Too much wind and chop. They are just waiting for the sun to come up higher for better coral head visibility and the chop isn't helping.

So we look at each other and say "Pass". Given the wind and wave conditions, narrow entrance, coral heads we might not be able to see, boats exiting, and a temperamental engine cooling system, we decide to sail around and change directions to Great Kepple Island, another 18 hour sail. We are not thrilled with another day and night on the sea, but we decide that's the best alternative.

The wind and seas are expected to calm down later in the day, and they do. We are now close enough to the shoreline that we are finally within cell and Internet range, so it's time to send this off.

It's almost time for Russ's watch. It's 12:41 p.m.

All is well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind

Day 2, Scarborough to Lady Musgrave

Mother's Day Sunset

The wind and sea were negligible last night. The sky was clear and filled with stars. Our bow wake twinkled with fosforescente stars of the sea. We motored and slept well when not on watch. The moon rose about 11:15 p.m. It came out of the eastern sea like a wine glass half full of golden red lava, and paled two a wheat gold as it rose higher in the sky. The air was cool but not cold. Absolutely a gorgeous night.

Russ got the running lights fixed just before dusk, and magically the radar started to work on its own accord about the same time, so going into the night knowing our systems were working took the stress off and we could just enjoy the evening. We had baked pesto-mozzerella portobello mushrooms for dinner and dark chocolate for dessert. No wine while we're sailing though....oh the hardships of the sea.

It is now about 2:00 p.m.on day 2, another cloudless sunny day about 68 degrees. The wind has come up to about 14 knots, the motor is off, Hydie our windvane steering system is keeping us on course as we track north at about 4.5 knots with three sails up. We have a head current pushing the bow eastward and slowing us down a bit, but we hope to make it up when/if the wind picks up this evening. We still plan to arrive at the reef tomorrow morning.

Russ is taking a siesta. I slept until 8:00 this morning...it's Mother's Day! I don't remember what we were doing last year on Mother's Day, but 2 years ago, we were spending our first full day on Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands after a long Pacific crossing. Exciting times. Our son and daughter-in-law were with us. Mother's Day is so much better when the kids are actually around. I know my Mom feels the same way. Love you Mom!

That's it for now. We are about 12 miles offshore and still getting sporadic cell coverage, so will try and post this on the Internet.

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's on the Sailing Vessel Worrall Wind

Casting Off and Leaving the Safe Harbor

2 Sail R's, Roz and Russ at the Beginning of 2012 Sailing Season to Whitsunday Islands

Day 1:
We cast off the bowlines at 7:35 this morning, May 12 2012 after our usual restless night of pre-journey jitters. We worked from dawn to dusk yesterday, taking down sunscreens, washing the decks, tying down gear, stowing away loose objects, stuffing cuboards with sponges and rolls of paper towels to keep things from rattling, fillong the water tank, and checking systems.

Out the Scarborough Channel

The morning dawned without a cloud in the sky or a breezy ripple on the water. We are currently motoring and finding that some of the systems working yesterday are a bit problematic this morning..both depth sounders started and stopped (one is now up and the other still down) AIS wasn't working but is now with a reconfiguaration, and the radar isn't working at the moment, our green running light seems loose, and this and that. Should have this all figured out by lunch, we hope.

Swimming Beaches - Protected by string of shark nets off the coast with yellow buoys

Day 1 Sunset

We went out to dinner with Burt and Ingi on SV Boree and Brian and Jodon on SV El Regalo at the Morton Bay boat club. Burt and Ingi are headed north a day behind us. Brian and Jodon have sold their boat and will be headed back home to Texas after a few momths of travel in Australia. So happy sails and happy trails to everyone as we go our different ways.

If you want to follow our progress, click on Find Me Spot in the left column of the blog under Where in the Worrall???. We are currently motoring and headed to Lady Musgrave Reef which is about 240 nautical miles away.

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind

Leaving Tomorrow for Great Barrier Reef

Friday, May 11, 2011

Not sure we will have time to post anything tomorrow (Saturday) as we plan to leave fairly early in the morning.  We are headed to Lady Musgrave Reef which will take us about 48 hours going fairly slowly. It's about 25 miles offshore.  Estimated time of our arrival there is Monday morning.   There aren't a lot of winds predicted until Monday and then some seas as well, so we should be tucked into the reef by then.

Our list with the exception of fixing our little refrigerator has been pretty much checked off.  I guess we will have to make do with the one fridge as our part didn't come in on time.  C'est la vie!  I'll turn Spot on in the morning if you are interested in tracking us.

Happy Mother's Day Mom, and to all of you other wonderful mothers out there.  Cheers!

All is well with the 2 Sail R's aboard SV Worrall Wind

Before and After WW's Bottom Cleaned

Tuesday, May 8 to Wednesday, May 9 - Scarborough Haul Out

Loads of jelly fish and the possibility of trolling sharks in the marina kept us out of the water to dive on the boat and do routine maintenance. We decided to have the boat hauled out for 48 hours for a quick look over, zinc change,  and touch up.  Sure glad we did!

The bottom paint looked pretty good, but needed some touch up here and there around the waterline.

What was really a shocker was the condition of our propeller, bow thruster, and rudder mount.  The critters were having a real picnic.  Almost 1 year to the day, we had had a complete cleanup and bottom job.  The water in the marina in New Caledonia and here has not been the cleanest, plus we have been just sitting and stagnating.  We contracted with the boat yard to do the cleanup work.  Here are some of the before and after photographs.

Bow Thruster Before

Bow Thruster After

Is that the Prop?!  Crikey!

So Encrusted - The Folding Prop Couldn't Open!

Major Case of Prop Constipation

After Pressure Wash

After Prop Speed Sealant Applied

Aaaaah!  Much Better!

Rudder Mount Before

Rudder Mount After Pressure Wash

Rudder Mount After Touchup

While the boat yard worked on the bottom, Russ polished the hull, and I stowed the $800.00 worth of non-perishable galley goods we purchased the day before.  By 1:00 p.m., about 28 hours after haul out we are ready to go back in the water!

This needed to be a quick in and out as our freezer and refrigerator do not work while we are out of the water.....they are a keel cooled system which means the keel needs to be in water.  Additionally, while we were able to sleep on the boat and have electricity, we can't use any of our water and let it drain out because the bottom of the boat needs to stay dry.  So after 24 hours plus, things are starting to warm up and the sink is full of dirty dishes.

We are just waiting now to splash down.

All is Well with the 2 Sail R's on SV Worrall Wind

Count Down. Sailing to Whitsundays...This Week.

We are finishing up our projects, provisioning, getting hauled out, bottom washed, zincs checked, prop cleaned, and anti-fouling bottom paint touched up this week.  Weather and tides permitting, we hope to take off this coming Saturday, May 12, and head north towards the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

Once we leave, we will be traveling for about 2 weeks with some overnight passages and day sails to various anchorages along the way.

Needless to say we are getting excited about our trip, looking forward to warmer waters, snorkeling, diving, and entertaining visiting family and friends this season.   At the same time there is always an anxiety of throwing off the bowlines and leaving a safe harbor.   Only a few more days of no-worries sleep, long walks, bicycle rides, and being connected to the Internet.

We'll turn on Spot so you can track our journey.

All is well with the 2 Sail R's aboard SV Worrall Wind.