We had a fairly frantic day preparing to leave Airlie Beach but it eventually all got done. We were joined by Linda and Sharon who arrived on Saturday and were immediately put to work filling water tanks, putting on the jack stays (onto which one clips ones tethers during sea passages) and other assorted boat jobs. Finally the jobs were nearly completed and we went to the marina bar for cocktails then on to Mr Bones for a final meal. At Mr Bones they had prepared a delicious feast for us and we shall miss our meals there and all his friendly staff. By the time we finally left the marina next day we were two hours behind schedule. The wind was mainly easterly but a bit variable. We were on our way. We made for Shaw Island where we arrived in the dark but we are very familiar with the anchorages there so that was no problem. The wind forecast for the next few days was mainly favourable northerly and easterly winds so we wanted to make our way as far south as possible. We hoisted the spinnaker and charged along. However after finally furling it, the outer casing of the halyard broke and jammed on the halyard diverted so that we were unable to lower it. We lashed it to the mast to sort out later. We made our next stop Great Keppel Island, a distance of 223nm. We anchored in Long Beach at about one o'clock in the morning. It's always interesting to see exactly where you are when you wake up and see it in daylight. It's a pretty bay and there was not a breath of wind. A swim after two days of not getting undressed is the most glorious of things! By mid morning the wind had got up and gone round towards the south so we relocated to Resort Bay on the western side of the island. First thing we had to do was to sort out the spinnaker we regretted not doing it before the wind got up as it involved a trip up the mast which was no easy job for John. However we got it all sorted by moving the diverterto the spinnaker topping lift and cutting off a little under a meter of the spinnaker halyard. We went ashore after lunch and walked up to a lookout with lovely views. We were all looking forward to a cold drink from a shack on the beach on our return from our walk but when we got back there they had just locked up and were driving away. We got up early next day, had a quick swim and were off again. We had to beat into strengthening winds and made slow progress initially. However the wind gradually moved round towards the east and strengthened to about 18 knots so we reefed the main and were able to hold our course by keeping hard on the wind. Eventually in the early evening we shook out the reef and enjoyed some lovely sailing with the wind slowly becoming more northerly thus enabling us to ease the sheets. As the night wore on the wind died so that eventually, soon after midnight, we had to furl the jib and turn on the engine. By dawn the sea was flat calm with not a breath of wind. It's very beautiful but doesn't get us very far! Around midday the engine went off and the wind was soon up to 15 knots on a broad reach. To add to our pleasure and excitement Suzie caught a wonderful fish and we were able to have pan fried fillets in a lemon and cream sauce for dinner - delicious! There was enough fish for another meal which we kept to make a curry. We were aiming to sail between Fraser Island and the mainland, down the Great Sandy Strait. We have not done this before as it is very shallow in places and it means working the tides. We therefore sailed on towards the north entry point and decided to spend the night in the marina at Urangan. Fortunately the passage through the sand banks is well lit and we arrived at the marina at 9pm - just in time to have a drink and wedges at the Boat Club. We walked in totally unwashed and looking like a rather wild and woolly bunch but it was most enjoyable. Next day, after welcome showers etc, we examined our options. The really shallow part of the Straits, Sheridan Flats, is a little over half way from the top end and this is where it is particularly shallow and needs to be done on a rising tide within two hours of high water. There are some very helpful agencies along the way and I spoke to them to get the necessary information. We had intended to leave the marina and spend the night anchored at Kingfisher resort. However it was blowing quite strongly from the north and it did not look promising from the point of having a peaceful night. Thus we elected to have a lazy day and make a 4am start the next to get to the flats at 11am to work the tide across the flats. I'm not sure that I would call it a lazy day, but we had a very enjoyable and busy day. We filled a gas bottle, stowed the dingy, filled the water tanks, caught up with email, Lea and Suzie cooked the fish curry, then we walked along to the splendid pier and out to the end. We sat and had an ice cream then returned refreshed to the boat. After dinner on the water front we had an early night. We were up at first light, filled the diesel and motored out of the marina. It was flat calm as we made our way towards Sheridan Flats. We were a bit ahead of schedule for the tide so we anchored for coffee and a quick dip. The views of Fraser Island were glorious and there were swarms of butterflies - a very beautiful sight. The Flats are well marked with lateral beacons but was an interesting piece of pilotage to make our way through, watching the depth very carefully. As the numbers fell to what I would usually consider to be alarmingly low, we crept on slowly fully confident that we would get through as, of course we did. Our next night was planned to be at Garry's anchorage (yet more very shallow water to negotiate). It was very pretty. However, no sooner had we anchored and made lunch we were surrounded by thousands of small bush flies. We all decided that in spite of the beauty, we could not stay for the night as planned. So off we set again. Once out into the main channel, the wind suddenly got up from an unfriendly direction (not forecast) and we had a problem deciding where we might anchor for the night. We all agreed that we needed a good sleep after a very early start and that we wanted flat water. Finally we realised that the only place was Inskip Point which does not have a good reputation for being a peaceful place. In this case we were lucky. The wind dropped, the sea calmed, we had a lovely sunset and enjoyed the girls' magnificent fish curry, we did the crossword and had an early night. The next hurdle was the Wide Bay bar. We had a bit of a lie in as high tide was not until 1.30pm. One is advised to cross the bar on a rising tide 2-3 hours before. VMR at Tin Can Bay are very helpful. I had rung them a couple of days before to get their advice and tide times. They also supply the latest waypoint coordinates for the crossing as the sand bars are constantly shifting. They asked us to call back before setting off and they were able to tell me that a large motor boat had crossed the bar at low water a few hours earlier and had reported that it was calm and he had no difficulties crossing. We put the coordinates into our chart plotter and set off with a degree of trepidation. Although there was breaking water to starboard and I found it quite hard to stay on course as we were being pushed around. However, it was a fantastic joint navigation effort and we came out the other side with no dramas. I would not like to do it in bad weather nor in the dark! And so we set our course south. The wind had a fair bit of south in it which was not forecast so we had to put in a couple of tacks to round Double Island point. The advantage of this was that we sailed in close to Rainbow beach and the multi-coloured sand cliffs which are very beautiful. Gradually the wind went round to the East and then became more northerly. It also strengthened. We found ourselves heading a fair way off the coast keeping about 150 degrees to the wind. The advantage was that we got out into the East Australia current which gave us an extra 2-3 knots at times. By 6am the wind was constantly around 20 knots so, as it was forecast to increase even more, we put in two reefs and furled the jib a little. It barely slowed us down and we were making 8-10 knots and even just touched 13 knots as we surfed down the waves. We covered 142 nm in the first 24 hours. Considering our very slow start out over the bar then beating into a light wind, we were very pleased with our progress. Eventually we gybed back towards the coast but then we began to lose the current. The wind by then was 20-25 gusting over 30 knots. Thus we put the 3rd reef in the main and rolled the jib a little more. On The second night we eventually took the main down completely and still managed to career along at 7-8 knots. Around the middle of the night the wind died away and by morning we were motoring. As the forecast was for continuing light winds we made the decision to put into Coffs Harbour to refuel. On our way we had several great dolphin experiences but one in particular the Dolphins played along beside us while John and Lea were on watch for over an hour providing plenty of entertainment. Shortly before arriving we also saw several pods of whales - the only ones we had seen in several weeks. It must have been the stragglers making their way south back to Antarctica. Regular readers of the blog may remember that Coffs marina was all but destroyed earlier in the year, three days after we left, by the storm caused by the intense east coast low, so we were interested to see how the repairs were progressing. The marina is still closed to visiting yachtsmen but the fuel dock is still open. We arrived in about 15-20 knots and pulled up to the, refurbished fuel jetty. There was much building activity and I think that they are hoping to reopen by Christmas. The fuel dock was certainly more user friendly for yachts like us although the approach would have been very tricky in a stronger wind due to fishing boats being moored right beside it. That hopefully will change when all the work is finished. As we left the dock so did all the trawlers who barged straight ahead of us putting out their large booms as they motored out of the narrow marina entrance. Once in the outer harbour we raised our sails putting in two reefs as the sky looked suddenly very dark. We had not been out long before we were hit by high winds and some alarmingly close thunder and lightening. The rain was torrential but an hour later the wind was once again dying away and on went the motor. And so the last leg began. During our last afternoon at sea we were able to hoist the sails and have a glorious broad reach for a few hours but by sundown the wind had deserted us and we motored. We entered the Port Stephens heads not long after midnight and were safely tied up in our pen at 2am. We fell into bed after a quick tidy up but were awake again early to start tidying up the boat. Linda's brother kindly arrive with his large ute into which we piled all our boat gear and then David came to transport us. And so ended this year's sailing adventure. We had covered about 3,800 nautical miles, had some glorious sailing with many friends and had lived on the boat for nearly six months. It's good to be home. Three days later we were still rocking but that is gradually wearing off.
Dolphins playing beside us.
