Eliana, crew and I arrived yesterday safely at Scarborough Marina on the Redcliffe Peninsular Queensland, having sailed down from The Port of Bundaberg.
It was a relief to get here as the crew, an old friend of mine from up here was totally unsuited to shipboard life. While most coastal cruisers take the passage down the inside of Fraser Island then have to wait for suitable conditions to cross the potentially dangerous Wide Bay Bar we went around the outside of Fraser Island and down the coast into the top of Moreton Bay as we had an ideal northerly wind behind us. In these conditions it was far quicker, easier and I believe safer to just to go north of the Breaksea Spit and down the east side of Fraser and into Moreton Bay.
We had a pair of Boobies who hitch hiked a ride on our pulpit for the whole night.
It was a relief to get here as the crew, an old friend of mine from up here was totally unsuited to shipboard life. While most coastal cruisers take the passage down the inside of Fraser Island then have to wait for suitable conditions to cross the potentially dangerous Wide Bay Bar we went around the outside of Fraser Island and down the coast into the top of Moreton Bay as we had an ideal northerly wind behind us. In these conditions it was far quicker, easier and I believe safer to just to go north of the Breaksea Spit and down the east side of Fraser and into Moreton Bay.
We had a pair of Boobies who hitch hiked a ride on our pulpit for the whole night.
I was very tempted to continue on down the outside of Moreton to Southport which would have been far easier ,safer and less stressful than negotiating busy shipping channels at night, trying to slow the boat down with a strengthening wind behind us in order to arrive in daylight to negotiate the Skirmish Passage at the bottom of Bribie Island in daylight and with sufficiently high tide in order not to run aground.
However, I had a number of reasons for bringing the boat here where I will leave her until October.
It was slow and painful not taking full advantage of the northerly as Eliana proceeded past anchored ships and others passing either side of us but we proceeded at 2-3 knots with a triple reefed mainsail only, sheeted hard amidships and the motor in reverse !
Once daylight appeared at 0530 I was able to relax a little, take the shipping channel then the Skirmish Passage on a rising tide and around the bottom of Bribie Island into Deception Bay and down the channel into Scarborough Marina where I had been four years earlier.
Tony Gibbs who built Eliana lives here and I hope to catch up with him soon and have a few drinks at the Moreton Bay Boat Club next door.
Last night after heating up some left overs and drinking the last of the excellent "Chirping Bird" Shiraz which a fellow yachty, come winemaker from Mornington kindly gave me at Bundaberg, I was too tired to go and have a much needed shower having had only about seven hours sleep in the last two days so collapsed into my bunk.
This morning the southerly wind is with us as the B.OM. predicted and after some thunder showers last night the sun is out again. It's not as warm and relaxed as Bundaberg but my beloved boat is another step closer to getting home.
However, I had a number of reasons for bringing the boat here where I will leave her until October.
It was slow and painful not taking full advantage of the northerly as Eliana proceeded past anchored ships and others passing either side of us but we proceeded at 2-3 knots with a triple reefed mainsail only, sheeted hard amidships and the motor in reverse !
Once daylight appeared at 0530 I was able to relax a little, take the shipping channel then the Skirmish Passage on a rising tide and around the bottom of Bribie Island into Deception Bay and down the channel into Scarborough Marina where I had been four years earlier.
Tony Gibbs who built Eliana lives here and I hope to catch up with him soon and have a few drinks at the Moreton Bay Boat Club next door.
Last night after heating up some left overs and drinking the last of the excellent "Chirping Bird" Shiraz which a fellow yachty, come winemaker from Mornington kindly gave me at Bundaberg, I was too tired to go and have a much needed shower having had only about seven hours sleep in the last two days so collapsed into my bunk.
This morning the southerly wind is with us as the B.OM. predicted and after some thunder showers last night the sun is out again. It's not as warm and relaxed as Bundaberg but my beloved boat is another step closer to getting home.
Safe in the harbour at last
