Storms and Delays

Another approaching storm blots out a sunset

Coffs Harbour is a pretty little town, which looks nothing like the last time I was here over 30 years ago. 

A safe sheltered beach nestles in the safe embrace of two breakwaters. A great spot enjoyed by many, from toddlers to adults, swimmers, kayakers and sun-bakers. It is also a great spot for mariners, seeking a sheltered anchorage.

There's an island called Muttonbird Is at the end of the northern breakwater. There is a popular walk up the steep slopes of this island for people wanting to see Muttonbirds - or to get fit. I prefer to think they are interested in the birds. The Muttonbirds (Shearwaters) fly over 15,000ks each year on their migration to breed. They use the same burrow to nest in and usually have the same mate. The young leave several weeks after the adults and only about half of them survive the first migration. 

We spent several days here, waiting for the southerlies to pass us by. The arrival of the southerlies occurred in the middle of the night (natures sense of humour).

 Ian, being a light sleeper, was woken by the boat being buffeted by the violent rocking motion of the boat. 
I slept. 
Ian checked that all was well outside. 
It wasn't. 
Ian woke me up (brave man).

We were dragging anchor, drifting ever nearer to the pier, which was a lot more robust than our boat. It was time to relocate a safer distance and throw a bit of extra anchor chain out.

I went back to bed and slept.
Ian went back to bed and didn't.

This rusty old trawler wasn't deterred by the wind warnings issued, while others, much more flash, stayed in the marina. 

He was probably taking advantage of the fact that there would be a prawn shortage for Xmas and he would get a good price for his catch. We felt sorry for his crew. The departure was accompanied by rain and crashes of thunder. 

We waited, shopped, did laundry and read, waiting for the weather to settle. We watched in awe as two racing yachts emerged to race just as another thunderstorm was gathering force. Considering there was only two contenders, it must have been an important race between them.

After four days, it was almost, but not quite right to leave. No, the best time was 1:00am so we could catch the right tide. Ian woke me about an hour and a half before we had to leave. Ggrrr!

The wind picked up from the north during the night and sped us to Port Macquarie by midday the following day.

It was two days before Christmas and a glorious sunny day.
People dotted the beaches against a backdrop of .... units. Well, I suppose you could appreciate them more if you was inside looking out.

Christmas eve was a different matter. 

The clouds came rolling in, menacing thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began to fall. 

People abandoned their evening stroll, with many seeking refuge in their tents, caravans and cabins, dotted along the foreshore. Outdoor Christmas festivities came to an end.


Like Christmas festivities, the run of bad weather had to come to an end as well. Several days later, the sun emerged as if it had never gone. 

Early morning on the Hastings River with Oyster beds in the background.

The boat dried out and we waited. What for, you might ask.
Well, it had so happened that Ian noticed that the Headsail was feeling very stiff as he wound it in coming in to Port Macquarie.
On inspecting it on Christmas eve, he found that the bearings had ceased. They needed replacing and everything was closed. The bearing would have to come from Sydney and we wouldn't be able to order it till the 2nd Jan. 

Lucky for us to be in Port Macquarie. It's a beautiful spot with the convenience of shops in walking distance from the shore, and plentiful taps for fresh water which is always an issue when living on a yacht. It also has an airport which is handy if you need to order an item and have it delivered pronto.

As well as these conveniences, we have friends living here on the beautiful North Shore. 

As well as the pleasure of catching up, it was good to have somewhere to shower. Washing on the boat is limited to bucket and flannel baths in the cockpit. It was also great to have a look around on land as Rob and Henma took us on several outings.

A kayaker paddling past North Shore with a dolphin swimming past

 The North Shore is a secluded area on the north bank of the Hastings River, only accessible by ferry which runs 24/7.  
Many dolphins patrol the river. Residents with homes on the riverside are often treated to seeing them cruising by.

Well, almost two weeks went by before we had the new bearing and Ian was able to fix the sail. We had almost constant northerly winds after the storms had abated and were ready to go. Unfortunately, a southerly had developed and we had to wait two more days for departure.

As was becoming a habit, we left just after midnight to arrive at Port Stephens the following afternoon. A day of rest and we should be right to leave in the morning.

Of course, I had to make a short movie of the storms we went through. 

To leave on a more pleasant note, here's a few photos I took during our stay.

Pelicans, cormorants and seagulls kept us amused. The Pelican and Cormorant seemed to keep constant company. I think that they formed a team when catching fish. In this instance the seagulls were trying to get in on the act with one of the gulls using the pelican as a good perch.

A Lace Monitor patrols the beach in search of ???? 

Winkali basks in the setting sun prior to another thunderstorm.
See main photo at the top.

CHEERS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

To "The Tip" and beyond

We left Lizard Island on 30 July and had a short sail to Howick Island.  We arrived early afternoon which gave the great white hunter and his trusty assistant time to throw a line in.  Yippee!!!!!!!!  The assistant caught a fish of the smaller variety and decided to keep it for dinner.  Then the great white hunter showed her how it was done and caught a lovely Spanish Mackerel Which was big enough to feed us for a week.  The assistant threw her fish back in.

The next day we set sail for Flinders Islands.  We had the islands to ourselves, Ian couldn't believe there weren't half a dozen boats at least, moored there.




Sunrise at Flinders Is.












We got up early the next day, packed our cameras and snacks and were off exploring.  As usual, the first thing I look for is birds.  It wasn't long before Ian had located the source of the new birdsong we were hearing.

It was the Red-headed Honeyeater  which occurs  across the top of Australia from about Cooktown to Broome. It was exciting for me because I had been looking for one for a few years now.

We saw lots of lizard tracks and finally found a lizard.  It was a Sand Monitor.  It must have been what Captain Cook found and named Lizard Island after.


Flinders Island is quite steep and rocky.  We climbed almost to the top.  We needed the exercise and the view was worth it.  When we got to the bottom the great white hunter was at it again.

This time it was oysters.  They put up a good fight and he had to wrestle them to the ground, but lucky he had a knife with him.  

It was Oysters Kilpatrick when we got back to the boat.








We set out next on 2 Aug to Morris Is.  Not much wind today and we had to motor some of it, but the blue of the sky and turquoise water with an occasional sandy cay and light beacon gave the day an ethereal quality. 

Morris Island was a surprise because of the unusual vegetation.  From a distance it seemed to be bristly.  

The other thing is it was supposed to have only one tree. Someone must have thought it was lonely and planted another.

Although it was already 5 o'clock when we anchored, we couldn't resist a quick visit to the island because it was so unusual.  This photo shows the vast expanse of sand reef which seems to go on forever, off the end of the island.

 We found this little fellow dining on one of the plants (some sort of cactus thing with a large yellow flower head).  I thought it was a rat at first glance but it doesn't have a pointy face like a rat.  I've put 2 photos of him here in the hope that someone can enlighten us.

Ian found some really nice timber which he had to reluctantly part with when we went back to the boat.





The next day (3 Aug) we set sail for Shelburne Bay Which is even more spectacular than Cape Flattery for its silicon sand dunes.  As we passed Hicks Island, Ian spotted a huge flock of birds on the horizon.  As we neared, we saw thousands of Black Noddys all in a feeding frenzy.  At one stage they came straight past the boat.  The birds were after a small fish which we couldn't see, but we did see the larger fish which were hunting the small fish in competition with the birds.

The great white hunter once again set to work, but it was all in vain.  The fish weren't interested in a lure when the real thing was to be had.

To add to the excitement of the day, we had some fun company for a while.









The following night we anchored at Portland Roads, just north of Cape Weymouth where the early explorer, Kennedy, had to leave 8 of his men to make a dash for the north.  We didn't go ashore as the tide was too far out and we would have had to drag the dinghy over a large area of reef and mangrove sludge. Yuk!

Sun 5 Aug we anchored at the Escape River where Kennedy met his death but his trusty assistant, Jacky Jacky, managed to escape and finally reach the Ariel to be rescued.

We sailed out at sunrise to another beautiful day.

The following day, 6 Aug, we sailed up the last leg of the east coast and anchored at Mt Adolphus Island.  When Ian said that he wanted to go there (it's about 7nm northwest of Cape York Peninsular) I said "why do you want to go there?"








When we got there I was glad and couldn't think of anywhere else I would want to stay.  It was sheltered and lined with mangroves, sandy beaches and rocks in interesting segments.  It had hills (which we didn't climb) and it had Mangrove Robins!  I'd never seen these before either.  





Mangroves are beautiful, if you can withstand the midgies.     




















This little tuft of reeds found an unfortunate place to call home.  They are in a rock depression which gathered a bit of soil and must have held water long enough for them to take root.








7 Aug and we left Mt Adolphus Island to sail past "The Tip" and then south to Seisia.  First thing we did was gather up our laundry, grab some shampoo and towels and head over to the camping ground for some overdue scrubbing.  A bit of shopping for some fresh food and we had everything we wanted - almost.  

We had run out of wine two days ago and were having withdrawals.  Lucky, a friend of Jesses (Ian's daughter) lives at Bamaga and came to our rescue.  We couldn't get to Bamaga without a car and the only bottle shop was in Bamaga. Thanks Dan.

  

The next day was for walking and taking photos. It wasn't long before we saw the iconic Palm Cockatoo.  Ian wasn't as enthused as I thought he should have been.  When questioned, he said he thought they were really common and he was expecting to see them.  I explained that I have taken tours to Cape York with people whose main desire was to see a Palm Cockatoo, and they are not always to be seen. 

  Looking along the beach to Seisia jetty (around the corner).

Early morning fishing seems to be the order of the day in this part of the world.

 Ian can see this Striated Heron, which lurks along the foreshore, becoming a comic character.

 A White-throated Honeyeater gather some nice soft spider-webs for his nest. 

Tomorrow we leave for Darwin.  We're planning in going straight over the top without stops.