Seaka's Voyage to Queensland.

[Phillip]

Hey Greg,

Would you believe the New Endeavor is to go past here today or tomorrow!

I'm trying to work out the Gladstone tides to avoid stemming the tide. Will let you all know how I go.

Its high tide now and very rolly here as the rough seas can get into the Creek and it still cold.
The wind chill factor has been -5 degrees plus!

Phillip
Pancake Creek, Day 4.

[Dolphin]

Good Phillip,
Say hello to my old ship will ya. My name is Cooke btw.
Going through "The Narrows" is a good test of navigation and pilotage. The tide hits the cattle crossing first from the north and then from the south. If you time it right you will see the dirty water flooding in from the north before you get to the cattle crossing. It takes longer for the tide to flood from the Gladstone end of the narrows.
I think the tides are big now, you should have no problems. I was just looking at my old copy of Noel Patricks Curtis Coast. We stayed at Black Swan Ck the night before, mainly to get out of Gladstone. We did 11 miles on the anchor according to the log that night because of the tides. The tide comes up the creeks until it goes over the bank and floods the mangroves and then it roars in.
Tell me if you already know this, I don't want to teach a parson how to pray!
Do you have and/or do you want the extract of Cook's log for the time he was around pancake Ck. Patricks book has the extracts for all the time he was on the Curtis Coast, ie Bundaberg to Mackay.
Soon you will be past where we turned around at Keppel Island. You're doing better than Ingrid and I did, although we left from Port Hacking. Good Job, Keep it up.
Greg.

[Phillip]

Thanks Greg,

Got all that, it backs up the information I have. I have Patrick's and Lucas's books.

Starting to settle here weather wise so should be on the move in the next two days.

Phillip.
Pancake Creek.

[Shaun]

Hi Phil,
I wonder if you sailed to Gladstone today....
Its been perfect weather here to sail nth the last week or so, & I see a few(sometimes half a dozen) yachts each day out at sea heading Nth past Pt Macquarie.
We are gathering quite a fleet of TH's in our little hamlet, another one turned up on the private mooring in front of me(the one next to Seaka), so that makes 4 out of the 10 permanent yachts on private moorings here TH's!
cheers

[Dolphin]

Hi Phillip,
I remember, when we were in Morton Bay an old fella at the Trailer Boat Club said they reckon if there is a High pressure in the bight of 1030 you will have 30 knot winds, 1020mb 20knot winds etc. Does that seem to hold with what you've got? I don't know what time of year that is for, we left in June.
Greg.

[Phillip]

This is todays blog, I have reposted it here as I have to give up the laptop for the next section to maintain my house battery.

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/seaka


Last night was very rolly so when I rose at 0600 I was a bit fed up. The weather to the east was black with rain clouds and reports from boats east of Great Keppel Island said that the sea was lumpy and disturbed. Well that did it for me and at 0800 we raised anchor and headed due west, straight for Rosslyn Bay.

Two hours later we entered the Keppel Bay Marina complete with green turtles and Top Hats [Mk 2 and a 27 footer]. First order was a shower then the washing, you know, domestic things. Silver Lady also came over and we have ordered the marina courtesy car for 1230 on Monday. So that is when we will get our shopping done. I have to get enough food for 20 days as I intend to stop over in a couple of places before we get to the next bit of civilization which is MacKay, some 150 nm away.

One thing I have discovered is that this laptop really sucks the house battery down. It took 5 hours today for the 21amp charger to get it fully charged. So the hard decision has been made to only post to the blog when I have mains power, or if I am within one week of mains power. This means that after Monday’s blog there will not be a blog until MacKay, a maximum of 20 days away. But I will be hand writing them out each day in preparation to posting. This next section of coast also includes the Shoalwater Military Training area, so I’m not too sure of what the mobile phone reception will be like and this is another reason for a gap in posting to the blog.

We are now 700 nautical miles away from the Camden Haven and at the start of the area for which this voyage is being made. Already I have enjoyed Great Keppel Island, where incidentally I forgot to mention that on the first night I saw our first sea snake, a 60cm Black and White Banded sea snake. I was surprised as I had thought that this sea snake was a more tropical species.

My plan of attack is; North Keppel Is, Port Clinton, Pearl Bay, Island Head Creek, Cape Townsend, Marble Island in the Duke Isles, Middle Percy and the A frame hut, Curlew Island in the Guardfish Cluster, Digby Island, maybe Prudhoe Island depending on the weather and then MacKay. After that it’s Scawfell Island and the Whitsunday’s.

Last post tomorrow for a while.

Phillip.
Keppel Bay Marina, Yeppoon.

[Phillip]

Hi All,

Now at Middle Island in the Percy Islands.

Going to Curlew tomorrow then Mackay on saturday.

Posts will be done on Sunday.

Phillip.

[bearmcnally]

Dear Phillip

I"m going too work tomorrow !!! BUT then it's a long weekend
I'll take Egret II for a cruise on Lake Macquarie

Regards 1 jealous BEAR

[Phillip]

Be Jealous Bear,

This is what I had to put up with!

The last night at West Bay I rolled and rolled, 30 degrees each way every 5 seconds, even so I managed some 4 hours sleep All the boats left at first light including me, had to be better somewhere else!

When I got to Curlew Island that day we got socked in with 25 to 30 [gust to 40] knot winds.
Spent two days wondering if the anchor would hold, will have to replace the snubbing rope as its buggered. We didn't roll so much there.

Still want to swop the office Bear?

Relaxing at the MacKay marina now. Blogs up on my Sailblogs site in the next two days.

Phillip
MacKay Marina.

[Dolphin]

Phillip, remember "A bad day at sea is better than a good day in the office".
Greg.