Gypsy Cruising

5 June

The Broadwater

With Greig's departure we're a crew of two from now until we reach Bundaberg.

Dinner last night was ribs and a beer at the Hog's Breath Cafe at the marina.  Another reason I wanted to put the boat in here!  People eat early here.  By 9pm we were the last ones left in the restaurant.

We woke today to a remarkably pleasant morning, with a brilliant, clear sky, a reasonably mild temperature and wind that wasn't too heavy.  What we were hearing from Sydney was a whole different story - extremely cold and stormy.

I'd already decided I wasn't putting to sea today in light of the heavy conditions expected out there.  That view was reinforced when I spoke with the skipper of a commercial whale watching boat who was refusing to go out for the same reasons.  Instead, Gene and I headed up the inland waterway, the Broadwater, that connects Southport with Moreton Bay.  This was something I'd always wanted to do anyway, so the opportunity was a welcome one. 

Some of the modest residences at the southern end of The Broadwater

The Broadwater is a maze of twisting and shallow mangrove lined channels.  I prepared for the day by plotting almost 200 waypoints and a preplanned route into the navigation equipment.  This proved to be invaluable, since I don't think we could have easily found our way through without it.  Even then, we went very close to touching bottom a couple of times - once when I put more faith (incorrectly) in the navigation charts than I did in the physical channel markers and once when we were chatting and I veered ever so slightly off my planned track.

Halfway up the Broadwater - a lovely sunny day

The trip proved to be absolutely delightful.  It still amazes me that while we had a peaceful meander up the Broadwater there were boats offshore, just a few miles from us, bashing themselves up in the big seas.

This warning was posted after we'd almost run aground, for the benefit of southward headed boats!

Towards the end of the day's leg we came upon a small fishing boat who couldn't get their engine started.  Luckily for them our shallow draft let us get in to them and we gave them a tow back to their boat ramp.  I think they owe us a couple of beers.

We've anchored for the night towards the northern end of the Broadwater but still very much in protected water.  In reality, the entire waterway is one big anchorage.  You pretty much just stop and drop the anchor wherever and whenever you choose.  Looking forward to a perfectly still night, out in the middle of nowhere but just a few kilometres from one of Australia's largest cities. 

Dinner tonight will be hamburgers and the first use of my new BBQ.