Gypsy Cruising

29 September

Gladstone to Pancake Creek

There are precious few anchorages between Gladstone and Bundaberg that can cater to a northerly wind.  We chose to use Pancake Creek tonight, an anchorage I’m familiar with from our trip north.  The rest of the cruising fleet have remained at Great Keppel for the last few days, and faced a 67 mile stretch today to get to the same destination as us.  We of course were much further south and had only a 30 mile leg, after a visit to the Gladstone marina for a fuel stop.  

Gypsy Princess at the Gladstone Harbour fuel wharf

If you're in any doubt, here's what Australia's prosperity looks like

With almost 3 knots of favourable current down the shipping channel and a good north easterly breeze we were doing 9-10 knots and made a very quick trip of it.  That meant we got to the entrance of Pancake Creek much earlier than planned, just before a very low tide.  With wind against tide the entrance to the creek was like a cauldron, and I only went in after another boat went first and called the depths to me as he went.  We anchored just inside, in a patch of deep water, and waited for the tide to rise a little before I went into the shallower and more protected part of the anchorage.  We were settled by sunset and had a surprisingly quiet night of it.  The only sound was the dull hum of the wind and that of the current running past the hull.  For us, it was a still night.  

Nirvana’s Kitchen and Seas the Moment both anchored in the creek’s outer pond, lacking any real protection from the northerly swell.  They both suffered appalling rolling.  Leon has since described it to me as being the worst anchorage of his entire life, forcing him (amongst other things) to put towels in his cupboards to prevent his crockery from breaking.  Seas the Moment dragged its anchor and at midnight they decided to quit the anchorage completely and make the passage to Bundaberg overnight.