5 October
Bundaberg to Elbow Point, Great Sandy Strait
I intend to sail solo to Southport,
although I’ll have the other boats as company as far south as
Mooloolaba. My plan comprises a series
of day hops: firstly from Bundaberg to the protection of the Great Sandy
Strait, a day spent travelling the Straits, then a day at sea to Mooloolaba,
then to Moreton Bay, then a couple of days through the inland waterway to
Southport. All up I expect to take six
days to make the trip.
All six Club boats had agreed to leave Bundaberg
this morning at 6am – sunrise – and sail the 55 miles to Fraser Island in
company. I’d like to record the kindness
expressed by all the other crews in offering me any assistance they could give,
including with my mooring lines and by sticking close by down the coast. After all these months together it feels like
we’re family, and I couldn’t be more appreciative.
Since the Gypsy is slightly slower
than Nirvana’s Kitchen and the three cats, I left the marina soon after 5.30
with the intention of not letting those other boats get too far ahead throughout
the day, or of causing them to slow down to keep pace with me. In the event, the trip was deep downwind,
which suits us more than any of the others, and no-one caught us.
The waters of the Great Barrier Reef have been my
home for the past four months. I’ve
sailed, swum, rowed and gazed on them and they’ve never been anything less than
stunningly beautiful (well, maybe there were a couple of days when they weren’t
so kind, but I’ll allow them that). It
was with real sadness that I left them today.
With wind and current pushing us along we averaged
7.5 knots all day. Before midday Leon
contacted all the boats to discuss pushing on further than planned, initially
to Garry’s Anchorage and then, later, all the way to the bottom of the Straits. Gypsy Princess, Nirvana’s Kitchen
and Mix’d Nutz were the lead boats with the others a few miles back. I was happy to do extra miles since it gave
me the possibility of getting to Southport a day earlier. So, I drove the boat harder, motor sailing under
the headsail and riding the incoming tide.
We went through the shallow waters at Sheridan Flats right on high tide,
and had the benefit of riding the falling tide on the other side, so keeping
the speed well up.
I made Elbow Point at the southern end of Fraser
Island just before 4.30pm, pretty tired but happy and satisfied after doing 80
miles. It was a good day’s motor sailing
in perfect conditions. Nirvana’s
Kitchen and Mix’d Nutz are here with me but the other three boats
are a couple of hours back up the Straits in Garry’s Anchorage.
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