Hamilton to Sydney

Log of L'attitude

From: Airlie Beach	To:	Date:
Tide at start: n/a	Log at start: 10780	Engine hours: 1392
Tide at finish: n/a	Log at finish:	Fuel taken at Airlie: 140 litres
GPS distance for route:	Days Run: Time taken: hrs	Topped up 50 litres at Mackay
Weather forecast:

Friday 8th September

Sailed to Airlie for reunion dinner with Kev and Jeni Everitt, Doug and Irene Curtis, Dav and Dot Hammond. We all met at the Coral Sea Resort and told a few tales.

Winners are grinners so they say, here are two winners all dressed up and ready to party sporting our silver medals part of the trophies won by the gallant crew of L'attitude during the Hamilton Island Race Week.

Reunion dinner of old friends at Coral Seas Resort, Airlie Beach. We came from all corners of the globe, Jeni & Kevin from far off Dunk Island, Elda and David from St. Hubert's Island, Doug and Irene from Port Stephens and David and Dot from Port Hacking, many gruelling hours over stormy seas to reach our final destination.

Saturday 9th September - Airlie to Goldsmith via Thomas Island

Thomas Island one of the many beautiful stops we will make as we sail our way home to Sydney. the weather looks beautiful here but the weather man has warned it will not last so we must hurry south to a safe harbour to shelter in until the wild winds predicted pass.

Enjoying the fine weather again on Thomas after a refreshing swim in crystal clear waters. What a fine looking couple. Another fine looking couple enjoy the good weather while it lasts on Thomas Island. Dave & Elda will be our crew for as long as it takes for them to become bored with our company or all this hard crew work.

The End of another perfect day in far North Queensland's Coral Coast

The happy botanist with after a successful day of gathering specimens of island orchids for scientific research.

Life on the high seas can be very pleasant, good food and wine in just the right setting.

Two more happy cruisers enjoy the shipboard life. It pays to keep the crew in good spirits.

Sunday 10th September - Thomas Island to Mackay

Here is our safe harbour in which we will hide until the bad weather blows through.

Mackay Harbour is very comfortable and I am sure we will be safe as the big winds do their worst.

The forecast for the next days are for SE winds at 31 knots. So we look like having an extended stay in Mackay. Better to be here than out there?

We have hired a car for three days and will explore the hinterland.

Day 1

Left, a nostalgic trip to Eimeo out of Mackay where Margaret spend many holidays as a teenager.

Right, Laguna keys. It seemed very run down from our last visit.

Day 2

River on way to Finch Hatton Gorge

Feral's Cafe at the gorge

Bowerbird Cafe at Finch Hatton

Left, Guinea fowl around one of the dams.

Right, Kinchant dam outside Mackay

Day 3

On the third day we checked out Broad Sound, Shoalwater Bay and places in-between.

After dropping the car off, we went to the local movies and saw 'Kenny'. It was good for a laugh.

Forecast doesn't look good for the next week and probably beyond with most days having rain and winds to 30k.

So with age comes wisdom? Virgin have very cheap direct flights to Sydney - so we have the choice of being beaten up attempting to get to Keppel Bay Marina in three days (and then waiting there) or returning

Mackay to Percy Islands September 21, 2006 (67 nM)
Left Mackay at 5:45 am. Had a good run to Percy on main and motor. The winds sere SE 10k moving to the E late afternoon.

A mystery boat was waiting at Mackay and followed our every move?

Do you recognise this boat?

Elda at Middle Percy beach

Not a bad spot.

The telegraph hut.

Boats from the hut.

The plague.

I

Another beautiful sunset.

Had swims, walks visited the lagoon (all the usual things), however, on our return we noticed a plague which we hadn't seen before. It seem that 'Trim' had visited these Islands long before any of the dates recorded in the sheds. See inscription below.

Went to examine a little cove or basin into which the height of the surrounding hills gave expectation of finding a run of fresh water. The entrance is little more than wide enough for the oars of a rowing boat: The basin, within side, is mostly dry at low water and the borders are over-run with the tiresome mangrove: but when the tide is in it is one of the prettiest little places imaginable.

Mathew Flinders logbook - September 29, 1802

Percy Islands to Pearl Bay September 22, 2006 (56nM)
Left Percy at 5:45/ Today we motored in a light SE about 7knots. We made a small detour to go via Hexam Island.

Sunrise over Middle Percy

Hexam beach
Coral spore (and mystery boat)

Swimmers at Pearl Bay

Pearl Bay
Elda with L'attitude and mystery boat still on our stern.

Pearl Bay to Great Keppel Island via Keppel Bay marina September 23, 2006 (52nM)

Left Pearl Bay around 6:00am and set sail in a NNE breeze of about 10-15 knots. Had a good run to Keppel Bay, however, Margaret was not feeling well so we organised a cab to the local hospital for some antibiotics. The weather forecast still looks good so there could be the possibility to sail to Fitzroy Reef. To give us a start we sailed to Great Keppel Island (once we had to all clear on Margaret) for dinner.

From: Mackay	To: Keppel Bay Marina	Date: 22:Sept:2006
Tide at start: n/a	Log at start:	Engine hours: 1441
Tide at finish: n/a	Log at finish:	Fuel taken at Keppel Bay: 90 litres

Great Keppel Island to Pan Cake Creek (Bustard Creek) September 24, 2006 (77nM) Had a 5:00am start today. We need to maintain 6knots to reach Fitzroy Reef before dark. After several hours we were only averaging 5.5 knots and it started to look as if it wouldn't improve. We were also heading directly into the wind and sea. So an adjustment was made to our heading to take us to Busted Head on a reach with a much more comfortable angle to the swell. Arrived at Bustard head around 4:00pm in good time to anchor and explore some of the beaches.
	Left: The girls landing where Peter landed his helicopter 10 years ago. Right: A huge dead forest behind the beach
	Left: The sunset at Pancake Creek. Right: The sunrise at Pancake Creek.
Pancake creek is one of the best anchorages along the Queensland coast. We had a very calm night in preparation for the trip to Lady Musgrave.
Bustard Head to Lady Musgrave - September 25, 2006 (40nM) Left Pancake Creek around 6:00am and set off into a 10-15k SE. This gave us a very comfortable run on a broad reach to our destination. We arrived around 2:00pm and set off to walk to Island before returning for a swim over the coral in the lagoon.

The landing party	The girls on the far side of the Island.	The entrance from the lagoon.

Returning to the lagoon for our snorkel.	Had sunset drinks on the mystery vessel that has followed us since Mackay?	L'attitude in the setting sun.
Lady Musgrave to Port Bundaberg September 26, 2006 (50nM)
The forecast for today is for E winds 10-15 initially and a front will bring 15-20 from the SE in afternoon. We left Lady Musgrave around 7:00am and set course for Bundaberg. At first the wind was E at 15-18 knots with a fairly rough sea. However, it allowed us to reach towards our destination. We could see a front in front of us and expected to be caught before much longer. As time went by the sea became smooth and the wind abated to around 10 knots. At the time of writing we are 6 nM from Bundaberg and look like getting in in good time and certainly missing the change.

From: Bundaberg	To: Gary's Anchorage	Date: September 27, 2006
Tide at start: n/a	Log at start:	Engine hours: 1468
Tide at finish: n/a	Log at finish: 11267	Fuel taken at Bundaberg: 87 litres

Bundaberg to Gary's Anchorage September 27, 2006 (71nM)
We left Bundaberg at 5.30A.M. and sailed down the Great Sandy Strait where we saw a few whales just before White Cliffs including a mother and baby whale in quite shallow waters, 8 metres or less. We had a pleasant day and a calm sea. I (Elda) was even able to make ham, avocado and tomato sandwiches for everyone on the run. We arrive at Gary's Anchorage at 3.45PM and here every picture tells a story. A special hello to Merle and Bill with lots of love from both of us.

On arrival David and I go ashore while Margaret and John stay on board enjoying a quiet drink.	Elda on the beach at Gary's Anchorage.		David checking out the old timber logging wharf at Gary's Anchorage.
	<---I think we've seen this boat before! It followed us close enough to alert our radar. Who could it be? Our crabber coming out of the mangroves empty handed. He didn't look too hard, he was too quick.----->
Gary's Anchorage to Mooloolaba September 28, 2006 (77nM)
Another early start this morning, so Margaret and I intended to sleep in until we both heard David yell out "it's a whale!". We jumped out of bed, grabbed our cameras and were on the deck in no time. As it turned out they were huge turtles and later we saw a baby dolphin doing his little tricks in and out of the water and also a snake. Then it was time to put our safety gear on to cross Wide Bay Bar which was flat for a change. We arrived just before 5PM, too late for shopping in Mooloolaba. David made up for it by taking us all to a great restaurant called Primo e Secondo with the best Italian food and a hunk of a chef by the name of Roberto who David met on his adventure trip to Cape York a few weeks ago. What a nice way to finish the day!
Crossing the infamous Wide Bay Bar

The light on Double Island Point		Primo e Secondo
Mooloolaba to Scarborough September 29, 2006 (45nM)
Today we travelled along the coast passed Bribie Island under calm conditions. We saw a lot of big ships going into Brisbane, had a nice lunch on board and arrived in Scarborough around 2PM. David and I went up the street to the corner shop while John and Margaret went for a walk up to Redcliffe. After a drink at the Boat Club, we all had showers and went out to "Morgan's" a Seafood restaurant on the waterfront. The food was good but the service extremely slow.
Scarborough to Southport Yacht Club September 30, 2006 (57nM)
The morning was beautiful and we left around 7am along the coast line all the way to Southport, passed Stradbroke and Russell Islands and several other developments including Couran Cove and Hope Island. We had a beautiful lunch of prawns and chips and I even had a glass of champagne which topped it up nicely. We are now at Southport where we will say goodbye to Margaret and John, after we go out to dinner. Margaret and John will continue sailing down the coast and we will go and visit our friends at Sanctuary Cove and fly home in a couple of days. We would like to thank John and Margaret for giving us another opportunity to enjoy these beautiful waters in their company. we are very grateful and very lucky to have friends like Margaret and John. Thank you.
Southport to Tweed Heads October 1, 2006 (20nM)
Dave and Elda have now joined other friends at Sanctuary Cove. The morning was spent walking Main Beach and having breakfast at Marina Mirage. When we returned the mystery boat was preparing for an overnighter to places unknown. The wind was still blowing 20k from the south but due to ease and turn East in the afternoon, so we did the washing, had lunch and moved down to Tweed Heads around 1pm. Tweed is a good stop if you can get in. The dredge had just been in and the tide high for our arrival and departure so it is an ideal spot to start the run to Yamba on the forecast N-NE winds tomorrow.

Our anchorage for the night	Part of the fleet		Some of the key development
Tweed heads to Yamba Monday October 2, 2006 (80nM)
Had a quick check of the weather at 4:45am, and all looks good for today. However, there is a strong wind warning out for the NSW coast expected to be in our area early Tuesday morning. We had a perfect run in flat seas with N-NE winds and up to a 1knot current. We could of continued to Coffs (Arrive 10pm) and still arrived before the front but decided we we rather sit the southerly out at Yamba than Coffs. We have a couple of favourite restaurants and can do the river run to MacLean to morrow while the southerly dissipates itself. Arrived Yamba 3:30pm.
Clarence run to MacLean Tuesday October 3. 2006 (33nM)
Left Yamba around 8:00am and first visited Iluka. Then proceeded up the Clarence for our 10:00am bridge opening at Harwood. The wind was very gusty regularly reaching 27 knots. We arrived at Harwood on time and found out that they wouldn't raise the bridge fully because of some nesting Ospreys. However, it could be raised just a few metres above what we needed so all was OK? The trip up the river is very pleasant amongst the green fields and sugar cane. There are also some very upmarket houses set on large blocks of waterfront land. We arrived at MacLean around 11:30. The town has a floating pontoon for visiting boats. So we restocked our pantry for the balance of the trip before having a very nice lunch at the old MacLean hotel on the river front. The wind had moderated for our return trip. I had booked the bridge opening for 4:00pm and was early so we decided to anchor and have a look at Harwood and in particular the old pub. (The pubs along the Clarence get a special mention in the local guides). So after a walk up the main street and a chat to one of the locals we returned to visit the pub. We didn't know how he did it, at the time, but Dave and Elder were waiting with drinks at the ready? Dave had hired a car to return to Sydney and just figured we might be at Yamba (The log might have also helped) so when he didn't find us at Yamba he set off up the river (by road) and just happened to spot us as I hit a sandbar. When he saw me anchor off the pub, he hide inside for the surprise.

The Harwood Bridge	One of the houses on the river		MacLean property

Lunch at the MacLean Hotel	Slim Dusty's House Harwood		Guess who turned up?
Yamba to Coffs Harbour - Wednesday October 4, 2006 (52nM)
Left Yamba around 7am (without refuelling) and set out into a very rough sea. The wind was SW and provided some stability. The forecast was for light SE winds in the afternoon with a settling sea. We needed to preserver to Coffs to-day, which is a relatively short run in order to take advantage of the forecast NE tomorrow for the long run to Lauriton. After a few hours the wind did turn SE and the sea settled and we finished the run in good conditions. Coffs Harbour is not one of my favourite places and they reminded me why when I tried to refuel. Not only is it a very unfriendly jetty with no help but they insisted I pay a surcharge of $140.00 if I wanted fuel outside hours. I arrived at 3:30, their opening hours are till 3:00pm.

From: Coffs Harbour	To: Port Stevens	Date: October 5, 2006
Tide at start: n/a	Log at start:	Engine hours: 1553
Tide at finish: n/a	Log at finish: 11790	Fuel taken at Coffs/Southport/Horizon Shores: 267 litres

Coffs Harbour to Port Stevens - Thursday October 5, 2006 (165nM)

Left Coffs Harbour at 4am for Lauriton. We managed to find good current and the NE wind came in early. As the day progressed the wind got up to 25-27 knots (so did the seas) and we were averaging near 10 knots over the bottom. It meant we would be at Lauriton by 1:30 and it seemed a wast not to continue. A quick calculation said we could be at Port Stevens by 10:30 at the current rate. We decided to continue with only one problem - a 30 knot southerly was due latter. A quick update of the BOM weather and a look at the current Buoy weather prediction suggested the southerly would reach Seal Rocks by 12pm. This would be cutting it pretty fine. Towards the end Ken was phoning me the progress of the southerly up the coast, and to their credit the VMR at Forster and Port Stevens also kept me up to date with the southerly's progress for the BOM. My only shelter would be Seal Rocks or Broughton Island, but I couldn't shelter till after the wind stuck. However, it did mean that from 9 nM north of Seal rocks I would only be one hour from shelter.

As it turned out we reach Port Stevens around 10pm just as the wind was changing and the first of the Southerly gusts were reaching 30 knots. We were in calm water and all we had to do was travel 10 minutes to a safe anchorage and get a good nights sleep.

Wrong.

A plea for help came over the radio to the Coastal Patrol requesting help by a yacht whose motor had failed and was being swept out to sea by the outgoing tide and into the southerly and apparently unable to get back under sail. The Coastal Patrol couldn't put a rescue boat together for quite some time so Muggins volunteered to go an get them. By the time I found them they had been washed several miles out to sea and in the gripe of the southerly.

It took till 1am to drag them back, and for my trouble I had my hand crushed trying to lengthen the tow line for fear of them running over me. Needless to say we finished up not sleeping very well that night.

However, we did 165 nM in 18 hours - not a bad run and we are now close to home.

Port Stevens (lay day) Friday October 6, 2006

Re-fuelled, got ourselves a berth with the keys to the best showers on the coast and proceeded to explore Port Stevens. (Most of mine was at the doctor and X-ray rooms finding out wether I needed a cast on my crushed hand. Tomorrows forecast is for light winds turning NE followed by another day of NE before another Southerly change.

Port Stevens to Port Hacking - Saturday 7, 2006 (100nM)

Set out from Port Stevens around 6:00am and cleared the lighthouse at 6:30. The seas are flat with a comfortable 1-2 metre swell and with the current we can average 8.1 across the bottom. At around 10:30 the wind moved to the NE at 15k. Our speed now increased to 9.8k which would give us an ETA Port Hacking of 5:00pm - so we will be safely inside before the Southerly tomorrow morning.

The sea remain flat and the trip very comfortable, our speed over the ground was 9-10k when the NE got above 18k. A good way to complete the journey.

Finished 1500 hrs