Sail protocol week 5 - Airlie Beach to Townsville
Sail protocol week 5 - Airlie Beach to Townsville
This week was the fifth week in which I lived on a sailboat and sailed the Australian east coast.
We were finally ready to leave north and leave the Whitsunday Islands behind.
Airlie Beach according to Double Bay
Our first anchorage was Double Bay, Airlie Beach only sail for a few hours. We broke open early on a crystal clear, calm morning.
We had decent 15 knots wind from our rear with almost no dune. This made it a convenient sail around the land tongues and in Double Bay.
Double Bay-Wildtiere
We had heard that there were many wild animals in the water of Double Bay. This was immediately confirmed when we discovered a herd of pork whales that romp around at the entrance to the bay.
We went out shortly after noon and just took time to relax and relax in the remote anchorage. Again we were the only boat in sight.
In the afternoon we discovered even more wild animals, including sharks, some turtles and huge eagles that flew over us.
Double Bay to Gloucester Island
The second sailing day was another short detour to the Gloucester Passage. Our plan was to anchor directly in front of Gloucester Island or in front of the Montes resort.
Due to increasing winds, we opted for the latter, which offered a little more protection for the overnight stay. Although there wasn't much to discover, it was another nice place. We explored the beaches and drove through the bay with our tender.
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Gloucester Island according to Cape Emporkunstling
We decided that Bowen was not really a place we wanted to see. Instead, we decided to pass a longer sprint past Bowen and put it into Cape Upstart.
For the long journey of around 10 hours we broke up at 3:30 a.m. and sailed into strong winds and large lakes. Although it felt a bit rough in the fold -made surroundings, it was nothing compared to what awaited us the next day.
A few hours later after we had lost a huge Spanish mackerel on a towline, we sailed past the Abbott Point coal loading system. It was strange to see it personally, especially after reading so much about the controversy about Adanis about Adanis new coal traction in the area.
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Cape upstart
In the early afternoon we finally arrived in Cape Upstart. The wind had increased even more, so we decided to sail deeper into the Cape towards the mainland in the hope of better protection.
For those who sail and look for an anchorage, I would strongly recommend choosing you to choose a closer look at the Cape. If you sail inland, the hills become more exposed and the waters are less attractive.
Cape upstart for Cape Bowling Green
What a day. Another early departure for a planned 10-hour stay from Cape Upstart to Cape Bowling Green.
bad weather
When we sailed out of the protected waters of the bay, the winds quickly increased up to 30 knots with increasing dune. Rolling became uncomfortable, so we had to cross the sea to avoid the breaking waves on the bar.
When the winds continued and the waves became higher, we continued our turn with a single coated forward sail.
Towards the end of a wild run we still had the narrow, shifting sandbars directly in front of Cape Bowling Green. This area is known as a rough plaster for seafarers, complete with a 3500-ton wreck right in front of the spit.
Nevertheless, we pushed on and surfed three meters high waves, while 30-knot storms pressed us from behind. We managed to reach a top speed of 10.6 knots with just half a sail at a single mast. Not bad for a heavy steel motor glider.
Cape bowling green anchorage
After eight hours, just when we thought we would find peaceful refuge from the harsh weather, we were hit by a sharp curve directly into the storm wind that led in Cape Bowling Green.
The entire bay is completely flat and offers absolutely no protection against the wind from any direction. We saw some trawlers who robbed it directly within the Kap, but decided against joining them because it didn't look too fun in the dune.
instead we drove against the wind for almost two hours until we finally tried to lay anchors.
seven tests were necessary to bring the anchor to hold. Unfortunately the mud in Cape Bowling Green simply didn't fit the strong winds.
Since we were exhausted and there were no boats in any direction from us, we simply stopped most of our chains and changed to keep guard so that we didn't drag too far during the night.
The next morning we dragged ourselves through the bay for over a Kilometer. We also found that the front mast had some structural damage due to the rough lake the day before and had to be repaired.Nevertheless, we were all certain, Townsville was only a few sailing hours away and the conditions were a refreshing contrast to the previous day.
Cape Bowling Green to Townsville
It was a gentle trip to Townsville. We had gentle wind with almost no waves and only occasional clouds.
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We had hoped that after our arrival in Townsville we could leave to Magnetic Island and enjoy our well -deserved time on the island. Instead, we were forced to book a slip in the Townsville shipyard to carry out some quick welding repairs on the front mast.
It looks as if the next week will most likely be spent with repairs and maintenance as soon as Malaika is out of the water.
We cannot always have quiet weather, beautiful tropical waters and untouched islands. Sometimes we are confronted with the storm and inevitable repairs or maintenance work. It's a bit like in life. Discomfort is a state in which growth thrives and what we learn from our difficulties shapes us.
So, as the famous marine saying says;
smooth seas have never produced an experienced sailor.
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