Manookatoo 2021: the adventures begin again

On the “hard”

Back in the water at last

Crossing the road!

After a longer-than-anticipated hiatus from cruising, in late April we towed the caravan north into Queensland, visiting friends in Surfers Paradise and spending the first mate’s birthday with Kirsty in Brisbane, before we reached Bundaberg, where Manookatoo was perched “on the hard” at the marina. The captain spent the next two days busily scrubbing and painting her underside, while the first mate made a start on the inside, before early Friday morning, when she was hoisted onto the travel lift and gently lowered back into the water. After more maintenance and cleaning, and a “shakedown” cruise up the Burnett River, the weather was fine and we were ready to set sail! 

Bundy Rum factory

Anchored in the Burnett River

A lovely place for seafood

The channel into the lagoon 

We woke early on Wednesday 5th May and dropped the lines, cruising out of the heads and north-east across the ocean. Conditions were a little bit rolly, with a few white caps on the waves, but we had put all loose items away and Manookatoo handled it beautifully. Just before 3pm, on a high tide, we followed the channel markers into the Lady Musgrave Island lagoon and, with the first mate keeping a sharp eye out for bommies from the front and the captain steering from the flybridge, we picked our way between the coral and over to the anchorage. The colours and clarity of the water were incredible! Twelve other boats, of all shapes and sizes, were here already. We were very pleased to get some “limited” internet reception, and to pick up Marine Rescue Bundaberg on the two-way radio. It’s reassuring that we can keep an eye on the weather and know if anything changes. As night descended, the wind picked up, and by bedtime it was blowing 25-30 knots; no matter, we were snug and safe on anchor and, apart from some wave slap, undisturbed by the conditions. 

Lady Musgrave Island

The beautiful island forest

Debris from wild weather!

The wind continued for most of the next morning but was abating by midday, so we put the tender in the water and headed over for a walk on the island. A coral border surrounds the sand, but we found a clear patch to anchor and come ashore, enjoying a walk through the green and verdant vegetation to the other side and following the sand around the shoreline and back to the boat. As the day wore on the wind died away completely and we enjoyed a calm, relaxing afternoon and evening.

Turtle!

Happy castaways!

The next few days were spent relaxing and enjoying our surroundings. A mooring very close to the coral reef became available and we took advantage of it to make exploring even easier. We got the kayaks down and spent time paddling around a couple of bommies, amazed at the range and size of the corals. As the wind died completely and the lagoon became a millpond, we donned the snorkel gear and swam over to the nearest bommie, circumnavigating it, marvelling at the colours of the beautiful corals, particularly along the edges, and surrounded by fish of every size and colour. We took the dinghy across to the edge of the lagoon, where waves crash into the coral outside, and explored the depths, seeing big turtles, stingrays and a huge array of fish. We also circumnavigated the inner island, both on foot and in the kayaks, enjoying a refreshing swim after both of those exertions. All in all, our five days at Lady Musgrave Island was everything we had hoped it would be.

Millpond conditions

Beautiful sunsets every night

On Monday morning, after sunrise, we dropped the mooring and headed out through the entrance again. The captain had made a track as we came in, so it was easy to follow that path out and know there were no coral bommies to worry about! The sea conditions were a little “lumpy” for the first few hours but the waves settled after a while and we enjoyed an easy cruise across to Burnett Heads, where we followed the channel markers in and beyond the sugar loading facilities, anchoring in the river for the night.

Sunrise on the lagoon

Early morning departure

Stowaway!

Back into Burnett Heads

Right on high tide, a large ship manoeuvred into position alongside the molasses loading terminal, but no sound disturbed our calm night on anchor. The next morning, a heavy fog had descended, making visibility "interesting". We raised the anchor, and as we passed the molasses tanker we could see the funnel shaped pipe carrying molasses (used to make stock feed, a big industry in this sugar-rich area) into the bowels of the ship. We entered the marina just after 9am, tying up on the jetty ready to wash the boat, do the laundry and enjoy a few "land based" days.

Molasses ship at the terminal

 

The Captain's Log:

Distance travelled - 112 Nautical Miles

Fuel consumption - 149.7 litres

Travelling time - 17.05 hours

Average speed - 6.56 knots