On the water again!

Farewell Bayview!

The year so far has been spent preparing Manookatoo and ourselves for resuming the cruising life. Many minor repairs have been undertaken, as well as an engine service, bottom clean and full exterior cut and polish; food, fuel and water has been replenished; most friends and families have been visited and farewelled. As Covid-19 began to impact on close contact and travel opportunities, we did a lot of soul-searching and made the decision to continue with our plans as best we could while sticking closely to any (frequently changing) regulations. So on Sunday we untied our lines for the last time at Bayview Marina and started heading north.

Social distancing

Ray and the Captain

Our first cruise was a short one, as far as Tipplers, on South Stradbroke Island. We had been here only the week before, walking across to the ocean and laughing at the wallaby lined up at the cafe, looking like he was following "social distancing" rules. But now, even here, things had changed: the campground and cafe were closed. Many other boats were here, keeping their distance from each other but enjoying the balmy conditions. We caught up with our friends, Ray and Trish, enjoying a final farewell drink as the sun set. We enjoyed a peaceful night on the water with just the birds to keep us company.

Drinks with Jenny and Simon

Next morning, after exercises and breakfast, we lifted the anchor and, with a final wave to Ray and Trish, we headed north, past Jumpinpin bar and into the Canaipa Channel, which runs along between North Stradbroke and Russell Islands. A few hours later we pulled up at Canaipa Point, just before Moreton Bay, where Jenny and Simon were anchored in their boat, Moor Good Times. We waved at each other from across the water before lunch and a relaxing afternoon. Just before sunset we took our dinghy across for sunset drinks, us on the dinghy and them on their boat, as the rules had tightened further and visiting others was a no-no! We returned to Manookatoo for an early dinner as we had a longer cruise planned for the next day.

Empty resort

Tangalooma wrecks

On Tuesday morning we raised the anchor just before 6am and, with a final wave to Simon and Jenny, we headed into Moreton Bay, passing Peel Island and heading towards the main channel before turning to the west towards Moreton Island. The resort at Tangalooma is eerily quiet with no tourists and very few locals on the island at the moment. We anchored just near the Tangalooma Wrecks, amongst many other boats, enjoying a swim at the beach and a lazy afternoon, fixing flyscreens to our doors to increase protection against bugs as we head north. There is a regular swell across the bay from the mainland, which reminds us we are on the sea!

Follow that trawler!

Overnight the swell increased marginally, not enough to worry us but enough that we knew about it! The Captain was up just on first light, and we were underway just after 5:30am, heading back into the main shipping channel and north out of Moreton Bay. Wave conditions were reasonable, but more than we had experienced in quite a while and they took some getting used to, particularly for the First Mate who had not had any time in the ocean since 2017! As we cruised along we spotted a few cruise ships anchored offshore, we don't think there are any passengers left on them and imagine they are "parked" there with a skeleton crew until Covid-19 conditions improve. Just after 11:30 we rounded the headland and followed a fishing trawler into the Mooloolah river, tying up at the Mooloolaba marina just on noon. We walked into town for some supplies, noting how many shops were closed and how many restaurants were trying to keep going by offering takeaway meals. We walked back to the seafood supplier and bought local prawns for lunch and a seafood mix for marinara that night. It all looked delicious! Another walk and a swim in the afternoon reminded us of just how beautiful Mooloolaba is.

Great Sandy Straits sunset 1

Great Sandy Straits sunset 2

Thursday morning was a particularly early start, with a long day of cruising and the Wide Bay Bar to reach and negotiate before the tide turned. There was a swell but it didn't seem as bad, and the wave conditions settled down nicely before we reached the bar. The coordinates provided to us by the Coastguard at Tin Can Bay made our entry very easy, and we travelled along the Great Sandy Straits while we enjoyed our lunch, dropping anchor near Garry's Anchorage just after 3:30pm. We made sure we were more than 100m offshore from Fraser Island, as per the latest Notice to Mariners! We had a restful afternoon and enjoyed sunset drinks upstairs before the mosquitoes drove us inside for the night - they were very vicious and not even a good dose of Aeroguard deterred them! Thank goodness for our new door screens. After such an early start we were early to bed - and enjoyed a very quiet, still night.

Ceratodus wreck

Home-made bread - yum!!

Friday was exercise day but with many mozzies still hanging around, we decided to cruise further upstream before we started. We enjoyed a swim after our workout, before having breakfast and moving on while the tide was still high so that we could negotiate the shallow parts of the channel with no issues. We dropped anchor again mid morning, near the wreck of the Ceratodus at Ungowan, to prepare some bread for our dinner. We love trying more self-sufficiency while on the boat, making bread and yoghurt, marinating vegetables and cheese for antipasti lunches, or mixing up our own marinades and sauces. Once our dough was prepared, we raised the anchor again, cruising to Kingfisher Bay, where our friends Andrew and Yvonne were staying. They too are living aboard their boat, having left the Gippsland Lakes mid last year. We enjoyed a "social distancing" catch up where we discussed our plans and options for the near future. Later, the two of us enjoyed drinks upstairs "mosquito free" and a delicious pasta dinner - with home-made bread, of course!

The Mary River is long and meandering

Mary Poppins in Maryborough!

With wind and waves forecast to build over the day on Saturday, we headed west, into the mouth of the Mary River. We cruised upstream for almost an hour (against the tide), dropping anchor at "Beaver Rock", a small community on the southern side of the river. After lunch, we took the dinghy and headed upstream to Maryborough. It was a lot further than we expected, but the journey was quite picturesque. Maryborough is a lovely, historic town, with many old buildings gathered around the waterfront. It is also a town prone to flooding, as indicated by the height of the poles on the wharf! We tied up and headed into town, past the old bank building where PL Travers, writer of Mary Poppins, was born. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, everything is closed, but we resolved to visit again once the crisis is over. We continued on to buy our supplies in Bunnings and Coles, but we didn't linger, conscious of the lengthy trip home in the late afternoon. Returning to Manookatoo, we relaxed with drinks upstairs before a delicious three-course dinner. We reflected on how lucky we are to be in such a beautiful part of Australia during what is a very anxious and confusing time.

Mary River

Maryborough Marina

CAPTAIN'S LOG:

Distance travelled - 205.4 NM

Travelling time - 32 hours, 35 minutes

Fuel consumption - 203.1 L