I love sailing on week days. I love sailing any day of the week for that matter! But for mere mortals such as I who have to keep it real in order to put food on the table, bunking off on a week day buzzes with hedonistic pleasure.

After spending a month overseas, I've found it extraordinarily difficult to settle back into study and other facets of normality. I just can't sit still. The girl may be out of Polynesia, but Polynesia remains in the girl!! Personally, I don't think I'll ever be free of this profound place.

And so, at the end of a crud week filled with personal disappointments and constant heaviness of heart with my best mate being told she has a 3cm yet-undetermined -something growing in her lung, I could barely contain my anticipation to get out on the water and 'clear the cobwebs' as my dear late mum used to describe the effect sailing has on me.

The day started well. Hell, yeah! My bed self-destructed! I wish I could attribute it to wild frolicking – or frolicking of any description. Alas not! I think it's just the house telling me to pack faster and move aboard the boat quicker. But what to do with my 56000 books?

Sailing conditions could best be described as 'quietly contemplative'. No more than 8 knots of SE on a flat sea. My good old boat revelled in it, despite her filthy bottom. A couple of hours heading out close hauled, perfectly balanced with the girl steering her own course, whilst I sat up the front enjoying the motion and the occasional errant splash over my toes.

And then finally, after months of not seeing any marine life in the aftermath of the Brisbane floods, I was treated to something special! Firstly a snoozing turtle, then both species of dolphin endemic to Moreton Bay! A lone Bottlenose just passing through; then a mum and bub Indo-Pacific Humpback pair having a play, pushing a jellyfish along in the water then tossing it into the air, as though it were a ball. What fun!!

Such a relief to see the Indo-Pacifics as they're listed as vulnerable to endangered at the best of times, without further compromise by flooding, and are essentially coastal and estuarine dwellers. I'd wondered and worried how they'd fared with the floods. Small steps but one baby marks regeneration!

Time to head home, I gybed around and cranked up the music, singing at the top of my lungs. Cobwebs are cleared...and life is once again bloody great!! Thank the Goddesses or Doggesses for sailing!!

Thanks MichaelR...it's nice being out there on your own, hey?

have a great time on the weekend! And enjoy your passage.

OMG!! Child bride?? How old are we talking about here?? Bad man

I'm looking at challenging myself and taking the boat up to Sandy Straits at the school hols. Sister's camping up there at Inskip Pt with her mob and will take my kids up with her.

Have to build up the confidence to just do it....and there's always the ugly face that Wide Bay Bar can throw up at the end of it . Am I ready?? Dunno.

badinfluence said...

Thanks MichaelR...it's nice being out there on your own, hey?

have a great time on the weekend! And enjoy your passage.

OMG!! Child bride?? How old are we talking about here?? Bad man

I'm looking at challenging myself and taking the boat up to Sandy Straits at the school hols. Sister's camping up there at Inskip Pt with her mob and will take my kids up with her.

Have to build up the confidence to just do it....and there's always the ugly face that Wide Bay Bar can throw up at the end of it . Am I ready?? Dunno.

Trace, I've only sailed inshore on my own. This will be the first coastal passage solo, and I'm looking forward to it. Apart from the 0300 start tomorrow! The solo days I've done inshore have always been great.

My child bride is 44, I'm 52. [}:)]

If you want a recent story on a great voyage, Phillip from the Top Hat forum took his Top Hat Seaka from Camden Haven to the Whitsundays over Winter, solo. www.sailblogs.com/member/seaka/ There is a great piece on Wide Bay for you to get some confidence.

Michael

It didn't look like that when we came out a few years ago. 30 kts from the south east for days while we waited at anchor inside Inskip Pt. It dropped to 20-25 kts so we went out. The sea was pounding heavily on the sand on the south side of the channel and, for a few hundred metres, there were very steep 2-3 metre waves in the channel.
We were in my sister's solid Valiant 40 with an experienced delivery skipper and a powerful engine. The tide was perfect, soon after the flood tide had started.
It was exciting but not dangerous on the way out. I have always found bars easier going out than entering as you can line the waves up and keep way on. It would have been difficult if not impossible to enter in those conditions, surfing and broaching on the steep wave faces. A drogue would have helped but ...........
Have your main up crossing a bar, it at least gives you a means of propulsion if the engine fails. And wear life jackets!!
It is the only time I have been over the Wide Bay bar. I don't know what the locals do when the south easterlies blow for weeks on end.

G'day Trace,
Just before we were up there a cat pitchpoled on the bar and was lost on the sand bars to the north. The crew were OK and said they should have streamed a drogue to avoid surfing and the pitchpole. Sounds wise to me but I haven't sailed a cat. I have a para drogue but haven't yet used it.
We were there in April 2007 and it was howling from the SE for at least the week we spent coming down the Sandy Strait from Bundy where she bought the boat and waiting at Inskip. Although the tide was perfect for the bar crossing the standing waves were bloody steep. The 13 ton Valiant got maybe 20 degrees pitch going up them.
You're sensible, do the trip and manage the issues as they arise. You can't be put off from going on the trip because of what might happen, just think through the options before you have to.
I set off for Lord Howe in 2009, had everything planned for except seasickness. Seasickness in 2 of the 3 onboard resulted in us turning back into Port Stephens about 160nm out. Sometime s..t happens. It won't stop me trying again but I will be better prepared.

Sneak away Tracy,don,t tell a sole except coast guard of course

give me a bucket Disralei,,,,,,,,,,,not going back to that EVER!!!!!