Thinking of going to Raby Bay (Qld) next weekend (to get of the piss with some friends ). What's the go with the channel? The keel likes about 1.85m. Is the channel assessable only around high tide or at any stage of the tide?

Crusoe said..
Thinking of going to Raby Bay (Qld) next weekend (to get of the piss with some friends ). What's the go with the channel? The keel likes about 1.85m. Is the channel assessable only around high tide or at any stage of the tide?

I'm in Raby Bay Marina there is 2.8m in the centre of the main channel at low tide.
Take the channel on the western side to get to the marina.

Stay alert as the channel rises sharply on either side. Coming in at low tide you will see the exposed sand banks either side.

Yep, Raby Bay channel does have 2ft to spare under my 6ft keel at low tide. Arrived at Mid night on Friday and left at 6am Sunday when the rain woke me up. Got to see the mud (or sand) flats either side of the channels as I headed out. Spend a nice day out at Peel on Saturday consuming plenty of fluids to combat the heat. Nice spot and the winds gods gave me nice sailing conditions for both heading over and back.

Even got $40 dollars back on the $50 key deposit at the marina.

Thanks for you advice Nswsailor & seabird.

That's the only marina that did that to me on both trips I've done to the Whitsundays.

They get a rating!!

I only go in there to visit the previous owner of my Top Hat as he is rather old now.

Is that at the Yacht Club or the Wharf Crusoe??
And how much do they charge?
Lawries Marina looks very crowded and a bit of a hassle to get in and out.

Crusoe said..
It costs me $2205 per quarter at the yacht club.

That is not a bad deal for what I assume would be a 12m berth in a place like Mooloolaba. Works out at $170/week on the quarterly rate and I also assume like most places you have to pay the fee up front.

I have my 30 footer in the slip yard at Bundaberg Slipways which is costing me a discounted rate of $135/week, the discount being based on that I am only getting 50% work time in or less. The recent rain and now the heat wave making sure of that.

The reason I asked about Mooloolaba is that wifey wants us to live on the Sunny Coast closer to daughter there and son in Brisbane.

Me??? Well I have a fore and aft mooring licence in the Burnett River only 10 mins from home which costs me less than $50 per annum. I am required to occupy it 60% of the time. If I was to berth at Mooloolaba for the 40% time, amortized over 12 months a berth there would cost me less than $70/week.

But wait, there's more!!! Another option is to rent a pontoon from one of the people who live on the channels. This is a fairly common practice and again a lot cheaper than the the marinas. There is plenty of empty ones to be seen when motoring around.

Not sure how people get in touch with the canal pontoon owners. I have seen the odd one advertised over the years on the sailing club notice board. You might need to try the direct approach and do a door knock. Motor around the canal to find a likely candidate first, then maybe leave a note in their letter box.