Day3 & 4 - Island Head Creek

Friday 18^th May 2012

Day 3 – Island Head Creek - Sitting out the weather

Come out from that umbrella

I wake up early, 0430hrs to the noise of the slapping on the hull as AR has turned with the tide and the wavelets are hitting the bows. I bury my head further down under the cover to pretend that the noise is not happening, to try to get some more wanted sleep. It is not working! I get up!

The wind is still howling, 21knts straight up the creek, the water is still churning and the clouds are still covering the sky with a warmish sun peaking through sometimes. It would be nice to put the kayak in the water, to go for a paddle and see things. The wavelets are putting me off; not too sure how my wrist would handle the rough going so soon after the operation even though the Doc said to use the wrist in day to day things. Is kayaking in heavy going classed as “day to day”? Maybe not! Sigh! :o(

I turn on my computer to find that we have some very low Wi-Fi signal. Only just! The signal keeps dropping in and out. I do manager to get a couple of messages out, post something on the blog and post a couple of photos before the signal drops out completely.

Spilcing a new gateway rail

My afternoon is spent doing some chores around the cabins (keeping up with the de-moulding of the wall is a big job) and while MrJ is doing his chores in the bilge. I know where I prefer to be! ;o)

There is always something to do; next I pull out the reams of copied cruising guides that we have copied from stuff that other people have kindly lent us, to start putting then in plastic sleaves. The one I am doing today is the Western Australian Cruising put out by the Fremantle Yacht Club; reported to be the best guide for the west coast and is nearly 200 pages thick. Luck it has been copied back to back which gives me half the paper.

By now it is late in the afternoon. No shore time today; time for showers drinks (being Friday), dine, a good night’s sleep and great if not better day tomorrow.

Saturday 19^th May 2012

Day4 - Island Head Creek – Moved Anchorage

I just about had this internet business! Works when it wants not when I want it too! Drops out on every swinging movement of the boat! Getting pissed off! :o{} I think I will just give up and go home! What am I saying? I am home! ;o) 

Time to get off the boat, even if I do get wet....................................!!!

MrJ saves the day with the suggestion to move AR across the creek; if we can’t get there in the dinghy or me by kayak, then we certainly can in the big boat. So we pull up the anchor and move.

Not so rolly over on this side of the creek with the huge sandbank for protection; still coping the winds but not so much “fetch”, wavelets coming across the water.  The anchorage on the northern side was about 6-7mts at high water; over on the southern side of the creek we are anchored in round 10-12mts at high water (now being spring tides with the new moon).

Later in the afternoon MrJ and I dinghy over to Ric and Shelly’s on Neriki; we end up staying for sundowners and a great chat. I got some stuff to take home and photo copy for Shelly. Some more information of cruising north - you just can't have enough.

Day 2 - Island Head Creek BBQ Lunch Party

Thursday 17^th May 2012

Day 2 - Island Head Creek BBQ Lunch Party

The northern beach Island Head Creek

1200hrs some of the boaties, ourselves included, go ashore on the western end of the northern beach for a makeshift BBQ lunch and some friendly chit-chat. The makeshift BBQ is in a small rock cavity with a metal plate over a wood fire.



Brett at the BBQ

 Brett off Swanning Around is our master organizer and BBQ ma; he radios everyone, gets them going and then sets up the BBQ. Brilliant! There is a great rollup; we had the people off Swanning Around (Brett and Deb), Aqua Vista (Phil& ), Shasha B (Brett’s dad &), Sparanza, Annalese, Neriki (Ric & Shelly), and a New Zealand family off a large racing boat and Alana Rose. I’m terrible with names. :o(

The beach party

The conversations had the usual flavour; boating, boating stuff and more about boating and cruising; how to fix something, do something a little better, differently or not at all. Even some talk about fishing, crabbing or cooking fish and crabs filled in with talk about where you have been, where you intend to go or what you would like to do next. This is all the initial “first meet” talk; as the days go by, the longer we all stay, the chit-chat changes, it opens up to a broad range of subjects.

I’m sure all the problems of the world could be solved on one of these beach parties.

Jill Knight’s boat Cooee is in the creek and so is her friend John’s boat. I think the waterway was too lumpy for them to come across. I did see them out and about on the southern sandbank. As for any of the other boats further upstream I don’t think that they would have travelled the distance in such foul conditions. As it was MrJ and I got drenched going ashore in our dinghy.

Raining in the creek

MrJ and I got back to AR just before a nasty big black cloud dropped a payload of wind and rain into the creek. Upstream was a complete whiteout with the driving rain. This rain squall lasted for about an hour before blowing away bring the nice warm sun to shine once more on this glorious natural haven we all know as Island Head Creek.

Hop Around the Corner to Island Head Creek

Wednesday 16^th May 2012

Hop Around the Corner to Island Head Creek
22’21.481 E – 150’38.620 S
High winds, messy seas, 1.5mt seas, 2mt swell

It was not the best sleep last night with the slapping of the wavelets on the hull and the running of the swell when AR turned after low tide sometime in the middle of the night. Both MrJ and I were up early, earlier than usual making ready to get underway for a quick hop around the corner to Island Head Creek where we think the protection from the weather will be much better.

Sunrise in Pearl Bay from the cabin hatch

0615hrs AR is heading out of Pearl Bay to do the short 10n/m to Island Head. We are heading out the same way that we came in between the South Hervey Islands and the south headland and not by the suggested second track as shown in the guide books going up the inside of the small island group before heading to sea, just because we can. The seas are heavy but running with us with 18/22knts of wind. Under genoa it takes AR a little over an hour to be at anchor again.

Five minutes to 0700 I switch on the HF radio to see if we can catch the Shag Island Cruising Yacht Club (SICYC) sked or Shagger Net as we know it on HF frequency 8161. I here Andy off PAWS loud and clear start up the sked. I answer Andy’s call; I give our location and our destination for the next anchorage. No one else has come up on the sked; this leaves the radio open for Andy and me to have a short chit-chat. We chat about how AR is going and about how things are back at the Manly Marina. Chit-chat and over we sign off till tomorrow morning at the same time.

To enter the wide entrance of Island Head Creek MrJ and I take the much favoured north passage leaving the Island Head close to STB, skirting past the rocky outcrops to the inside and the cutting around the sand bar following the deep water channel. There is another passage along the southern headland that we have yet to try.

Looking into Island Head Creek

Looks like there are quite a few boats in the creek and some of the best anchorages have been taken. Our first thought is to anchor at one of our past anchorage on passages north, behind the southern headland just off the forth beach but this proves to be not so good this time with 30knt bullets of wind blasting around the hill. Breakfast first and then we move. We move further upstream to tuck in behind the southern sandbank where the wind is howling but there is little or no chop. We try to get in behind Neriki, between Neriki and a small sloop; the feller on the sloop is waving his hands madly. Maybe he thinks that we are too close. We are not but we move again.  MrJ and I finally settle AR on the opposite shore, towards the northern beach in 6-7mts of water in good firm sand where three other boats are anchored. Only trouble is that we have put ourselves on a lee shore with strong winds coming across the wide creek giving us a lot of chop but the long shoaling beach is still about 50mts away off our stern. I am pleased to say that our Rocna anchor has set fast; like a rock and I have paid out 50mts of chain. That should do us.

Island Head is at the northern end of a mountainous peninsula on the Central QLD coast between Yeppoon and St Lawrence. It has two natural harbours, Port Clinton in the south and Island Head Creek in the north. The western side of the peninsula is Shoalwater Bay a well known military training area. Uninhabited Island Head Creek is a more compact and secure anchorage than Port Clinton, one of the safest anchorages on the QLD coast where you can get up stream and hide out in spectacular wilderness. Most passing boats choose to anchor by the sandbank just inside the mouth or a only a short distance up stream giving them less distance to travel when leaving. The creek is also the home of huge Mud Crabs and is a top fishing spot. Not that we lay claim to be able to catch either! The upper reaches of Island Head Creek are a popular spot with many fishing boats, private or charter.

Thinks that get washed up on the beach

Before we have time to settle and before lunch, MrJ and I drop the dinghy and motor to the shore to exercise our sea legs. The long golden beach stretches out to the east, out around the point to a sand spit that nearly reaches out to the outside islands. The tide is still going out making the water’s edge a long way from where the beach meets the tree and brush line. There are ripples of water, almost streams running across the sand in some places and in other places there are millions of sand ball which are the only evidence of the huge crab popular on the beach or should I say under the sand. I do see a tiny crab running so fast across the sand, and then other and other. These tiny crabs are so small that the sand balls are almost bigger. Maybe their bigger cousins are sleeping in their holes, and there are millions of those crab holes too.

On the walk out to the sand spit we meet up with some other boaties on their way back from doing the same long walk. MrJ and I stop and chat to these friendly people off Sasha B. Finally we meet after hearing about then and anchoring beside them at North Keppel. This is what happens in the boating world; one day you will get to see or meet just about everyone who is out there.

Out on the sand I can see that there is a lot of ocean debris and rubbish that has been washed up over a great time. Well buried in the sand we come across an old tucker box freezer, a plastic drum, lots of containers of all descriptions and sizes and plenty of drift wood. MrJ and I have some fun on the sand making tracks and taking photo of these and the shadows that we make plus the shadow shapes that nature has provided. We play around like a couple of kids.

MrJ is trying to look like he is lost in the desert, but to me it looks like he is
doing something else. ;o)))))))

After lunch back on board AR, MrJ and I busy ourselves with our tidying up chores till mid afternoon. It is coffee time, time to sit down and relax, time to do some writing and photo editing.

Sail to Pearl Bay

Tuesday 15^th May 2012

Pearl Bay
22’26.601 E – 150’ 44.000 S
Very cool morning, 10/15knt SSW wind, seas SE 1mt, swell ESE 1mt


Keppel Island at sunrise, as we sail away heading north

It is a very cool morning as AR slips out of the Keppel Bay Marina bound for Pearl Bay some 40 odd nautical miles north up the coast. MrJ is wearing his heavy jumper and I have my knitted beanie under my sailor’s hat; we are both wearing our long track suits and the wind chill factor is keeping me cold.

Three other boats are leaving just after us; I hear their call to Coast Guard on the radio some time after I had called in. I have seen two more boat on the horizon but too far away to make out who they are.

MrJ and I have the genoa out and are travelling alone very nicely at 5knts. As we get further along, past the shallows of Roslyn Bay, the swell turns more easterly and the seas have increased in size a little making our passage lumpy. Two boats pass us using the wing-on-wing technique to catch more following wind which can make a boat get along a bit faster but it does not necessarily make the ride any better. The two boats know each other. Maybe the skippers were having a bit of a race? You know what they say – “if there are two boats out there on the sea then it is a race”. Haha!

By early afternoon MrJ steers AR through the rocky inlet between the South Hervey Islands and the unnamed mainland headland east of Mt Gibraltar and into Pearl Bay which opens up to long golden beaches back by lush green wooded hills. We are following another boat in.

Military Training Area on the coast

Pearl Bay is part of the Army’s Shoalwater Bay training area (SWBTA). The Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area encompasses 454,500 hectares (4,545 km²), which includes the Warginburra Peninsula, the Torilla Peninsula east of the Stanage Bay Road, Townshend and Leicester Islands, and a sizable chunk of the Shoalwater Bay hinterland north of the village of Byfield. Suggestions that the Shoalwater Bay region be acquired for the purpose of a training ground first appeared in 1960. The army formally took control of the land on 1 July 1965; by the following year, the last landholder had vacated his property. The training area was used by troops who were deployed to the Vietnam War.

In 2005 the federal government entered into a long-term agreement with the US over the use of Shoalwater Bay for military training purposes. Similar agreements over a shorter time span have been agreed to with the Singapore Ministry of Defense.

Military exercises with the United States have aroused considerable controversy in the Rockhampton-Yeppoon area, due to the threat of environmental damage to the Shoalwater Bay region. In recent years, concern has been raised about the possibility of depleted uranium weaponry been used during training exercises at Shoalwater Bay.  Peace activists protesting Exercise Talisman Saber were arrested in 2009.

Support for a permanent US presence has been expressed by the Rockhampton mayor, Brad Carter in 2011, and by former mayor, Margaret Strelow.

On another note and more environmentally friendly: The bay its self contains one of the most important sea grass habitats in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A plan of management for the bay's dugong population was released in 1997 to protect the dugong population and reduce impacts on the sea grass meadows.

A 483 km² area of the bay and its surrounds, covering all the habitat types suitable for migratory waders, or shorebirds, has been identified by Bird Life International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of Pied Oystercatchers, Far Eastern Curlews and Grey-tailed Tattlers, and over 1% of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway populations of Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrels and Terek Sandpipers. It also contains populations of Beach Stone-curlews and Mangrove Honeyeaters.

(information taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Heading into Pearl Bay

There is already another boat, a French boat, in the bay; looks like a small family as we see their dinghy ashore and the children are running up and down one of the beaches. Later that afternoon a dinghy pulls up alongside AR and I am surprised and please to find the skipper, Jean-Michel, and one of the crew, Jonathan, off the French Boat (I think it was call something like Heregre or Hereger).

MrJ suggests (I use the term lightly) that I go out and greet them because I can understand them much better than he. Yeah right and I do speak French – NOT...!

I welcomed them on board; Jean-Michel spoke very good English with a thick French accent (lucky for me) and Jonathan had a popper English accent. These seafarers were from New Caledonia where most people can speak French and English and some people can also speak in a native language. On their boat is Jean-Michel and his family, wife Nauel (I think), children, Johan and Oceane and crew/friend Jonathan. The old brain is not that good – my remembrance and spelling of the names may not be totally correct.

Jean-Michel was asking MrJ and me about the weather and was interested in any reports that we may have as his VHF radio had not been getting good reception. Jean-Michel was also interested in any chart that we could help him with as far as going any further north; he only had a couple of chart of the eastern QLD coast and they did not have a great amount of close up detail. Jean-Michel and his family are heading for Cairns where they will be clearing out of Australia, unless they can get an extension of their visas, and heading for Papua New Guinea on route home.

Why these people sort us out amongst four other boats is a delightful mystery; maybe because we were anchor near them at Great Keppel Island or maybe they think we are great people.

I will believe the later!

Dot and Jono Explore Great Keppel Island

Friday 11^th May 2012

Taking Dot and Jono to North Keppel Island

23’03.764 S – 150’53.009 E

Fresh Breeze, 18knts SE, 1mt sea, sunny and warm

0830hrs MrJ and I nick over to the service station again to pick up the ordered bread and some more fuel, this time it is petrol for the genny and outboard motor. Dot and Johno are running late but they arrive around 0930hrs and it is a mad trip into Yeppoon to get the meat and drink for the weekend. I have been good friends with Dot for many year way back in the Dubbo days long before I had met MrJ and we have stayed in touch ever since.

Sunset at North Keppel

Now back on the marina and all on board, Dot and Johno help cast off the lines and MrJ heads AR out of the marina, out into the interesting sea and across to the anchorage on the NW side of North Keppel. MrJ and I chose this anchorage as we have never been to North Keppel Before and we thought that it would be a good chance while we have visitors on board. Wrong...! It was a fast running sea with 18knots of SE wind and 1mt of lively swell on our aft STB quarter pushing us along under first reef mainsail and genoa at 7-8knots. The anchorage itself was not the best with the little bit of chop on the sea and a slight roll off the waves but no one seems to mind. The slight rocking seems to put each one of us to sleep at one point or another during the afternoon – little nana naps.

In the same anchorage is the sloop SASHA B, the dad of Brett on Swanning Around. It is too sloppy to drop the dinghy to go and say G’day.

Our guests seemed to sleep okay that night, especially after our lazy afternoon of a few beers, some snacks followed by a great steak dinner and loads of chit-chat. Even with the not so comfortable condition – but not really that bad – we all were having a great time. This is what happens when you get together with good friends- it outweighs everything else.

Saturday 12^th May 2012

Dot and Jono Explore Great Keppel Island

23’09.836 S 150’57’134 E

Very warm, light breeze, calm seas

The wind changed slightly more to the south during the night to make it a bit rockier; it woke me for a toilet visit and the bright moon was shining through the top hatch. This did not worry me and I went straight back to sleep.

MrJ and I were up early as usual having out morning cuppa; he checks the weather on the computer while I do my back exercises. I must have strain my back yesterday in the rush to get the supplies or whatever and now this morning my back is giving me curry, but I don’t tell anyone. Why spoil everyone weekend?

0730hrs our “tourist class” passengers are still below tucked up in their cosy bed when MrJ starts the motors and I begin to winch in the anchor chain. Nice wake up alarm for Dot and Jono! ;o))))) We motor across to GKI (Great Keppel Island).

Looking out the cave on Second Beach

0850hrs I drop anchor off the western headland in Second Bay and all four pitch in with the breakfast cooking – bacon, sausages, pouched eggs with grain bread toast and tea or coffee. Without wasting too much time we ate, washed up and then got ready to go ashore. Johno helped lower the dinghy; everyone hopped in stowing their backpacks with camera, bottles of water and walking shoes. We had already covered ourselves with sunscreen on board. This little party of four was ready for a big adventure; off we puttered to the shore.

The little wavelets were rolling in and breaking on the shore pushing the dinghy sideways. Johno was the first out to save the girls from being swamped. It wasn’t that bad – I’m just getting carried away and it does sound good. Ha-ha!

Jono and Dot

The first walk is along Svendsen’s Beach to the eastern headland and across some of the rocks. We decide to come back and take the track across the point to the beach on the other side of the headland at Butterfish Bay. Someone, whether it was Parks and Wildlife, National Parks or the Svendsen’s themselves, has put in a rough boarded walkway and steps at the beginning of the track making it a little easier to get across the point. We do some more beach and rock walking; we meet a lady who has been coming over to GKI for several year as an escape holiday for the rat-race of the mainland. On the walk back to the dinghy we take a look at the boaties camp on the western end of Svendsen’s Beach. This is where we and several other boaties met up for sundowners and beach night fires last season also on the way north. The camp was still being used by other boaties or visitors to the beach and there is now a good stock of utensil for cooking, homemade tables and a locker and some fold up chairs. Isn’t this so good; no one seems to take any and it is there for anyone to use.

Back in the dinghy to wiz around to Second Beach where we walk the length of the beach and do some more rock walking up to the old cave that was once used by the visiting boaties but is no longer allowed to be occupied due to the park rules. The big tree near Frying Pan Creek with the salvaged and found articles that were washed up on the beach hanging all over is still there and so is the net hammock further back in the trees and the rope and wood swing.

The next beach we explore is Leekes beach further to the west. At the eastern end of this beach is the entrance to Leekes Creek which opens out into the salt Flat Lagoon and dries out at spring low tides. At high tide some boaties take their boats in here to clean the bottom or tie down to the mangroves in big storms or threatening cyclone. Today the tide is at halfway mark and there is a quite a lot of water in the lagoon and we are unable to go in very far.

Leekes Creek

A young family has come across from the mainland in their motorboat runabout and have pulled their boat up on the sand just inside the entrance of the creek. The mum and grandma are set up with an umbrella and shade shelter further up the sand while dad has the kids and the fishing lines along the waterfront. Some of the kids are running and playing all over the sand hill and splashing in the water – not where dad has his fishing lines – having a great time. Their little dog rushes up to greet up and is all excited to meet us receives a pat and runs off. It is great to see a family having so much fun in such a beautiful natural wonderland.

Back to AR for us for a late light lunch and an afternoon relax. That means MrJ has a nana nap while Dot, Johno and I laze about in the shade on the front deck till MrJ stirs and then we get a welcomed visit from Mark off Perfect Solution bearing fish and prawns. Wow I am gob-smacked! Mark has been out fishing for most of the day and has come in here to anchor for the night just to see us. Truly amazing friendship...!

That afternoon we are also blessed with one of those magnificent red sky sunsets.

Sunday 13^th May 2012

Mother’s Day

23’09.736 S – 150’47.155 E

Very warm, no or very little wind, calm

This morning I wake up to a dead calm sea; hardly a ripple or roll to be seen and not felt. The sun has just peeped its face over a hill on the island and there is a small tiny with man and dog going ashore. So Peaceful!

Going ashore

MrJ and I kept really quiet to let the “tourist class” sleep in. Round 0800hrs we were all in helping to cook another one of those big breakies. Gotta feed’um good! Can’t have people going away and thinking that we don’t feed them enough then telling the world! Ha-ha!

After breakfast we got underway to motor through the western passage between GKI and Middle Island and drop anchor off Fisher’s Beach. We scramble to the dinghy going ashore to explore this side of the island. Fisherman’s Beach is where the ferry drops people off on the beach, it is where the holiday cabins and accommodations are as well as a couple of cafes and the old disused, fenced off resort still stagnates. The local people from Roslyn Bay and Yeppoon still make the trek across the waterway on warm calm day with their power boats, runabouts and jet skis to use this part of the island as the beaches are so clean and pristine.

Fisherman's Beach

Back on board for lunch and now it is time to be heading back to the marina for Dot and Jono’s “tourist class” weekend has come to an end and all good people need to go home to go back to work tomorrow. AR motors across a dead flat sea, taking our friends for their last ride of the weekend, back to the marina where we say our farewell with lots of hugs. It has been one of the best weekends that we have had in a long time. Thank you my friends!