Day 9 - Island Head creek - Moved Further Upstream

Day 9 - Thursday 24^th May 2012

Island Head creek - Moved Further Upstream
NE winds coming in through the creek entrance wiping up the waterway, uncomfortable slapping of the wavelets on the hull

Sunrise in the creek

After MrJ did his weather forecast, we decided to move upstream a bit further to get better protection for the elements, further behind the large sand shoal in front with the high hill/mountains behind. Some of the other boats had done the same. There was a bit of a dilemma; Neriki’s anchor winch was still broken and would need to be pulled up by hand. This was a job better to be done with a couple of extra hand to help.

MrJ and I moved AR up into our new spot; I made sure that our anchor had set fast and then we dropped the dinghy to go back to help Ric and Shelly. Their boat Neriki is also a Leopard like AR but much bigger at45mts. Ric and Shelly were at the anchor station, MrJ was at the helm while I gave directions.

I’m very good at telling people where to go! Hahaha ;o)))))))

It did take some time to get the anchor up to water level; some 60-70mts of chain had been paid out and the strong wind was playing havoc with the direction of the boat. I think we all coped very well; I was ever so pleased to be putting that anchor back down in a nice new spot. We celebrated with tea, coffee and biscuits all round, with lots of laughter and the knowledge that it will make an interesting story to tell and that our true friendship will always be there.

The same process will happen again in a couple of days when both boats do get to sail out of Island Head Creek for parts further north and at every anchorage that we stop until Neriki gets into Mackay.

Day 8 - Island Head Creek – Dinner with the French

Wednesday 23^rd May 2012

Day 8 - Island Head Creek – Dinner with the French
Still very overcast, no rain and light winds in the morning getting stronger throughout the day.

In the morning MrJ does his weather report as usual. The internet and HF are becoming scratchy and harder to receive; must have something to do with weather interference or something similar. The decision is made to stay another day with an easterly weather pattern on Thursday making for a better sail. We hope!

A couple more boat head into the creek; this time some international boats, two French catamarans and a sloop from Monaco. Shelly has invites us and the French couple Annie and Daniel for afternoon drinks. Annie speaks fluent English but with a very thick accent, which is at times Shelly finds hard to understand, or maybe it is the arrogance of the lady that Shelly does not gel with. Daniel speaks less English but has a much more pleasant manner which makes for a better flow in conversation even when you have to repeat yourself or refer to a drawing to get a message across.

View from the northern beach - even a stick has a great view

Earlier in the afternoon I decided to finally drop the kayak in the water. The winds had backed off and the tide was calm at the top of high water. I donned my swimmers, a shirt, a yellow rain coat, my large brim hat and lots of sunscreen. The comfy seat I had already attached to my kayak before MrJ helped me lower it into the water. MrJ had also insisted that I pack the handheld VHF radio in my backpack where I had my old camera, which was in a camera bag and raped in a plastic rain bag, along with a bottle of water. He also insisted that I attach a bungie cord from my ankle to the kayak as an added safety measure because of the strong current in this waterway, should the worst happen and I fall off the kayak. Another thing that I always do went taking the kayak out is to attach the bow line to the middle of the paddle by the means of a rolling hitch and then a double hitch back on the standing part of the line . I’m not going to lose this sucker!

Off I go, paddling across the waterway towards the southern side. The wind is a lot stronger than I had first thought making the waves stand up across the shallow sea that is partially covering the sand shoal. I did think this line of angle out; thinking that if I head straight into the wind and wavelets that it will be better for me on the run back. After a bit of a hard slog and a bit of a drenching I finally made the paddle to the rocky south shoreline and then peddled on around to the little beach where I pulled the kayak up on the sand and went exploring.

Someone had been here before me as there were footprints all along the beach. Buggar! This spoiled my planned photo shoot but not to be disheartened I still got some nice shots of the shell and driftwood on the sand and of the beautiful tiny yellow butterflies that were flying in and around the small low eucalypt trees. After walking up and back along this small beach, exploring and taking photos I once again took to the kayak for the return journey. And it was a journey! I had not counted in on the tide changing so fast or that with the tide change the undercurrents of the waterway accompanied with the big swell outside sending some small swell inside the creek would be working against me. This effect on the waterway was trying to push me away from AR, push me further into the entrance of a smaller side creek on the southern shore between the rock and the sand shoal. The whole area around the sand shoal was of confused waters and currents. I had to use all my strength to keep my kayak heading in the desired direction. At least I had the wind pushing from behind and the little wind wave to surf down but I would not have been strong enough to outswim these currents in the event of been in the water. Me and my kayak would just drift to land where I could get back on and try another tactic even if it meant lugging the kayak across the sand shoal after the tide went out more to get a better angle.

As it was I did make it safely back to AR, very much drenched (not the camera), very weary and in need of a warm shower and some dry clothes. It was to be a cold shower (no hot water till MrJ had the genny going) and time to get lunch. I was so hungry!

Tuesday 22^nd May 2012

Day 7 - Island Head Creek –the Crab Man arrives.
It is raining again but the wind has died down to nothing.

Forever Dreaming left in the morning, making their way to Hunter Island, Curlew and then Mackay. The same track that we will do. We did see a couple of more boats sailing by, out the front going south. Now that would be very lumpy!

Ric has caught and delivered the mud crabs

After our conversation on Neriki yesterday about where the crabs might be and my suggestion to go further up stream, Ric did exactly that, on the incoming tide to put down his crab pots. He came back with his payload of four huge crabs; giving me three of them. Ric said that he was sure to have more again the following morning. Now this is what sharing with friends is all about!

Crabs are a messy thing to cook and clean. It took a couple of hours of preparation work to cook, crack the shells and prize the juicy meat out. This I then made into a big hot pot with sweet corn and a Thai flavour.

Nancy’s Crab and Sweet Corn

1 egg & 1 tbsp oil in a small bowl
Whisk the egg and oil together, set aside
4C/1litre chicken broth/stock (I used chicken noodle soup)
Place in large pot bring to the boil then add
2 X 400g cans corn kernel drained (I added the liquid because I was adding extra crab meat and dried coconut cream powder)
Simmer and then add
1tbsp rice wine or dry sherry (I used gin)
1tbsp light soy sauce
5cm piece ginger, grated (I used 1tsp dry ginger)
A handful each of fresh coriander & Thai basil
1tsp sugar
Heat through
Stir in 2tbsp cornflour mixed to a smooth paste in 1tbsp of reserved stock
Bring to the boil
Add 1 ½ C crab meat (I used the meat from the 3 crabs)
Stir in
1 X 270g/330g tin of coconut (can be light) cream (I used 2tbsp dry coconut powder)
Stir and keep heated but not boiling
Slowly add the egg mixture, stirring constantly
Season with salt & pepper
Serve or let cool slightly and sink into the bottom of the fridge or freezer for another day
Enjoy!

Day 6 – Island Head creek – Lunch Anyone

Monday 21 May 2012

Day 6 – Island Head creek – Lunch Anyone

The wind is not blowing as hard except for that occasional gust that nearly sends you off your feet but the seas outside the creek are still running fairly strong so. Looks like we are in for another day in Island Head Creek!

I have been a good girls most mornings; getting up at daybreak to do my yoga exercises being able to enjoy the peacefulness of the early morning to wake up the body and soul and to gather my thoughts. If the boat is rocking too much than I will opt for more floor postures rather than doing the full sun salutes or the standing poses.

AR is not the only boat sitting tight waiting out the weather and having fun enjoying the surroundings and the company of other cruising boats. There is a little community of cruising boats scattered along the north and southern side of the creek.

Nancy, Mercedes, Shelly & Jill (shot taken by MrJ)

Today we have been invited to lunch on Neriki along with the crews off Forever Dreaming, Cooee and Prosper. My contribution to the luncheon was to make an Indian Potato Salad and a Moroccan Cous Cous; both a little bit spicy but both very yummy. Shelly had made a fabulous salami pasta dish and Mercedes brought along the cold meat.

Nice friends and nice food is a great combination, it is a great start to a long afternoon of chit-chat and interesting stories of past adventures. This is the first time that MrJ and I have had the pleasure of meeting up with Jill Knight off Cooee. Jill is a very good, long term writer of many articles for the magazine Cruising Helmsman. We have been reading a lot of her fabulous stories for many years. The lady herself is a very lovely and gracious woman of the world and a delight to be with. Jim off Prosper is another very interest character with his fascinating stories of adventures in Japan apart from other things and a good friend of Jill’s.

Stories exchanged and told and now the day was edging towards the night, so it was time for us to leave our friendly gathering as all good children needed to be heading home. MrJ and I wave goodbye and give a friendly wave to a new boat in the anchorage that is beside AR.

MrJ and I always pull our dinghy up every night. Not only because of the old saying “lock it or lose it”, mainly because if we need to move or get going in a hurry the dinghy is already up and that is one less thing to worry about.

Crew of Endless Dreaming

Just as we were settling back into our life on board we get a radio call from the new comers, Endless Dream with some information about that they were also heading up north and down the west coast. Now the only thing to do was to drop the dinghy again and pay these nice people a visit.

Endless Dream had four people on board (4POB); Brian, the owner/skipper and his wife, crew/friends Graham and Elaine (I am getting better with remembering names). These cruisers had picked up their boat from NSW and were taking her back home to Busselton in Western Australia. There was time for more interesting chit-chat and an exchange of boat cards with an offer for any help to us once we reach the SW coast. Now it was really time to go home.

What a great life this cruising thing is!

ALANA ROSE in the afternoon light

Day 5 – Island Head Creek – Nothing like a look around the corner

Sunday 20^th May 2012

Day 5 – Island Head Creek – Nothing like a look around the corner
22’21.549 E – 150’38.598 S

Pine Tree Point Beach

The wind is still a blowin’, the seas are still a slopin’ but the warm sun is shining and MrJ can’t get Macca (Australia All Over) on the radio without this terrible noise. This makes an offer from Neriki to take out dinghies around the headland past Pine Tree Point to check out the creeks and beaches for their fishing expeditions very attractive. MrJ and I jump in our dinghy to take off very fast as we see Neriki’s dinghy speeding past with Gary and Mercedes off Forever Dreaming on board too.

The coconut game

Down the creek we fly, out towards the creek mouth, out over the high water that is covering the sand spit between Island Head and the beach on the mainland, over the water covered sand spit, past where we saw the old freezer buried in the sand, across the next little bay where the rolly swell is pushing us along, surfing our dinghy and getting sprayed with seawater. On still we go! We have lost sight of the other four as their dinghy disappears behind the next headland. I am so glad that we are going with these sea but do have in the back of my mind that we still have to come back this way.

Picnic on the sand

 After a bit of a jumping and a jostling to get around Pine Tree Point, our little rubber duckie, dinghy surfs in nicely to the beach where we are welcomed by our friendly beach party who have already set up camp o the shore. Cup of coffee anyone?

Gary and Ric went off fishing while Mercedes, Shelly MrJ and I went exploring along the beach and up one of the small creeks that is marked as having a supply of fresh water. No fresh water was found and no crocs (thank goodness), but we did find a great coconut tree which was loaded down with fruit. Mercedes and MrJ had several goes at trying to knock some of the coconuts down but to no avail. Not to worry; it sure was fun just the same and we did come back with a nice collection of beautiful shells.

Wild ride back to ALANA ROSE

Shelly and Mercedes chose to hike back through the bushland track that had been made by other visiting boaties while the boys and I braved the sea. The trip back to Island Head Creek was a bit more than “ordinary” in fact I would say it was a real drenching and was worth of a well deserved rest back on board AR after stripping off to dry down.