Moreton Bay provides many obstacles, quite a few we encountered on the trip down:
- Shallow channels - 2.3m draft is not ideal for the southern part of the bay.
- Power lines - having a nice tall mast (great for sailing) means a little caution on the way down.
With many shallow sections between Cabbage Tree Point and the Broadwater we had to be up and motoring by 6:30am to make the most of the high tide.
Thankfully the main shoals just out of Jacobs Well have been dredged, we still wouldn’t have got through on low tide.
We got down to Labrador boat ramp and started looking for somewhere to drop anchor.
Most of the well protected places were either taken or too shallow.
We ended up finding somewhere, but it wasn’t that great. We were hoping to only be there the night so not too concerned.
We had arranged with both sets of parents to come down and catch up for dinner before we set sail.
Kristina asked to get her togs on, and it only became clear why after she started looking for the Frisbee that she’d thrown and the wind had taken it for a swim.
Justin and family got down to the park and the kids had a quick play together before we said our goodbyes to everyone.
We had a quiet night in preparation for a big day or so sailing.
The weather forecast wasn’t pretty. Strong 20knt SE winds that would turn more East and drop off overnight.
Sounded uncomfortable but doable.
With the decision made to go, our Navigation devices decided to stop working. An hour of pulling the switch board and panels off and testing circuits we found some fuses that needed replacing.
With everything now working, and everything stowed away we pulled up the anchor and headed for the seaway.
The bar crossing was ok (funnily enough we had it all to ourselves) - and once we got out there were some big waves (2m).
We motored south for a bit before putting the sails up and started tacking down the coast.
The sea state was terrible, and it wasn’t long before the vomit bags came out (and stayed out).
We also had many rain squalls throughout the day. All in all, not much fun.
Once we cleared Cape Byron we didn’t have to tack anymore.
We tried getting the girls (and Kristie) downstairs to sleep but that didn’t work, and it wasn’t long before they were all back up on deck sleeping in the cockpit.
The wind then died off altogether at about 3am and we had to start motoring.
Given the weather conditions and state of the crew, pushing on to Coffs or further wasn’t on the cards.
We were only about 20mn out from Yamba, so we aimed there.
A quick check of the bar cam revealed it was looking good, and not long after sunrise we crossed the bar and found somewhere to anchor up.
We are now at Whiting Beach, and have it all to ourselves.
After a bit of drying out and recovering from the trip, I dropped Justin off to the beach so he could bus home.
Many thanks Justin we couldn’t have (also wouldn’t have) down the trip down without you.
We had lunch then went to shore ourselves to find a much deserved ice cream and have a swim.
We walked around to the ocean pool, but the girls much preferred playing around in the waves.
Lessons learnt:
- When Predict Wind says it’ll be uncomfortable it is an accurate prediction :(
- Have vomit bags up on deck before they’re needed, rather than catching vomit in a sailing jacket :(
- Check hatch seals, we think our covers are messing up the seal, or just the seals need replacing (we haven’t had Lazuli in those sort of conditions before)
- Don’t do night passages in crap conditions :)
- Having an extra crew member makes a massive difference
- Don’t hang cheap paper decorations under hatches
What’s next:
- Spending the next few days exploring Yamba and Iluka
- Finding a weather window to get down to Sydney.