Yesterday was a very wet day so we kept the little generator
ticking over and played on the computer and
last night read a book. Due to the amount of rain that as occurred this
summer and beginning of autumn there are
a lot of insects about and Garry's Anchorage is always well known for sandflies
and mossies so doors closed and a burner going in the cockpit to keep them at
bay.
Garry's Anchorage is and all weather anchorage although it
can stir up with SW winds and very strong southerlies. We had some SW winds
during the night hours and that put us in a position of wind against tide so
this held us side on to wind, tide and small wind waves which woke me due to
different movement of the boat with a gentle rocking.
This morning looks good and we may take off a little further
north to White Cliffs as we are still expecting strong winds this evening, so
we need the anchorage with S/SE protection.
Goodmorning from Garry's Anchorage)
Rick and Michelle on 'Neriki' called this morning they have
made the move for Bundaberg and asked us if we would be heading off to. We had
not given it any thought and we could have done that if we thought of it
earlier this morning, however, we are 25 NMS behind 'Neriki' as we have to go
through the rest of Great Sandy Straits where they were already in the northern
area. We may be in the Straits for a few days as the wind and seas pick up
later today.
Garry's Anchorage is a very popular place when strong winds
are forecast in the charter boat season the place can be packed and one thing
one has to watch is these charter boats, mainly house boats will anchor a
little close to you. Many do not understand that we swing with wind and tide on
the anchor and each vessel behaves differently therefore we need space between
boats especially during strong wind warnings. If you see someone coming
politely tell them if they are getting too close.
(Garry's Anchorage)
At Garry's most boats will anchor were the red anchor with
the yellow background is marked on the chart. This is the best place but it is
where everyone congregates leaving little swing room, often go up near the
starboard markers where I have marked the chart below with a red anchor.
Garry's has two entrances north and south, to go north
access you need a shallow draft or a high tide, we have been through a few
times and where I have marked shallow on the chart I have had very little water
under me and we draw 1.4 metres. Always go through shallow waters before high
tide then if you run aground you have still some tide to lift you off. Before
attempting any shallow areas to investigate check that the following high tides
are increasing not decreasing.
Some people have come to grief when going through shallow
water at or near high tide and have not been able to get off on that high tide
have been stuck for days or a week because the tides are at that time of the month that
they are decreasing each day. Some years ago a yacht was entering a port and
was not sure the path to take they followed a local catamaran unbeknown to its
skipper, the catamaran took a short cut as it had little draft, the yacht with
a keel giving it considerable draft in following the catamarans path ran
aground and was stuck there for a long time, days. Trouble with those yachts is
that they do not stand up when there is no water.
I have found over the last few years being a new bloke to
sailing on the ocean that a lot of the work before sailing off somewhere is the
planning and plotting, gathering information about the places you intend to
visit. It is important that complacency does not set in. Things change,
Mooloolaba is a perfect example we have been in and out of there the last few
years but due to heavy rain and rough seas it is difficult to enter at the
moment.
Another good example is that many boats do not talk to the
coastguard for whatever reason and some sailors are still crossing the Wide Bay
Bar at the old waypoints. Yesterday as we sat at our anchorage we heard an
American call Tin Can Bay Coastguard he had intended to continue going south
but decided to come across the bar. They told Coastguard that they were
crossing and Coastguard asked them to let them know when they are at waypoint
one, they did this, when they did Coastguard asked them to call them when a
waypoint three, the skippers wife called back and said they could not find
waypoint three in the book and coastguard gave the waypoints to them. This
conversation rang alarm bells in my head, do the Americans have the correct
waypoints. I phoned Coastguard with that query and the lady on shift then
radioed the vessel. The American skipper was using the Beacon to Beacon book
which is a guide put out by the Queensland Government the waypoints in that
book are the old waypoints not the new ones they were lucky they did not run
into trouble. At least now the Americans have the correct waypoints to cross
the bar when they go back out.
Our playground can and is a dangerous place at times common
sense needs to be used and the best information that is possible to get. If you
go to a new place it is always a good thing to talk to the locals that know the
waters this can be sailors, fishermen and the Coastguard. Guidebooks can be out
of date the day they hit the store shelves as time since information was
gathered and the time it takes to publish and get them on the shelves in the
shops. We have spent days getting information in relation to this trip we are
doing but there is still a lot we do not know and we will continue on our
research as we go along.
It's all about safe sailing.
Cheers.
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