Monday - 10/06/2013
The wind the weatherman promised did not arrive so we had to
motor sail from Honeymoon Bay to McGowan's, we only had to travel 12NMS and the
main reason we were going there was for fuel. As we left some of the campers
going out fishing came by to wave farewell. We left about halfway through high
tide to catch the ingoing tide to McGowan's. As soon as we cleared the headland
you could see McGowan's as they have a white fuel tanker (prime mover and
trailer) close to the waterfront and it stands out in the sunlight. There was
also a motorboat anchored off the shore as we headed down.
We had contacted McGowan's by phone in Darwin to check with
the about getting fuel which is a wise thing to do to make sure they have
stocks for the boats that require fuel. Sometimes they get a number of motor
boats in that require thousands of litres of fuel and they have the semi
trailer that holds around 40,000 litres and that has to be filled back in
Wyndham. To contact McGowan's Ph. 08 91614748, website
http://www.mcgowanisland.com.au/
They have diesel the price varies and was $2.70 per litre
when we filled, I have found out since that they do sell ULP fuel to amounts
that you require, the guide books we have read state that they will supply 200
litre drums. Well the fuel is in 200 litre drums but they will siphon off the
amount you require, however, the first question they will ask when you ask for
ULP is if your containers have litre markings as that is how they measure the
fuel given, so no markings maybe no ULP. I would say it is around the same
price as the mission around the $3.00 per litre.
As you approach McGowan's call them on ch16 VHF and let them
know you are coming if they are near the radio they will answer you. There is
one thing to remember that these places are very isolated and the people that
own these places are original Aboriginal
landowners although they may have people working for them basically for their keep.
Robert who served us fuel has been working there for nine years and they do not
make very much money. Therefore the prices may seem high but it is what it
costs them to get things there.
McGowan Island is a small island off the campground which is
part of the mainland, it was named after Father McGowan many years ago who
loved to fish off the island.
Anchorage 14⁰ 08.703'S - 126⁰ 38.736'E
It is possible to go right into the beach at some high tides
and fuel straight from the tanker, talk to Alex or Robert about it. There are
some rocks marked with a yellow buoy and there are markers (buoys) that lead to
the beach, the boys will tell you to keep near to the north side of these if
going in on high tide.
(Chart showing our
anchorage, there are more rocks to the north so when coming into the anchorage
sail down level to the beach before turning the marked rock is on the southern
side of the buoy)
(McGowan's Campground from our anchorage, the white fuel tanker stands out for miles)
We fuelled up via 20 litre containers I had two trips and
Robert was very obliging and trusted us to come back and fix the bill when we
finished. Payment can be cash or card, if using credit account there is a 2%
charge if using savings account no surcharge.
McGowan's has a good water supply which benefits the campground
as they water lawns which makes it a nice area for the campers, the water has a
light earthy taste but not bad. We asked if we could get water and they said
help yourself, there is a tap next to the fuel tanker. We took great advantage
of this and did washing and topped up tanks and containers before leaving.
(One of the campsites at McGowan's)
Just after we arrived John and Barbara came by on their way
back to their boat and asked if we had seen a yacht name 'Tryphena', we said we
had seen it entering King George River as we were leaving some days ago, they
said they were waiting for them to arrive. They invited us over for sundowners
on their boat 'Murrundi' which is a 52' motor launch. A short while later we
heard 'Tryphina' calling McGowan's on the radio. They came over on the way in
and said hello and they were going to sundowners there so we would catch up
then.
We had a good sundowners with the other two crews and made
plans to sail with them the next day, Peter and Shannon on 'Tryphena' said that
the area around Middle Rock can be a big problem as it is nowhere near where it indicates on the chart so we said we
would follow their lead, arrangements were made to leave at 0530 hours the next
morning as we would be motor sailing as little wind tomorrow. John and Barbara
were to leave later as their motor boat goes a little faster than us.
We had a good night and then we headed for bed.
Cheers
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