Convoy North

Boat jobs complete, Escapade went back into the water on Thursday 9^th May 2024 and, after a few days shopping and provisioning, on Wednesday 15^th May, we set off in convoy with Tam Lin on our journey north along the east coast of Australia. It was good to be on the move again.

The next day, we had a pleasant afternoon sail to Tangalooma on Moreton Island. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant night, as the south east swell rocked the boat all night!

Up early, but not so bright, we made a 6am start in order to travel the 80nm to Rainbow Beach. As the southerly winds were varied between Force 3 (7 – 10 knots) and Force 5 (17 – 21) knots, gusting Force 6 (22 – 27 knots) 25, it was a combination of motoring and sailing goosewing with prevented main and poled genoa. We also had fairly big swells and Escapade did some surfing, reaching speeds of up to 9 knots. This, along with the grey and damp weather meant that we were pleased to complete passage and be anchored in Rainbow Beach. It was dark when we arrived, but were talked in by Tamlin and Mary Doll. Now we were three….

Rainbow Beach is just south Wide Bay Bar, so we were easily able to plan our departure the next day to cross the bar at the right tide. The waves were breaking beside us as we crossed the bar, but using the virtual waypoints provided by the Tin Can Coast Guard, we all made it safely across. Riding the tide up the strait, the convoy made good speeds until we reached the shallows of Sheridan Flats. Here we anchored for the night in order to cross with the high tide. It was a beautiful and tranquil anchorage.

The next morning, we were hauling up the anchor at 6am and went across Sheridan flats as the high tide was approaching. The lowest depth we saw was 1.6m below the keel. Loads of room!

Lady Musgrave Island is actually a coral cay surrounded by reef. There is very little wind and swell protection for visiting boats. However, entry into the lagoon through a narrow channel means that, in the right conditions, it is possible to pick up a mooring to explore the reef. Time to break out the dive gear and see what the lagoon had to offer. Turtle Alley offered us a shallow dive with plenty of coral, hundreds and reef fish and, of course, turtles.

Aware that time was ticking on and we many miles to cover, from Lady Musgrave, we split the journey into short sails with one or two nights in each place.

The first leg, Lady Musgrave to Keppel Bay Marina was another great sail. With the SE winds of Force 4 (11 – 16 knots), we were sailing at speeds of up to 7 knots and covered the 101nm in 16 hours. The marina was a new stop for us and turned out to be a great place to do the laundry and to take a trip to the supermarket to top up supplies. We also managed a quick walk to Rosslyn Bay Lookout and a catch up with some more rally friends on Sidetrack.

Provisioning complete, we retraced our route north. The winds continued in our favour, ESE Force 4 (11 -16 knots) other great 100nm sail up to Middle Percy Island.  Here we just had time for a walk to the interior, a quick chat with the island’s current caretaker and, of course, a revisit to the famous ‘A’ Frame

The wind was forecast to increase and Nara Inlet with its protective, steep sides was the perfect place to shelter. A relaxing day catching up on a few boat jobs, followed by a day to Whitehaven beach with its brilliant white sand.