Tin Can Bay to Kauri Creek

Pat and I drove back from the Whitsundays to Tin Can Bay and were reunited with Little Dragon still perched high and dry in the yard of the holiday shack. Nicky and Noela had to fly home and start work immediately.





Again the holiday shack and Tin Can Bay proved a great spot to rest up for a couple of days.



But the sun was shining, the tides just right and the wind favourable. So we couldn't resist planning an overnighter, especially as we had found a chart in the holiday shack.




I thought things were going well when I managed to back down the wide ramp with a reasonable degree of aplomb. Suddenly I heard an ominous crunch. Instead of waiting for me a guy had backed his trailer right into my front bumper. Then he had the gall to blame his wife - her crime was not to be there to guide him!



One can only launch at the public jetty near high tide. This was late morning so we were able to take advantage of the ebb all the afternoon. We had a splendid sail reaching Kauri Creek (which is to put it in non-nautical terms) first on the left past the Wide Bay Bar.





It is time to show that even though Little Dragon doesn't have a galley we still manage to brew a decent cup of coffee. That evening after enjoying the sunset we feasted on a couple of surprisingly tasty precooked rice and curry mixes that only needed heating in their sachets.






Next day we tacked all the way back to Tin Can Bay, this time taking advantage of the morning flood tide.





The shackles keep coming off the track on the mast and the photo is of me (yet again) fixing the problem. Hopefully my new sails (due late August) won't have the same problem.

Little Dragon crew go bareboating in Whitsundays

Little Dragon is a bit small to take round the Whitsundays so Pat and I decided to charter a bareboat from Whitsunday Rent a Yacht for 10 days and invite a couple of Little Dragon's regular crew to join us - Nicky and Noela. The photo is of Amalie, a Jeanneau 37.





My sister Pat was skipper and she had her work cut out as apart from the first and last days it consistently blew around 20 knots and at one time even up to 26 knots. Luckily we practised putting in a reef on day 1. On day 2 we needed to reef and we spent the rest of the trip putting in 1 reef, then 2 reefs and sometimes shaking them out again.





Although it was windy we managed to find sheltered anchorages almost every night: Langford Reef (first night when it was calm), Butterfly Bay, Cid Island, Nara Inlet, Tongue Bay and Hamilton Island (where we spent 1 night in the marina and took on more water and fresh food).


As a bunch of ocean swimmers we were determined to get some good snorkelling. Langford Reef and Manta Ray Bay were excellent, but the western anchorage at Butterfly Bay was our favourite.






Another highlight for me was visiting the Aboriginal cultural site at Nara Inlet. Last time I visited it had been shockingly vandalised. Now it was been superbly restored and it has very moving interpretative displays - an absolute must see.

Pat was keen to hone her navigation skills and Noela proved a keen trainee.







Thanks for everything Nicky and Noela.

High and dry in Tin Can Bay

Pat was lucky enough to be offered use of an old style holiday shack in Tin Can Bay. We drove there from the Dreaming Festival. The photo shows Little Dragon high and dry in the yard only metres away from the mangroves.

We spent 3 days resting up after the Dreaming Festival, checking out Tin Can Bay with a view to sailing at least up to the Wide Bay Bar in a couple of weeks (more of that later) and preparing for our bareboating jaunt in the Whitsundays (more of that later).

Pat and I really took to Tin Can Bay - probably because it was so reminiscent of our childhood at Leigh-on-Sea (nicknamed Leigh-on-Mud) on the Thames Estuary in England.

I couldn't resist snapping Pat waiting her turn to feed the dolphin.

This wonderful road sign is on the exit from the giant boat trailer park at Tin Can Bay. If only there had been such a sign at the Big River Sailing Club... (see earlier posts about my new mast!)

Little Dragon returns to Dreaming Festival

Little Dragon was such a popular landmark and meeting place in the camp site at the 2008 Dreaming Festival that I decided we would return for the 2009 Dreaming Festival. Little Dragon performs well as almost as well as a caravan as a sailing boat!

She rose above a mini tent city comprising my sister Pat, Sue Craig, Andi and Jessie, Lesley and Susie, Cas and Nancy plus others such as Rae and her sisters plus Cathie not far away.




















This photo shows that the Stingray Ocean Swimmers pop up everywhere - there were enough of us at the Festival to wish Cathie "happy birthday".

It was a great festival and the highlight for many of us was David Page performing Page 8. Mick Dodson, Australian of the Year, gave the keynote address.