On a whim we hurriedly left Bundaberg last Saturday morning and sailed south east towards Urangan Boat Harbour, Hervey Bay. Until that moment we had been toying with the idea of sailing up the Burnett River and anchoring in the heart of Bundaberg, but after hearing about encounters that other yachties had with the Environmental Protection people in this anchorage we decided against it. Besides, it was a great day for a sail, or so we thought until the VHF radio crackled to life in the vicinity of the Fairway Buoy, “Securité! Securité! Severe storm warning for Maryborough, Great Sandy Straits and Hervey Bay.” We were heading directly for a storm, a biggy. Visions of ‘The Perfect Storm’ immediately came to mind. At the time of the announcement the storm was 5kms south of Maryborough, making it about 25-30 kms south of us. The harbour was a good two hours away when the announcement first came over the VHF radio but with the help of our engine we were able to significantly increase our boat speed and begin preparing for the storm: reducing sail, quickly revising navigation skills without the aid of any electronics in case we were hit by lightening, securely stowing potential missiles. Yes, I did put on my life jacket because I had to make several trips to the foredeck to get rid of , and secure, sails in a sea that was already becoming messy. And yes, I did re-pack our ‘grab-bag’ just in case. We were ready for the storm.
Peter said ‘I think that it is going to miss us’ as the heavens miraculously cleared. The Securité was cancelled when we were about 10 minutes out of the harbour. This presented a new challenge. Our course had originally been planned to get us to the harbour entrance an hour into the rising tide but we arrived smack bang on low tide, springs I might add, with 0.01m under our keel as we neared our berth. At least we now know that it is possible to get into Urangan Harbour during just about any tide. Mary and Peter (Tahaa) knew we were coming and took our lines.
Peter said ‘I think that it is going to miss us’ as the heavens miraculously cleared. The Securité was cancelled when we were about 10 minutes out of the harbour. This presented a new challenge. Our course had originally been planned to get us to the harbour entrance an hour into the rising tide but we arrived smack bang on low tide, springs I might add, with 0.01m under our keel as we neared our berth. At least we now know that it is possible to get into Urangan Harbour during just about any tide. Mary and Peter (Tahaa) knew we were coming and took our lines.
Photograph shows the Jetty at Urangan about 1 n/mile before the harbour entrance.
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