When someone says to me “Ooh sailing! How loooovely!” I know that in their mind’s eye they are seeing themselves on a little sailing boat, its sails filled with gentle zephyrs, basking in glorious sunshine, with no sound other than the whoosh of the water and the cry of the lonely gull. Well sometimes it happens! Our trip through the Great Sandy Straits was exactly that. The flooding tide carried us at 6 knots from well north of Big Woody Island south to Booker Island. The 10 knot northerly breezes were enough to keep the sails full and each leg required the sails to be re-set or trimmed for a different angle of sail; after all you need a bit of a challenge. We anchored in splendid isolation and watched the lazy dugong as they fed in the sea grass bed not far from us and heard the big turtles as they surfaced for a breath of air.
We had enough water by midday the next day to get through the very shallow Sheridan Flats and headed for good ol’ Garry’s Anchorage where we had a chance to catch up with some sailing folk that we knew who were also anchored there. The midges, which everyone agrees are particularly vicious this year, and the arrival of several houseboats that anchored in close quarters helped make up our minds that 3 days at Garry’s was enough. We left at first light yesterday morning and enjoyed a fast ride, under headsail only, on the ebbing tide down to the Wide Bay Harbour and a brisk sail up the Tin Can Inlet, as the wind had built to N/NW 20-25 knots and was now against the tide, to an anchorage just outside Snapper Creek where we waited for 3 hours in uncomfortable conditions for the flood tide to get us up to Tin Can Bay Marina, where Peter’s skills at boat handling and berthing were put to the test and passed brilliantly.
We had enough water by midday the next day to get through the very shallow Sheridan Flats and headed for good ol’ Garry’s Anchorage where we had a chance to catch up with some sailing folk that we knew who were also anchored there. The midges, which everyone agrees are particularly vicious this year, and the arrival of several houseboats that anchored in close quarters helped make up our minds that 3 days at Garry’s was enough. We left at first light yesterday morning and enjoyed a fast ride, under headsail only, on the ebbing tide down to the Wide Bay Harbour and a brisk sail up the Tin Can Inlet, as the wind had built to N/NW 20-25 knots and was now against the tide, to an anchorage just outside Snapper Creek where we waited for 3 hours in uncomfortable conditions for the flood tide to get us up to Tin Can Bay Marina, where Peter’s skills at boat handling and berthing were put to the test and passed brilliantly.
Pictured:
- 'Mooresca' at Garry's Anchorage
- Peter enjoying the sunset
- Michelle from 'Fantasy'
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