Showing posts with label Fitzroy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitzroy. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Fitzroy Reef Another underwater wonderland
2-3 December 2016
We only had a relatively short, 26 Nautical miles passage ahead of us to Fitzroy Reef today but still needed a nice early start. We wanted to time our arrival at Fitzroy’s narrow and winding entrance through the coral as close to the high tide slack as possible so we were up in the dark and raising the anchor as soon as the pre-dawn light appeared.
It took a little time to get our chain unwrapped from rocks on the sea bed but after that delay it was fairly plain sailing through the morning. We were pushing a contra current as the tide flowed in which slowed our progress a bit however, we were still able to maintain a five knot average for the trip.
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| The sun was rising by the time we cleared Masthead Island's fringing reef. |
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| Masthead Island disappears astern. |
Situated 32 nautical miles (59 Kilometres) off the coast from Seventeen Seventy, the spectacular 2,000 acre Fitzroy Reef is the only naturally formed, all tidal entrance Lagoon on the Southern Great Barrier Reef. It is the largest reef in the Bunker Group and is a drying, closed ring reef with a large, deep (6-10m) lagoon that can be entered through the narrow, natural channel. We also had a fantastic visit here at Fitzroy back in June on our way north. See the story and more details about the reef entrance HERE
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| Fitzroy Reef lays 32 nautical miles(59 kilometres) off the Queensland coast. |
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| La Jorja under way to Fitzroy Reef |
This time we were travelling with our friends Matt and Debbie on the big cat La Jorja and were able to snap a few nice shots of their boat under sail on the way over from Masthead Island. We both passed through the entrance without any problems and anchored in the calm of the huge lagoon in about 8 metres of water.
Fitzroy Reef was to be a special stop for the Matt and Debbie as two of their sons were rendezvousing with them here. They had towed their speedboat from Brisbane and launched at 1770 to spend a few days using La Jorja as a mother ship as they embarked on some serious spear fishing.
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| The lads arrive in the lagoon at high speed ready for their spear fishing adventure. |
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| Masthead Island to Fitzroy Reef – 26.0 Nautical Miles – 5 Hours 07 Minutes Average Speed 5.1 Knots – Max Speed 7.3 Knots For zoomable detailed track click HERE |
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| Our anchor spot inside the lagoon at Fitzroy Reef - For zoomable satellite image click HERE |
Meanwhile back on Our Dreamtime we were ready to do some underwater exploring of our own. Young Master Kristian couldn’t wait to don his snorkelling gear and get amongst the nearby reef outcrops. The clear water was fantastic and we were again treated to a wonderland of colourful coral and myriads of fish. Marine life that call the lagoon home include Manta rays, Bull rays, Eagle rays, the Lagoon ray with its iridescent blue spots and also the black blotched stingray, Dolphins (bottlenose, common and spinner), Turtles (Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill) and up to 1,000 different species of small colourful fish. Sharks (white and black tip reef sharks) majestically cruise through the Lagoon - totally uninterested in people.
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| There's no shortage of vibrant coral at Fitzroy Reef |
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| This large shellfish on the sand bottom was about 40cms long. |
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| Master Kristian photo bombing again. |
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| La Jorja and Our Dreamtime at anchor inside Fitzroy Reef as we explore the lagoon. |
More than two hours passed like minutes and it was three very wrinkled crew members who finally returned to the boat. While we recovered from the mornings sail and afternoon in the water by reclining with our books, hyper-active Kristian had the rod out and managed to land a couple of small flat head.
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| You can't keep an eight year old still for long. |
Later, as we snacked on some nibbles washed down with cool sundowners, mother nature turned on another of the incredible displays of colour we’ve become used to but never tire of on the Great Barrier Reef.
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| Sunset over Fitzroy Reef. |
We enjoyed a nice sleep in next morning before heading off in the dinghy to do some more exploring inside the lagoon. This time we headed for a couple of small reef areas on the western side we hadn’t visited before. Again the snorkelling was fantastic with warm, clear water, great live coral, big colourful clams, huge shells, turtles and fish of all shapes and sizes. This time we drifted, swam and dove the tropical wonderland for about three hours before grumbling bellies signalled it was time to return to the boat for lunch.
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| Master Kristian hanging around waiting for Captain Poppy and Admiral Nanny to go snorkelling. |
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| The number of small, colourful fish inside the Fitzroy Reef lagoon is amazing. |
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| The giant clams also come in a huge range of colours. |
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| The range of coral species is also fantastic. |
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| The water was so warm it was easy to stay immersed for hours. |
Again the snorkelling was fantastic wit warm, clear water, great live coral, big colourful clams, huge shells, turtles and fish of all shapes and sizes. This time we drifted, swam and dove the tropical wonderland for about three hours before grumbling bellies signalled it was time to return to the boat for lunch.
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| Rob cooking the kebab sticks for lunch. |
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| Karen taught Kristian some rope plaiting tricks after lunch |
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| We're not sure he needed the fingerless sailing gloves on but he though they were cool. |
Later that afternoon we visited La Jorja to see the results of the boys’ spear fishing expedition on the coral drop offs outside the lagoon. These guys are very serious about their spearing and, with advantage of youth and fitness, free dive quite deep in pursuit of the ‘big ones’. When we arrived we could see that Fitzroy Reef had clearly not disappointed. The array of big coral trout, mackerel, tuna and a massive cobia spread across the deck for cleaning was amazing.
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| This big Cobia was speared about 12 metres down on the outside drop off at Fitzroy Reef |
Kristian was spellbound as the catch was gutted and filleted attracting a number of black tip reef sharks competing for the spoils being dumped over the back. We were generously provided with a good sized slab of cobia fillet to barbecue that night accompanied by yet another stunning sunset. Life is good on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
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| Good night from Fitzroy Reef. |
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Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Fitzroy Island to Cairns for repairs
30 August – 12 September 2016
We had enjoyed our stay at Fitzroy Island so much it was not easy lifting the anchor and making our way towards Cairns but we were keen to fit the new valve cover gasket we had waiting for us there. We needed to see if it cured the oil leak that had torpedoed our passage to Papua New Guinea. We had originally feared our problem was a leaking rear main seal but after further investigation at Fitzroy we were now very confident the much easier and cheaper to replace gasket was the culprit. We wouldn’t be sure until the new one was fitted and test run but that would be a reasonably quick process.
Such was his optimism that Rob was already looking at forecasts searching for a suitable weather window to continue our journey to the Louisiade Islands. Leaving from Cairns would be a lot harder than the more southerly departure point of Townsville but we were hopeful of finding some suitable conditions with workable wind angles for the crossing.
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| Cairns on the horizon. |
We motored away from the island and set sail with a moderate south easterly pushing us along. The sky was fairly overcast and we did experience a few light showers. Sunshine would have been nicer but the sail was pleasant enough.
Approaching the channel into Cairns, Rob checked the temperature on our deep freezer and was horrified to find it was sitting at +3c despite having been running all morning. Sure enough we could hear a slight hissing sound and suspected a refrigerant gas leak. Both the freezer and fridge cabinets run off the same compressor so we now had an all new serious problem. After having spent thousands of dollars on having a new motor and condenser fitted for the system before we left Brisbane we were not impressed. What the hell else could go wrong?
Fortunately we have a 12v camping fridge/freezer in the salon which we normally only use for bait and cold drinks. That bait went overboard and the drinks came out as three months supply of food was transferred from the deep freezer avoiding a very expensive meltdown. The contents of the fridge were then moved into the freezer which would hopefully keep things cool enough until we could get a refrigeration mechanic aboard. A Google search was begun immediately to hopefully find someone available to have a look at it when we docked in the marina the following day.
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| All the frozen food was transferred to our Fridgemate camping fridge which saved the day. |
We were anchored up in Trinity Inlet opposite the Cairns Marlin Marina by 1.00PM. At almost $70 a night for our 42 foot ketch this is one of the more expensive marinas on the coast and we had no desire to spend any more time there than necessary. We planned to go into the marina first thing the following morning to give us a full day to make our repairs on the dock.
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| Finding a spot to swing on anchor chain amongst the many boats on moorings can be a challenge. |
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| Fitzroy Island to Trinity Inlet – 16.6 Nautical Miles – 4 Hours 01 Minutes Average Speed 4.7 Knots Max Speed 7.3 Knots |
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| Anthony and Lynda crack the bubbles to mark the end of their journey on Our Dreamtime - until the next one. |
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| Lunch on the hook in Trinity Inlet, Cairns. |
In the meantime we settled back for a nice lunch on the stern enjoying our view of the Cairns skyline. We even discovered we had a welcoming party in the form of a moderate sized crocodile lazing on the mud bank off our beam. It was a very timely reminder that the North Queensland Coast is a place to be careful when around the water. You can be sure we never waste time getting in or out of the dinghy from the swim platform at water level.
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| We're not sure if this crocodile on the nearby mud bank was smiling or laughing at us as we enjoyed our lunch. Maybe he was thinking about us being his dinner. |
We slipped into our berth early the next morning. Karen, Anthony and Lynda got started on all the usual marina chores off rubbish disposal, water filling and boat wash down while Rob went to the office to check in and collect the all import parcel containing our replacement gasket.
Once we had it in our hot little hands we removed the valve cover to have a look at the existing one. As suspected, it had not been fitted correctly by the professional mechanic paid to service the engine in Brisbane. The rear section had slipped out of alignment and was not sitting where it was supposed to seal between the cover and cylinder head. There was only some silicon smeared in there which had failed to seal properly as well. Once more we were victims of shoddy work by expensive so called professionals.
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| The gasket had been pushed out of alignment during fitting with only a smear of silicon in its place. |
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| The silicon where the gasket should have been didn't bond to the surfaces. It would have only been a minor weep of oil at low revs but failed badly under pressure. |
We thoroughly cleaned the valve cover and all surfaces before fitting the gasket taking great care that it sat exactly where it was intended to. We let it bond well to the valve cover before bolting it onto the motor. After running the engine for over half an hour we were very relieved to find no sign of any oil leaks anywhere.
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| Karen found herself short a few pegs when she returned from the Laundromat to hang the washing out. These did make sure the new gasket bonded in place all the way around the valve cover though. |
Unfortunately the refrigeration proved more troublesome and much more expensive. We weren’t able to get a fridge mechanic on board until the following day so it did cost us an extra night in the marina. What he discovered was worse though. Our 18 month old refrigeration compressor had a worn shaft and badly leaking seal and he couldn’t explain why it would have gone so quickly. We would need a new compressor from the south which wouldn’t arrive until the following week. More time lost, more money gone and we were fast running out of both. The Louisiades were beginning to look a long, long way away.
There was nothing for us to do but go back out at anchor in the inlet and enjoy the delights of Cairns for a while before returning to the marina the following week to have it all fitted. We then stayed a few more days in in the inlet to make sure it all kept running properly. The wind continued to blow from the east anyway so it wasn’t as if we could go anywhere we wanted to anyway. Such is life.
We did enjoy ourselves catching up with some family and friends and visiting some of the city's very attractive spots. It was also amazing how many cruisers we were able to renew friendships with in the marina that we had previously met up and down the coast. Life is far too good to let unplanned problems stop us from having fun.
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| There's good news and bad news for cruisers like us anchored in the inlet at Cairns. The good is that there is a FREE dinghy dock in the marina where you can come ashore. |
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| The bad news is that it's crowded with dinghies locked to the dock that never move like this one and the fact that the finger is locked at 6.00pm. You need to get out before then which makes enjoying a night out on the town a little more difficult. |
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| Farewell drinks with Anthony and Lynda at the Salt House bar in the marina before they returned home to the Gold Coast. |
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| It was great to catch up Karen's brother Russell who lives in Cairns with his wife Tanya and their boys Dylan and Reece . The siblings went shopping and found the perfect Father's day present for their Dad, Trevor. |
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| Cairns features a fantastic fresh water swimming lake right on the waterfront near the marina. Great spot to cool off. |
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| When the tide goes out in Cairns it really goes out leaving huge mud banks covered in wildlife such as these pelicans. |
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| We loved these turtle sculptures on the wharf. |
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| The botanical gardens in Cairns are well worth a visit, particularly if you love rainforest vegetation. |
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| This figtree in the botanical gardens is no youngster |
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| This bush turkey we came across in the botanical gardens was far from shy. |
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| We really enjoyed an exhibition of works by high school students at the Tanks Arts Centre in the gardens. This textiles sculpture highlighting the dangers turtles face from man made flotsam and drift nets was Karen's favourite. |
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| This work by a local indigenous student bringing traditional art and modern digital mediums together was Rob's pick. |
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| We did discover a way to live cheaply in Cairns. The casino has $5 lunch and dinner specials Monday to Thursday for members and it's free to join. |
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| Why would you bother shopping and cooking when you can eat for Five Dollars. Grotty Yachty el cheapo heaven as long as you stay away from the slot machines. |
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| There is a saying that cruisers like us get to share a backyard with billionaires. Here's an example with 'Vibrant Curiosity' berthed just across from us. |
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| So how does someone afford a $114million dollar boat. Maybe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in its dinghy garage but actually the real story is more typical. Have a look HERE. |
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| Maybe you'd like to charter this 41 metre (134 foot) sloop. She carries up to 8 guests and will only set you back $96,000 USD a week. You can get booking details for SV Destination HERE. |
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| We even had front row seats on the boat for a big fireworks show over the harbour as part of the Cairns Festival |
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We love to receive comments on our blog from readers. If you do leave a comment and you also have a blog, please leave a link as well. We'd like to click over for a visit and leave you a comment too.
To stay right up to date with what we’re up to and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at DreamtimeSail
If you have only recently discovered our blog and would like to read how it all started, or work through our previous adventures, click the link to go back to our first blog entry. Stuff it. Let's just go sailing anyway.
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