The Last Days of This Year's Sailing Adventures

Two long days of sailing from Pancake Creek, first stop Bundaberg, then Turkey Island (off Fraser Island).  Seas were lumpy out of Pancake, but improved closer to Bundaberg, where we anchored, after 12 long hours in the first available spot in the Burnett River.  Our friends from yacht Marilyn, John and Sue came over to say hello, but we were all too tired for sundowners.

Leaving Bundaberg is usually lumpy until you turn south and even at 4 am we had a big cross swell to add to the excitement.  By the time we were near Hervey Bay it was a good downwind run through the channel to Turkey Island, where 7 boats had gathered to avoid the building northerly winds.  The night settled to calm seas and we enjoyed a good long sleep.

Our last day of sailing for this year began with drizzle and light gusty winds.  The tides and currents in Sandy Straits determine the departure time and we were able to take advantage of 2 extra knots of progress.  The winds built again to 20 knots down the strait, as the rain turned everything dull grey.  Even the dolphins, turtles and shorebirds were grey.  It was an easy way to wash the boat. 

At last, near Snapper Creek, the sun broke through but we had to reef the genoa as the wind picked up to 28 knots.  Then a family of dugongs popped up near us - 2 adults and a calf - how special is Tin Can Bay!

Cobia Recipe

With plenty of cobia fillets on board and lots of solar power to spare, I tried a new recipe in the Multi-Cooker ... Yum!

Cobia in Yoghurt Sauce – Toni’s Version of Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Recipe.

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 kg cobia fillets, sliced 2 cm thick

400 mL plain yoghurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons ground coriander

¼ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil)

40 g (or 2 tablespoons) butter, cut into pats

Method:

Lay onion slices in Tefal pan, then lay fish slices over the onion.

Beat the yoghurt in a bowl, add lemon, sugar, salt, spices and ginger.  Mix well.

Add oil and mix again.

Pour sauce over fish and cook on White Rice setting for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish and onion to a covered serving bowl.

Change to Dessert setting and boil the sauce to reduce to half the volume. 

Stir in butter pieces and continue stirring until butter has melted.

Pour sauce over fish and serve with rice and vegetables.

[can be served cold with salad after refrigerating overnight]

Turtle Lookout

Our morning walk over to Bluff Point walking track was overrun with the local running/walking club – about 100 people of all ages doing stretches, yoga, carrying sandbags and jogging over the headland.  As we climbed the track to Turtle Lookout it became obvious we wouldn’t see any turtles, the sea was so churned up by the southerlies and no turtle in his right mind would be swimming there.  Great views back to Rosslyn Bay.

Keppel Bay Marina

Planning a route around the war games at Shoalwater Military Area, we had a long sail to Perforated Point at Port Clinton, a beautiful anchorage in northerly winds.  

To beat the big southerly change and to restock the fridge we headed in to Rosslyn Bay, arriving in a 26 knot blow.  Skipper Pete did well to berth the boat while blowing sideways towards the jetty.

By next morning boats were streaming in to avoid the strong winds and soon we were surrounded by boats that we had met along the way.  Oh well, a few more lunches and happy hours...

Signs at the Percy Hilton

Since the '70s visiting yachties have been leaving their hand-made signs in the A-frame at West Bay and now there are thousands!  Among them we found several yachtie friends whom we have had the pleasure of meeting and sailing with over the past two years... and hope to meet and sail with again.

Middle Percy Island

 Our morning walk up the dry creek bed, lined with giant melaleucas and strangler figs, was very still and quiet, only a goat and a few roos hopping by.  The waterfall was also dry with just a few puddles for some tadpoles.  Back at the beach we kayaked around to Dolphin Bay, where a lone red-capped plover foraged with a pair of pied oystercatchers.

As the morning wind turned easterly we joined the flotilla of yachts that began to motor around to the shelter of West Bay.  Around the “Percy Hilton” fireplace some blokes from the Percy Yacht Club were preparing the famous Goat Stew for the incoming crowd.  A donation of veggies would score you a big serve of stew for dinner.

Ernst preparing Goat Stew for 35 yachties

The crowd enjoying Goat Stew

A very sociable week in West Bay, with several yacht families and a tribe of kids exploring and playing treasure hunts on the beach, along with some creative carving of signs to be installed in the gallery.  A game or two of Finska in the shade of the coconut palms and tales of travels over a few sundowners completes our busy days.

Rusty iron "rocks"

Just when you thought you had found the most beautiful beach, you find Rescue Bay.  The barefoot walk over a few sand dunes winds through forest of red gums, kurrajongs, tea tree and casuarinas then opens out to white sand with the most interesting rocks: at first they look like old rusty pieces of iron, but on close inspection they are sandstone eroded by wind and water to become those unusual shapes.