November 11-12, 2015
It
was now time for our stay in Abbel Point to come to end and after topping up
fuel, water, fresh food and wine supplies, we cast off and set sail for
Stonehaven on Hook Island. It was fantastic to be sailing with Marc again.
Marc settled straight back in aboard almost instantly. |
We
first met Marc when the three of us crewed aboard the Bennetau 57 Nae Hassle from Cairns around to Darwin then
beyond on the Sail Indonesia Rally of 2011. We shared awesome adventures
travelling together all the way to Thailand, the full story of which is told in
our book, Stuff it. Let's go sailing anyway!
Below is an extract from the book which explains how we crewmates became the three meerkats.
“On the domestic front the crew’s
relationship with the owners could have best been described as strained. Not
even sourcing a feed of fresh lobster generated as much as a thank you from
Milan while at least Colin acknowledged how well Karen had cooked and served
our tasty treat.
On Nae Hassle the master cabin is located in
the stern, just below the cockpit. Colin and Milin regularly headed to bed
early in the evenings rather than engage in conversation with we underlings. We
were expected to follow suit rather than make noise in the cockpit and disturb
them. As a result we three crew dutifully locked up the companion way and
retired to our cabins, sort of. Karen
and I occupied the port side cabin in the bow while Marc had the starboard.
Being a big 57 footer, both were very comfortable and much larger than you
would usually find on a yacht. Both also had a large hatch in the roof to reach
the deck above.
Envisage if you can the sight of a head
emerging from a hole in the yacht’s foredeck. It timidly rotates through 360
degrees, nervously scanning the surroundings for any danger in sight before being
followed shortly after by another doing the same on the other side of the boat.
Said heads then disappear rapidly below. Satisfied no evil owners are waiting
to pounce, three bodies then scurry out through the holes and emerge on deck
with a bottle of wine or two, plastic cups and, sometimes, even some nibbles. Envisage this and you will understand why we
nicknamed the bow ‘Meerkat Manor’.
By this stage of the trip we three meerkats
emerged from our burrows most evenings and spent many very pleasant hours
discussing philosophy, bitching about our owners and solving the woes of the
world while enjoying a drink and the tropical evenings under a sky full of
brilliant stars. If only we could remember next morning all the solutions we
came up with the night before and sometimes re-entering the burrow after one
too many was not as controlled as the exit. It’s amazing how much noise a
person can make when instead of dropping onto the edge of the bunk they miss
and land as a tangle of arms and legs on the deck with a loud thud and
uncontrolled giggles. What happens at Meerkat Manor stays at Meerkat Manor so
no names.
The constant challenge of keeping up Meerkat
Manor’s wine supply evolved into a great game. Despite the fact that Karen and
I had actually bought and paid for the 180 bottles of wine that we had loaded
onboard in Australia, Colin and Milin regarded them to be now ‘Ships stores’
and their property. As such they were tightly rationed with a glass or possibly
two with dinner the norm. The bottles were all wrapped in newspaper and secured
in hidey holes under the decks all over the boat. With great delight we took
every opportunity to relocate bottles from the deepest recesses to our cabins
while leaving the front rows in place. Karen was particularly adept at mounting
successful raids while below alone on her perpetual galley duties and Marc
would of return to his cabin to find the ‘Wine Fairy’ had deposited a bottle
under his pillow.”
Marc, Karen and Rob in Penang, Malaysia following the 2011 Sail Indonesia Rally |
We
reconnected with Marc in London in mid 2012 and embarked on a joint venture
which saw us sailing the Jeanneu 43DS Alcheringa
around the Mediterranean together for two seasons.
Now another two years on we were reunited under sail again. This time for the trip back down the Queensland coast to Brisbane.
We
enjoyed a gentle, light airs sail across to Stonehaven where we again picked up
one of the well maintained moorings provided there to protect the coral bottom.
Alcheringa in the Straits of Gibraltar |
Now another two years on we were reunited under sail again. This time for the trip back down the Queensland coast to Brisbane.
Marc on the bow as we come into pick up a mooring at Stonehaven. |
Abbel Point to Stonehaven, Hook Island - 15.9 Nautical Miles - 3 Hours 14 Minutes Average Speed 4.9 knots - 7.7 knots |
Meerkat Manor has moved from the bow to the stern. |
Once
our unexpected guest departed, we dropped the mooring and motored the very
short distance over to show Marc Langford Reef and it’s sand cay that emerges
at low tide. We didn’t stay long but were able to hand feed a school of huge
fish that circled the stern competing for the next morsel.
Next
it was around to the northern side of Hook Island and into the delightful
anchorage at Butterfly Bay where we picked up the mooring ball closest into the
shore and fringing coral reef.
Birds nesting on a marker just off Hayman Island. |
Karen had the sketch pad out as always |
Sea Turtle beside the boat in Butterfly Bay |
Beautiful Butterfly Bay |
We had a fantastic snorkel in the clear waters
surrounded by fish of all sizes and colours and masses of beautiful coral.
Butterfly Bay really is one of the best snorkelling spots in the whole
Whitsunday Islands. It is also extremely well protected from the prevailing
south easterly winds. Not that it was much of a concern for us this time as the
breeze had not reached double figures all day and dropped out completely ensuring
a very peaceful night’s sleep for the three tired meerkats onboard.
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