A simple way to extend your Wifi range afloat.

We rely on a typical 4G wireless dongle for internet access when cruising coastal waters on Our Dreamtime.  As long as we are not too far offshore,  mobile phone coverage along the Australian east coast is pretty good on the whole. However we still often find ourselves unable to connect, particularly when anchored in island bays shielded from the mainland by high hills.

The 4G dongle goes into the waterproof phone case for hoisting. The tape is simply to reinforce the plastic of the phone case as we don't want any chance of it splitting and losing the dongle.

In these instances we increase the range by putting our Wifi dongle in a water proof phone case and hoisting it up the mast to the spreaders on our pennant line. At many of the anchorages we have been in along the coast, particularly in the Whitsundays, we have found the extra height gained this way often provides the difference between getting a connection and not.

It’s comforting to get access to our favourite weather sites and have the ability to stay in touch with family via email and social media etc when we would otherwise be cut off. The downside is that we never know when the battery in the dongle is about to go flat halfway through posting a blog or similar but that’s a problem we happily live with in return for staying connected.

Tied very securely and hoisted to the spreaders on our pennant line for additional range

When we venture further offshore, our recently acquired Iridium Go will provide voice call, sms and email capacity along with access to Predictwind forecasting and weather routing.

 

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Further North – Pearl Bay via Marble & Digby Islands to Brampton Island

July 2 – 4 2016

After a couple of very pleasant days in Pearl Bay we recommenced our push north with a series of island hops planned. We were up before 5.00am to be ready to up anchor as the pre-dawn light began to appear in the eastern sky. This area experiences very strong tidal currents and we were keen to get as close to clearing Cape Townsend as we could before the tide turned and a huge amount of water began flowing out of Shoalwater Bay creating anything up to four knots of adverse current.

The moon still in the sky in the predawn light over Pearl Bay.

We motor sailed north out of Pearl Bay and once clear of the nearby islands found the wind again blowing from the south east right behind us at 15-20 knots accompanied by a reasonable sized swell. With the favourable current generated by the last three hours of incoming tide, our GPS was showing speeds consistently up in the high eight and low nine knot region allowing us to cover a lot of ground very quickly.

Early morning starts have been the norm on our way north.

The cliffs guarding the mouth of Island Head Creek

 

Our original planned destination was Hexham Island but the anchorage is well known to be uncomfortable in a well established south easterly swell. Considering the size of the swells we were experiencing we decided we would be better off going to Hunter Island in the Dukes group instead. As we passed Island Head Creek we reworked our route in the chart plotter and changed course more to the west. It’s great to have a Plan B.

The first part of our trip was quick thanks to some serious assistance from the tidal current.

Unfortunately our current boost disappeared as we approached the Cape. It seemed to take forever to round its rocky cliffs. Once we did we were then caught up with the outgoing current which was running diagonally against us from port to starboard. Although it slowed our speed considerably, it wasn’t all bad as it also pushed us north so we were then able point the boat almost due west improving our wind angle considerably while our GPS track continued on its north westerly trajectory towards Hunter Island.

It was great to finally leave Cape Townsend in our wake.

Not every meal on Our Dreamtime is Master Chef. Meat pie lunch underway this time.

 

Progress grew painfully slower and slower and by the time we reached the Broad Sound Channel  we were down below three knots at times. The good news was we landed a really nice 80cm spotty mackerel. The bad news was that as it jumped around on the deck it managed do dislodge the lure from its mouth and deposit it Karen’s leg. The trace was wrapped around the fish and as it thrashed it pulled the hook out of Karen before we could stop it leaving her with a very nasty gash. She took great delight in cutting its throat and gutting it before leaving the rest to Rob while she patched herself up.

Nurse Karen performing first aid on patient Karen

A photo of the assailant, the mackerel not Rob.

Although the wind was easing the swell was not. We hadn’t been to Hunter Island before and despite Alan Lucas’s pilot guide, Cruising the Coral Coast, saying ‘The best anchorage during developed southeast winds is under the lee of Hunter Island,’ looking at the charts we became a bit sceptical about how much of the current sizable swell would roll around the point into the anchorage.

We then elected to change course to an anchorage on the northern side of Marble Island shown in our other cruising guide for this area, Noel Patrick’s Curtis Coast. It’s great to have a Plan C.

Approaching Marble Island in the Dukes group.

We made our way carefully around some shoals to the east of the island and were very relieved when we entered relatively calm waters in the lee of Marble Island. As we approached the anchorage a number of masts appeared over the rocky headland so we were then a bit concerned about how much room would be in the small bay.

 

We entered to find three catamarans and a single mono laying at anchor with plenty of space left for us. Even better, they were cruisers we’d met along the way. An invite to join everyone else for sundowners a little later was received almost as our anchor dug into the secure bottom.

We found plenty of room for us at Marble Island's anchorage.

Pearl Bay to Marble Island – 45.1 Nautical Miles – 7 Hours 50 Minutes
Average Speed 5.75 Knotd Max Speed 9.8 Knots

The remote Duke Island Group is private property with cattle sheep and deer grazing with a farm stay tourist operation. The owners do not permit public access above the high water mark.

The anchorage lays in an attractive bay on Marble Island's northern side.

 

A quite small swell was entering the bay but as the boats were being held head to the SE wind it swept through beam on causing a bit of a roll so Rob rigged our well proven long snubber  bridle arrangement to bring Our Dreamtime bow on to the swell making life much more comfortable. For details see our blog How to avoid sleepless nights rolling at anchor.

The sun setting behind Our Dreamtime at Marble Island

We enjoyed a very social couple of hours with everyone courtesy of Greg and Sue on board their catamaran Sunshine. When they all told us of moving here from the anchorage at Hunter Island after an extremely rough time the night before we were very glad we had also discarded Plan B.

Karen's ultimate revenge on the recalcitrant mackerel tasted fantastic.

Yet another sunrise underway

Yes we were up very early again next morning and underway to Digby Island. Once we cleared the shelter of Marble Island we found the 15-20 SE wind and our planned course in perfect alignment so we poled the genoa out one side, eased the mainsail out the other and ran dead downwind wing on wing for the next five hours until our final approach to Digby Island.

Getting the pole ready to sail wing on wing dead downwind.

It was still blowing fairly hard so we were careful passing between  Noel and Digby Islands before looping back into the anchorage. There were already a number of boats in the bay but we were able to find a spot reasonably close into the island at the western end of the bay. There was an annoying swell sweeping into anchorage over the reef between Digby and Keelan Islands generating an uncomfortable roll.  We’ve anchored at Digby before and know that the tidal run here is considerable. Unfortunately our long snubber-bridle tactic won’t work if the current changes 180 degrees with the tide and sweeps you the other way so we just had to grin and bear it.

Marble Island to Digby Island 33.9 Nautical Miles – 5 Hours 48 Minutes 
Average Speed 5.8 Knots Max Speed 9.9 Knots

 

We were in the process of putting on sail covers, tidying up the lines etc after our passage when we noticed a yacht approaching from the south east that appeared to be headed between Digby and Keelan. There is no entry to the anchorage between the islands due to a reef that dries a low tides stretching between the two. At this point it was only two hours before the coming low so what water was over the reef was a mass of breaking waves. The charts clearly show the reef and both pilot guides for the area are very clear that there is no passage.

We were shocked to see this yacht entering the anchorage over the reef between Digby & Keelan Islands

The boat appeared on our AIS and we soon realised he was actually planning on coming through there. Rob jumped on the radio and called the boat by name warning him that there was a reef between him and the anchorage. We received no reply. We don’t know whether his radio was off, he didn’t hear us or chose to ignore us but he continued on.

By now every person in the anchorage was on deck staring eastward at what appeared to be impending doom.  One of the cruisers had his dinghy in the water and was prepared  to mount a rescue when they ran aground.  Unbelievably the yacht continued on through the breaking waves. When it was almost into the anchorage it appeared to suddenly stop and heeled a long way over exposing much of its hull. We can’t be certain it was aground bit it did seem pinned in position until another wave swept through and carried it over into the calmer and deeper waters.

The boat seemed to come to a stop here and heeled badly before being washed into the deeper water by a larger wave.

Lucky escape.

The near new Jeanneau then came in and took four attempts to anchor before finally hooking up. We watched in disbelief as the couple on board then calmly settled back in the cockpit as if nothing the lightest bit unusual had occurred. We took careful note of the boat’s name and will ensure it’s nowhere near us in any future anchorage.

The reef clearly visible at low tide with much of it out of the water.

Digby Island sunset

 

The low tide came and went and we swung around to the incoming current.  The boat continued to bob up and down and roll with the swell. The sun set and we were about to go to bed when the anchor roller began making all sorts of loud, nasty noises. Going forward to investigate we discovered the anchor chain vertical and extremely tight.  The chain was clearly snagged on a rock directly under the boat and as the tide rose had run out of length.  We still had nearly two meters of rise left in the tide and the anchor snubber was already trying to rip the cleat out of the deck.  It was so tight that it was impossible to uncleat so Rob cut it free then lowered another few meters of chain to release the pressure.

We then went below and zoomed the chart plotter in to the max to watch for any movement but the boat was absolutely stationary despite having over 40 meters of chain out. After about twenty minutes we were discussing mounting an overnight anchor watch between us and who would do what hours when Rob noticed we had begun moving on the plotter. Fortunately the extra chain we’d dropped allowed us to swing enough to unwrap and we were now free. We quickly winched in the extra we’d put out plus a few meters more to ensure we couldn't swing back far enough to get caught again.

Unfortunately in these stronger conditions Digby Island was not the pleasant anchorage we’d experienced on our last visit (A little too Up Close and Personal with Digby Island). We had a very uncomfortable night with little sleep and were almost relieved when we got out of bed before five, made a pot of coffee, upped anchor, followed our track out through the western entrance and set sail for St Bees Island in the dark. We’d anchored there last year but weren’t happy how close to the coral bombies the reversing currents put us. This time we planned on picking up one of the moorings in the channel between St Bees and Keswick for the night.

We were obviously not the only ones who had a rough night as two boats had left before us and a procession of navigation lights was following us. The dawn was spectacular and worked through a number of very colourful phases.

The evolution of a sunrise at sea.

 

Sails on the horizon

 

Once again the wind was from the South East in the 15-20 knot range with a fair swell still running giving us another deep downwind run. We were able to maintain good enough speed right through the morning that we were looking at an early afternoon arrival at St Bees. We saw on our AIS that our new friends on Sunshine and Bella were already approaching the anchorage. As there are only five moorings we began to wonder if there would be any available when we got there.

The Beneteau 49 Biddy Hu II sailed past nicely downwind with headsail only

 

Karen pointed out that with the early start and the speed we’d made we could reach Brampton Island well before sunset. In a flash we were working on Plan B again and changed course to go straight on to one of our favourite anchorages.  We were there shortly after three in the afternoon very pleased with our near sixty mile day’s sail.

Digby Island to Brampton Island 58.6 Nautical Miles – 9 Hours 50 Minutes
Average Speed 6.1 Knots –  Max Speed 8.4 Knots

 

We stayed another two pleasant days at Brampton relaxing and savouring the nice calm nights and sleep they provided. We spent some time in on the beach at the mothballed resort and had a great chat with Steve the caretaker.  We wrote about the spooky state of the resort in the blog about our first visit. Brampton Island - An eerie ghost town in paradise.



Time to relax for a couple of days at one of our favourite anchorages

A couple of visitors on the bow

Beautiful Brampton Island

This cat was sitting nicely on the sand an hour later

Karen had the sketch pad out again capturing more of the island's beauty

No shortage of fish around Our Dreamtime at Brampton Island

 

Brampton is a very beautiful island with fantastic sand beaches, clear clean water, abundant fish and great walking trails through the national park. We love it.

Good night from Brampton Island

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.

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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.

 

We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.

 

 

Sailing North to Pearl Bay

29 June - 1 July 2016

Finally we escaped the seductive clutches of Great Keppel Island with a pre-dawn departure bound for Pearl Bay in the heart of the Shoalwater Bay Military Exercise area. This remote section of the Queensland coast is closed to all shipping at times of the year for the Green Machine, Navy and Flyboys to practice blowing stuff up. It was all a no go area on our last trip north and we had to sail overnight well off the coast to keep clear. No such problem this time.

The sun was yet to rise over Great Keppel Island as we began our passage north to Pearl Bay

The anchorage at Pearl Bay had been talked very highly of by every cruiser we’ve met who has been there so we were really looking forward to seeing it. The forecast was for moderate south easterly winds later in the day which wasn’t ideal as our destination was north west putting the wind directly behind us. In the early morning light though, the breeze was yet to strengthen and settle so we motor –sailed across to round North Keppel Island’s eastern shore. We need to run the engine for a couple of hours a day to charge our batteries so we prefer to do that underway when possible rather than sitting at anchor. If we’re burning diesel we may as well be going somewhere.

Managing consistent six to seven knots we were very happy with how Our Dreamtime sailed through the morning.

When we cleared North Keppel we were surprised to find the wind was coming from the south west which gave us a reasonable sailing angle not too far off our rhumb line. Looking back towards GKI we could see a small fleet of yachts and catamarans in our wake plus another group of sails coming from Keppel Bay Marina that were on their way along the coast. The great northern yachty migration to enjoy the tropical winter is underway in earnest.

With a one and a half to two metre swell pushing through from behind us, we probably should have left the mizzen sail packed away in its sail bag for the deep downwind conditions. We have found in stronger winds it has a tendency to push the stern around making life difficult for the autopilot but as the breeze was sitting around the fifteen knot mark we raised it and gladly accepted the half knot increase in speed.

Initially the wind angle saw our track closing the coast with a plan to gybe back to seaward for a bit before resuming our port tack to pass between the headland and inshore  island at Cape Manifold. We were pleasantly surprised when the wind strengthened and veered just enough further westward for us adjust course and run through on the single tack. The big swells crashing onto the rocks either side of the narrow channel were enough to have us play it safe with Rob hand steering the engine running in case required.

The steep rocks of Manifold Island to our starboard

And the rocks of Cape manifold to port.

The wind shift to the south east finally arrived soon after. We sailed towards the long golden sand beach then gybed out to sea to clear Cape Clinton. By now the wind had piped up over twenty knots so we reefed the mizzen before gybing back for the run past the entrance to Port Clinton and around into Pearl Bay.

The wind piped up further once we passed Cape Manifold

As soon as we altered course the combination of wind, waves and mizzen saw the boat corkscrewing down the swells and overpowering the autopilot at times. We gathered the rest of the mizzen into the bag but with full mainsail up were still a bit overpowered so it was back to hand steering for the last hour of the trip. Surfing down the face of the big swells we were topping 10 knots keeping Rob busy on the helm.

Swells smashing on to the rocks as we pass between the headland and Delcomyn Island

Entering the peaceful and very welcome waters of the Pearl Bay anchorage.

 

Through another gap between headland and island, furl the headsail away,  turn to wind to bring the main down  and motor into the delightfully calm waters of Pearl Bay. It was great to drop anchor and relax after what had been a great sail.

Great Keppel Island to Pearl Bay - 48.8 Nautical Miles - 7 Hours 40 Minutes
Average Speed 6.2 Knots - Max Speed 10.4 Knots

This satellite image illustrates the remote location of Pearl Bay

Two catamarans had arrived just ahead of us then a procession of boats followed including our friends Gary and Anne on Chances who arrived about half an hour later. By the time we joined a number of other cruisers for sundowners on one of the cats, fourteen boats occupied the anchorage.

Pearl Bay is beautiful anchorage

Pearl Bay is a popular stop on the trek north

 

Pearl Bay is a very attractive piece of the Queensland Coast with a number of nice long sand beaches, small rocky islets close to shore and high cliffs that provide good protection from any wind coming from south west through to south east. A bit of the swell running outside did occasionally find its way around the headlands at times but was quite small and far from a problem. We still enjoyed a very solid night’s sleep after our long day.

Our intention had been to continue on to Hexham Island early the next morning but when we set sail we found we had no autopilot at all. With a big swell still running and the wind whistling around twenty knots we elected to turn around and return to Pearl Bay where we could trouble shoot the issue in a calm, stress free way.

We were far from mobile phone service but thanks to our Iridium Go we were able to make a call via satellite to our ever helpful tech wizard, Jake at SeaProTechnologies. We quickly established that Rob had accidentally caused the problem. When he was changing a setting in our plotter he didn’t realise he’d wiped the autopilot’s setting. Jake was then able to talk us through a full dockside reinstall and gave us the instructions for finishing the process with the sea trial calibration. Jake is a superstar in our eyes who has been incredible with his after sales backup. We completed the sea trial installation next morning in calm conditions out in the bay before returning to the anchorage for a relaxing afternoon of fishing from our dinghy.

Karen got the first fish but Rob caught the biggest

Looking back to the entrance to Pearl Bay

Our reef fish went straight on the BBQ for a sunset dinner

Rob enjoying sundowners with the high cliffs behind him that protect Pearl Bay from southerly winds

 

We managed to catch some nice sweetlip, flowery cod and parrot fish at the reef bordering the anchorage on the turn of the tide. No prizes for guessing what we had for dinner that evening as the sun dipped.

Goodnight from Pearl Bay.

 

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.

 

We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.