Sail 1.  Southern Most tip Fraser to Garry’s Anchorage.  28kms.  7/10 conditions, some rowing to east.  Miles of shallows, unbelievable wildlife.

Sail 2: Little Woody to Kingfisher.  Not that far but longer with outgoing tide.    Maximum conditions.  Bringing the twilight bacon home.

One:  Steve and Peter were an hour and half behind out of Snapper Creek.  Peter said, “we thought,  ”what’s a sailboard doing out here?  Where’s the “mother-ship”?

alecmorganROWBOAT is sailed standing when conditions permit.  This day conditions did not require a trailing oar and the boat “free-sailed” along the Fraser coast.  Me standing, leaning or seated asymmetrically meeting the sail’s driving forces.

Smooth shallow water had the boat skimming all the way into the anchorage to see the boys “beered-up” having a refreshing dip.  Covered me by about 45 minutes.  The trailer sailor was fully powered up under no.1 rig and made an impressive sight. 

Couple of real nice blokes both career ambulance guys.  Great to talk to them about the sail during a long chat the following morning when I had enjoyed a “stand-up row” around the anchorage.  If you want fun fishing drop an un-weighted yabby around the sunken trees at high tide up in Garry’s Anchorage.  LLarge bream.

Sail 2:

Having decided to head back to a familiar campsite the calculations indicated an arrival during twilight pending an average speed of 4 and a bit knots.  Straight downwind collecting about a gallon of water over the gunwhales in the hour.

Further north and racing for the same port the yacht had returned to Australia through Bundaberg from Vanuatu sailing south to Kingfisher for a couple of days R&R before the trip to Moloolabah and a break from cruising.  Ahead a small sail drew attention and was watched through binoculars. Two days later the new arrivals told of how they had seen and chased me down the bay curious as to what sort of craft I was.  Though out of context they recognised me as the likely owner of the sail they followed two days earlier.  The boat had surfed regularly on the way back and the run was more square than usual. 

Later I catnapped aboard in the lee of the Kingfisher jetty waiting for the tide to reduce the portage eventually setting up the tent at 9.30PM.  Though clothed in damp rowing gear I blanketed myself in a piece of canvas and the sail from the persistent northerly.

I could sleep aboard if required.

Packed stacked.  - With 35L water and too much stuff the boat was perhaps heavier than ideal.  Less water required as plentiful on island. Take extra gas to boil. Won’t take trolley as not really possible to use when boat packed.  Further general gear reduction of 8- 10KG possible for total weight saving of about 30KG. 

At Ungowa where I fished the ledge at low tide I collected the fishing gear in the second photo.  I took the line to bins at Kingfisher but left the sinkers!  My rod was a medium weight surf rod with two Alvery reels, a 5 inch spooled with 9lb line for estuary and shore-based work and the other a larger ratcheted reel with 20lb.  Never got to ‘test’ the heavy reel though trolled 6” plastics across flats for a few hours.  Had hoped a hook-up would result in a fish ‘tow-about’.

My attention had been drawn to the un-named passage everytime I looked at Map 37 in Beacon to Beacon Directory.  I expected a meandering shallow waterway rather than the ‘drain’ it is.   It looked like good fishing country and I say it would be excellent to tow lures along the deep banks.  If I am this way again I will seek a camp in Yankee Jack Creek and spend a couple of days here.  Better in SE conditions.

Campsite Deluxe

On the southern side of Kingfisher Bay village there was a very pleasant area to set up for a couple of days. 

alecmorganROWBOAT tied to remains of Mackenzies jetty while I have a swim and a look around just south of Kingfisher Bay resort. Saw turtles, dugong, dolphins, sea eagles, osprey and kites. Breeze out of west north west. Onshore here but light with occasional showers.  Great row today. 

Departed Garry’s early but late for tide around Boonlye Point.  Northerly to 12 knots by 6.30am.  Tide turned to join the wind and caught me south of where I wanted to be. 

Serious rowing ensued.  With creek entrances and inlets looking the same I checked the gps and reasonably confidently headed up an inside channel to Sheriden Flats, out of the wind.  The water while calm unfortunately was running fast south and for 50 minutes I put in a big effort inching north against 3.5 knots of tide.  The channel was deep from bank to bank and there was no escaping the current.  I’d been on the water for over 3 hours and in the heat of the day.  I had another 15 kilometres or so to go to Ungowa and was using a lot of energy.  I made the call to backtrack and go round the point.  It took a paltry 10 minutes of coasting to undo fifty minutes of effort. 

I hit the electrolytes and re-stocked the body with carbos.  Ninety minutes later I refuelled again tied up to mangroves out of the wind on Sheriden Flats.  From here the tide was moving north under me, favourable, again quickly but this time into the northerly now consistently around 15 knots creating some very dangerous patches of water here and there. 

Rowing beneath lee-shore cliffs was not much fun as I dipped in and out of the current and back into the shallows as the waves allowed.   I missed Yankee Jack Creek swept north of the entrance without seeing it.  A brief stopover up Buff Creek provided some respite and excitement with the onshore wind making for small breaking surf across the entrance.  Past the wrecks of the Ceratodus and other creek mouths to arrive at Ungowa at dead low tide. 

Used trolley to move boat up beach later lifting it onto the wooden ramp which is in a broken state in lower sections. 

Camp deserted but running tank water and toilet.  Cage to store food safely from dingoes was at bench height so ideal for kitchen use.  Good camp spot.  Rowed over seven hours covering 22kms.  Happy with energy and effort management.  Hands blistered but not cramping.  Saw snippits of limit of capacity and capability this day.  It left me neither scared nor emboldened just more knowing.  Immediately decided next day would be a recovery day. Made goal to effect better passage around Boonlye Point on return journey. 

Photo of timber barge ramp home for alecmorganROWBOAT. Uwonga, Fraser Island.  I love the long low lines of Ross’ Flint in the second photo.

Last photo shows office boy hands after seven hours of wrestling headwind and tide.

The southern tip of Fraser Island sits waiting across Wide Bay bar entrance.  An incoming tide was required for this crossing.  Met a large (1.5M) chocolate and ivory banded sea snake on way across.  Pleased to make lee of Island where to pleasant surprise the breeze was sufficiently from the east to sail and sail/row north.   Enjoyed a pleasant swim and ate a late lunch on the white clean sand of Elbow Point. Covered 28kms, set up camp and having another swim at Garrys Anchorage by 3.30pm.

Garry’s Anchorage early morning.  Camped alone here but visited daily by cruising folk.  Bit of a rarity to have a couple of international boats in the anchorage.  Apparently  for cruising yachtsmen Australia has become over regulated by unfriendly government officials.  Add expensive as well as general lack of facilities and boats have headed for NZ in droves. 

Australia: not very friendly to people arriving in boats.

Will re-post updates to collect the trip together. 

Walk through bush to start day. Amazing old growth trees, only bent ones left. They got incredible timber out of here before it became National Park. Turns out Garry was a Butchulla elder born nearby. Once he went to track Ned Kelly with the cops. 

Ten minute walk down track to clear freshwater creek.