A change of plan

Well, that first trip didn't really go according to plan but we have at least progressed.

We left Deception Bay as planned on 27th July on the back of a southerly. Things were a bit more boisterous than we had hoped for so we set off with one reef in the main and no headsail. It was quite gusty which always makes sail choice difficult. As we headed up the coast of Queensland the wind got up to force 6 so we put a second reef in and carried on. 

Dressed for the Tropical Capricorn Coast!

All went well, and we were making good time until, just as the sun was setting and we were preparing for our first night at sea, Bob decided to disengage! He re-engaged again immediately but dropped out again on two further occasions in the next hour.  We really didn't relish the idea of spending our first night hand steering up the coast of Fraser Island so Debi quickly got out the cruising guide and looked at our options and decided that Noosa was a good anchorage for the night. This is an open anchorage off the beach, but is nicely sheltered from the southerly. By the time we approached the headland it was dark and we were completely reliant on our satellite navigation. There are no navigation lights heading into Noosa. Despite some nervousness, anchoring was straightforward and we were settled by 7pm and glad to have the bonus of a full nights sleep.

Keeping an eye on the shipping

We set off north again at 9am the next day with significantly lighter winds and so had to motor sail for a part of the way up the coast. Bob behaved perfectly and our first overnight sail went well, however, the wind dropped off completely so we had to motor which meant it was very slow and there was a lot of shipping and fishing boats about so we had to remain alert.  The swell was quite bad and it was a bit bumpy, particularly as we rounded the northern end of Fraser Island and Break Sea Spit.  Because of our overnight stop, we decided to change our plans and not head straight for the Keppel Island Group but explore some of the reefs near Bundaberg first.

Sunset on our approach to Burnett Heads

With the weather forecast looking a bit windy over the weekend we decided to shelter in the Burnett River at Burnett Heads, near Bundaberg while it blows over. After we rounded the cape, the wind picked up again and we had a great sail from Break Sea Spit into Burnett Heads, averaging 7 knots in a force 4 SE wind. Unfortunately we arrived about an hour after sunset but the entrance is well lit and we managed to anchor outside of the marina and just outside of the shipping channel. 

Today we have had a good rest and are going to shelter here again tomorrow before heading out to the islands on Monday if conditions allow.

Anchored in the Burnett River to shelter for the weekend.

It’s been a while

A lot has changed since the last entry on the blog.  When we arrived back in Pittwater two and a half years ago, the bushfires were raging around Sydney and Covid-19 was a young little virus just getting established somewhere in China!  During most of the 2020/21 lockdowns, X-Pat was on our home mooring at the Quays Marina in Pittwater. We did the occasional trip around Pittwater and Broken Bay when permitted, but didn’t venture very far. 

A rare trip around Broken Bay during lockdown

In May 2021, as winter was setting in, we decided we should head north for warmer latitudes and try to spend more time sailing. We booked a long term berth at Newport Marina in Moreton Bay and decided to base ourselves there. We set off from Pittwater on 31st May 2021, on our first passage for nearly two years.  All went well initially, motor sailing in light southerly winds, but in the middle of the first night, Bob, our autopilot started to play up, randomly disengaging, which is quite disconcerting.  By the early morning of the first night we had to abandon Bob and resort to hand steering.  We’d forgotten how tiring this can be and had to switch to 2 hour alternating watches. There was a temptation to turn around but conditions were light and so we just soldiered on hand steering all the way, and arrived at the Gold Coast Seaway mid morning on 3rd June 2021.  We had a good night's sleep and the next day motored up through the islands, finally arriving at Newport Marina in the afternoon of 4th June.

From June to August of 2021 we used X-Pat as a refuge from the lockdowns in Sydney. We had left home with the intention of being away for 3 days in NSW, and as the lockdown at home loomed, we escaped to X-Pat and rural Queensland. We ended up being away for 3 months!

Our Covid refuge in Newport Marina

During occasional trips round Moreton Bay our problems with the autohelm continued, so in January 22 we booked X-Pat into Boatworks for her annual service.  In addition to the sorting out the autohelm, work also included resolving water in the rudder, replacing the acrylic in all the windows, servicing the engine and saildrive and doing some cosmetic fixes to the timber below decks. Unfortunately the work on the autohelm still didn’t resolve the issue and we ended up removing the autohelm drive unit and leaving it at Boatworks for further analysis and returning to Newport Marina.

Dropping the rudder at Boatworks

A further six months of chasing things up and waiting on parts and false hopes finally came to an end last week when the unit was fitted back onboard. We arrived back on board on Friday 22nd July and the autohelm appears to be working.  However, during testing, the Raymarine Seatalk network failed completely, leading to deep depression onboard.  No electronics people were available to help but after a deep dive into the manuals and YouTube videos, we managed to resolve the issue which was traced to a faulty component behind the cockpit instruments.

Lifting the lid to resolve wiring issues on the Seatalk network

So we are back up and running. We left the marina this morning and are anchored in Deception Bay. There is a strong wind warning for tonight, but once that passes we will be on our way north with a target of the Keppel Islands. The tracker should be back up and running so, if you choose, you can once again follow our travels online.