Kingscote - Snug Cove - Althorpe Island

We are back at Wirrina Cove after completing our round trip along the north coast of KI, across to Althorpe Island and then 70 nautical miles back to the mainland. Its been a great couple of weeks which challenged us (which we wanted) but also gave us many special moments and opportunities to relax and soak up the beauty of some more remote areas.

It has been a fortnight of "firsts" - first night sail, longest passage (to date), biggest seas, new speed record (8.2kts with no current assistance!), first scuba dive from our own boat, first crayfish caught from our own boat, first flathead caught from our own boat ;o) ... and on it goes. Boat and crew performed admirably, and even Kitty did well - well, when the boat wasn't moving... It was a very successful shakedown, and just what we needed to put us through our paces.

When we last left you we were enjoying the protected anchorage at American River. On 17 November we left AR for an easy sail around to Kingscote where we moored just north of it's three jetties. Being in a town for the first time since leaving Adelaide was a great opportunity to stock up on fresh fruit and veg, top up the outboard fuel, and do our laundry. On the second night the wind swung round to the South as a thunderstorm passed over the island and we had a very rolly night keeping an anchor watch and a close eye on the wind instruments which recorded nearly 30kts - the most we've had at anchor (so far!). Anchor didnt budge, although we were pretty tired by the morning.

Kingscote locals...

 

After the storm we decided to high-tail it out of the the big smoke to Emu Bay on the North Coast, but the conditions were so good we pushed on to Western River Cove (46nm, sailing 6-7kts most of the way - up to 8.2!) The big westerly swell unfortunately made WRC pretty rolly, so the next morning we decided to motor the 7nm through 2m seas to Snug Cove where we expected to have more protection. Snug Cove was a great improvement, but we decided to set a kedge anchor to keep our bow pointed into the swell until conditions settled in a day or two.

The next 5 days we spent soaking up the rugged beauty, isolation and unbelievable wildlife of this pristine place. We snorkelled, went for walks, read, did crosswords, listened to music, baked bread, fished, teased Kitty, and met the locals which included a resident ocean gull who really ruled the roost, hawks, Blue Groper fish and kangaroos. The water at Snug Cove (infact, all over KI) was crystal clear and alive with life. The sand was very fine and white, which gave the water that almost unreal turquoise hue that you'd expect in a tropical paradise.

Wednesday 23 November was our 9 year wedding anniversary. Michael caught four freshwater marron in the creek that runs into the cove - they aren't native, so must have been escapees from the local aquaculture pens?? Regardless, they were so delicious! We cracked open a bottle of French champagne that Imogen gave us as a farewell gift, and felt pretty darned blessed. We wonder where we will be for our 10 year anniversary. Michael, ever the realist, thinks Darwin. I, being much more ambitious think Thailand, or maybe the Phillipines! As usually happens with us, the answer will probably be somewhere in between the two.

Fishing near the entrance to Snug Cove

Local gull scoping us out. He visited us every day.

Checking emails on the hill above the cove. 

Views from above Snug Cove

Bass Voyager snuggled in Snug Cove

 Freshwater Crayfish

 Kitty planning her escape

49cm flathead!



Finally the weather looked perfect to cross over to Althorpe Island. AI is a favourite diving spot for us from our days with the Flinders Uni Dive Club and we were really keen to revisit fond memories. Althorpe's has a very protected bay with dramatic cliffs standing over the anchorage. It has this eerie atmosphere with three marked graves a testiment to the unforgiving South Australian coastline. We did an amazing dive in the bay, our first in quite a while, and it was perfect - no surge, no current, clear water, big Blue Gropers, an aquarium of fish, and a sealion which Michael missed because he had his head in a small cave snaring a beautiful crayfish!

On Saturday we decided the time was right to make our first overnight passage, back to the mainland. We left around 5pm for the 70 nautical mile voyage and slammed straight into well over 2 metre seas leaving Althorpe Island. We forged ahead though, banking on our interpretation of the weather charts and forecast that pointed to things improving, and thankfully by the time night fell the seas moderated. We took 2 hour shifts, alternating napping and watching the helm and radar. I had packed a bag with soup and coffee in thermos', chocolate, lollies, apples and rice crackers, and it was a life saver! This "snack-pack" will no doubt become a regular part of our overnight passages. We made great time, and by the time we arrived at Wirrina we were motoring in glassy seas with no wind. We arrived about an hour before dawn, so slowed right down to ensure we had some light to enter the marina.

So here we are! Back at Wirrina with a short list of jobs to do before we head off again. The plan is to be here until early next week, catch up with family, reprovision with fresh food (and more beer!) and then head over to Penneshaw or American River to wait for the right weather to strike out East.

Thanks for enduring such a long post!!!

American River

We had a gorgeous sail across Backstairs Passage yesterday, finally making the break from the mainland!

BV sailed beautifully - we had pretty gentle conditions until midday when the wind swung round SE and up to 25kts so we tried out our staysail for the first time. We had set up this baby sail in preparation for the stonger winds - something we'll do regulalry from here on in. The sail is in practically new condition and made our arrival in American River soooo much more comfortable. It makes me feel much more confident to sail in stronger winds - less heeling, but more control and similar speeds. We love our stays'l so much we are already talking about putting her on a roller furler all of her own so we dont need to go on deck to hoist.

Oh, and Kitty did amazingly well in the pleasant conditions! No seasickness, in fact she spent the whole day with us in the cockpit alternating between catnaps and gazing out the window at the waves wooshing past. Very promising - we'll make a boat-cat of her yet.... now if I could only become a boat-human.... 

Anyway, we've spent the last day and a half at AR enjoying the anchorage which is calm and protected, even in the high winds and strong river current.

Today we explored Pelican Lagoon, scared the pelicans, and bought fresh oysters, freshwater crayfish and mussels from the store in town. A beach walk followed by a BBQ sums up our very difficult and challenging mid-week afternoon! ;o)

Tomorrow the weather is looking lovely so we will make the short 14 nautical mile hop around to Kingscote where I hope to do our laundry, buy some fresh veggies and celebrate our 1 week anniversary of being on the water! After that we'll wait for good weather and then head West to visit some of the gorgeous and isolated bays that pepper the north coast of KI. Not sure what the internet and phone reception will be like down there, so dont worry if we dont check in next week - I will get in touch as soon as we're able!

A few photos from AR:

As you can see, Kitty had a very stressful passage from Wirrina to KI...
M is not impressed that she has secondered his Captain's chair...

Tough conditons... I actually fell asleep on deck. No, not in the cockpit - on deck!

Kitty scoffs at Neptune's wrath....

First night in American River. Not a great picture (sorry Mikey) but worthy of a mention because he caught 20 - yes 20! - tommie ruffs and 7 garfish in the space of just an hour or two.

Pelican lagoon. No idea why they call it that......

Visitors....

Adelaide Matters

For those that haven't come across it yet...
It must have been a slow news week, but then again, it is Adelaide!! ;o)

Adelaide Matters, November 2011, p 45

Outer Harbour - Wirrina Cove

I saw John Cleese on TV last week and he quoted (Woody Allen, I think) "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" - Ha! ...

On Thursday 10 November at 06:50 we cast off our lines and motored out of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron. After two years of planning, 6 months of living and working on the boat, and just under 6 weeks of full time prep work, we finally did it.

Ah, the stories I could tell you about our first day. . . I couldn't have made it up.

First - the amazing sailing we had till early afternoon - at 6 - 7 knots on a close reach in 15 knot winds, we were flying. It was a bit rough, but we were making the best times we've ever done and the seasickness tablets were working a treat! Then there was the unforcast increase in wind around 1pm, and the accompanying 2 metre swell. . .

"Hang on, I thought the forecast said winds decreasing in the arvo???!"

Then there was the freak 3 metre wave from against the direction of the swell which crashed through the cabin and drenched me and all our gear . . . Not to mention the seasickness: Caitlin x3, Kitty x2, Michael x0 (bastard!) Oh, and the damaged fuel line that meant we got diesel through all our gear in the port cockpit locker. Oh, did I mention the newly discovered deck leak that "dampened" our bedroom? Um, what else? Oh yeah - and one of the windscreen wipers broke.


Well, we wanted to do a "shakedown" trip, and we sure got all shook up!


There was a moment in the middle of the worst of it when I looked over at the instruments and realised that we had three hours to go before we would be back on land. And at that point there was nothing to do but harden up and just deal with it. After all, there was nothing to be done about it, no magic teleporter to transport me miraculously back to shore, or a speed boat to shorten the trip. The boat can only go as fast as she can go, and the crew cant do much other than grin, bear and make the most of it!

Do you want to hear the craziest thing though? We are having a great time. Once we pulled in to Wirrina Cove - cold, wet, ill and exhausted - it hit me. We are actually out here and we did it - we left the dock!! Many people never do.


And Bass Voyager did beautifully. We had no idea she could sail so fast, especially fully loaded in tough conditions. We felt very safe, as she seemed to "hug" the water with all the extra weight, and kept a very straight course despite the swell and being close to the wind. The autopilot did a great job too.

Not for a moment did we consider letting our challenging first day put us off the "grand plan" - well maybe for a moment ;o). Actually, its made us feel more confident that we can tackle tough conditions, and we have a boat that will keep us safe. Plus its beautiful here - the cliffs along the fleurieu peninsula are so rugged and dramatic - it makes the pain worthwhile. Ive heard women say the same about childbirth - that you want to die during the ordeal, but once its done you start thinking about the next one... perhaps there is an analogy there.

So we decided to hang here at the Wirrina Marina and get ourselves and BV back in order. Its $50 a night (ouch!), but only $110 for the week, so we decided to make the most of it and have been in no hurry to leave.

Friday we spent the day cleaning our gear (yuck, what a mess. I have never used so much degreaser in my life) and chasing the deck leaks. The leaks were thankfully minor, and easily fixed with some scraping, silicon and repainting. One day we'll need to weld them, but for now they are fine. The water that got in to the lockers was the result of a below-the-waterline hull fitting which, although its stop-cock was switched to the off position, was seized open and siphoning water into the starboard lockers. Not something we had found in any of our previous trips. Michael tracked down the cause of the runaway diesel which turned out to be a dodgy fuel line which had been bent over and sealed, rather than properly terminated.

We had a BBQ for dinner and shared a good bottle of red that Miranda gave us as a farewell gift. Michael caught three tommy ruffs and had a big grin on his face!

Tomorrow the weather is looking good for a crossing to Kangaroo Island, so we are going to get up at the crack of dawn and get going. Next post will be from American River. Although, as John Cleese said..... ;o)

x

Here's a few snaps of the last week. No photos of the rough conditions though - the camera was tucked down in the cabin and there was NO WAY I was going below to get it!

Provisioning the boat, or as I recently learned "victualising" the boat...

Storing the precious cargo of alcohol!

Saturday before we left was open day at the RSAYS and the One and All tall ship came to visit. We had a great time exploring her.

 Around 7am on Thursday 10 November, leaving the Port River at Outer Harbour.

 

After the damage was done - diesel mixed with sea water in our lockers...

Yesterday Michael's parents, Opa and our nephew Reiker came and spent the day with us at Wirrina.
Captain Reiker....

 Reiker's first fish!!!

Marina surroundings... Its quite a shame that they have plonked this enourmous breakwater in the middle of the previously pristine bay. Its as if a giant tipped a massive toy truck of gravel over the top of all the natural rock formations. Still, we were grateful for the safe harbour.

Our October

Tomorrow marks 4 weeks since we left work and started the REALwork of getting Bass Voyager and ourselves ready to leave. What can I say... Michael is my hero - he has worked so hard over the last month with unending energy and (mostly!) unwavering good humour! Ive been a less valuable, less amicable side-kick, but even so I have worked harder physically in the last month than I ever have - and I have the bruises, scratches, broken fingernails and paint stains to prove it!
Here is a bit of a recap and some photos to catch up on where we are, and more importantly - what's next?!!!

We've achieved a lot in four weeks. Much of it is hidden, but there are big cosmetic changes too.

We have:
- welded extensions to the bench seats in the cockpit
- cut and welded a new deck plate for the anchor windlass
- ordered replacement cushions (due today, but wont be ready till Tuesday)
- repainted the cockpit (final coat on the back section tomorrow)
- hauled the boat out of the water
- scraped, sanded, primed and antifouled the hull (with help from friends!)
- replaced the bowroller
- replaced the anchor chain
- cut and epoxied racks for our scuba tanks (I jig-sawed them out all by myself!! :o)
- replaced the propeller shaft  coupling and packing seal (and I actually know what that means now!!)
- installed various electronics including Radar, GPS and fans
- replaced the old, worn and leaking canopy with a purdy new dark blue one
- installed a new ceiling in the cockpit
- sorted thru all the lockers and planned out the storage

There are many other tasks that Ive forgotten... probably on purpose. Traumatic!!

... Oh, and I even baked bread!!! And dropped a 10mm steel plate on my left middle-finger. Ouch...

We also bought some new charts to get us from here to Tasmania. Actually we have bought so many things over the last four weeks it scares me to think how much money we've spent. Im pretty sure we're single-handedly keeping the North Haven Marine shop in business.

So what's next??? Well, we are seaworthy. We could potentially leave right away, but we still have a short list of "must-do's" and a long list of "like-to-do's" before we go. I have a feeling the "like-to-do's" may end up being "things to do on the way"!

On the must-do list this week:
- make some changes to our bedroom cabin to make it safe and comfortable for the voyage
- go see our doctor to help put together a medical kit for the trip
- permanently secure various items such as the freezer, the dingy
- service the engine
- install sea-rails on the stove
- check all our safety gear
- buy a rode for our para-anchor
- replace countless pieces of wooden trim and varnish new wood panels
- buy all our provisions and store them!

The plan is that at the end of next week we will head off on a short "shakedown trip" over to Kangaroo Island and potentially Wedge Island to test all the new equipment, practice some safety drills, and generally make sure BV-  and we - are ready to go. Then we'll hop back to Rapid Bay where friends and family that want to can come and see us off!

OK, enough text - here is the pictorial account of the last month.

This was the state of the bench seats when we bought BV. Flakey paint and lots of surface rust...

After I scraped back all the paint...

Michael then welded in the 20cm extensions to make the seats much wider - they are now wide enough to sleep on, upgrading BV from a 4-berth to a 6-berth boat. Clever boy.

After rust treatment and two coats of paint.

Crazy Ben climbing the mast WITHOUT a harness. Yup - crazy. Well he did just get back from climbing in South America, so I guess that must make it ok... 8-/

Ben and Michael welding in the deckplate for the windlass - no more rust!

Shiny new boat bling - ahem bow-roller. Check out the cute shark design on the side. Who needs a naked mermaid!? ;o)

Newly welded deck plate and installed windlass.

Dragging out the new anchor chain to measure and paint...
Now I know these photos make it look like Michael does all the hard work, but its only because he doesn't take photos!! Who am I kidding? - he does do all the hard work....

Now here's proof that I did do some of the work...! Painted markings on the anchor chain every 20 metres.

Heading up the slip and onto "the hard"...

You would think that after 4 days climbing up this ladder 10 times a day I would have dropped a few kilos. But sadly, no! ;o)


The first day Michael, Ben and I scraped all the old flaking paint off the hull. Hell of a job.


Ben with his mates Paulo and Val - one day after they arrived in Adelaide we put them to work sanding and then painting primer on the hull! Backpackers.... slave labour of the Western world... ;o)
Seriously though, we are SOOO very grateful for everyone's help - particularly Ben who worked like a trooper for two full days. They saved us at least 1 full day on the hard, which is very expensive.

Thanks so much to our new yachtie friend Patrick who suggested we weld on a wire between the hull and the rudder to act as a deflector should (god forbid!) we run over some fishing nets or line - it will stop it getting wrapped around the prop.


Day three Michael and I finished the job by rollering on two coats of antifoul paint. Here we are rewarding our efforts with a beer...

Back in the water... Michael installing the new radar...

And finally, first pictures of our new canvass, complete with mosquito netting...

I'll check in next week from the road. I mean - ocean!