Cruising Log—4...Fraser Island to Pancake Ck

We explored the mangrove channels to the south in the dinghy. There are some glorious sandy spots to stop at low tide. Although everything is mangrove lined the sea bottom is pure sand and the water clear and a beautiful jade green.

We discovered Murphy’s Law of outboard motors on this expedition – if the motor is going to stop it will do so at the furthest point from the boat and with the tide against you. We tried but it was simply too difficult to row against the current for long.

It was time to move again when a brooding evening sky heralded an approaching front bringing south west winds. None of the anchorages in the Straits from ours north are any good in this wind direction, nor is the northern part of Fraser Island. So next day we sailed 28nm up the Straits, out the end then north west to the mainland where we anchored off Scarness, a small town at the southern end of Hervey Bay.

We left Garry’s and caught the high tide over the shallows to South White Cliffs, Sheridan Flats actually, where we stayed another four days. This is a gorgeous spot, also on Fraser Island.

Nearby is the wreck of an old iron ship, the Ceratodus”.

So we had to throw the anchor overboard and wait for the current to slow. We finally made it back to Masala just on sunset with a bit of tide to help us. At about this time we were praising our fibreglass dinghy which is fantastic to row. If we’d had a rubber ducky we’d have been stuffed.

The following day we made a day trip ashore to visit Urangan Boat Harbour. We spent most of the rest of the day going into restaurants and cafes and eating. Seems we had a backlog to fill. We also visited the local Solicitor’s office in Scarness to get a statutory declaration that Leanne’s mum was driving Leanne’s car when it was pinged for speeding. The pox on lead-footed Mothers! Believe it or not, the lovely folks there typed the whole thing up for us, witnessed and stamped it, then put it in their internal mail for posting later in the day – FOR FREE.

Anyway, we expect to be at Pancake Creek for some time, perhaps even a week. We don’t know if our mobile phones will work there as it is fairly isolated and behind a high hill.

TUESDAY 13 JUNE

Ha! The prediction that we would be at Pancake Creek for “perhaps even a week” has turned into a bit of a joke. We are now well into the third week and are still here. We still don’t look like getting a suitable weather window to sail out to the Barrier Reef (the Bunker and Capricorn groups, including Lady Musgrave and Heron Islands). Each day the forecast wind gets stronger and the swell bigger, now gales over most of the Queensland coast. Still, there is a lot to do here and you couldn’t find a better anchorage or a lovelier place.