February 18, 2008

After another long flight, we landed at Brisbane airport early in the morning.  We had the easiest entry back into Australia ever, as we quickly got through Customs and Immigration.  We have always found the Customs and Immigration officers to be very friendly and helpful, but sometimes they have difficulty with some of the many boat parts that we bring back from Windsor.  This time there were no questions asked.  We were picked up by Bill and spent another great evening at his house before spending the next day on the bus to go back to Yamba and Bella Via.

We found that all was well with Bella Via when we returned to the marina late Tuesday afternoon.  The boat had been well looked after by the staff.  We immediately got to work – Mary unpacked and Paul started applying bottom paint to the boat.  We needed to have everything completed (including scrubbing and waxing the topsides) by Friday morning, when we would be put back into the water.  No time for jet lag!

Our launch from the trailer went very smoothly on Friday morning, however, when we tried anchoring 30 minutes later in Iluka boat harbour we noticed a shuddering in the starboard engine when we put it in reverse.  We settled at anchor as best we could and when Paul dove overboard he found a thick non-floating line wrapped around the propeller hub – not interfering enough to stop the engine but enough to cause the boat to shudder.  As it was not floating line and would have been lying on the sand most likely, we could only assume that we had picked it up in the shallow water at the end of the boat ramp at the marina.  We considered ourselves lucky that the prop bushing was not damaged.

Thus began 12 days of rest and relaxation in Iluka boat harbour.  There were strong wind warnings up and down the east coast of Australia with damaging surf conditions but we were snugly at anchor in a calm anchorage.  We spent the time walking, reading, watching movies, occasionally going grocery shopping, and generally just taking it easy.   There were very few boats in the harbour so we didn’t do any socializing, which we were okay with as we were too tired to socialize.

March 5, 2008

We started to get restless on about the 10th day of staying put and we welcomed a break in the weather forecast from the continuous strong winds.  For the next few days the forecast was calling for 15-20 knots of wind out of the southeast with diminishing seas and swell, and a calmer bar at Yamba, which would make a good passage north to the Gold Coast Seaway.  We had originally planned on doing an overnight passage (100 miles) but with the good wind predictions, we decided to leave very early on March 5 and hopefully get to the Seaway bar before dark on a good spinnaker run.

So leave at 0430h we did, only to encounter light winds (only 5-10 knots) for the first few hours.  Finally, the wind came up and we had a marvelous spinnaker sail for most of the day.  About 1600h, a few squalls came our way and we decided to take down the spinnaker and sail with a reefed main and gib.  We made it to the Gold Coast Seaway and across the bar at 1800h and traveled two miles up the Broadwater to Currigee Camp where we set the anchor just as the sun was setting.

The Broadwater is not our favourite place to be, especially near the Seaway, as the powerboat traffic is horrendous and there is no speed limit.  The factory where Riviera luxury powerboats are made is nearby in the Coomera River and thus, the Riviera is a popular boat for people to purchase in this area.  It also means that all day long there will be Rivieras racing up and down the channel.  As a consequence all boats anchored nearby start rocking and everything inside the boat that is not secured will fly or fall over.  We safely put everything breakable away for the few days that we had to tolerate this boat traffic.

We soon moved up further into the Broadwater to one of the more secluded spots – Tiger Mullet Channel.  Although it’s called a channel, boats have to enter and exit from only one end because of the shallow water at the other end.  This reduces speeding boat traffic through the channel and makes it a comfortable anchorage.  We settled at anchor by mid-day on a Friday and knew that the weekend boats would be arriving soon.  Sure enough, Tiger Mullet Channel was very crowded on Saturday and Sunday.  By late Sunday evening however, there were only two other boats at anchor with us.

Continuing our way through the Broadwater to Moreton Bay, we stopped for one night at Cuchiemudlo Island – an anchorage where we spent quite a bit of time three years ago when we were having warranty work done on the boat.  The wind continued to blow strongly out of the southeast (as it has for months) and we were quite protected at Cuchiemudlo.

March 11, 2008

We set off at high tide the next day (at 1100h) in order to sail to the mouth of the Brisbane River on a falling tide.  What a glorious day.  We had one reef in the mainsail and along with the gib we sailed at a steady 7-8 knots for three hours in the calm protected waters of Moreton Bay.

Because we had such a fast sail to the river mouth, we decided to stop for the night near the entrance instead of going further upriver and fighting the falling tide (we would be going against the current at that point).  There is an anchorage marked in our charts that we had not tried before and it proved to be a very comfortable spot.  Brisbane is a very busy international port and it was interesting watching the huge cargo ships and even one large cruise ship going in and out of the harbour.

March 12, 2008

It was our intention to travel the 17 miles upriver to the Botanic Gardens pile berths where we planned on staying for two weeks.  We like Brisbane, and there are pile berths in downtown Brisbane that provide access to all that we need in terms of city life.  So, we timed our journey upriver to coincide with rising tide and had an enjoyable ride to the Botanic Gardens.

The pile berth system is interesting.  The berths (you tie up between two piles, fore and aft) are provided on a first come basis (no reserving) and the fee is $55.00 per week.  A port authority agent comes to the laundry area every Tuesday and Thursday between 1000h and 1100h to collect fees.  If you are looking for a pile berth and you see an empty spot but with ropes strung across the piles then that means that the spot is taken. 

An alternative to the pile berths is to anchor nearby, which a lot of boats do.  We have anchored here in the past but the current in the Brisbane River is very strong and there is a lot of ferry traffic on the river.  Also, with the change in tidal direction every six hours, our catamaran (and all cats) “sails at anchor” meaning it swings wildly all around.  This increases the likelihood of breaking out the anchor and drifting.  As we knew that we would be ashore a lot in Brisbane, we did not want to be at anchor – we wanted to secure a pile berth.

Because of the cheap price for the pile berths a lot of boats settle in there and never leave!  We saw several boats this year that we have seen here for the past two years.  It is very difficult to obtain a pile berth and the “locals” as they are called are abusing the system, we think.  Especially as we later found out that they save spots for their friends and no one is paying for the spot while it is being saved with ropes strung between the piles.  It’s unfortunate that there is not a better system of checking the berths by the port authority or a time limit on the length of stay – there are several derelict boats, which put blight on the scenery.

Anyway, we actually were fortunate in our timing as a berth became available the day before we arrived.  We checked with the few boats who were at anchor to see if they wanted the pile berth and fortunately they didn’t so we secured the spot for two weeks.

We knew from our time here last year that the Irish Club (a 20 minute walk away) has a jam session with Irish musicians on Wednesday evenings.  We celebrated being in Brisbane with dinner at the Irish Club and we stayed and enjoyed the Irish toe-tapping music.

On Saturday, March 15, we set off to enjoy a stroll through the Queen Street pedestrian mall - mostly window-shopping but we did make a few minor purchases.  On our way out of a bookstore a block away from the mall we encountered a St. Patrick’s Day parade just about to start.  We happily joined the spectators and enjoyed the parade, especially the pipe band music.

We were fortunate during our stay in Brisbane to be re-connected with our friends Peter and Ilona from Lode-Star.  We hadn’t seen them since we left the Cairns area in October 2007 and headed south.  They were in Brisbane so that Ilona could have foot surgery and that occurred early in March.  Thus, she was boat-bound and had to spend all of her time on the boat resting her foot.  We socialized with them on Lode-Star but, unfortunately, they couldn’t join us on shore for the St. Patrick’s Day events.

On Monday, March 17, we donned the few pieces of green clothing that we own and joined another yachty couple, Heather and John from Kindred Spirit, at a pub for the St. Patrick’s Day evening celebrations.  Most of the evening was spent trying to talk over the loud pub music.  A few times during the evening, we were treated to pipe band music and Irish dancers.  These groups were making the rounds of the area bars and pubs.  This was also the first time that we experienced the popular Australian meal of “bangers and mash” – pork sausage over a bed of mashed potatoes and peas, with gravy.  It was surprisingly very tasty.

March 21, 2008

We were fortunate again to catch up with more cruising friends while we were at the pile berths.  Peter and Donna from Two Up (whom we met in the Louisiades) and Peter and Catherine from The Southern Cross (whom we met in the Clarence River) were in the neighbourhood.  We arranged for a pot-luck dinner aboard Bella Via so that we could connect again and Peter and Catherine could meet Peter and Ilona from Lode-Star for the first time.  We had a story-filled afternoon and evening with good food and much laughter.

Easter Weekend

One of the main reasons that we stayed in Brisbane for so long was to attend Palm Sunday and Easter weekend services at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.  The cathedral, only a short walk from the Botanical Gardens, is made out of volcanic ash (that creates colours of pink and green mixed throughout the beige stone) and is a beautiful sight.

We were fortunate on Palm Sunday to arrive early enough before Mass to attend a tour of the chapel and church.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and we learned much about the architecture, especially of the chapel, which was designed along the lines of a medieval church from England.

After Mass on Easter Sunday morning, we accompanied Trevor and Sonia (who had stayed aboard for one night) to a reunion lunch in nearby Breakfast Creek.  Trevor was a rower in his youth and, for ten years now, his rowing partners have been gathering for a lunch on Easter Sunday.  We had a good time meeting his rowing mates and listening to the stories.

Later that afternoon, Trevor and Sonia drove us to Graceville to Bill and Brenda’s house where we joined the family Easter festivities and stayed overnight. 

Monday, March 24, 2008

We were back on Bella Via by early afternoon and here we will stay at the pile berths for another week and a half as we continue to enjoy the sights of Brisbane.