Tasmania to Great Barrier Reef Galleries

Bass Strait to Sydney : June-July, 2002... Tasmania back to the Tropics... Winter is coming and the 2002 winter looks to be a record wet, cold one. So Adagio leaves beautiful Tasmania for the Great Barrier Reef. The Bass Strait crossing is more of a challenge this year as the energetic cold fronts and low pressure systems are very closely spaced this year. So "weather windows" of favorable winds are extremely short -- too short to start the passage from Hobart. Instead we sail up the east coast of Tasmania for the Bass Strait islands which lie just north of Tasmania. There we will shelter until favorable weather arrives - then quickly scoot across the strait. Hopefully outrunning the next interval of 45kn northwesterly winds.

Bass Strait to Sydney

June-July, 2002... Tasmania back to the Tropics... Winter is coming an ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 8:56am PST

Sydney : July, 2002... Adagio finally got to admire the Sydney Opera House up close. And the Harbour Bridge, the Lane Cove River, and some of the impressive waterfront development around the city. Sydney has done much to maximize the value of the many miles of coastline surrounding Sydney Harbor. It is easy to see why so many Australians want to live in Sydney. Our visit was too brief as we needed to reach the Whitsundays to entertain arriving guests. We could see spending many months cruising the waters around Sydney - such as the Hawksbury River, just north of the city. But we did succeed to find some of the great eating!

Sydney

July, 2002... Adagio finally got to admire the Sydney Opera House up c ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 9:02am PST

Sydney to Brampton Island : July-August, 2002... Each cruising region has its rewards and challenges. The many rewards of this region are well-known, the images at right show just a few along the northern New South Wales and southern Queensland coasts. One could spend many weeks exploring just the Great Sandy Strait and Fraser Island, not to mention the Whitsunday Islands. The challenges require the full attention of the crew: currents, tides, bars and as always the weather. The daily challenge is to optimize the combined effect. E.g., a strong south-easterly blowing against the prevailing SE Australian Current can make for a bumpy ride. Thus proceed north yachts are often looking for favorable southerly winds, but not too much of same. And the diurnal tides must be considered whether picking a safe time for a bar-crossing or choosing a safe anchoring spot and anchor rode scope. E.g., in the area around McKay the maximum tidal range can be between 6 and 9 meters. Many of the safe anchorages along the coast are behind sand bars, such as Wide Bay Bar at the southern entry to Great Sandy Strait. To achieve a safe crossing of that bar we left Mooloolaba at 0400 to time our crossing at high slack water. No worries mate for Adagio, though a smaller yacht in front of us had a very exciting ride!

Sydney to Brampton Island

July-August, 2002... Each cruising region has its rewards and challeng ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 9:18am PST

Brampton Island : August 2002... We enjoyed Brampton Island with our friends Laurie, Sally, and Sid on the catamaran "Champagne Charlie". And Dorothy's sister Helen was able to join us for the cruise on to the Whitsundays.

Brampton Island

August 2002... We enjoyed Brampton Island with our friends Laurie, Sal ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 9:25am PST

Whitsunday Islands : August-October, 2002... Cruising the "100 Magic Miles" was a definite treat. 74 tropical islands, most uninhabited, most are National Parks, and all within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The islands get some protection from the barrier reef, and inter-island distances are short, so it is a world-class choice for bare boat charterers. In fact we were concerned there might be so many boats cruising the area that anchorages would be crowded, boats would be dragging down on us at 0300, etc. This proved not to be the case - we never had a problem finding a good spot in our chosen anchorage, and found the bare boats we encountered to be courteous and generally pretty competent. We were happy to learn that the winter of 2002 was cooler & less humid than typical, likely due to the current El Nino period South Pacific weather. The southeast trades blew about 90% of the time, usually in the 15-25kn range,, making for perfect sailing, exploring and hiking weather. The occasional northerly winds brought noticeably hotter and wetter days. The islands are (so far) south of the range of the saltwater crocodile, so the water is safe except during the summer months, when the dreaded stingers return. This is a Good Thing, as there are lots of options for SCUBA or snorkeling - on the islands fringing reefs, or even better - on the nearby segments of the Great Barrier Reef such as Bait Reef. Mooring out there on the reef is an experience. Settled weather, light winds and ideally a small tidal range determines the optimum time to venture out to the reef - this is also when the diving visibility is best. And if one develops a hankering for "other peoples cooking" there are seven resorts scattered through the islands. Hamilton Island is the largest and is home of Hamilton Island Race Week. Hayman Island is the most exclusive - a true 5-star resort that caters to every whim. We stopped in the Hamilton Marina twice to enjoy some fine dining at the Beach House Restaurant (recommended). Fishing is reputed to be excellent, though Adagio couldn't seem to find where the biting fish are willing to snaffle a hook, despite dragging lures all over. Success finally arrived after we fitted a wire-line deck winch, which allows towing lures at least 30-ft below the surface at our speeds. The first day we deployed a skirted octopus lure on this rig we landed a 5-ft Spanish Mackerel - yummy! Fortunately our yachtie friends helped us recover some of our freezer space.

Whitsunday Islands

August-October, 2002... Cruising the "100 Magic Miles" was a definite ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 10:26am PST

Townsville : September, 2002... On September 14 Adagio sailed north - two days later we tied up in the Breakwater Marina. To our surprise and glee we found more of our cruising friends we had not seen for a few months: Erica & Jose Gorrono on the catamaran "Patagonia", and John Maloney on the lovely M/V "Dallis" who like Adagio had just come all the way up the coast from Tasmania! Townsville is such a pleasant place to visit that a number of cruisers decide to live-aboard here for a while. E.g., new friends Ashley & Brenda Russell on "Ashymakaihken" have been here for some six years, following two circumnavigations! The CBD is a 5 minute walk from the marina, with lots of fine restaurants another 5 minutes across the river. Here we found the Museum of Tropical Queensland, where we learned a lot about coral reefs; and Reef HQ, an aquarium devoted to the Great Barrier Reef - fun! Next to the marina is the popular Tobruk Pool, which marks the beginning of "The Strand", a remarkable project undertaken to rebuild the city's 2.2 kilometer beachfront following damage by tropical cyclones. At the opposite end is the Rockpool - a striking saltwater enclosed swimming area. These swimming areas are important - particularly in the summer, swimming off the beach risks encounters with stingers (jellyfish), crocodiles and sharks. Each morning Steve would go for an early morning (before it gets too Hot) fast-walk the length of the Strand, admiring the innovative play area designs, fun water park, the most elaborate fishing pier we've ever seen, upscale cafes, picnic areas - all a credit to the architects who designed the project.

Townsville

September, 2002... On September 14 Adagio sailed north - two days late ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 10:46am PST

Whitsunday Islands to Clarence River : We relaxed and took it easy on the cruise south, meeting up with our friends Joe and Kathy on "KatieKat" at Fraser Island. We took a pause at the Sanctuary Cove Marina near Southport, for some shore-side travel.

Whitsunday Islands to Clarence River

We relaxed and took it easy on the cruise south, meeting up with our f ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 11:41am PST

Clarence River : February, 2003... As we sailed south from the Great Barrier Reef back to Tasmania, we had the opportunity for some seriously laid-back cruising, including Christmas 2002. This is the first time we've felt we had the time to take a pause on the Australian East Coast north-south migration. Fresh prawns, mud crabs and Scottish bagpipes...check it out!

Clarence River

February, 2003... As we sailed south from the Great Barrier Reef back ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2006 11:33am PST