Log Entry 21st March 2008

Today marks the start of the annual Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race and I was invited to sail with a work colleague and his crew of regulars to see the race on the water. Darryl has a Ross 830, which he stores at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, located adjacent to Lara’s berth at East Coast Marina on Manley boat harbour.

After a slow start from the harbour where the mainsail flapped uselessly and the spinnaker refused to fill we motored to the north side of the Mud Island well into the bay. Eventually the south-easterly picked up and we sailed over to a marker off Tangalooma (Moreton Island). This marker was part of the course around which contestants sailed before heading north out of Moreton Bay.

It certainly was a prime viewing spot and it was very exciting to watch the boats reaching powerfully up to it before turning north onto a spinnaker run.

The Bay is a very busy place commercially and the deep water in this area is vital to the navigation of large ships in and out of the Port of Brisbane. This Origin vessel, which I think is a natural gas carrier, was one of the smaller vessels we saw.

Thanks for the invite Darryl, and thanks to Dave, Andrew and Dave (2) for sharing a beer and some good boating conversation.

Log Entry 15th March 2008

The wind continued to blow strongly at 20-25 knots from the south east all of this past week, with more of the same forecast for today. Rather than wait for fine weather, my good friend Phil, highly experienced sailor that he is, volunteered earlier in the week to crew with me, so that I might gain experience sailing in heavier weather; particularly the sort of conditions that require sail reefing and a greater awareness of the sensitivities of the boat. As our two younger girls were not keen to experience the heavier going Yolande volunteered to stay home and babysit, so the final crew comprised Phil, his son William, Helena and myself.

A revised BoM forecast earlier in the morning indicated an easing of the conditions to a 15-20 knot south-easterly and we left the harbour under a crisp clear blue sky and steady breeze. A minor mishap that may have contributed to a later problem was the outboard stopping prematurely as we exited the harbour. I don’t think I attached the fuel line properly and the engine ran dry. As we already had both the main and headsail up, we simply tilted the outboard up and out of the way and didn’t worry about it, (big mistake).

The conditions in the bay were very favourable for boating as we beat steadily north-eastwards out of the markers, towards the passage between Green Island and King Island. Lara cruised along at 4 to 5 knots until were about level with King Island where we tacked to head south. Helena was very keen to beach the boat, perhaps have a swim and try her luck fishing with a hand reel. Passing close to the Thorpe Memorial Beacon we continued into Waterloo Bay until we were well past a coral outcrop before tacking to starboard, sailing until we gently nudged and moored on the long sand spit that joins King Island to Wellington Point. I was surprised but pleased that despite the shoal keel we were able to anchor so close to terra firma, climbing down from the bow into only about two feet of water. The sand comprising the bottom and the spit itself is quite coarse but still very pleasant to walk barefoot on.

Watching the kid’s gymnastics trying to climb up on to the bow though, I think however that we will have to invest in an extendable boarding ladder on the transom, and moor stern in; although I am grateful to Phil for demonstrating the ancient art of walking up the anchor chain, which made the boarding task easier. After a bit of a wander, in which Helena and William collected a few shells, we had a bite to eat and thought about returning to the harbour. Unfortunately today coincided with the local council election, and neither Phil nor I had voted as yet and I was mindful of the waste of money an electoral office fine would be for failing to vote should they decide to impose one. (The electoral office had imposed one against me some years ago – ouch!)

Leaving the spit was uneventful as the south-easterly blew us gently away from shore and we headed off on a broad reach south before practising a few gybes and starting the run for home. The water near the harbour beacons was full of boats participating in Saturday races and we were mindful to adjust our steerage several times so as not to interrupt their course.

We entered the harbour under full sail, ghosting down an avenue of tightly packed boats moored on either side of us, until reaching the ninety degree turn to starboard required at the end to approach the mooring pontoon. We dropped the sails at this point and intended to use the outboard however it refused to start, not a flicker of life at all. After some frantic fiddling and starter cord pulling we gave up on the engine, luckily realising that the gentle south-easter was blowing us in the right direction anyway. As the pontoon space was already taken up, Phil jumped over the bow at the last minute to cushion Lara as we nudged up against a dive boat against which we rafted up. The marina crew had already shut up shop by this time so we tidied Lara up and left her there for the staff to rack in the morning.

Phil had an expert look at the engine, drawing no doubt on his vast experience and knowledge accumulated from twenty plus years as an RAAF engine fitter dealing with things mechanical; after which he pronounced he had no idea what was wrong with it! He did manage to start it though by bypassing the hand throttle (which automatically engages the prop on any setting other than idle) and opening the throttle fully. I am now wondering whether the float bowl, (do they have one still?) was bone dry from my earlier error and needed to refill before the engine would start. I’ll read the instruction book during the week and have a fiddle with the outboard on Friday to test my theory.

Thanks again Phil for your expert tutelage, we didn’t reef a sail but maybe next time! (And yes I at least voted locally, arriving at the booth with fifteen minutes to spare.)

Log Entry 10th March 2008

Lara has sat patiently for more than a fortnight now, waiting for us to take her out for an inaugural sail. Unfortunately the weather has not been kind over the last two weekends due to blustery 25 to 30 knot south-easterly winds, not ideal for us as inexperienced sailors on an unfamiliar boat. However Saturday the 8th March seemed promising with a 10–15 knot south-easterly tending to 15–20 knots later in the day. Arriving at the marina around 9:00am we loaded Lara with food, water and other odds and ends after which I finalised the transfer of the berth into our name and had her launched.

Moored to the pier we removed the sail covers, familiarised ourselves with the rigging and prepped and started the outboard, (a reliable 8 hp 4 stroke Mercury). It was then we experienced crises number one. Lara’s large rudder, permanently mounted through the cockpit floor just aft of the shoal keel doesn’t “bite” and provide steerage until there is reasonable forward movement. Moored on the port side with a strong SE wind blowing across our starboard bow, Lara would not initially move away from the pier, turned to port instead of starboard when she finally did move and ended up perpendicular to her starting point facing a cul-de-sac bounded by moored boats. Feeling like an idiot and expecting to look up and see a couple of hundred boaties gleefully enjoying our predicament, we were rescued by the marina hands who sympathetically commented that a SE can make casting off difficult.

With a helpful push of the bow, we finally made it into the harbour channel and motored at a gentle 2-3 knots to the beacons at the harbour entrance. Motoring well clear of the entrance we turned Lara into the wind to raise the sails. Crises number two! Whilst I was attempting to raise the mainsail Helena pointed out that the lower mainsheet block had unmounted itself from the traveller. Returning to the cockpit it was clear a retaining shaft had worked free due to a missing split pin. After reattaching the block and inserting the locking pin I returned to the mast only to find the mainsheet halyard had wrapped itself around the shroud spreaders. Ten minutes of juggling, swinging and swearing finally saw it free and with the main up Lara took off on a starboard reach towards Green Island.

Given the strength of the wind, we decided against raising the jib, particularly as nearly every other yacht we saw had either a main or a jib or a reefed combination of the two. Approaching the lee side of Green Island we decided to turn north to take look at St Helena Island, where the ruins of the former penal settlement are still plainly visible. With Lara now running, the apparent wind speed dropped substantially as we gently rocked and rolled towards the southern end of St Helena.

Of course there is always a price to be paid for an easy sailing leg, as we were to find out. After passing the long jetty and admiring the ruins from a leisurely distance we decided to head back. Rather than gybing I thought it safer to go about to reverse our track, which is when of course we experienced crises number three! Lara would not turn through the wind, each time stalling as we came about. After three or four attempts I decided that the boat probably doesn’t tack well without the jib, so I coaxed her around using the outboard.

Returning south proved to be quite uncomfortable as we were now beating into a wind blown chop, particularly as we crossed the passage between St Helena and Green Islands. We could see rain from several showers crossing the open bay towards us however we were spared a drenching from these, having only to contend with a sray as it whipped over the bow. Helena had the helm for almost the entire trip back and did a very good job of keeping us on course. Yolande, Johanna and Freya sat below deck, as the combination of wind and spray showering the cockpit was actually quite cold. The jib we had left flapping in the pulpit threatened to blow overboard so I bagged it, crawling on my hands to and from the bow, not particularly graceful but certainly safer than walking without a harness.

Approaching the lee side of Green Island from the north we decided that we weren’t travelling quite quickly enough and so I again started the outboard, which we used to gently push us along at a more constant 2-3 knots. Entering the outer beacons we dropped the main (after struggling with the halyard which I had mistakenly cleated in such a fashion it took me a good five minutes to release) and continued to cruise in using the motor. By this time a lot of skiffs were leaving the harbour with their crews out on a trapezes, one passed us on the port side and I watched with some amusement as it recovered from a near capsize by way of some impressive gymnastics by the crew.

Motoring back thought he harbour proved uneventful, as did our jetty approach and mooring. The marina staff were most helpful in retrieving and berthing Lara after which we flushed the outboard tidied the boat and had coffee in the marina café before heading home, (satisfied but very tired)!

What did we learn? Check the running rigging thoroughly before a departure. Decide to steer the boat under power using the outboard or ship’s rudder but not both, learn to tie off sheets and halyards properly. Overall though, I am very happy with the way Lara handles, at no time did I feel that we were in danger. The boat felt solid and sure when we were sailing her and heeling was gentle and I suspect predicable when we are more experienced.

Can’t wait till our next trip.

Log Entry 8th March 2008

Lara is the sixth and newest member of our family (yet another girl!) whom we officially “adopted” on the 21st of February 2008. Although twenty-four years old she presents extremely well having undergone an extensive refinish in 2006. Having sailed a Sabot well into my teens I have always enjoyed sailing and reading sailing adventures, particularly small boat global circumnavigations of which there have been many over the years. More recently but still some years ago, Yolande and I had the pleasure of overnighting at Moreton Island on a friend’s Star 22, a comfortable aluminium trailer sailer, as well, I was lucky enough to crew in a two-day social trailer sailer race on another friend’s Red Jacket. Yolande has always dreamed of owning a boat and since we are not getting any younger, we decided this would be an opportune time to take the plunge, particularly as our other girls are growing up fast and this would enable us to enjoy a pastime as a family.

At just over twenty-three feet (or seven metres) and 1.8 tonnes, I’m not sure Lara qualifies as a trailer sailer, although she is certainly trailerable. She sleeps four (or two adults and three kids) and with all the conveniences of home (sink, stove, icebox, dinette etc) she will be a comfortable and cosy overnighter. We are fortunate that she is also a Hood 23SD (shoal draft), which I think is more convenient for the shallows of Moreton Bay than the keel version. Lara is currently dry berthed at the Wynnum-Manly boat harbour, which means she sits fully rigged and can be launched and retrieved by the marina’s boatlift at very short notice.