Calamities in Queensland

There are times living on the boat when I think it’s going to break me. We’ve had some calamities in Queensland that have almost put me off living on a boat. While it may look from afar as if we’re always enjoying tropical cocktails while swimming with dolphins, which would be a fun combination, it’s not always fun or easy.

It’s Rough Sometimes

In our first year living on Sava, we made many mistakes and had a lot of rough days. We got past that beginner’s hump. Now, we love our new boat, and living aboard is our life, so we take the bad with the good. But even after six years, there are times when we have almost had enough. Since our not so fun sail from New Zealand, we’ve had a few calamities in Queensland, Australia.

Getting Stuck on Mooring Balls

Some of the anchorages in Queensland have mooring balls. We haven’t used the moorings either because we don’t know who owns them or how to get permission, or they are not rated for our boat’s weight. When you’re anchoring near moorings, you need to leave room so you don’t swing into the boats on balls or swing into the balls or their lines. We haven’t always succeeded in avoiding the moorings.

Twice we tangled around the moorings, and it wasn’t easy to get off!

brisbane river

The first time we had one of these mooring ball misadventures in Queensland was when we were anchored in the Brisbane River. We anchored and were quickly visited by a rude local who warned us we better know what we’re doing and to stay clear of his boat. Unfortunately, we almost didn’t stay clear of his boat! I mean, I guess he was right that we didn’t know what we were doing, but he could have been nicer about it!

Brian ran the engine to test it out as we’d had a few problems with it since arriving in Australia. He didn’t realize he’d put it into gear and moved the boat into one of the moorings. We think what happened next was because we were being pulled by the mooring line, it loosened our anchor. Later, we started dragging, very close to unfriendly guy’s boat. We lifted and anchored again, and Brian jumped into the water and untangled us from the mooring. Though we loved Brisbane, the unfriendly local and mooring ball mishap stopped us from returning by boat.

pancake creek

The next time we got really tangled in a mooring was when we were anchored in Pancake Creek waiting out some wind. Pancake Creek is a lovely anchorage, with a nice beach and a walk to a lighthouse with a view, making it a popular stop for cruisers. But somehow we managed to screw it up.

We dragged into a mooring, and when Brian swam down to investigate, found that we were terribly tangled. Our anchor chain was wrapped around the mooring ball line multiple times. Fortunately, with all the other boaters waiting out wind he had a lot of assistance.

Brian finished our last filled scuba tank, and another boater loaned us one of theirs, and after a few hours and some knife work, disentangled us from the mooring lines. Unfortunately, we broke our windlass in the process, probably from the added weight on the chain and motor. We spent the next few anchorages manually hoisting and lowering the anchor. Eventually, at the next marina we replaced our windlass, just another of our calamities in Queensland.

We Lost Our Dinghy

One morning while anchored in Airlie, again waiting out some strong winds so we could return to the Whitsundays, I noticed our dinghy wasn’t attached to our boat. All I could say was I was glad I hadn’t tied it.

Brian called on the VHF to see if anyone had spotted it, and was directed to a beach nearby where everything washes up. Since we didn’t have a dinghy, we had to sail the big boat over to the area. I spotted the dinghy on the rocks through our binoculars and we anchored as close as we could.

The wind and waves were huge that day, and since we didn’t have a dinghy, we had to paddle to the shore. Brian took the kayak and after a few attempts, I managed to get on the paddleboard. We got close and realized the dinghy was wedged among the rocks on shore. It didn’t look good, it was still very rough, and I barely made it back to Go on the board.

Destroyed Our Dinghy

The next morning, we recruited a few other sailors to bring their dinghies to retrieve ours. It was so much easier with help and boats with motors. It was also a lot calmer that day!

When we did bring Go’s dinghy back onboard, our suspicions were confirmed. Our dinghy was in terrible shape. The bottom was shredded, with several big holes.

This dinghy came with Go and we didn’t want it. It was too big (designed for the original owners, a family of 8, we believe), too heavy, and too much for the two of us. We wanted Sava’s dinghy, but the dinghy was way too big to leave with Sava. We probably should have done the swap anyway.

Maybe this was the most positive of our calamities in Queensland because of the end result! A new dinghy! I don’t know, I’m just glad I didn’t tie the old one. We still don’t know if someone untied it, cut it, or if it just wasn’t tied properly. Guess we never will.

We ordered a new dinghy and had to wait a week to get it delivered from across the country. Waiting meant not moving for a while, but we were lucky to be loaned a dinghy and we’re very happy with the new one. It’s now our fourth dinghy, and it’s the same type as we left with Sava, only with a 4 stroke engine because you can’t buy 2 strokes here.

A Storm Hits Our Anchorage

On our way south from Townsville, we avoided anchoring in Brisbane and when we went to Pancake Creek, stayed far away from the mooring balls. Further south of K’Gari (Fraser) Island, where we had our worst experience in Queensland, maybe anywhere. Anchored in a seemingly safe anchorage on Halloween night, we suffered the worst of our calamities in Queensland.

lightning storm

This night was even scarier than sitting though a tropical storm. We anchored in a peaceful spot east of Pelican Bay, went ashore for a short walk, and then back to the boat. As I was prepping dinner, I noticed a light show quite far off in the southwest sky. Little did we know that despite the northeast wind, the lightning storm was heading our way.

high winds

The lightning wasn’t even the scariest part of the storm that night. The wind got so strong that Go and the boats nearby all drifted off anchor. Brian very quickly leapt into action, started the engine and started driving into the wind, keeping Go from hitting any boats or drifting onto shore. I foundered for a bit, but soon put on my safety harness and ran around calling out to Brian where the other vessels were in relation to ours. It was pitch black aside from the bursts of lightning, but all the boats had enough lights on we could see each other.

After almost an hour, the storm subsided and we hailed the other boats in the area to assess the damage. Two boats had collided and were conferring with each other, and another had grounded but seemed to recover relatively quickly.

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It was a scary hour, and we got out of it okay. Our nerves were on edge and I’d bet no one in that anchorage slept well that night. We didn’t! Like us, most of the other sailors rose early and exited the pass close to dawn and the rising tide. We were happy to leave that place and any more calamities in Queensland in our wake.

Moving South

We’ve had it easy lately, but now that summer is coming, so is the heat. Even though we’re moving out of the cyclone zone, we’ll still get summer storms and they bring lightning. This storm was scary and hopefully not a harbinger of many more nights like that. I don’t think I can take it.

At this moment, we’re getting close to New South Wales, so hopefully no more calamities in Queensland or anywhere else! Leave your best wishes for smooth sailing for Go and her crew in the comments. We can use all the positive thoughts.