Showing posts with label And. Show all posts
Showing posts with label And. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Goldsmith Island More fish great beach a badly anchored naughty cat and a storm
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| Stingray Bay on Goldsmith Island |
13-14 November 2016
After a couple of fantastic days in Sea Eagle Bay on Thomas Island we raised the anchor at the extremely civilised hour of 9.15 AM and set sail for our next stop at Stingray Bay on Goldsmith Island. It was only a short, ten mile hop so, with a modest northerly pushing us along downwind, we elected to run with just a poled out genoa and didn’t bother to raise the main or mizzen. We got along very comfortably at a relaxed four knots until we reached the passage between Goldsmith and Linne Islands. Here the adverse outgoing current met the northerly wind generating a short, sharp chop that combined with the tidal flow to bring us almost to a dead stop. We soon gave up on wind power alone and started the engine to push on through the overfalls that were developing.
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| Sailing downwind with headsail only. |
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| Battling the currents between Linne and Goldsmith Islands |
Once out the other side the water was beautifully smooth as we turned into Stingray Bay. We anchored far into the bay as close as we felt comfortable to the fringing reef in about five metres of water over good holding sand. There was only one other boat in the anchorage when we arrived and it was on the far side of the bay. With miles of swing room around us, we laid out forty five metres of chain to allow for the rising tide and just to be safe in case an unexpected south easterly should blow up which would see us on a lee shore with coral not far behind our keel. We then had a nice lunch on board and a relaxing afternoon taking in our surroundings.
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| Sea Eagle Bay, Thomas Island to Stingray Bay, Goldsmith Island – 9.7 Nautical Miles Average Speed 3.7 Knots – Max Speed 6.4 Knots |
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| We anchored far into the bay well protected from the northerly wind as close as we felt comfortable to the fringing reef. |
Next morning Karen spoiled us with pancakes topped with fresh fruit for breakfast. What an awesome way to start another fantastic tropical day in paradise.
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| Rob about to tuck into breakfast. |
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| With Karen in the galley, boat food is never boring. |
Stingray Bay is a ‘Green’ conservation zone so no fishing is permitted at all. Fortunately that’s not the case just around the point to the west so Rob and John zoomed around there in the dinghy for Rob to have a go at spearing us some fresh fish for dinner. John had a boring time sitting in the dinghy keeping an eye on Rod as he snorkelled back and forwards along the rocky point in a fruitless search for a suitable target. Much to John’s relief, he eventually decided to give up the hunt and headed back to the dinghy where unbelievably he discovered a good sized brown coral trout lurking around a rock right underneath. Thank you Mr Fish. Dinner was now catered for.
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| The nice coral trout Rob speared for dinner. |
With the provisioning sorted, the three of us then headed ashore to explore Stingray Bay. The place lived up to its name extremely well with a number of very large stingrays spotted as we made our way over the shallows. The beach is split in two at high tide by a rocky outcrop in its centre but, lower on the tides, the sand stretches all the way across. At the eastern end of the bay, a small stream emerges from the rocky slopes behind to empty across beach.
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| Karen walking the beach in Goldsmith Island's Stingray Bay |
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| John enjoying the shade. |
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| A small stream emerges from the rocky slopes behind to empty across beach. |
This area around Mackay experiences some of the biggest tidal ranges on the Queensland coast, and when the water receded as we wandered the beach, it really receded. We were left with quite a way to haul the dinghy before we could refloat her and return to the yacht. With the weight of a fifteen horsepower engine hanging off the stern we are so pleased we fitted a set of beaching wheels to the new dinghy. If not for them, we may have spent a few extra hours ashore waiting for the tide to come in.
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| When the tide goes out on Goldsmith Island it really goes way out. |
OK! Now here’s a question. Why is it that when we’re anchored in a big, wide open bay with miles of room for everyone, people have to come and anchor right on top of us? It happens time and time again. We first experienced the phenomenon in the Mediterranean where we could be the only ones in a two mile wide bay but any boat appearing around the point could be relied on to come and anchor within spitting distance of where we lay.
Rob did eventually develop a defence strategy to ease the problem. On seeing a yacht approaching, he would get the binoculars and see what flag they were flying. If it was the Union Jack or Stars and Stripes he’d wait until they were getting close and then stroll up to the bow naked, ostensibly checking our anchor. The prudish Brits and Americans would turn tail and anchor as far away as possible. Unfortunately we discovered most Europeans were immune to this defence and would be more likely to also appear on deck naked as they shouted greetings and anchored in our virtual pockets.
When we returned to Our Dreamtime here at Goldsmith Island, a catamaran had anchored not far off our stern. Considering they had the whole bay to anchor in, they were annoyingly nearby but at least not dangerously close. However, an hour later another catamaran appeared around the point, appropriately named Bad Catas it turned out. Sure enough, it made a bee line for our particular piece of Stingray Bay and anchored very close to our bow. Rob had no need to drop his pants this time or even say a word for as soon as he walked forward on deck the solo sailor on the cat began pulling his chain back up. He apologised and explained he had no windless and had to pull up the anchor by hand so wanted to anchor as shallow as possible.
After moving a few metres further off our starboard he re-dropped his anchor, again annoyingly near but, in the mild northerly conditions, probably OK. Not wanting to seem grumps, we let the issue lay. That was a mistake.
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| Storm clouds building in the distance over the mainland. |
After sunset a pretty impressive lightning show started to develop over the mainland giving us enough cause for concern to check the weather radar. Sure enough, there was a pretty nasty storm system heading our way. It looked like it may slide through a little south of us towards Brampton Island but we took all the usual precautions anyway. The dinghy was secured up on its davits, we made sure nothing loose was left on deck and centred our booms. (When at anchor, the main is usually swung out to one side or the other to avoid shading the solar panels on our cockpit roof while the mizzen is put to starboard to improve access on the stern.) Considering how warm it was below decks, we left closing up all the portholes, hatches and cockpit enclosure until we could hear the rain approaching.
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| Radar image of the approaching storm cell. |
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| Rob's coral trout went onto the BBQ for a very tasty dinner before the weather turned. |
Unfortunately the storm didn’t miss us and when it hit the wind roared into the bay swinging all the boats around. Our stern was now facing the reef which was far enough away not to be a danger as we began to stretch out our chain. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the cat nearby. It was on a far shorter amount of chain and we were fast approaching a collision. It only had a masthead light showing and was also extremely hard to see in the driving rain.
We started the engine and with John hanging half out the rear of the cockpit getting drenched while illuminating the bows of the cat with the spotlight, Rob motored forward and away each time we came close. Meanwhile Karen was unsuccessfully trying to raise the skipper of the other boat on the radio to ask him to turn some lights on so we could see him better. What he needed to do was let some more chain out so we wouldn’t reach him but with his bridle in place and no windless that would be impossible by hand even if we could have raised him.
As the wind gusted up to thirty-five knots and beyond with the rain pelting down and lightning flashing overhead with booming thunder, we spent the next half an hour or so repeatedly motoring away from the cat each time we stretched back on our chain and swung to within metres of it. When the worst had passed, we were able to call across to the skipper of the cat who was again very apologetic and quickly agreed to let out more chain as soon as the wind eased.
Fortunately once the storm was gone the gentle northerly conditions resumed and we were able to get a reasonable night’s sleep although Rob was up a few times checking on the still very nearby Bad Cat.
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| When you have this much open bay why do people need to anchor on top of us? |
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| The morning after the storm. |
When we arose the following morning, our near neighbour was still apologising but Rob was quick to tell him that shit happens and not to worry about it. It’s all another deposit in the experience bank. We should have asked him to move further away originally. We will certainly do so next time. No doubt he will also be keen to provide more swing room in future as well and turn his radio on in similar circumstances. We hadn't expected a storm to blow into the bay but after a similar experience with more damaging results in the Med we should have factored in the possibility. (To read what happened to us on Alcheringa CLICK HERE.)
We’ll all be smarter for this latest experience and our guest crewmember, John, learned about yet another aspect of the cruising life.
Now it was time to move on to our next tropical island paradise.
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| Good night from Goldsmith Island. |
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Tuesday, July 25, 2017
The first Intrepid power boat Loys Charbonnet and the Checkered Demon
Sometimes you just know something unique is happening to you, and meeting Loys Charbonnet for the first time on his boat was one of them. I was called by Loys, and asked to do some Garmin 5208 training, and software upgrades. As I boarded, his boat I had this unusual feeling. It looked brand new from the factory, but it had this retro classic appearance. So I asked Loys, "Who is the builder?", and he replied, "This is an Intrepid, and it is the first one ever sold". To say this has been a well cared for, and much loved boat would be an understatement. The bright work was in terrific condition, the fiberglass was waxed, and showed no sign of oxidation. The boat is almost exactly the way it came out of the factory approximately twenty-seven years ago.
There are only a few things that are different. It was re-powered just last year, and the original Yamaha 220 was replaced with a new Yamaha 300 HPDI. The rocket launcher seat was also re-upholstered, and the motor mount is of a newer vintage.
The boat in question is a Intrepid 26, built by the Intrepid Boatworks in 1983, now Intrepid Power Boats. The hull lines are clean, and purposeful, as you would expect from a classic Jim Wynne deep V hull design. If you look closely, at more modern Intrepid boat hulls of about the same lengths, you can clearly see the design similarities, even after a couple decades have passed. I will talk about Jim Wynne a little later.
The console is well laid out, and nicely trimmed. The new Garmin 5208 chartplotter is visible behind the helm. The Yamaha shifter, and the engine instruments are new.
Under the helm, are two VHF radios, an EPIRB, and an aircraft transceiver, and you can see the small antenna farm on the mast below. The mast was custom built for Loys’ boat by Intrepid, and was never a factory option, but it is cool looking, and maybe should of. In addition to the radio antennas, you can also see the Garmin N2K GPS and Garmin GXM51 weather receiver.
So how did Loys end up purchasing the first Intrepid? He was a good friend of Jim Wynne, who told him about the new company he was designing hulls for. For those who don't know who Jim Wynne is, I will put some links at the bottom of the story to allow for some further exploration. Jim Wynne, along with Charles Strang, were the inventors of the I/O stern drive so prevalent in todays boating world, and Jim Wynne can be also be considered the one of the fathers of modern power boat deep V hull design.
So how well does this 27 year old design hold up? This is what Loys has to say about the boat:
"I am convinced that having one engine is the way to go. I have run many times in the open ocean with other 26' Intrepids with two, 225hp engines, and it was no contest in 5'-8' seas. If you strap a 25lb weight on your back, and run, you hit the ground harder. This boat is very light, and I have purposely kept it that way. I have made countless single handed crossings from Miami, to all parts of the Bahamas. This boat has never once let me down, and it is bullet proof. I elected to not take the additional 50 gallon tank option, to keep the weight down, and the 150 gallon tank is perfect for good range, and rough seas performance. I did not order the T-top because of both the extra weight, and windage. I like speed, and the new Yamaha 300 HPDI does an excellent job in this department. (Note I did not go with the four stroke version, again to keep the weight down)
So how well does this 27 year old design hold up? This is what Loys has to say about the boat:
"I am convinced that having one engine is the way to go. I have run many times in the open ocean with other 26' Intrepids with two, 225hp engines, and it was no contest in 5'-8' seas. If you strap a 25lb weight on your back, and run, you hit the ground harder. This boat is very light, and I have purposely kept it that way. I have made countless single handed crossings from Miami, to all parts of the Bahamas. This boat has never once let me down, and it is bullet proof. I elected to not take the additional 50 gallon tank option, to keep the weight down, and the 150 gallon tank is perfect for good range, and rough seas performance. I did not order the T-top because of both the extra weight, and windage. I like speed, and the new Yamaha 300 HPDI does an excellent job in this department. (Note I did not go with the four stroke version, again to keep the weight down)
"Loys followed this comentary with the following musings:
"A good friend of mine bought the second boat off the line, but I let the factory finish his first because he was headed off to the Bahamas before me. We were departing a little later in my Hatteras 53 YF. We, for the most part, towed the Intrepid all over the Bahamas. Typically we left the two boats there from May to September, and we were always moving around. I love to free dive, and shoot fish with a sling. We owned a twin engine plane (hence the aircraft transceiver on the Intrepid), and would leave on Thursdays, and would return on early Mondays, and we did this for twenty five years".
I liked his assessment of the boat, it is pragmatic, and it comes from an ultra experienced boater. Loys started out in boats at age ten in a pram. He is a world class "Half Ton" sailboat racer, with many 1st to 3rd place finishes, both domestically and internationally, and I can't imagine him without a boat, or two, or three.
So now we come to the "Checkered Demon", and all children must now avert their eyes. When I first met Loys, I had my trusty Nikon digital camera with me, whose battery promptly took a dump after the first couple of pictures. I sent him an e-mail, and asked him if I could take some more pictures of his boat, and have him answer a few additional questions. One of the questions was as follows:
"Loys, the name "Checkered Demon" is evocative of my less than halcyon, and at times somewhat misspent youth. How did you pick the name, and might you know Mr. Wilson, and Crumb of Checkered Demon fame?” Here is Loys response:
"I never personally met S. Clay Wilson, but I have two complete original sets of his comics, and no, they are not for sale. In 1974 I had a Ron Holland custom designed "Half Ton" sailboat built for the 'Half Ton" World Championships held in Chicago. A good friend of mine, Cai Svendsen, who lived in Coconut Grove, helped build the boat and sailed on it and he introduced me to the "Checkered Demon.” All of my boats, including, all subsequent to the "Half Ton" yacht, have carried the name. If you know the "Checkered Demon" you know he always wins!”
Thanks Loys, its been fun.
Below are some interesting links that are worth exploring, and Google can take you to many more.
An excellent Sports Illustrated article about Jim Wynne
Wikipedia article about the stern drive
Wikipedia article about the stern drive
Stern Drive, The Invention
The Bertram Mopie, Jim Wynne, and the Great Race
A good piece on S. Clay Wilson's life and times.
A good piece on S. Clay Wilson's life and times.
Wikipedia on S. Clay Wilson
S. Clay Wilson, the artist
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Discuss Sailboat hull and deck kits
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Saturday, July 22, 2017
A Long Day and New Birds
S drops me off at the harbor on her way to somewhere else. It takes me just a few moments to put-in as anyone that has canoed with me can tell. Everything is in its place and ready to go when I start, and everything is left in its place and ready to go when I finish.
It is a very calm day, warm and sunny - it is a day to make special use of. When I reach the mouth of the harbor, I see that I can still pass under the rusty bridge into Gulf Pond, but it is too calm to go there and instead I turn seaward. I spot a long-tailed duck, the first that I have ever seen although I know it from noticing its wonderful plumage while browsing through bird guides. It does not oblige me with a good pose.
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| Long Tailed Duck |
I turn SW and follow the seashore. Recently, I followed an online discussion about risk. One person wrote that we have become a risk averse society. I did not agree with that, but thought about it long enough to decide that we are actually a risk ignorant society. I paddle past beach front homes that are unscathed, and then for some quirk of nature, I paddle past fifteen or twenty houses that have the first floors busted in, windows gone or sometimes the floor, joists and walls removed leaving a cantilevered second floor dangling over the sand. This pattern repeats itself for as long as I am on the salt water. And we were only touched by the edge of the hurricane.
It is not the first hurricane, by any means, to reach Connecticut. Nor will it be the last.
Something that sounds like a loon call draws me out towards a tiny sand bar at the tip of a groin (groins are underwater wing dams for the purpose of collecting and holding beachfront). I don't see anything that matches that call, but instead I find two American oystercatchers.
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| American Oystercatcher |
When I get to Milford Point, I find out why the houses on this exposed beach survived with minimal damage. I had only seen them from the marsh on the other side of the point. There is a sand/gravel bar on the sea side that is nearly a 1/4 mile across. While well submerged, it would've broken some of the water's impact during the storm surge. I paddle in less than 2 feet of water for a few hundred yards to get into the river. There is a stiff current against me.
I continue to fight that current into the Wheeler marsh until I can slip into one of the dozens of channels that work their way through the spartina. The cloudless day lights the fall colored grass to a beautiful bronze. I wind through the channels aware that there is an expiration date when one is in a tidal marsh during a falling tide. At some point, it is time to seek the larger deeper channels lest one find the way forward blocked... and find the way back blocked as well. I spot a couple dozen black ducks, about 15 greater yellow legs, and 2 great blue herons during the passage.
When I exit the upstream end of the marsh, it is open big river with a growing wind at my back that not quite cancels the opposing current. I take out a couple miles up at the feral cat park.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Discuss Dory plans stitch and glue
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Monday, June 12, 2017
Guide Power boat plans and kits
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