April 2021
With a perfect weather forecast we left Port Stephens and headed north aiming to reach the Gold Coast and cross the border into Queensland. The sail up to the Gold Coast took us nearly fives days and was approximately 300nm. And although we probably could have done it in less time but we were trying to sail with the wind and not use the motor. However as usual the forecast left a little to be desired, deteriorating further into a calm with each update and as such we slept the first two nights at anchor. The day we left Port Stephens we made about 60nm, anchoring behind Crowdy Head a couple of hours after dark. We had decided to anchor that night not because we had no wind but because we were forecast for 30kts and short, fast 2m seas. Although as far as we could tell in our little overnight anchorage the wind never arrived and instead it would have been ideal night sailing conditions had we kept going.
The following day we weighed anchor just as the sun was rising, aiming to reach Trial Bay to spend another night at anchor. Trial Bay was about 60nm from Crowdy Head and to start the day we were making an incredible 5-6kts. However as usual eventually the wind died off and so from midday onwards we had no choice but to motor sail if we wanted to anchor at a sensible hour that night. Once again we dropped anchor a few hours after dark that night after a very frustrating couple of hours. As just before sunset we had unknowingly entered into a southbound current running at 2-3kts and since Allagai’s average is only 4.5kts this current made slow going. This meant that we spent the last 4-5hours before anchoring doing only 1-2kts.
We stayed anchored in Trial Bay once more until first light, weighing anchor just as the sun was rising over the horizon and heading back out to sea. That was to be our last overnight anchorage before reaching the Gold Coast although we had decided to make one more short stop before then. In the previous 2 days we had done a lot more motoring then we had wanted too and the perfect forecast we had started with was now showing very little wind ahead as well. So with this in mind we decided that we needed to make a quick pit stop in Coffs Harbour to refuel. However that was a quick in and out stop not wanting to spend any longer then needed due to the swell rolling into the anchorage, sailing off into the night just as the sun was dropping below the town of Coffs Harbour. As we expected from then onwards we had very little wind and basically spent the remainder of our passage motoring, much to our dismay. That night we also mixed the watch system up a bit, instead of the 4hour shifts we usually did we decided on 3hour shifts instead to give us both equal hours of sleep. This worked much better then expected, both of us waking the following morning feeling well rested and ready for our last day at sea.
That day we had a couple of hours of peace around sun rise without the engine, however that was short lived and the rest of the day went by without much excitement. We passed Byron Bay just on sunset and settled into watches for our last night expecting to be entering through the Southport Seaway early the next morning. Although we were a little worried as once again we had unwittingly entered into another southbound current which was causing our speed to suffer and drop down to 2-3kts giving us doubts we would make it in time to catch the incoming tide. But there was nothing to do but keep going so that night we crossed the NSW/ Queensland Border a couple of hours after midnight and saw the first dazzling lights of the Gold Coast in the distance.
It was on sunrise the following morning that we caught the first true sight of the Gold Coast as the massive skyscrapers and high-rises were light up pink by the morning sun. To enter the Gold Coast waterways we had to cross a bar, the Southport Seaway, and once again we were blessed with very favourable conditions. We had arrived just in the nick of time to get the last of the incoming tide, had flat seas and not a breath of wind. So crossing the bar wasn’t an issue however it was a public holiday and it seemed that everyone who owned a boat, jet ski and even surfboard was out and about on the water. The channel was chaos, there was water craft everywhere and keen surfers crossing the Seaway to find good waves on South Stradbroke Island. That morning all we wanted to do was find a spot out of the chaotic channel and so we decided to drop the anchor off South Stradbroke Island, about a mile from the entrance to the seaway.
However we only stayed anchored in that spot long enough to catch a few extra hours of sleep and eat breakfast. As it seemed we hadn’t picked a peaceful spot to drop the anchor at all as Allagai was being regularly rolled gunnel to gunnel. We figured that because it was a public holiday that there were more boats then normal out and about and we had anchored Allagai right in the path of their wakes. We were being rolled continuously and it was a good thing we were still stowed for sea because otherwise we would have had things flying around the cabin, so we had no desire to stay anchored in that spot. As soon as breakfast was done we weighed anchor and headed a little further upstream, still anchoring off South Stradbroke Island but away from the main path of the nearby marina and boat ramp where it seemed most boats were leaving from. That day we spent most of our time just relaxing and recovering on board Allagai, feeling a little exhausted after four full days of sailing and sitting in the sun. Although we did row over to the island just before sunset for a short walk across the island to see the open ocean.
The following day was another day of rest however we decided to move the boat again. This time we headed south down the river and anchored in a spot called the Marine Stadium behind a big spit. This was packed full of boats and offered awesome protection, not just from the weather but also from the wakes of other boats. We spent two nights anchored there. The first day we enjoyed a walk ashore scoping out the area and the second was spent riding our bikes around the Gold Coast/ Southport area. However we came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a lot of stuff for us to do there, as we were more interested in nature not the theme parks, skyscrapers or other city based activities that the city offered. So on our fourth morning in the big city we decided to weigh anchor and head up one of the creeks. Although we did have an ulterior motive we were actually aiming for Boat Works, a massive marine precinct about 10nm up the Coomera River. This was because our little engine was way over due for a service, it was also a one stop shop for that and everything else we needed for the boat .
After spending about 2hours anchored out the front of Boats Works we decided that we didn’t want to spend the night there due to the amount of boat traffic. So instead that night we dropped the anchor about two miles downstream of Boat Works after completing our shopping in front of a small local park. Although we had an interesting experience before we left having accidentally pulled up most of a rather large decomposing tree with our anchor. Unable to bring the anchor up or down Hugo had to dangle off the bowsprit slowly cutting the tree to pieces as more emerged. Thankfully though nothing bad happened and after a few chops the tree let go and we could secure the anchor on deck as usual.
Once again we only spent one night in this spot before moving on, but this time we were leaving the city behind. Neither of us really enjoy the city life and so were glad to be heading away from the Gold Coast. Over the next week we decided to aim for Moreton Bay meandering through the mangrove lined channels to get there first.