We enjoyed a bus ride from the north end of the island to the south end where we explored Nelly Bay. We went to this bay with the express purpose of meeting Dr. Rick Braley at Aquasearch Lab, the scientist who started the Operation Clamsaver project. Alas, Dr. Braley was away the day that we visited but we enjoyed our self-tour of the aquarium lab.

November 4, 2007

It was time to continue heading south and we took advantage of light northeast winds to head to the Whitsunday Islands, a passage of 140 miles. This meant an overnight passage and we had a good one. The seas were flat and we were not feeling seasick. Paul does have trouble sleeping on short one-night passages and usually arrives at our destination feeling a bit queasy from lack of sleep. This time was no exception.

We arrived at Airlie Beach around 0900h. The wind was still out of the northeast, which makes Airlie Beach an uncomfortable anchorage (we remembered that very well from two years ago!). We did decide to anchor at Airlie Beach as the wind was predicted to come out of the southeast sometime that same day. Well, we only lasted three hours. In fact, we had gone ashore to go to an internet café but changed our mind as we were walking along because the wind strength was building and it had already been a challenge getting ashore. We were not looking forward to going back to the boat after a few hours. We knew that we would arrive back at the boat drenched in salt water.

So, we turned around and went back to the boat, hauled anchor and sailed off to Nara Inlet, one of our favourite anchorages in the Whitsundays.  There we found Caesura and Erica at anchor, whom we had last seen at Magnetic Island.  We had a short sundowner session on Caesura as we were exhausted from our overnight passage.  Both of the other boats left in the morning.

On November 8, we tried again to go to Airlie Beach for provisioning and other business.   This time we were successful as the wind was out of the southeast.  We had a comfortable night at anchor and sailed back to Nara Inlet in the afternoon after our town duties were completed.

November 10 - 22, 2007

Over the next two weeks we completed a few day hops that took us to anchorages where we had spent time two years ago – Goldsmith Island, Keswick-St. Bees Island and Scawfell Island.  All of these stops were with the purpose of heading further south and avoiding the strong southeast tradewinds that had not abated.  We were really hoping that the northerly winds would have kicked in by now, but alas that was not to be.

We spent the longest time at Scawfell Island (9 days) and were quite comfortable.  We did lift anchor one afternoon at 1600h and started off on the 275 mile passage to Bundaberg but we turned back to Scawfell after an hour.  A second squall was approaching and the wind was building.  So we tried to be patient for a few more days.

November 23 – December 3, 2007

At 2100h on November 23, we started out again for Bundaberg and this time we were successful.  We had good weather for the 44-hour passage although it was still a close-hauled motor sail in east/southeast winds.

We spent a few days at Bundaberg catching up with friends Kim and Robert on RAM and Dave and Fran on Melric II.  We also went in to town for provisions.  We also picked up our new 66-pound Bruce anchor which we had purchased from Jim and Ann on Insatiable II when they bought another brand of anchor.  Paul had always wanted our primary anchor to be a Bruce and we were able to sell our CQR anchor to Fran and Dave on Melric II.

Armed with our new anchor we set off across Hervey Bay to the Great Sandy Strait to meet up with Bob and Julia on Kinta.  They were patiently awaiting our arrival, however, we were still battling southeast winds.

Late in the afternoon we anchored behind Kinta at the Kingfisher Resort anchorage and were pleased to also see Dan and Alice on Shaula anchored nearby.  We really were hoping to see Dan and Alice before the end of the year because this American yachty couple has decided to have their boat shipped back to the US so that they can continue their cruising on the west coast of North America.  After almost 20 years in Australia they are returning to the US.  The boat leaves from Brisbane in January.  We had a nice pot-luck dinner aboard Bella Via with Bob and Julia and Dan and Alice that evening.

The next morning we left early for a quick trip up the Mary River to buy some bottom paint from Maryborough Slipways.  Kinta came along as well.  By quick we mean that we timed the 4 hour journey so that we were travelling with the incoming tide and took advantage of a 1.5-2 knot current.  We spent three hours in the town of Maryborough and then travelled back down the Mary River on the falling tide.

We spent a quiet evening beside Kinta anchored at River Heads, where the Susan River and the Mary River join and then at mid-day the next day continued traversing the Great Sandy Strait and anchored at Garry’s Anchorage.  This is the worst place for midgies and sandflies that we have experienced in Australia and even though we used all of the protection that we have we were still bitten. 

On our second evening at Garry ’s Anchorage, just before Bob and Julia came over for a combined dinner aboard Bella Via, a Seawind 10 metre catamaran sailed in and dropped anchor in front of us.  We were quite excited as we recognized the boat and the owners, Richard and Tina on Saltwater I.  We first met Richard and Tina in Pittwater in February 2005 just after starting our liveaboard life.  We saw them briefly one year later, again at Pittwater.  We invited them aboard for drinks and spent an enjoyable few hours catching up.

December 3, 2007

We left Garry’s Anchorage and sailed to the mouth of the Great Sandy Strait in preparation for a crossing of the Wide Bay Bar and a 50-mile passage to Mooloolaba.  Again, the weather was not exactly cooperating.  The southeast winds continued, despite forecasts of northerlies.  We were anxious to get to Mooloolaba because Mary’s cousin Bill wanted to come up from Brisbane and help us get the boat to Yamba on the Clarence River.  We had decided to return to the Clarence River again and were looking forward to a relaxing few weeks before we returned to Canada for our annual visit.  It is about 180 miles non-stop from Mooloolaba to Yamba and we were looking forward to Bill’s company.  However, Bill’s busy schedule only allowed for a visit between Thursday and Monday.  Northerly winds were predicted on the Friday but we first had to cross the bar and get to Moololaba.

December 4, 2007

The winds were out of the northeast and we planned on crossing the Wide Bay bar at 1400h and staying the night at Double Island Point and an early morning departure for Mooloolaba.  At 1300h, we noticed that a coast guard boat was piloting a small monohull across the bar.  Although we anticipated no dramas on this bar crossing, (see web entry of June 18, 2005, for  the hair raising story of our first Wide Bay bar crossing), we decided to take advantage of the proximity of the coast guard and quickly hauled up anchor and followed them out.  The Mad Mile between the second and third waypoint was, as usual, like a washing machine and we hobby-horsed our way through it.  The actual crossing of the bar was very smooth, with the least water depth of 14.7 feet and the water very calm.

We crossed the bar at 1400h and started off for Double Island Point, a distance of 7 miles.  There was a 1.5 metre easterly swell present that day and we were not looking forward to spending the night at Double Island Point.  Paul suggested that we head right for Mooloolaba and this we did.  We had a good trip down the coast and arrived at Mooloolaba at 2300h.  we anchored for the night in front of the Coast Guard Station and at 0700h in the morning, when the tide was rising, we went into the canals to anchor behind our friends Steve and Bettye on JAMS at Kawana Waters Marina.

We spent two days with Steve and Bettye, who very kindly took us shopping by car.  Without their help, Santa may have missed Bella Via this year.

December 6, 2007

The weather was cooperating with a favourable forecast for our scheduled 180 passage from Mooloolaba to Yamba.  Mary’s cousin from Brisbane, Bill, was scheduled to arrive at 1100h the next morning at which point in time we would depart directly for Yamba.  We enjoyed a rare night out in a fancy restaurant for an early celebration of Mary’s birthday, because there would be no restaurants open in Maclean on Mary’s actual birthday, December 26.

December 7 - 10, 2007

Paul writes:

“The very first thing we do each morning, as soon as we get out of bed, is to pick up any emails that have come in overnight.  This is an activity that we especially look forward to because this is the time of day that we are most likely to receive welcomed news from friends and family at home in North America.   On the morning of Friday, January 7 (our time in Australia, late afternoon, January 6 in North America), there were two emails in our In-box.  I should have sensed that something was amiss because both emails had no subject heading.  The first was from our friends Brad and Dan at “Sea and Ski Marine”.  It read, quite simply, “Please contact us or your brothers. They are trying to reach you”.  The second email was from our sister-in-law, Debbie Major.  Her email read, “Your dad has passed away this morning in the apartment. Alan will get back to you as soon as possible.”

It doesn’t matter how many times you read a message such as this, the content remains the same. We were shocked, for my father’s health had been reasonably good.  After a quick hug and a cry with Mary, I immediately proceeded to a public phone to call my family.   Fortunately we were in a developed area where public phones exist.  Walking up to the phone I knew that I had an important decision to make.  Would we miss the funeral and carry on or would we put the boat in a marina and get an immediate flight home?

Despite the fact that for years we had already made it clear to friends and family that we would probably not return home for funerals, facing the decision in reality is an entirely different experience than talking about the eventuality.   As I walked to the phone I was not sure what I was going to do.  When I reached the family, my father had only just been take away in the last hour, though my three brothers and sister had been there with my mother for some time.  I spoke with each of them at length.  During these conversations, two themes became very apparent.  The first - though deeply stricken with grief, together as a family they were dealing effectively and emotionally with my father’s sudden death.  The second - it became very apparent that prior to my call, they had been discussing my situation and had all agreed to voice their support of whatever decision I made, especially if I decided to stay put.  They made it very clear that they understood the situation I was in and the significant cost involved.  They talked about how they would include me throughout the process and they asked me to write the eulogy.  After more than an hour on the phone, I told them I would get back to them with my decision within the next hour.

I went back to the boat, related the conversations to Mary, expressed my opinion that to go home at this time was just too impractical, my siblings and my mother were supportive and we would be home in 6 weeks.  Mary supported my decision to stay in Australia and miss the funeral.  I returned to the phone and once again talked to many of my family, informing them of my decision and that I would be out of phone contact for about 36 hours since cousin Bill was about to arrive for our passage from Mooloolaba to Yamba.

At 1030h, we said good-bye to Steve and Bettye and motored out into the river to pick up Mary’s cousin, Bill.  After a relatively easy passage of 26 hours we crossed the bar at the Clarence River on Saturday afternoon.   We had booked a Harwood Bridge opening for 1300h the next day so we anchored for the night in front of the bridge.   During the early morning hours of December 9, prior to our scheduled  bridge opening, Bill and I took the dinghy into Maclean so that I could get an update on how the family was coping.

Making the decision to stay in Australia was far easier than living with it.  In fact, living with it grew increasingly more difficult and emotional with each hour, each telephone conversation, each activity that was happening in Windsor without me.   I started to feel guilty for my absence.

In the end it was the support of Mary who helped me immensely with the eulogy, our children Jennifer and Jeremy who, with significant effort and some sacrifice, flew from New York and Vancouver, respectively, to attend the funeral as representatives of our family, my siblings and mother who remained completely supportive throughout, and finally, my good friend Rod Peturson whose words of wisdom helped me resolve my feelings of guilt.  I thank these and all of my friends and relatives who have been so wonderfully supportive to me and my family during this difficult time. God Bless you.”

We are now anchored on the Clarence River in front of the delightful and little Australian town of Maclean where we expect to join the church choir for the four weeks that we are here, beginning this Sunday and including Christmas.

We want to wish everyone a very peaceful, happy, and healthy Christmas and holiday season!  May you make every visit with a loved one a memorable one.