Year 2 – 22 February 2025 -Coffs Harbour to Moreton Bay (Brisbane)

If anyone reading this and is free in June- mid July 2025 to come to Australia then do contact me as I am short of crew for that month fully at present.

As I signed off last night we were approaching Byron Bay. We were following a few yachts as they reached the point and then it started to rain. This was not for long but we had to get out coats out. The winds increased and we had to put some reefs in. The wind strength grew to the extent that we put two reefs in the main and changed the genoa for staysail. We overtook a boat called Tamanu and Halsag 6 was still around and ahead of us. The problem was that its AIS kept dropping out and so it was not easy to see where it was. We could not see its lights but we could see it on the radar. I spent a couple of hours trying to find it as at times we were going faster and at times it was going faster. In the end as long as it stayed ahead it did not matter. As we moved up the coast in the dark we tried  to sail a bit into each bay to avoid the southbound current. There were lights ashore we could see and the odd navigation or lighthouse light. At one point I saw an orange light off to my starboard side and thought what was that? There was nothing on AIS and I worried a bit but then the moon appeared from behind a cloud – panic over!!.

As the night went on the wind strengthened and the swell rose so we were sailing a good speed but we were being rolled around a bit and this made sleeping difficult. We did two-hour shifts and made good progress and the night went quickly but I hardly slept a wink. I just rested and listened to the sounds of the boat.

Dawn came and it was quite grey and rolly but we increased our speed by changing sails and shaking out reefs. I saw the odd flying fish and there were some birds about and we saw the Gold Coast with its skyrise towns ashore. We passed the seaway entrance which I thought of going in but we had decided to move on. We sailed up the east side of North Stradbroke Island and then on to Moreton Island which I worked out was really one huge sand dune. We could see large sand dunes with bush and trees above it. From afar it looked like cliffs but on closer inspection it was sand dunes. We sailed on to Cape Moreton the Northeast tip which had a few shallows off it. We arrived there about 14.30pm  having sailed some 212nm in 32 hours which averages 6.6 kts which is not too bad bearing in mind the low average at night and the swell and the south bound current pushing us back.

Once round the point I thought it would calm down but no. The wind continued to blow some 24-27 kts and the sea state was 2 meters and troubled as there were a number of shallow areas. We had to go to a point where we could enter the Northeastern channel. This meant going over a relatively shallow area until we got into deeper water and the channel which was quite narrow. We had to punch through the waves as some speed to prevent the tide and current pushing us off. This meant quite a lot of spray coming over the deck.

It was not until we got close to the island did the waves calm down bit there was still wind over tide. The wind continued to howl and we saw cars driving on the beach and stopping in the middle of nowhere for a picnic. We continued down the channel and this meant we were going down the west side of the island. We came to an area called Tangalooma Wrecks where they beached a number of ships to create a bit of a harbour. There were a number of boats anchored here. We came in from the deeper water and found a spot not far from the huge beach which runs down the island. We could see large sand dunes and cliffs rising up. It was very beautiful.

Once anchored I had to change the gas cylinder which had finally stopped since starting in Tahiti – remarkable. I therefore connected the new one I bought in NZ. We then had a beer and relaxed. I felt quite tired as I am not sure I had any sleep.

We had steak with pepper sauce with mashed potatoes and courgettes which was nice and filing. A good end to a good passage which in the end overall was 231 nm. We can see the skyscrapers of Brisbane in the distance and we plan to go into  a marina tomorrow for 4 days to explore.

The picture of the day is a view of the beach and sand dune from our anchorage.

Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies 58 kilometres (36 mi) northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane. 98% of the island is contained within a national park and a popular destination for day trippers, four-wheel driving, camping, recreational angling and whale watching and a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane. It is the third largest sand island in the world. Together with K'gari, Moreton Island forms the largest sand structure in the world. It was the traditional country of the Ngugi before settlement.

The island is within the City of Brisbane and is gazetted into four localities, the small townships of Bulwer (on the north-west coast), Cowan Cowan (on the west coast) and Kooringal (on the south-west coast) with the bulk of the island being the locality of Moreton Island. The private Tangalooma Island Resort (where we are anchored) is also within the locality of Moreton Island. All residential areas are located on the western coast of the island facing Moreton Bay.

The island was named by Matthew Flinders. At least five lighthouses have been built on the island. A small number of residents live in four small settlements. Tangalooma was the site of a whaling station. Access to the island is by vehicular barge or passenger ferry services. Moreton Island is a popular destination for camping and fishing.

It is one of the wettest parts of the City of Brisbane with precipitation spread evenly throughout the year compared to other parts of Southeast Queensland. Cape Moreton receives an annual average rainfall of 1,567 millimetres (61.7 in).

Need/Opportunity Year Two

I am in need of more crew from late April to Mid-July so if of interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

In year two I will be going from New Zealand to Sydney and hen up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com